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Galaxies { 127 images } Created 18 Feb 2011

A gallery of images of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way, including the Magellanic Clouds. Because I shoot mostly with short-focal length (under 1000mm) apo refractors, the fields are wide and small objects like most galaxies are tiny on the frame, though they do better match the appearance through eyepieces.

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Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluste...jpg
Andromeda (50mm 5DII).jpg
Andromeda Galaxy Above Finder Stars ...jpg
Canes Venatici (RF135mm R5).jpg
Canopus to Carina with LMC (35mm 5DI...jpg
Coma Berenices & Canes Venatici ...jpg
Coma Berenices & Canes Venatici ...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices catalogued as Mel111, at right, and two prominent galaxies at left: the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at lower left, and NGC 4559 at upper left. NGC 4494 is between NGC 4565 and the star cluster at bottom. This is a stack of 19 x 4-minute exposures with the Sky-Watcher Evolux 82ED refractor and its 0.9x Corrector/Reducer for a focal length of 477mm at f/5.8. The Canon EOS Ra was at ISO 800. Images taken as part of testing this telescope in April 2022.$

Coma Berenices Cluster with Evolux 8...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field, including NGC 4494 between the Needle Galaxy and the star cluster, but looking very star-like at this image scale. I shot this April 11, 2021 on a fairly clear night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. A bit of passing haze added a touch of star glows. There is a version of this same field shot a week earlier in hazy skies with much fuzzier stars. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. No dark frames or LENR were applied. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.$

Coma Berenices Galaxies (SS94mm EOS ...jpg
$The immensely rich galaxy cluster Abell 1656 in Coma Berenices with two giant elliptical galaxies NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 at its heart. Both are about 11th magnitude. The face-on spiral galaxy NGC 4921 is at lower left at 12th magnitude; the tilted spiral NGC 4839 is at lower right, also 12th magnitude. The field is peppered with dozens of fainter galaxies from the NGC and PGC catalogues, all around 13th to 15th magnitude. The two bright blue stars are 7th magnitude. I shot this on a less than ideal night, with haze moving in, so this is a stack of only 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Shot May 5, 2021. Haze prevented more images to smooth the noise more. Autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.$

Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster (130mm...jpg
Coma Berenices (RF135mm R5).jpg
$The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Melotte 111, at right, with two prominent galaxies at left: NGC 4559 at top left and edge-on NGC 4565 at bottom left. This is a stack of 6 x 8 minute exposures with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor with the EDPH field flattener for f/4.5 and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Diffraction spikes added for effect using Astronomy Tools actions.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster and Gala...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices called Mel111, accompanied by several galaxies, notably the edge-on NGC 4565 at lower left and the spiral NGC 4559 at upper left. The field of view is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH II telescope at f/4.6 with its reducer (for a focal length of 280mm), and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Sub-frames dithered with the MGEN3 auto-guider. No darks applied. Diffraction spikes added in post for artistic effect.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster (SS61 Ra...jpg
Coma Berenices & Virgo (85mm EOS...jpg
Coma Berenices & Virgo with Arro...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS61 Ra).jpg
$A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS76 EOS Ra).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (200mm 6DII).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (WO51 EOS Ra...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region (RF135mm R5).jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region with Labels (RF135...jpg
Cor Caroli and M94 in Canes Venatici...jpg
$A framing of the core of the great Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster, with the bright pair of elliptical Messier-catalogue galaxies M84 (right) and M86 (on the left) at upper right anchoring the arc of galaxies called Markarian's Chain. At centre is the giant elliptical M87, famous for its monster black hole. M89, a smaller elliptical, is to the left, and M90, a spiral galaxy, is above it. M58 is at lower left, and the pair of interacting galaxies called the Siamese Twins, NGC 4568, are at bottom left. Dozens of other NGC, IC and PGC galaxies down to 15th magnitude dot the field. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT refractor and its Reducer for f/4.8 and only 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R at ISO 800, on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. Galaxies enhanced by a starless layer created with RC-Astro StarXTerminator, and with Detail Extractor filter in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Taken from home May 14-15, 2023.$

Heart of Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster (...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (135mm 5DII)-...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (Borg 77mm+5D...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud & Canopus...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud in Trees (85m...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud Portrait (RF1...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (RF135 Ra).jpg
La Superba and M106 (WO51mm EOS Ra).jpg
$This wide-field image frames the main stars of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs — Cor Caroli at bottom, and Chara at right of centre — and to also include in the frame the red star La Superba, aka Y Canum Venaticorum at top. Also in the field are the galaxies M94 below centre, M63 the Sunflower Galaxy at left, and NGC 4490 the Cocoon Galaxy at right above Chara. They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the stars of Canes Venatici, and the location of Y Can Ven. The red star La Superba was given its name by Fr. Angelo Secchi, and is one of the best examples of a red carbon star. It is one of the reddest stars in the sky. The field is 10° x 15°, so wider than binoculars. Cor Caroli is a double star but is not resolved at this scale. This is a stack of 8 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon EF 135mm lens stopped down to f/2.8 (thus the diffraction spikes on the stars) on the Canon Ra at ISO 1600, all on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker.$

La Superba Field in Canes Venatici (...jpg
LMC Above Cottage.jpg
LMC Above Trees.jpg
LMC & Canopus (6x7).jpg
LMC - Large Magellanic Cloud (135mm ...jpg
$A 4-panel mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and visible only from the southern hemisphere. The field takes in most of the LMC and its numerous nebulas and clusters. Notable is the Tarantula Nebula, NGC 2070, the cyan-tinted nebula at far left, surrounded by many other NGC nebulas and clusters. At upper right is the second largest and brightest nebula complex in the LMC, NGC 1763, dubbed the LMC Lagoon, or the Bean Nebula. This is a 4-panel mosaic taken March 31, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Each panel is a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop.$

LMC Mosaic (77mm 5DII).jpg
LMC & SMC (6x7).jpg
$This is a framing of the bright Messier spiral galaxy M101, with a number of its nearby galaxies in Ursa Major. The odd galaxy below M101 ins NGC 5474. NGC 5473, 5485 and 5486 are above M101. an edge-on at top centre is NGC 5422, while at the top edge is NGC 5443. The elongated galaxy above the blue star 86 UMa at right is 13th magnitude UGC 8337. This is a stack of 15 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT apo refractor with its 0.8x Reducer for f/4.8 and 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R camera at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. A starless layer created by RC-Astro StarXTerminator plug-in that contained just the galaxies helped to bring out the galaxies separate from the stars in processing. Plus I applied a Detail Extractor action in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Shot from home May 14, 2023 as part of testing the 90CFT scope.$

M101 (AT90CFT RMod).jpg
$This wide-field image frames the end stars of the Big Dipper's handle — Mizar at top, and Alkaid at bottom — and to also include in the frame the bright galaxies Messier 101 (at left) and Messier 51 (at lower right, aka the Whirlpool Galaxy). They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the Handle. The famous double star Mizar and Alcor is also obvious at top, as is the red giant star 83 Ursa Majoris. The field is 10° x 15°, so wider than binoculars. This is a stack of 8 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon EF 135mm lens stopped down to /2.8 (thus the diffraction spikes on the stars) on the Canon Ra at ISO 1600, all on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker.$

M101, M51 and Mizar in Big Dipper Ha...jpg
$Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major, a classic face-on spiral galaxy, large and obvious in binoculars. The odd galaxy at bottom is NGC 5474. This is a stack of 9 x 10-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener lens.$

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy (200mm 6DI...jpg
$Messier 102, aka NGC 5866 and the Spindle Galaxy, (at right) and the edge-on galaxy NGC 5907, called the Splinter Galaxy, at left, in Draco. NGC 5866 is often labelled as M102, but #102 on Messier’s list is usually considered to be a mistaken re-observation of M101. The smaller galaxies NGC 5908 (left) and NGC 5905 are at lower left. North is up. This is a stack of 8 x 9 minute exposures at f/6 with the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor and Canon 6D at ISO 1600. Taken from home on April 19, 2015.$

M102 & NGC 5907 (130mm 6D).jpg
$The classic edge-on spiral, the Sombrero Galaxy, Messier 104, in Virgo. This object is always low in my home sky so tough to get a clean, sharp image of it, but this night, April 20, 2020, was as good as it gets for me. It looks like there is a little asteroid trail to the left of M104. I left it in. This is a stack of 6 x 10-minute exposures with Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 (with the 6x7 field flattener) and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800.$

M104 Sombrero Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M104 Sombrero Galaxy (Evolux 82 Ra).jpg
$M105 with NGC 3371 (left) and NGC 3373 (below), a galaxy triplet in Leo. Taken from home, with the 130mm AP apo refractor at f/6 and Canon 7D at ISO 800 for a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures, the last in moonlight after moonrise.$

M105 (130mm 7D).jpg
$This is a framing of the bright Messier spiral galaxy M106 at top, with a number of its companions and nearby galaxies in Canes Venatici. The edge-on spiral to the right of M106 is NGC 4217; the elongated spiral at upper right is NGC 4096; the edge-on spiral right of centre is NGC 4144; the more face-on spiral at bottom is NGC 4242. Many other NGC and PGC galaxies down to 15th magnitude dot the field. The location of the galaxies of interest leant themselves to a classic Rule of Thirds composition with M106 at the intersection of the upper horizontal and vertical third lines. This is a stack of 15 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT apo refractor with its 0.8x Reducer for f/4.8 and 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R camera at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. A starless layer created by RC-Astro StarXTerminator plug-in that contained just the galaxies helped to bring out the galaxies separate from the stars in processing. Plus I applied a Detail Extractor action in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Shot from home May 12, 2023 as part of testing the 90CFT scope.$

M106 and Companions (AT90CFT RMod).jpg
$The large and bright galaxy Messier (M) 106, in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a fine example of a spiral galaxy accompanied by many companion galaxies in the galaxy-ruch northern spring sky. At left is the edge-on galaxy NGC 4346; at top right is another edge-on NGC 4220; while at lower right is yet another edge-on NGC 4217 amid a nice field of colourful stars. The galaxy just to the right of M106 is NGC 4248. The faintest galaxies here are about 15th magnitude. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action applied overall to the image. Taken from home April 14/15, 2021. Slight high haze added some star glows.$

M106 in Canes Venatici (130mm EOS Ra...jpg
M106 in Canes Venatici (200mm 6DII).jpg
$M109, spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, off the bright Bowl star of the Big Dipper, Gamma Ursa Majoris, aka Phecda. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da on the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6.$

M109 in Ursa Major (130mm 60Da).jpg
$The well-known Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, with its companion galaxies. M32, below it and seemingly embedded in M31's outer arms, and M110 above M31. Many yellow giant stars litter the field, as foreground stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. North is up in this framing. This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and on the StarField Optics Géar80 apo refractor with its matching reducer/flattener for f/4.8. Taken from home through breaks in passing clouds as part of testing of this new scope. No darks or LENR used, just dithering between each frame using the MGEN autoguider. High pass sharpening and a Starizona Galaxy Enhance effect was added to bring out the dark dust lanes.$

M31 and Companions (Gear80 Ra).jpg
M31 and M33 Galaxies (85mm R5).jpg
$A wide-field framing of the famous Andromeda Galaxy, aka M31 showing it above the two "guidestars," Mu (bottom) and Nu Andromedae that are used to star hop to the galaxy. Above M31 is one of its companion galaxies, M110, while below it on the edge of M31 is the nearly starlike (at this scale) M32, its other companion galaxy. North is to the upper left in this orientation. The field of view is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 14 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon R6 camera at ISO 800, on the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor with its flattener/reducer for f/4.5. Only an Astronomik UV/IR Cut filter was employed. I had LENR turned on with the R6 to eliminate the amp glow flaw of the camera. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Stacked and aligned with Photoshop. Luminosity mask adjustments with Lumenzia helped bring out the outer structures. A high pass filter and the Starizona Galaxy Enhance action snapped up the dust lanes.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy Above Mu Androm...jpg
$Time for my annual image of the Andromeda Galaxy! This is M31, the spiral galaxy in Andromeda, with its two companion elliptical galaxies, the very small M32 below, and larger M110 above. North is up in this framing, in a set of images taken from home September 6, 2021. I shot this as a test of the Canon R6 mirrorless camera. It is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800, blended with a stack of 8 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 400 for the core, to prevent it from overexposing too much, all with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor at f/4.4 with its field flattener/reducer, and autoguided with the MGEN3 autoguider, with interframe dithering applied, and no darks or LENR employed. It was on the Mach 1 mount. Some light haze added mild star glows. The faint arms and outer glows were brought out with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia and Zone System Express 7. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (Canon R6 SS76).jpg
M31 Area (135mm Bino Field).jpg
$Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, shot with the William Optics 51mm f/4.9 RedCat astrograph, mounted on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i tracker as a test of the combination of small refractor and small tracker for an ultra-portable setup. It worked well but the tracker had to be autoguided for the best results and minimal trailing when shooting at even the relatively short focal length as this (250mm) for a small telescope. I used the ZWO ASIAir and guidescope for autoguiding in right ascension (no declination correction is possible with such a tracker). This is a stack of 18 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Canon EOS Ra — a high ISO to keep exposures times down to minimize any trailing in declination from misalignment on the celestial pole. The combination worked well. Some high haze moved in during the last exposures. This was from home October 11, 2020.$

M31 with RedCat on StarAdventurer 2i.jpg
M33 Area (Bino Field 135mm).jpg
$The Local Group spiral galaxy Messier 33 in Triangulum. The galaxy contains a number of cyan-coloured OIII regions of nebulosity. This is a stack of 25 x 6-minute exposures with the stock Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the Askar APO120 refractor with its 1.0x Flattener lens, for a focal length of 840mm at f/7. Taken from home October 18, 2023 as part of testing the telescope. On the Mach1 mount autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider.$

M33 Galaxy (APO120 Flattener R5).jpg
$The Local Group spiral galaxy, Messier 33 in Triangulum, with some of its star forming nebulas showing up as green-blue regions in its spiral arms. The field also contains some faint and much more distant 13th to 15th magnitude galaxies. This is a stack of 20 x 4-minute exposures, with the Starfield Optics Géar115 f/7 apo refractor taken as part of testing the scope, with its 0.8x Adjustable Reducer for f/5.6 and with the stock 45-megapixel Canon R5 at ISO 800. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 autoguider on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No dark frames or LENR applied on this mild night in November. Noise reduction with RC-Astro Noise XTerminator. All stacking, alignment and processing in Photoshop.$

M33 Triangulum Galaxy (Géar115 R5).jpg
$The Local Group spiral galaxy, Messier 33 in Triangulum, with some of its star forming nebulas showing up as green-blue Oxygen III regions in its spiral arms. This is a stack of 30 x 6-minute exposures, with the Starfield Optics Géar115 f/7 apo refractor taken as part of testing the scope, with its 1x Adjustable Field Flattener for the scope's native 805mm focal length, and with the stock 45-megapixel Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 autoguider on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No dark frames or LENR applied on this chilly night in December 2022. Noise reduction with RC-Astro Noise XTerminator; star reduction with RC-Astro StarShrink. Galaxy details were enhanced with applications of: a masked High Pass Sharpen filter, Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action, and PhotoKemi Dark Details action. All stacking, alignment and processing in Photoshop.$

M33 Triangulum Galaxy (Géar115 R5 w...jpg
$M49, elliptical galaxy in Virgo. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da on the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6. Galaxy below M49 is NGC 4610, one at left is NGC 4492, and spiral at top is NGC 4488$

M49 in Virgo (130mm 60Da).jpg
M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy (200mm 6DI...jpg
$Messier 51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, the classic face-on spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a stack of 6 x 10-minute exposures with the Astro-Physics 130mm apochromatic refractor at f/6 (with the 6x7 Field Flattener) and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800. As an experiment on this mild but still cool spring night I did not shoot dark frames or LENR in-camera darks to see the extent of thermal noise. There was quite a bit at the single pixel level, proving that the camera does need darks or LENR when the ambient temperature is warmer than a sub-zero winter night.$

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M58, M59 & M60 (5in f4.5).jpg
$Messier 61, a face-on spiral galaxy in Virgo. Galaxy at upper left is NGC 4301, at upper right of M61 is NGC 4292. The short streak left of M61 is the asteroid 40 Harmonia. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da and Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 apo refractor.$

M61 in Virgo (130mm 60Da).jpg
$Messier (M) 63, the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a fine example of a "flocculent" spiral galaxy with tightly wound and patchy spiral arms. Several small and more distant 14th and 15th magnitude UGC and PGC galaxies are also in the field. This is a stack of 9 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. One image in the 10-frame sequence had misguiding for some odd reason and was not included in the stack. Taken from home April 30, 2021. Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action applied to M63.$

M63 Sunflower Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
$The bright galaxy Messier (M) 64 in Coma Berenices, aka the Black Eye Galaxy from its prominent dark dust lane around the nucleus. This is a stack of 16 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Slight haze this night, April 12, 2021, added the star glows. The mount, the AP Mach 1, was autoguided with the MGEN3 autoguider applying a 5-pixel dithering shift between each frame. Alignment and stacking (with Median blend) of exported TIFFs was with Affinity Photo's Astrophotography Stack mode, as Photoshop did fail to accurately align this set, unusual for Photoshop. Development of raws was with Camera Raw, and editing was with Photoshop.$

M64 Black-Eye Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra v...jpg
M65 and M66 in Leo (200mm 6DII).jpg
$This is the "Leo Trio" or Leo Triplet of spiral galaxies, that includes two Messier galaxies: M65 (lower right), M66 (lower left), along with the edge-on spiral NGC 3628 (top). The galaxy NGC 3593 is at right. A number of other faint 15th-magnitude IC and PGC galaxies are also in the frame as tiny fuzzy spots hard to distinguish from stars at this scale. The Class K3 orange giant star 73 or n Leonis is at right. This is a stack of 24 x 3-minute exposures through the Askar V 80mm refractor, with its Extender lens for f/7.5 and 600mm focal length. With the modified Canon R at ISO1600. On the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount autoguided and interframe dithered with the Lacerta MGEN3, and with no filter employed. Taken from home April 13, 2023 as part of testing the telescope. Galaxies enhanced on a starless layer created with RC-Astro Star XTerminator, to bring out the galaxies without bloating the stars.$

M65 & M66 Leo Trio (Askar V 80mm...jpg
$Leo Triplet of galaxies, taken with 5-inch Astro-Physics refractor at f/6 (no flattener) and Canon 7D camera, on Mach1 mount as a test of SBIG SG-4 autoguider. Stack of 2 x 8 minutes at ISO1600 and 4 x 15 minutes at ISO800. Median combined.$

M65, M66, NGC 3628 Leo Trio (5in 7D).jpg
$The Leo Trio or Triplet of spiral galaxies — Messier 65 (right), Messier 66 (left) and the edge-on galaxy NGC 3628 (top), three bright galaxies for small telescopes below the star Chertan in eastern Leo. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra through the SharpStar 94mm EDPH apo refractor with its dedicated field flattener/reducer for f/4.5. Auto-guided with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone auto-guider which dithered the images by 5 pixels between each exposure. No darks applied.$

M65 & M66 (SS 94mm EOS Ra).jpg
$The pair of contrasting galaxies, the face-on spiral M77 and egd-on spiral NGC 1055 (above) in Cetus. Shot from home November 21, 2016 with the Explore Scientific FCD 102mm apo refractor at f/7 with a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon 5D MkII. Some frost at the end. The bright star is Delta Ceti. Russell Croman’s Gradient Xterminator applied to even out the background.$

M77 and NGC 1055 (FCD102).jpg
$Messier 81 (the spiral galaxy below) and M82 (the irregular galaxy on top) in Ursa Major. M81 is Bode’s Galaxy, while M82 is the Cigar Galaxy. The galaxy at bottom left is NGC 3077 This is a stack of 10 x 10-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener lens. Taken April 24/25, 2020. North is up in this view.$

M81 and M82 (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M81 and M82 Galaxy Pair (200mm 6DII).jpg
M83 (200mm 5DII).jpg
$M83 with 4-inch Astro-Physics Traveler apo refractor at f/6 with Canon 20Da at ISO800 and 6 minutes each -- stack of three exposures. Taken from Queensland, Australia July 30, 2006.$

M83 Galaxy (4in f6 20Da).jpg
M84 and M86 & Markarians Chain (...jpg
$M85, a lenticular galaxy in Coma Berenices. Small barred spiral at left is NGC 4394. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures with the Canon 60Da at ISO 800, on the Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 apo refractor.$

M85 in Coma Berenices (130mm 60Da).jpg
$M87 to M58 area of the Coma-Virgo galaxy cluster, with M87 at right, and M90 (spiral galaxy) at top left, M89 (round elliptical) at centre left, and M58 at bottom left. NGC 4550 and 4551 are the pair below M89 at centre. This is a stack of 5 x 5 minute exposures with the 92mm TMB apo refractor and Borg 0.85x reducer/flattener for f/4.5, and Canon 7D at ISO 800. Taken April 24, 2011.$

M87, M89, M90 & M58 Galaxies (92...jpg
$M88 (right) and M91 (left), a pair of spiral galaxies in Coma Berenices, taken May 6, 2013 from home, with the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor at f/6 and Canon 60Da at ISO 800 for a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures.$

M88 and M91 in Coma Berenices (1300m...jpg
$This is Messier 94, the bright face-on spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. Note the outer faint ring of starlight. The galaxy was discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781. Charles Messier observed and catalogued it that year. This is a stack of just 5 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 through the SharpStar 140mm refractor at f/6.5 with no field flattener.$

M94 in Canes Venatici (SS140 EOS Ra).jpg
$The Messier galaxies M95 (bottom right) and M96 (bottom centre) with M105 at top, as the largest galaxy in a trio, with NGC 3389 (bottom left) and NGC 3384 (top left in the trio), all in Leo. M95 and M96 are barred spiral galaxies, while M105 is an elliptical. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra camera on the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor at f/6 with the AP 6x7 field flattener. Guided with the MGEN3 autoguider and dithered 5 pixels between each exposure and median stacked. Taken April 15, 2021.$

M95, M96 and M105 in Leo (130mm EOS ...jpg
$A portrait of the pairing of the Owl Nebula, M97, with the edge-on spiral galaxy M108, below the Bowl of the Big Dipper. The Owl is a magnitude 9.8 planetary nebula in our galaxy about 1700 light years away, while M108 is another galaxy about 32 million light years away, and shining at magnitude 10. There are many very tiny 15th to 18th magnitude galaxies in the field as well, carrying PGC designations. North is to the left in this framing. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600, through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Autoguiding was with the MGEN3 stand-alone guider which controlled the camera shutter and performed a 5-pixel dithering move between each exposure. The mount was the AP Mach 1. No dark frames or LENR was applied. Aligning and stacking, with a Median blend mode, was with Photoshop, which worked perfectly on this set. Taken from home on a very clear night on April 13-14, 2021.$

M97 Owl and M108 Galaxy (130mm EOS R...jpg
M98-99-100 Galaxy Trio (HNT 150 EOS ...jpg
Magellanic Clouds (50mm 5DII).jpg
Magellanic Clouds & Achernar (50...jpg
Magellanic Clouds in Moonlight.jpg
Magellanic Clouds over Timor Cottage...jpg
Magellanic Clouds over Timor Cottage...jpg
Magellanic Clouds Rising (35mm 5D).jpg
Magellanic Clouds Setting (April) (3...jpg
$This is a framing of the large naked-eye Mel111 Coma Berenices star cluster to include some of the telescopic galaxies in the area, notably the edge-on Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at lower left and the spiral galaxy NGC 4559 at upper left. NGC 4494 is to the right of the Needle galaxy. Many other NGC and PGC galaxies down to 15th magnitude dot the field. This is a stack of 15 x 3-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT apo refractor with its 0.8x Reducer for f/4.8 and 430mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R camera at ISO 1600. A starless layer created by RC-Astro StarXTerminator plug-in that contained just the galaxies helped to bring out the galaxies separate from the stars in processing. Plus I applied a Detail Extractor action in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Shot from home April 12, 2023 as part of testing the AT90CFT scope.$

Mel111 and Galaxies (AT90CFT RMod).jpg
$This is the Large Magellanic Cloud, the main Local Group member and a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way, some 160,000 light years away, It is visible only from the southern hemisphere. Nowhere else in the sky do we see such a profuse collection of star-forming nebulas as here in this frame the width typical of binocular fields, about 7.5° by 5º. The LMC is a dwarf irregular galaxy though with structures that resemble a barred spiral galaxy. Tidal disruptions caused by its passage near our Galaxy are sparking an intense level of star formation and star death – some of the nebulas are bubbles blown out by exploding or dying stars. The main region of nebulosity is the massive Tarantula Nebula complex (NGC 2070) at left, with its twisted and tortured structure. The other main area is the NGC 1763 complex at upper right. At upper left are the nebulas NGC 2020 and NGC 1955, among many others. At lower right is the NGC 1748 complex. At lower left is NGC 2018. However, the region is so rich it is hard to identify which object is which, especially as most atlases don't agree on the labels. Even amateur photos such as this reveal patches of nebulosity that are not plotted as such on star charts. While many of the nebulas are red or pink from hydrogen alpha emission, many are cyan from predominant oxygen III emission. This is a blend of images taken through a dual-band nebula filter and without any filter. This is a stack of 12 x 10-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an IDAS NBZ dual-band (OIII and H-a) filter that adds most of the nebulosity, blended with a stack of 20 x 5-minute exposures at ISO 800 with no filter for the main "natural light" background content. The Canon EOS R camera I used was modified by AstroGear.net to be more sensitive to H-a light. It was on the little Sharpstar 61mm EDPH III refractor with its Reducer for f/4.4, and on the Astro-Physics AP400 mount autoguided with the Lacerta MGEN III stand-alone auto-guider. Inter-frame dithering e$

Nebulas of the LMC (SS61 RMod).jpg
$NGC 1232 a face-on "grand design" spiral galaxy in Eridanus in the southern hemisphere sky. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Caon 5D MkII and Astro-Phsyics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 2012.$

NGC 1232 Galaxy in Eridanus (105mm 5...jpg
$NGC 1300 a face-on barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus in the southern hemisphere sky. Little galaxy above it is NGC 1297. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Caon 5D MkII and Astro-Phsyics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 2012.$

NGC 1300 Galaxy in Eridanus (105mm 5...jpg
$NGC 1313, a starburst spiral galaxy in Reticulum, in the southern hemisphere sky between the Magellanic Clouds. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 5D MkII and Astro-Phsyics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 2012.$

NGC 1313 Galaxy in Reticulum (105mm ...jpg
$NGC 1365, a classic barred spiral galaxy at lower right, along with the cluster of galaxies in Fornax that includes the large elliptical, NGC 1399 at upper left. This is a stack of 5 x 12 minute exposures at f/5.8 with the 105mm Traveler apo refractor and Canon 5D Matk II at ISO 800. Taken from Timor Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 2012.$

NGC 1365 & 1399 in Fornax (105mm...jpg
$NGC 1566; the Spanish Dancer Galaxy; in Dorado. Other galaxies in the field are NGC 1549 (below right) and NGC 1553 (below that galaxy). Little edge-on is IC 2058. Pair of galaxies at left are NGC 1596 and NGC 1602. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with Canon 5D Mark II and Astro-Physics 105mm Traveler apo refractor at f/5.8. Taken from Timor Cottage, Coonabarabra, NSW, Australia, December 11, 2012.$

NGC 1566 Spanish Dancer in Dorado (1...jpg
NGC 247 (135mm 5DII).jpg
$NGC 247 a lareg edge-on spiral galaxy in southern Cetus This is a stack of 5 x 12 minute exposures at f/5.8 with the 105mm Traveler apo refractor and Canon 5D Matk II at ISO 800. Taken from Timor Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 2012.$

NGC 247 Galaxy in Cetus (105mm 5DII).jpg
NGC 253 & NGC 288 (135mm 5DII).jpg