Galaxies
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The Andromeda Galaxy - Also designated Messier 31, this galaxy in Andromeda is visible to the naked eye on a clear, dark night. It is, together with the MIlky Way, among the largest members of the local galaxy cluster. This image shows less than half its total extent. About 2.5 million light-years away, it is destined to merge with the Milky Way in a few billion years. The blue star cluster near the top left edge of the image is NGC 206, one of the largest known open clusters. It is believed to be located in the Andromeda galaxy. A number of globular star clusters have been identified in this galaxy. Also, two satellite galaxies can be seen in this image - Messier 32 above and Messier 110 below the Andromeda Galaxy.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/2 with Hyperstar 3 Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Orion ST-80 with Meade DSI using PHD Exposure: 18 X 5 minutes = 1.5 hrs |
Messier 33 (Triangulum Galaxy) - This spiral galaxy, also know as the Pinwheel Galaxy, is about 3 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. It is a member of the local group of galaxies that includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy (see above) and 30 or so other galaxies. It is probably interacting gravitationally with Andromeda. There are a number of reddish star-forming regions visible in M33, the most notable being NGC 604 in the upper right. Exposures in light emitted by hydrogen gas (H-alpha) have been used in this image to enhance these regions. The blue regions indicate the presence of young, hot stars.
Telescope: Meade 8" LX200R @ f/5 with 2" Antares 0.5X reducer Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 60 min, R = G = B = 21 min, H-alpha = 120 min binned. |
Messier 83 - This spectacular barred spiral galaxy, also know as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is 15 million light-years away in the constellation, Hydra. It is bright enough to be visible with binoculars and was first seen in 1752 by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille at the Cape of Good Hope. The blue and red regions indicate large numbers of young, hot stars and hydrogen gas where new stars are forming, respectively.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/7 with Starizona SCT corrector Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD2 Exposure: 6 X 30 minutes = 3 hrs |
The Sombrero Galaxy - Also designated Messier 104, this peculiar galaxy is about 30 million light-years away in the constellation, Virgo. It is characterized by a bright core, large central bulge and prominent dust lane. Originally thought to be a spiral galaxy, recent measurements by the Spitzer satellite indicate that it may be a giant elliptical galaxy. It was discovered in 1767 by Pierre Mechain.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/7 with Starizona SCT corrector Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD Exposure: 10 X 30 minutes = 5 hrs |
NGC 891 - This edge-on galaxy in Andromeda is about 30 million light-years away. It is believed to be an unbarred spiral, though recent infrared images show signs of a bar. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784, though an error in his notes led to its discovery being attributed to his sister, Caroline, for many years.
Telescope: Meade 8" LX200R @ f/5 with 2" Antares 0.5X reducer Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 90 min, R = G = B = 30 min |
NGC 4565 - With its bright, bulging core and prominent dust lanes this is arguably the finest example of an edge-on spiral galaxy and one of the objects that Messier missed when he created his catalog in the 18th century. It is 49 million light-years away in the direction of Coma Berenices. There are quite a large number of background galaxies in this image, the most notable being the dwarf galaxy, PGC 2993674, below NGC 4565.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/5 with Optec 0.5X reducer/corrector Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 180 min, R = G = B = 60 min |
NGC 7331 - This spectacular, nearly edge on galaxy in the constellation, Pegasus, is 46 million light-years away. It and the smaller, more distant galaxies form the Deer Lick Group. A unique feature of this galaxy is is that the central bulge is rotating in the direction opposite to the spiral arms, a situation not easily explained.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/5 with Optec 0.5X reducer/corrector Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 120 min, R = G = B = 40 min |
Messier 101 - This face-on spiral galaxy, about 25 million light-years away in Ursa Major, is nearly twice the size of the Milky Way. It is notable for its numerous star-forming regions of ionized hydrogen. Pierre Mechain discovered it in 1781 and Charles Messier confirmed its position and added it to his catalog.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/2 with Hyperstar 3 Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Orion ST-80 with Meade DSI using PHD Exposure: 145 minutes |
NGC 7479 – This striking barred spiral galaxy in Pegasus is about 100 million light years away. It is a Seyfert galaxy, which means it has a very active nucleus with highly ionized gases, probably indicating a massive black hole.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/5 with Optec 0.5X reducer/corrector Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 120 min, R = G = B = 40 min |
Atoms for Peace Galaxy - Also designated NGC 7252 and Arp 226, it is about 220 million light-years away in Aquarius. It is called the Atoms for Peace Galaxy because it resembles the symbol used to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Eisenhower administration. It is thought that the loops and streams of stars and gas are the result of the merger of two galaxies that occurred about 1 billion years ago. Deep in the bright core is a face-on spiral galaxy a mere 10,000 light-years in diameter that is rotating in the opposite direction from the rest of this galaxy and is thought to be the remnant of the merger (see http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/opo9734u/ ). NGC 7252 contains hundreds of quite young globular clusters, presumed to have been formed during the merger. One of these globular clusters, designated [WSL93]3 is the largest and most luminous globular cluster known, over 250 times as luminous at Omega Centauri. It is visible in this image as the bright knot just to the right of the core.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/7 with Starizona SCT corrector Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD2 Exposure: 18 X 30 minutes = 9 hrs |
NGC 2841 - This striking spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major is about 46 million light-years away. It is structurally similar to our neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, and is the defining example of a flocculent spiral galaxy because of its knotty arms.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/5 with Optec 0.5X reducer/corrector Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 135 min, R = G = B = 60 min |
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