The famous Messier pair of galaxies M81 and M82 appear together in this image taken with a 580mm refractor. M81, Bode's Galaxy, a grand spiral design galaxy, dominates the center of the frame, while M81, the Cigar Galaxy, shines to the left. Both galaxies show a significant Ha signal in this longer integration image. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM-C Camera @ -20C and Gain:139 Offset:21 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC Light Frames: Luminance: 100 x 90 secs (2 hrs 30 mins) Red: 40 x 120 secs (1 hr 20 mins) Green: 41 x 120 secs (1 Hr 22 mins) Blue: 46 x 120 secs (1 Hr 32 mins) Ha: 24 x 300 secs (2 Hrs) 8 hrs 42 mins total Dark Frames: 20 x 60 secs (20 mins) Bias Frames 60 Flat Frames 20 each filter Additional Details from Wikipedia: Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away, with a diameter of 90,000 light years, about half the size of the Milky Way, in the constellation Ursa Major. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size, and active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million M☉[5] supermassive black hole), Messier 81 has been studied extensively by professional astronomers. Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. A member of the M81 Group, it is about five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way and has a center one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center.[7] The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As the closest starburst galaxy to Earth, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type.
A stupendous string of galaxies stretches across the sky in the direction of Virgo, part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Containing Messier objects as well as many NGC objects, the group was named after Astrophysicist Benjamain Markarian, who discovered their common motion. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM-C Camera @ -20C and Gain:139 Offset:21 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC Light Frames: Luminance: 188 x 60 secs (3 hrs 8 mins) Red: 76 x 60 secs (1 hr 16 mins) Green: 70 x 60 secs (1 Hr 10 mins) Blue: 80 x 60 secs (1 Hr 20 mins) 6 hrs 38 mins total Dark Frames: 20 x 60 secs (20 mins) Bias Frames 30 Flat Frames 20 each filter
his is almost 4 hours of data in LRGB on a strangely shaped pair of galaxies, usually referred to as the Whale and Hockey Stick Galaxies. The larger Whale Galaxy (NGC4631) also has a dwarf companion galaxy (NGC4627) just to the right of it in this image. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM-C Camera @ -20C and Gain:139 Offset:21 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC Light Frames: Luminance: 56 x 60 secs (56 mins) Red: 56 x 60 secs (56 mins) Green: 54 x 60 secs (54 mins) Blue: 54 x 60 secs (54 mins) Total Duration: 3 hrs 40 mins Dark Frames: 20 x 60 secs (20 mins) More details from Wikipedia: NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy or Caldwell 32) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname.[3] Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars located outside the plane of the galaxy. NGC 4631 has a nearby companion dwarf elliptical galaxy, NGC 4627. NGC 4627 and NGC 4631 together were listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as an example of a "double galaxy" or a galaxy pair.[8] NGC 4631 and NGC 4627 are part of the NGC 4631 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes the interacting galaxies NGC 4656 and NGC 4657.[9][10][11][12]
