galacticsights
astrophotography
Whirlpool Galaxy, M51
Technical Details
Location | Zollikerberg, Switzerland |
Camera | Nikon DSLR D810A |
Telescope | Skywatcher Quattro 8CF 200 DS Fibre OTA Newton Carbon |
Special Lense | Skywatcher Newtonian F4 Coma Corrector |
Mount | Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 |
Autoguiding | Lacerta MGEN2 (Autoguiding, Dithering) |
Focuser | Lacerta MFOC Motorfocuser |
Planetarium Software | Stellarium | Image Session Control | APT - Astro Photography Tool v3.5, ASCOM Platform 6 |
Lights | 59 x 120s // 58 x 120s (total 3h54'), ISO-1600, additional Biases, Flats, no Darks |
Stacking Software | Pixinsight 1.8, Bayer Drizzle 2x |
Image Processing | Pixinsight 1.8 |
2017-05-25 / Earlier Version, part 1 of the above image
"The Whirlpool Galaxy is best seen in the northern hemisphere from April to May."
Technical Details
Location | Zollikerberg, Switzerland |
Camera | Nikon DSLR D810A |
Telescope | Skywatcher Quattro 8CF 200 DS Fibre OTA Newton Carbon |
Special Lense | Skywatcher Newtonian F4 Coma Corrector |
Mount | Skywatcher AZ-EQ6, EQASCOM, Stellarium |
Autoguiding | Lacerta MGEN2 (Autoguiding, Dithering) |
Camera Control | Digicamcontrol (Focus, Camera Control) |
Lights | 56 x 120s (1h52'), ISO-1600, additional Biases, Flats, no Darks |
Stacking Software | Pixinsight 1.8, Bayer Drizzle 2x |
Image Processing | Pixinsight 1.8 |
"The color difference between the two images is caused by using different color calibration methods in Pixinsight. The bluish image is the result of the PhotometricColorCalibration.."
The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It is one of the most famous galaxies in the sky, appearing face-on when viewed from Earth. M51 has a much smaller dwarf companion, known as NGC 5195, and together they form the finest and most studied example of an interacting galaxy pair in the sky. The M51 lies in a distance of 23 million light years from the Earth and has a diameter of 75'000 light years.