March 2026 – Semper Iuvenis Photography

Caldwell 53: Insights into a Lenticular Galaxy

Caldwell 53 is also known as NGC 3115 or the Spindle Galaxy. It is a bright lenticular galaxy. It is located approximately 32 million light-years away in the constellation Sextans. It has a “spindle-like” appearance when viewed edge-on from Earth. The galaxy features a prominent central bulge. It also has a disk of elderly stars with very little ongoing star formation.

In 2011, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory captured clear evidence. It showed hot gas flowing directly toward a supermassive black hole within this galaxy.

It is an intermediate between spiral and elliptical galaxies, containing a disk and bulge but lacking a detectable spiral pattern.

I chose this target because it is bright and could be imaged in a single evening. This photograph includes 87 subframes, each with a 180s exposure. An RC8 telescope and a ZWO ASI071MC Pro camera cooled to 14f were used to capture them. These sit atop a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro equatorial mount. I use Astrophotography Tool APT for session control and automation. The subframes were calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed in PixInsight.

Astrobin link for details

Spiral Galaxy Pair – NGC 4302 and NGC 4298

NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located approximately 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is famously part of a “starry pair” alongside its companion galaxy. NGC 4298 is tilted more face-on from our perspective.

NGC 4302 and NGC 4298 are both members of the Virgo Cluster, a massive collection of nearly 2,000 galaxies. Although they appear close together, astronomers have found no strong evidence of significant gravitational tidal interaction between them. Instead, faint tails of gas are streaming away from both galaxies. These tails are likely caused by ram pressure. This “wind” is encountered as they fall toward the center of the Virgo Cluster.

Imaged from my driveway in western North Carolina. I use APT for session management and automation. PixInsight for subframe processing.

The Virgo III Group: Galaxies in Stunning Detail

NGC 5363 is a prominent member of a galaxy group that includes:

NGC 5364: A stunning “grand design” spiral galaxy located nearby in the sky. While they appear as a pair, there is debate among astronomers whether they are gravitationally interacting.

Other Members: The group also contains smaller galaxies like NGC 5300, NGC 5348, NGC 5356, IC 966, and NGC 5360. There are another hundred galaxies in this photograph. See plate solved results in Astrobin.

Location: This group belongs to the Virgo III Groups, a chain of galaxies stretching across 40 million light-years of space.

Imaged from my driveway in the hills of western North Carolina. APT used for session management and automation. 90 3 minute subframes using a Skywatcher Esprit 120ED paired with a ZWO ASI2600MC camera cooled to 14f. These atop a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro mount. The subframes were calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed in PixInsight.

Astrobin link to the acquisition details.

Exploring NGC 3486: A Barred Spiral Galaxy

Intermediate Barred Spiral Galaxy - NGC 3486

NGC 3486 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy located approximately 27.4 million light-years away in the small northern constellation of Leo Minor.

It is known for its distinct, “sparkling” appearance. Its face-on orientation allows observers to see its complex spiral structure clearly.

The galaxy spans roughly 60,000 to 66,500 light-years in diameter.

What makes this galaxy even more fascinating is the presence of a gravitational lensing effect caused by its own mass. Due to the intense gravitational field of NGC 3486, light from objects behind it is bent and distorted. This phenomenon creates an incredible visual effect: three small galaxies seemingly surrounding NGC 3486. In reality, these are multiple images of the same distant galaxy, magnified and warped by the gravitational lens.

I captured this image from my driveway in western North Carolina. I used an RC8 telescope paired with the ZWO ASI071MC Pro camera. These sit atop a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro mount. Image contains 110 3 minute subframes taken the night of March 13th, 2026. The subframes were Calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed using PixInsight.

Astrobin link for acquisition details.

Exploring Sh2-241: The Mysteries of Emission Nebulae

Sh2-241 (also known as LBN 824) is a small emission nebula located in the constellation Auriga. The nebula has a bright central core. It also has a less luminous surrounding region. This region is often described as having a “comet-like” tail. Primarily an emission nebula, though it also contains reflection components. Estimated to be approximately 15,000 to 17,000 light-years away from Earth. The gas in the nebula is ionized by the massive O-type star LS V +30 31.

The region is an active site of star formation, evidenced by high-velocity jets of gas escaping the cloud. It is categorized as a “blister” on the side of a larger molecular cloud.

vdB 65: A blue reflection nebula located just 17 arcminutes away at the top of the image. They appear close. However, they are only a line-of-sight association. vdB 65 is much closer to Earth at about 3,600 light-years.

LDN 1557: Both Sh2-241 and vdB 65 are embedded within the field of this large dark molecular cloud.

I imaged this from my driveway in western North Carolina using APT for session control and automation. I used a Skywatcher Esprit 120ED telescope. I also used a ZWO ASI2600MC camera cooled to 14f with an Antlia Quadband light pollution filter. The mount used is a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro. The 134 5 minute Subframes were calibrated, debayered, aligned, and integrated using PixInsight 1.9.3.

Exploring NGC 2419: The Intergalactic Wanderer

Caldwell 25, or NGC 2419, is a massive, 10th-magnitude globular cluster in the constellation Lynx. It is nicknamed the “Intergalactic Wanderer” because of its extreme distance of ~300,000 light-years from Earth. It is one of the most distant globular clusters associated with the Milky Way.

Unlike most globular clusters, studies suggest it contains two different populations of stars. One group is strangely helium-rich and is located in its core. It was once believed to be intergalactic. It was considered not bound to our galaxy. However, it is now known to be a remote member of the Milky Way’s halo.

NGC 2419 has the nickname “the Intergalactic Wanderer.” This nickname was given when it was mistakenly thought not to be in orbit around the Milky Way. Its orbit takes it farther away from the galactic center than the Magellanic Clouds. However, it can, with qualifications, be considered as part of the Milky Way. At this great distance it takes three billion years to make one trip around the galaxy.

Imaged from my driveway in the hills of western North Carolina. I use APT for session control and automation. Pixinsight is used to calibrate, debayer, align, and integrate the 150 subs involved in this image.

Exploring M81 and M82: A Guide for Amateur Astronomers

M81 and M82 are a famous pair of interacting galaxies. They are located approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

They are popular targets for amateur astronomers. They are bright enough to be seen with binoculars. They often fit within the same telescopic field of view as they do in this 5″ refractor.

As the pair are circumpolar, I chose to end my nightly winter sessions with this pair. I’ll add more data if the opportunity arises. This will happen over the remainder of our winter as we head into galaxy season. Imaged from my driveway with a wide-field Esprit 120ED refractor telescope and ZWO ASI2600MC camera atop an Eq6r Pro mount.

M 81 is commonly known as Bode’s Galaxy. It is a “grand design” spiral galaxy discovered by Johann Bode in 1774. It features a bright nucleus and well-defined spiral arms filled with blue star clusters and pinkish hydrogen gas clouds.

M 82 is known as the Cigar Galaxy due to its elongated, edge-on appearance, M82 is a prototypical starburst galaxy. It is undergoing an intense period of star formation, creating new stars 10 times faster than the entire Milky Way. It is famous for its bright red filaments of ionized hydrogen gas. These filaments blast out from its central regions, driven by strong galactic winds from supernova explosions.

Astrobin link with all the capture details and an annotated image. There are actually a lot of galaxies in this photo.