Galaxy – 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 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.

NGC 5982 Group: A Stunning Galaxy Trio in Draco

The NGC 5982 group is also known as the Draco Triplet or Draco Group. It is a striking trio of galaxies located approximately 100 to 140 million light-years away in the constellation Draco. The group is a favorite for Astro photographers. This is because it features three distinct types of galaxies in a single field of view. The view spans about the width of a full moon. There are 10 galaxies in this photograph total.

The “triplet” is composed of the following galaxies, typically seen in a line:

NGC 5982 (Center): A bright elliptical galaxy (type E3). It features a “decoupled nucleus.” This is a core that rotates perpendicular to the rest of the galaxy. It also has faint shells. Both are strong evidence of past galactic mergers.

NGC 5985 (Top): A large, nearly face-on barred spiral galaxy. It is classified as a Seyfert galaxy. This classification means it has an extremely bright and active nucleus. This is powered by a supermassive black hole.

NGC 5981 (Bottom): A faint spiral galaxy seen almost edge-on. Its thin profile shows a prominent dust lane similar to the famous “Needle Galaxy”.

This photograph was captured from my driveway in the hills of western North Carolina. I set up my RC8 with an ASI071MC camera atop an Eq6r Pro mount. I use Astro Photography Tool (APT 4.70.1) for session management and acquisition automation. The 96 3 minute subframes were calibrated, aligned, integrated, and processed manually with Pix Insight 1.9.3. Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image.

Exploring NGC 2655: A Seyfert Galaxy in Camelopardalis

NGC 2655NGC 2655 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is at a distance of 60 million light years from Earth. NGC 2655 is a Seyfert galaxy. This means it has an extremely luminous core powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole.The galaxy has asymmetric dust lanes in the center of the galaxy, tidal arms and extended neutral hydrogen gas and may have recently experienced a merger. It is situated near the north celestial pole, making it circumpolar and visible year-round for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Imaging session management and control using Astro Photography bTool (APT 4.70.1). Subframe calibration, debayer, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInisght.

NGC 2655 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is at a distance of 60 million light years from Earth. NGC 2655 is a Seyfert galaxy. This means it has an extremely luminous core powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole.

The galaxy has asymmetric dust lanes in its center. It features tidal arms and extended neutral hydrogen gas. It may have recently experienced a merger. It is situated near the north celestial pole, making it circumpolar and visible year-round for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Imaging session management and control using Astro Photography bTool (APT 4.70.1). Subframe calibration, debayer, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInisght. Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image.

Discovering NGC 3384: The Lenticular Galaxy in Leo

NGC 3384 (also known as NGC 3371) is a lenticular galaxy. It is located approximately 35 million light-years away. This galaxy is in the constellation Leo. It is a prominent member of the M 96 Group. This group is also called the Leo I Group. It includes the well-known Messier objects M 95, M 96, and M 105.

NGC 3384 and its neighbor M 105 are surrounded by a massive ring of neutral hydrogen. This ring is 650,000 light-years wide. Sparse star formation still occurs there. In the night sky, NGC 3384 forms a visual trio with the elliptical galaxy M 105. It forms this trio with (NGC 3379) and the spiral galaxy NGC 3389.

While M 105 and NGC 3384 are physical companions, NGC 3389 is a background galaxy located significantly further away. The galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its core. It has an estimated mass of 16 million times that of the Sun. This black hole is considered “quiet,” producing very little radio energy.

Image acquisition details in Astrobin. APT used for image acquisition and session automation. PixInsight used for subframe processing.

Messier 88: Characteristics of a Unique Galaxy

Messier 88 (M88 or NGC 4501) is a bright, multi-arm spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. As a prominent member of the Virgo Cluster, it is roughly 47 to 60 million light-years from Earth. M88 is one of the fifteen Messier objects that belong to the nearby Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is galaxy number 1401 in the Virgo Cluster Catalogue (VCC). The catalogue includes 2096 galaxies that are candidate members of the cluster.

The galaxy is inclined at about 30 to 64 degrees to our line of sight. This inclination gives it an elongated, elliptical appearance through telescopes. It spans about 100,000 to 130,000 light-years in diameter, making it comparable in size to our Milky Way. It contains about 400 billion stars.

With an apparent magnitude of 9.6, it is visible in large binoculars as a blurry patch and reveals its spiral structure in larger amateur telescopes. The galaxy is best observed during the spring months, particularly in May.

Image acquisition using APT. Image processing using PixInsight. Astrobin link for acquisition details and an annotated image.

Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster

Abell 1656

I generally like to image open star clusters, globular clusters, and galaxies. However, it is fairly rare for a “starfield” to actually be a galaxy cluster. Hundreds of galaxies within my single field of view at 840mm fl. Challenges the mind.

Abell 1656, also known as the Coma Galaxy Cluster, is a massive and dense collection of galaxies. It contains more than 1,000 identified galaxies. These galaxies are located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is situated approximately 321 million light-years from Earth. The cluster has a diameter of about 20 million light-years.

The central region is dominated by two supergiant elliptical galaxies: NGC 4874 and NGC 4889. Most central members are ellipticals, while spiral galaxies like NGC 4921 are typically found on the outskirts. Important to look at the astrobin platesolve for this image to see what’s actually in there.