space – Semper Iuvenis Photography

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 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.

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.

Exploring Sharpless 282: A Hidden Gem in Monoceros

Sh2-282 (Sharpless 282) is a very faint Hii emission nebula in the constellation Monoceros. It is approximately 4,075 to 5,000 light-years away from Earth. It belongs to the second Sharpless catalog. It is situated in the north-central part of its constellation. The nebula is roughly 3° south of the famous Rosette Nebula.

The nebula is characterized by red hydrogen gas energized by radiation from nearby bright blue stars. It spans approximately 40 light-years in diameter. In apparent view, that’s 35 arc-minutes. The nebula contains eight cometary globules. These are dense, eroded pillars of gas and dust that are sculpted by stellar winds.

Astrobin link for acquisition details and an annotated version.

Exploring Sh2-223: The Faint Emission Nebula in Auriga

Sh2-223 is a faint emission nebula (H II region) located in a dense starfield in the constellation Auriga. It is a huge H II region, a large cloud of partially ionized gas where star formation can occur. It appears as a large, faint red arc or “wing” in deep-sky images. Its red glow comes from ionized hydrogen-alpha (Hα) emissions. The nebula is believed to be ionized by the star BD +41 1144 (an O7.5 V star) or possibly LS V +40 46.

In addition to the predominant Hii, there is also a significant amount of Oiii in the area. This leads to a bluish tinge or a slight purplish hue in parts of the image.

It is considered a difficult target for astrophotographers because of its extreme faintness. It often requires long total integration times, such as 25+ hours, to resolve clearly. Separating the IFN from the Hii nebula requires data. This photograph is only 11.4 hours. More to come in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

Image acquisition using Astro Photography Tool (APT). Subframe calibration, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInsight. Astrobin link for acquisition details and an annotated image.

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.

Antennae Galaxies – NGC 4038 & 4039

NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are known as the Antennae Galaxies. They are a famous pair of interacting spiral galaxies. They are located in the constellation Corvus. They are currently undergoing a violent galactic collision that began approximately 900 million years ago.

Key Characteristics
Nicknames: Commonly known as the Antennae Galaxies or the Ringtail Galaxy. They are also cataloged as Caldwell 60/61 and Arp 244.

Distance: Estimates of their distance from Earth range between 45 million and 65 million light-years.

Appearance: Their name comes from two long “tidal tails” of ejected stars, gas, and dust that resemble an insect’s antennae. These tails span over 500,000 light-years.

Starburst Activity: The collision has led to a massive “starburst” phase. In this phase, clouds of gas and dust are being compressed. This compression forms billions of new stars and super star clusters.

Astrobin link for acquisition details and 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.