6/28/2024 The Return of Galaxy 9

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy (aka Galaxy 9), has been giving me grief this year. I’ve tried to image it a few times but something happened each time. Finally, Thursday night I was able to get a decent image. This is made from 44 two minute images with my C11 at f/6.3 with an Antlia Quadband light pollution filter and my ZWO ASI294MC Pro. I started with 51 images but seven of them had satellite trails in them.

5/11/2024 Galaxy 9 from Outer Space!

My friend Ryan Carroll did a much better job this weekend but was not the only one looking at this.

Better known as M51 or the Whirlpool Galaxy, Galaxy 9 is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. It is 23.5 million light-years away and 76,900 light-years in diameter. This image is made from 61 60 second images shot with an 11″ SCT at f/6.3. The evening was problematic and I need to try it again when the Moon gets out of the way. Shot at the River Ridge Observatory.

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