Category: Galaxies

Galaxies & Galactic Clusters

M31 NGC224 Andromeda Galaxy

M31       NGC224        Andromeda Galaxy     ST10XME (SBIG) LRGB     3.5 Hour Exposure

Image Captures Information:

M31 Original imaging information

9/20/2009  10:46 PM           Latitude: 43° 31′ 21″ North      Longitude: 122˚ 52’ 35” West   4658 ft.  Snow Peak S/E of Cottage Grove. OR. Seeing: E    Transparency: 7  Telescopes / Optics:   TMB 80mm f/ 4.8 384mm     Mount : AP1200                            Camera: SBIG ST10XME  3.5 hours; LRGB; L=120min (10 & 5 min) RGB 1.5 Hours (3x10min ea.).    FOV 133.4′  x  89.5′ Information:  Really tried to go deep into M31 and very satisfied with the results from a 3.1” refractor.  Hope to add Ha channel in the future.  Captured with CCDSoft, processed with CCDStack and Photoshop.

M31 Additional Imaging information

10/23/2022   10:03 PM        Latitude: 33° 29′ 01.48″ North      Longitude: 116° 43′ 19.24″ West.   Elevation: 4321 ft.      Jupiter Ridge #4 Observatory,  OCA site, near Anza, CA.          Seeing: E   Transparency: 6  SQM: 20.78  Bortle: 4 Telescopes / Optics:  TMB 80mm f/ 4.8 384mm.     Mount: AP1200    Camera: SBIG ST10xme CFW10   FOV:  133.4′  x  89.5′. Filter: Astrodon L  series E Gen. 2  & 9nm Ha Total time 65 min.  Information: M31 image captured with CCDSoft; Subs- L= 5 minutes x 3 (15), Ha= 10 minutes x 5 (50)-20°c.  Processed with   CCDStack, Photoshop CS6 & PWP8.   Add previous data from 9/20/2009  L-2 hours, RGB 1.5 hours + 10/23/2022  65 min. Total  275 min or 4.5 hours.

M 31 (NGC224) Andromeda Galaxy


The Andromeda Galaxy is readily visible from a dark sky location as a fuzzy patch of light covering approximately 3+ degrees or 6 times the width of our moon. Andromeda is approximately 2.5 million light years from Earth and 220,000 light years across. Making it much larger than our own Milky Way galaxy at only 100,000 lights years across. In about 5 billion years both our Milky Way galaxy and Andromeda will collide and begin to coalesce, perhaps evolving into an even larger elliptical type galaxy. This image reveals much detail and numerous globular star clusters and nebulae are visible. Amazing for just a 3.2 diameter refractor, but Thomas Back (TMB) was a primer Telescope Maker and his designs live on.

Images below reprocessed with data captured on 10/23/2022 and previous data. 

Click full screen on movie below and view.

M31 2022 by Sam Pitts

M31 movie shows resolution captured with just an 80mm refractor zoomed in to background SC Galaxy PGC 90494/ 2MFGC511

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is M31-cropped-PGC-90494-1-1200x800.jpg

M31-Andromeda Galaxy By: Sam Pitts 10/23/2022 10:03 PM Latitude: 33° 29′ 01.48″ North Longitude: 116° 43′ 19.24″ West Elevation: 4321 feet; Jupiter Ridge #4 Observatory, OCA site, near Anza, CA. Seeing: E Transparency: 5 SQM: 20.78 Bortle: 4 Telescopes / Optics: TMB 80mm f/6 @ f/ 4.8 384mm Mount: AP1200 Camera: SBIG ST10xme CFW10 (KAF3200) FOV: 133.4′ x 89.5′ Filter: L=135min (10 & 5 min) RGB =1.5 Hours (3x10min) Ha= 5x10min (50)-20°c Information: Captured with CCDSoft Processed: with CCDStack, Photoshop CS6 & PWP8 Total exposure time = 275min / 4 ½ hours NOTE: Data from 9/20/2009 included with new data taken 10/23/2022.

M33 NGC598 Triangulum Galaxy

 

Telescope / LensTMB 80 mm f/ 6 with Tele-Vue .8 Reducer TRF2008 / reduced TMB to f/4.8   –  384 mm  Focal Length
Mount TypeAstrophysics 1200
CameraSBIG ST10XME
 FiltersAstrodon LRGB e-series of balanced filters     (generation 1) 9nm HA
 Film CCD
 Exposure345 minutes (5.75 Hours) HaLRGB (Ha=50 min; L=145 min; RGB= 150 min.; (5 min. & 10 min. sub-images)
 ProcessingCCDSoft, CCDStack, AIP, Photoshop CS2
 Date 09/19/2009
 LocationSnow Peak, S/E of Cottage Grove, Oregon                122° 52′ 35″ W, 43° 31′ 21″N
 Conditions4658′ elevation, magnitude 6+ Skies; Clear ;

M 33 (NGC 598) Triangulum Galaxy
M33 is visible to the naked eye from a very dark sky site, Bortle 3 or better.  The Triangulum Galaxy is a very challenging naked eye object but it can be seen.   M33 is a Type SC galaxy belonging to the local group, 0.9 mpc or 3.1 Million Light Years away. This image was taken with a TMB triplet CNC APO 80mm f/6 with a TeleVue .8 reducer / flattener (TRF2008). The full resolution image actually reveals the hint of structure and stars within the many red nebula knots shown throughout its arms. These Nebula (Red areas) are star forming areas much like the Great Orion Nebula (M42) and Eagle Nebula (M16). I had taken a much shorter image years ago with an Orion ED 80 and wanted to really capture more detail. You can also see several background galaxies in this image.

The bright Red nebula (upper right portion) is NGC  604.  NGC form the largest known HII region currently known.  The nebula spans 1500 light years.  M33 itself is approximately 60,000 light years in diameter, home to 40 billion stars.  Our own Milky Way (100,000 LY diameter) is estimated to have 400 Billion stars.