Description:This
is the famous Whirlpool galaxy M51 / NGC 5194. This was one of
the first galaxies that knocked my socks off when I first observed this
with my 20" Obsession scope at a dark sight. This galaxy is
located about 37 million light years away. It is located just off
the handle of the Big Dipper in the constellation Canes Venatici.
Photographic Details:
Date & Location: March 20th, 2009, Fort Mckavett, Texas.
Scope: Obsession 20” f/5 on a Tom Osypowski Dual Axis Equatorial Platform, Orion 100mm f/6 Guidescope.
Autoguider: Orion Starshoot Autoguider and PHD Guider software.
Camera: Canon XS DSLR (self-modified), Canon's own capture software.
Filters: None
Conditions: Temp 54F, Humidity 29%, Winds calm, Transparency 8/10, Seeing 8/10.
Exposures: 17 x 120sec @ 1600 ISO Sub Frames, 9 Darks average combined for master dark.
Post-processing:
3904x2900 Raw files converted to Lossless 16-bit FITS, calibrated,
aligned, and combined with ImagePlus 3.75. Final processing Adobe
Photoshop CS.
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