Spring 2014

After a lengthy spell away from astronomy, I resumed imaging earlier this year. Between 2011 and early 2013, I replaced the 6" Newtonian's mount and acquired an 8" Meade SCT, also on a LXD-75 mount.

All of the following images were taken with the StarShoot Pro through the 8" SCT at f/6.3.

M63 -- The Sunflower Galaxy

This image is comprised of 46 sub-exposures of 300 seconds each, obtained over several nights in March and April 2014.

M109

A beautiful barred-spiral galaxy in Canis Major.

I combined 34, 300-second sub-exposures to create this image with a total expire time of 170 minutes.

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

A perennial favorite. 

This image is composed of 14, 300-second sub-exposures.


M3

This was one of my first targets using the new 8" SCT. M3 is a globular cluster containing about half a million stars, appearing in the constellation Canes Venatici. The cluster was discovered more than two hundred years ago by Charles Messier and is estimated to be about 38,000 light years distant.

This image is comprised of 7, 120-second sub exposures using the StarShoot Pro and the 0.63 focal reducer.