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moonshinegnomie

(2,916 posts)
Wed Jan 17, 2024, 01:32 PM Jan 2024

a couple of galaxies,Bode's galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy



taking advantage of the cold clear nights to shoot some galaxies.

these are bodes galaxy and the cigar galaxy, M81 and M82. located in the same constellation as the big dipper (ursa major) these galaxies are about 12 million ligt years away. the galaxies are close enough to each other that they are interacting leading to a lot of star formation.

5 hours of exposure last night in my backyard
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a couple of galaxies,Bode's galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy (Original Post) moonshinegnomie Jan 2024 OP
You keep knocking these photos out of the park, my dear moonshinegnomie! CaliforniaPeggy Jan 2024 #1
Amazing! Permanut Jan 2024 #2
equipment and process moonshinegnomie Jan 2024 #3
Amazing! 2naSalit Jan 2024 #4

CaliforniaPeggy

(152,112 posts)
1. You keep knocking these photos out of the park, my dear moonshinegnomie!
Wed Jan 17, 2024, 01:43 PM
Jan 2024

This is great.

And from your back yard, even!

moonshinegnomie

(2,916 posts)
3. equipment and process
Wed Jan 17, 2024, 02:09 PM
Jan 2024

astrotech ed 72ii telescope (a small cheap scope)
zwo am5 mount (the mount is actually the most imporant)
zwo 30mm guide scope plus a zwo 120mm guide camera (reduces tracking errors fro the scope)
asair plus. (a small controller that handles the actual shooting)
sony a6000 camera
baader moon and skyglow filter to reduce light pollution especially on galaxys and other broadband targets (not nebulas)

i set teh asair to take a series of exposure with the parameters i choose. i this case i use 60 5 minute exposures at iso 800
then i take a series of calibration frames called flats and dark to help reduce noise

I take teh whole set of photos and use a piece of software called pixinsight to stack the individual exposures together. this reduces noise when i begun whats called stretching which basically brings the objects out from the background since before stretching the photo looks black even though the data is there

then i use photoshop for final edits

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