Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi 

               NGC 4565                   
The "Needle Galaxy" in Coma Berenices
LRGB Image

Copyright 2008
Keith B Quattrocchi

    
Image Acquisition Information                      
 
Telescope: 16" RCOS Ritchey-Chretien Telescope (ion milled at f/9) 
Camera: SBIG STL-6303 M
Guiding: SBIG AOL,  Astrodon  MOAG AOG (SBIG 237 with FLR)
Filters: Astrodon L. R. G, B
Mount: oftware Bisque Paramount ME
Acquisition Programs:   he Sky,CCDAutopliot III, CCD Soft. 
Processing Programs: CCDStack, Maxim DL, Photoshop
Date: May 12 - May 18, 2008                              
Time: 15x20 min ( 5 hours) each for L, R, G, B: total 20 hrs                           
Processing:  CCD Stack and PhotoShop CS/3
 
Image Information:  NGC 4565 is a popular edge on spiral galaxy, approximately 30 million light years distant, in Coma Berenices.  Due to it's shape it is also referred to as the Needle Galaxy.  The central region is made up of older stars with younger blue stars in the periphery.  It is similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy, being some 100,000 light years in diameter and having prominent central obscuring nebulosities.

Additional Comments:  Image processing with CCDStack, producing an RGB.  The RGB and
Luminance images were combined in Photoshop CS/3 (twice, first using soft light, then using a Gaussian blurred color image and the composite with the overlay option).   Further data stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing (Kodak Gem) performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/3.