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Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi

M51 (NGC 5194 amd 5195)
Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici 
 Composite LRGB-Ha


Picture
          
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 Ha, L. R. G, B
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Acquisition Programs:   The Sky,CCDAutopliot III, CCD Soft. 
Processing Programs: CCDStack, Maxim DL, Photoshop
Date:March 21-March 24, 2008                              
Time: 18x20 min ( 6 hours) each for Ha, L, R, G, B: total 30 hrs
Processing:  CCD Stack and PhotoShop CS/3
 
Image Infornmation:  The Whirlpool galaxy is actually 2 galaxies, NGC 5194 (the larger of the two) and NGC 5195, both located about 37 million light years distant, in Canis Venatici.  It is believed that the larger of the two galaxies is tearing the smaller apart, resulting in an area of intense new star formation.  Currently active, the dense nebulosities in this region block much of the light from the new star formation.

Additional Comments:  Image processing involved production of an RGB and separate H-alpha/Luminance images combined in Photoshop CS/3. The H-alpha images were combined with the Luminance data so as not to disturb the color balance and to bring out areas of star formation evidenced by ultraviolet light from new stars causing hydrogen ionization.   Calibration and combination was performed with CCDStack with further processing (layering of Ha/L and RGB), data stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing (Kodak Gem) performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/3.
Contact

Website Addresses:
www.lostvalleyobservatory.com
www.thelvo.com
www.thelostvalleyobservatory.com
The Lost Valley Observatory
Located at Sierra Remote Observatories
Auberry, California


Copyright 2004-2021
Keith B Quattrocchi
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  • Home
  • About the LVO
  • Live Telemetry
  • Galaxies
  • Nebulae
  • Publications
  • YouTube Videos
  • LVO Construction
  • Review Articles
  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Archived from The MAS Observatory:
  • MAS Observatory
  • MAS RC Images
  • MAS Takahashi Images
  • MAS LX-200 Images
  • M33
  • NGC 7293 (Helix Nebula)
  • Horsehead Nebula
  • Melotte 15
  • NGC 1435
  • M27 (Dumbbell Nebula)