Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi


M51:  The Whirlpool Galaxy
Type Sc Face-On Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici
LRGB Image

Copyright 2022
Keith B Quattrocchi and Bray Falls

Image Acquisition Information  
                    
Telescope: 16" RCOS Richey Chretien Telescope (ion milled at f/9) 
Camera: ZWO Full Frame Back Illuminated CMOS ASI 6200 MM
Guiding: Starlight Xpress AO with UltraStar Autoguiding Camera (AO control using maxim DL software).
Filters: Astrodon LRBG, H-alpha, S-II and OIII Filters
Acquisition Programs: NINA, The SkyX, PHD2, PWI4
Processing Programs: PixInsight, RC Astro, CCDStack, Photoshop CS4
Date: Data processed on January 15, 2022.  Data acquisition:  December of 2021                           
Time:  7 hours (10 minute exposures) for each of LRGB  for a total of 28 hours.                
              
Image Information: The M51 galaxy, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a face-on spiral galaxy located about 24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.  Its prominent spiral arms and star-forming regions are largely a result of its gravitational interaction with its smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195.


Processing Information: These LRGB images were obtained using AstroDon filters.  The LRGB images were batch processed (calibrated, registered, normalized and integrated) in PixInsignt.   Further stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing was performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/4 and PixInsight.