NGC 891 Widefield

NGC 891
All Images Copyright Steve Cannistra

Please click here or on image for a medium sized grayscale image.
Please click here for a full-sized grayscale image.
Please click here for an image with labels (not all galaxies are labeled).
Please click here for the LRGB color image.


Characteristics:
Magnitude:  10.0
Size: 13.5'
Distance: ?about 10 million light years
RA: 02h 22m 36s
Dec: 42 degrees 21' 00"


Description:
The beautiful edge-on galaxy NGC 891 is located in Andromeda.  This spiral galaxy contains a broad band of dust cutting through the center of the disk, preventing transmission of background light.  Note several other small, faint galaxies in this 3 hour luminance image.  Be sure to explore the above links for a larger grayscale image, as well as the corresponding color image.  I was pleased with the amount of detail captured, even in some of the smaller spiral galaxies, with the 4" scope.

Photographic Details:

Date:  October 1, 2005.
Scope:  Takahashi FS-102 at f6 with TOA-130 focal reducer, on the G11 Losmandy Mount.
Autoguider:  SBIG STV with e-finder.
Camera:  Maxcam CM10.

Filter: 
Astronomiks Type II LRGB filter set; IDAS-LPS filter.
Exposures:  L: 36 x 5' unbinned, total luminance exposure 3 hours.  R:G:B 5 x 8' each, unbinned.
Conditions:  Temperature 50 degrees F, above-average transparency, poor seeing, mild breeze, clear.  A beautiful night with Mars shining brightly. 
Post-processing:  Subs were debloomed with Ron Wodaski's Debloomer software, calibrated and aligned in Maxim.  Sigma combined using RC Sigma Reject, followed by DDP in ImagesPlus (IP).  Further processing in Photoshop CS (16 bit format).

Please note:  Graphics on this website may not be reproduced without author permission.

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