M63 - The Sunflower Galaxy in
Canes Venatici
Copyright 2010 Hap Griffin
M63 is a spiral galaxy discovered in 1850 by Lord Rosse. It is one of the
first galaxies recognized as a spiral. Date/Location:
January 9, 2010 Griffin/Hunter
Observatory Bethune, SC
M63 lies at a distance of 37 million light-years.
Camera: QSI 583wsg
Filters: Astrodon E Series Generation 2 LRGB
CCD Temperature: -20 C
Instrument: Planewave CDK 12.5"
Focal Ratio: f/8
Mount: AP-1200
Guiding: Auto via the QSI camera's built in Off-Axis Guider
mirror and a Starlight Express Lodestar Guider
Conditions: Clear and cold
Weather: 17 F, still
Exposure: 150 minutes total (5 x 10 minutes each in RGB)
Capture: CCDAutopilot 4 w/ Maxim DL Camera Control, focused automatically w/
FocusMax
Processing: Frame calibrations, alignment and stacking with ImagesPlus v3.80.
Finishing in Photoshop CS4.