 |
M74 - Spiral Galaxy in
Cygnus
|
|
Copyright 2010 Hap Griffin
Date/Location:
October 16, 2010 Griffin/Hunter
Observatory Bethune, SC
Inclined from a direct face-on view by only 6 degrees, M74 shows us the design
of a typical spiral galaxy. The huge pinkish areas of HII emission in its
lower left arm attest to a period of strong starbirth activity. The bluish
colors apparent in the other arms indicate a large population of relatively
young, hot stars.
M74 lies at a distance of 32 million light years.
Camera: QSI 583wsg
Filters: Astrodon E Series Generation 2 LRGB
CCD Temperature: -20 C
Instrument: Planewave 12.5" CDK
Focal Ratio: f/8
Mount: AP-1200
Guiding: Auto via the QSI camera's built in Off-Axis Guider
mirror and an SBIG ST-402 Guider
Conditions: Cool and clear
Weather: 60 - 44 F, still
Exposure: 270 minutes total (12 x 10 min Luminance, 5 x 10 min 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.