Tag Archives: spiral galaxy

NGC 4945, Spiral galaxy

NGC 4945 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, and near the bright star, Zeta Centauri. The galaxy was discovered by James Dunlop in 1826. It is thought to be similar to the Milky Way Galaxy, although X-ray observations show that NGC 4945 has an unusual energetic Seyfert 2 nucleus that might house a large black hole.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: MEADE LX850 12″
Imaging cameras: Meade Starlock
Mounts: Meade LX850 Starlock
Guiding cameras: SBIG ST-8300C
Software: Nebulosity 3.2, Photoshop, Maxim DL, Software Bisque The Sky X
Resolution: 3030×1845
Dates: April 23, 2015
Frames: 24×600″
Integration: 4.0 hours
Avg. Moon age: 4.52 days
Avg. Moon phase: 21.43%
Locations: Canopo’s Observatory, Perth, WA, Australia

Author: Fabian Rodriguez

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Spiral Galaxy IC 2574 (Coddington’s Nebula)

IC 2574, discovered by Edwin Coddington in 1898 and classified first as a nebula, is actually a dwarf irregular galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major and is part of the M81 group of galaxies.
An extract taken from a study by S. Steward & F. Walter 2000: In the standard picture (e.g., Weaver et al. 1977; McKee & Ostriker 1977; Chu et al.1995), these structures are believed to be created by young star-forming regions that supposedly eject a great amount of mechanical energy into the ambient ISM in terms of strong stellar winds and subsequent supernova (SN) explosions.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Planewave Instruments CDK 12.5″

Imaging cameras: FLI Proline 6303E

Mounts: Losmandy Titan 50

Guiding telescopes or lenses: Planewave Instruments CDK 12.5″

Software: PixInsight, Maxim DL, Software Bisque TheSky6, Larry Weber FocusMax

Filters: Baader Planetarium LRGB Filter Set

Accessories: Starlight Xpress AO-LF

Resolution: 2150×1434

Dates: Feb. 24, 2012

Frames: 26×900″

Integration: 6.5 hours

Avg. Moon age: 1.95 days

Avg. Moon phase: 4.26%

RA center: 157.188 degrees

DEC center: 68.426 degrees

Pixel scale: 1.043 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -53.081 degrees

Field radius: 0.374 degrees

Locations: Observatori d’Agulló, Àger , Lleida (Catalonia), Spain

Author: Pere Gil

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Sunflower Galaxy

M63 (also known as NGC 5055, or the Sunflower Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici consisting of a central disc surrounded by many short spiral arm segments. M63 is part of the M51 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes M51 (the ‘Whirlpool Galaxy’). M63 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on June 14, 1779. The galaxy was then listed by Charles Messier as object 63 in theMessier Catalogue.

In the mid-19th century, Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.

In 1971, a supernova with a magnitude of 11.8 appeared in one of the arms of M63.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Ian King Ikharos 8″ RC
Imaging cameras: Atik 314L+
Mounts: Software Bisque Paramount MX
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Mini 50mm Guide Scope
Guiding cameras: QHYCCD QHY5
Software: PixInsight, Software Bisque CCDSoft 5, Software Bisque TheSkyX, iLanga AstroPlanner, Matt Thomas’s CCDCommander
Filters: Baader Luminance 36mm, Baader Red, Green, Blue 36mm
Accessories: Atik EFW2
Dates: April 12, 2013
Frames: 173×300″
Integration: 14.4 hours

Author: Colin McGill
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 05 July 2014

NGC 4236 in Draco

NGC 4236 (also known as Caldwell 3) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Draco. NGC 4236 is a member of the M81 Group, a group of galaxies located at a distance of approximately 11.7 Mly (3.6 Mpc) from Earth. The group also contains the well-known spiral galaxy Messier 81 and the well-known starburst galaxy Messier 82.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300C, SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Guiding cameras: Starlight Xpress Lodestar guide camera
Focal reducers: Baader Planetarium RCC
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Hutech IDAS LPS-P2
Accessories: Celestron Radial Guider
Dates: May 6, 2014
Frames: Hutech IDAS LPS-P2: 40×600″ bin 1×1
Integration: 6.7 hours

Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 29 June 2014

Spiral galaxy NGC 1097

NGC 1097 is a barred spiral galaxy about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax. It was discovered by William Herschel on 9 October 1790. Three supernovae (SN 1992bd, SN 1999eu, and SN 2003B) have been observed in NGC 1097.

NGC 1097 is also a Seyfert galaxy. Deep photographs revealed four narrow optical jets that appear to emanate from the nucleus. These have been interpreted as manifestations of the (currently weak) active nucleus. Subsequent analysis of the brightest jet’s radio-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution were able to rule out synchrotron and thermal free-free emission. The optical jets are in fact composed of stars. The failure to detect atomic hydrogen gas in the jets (under the assumption that they were an example of tidal tails) using deep 21 cm HI imaging with the Very Large Array radio telescope and numerical simulations led to the current interpretation that the jets are actually the shattered remains of a cannibalized dwarf galaxy.

Like most massive galaxies, NGC 1097 has a supermassive black hole at its center. Around the central black hole is a ring ofstar-forming regions with a network of gas and dust that spirals from the ring to the black hole.

NGC 1097 has two satellite galaxies. Dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 1097A is the larger of the two. It is a peculiar elliptical galaxy that orbits 42,000 light-years from the center of NGC 1097. Dwarf galaxy NGC 1097B (5 x 10⁶ solar masses), the outermost one, was discovered by its HI emission, and appears to be a typical dwarf irregular. Little else is known about it.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Ceravolo 300 Astrograph (f/9)
Imaging cameras: Apogee Alta U16M
Mounts: Astro-Physics AP900
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Ceravolo 300 Astrograph (f/9)
Guiding cameras: Starlight Xpress Lodestar
Software: DC-3 Dreams ACP, Pleaides Astrophoto PixInsight 1.8, Maxim DL
Filters: Astrodon E-series 2 LRGB
Accessories: FLI Atlas focuser
Dates: Nov. 4, 2013
Frames: 88×900″
Integration: 22.0 hours

Author: Rick Stevenson
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 28 May 2014

NGC 891: unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 891 (also known as Caldwell 23) is an edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by William Herschel on October 6, 1784. The galaxy is a member of the NGC 1023 group of galaxies in the Local Supercluster. It has an H II nucleus. The object is visible in small to moderate size telescopes as a faint elongated smear of light with a dust lane visible in larger apertures.
NGC 891 looks as we think the Milky Way would look like when viewed edge-on (some astronomers have even noted how similar to NGC 891 our galaxy looks as seen from the Southern Hemisphere) and in fact both galaxies are considered very similar in terms of luminosity and size; studies of the dynamics of its molecular hydrogen have also proven the likely presence of a centralbar. Despite this, recent high-resolution images of its dusty disk show unusual filamentary patterns. These patterns are extending into the halo of the galaxy, away from its galactic disk. Scientists presume that supernova explosions caused this interstellar dust to be thrown out of the galactic disk toward the halo.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: TPO 8″ Ritchey–Chrétien
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-G
Guiding cameras: SBIG ST-i Planetary and Guide Camera Mono
Software: DeepSkyStacker, PHD guiding, photoshop, Nebulosity
Filters: Astrodon Tru-Balance Generation 2 E-Series – LRGB 36mm Round Fil
Accessories: SBIG OAG-8300
Dates: Nov. 28, 2013
Locations: Cedar Key, FL
Frames:
Astrodon Tru-Balance Generation 2 E-Series – LRGB 36mm Round Fil: 11×1200″ -20C bin 1×1
Astrodon Tru-Balance Generation 2 E-Series – LRGB 36mm Round Fil: 12×600″ -20C bin 2×2
Integration: 5.7 hours

Autor: Mike Carroll

08 March 2014

We select the best works of amateur astrophotographers with details of equipment, shooting processing etc.

NGC 2683: Edge-On Spiral Galaxy

Image Credit: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ), Hubble Space Telescope; Image Assembly, Processing, & Copyright: Robert GendlerExplanation: Does spiral galaxy NGC 2683 have a bar across its center? Being so nearly like our own barred Milky Way Galaxy, one might guess it has. Being so nearly edge-on, however, it is hard to tell. Either way, this gorgeous island universe, cataloged as NGC 2683, lies a mere 20 million light-years distant in the northern constellation of the Cat (Lynx). NGC 2683 is seen nearly edge-on in this cosmic vista combining data and images from the ground-based Subaru telescope and the space-based Hubble Space Telescope. More distant galaxies are seen scattered in the background. Blended light from a large population of old yellowish stars forms the remarkably bright galactic core. Starlight silhouettes the dust lanes along winding spiral arms, dotted with the telltale blue glow of young star clusters in this galaxy’s star forming regions.
NASA APOD 05-Feb-2014

Spiral Galaxy M83: The Southern Pinwheel

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and W. P. Blair (JHU) et al.
M83 is one of the closest and brightest spiral galaxies on the sky. Visible with binoculars in the constellation of Hydra, majestic spiral arms have prompted its nickname as the Southern Pinwheel. Although discovered 250 years ago, only much later was it appreciated that M83 was not a nearby gas cloud, but a barred spiral galaxy much like our own Milky Way Galaxy. M83, pictured above by the Hubble Space Telescope in a recently released image, is a prominent member of a group of galaxies that includes Centaurus A and NGC 5253, all of which lie about 15 million light years distant. Several bright supernova explosions have been recorded in M83. An intriguing double circumnuclear ring has been discovered at the center of of M83.

M101: the Pinwheel Galaxy

The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101, M101 or NGC 5457) is a face-on spiral galaxy distanced 21 million light-years (sixmegaparsecs) away in the constellation Ursa Major, first discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781, and communicated to Charles Messier who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries. On August 24, 2011, a Type Ia supernova, SN 2011fe, was discovered in M101.

M101 is a relatively large galaxy compared to the Milky Way. With a diameter of 170,000 light-years it is seventy percent larger than the Milky Way. It has a disk mass on the order of 100 billion solar masses, along with a small bulge of about 3 billion solar masses.

Another remarkable property of this galaxy is its huge and extremely bright H II regions, of which a total of about 3,000 can be seen on photographs. H II regions usually accompany the enormous clouds of high density molecular hydrogen gas contracting under their own gravitational force where stars form. H II regions are ionized by large numbers of extremely bright and hot young stars.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Explore Scientific ED102 APO
Imaging cameras: QSI 583 wsg
Mounts: Astro-Physics Mach 1 GTO
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Explore Scientific ED102 APO
Guiding cameras: SX Lodestar
Software: Maxim DL 5 MaximDL 5, Pleiades Astrophoto Pixinsight 1.8, Adobe Photoshop 6 CS
Filters: Astrodon LRGB CCD Imaging Filters (E-Series), Gen2

Autor: Daniele Malleo

AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI

23 January 2014

We select the best works of amateur astrophotographers with details of equipment, shooting processing etc.

Spiral Galaxies in Collision

Image Credit: Debra Meloy Elmegreen (Vassar College) et al., & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)

Billions of years from now, only one of these two galaxies will remain. Until then, spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 will slowly pull each other apart, creating tides of matter, sheets of shocked gas, lanes of dark dust, bursts of star formation, and streams of cast-away stars. Astronomers predict that NGC 2207, the larger galaxy on the left, will eventually incorporate IC 2163, the smaller galaxy on the right. In the mostrecent encounter that about peaked 40 million years ago, the smaller galaxy is swinging around counter-clockwise, and is now slightly behind the larger galaxy. The space between stars is so vast that when galaxies collide, the stars in them usually do not collide.

NASA APOD 19-Jan-2014

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