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Date February 2011 |
Location Mayhill, NM |
Software ACP, MaxIm DL, TheSky6 |
Mount Software Bisque Paramount ME |
Guide Atik 16IC, Astrodon MMOAG |
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Optic OGS/RCOS 10" RC |
Camera Atik 11000C |
Filter OSC RGB |
Exposure 1200s x 14 |
Process Astroart 5, Photoshop CS5 |
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Billions and Billions.com/Whirlpool
The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 and NGC 5195 in Canes Venatici the hunting dogs
The 'tail' at lower right was a separate galaxy captured in a collision with the larger one. First discovered in 1773 by 'Comet Ferret' Charles Messier, his friend Pierre Mechain spotted the smaller component in 1781. Sixty-four years later Ireland's William Parsons (Lord Rosse) first observed its spiral structure with his 'Leviathan' reflector. Though such galaxies were not confirmed to be beyond our Milky Way until Edwin Hubble, Rosse was the first to define the spiral nature of them with his observations of this object. This new 2011 image was captured in 1.2 arcsecond seeing! Click for a larger version or return to the Gallery