Whirlpool Gaxaxy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way, but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms) and galaxy interactions."

Date :  March 2011
Location : Arizona Sky Village, Portal, Arizona

Equipment used :
 Lens or telescope -- AP 130 EDF with Field Flattner
 Mount -- AP 1200 with external guidescope and Lodestar
 Camera -- QSI 583wsg

Acquistion Software : ACP, MaxIm DL, Focusmax
Processing Software : MaxIm DL, Photoshop

Exposure Detail : L (Ha)RGB combine    Total hours 14.8