NGC 4559 (2025)

This is my version of the well-detailed spiral galaxy NGC 4559 located 30 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Also known as Caldwell 36, this galaxy is about 100,000 ly across making roughly the same size as our own Milky Way galaxy. The galaxy has very large dark dust lanes along with several HII regions and star clusters scattered throughout the spiral arms. Most of these HII regions and star clusters are distinct enough to have their own IC designations. One of my favorites is IC 3564 located on the bottom portion of the galaxy. Interestingly, the yellow star just below the dense blue knot (IC 3550) at the end of the right side spiral arm was given a designation of IC 3554.

The weather has been particularly wacky lately which explains the four days spread over a month.

Dates: 4-27, 4-28, 4-30, 5-26

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/ner5te/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 4559 (2025)
Dates: 4-27-25, 4-28, 4-30, 5-26
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity (2-inch)
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: Askar M54 OAG/ZWO ASI174 mini
Exposure: Lum 254 x 90 (6h 21m)
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -10 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

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Messier 94 (2025)

This is my latest version of the gorgeous face-on spiral ring galaxy Messier 94 approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Seyfert galaxies are a class of active galaxies with lots of star formation and also known as starburst galaxies. M94, also known as NGC 4736, is about 35,000 LY across, however, the bright nucleus, inner dust lanes, and inner ring is much smaller. It has been suggested that the outer ring formed as a result of a M94 incorporating a companion galaxy into it. The dust lanes are much more prominent on the bottom side possibly because that side is closer to us.  

This version shows much better detail than my other version from 2017. It is quite interesting how the core starts off as a brilliant yellow and then transitions to a bright blue  moving towards the inner ring. The faint outer ring as a slight blue cast to it indicated possible star formation. I did not do much star reduction as I really enjoy the colorful starfield. In addition, the numerous small odd-shaped blips in the field of view are galaxies much further away.  

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/nkgikf/?nc=collection&nce=712

Messier 94 (2025)
Dates: 4-27-25, 4-28, 4-30
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 269 x 90, R 62 x 90, G 57 x 90, B 62 x 90 (11h 43m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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NGC 3344 (2025)

This is my first image of NGC 3344, a breathtaking face-on spiral galaxy approximately 25 million light-years away in the constellation Leo Minor (just above Leo). This galaxy is surrounded by a plethora of other odd shaped galaxies much further away and is a member of the Virgo Supercluster.

NGC 3344 has an outer ring showing impressive structure and star forming regions radiating outward from a slightly elongated inner ring or bar in the center. The central region of the galaxy is filled with young hot stars due to active star formation.

Dates: 4-1-25, 4-13, 4-15, 4-20, 4-23, 4-24 

Higher Quality:

https://www.astrobin.com/icdhvq/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 3344 (2025)
Dates: 4-1-25, 4-13, 4-15, 4-20, 4-23, 4-24 
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity (2-inch)
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: Askar M54 OAG/ZWO ASI174 mini
Exposure: Lum 274 x 90 (6h 51m)
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -10 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

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NGC 2841 (2025)

This is my version of NGC 2841, a flocculent spiral galaxy located about 50 million light years away in the constellation of Ursa Major. Flocculent refers to a type of spiral galaxy whose arms are puffy and discontinuous. The diameter has been estimated to be between 100,000 and 150,000 light-years in the constellation of Ursa Major making it larger than our own Milky Way. I like how it turned out, especially the dust lanes and flocculent nature of NGC 2841. Another surprise was the rich field full of other galaxies much further away.

Higher Quality:

https://www.astrobin.com/zax9ti/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 2841 (2025)

Dates: 3-27-25, 4-1, 4-9, 4-13, 4-15, 4-20, 4-23, 4-24
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 158 x 90, R 85 x 90, G 79 x 90, B 81 x 90 (10h 4')
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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NGC 3359 (2025)

This is my version of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3359, located approximately 59 million light-years (LY) away in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy is slightly smaller than our own Milky Way at 108,500 LY across and has two prominent spiral arms with several dense star forming regions. I would have liked to get more than 2.3 hrs of data but if you read my post of my previous image, I was in the process activating my EdgeHD800 and having a humorous time with the stars. This image was after the collimation was adjusted and the focal reducer removed and although the stars do look better, they are not anything to write home about - they looked as if they were pinched somehow.

Originally, I thought it was because the dew heater ring was too tight on the corrector plate, however, a couple of people responded to a youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VY7m67G9S8&t=6s) I made about this issue with the suggestion that I was basically heating it too much. I used the AstroZap Dew Heater controller and had it set at 50% power but turned it down to 20% power and the problem went away. After fixing the issue over the next few days I moved on to another project.

Since only 2.3 hrs of data was collected for this image, it was quite noisy, however, the new noise reduction and other processing techniques we have available now do a great job at reducing the noise.

Higher Quality:

https://www.astrobin.com/llm27n/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 3359 (2025)
Dates: 3-27-25
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity (2-inch)
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Orion ST80
Exposure: Lum 93 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -10 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

NGC 3310 - Arp 217

This is my version NGC 3310 (a.k.a. Arp 217), a small starburst galaxy approximately 22,000 light-years (LY) across located about 46 million LY away in the constellation Ursa Major. Starburst galaxies are known for extensive star formation. It is believed that the intense star formation and unusual tidal streams were a result of a collision between NGC 3310 and one of its satellite galaxies that occurred 100 million years ago.

The background field that the galaxy resides in is rich in stars and there are many smaller galaxies as well, some of which I labelled. My favorite is the face-on spiral galaxy, PCG31652, located on the lower left side of the widefield image. The cropped image of NGC 3310 shows some very interesting structure especially within the tidal arcs above the spiral arms. There is one stream that crosses an arc perpendicularly resembling a bow and arrow and not surprisingly, NGC 3310 is nicknamed the Bow and Arrow galaxy.

For Some humor:
I imaged this by mistake as I broke out the Edge800 which has been patiently waiting for use since last year. In my rush to set that up on this target during the mainly cloudy chilly nights we have had, this target was on my mind when I dialed in the coordinates for this setup. I am not showing a C8 image since I attempted to culminate the scope at night on a star but I stink at that and the stars were really bad. The next day I decided to culminate the scope in the afternoon when it was warm and bright using the OCAL collimator which I love. While I was at it I removed the Celestron 0.7x Focal Reducer in order to image at F10 for the first time ever. Some have said (@Gary Imm 😄) that focal reducers whack out stars a bit so wanted to test that out as well. I went after this again that night and the stars were definitely better, BUT, the camera had so much dust on it that even with the new flats, the image looked as if it had a bad case of acne or poison ivy. The following day I spent cleaning the camera and ensuring the camera was getting clean by taking test flats at the same time. This method worked really well as the camera was never this clean - there are only two dust bunnies and that's it. Of course the weather turned for the worse and by the time it cleared I went to a different object with this setup.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/fwtrvk/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 3310 - Arp 217

Dates: 3-18-25, 3-21-25
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 93 x 90, R 60 x 90, G 49 x 90, B 60 x 90 (6h 33')
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

IC443 - Jellyfish Nebula (2025)

This is my latest image of IC 443, a.k.a. SH2-248, commonly called the Jellyfish nebula for its similar appearance to the marine sea creature. It is a giant supernova remnant (SNR) located approximately 5000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Gemini. The exact age is uncertain, however, it is believed that the supernova event that produced what we see now occurred some 3,000 to 30,000 years ago. Recent research from the Chandra X-ray observatory indicates that the explosion that formed the nebula also created a neutron star or pulsar and further suggest the age is likely tens of thousands of years old making the 30,000 year old age more likely.

I really wanted to show the explosion of nebulosity emanating from the left side of the IC443. That portion has a lot of depth especially on the lower left area where there are also some dark nebulae such as LDN 1568. The upper middle area contains a blue oxygen rich region surrounding the star 12 Gemini with a reflection nebula, IC 444, just above that. The small pink gaseous object is on the left edge of the nebula is a small Planetary Nebula, HoCr 1.

I spent a lot of time doing star reduction as it sits in a heavy starfield, but I have a hard time with this because I love stars and typically do not do much reduction. I am still not sure and think I may have over done it but I know others might say I did not go far enough.


High Resolution:
https://www.astrobin.com/9mv1ej/?nc=collection&nce=712

Dates: 1-27-25, 1-29, 2-1, 2-4, 2-17, 2-21, 2-25, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4

IC443 - Jellyfish Nebula (2025)
Dates: 1-27-25, 1-29, 2-1, 2-4, 2-17, 2-21, 2-25, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Telescope: Askar FRA300 Pro
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 300mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: IDAS NBZ, Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV-IR 58 x 90 (1h 27'), NBZ 366 x 300 (30h 30'), Total (31h 57')
Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Star Reduction, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1