M89-M90

This image contains M89 and M90 captured on 5/16/17 as part of an ongoing project to image all 110 Messier objects with an ED80 refractor.

M89 (a.k.a NGC 4552) is an elliptical galaxy 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.  M89 is unusual in that it appears perfectly spherical in shape while all other known elliptic galaxies are relatively elongated ellipsoids.  M90 (a.k.a NGC 4569) is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 60 million light-years away also in the constellation Virgo.  M90 is a member of the Virgo Cluster and one of its largest and brightest spiral galaxies, even brighter than the Andromeda Galaxy.

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Wide Field

M89 Crop

M90 Crop

M89 and M90
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date: 5-16-17
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: Orion 0.8x Focal Reducer for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 45 x 90s
ISO: 1600
Temp: 18 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Gradient Exterminator, Astronomy Tools, StarTools.
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