M53 & NGC5053 (2023)

M53 (also known as NGC 5024) is a globular cluster located in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It is approximately 60,000 light-years away from us and ironically the same distance away from the center of the Milky Way. The metal poor cluster is dominated by blue and yellow stars. Metal-poor clusters are composed mostly of first generation stars (stars that are still burning their original light elements such as hydrogen and helium). The other feature in this image is NGC 5023, also a metal-poor globular cluster but much more diffuse. It is very close to M53 and is believed to have interacted with it in the past.

The other stars in this field of view are quite colorful. Located in the upper right corner is the very far spiral galaxy IC 857 along with some other interacting galaxies (IC 858 and IC 859) just below.

I find processing globular clusters particularly difficult but they are fun to do anyway. Capturing this object was pretty interesting as the sky conditions have been particularly iffy due to Canadian wildfires. First there were the Alberta fires which were affecting the transparency when some of this data was collected so I had to trash some of the data. Most recently we have been dealing with actual smoke from much closer wildfires in Quebec - the smell is pretty bad but the red sun at noon looks pretty cool.

M53 & NGC5053 (2023)
Dates: 5-9-23, 5-10, 5-11
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: None, ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: None 68 x 60, R 90 x 90, G 41 x 90, B 64 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator.

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