M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy
M51 is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be spotted with a small telescope most easily during May. Significant star formation is occurring in this galaxy, and some Astronomers think that is primarily due to the nearby galaxy NGC 5195 passing behind M51, exerting a gravitational pull on the galaxy.
June 7, 2024
A popular target for amateur astronomers, the beautiful whirlpool galaxy is alive with color and star-forming activity. I’ll be revisiting this one with a longer focal length telescope in the near future.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Starnet, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: June 5, 2024
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 100x180” (5h)
Integration Time: 5h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/25/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 6.00