Observation by Martin Butcher: M64 - Black Eye Galaxy

Uploaded by

Stuart Morris

Observer

Martin Butcher

Observed

2012 Mar 18 - 04:52

Uploaded

2021 Aug 07 - 18:04

Objects

The Black Eye Galaxy (M64)

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Constellation

Coma Berenices

Field centre

RA: 12^h56^m
Dec: +21°41'
Position angle: +21°14'

Field size

0°30' × 0°20'

Equipment

Meade LX-90 8" telescope fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge.
LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled.
LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled.
Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.
Stock Canon 40D with 200mm f/2.8 lens stopped down to f/4
Telescope driven but unguided

Exposure

Ninety sub-exposures each 60 seconds long taken at ISO1600. Each sub-exposure taken with 10 second self-timer set on camera. Ambient temperature minus one degree Celsius.

Location

Isle of Colonsay

Target name

NGC4826 or M64

Title

M64 - Black Eye Galaxy

About this image

The Black Eye Galaxy is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy 17 million light-years away in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779, and by Johann Elert Bode in April of the same year, as well as by Charles Messier the next

Equipment used:- Stock Canon 40D mounted at Prime Focus on Meade LX-90 8” telescope (focal ratio f/10 focal length 2,000mm) with a 0.63x Focal Reducer (giving an effective focal ratio of f/6.3 and focal length of 1,279mm) fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge. Telescope Polar Aligned. LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled. Dew Removal straps fitted to telescope and operating. Telescope driven but unguided. Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.

Exposure details:- Ninety sub-exposures each 60 seconds long taken at ISO1600. Each sub-exposure taken with 10 second self-timer set on camera. Ambient temperature minus one degree Celsius.

Processing details:- After quality control 33 sub-exposures calibrated with Dark, Flat-field and Bias Master frames before being combined and then processed in Images Plus. Noise reduction performed in Noise Ninja. North is at the top. Image cropped to give field of view of 33 arc minutes x 22 arc minutes and also 23 arc minutes x 15 arc minutes.

Narrative description:- Twenty five days after New Moon. The weather was cold, clear and calm with heavy dew.

Files associated with this observation

MButcherNGC4826 or M64.jpg (62.1 kB)

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