Spring is the season of “hunting” for galaxies. After many weeks or even months of waiting for good weather, the time of cloudless nights has finally come. M51 is almost at its zenith at this time of year, so for me it’s an ideal location due to the limitations of the horizon reaching 60 deg. The location in the sky and the attractiveness of the galaxy itself is a combination that leaves no choice. I collected the material periodically for 5 nights and, as it turns out, enough to see the beautiful structures of this object.
Galaxy M51 and its companion NGC5194 are about 28 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of the Canes Venatici. In terms of size, mass and brightness, it is comparable to the Andromeda Galaxy and our Milky Way.
Basic information and photo parameters:
TS APO 140/910 (f/6.5) telescope, QHY268M camera, and iOptron CEM70EC mount.
Light Frames: L – 112x180s, R – 25x180s, G – 25x180s, B – 25x180s @-10*C
Calibration Frames: FLAT – 25, DARK-25, BIAS – 25
Clear Sky !!!