August 1, 2011

NGC7331 & "Companions" (7-30-2011)

This is NGC7331, a galaxy found in the constellation Pegasus.  NGC 7331 is between 21 and 52 million light years away.  The center of the galaxy is very bright; it can be seen with moderate-sized telescopes from the backyard.  I have seen it in an 8" reflector from my backyard.  I've always wanted a good image of it, though.  I took a minimal monochrome image of it two years ago that actually is a little deeper than this one (here), but this one was color and actually is about twice the exposure time at the same focal ration (f/5).  The small galaxies around NGC 7331 are sometimes called the Deer Lick group.  They are much further away--perhaps 300 million light years, very roughly (I overstated this distance in my earlier post).

This is still not the image I am hoping to take.  I'd like to use a longer focal length.  Maybe soon.  This group of galaxies in in season.  My favorite image of this group is Ken Crawford's, here.

Telescope: Orion 6" Imaging Newtonian and no coma corrector
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 26x7'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

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