M64 ( April 2014)

Full resolution image here.

A color image of this galaxy was my goal since January, but we had nothing but cloudy nights near new moons until April.  Then the first two clear nights were hazy, and I had equipment problems.  Finally, I obtained a good night's worth of data on the 22nd.  I obtained 23x900" of data, and then M64 went behind the trees.

The galaxy is famous for the dust lane near its center, and also because the inside part of the galaxy rotates one way and the outer part rotates in the opposite direction!

Telescope: Orion 254mm f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader MPCC
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (23x900"), Alnitak Flatman flats
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX SFW+OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M64 or NGC4826, the Black Eye Galaxy (March 23, 2012)

This galaxy, found in the constellation Coma Berenices, is between 13 and 25 million light years distant, though estimates average (and most are close to) about 17.3 million.  So this galaxy is a near neighbor.  It's distinctive feature is the group of dust clouds close to the center of the galaxy.

One study of this galaxy found that, near its center, the galaxy's gas and stars are moving in the same direction, but, if one moves to the outer regions, the gas moves in a direction opposite the stars!  Cite.  Because stars formed out of the galaxy's gas, some event must have occurred to cause this, perhaps the infall of a great deal of new gas, but coming from the opposite direction.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9, 24x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX