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.
May 4, 2025
As promised, I revisited this targeted with a longer focal length scope! M51 is such an interesting galaxy because of the interaction with it’s nearby neighbor, NGC 5195. I was able to capture a bit of the tidal stream, though more integration time would probably have been necessary to really bring out that detail. Unfortunately, maximizing integration time feels like a luxury during our cloudy, breezy springtime!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: Celestron C9.25 XLT
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, Antlia OAG with Filter Drawer, Starizona SCT Corrector 0.63x IV, Baader Diamond Steeltrack Focuser
Software: Siril, PixInsight, BlurXterminator, NoiseXterminator, SetiAstro Statistical Stretch, SetiAstro Star Stretch
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: May 3, 2025
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 80x180” (4h)
Integration Time: 4h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 6.00
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