Collecting  Photons

North is to the left     1600x995

Objects:             From the left: M58 (6.0'x4.8'; SBb), NGC 4564 (3.5'x1.5'; E), NGC 4567 (3.1'x2.2'; Sbc), NGC 4568 (4.6'x2.2'; Sbc). A family portrait in Virgo, including a severely interacting pair.

Constellation:     Virgo

Coordinates of field center: 12h 37m +11° 29'

Notes: This is the outcome of a collaboration with John Carver in Texas. John runs an observatory that includes a beautiful massive ASA 16 astrograph and he acquired the data. I put them together to this final result.

Telescope and camera: ASA 16', f 3.6; Apogee Alta 16000.

Exposure: Luminance 50'; R 140'; B 170'; G 120'. About 8 hrs total.

Date: May 2010.

Software used: acquisition, Maxim, FocusMax, APC. Calibration; registration and stacking: CCDstack; processing: PixInsight, Photoshop CS. 

I used multiple instances of multiscale filtering to enhance the tremendous amount of details present in the spiral arms.

NGC 4564, NGC 4567, NGC 4568: full resolution

North is to the left

Copyright © 2010 by Gimmi Ratto. (August 22, 2010)