M63 - The Sunflower Galaxy

Camera: See Below

Mount: See Below

Scope: See Below

Colors: L:R:G:B

Exposure Time: See Below

Post-Production: MaxIm DL, CCDStack, PixInsight, and Photoshop CS3

This beautiful spiral galaxy, designated Messier 63 (M63 - NGC5055) is located about 25 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Also known as the Sunflower Galaxy, it is nearly 100,000 light years across. The incredible structure of this galaxy makes it a Springtime favorite for many observers. This image is a collaboration between myself and Patrick Wiggins. Patrick took the excellent luminance data (30 x 600 seconds) and I added my color data from an earlier image, taken at a much shorter focal length. Patricks data really is spectacular, capturing great detail in the complex structure of this beautiful galaxy. Patrick uses a C-14 with a mirror lock riding on a Paramount ME, with an SBIG ST-10 camera. My color data was taken using an ASA N8 Astrograph on a Losmandy G-11 mount, with a Starlight Xpress SXVF-H16 camera. Be sure to click this one a couple of times to get to the full version. Thanks Patrick!!

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