Virgo Cluster Wide Angle
April 22, 2007 — Ionia, NY

The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of up to 2,000 galaxies approximately 59 million light years away. This is the nearest big cluster of galaxies, the largest proven structure in our intergalactic neighborhood, and the most remote cosmic objects with a physical connection to our own small group of galaxies, the Local Group. Image highlights 41 galaxies. 29 1-1/2-minute exposures, Canon 20D, 70-200L IS at 150mm, F2.8, ISO 800. Camera mounted on Kenko Skymemo. Version without galaxies circled | Smaller version | Rollover Grid

M51 Wide Angle
April 19, 2007 — Ionia, NY

M51, a face-on spiral galaxy near the Big Dipper. Linked to a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195. Also see M63 (Sunflower Galaxy) to the upper right. Seven 2-minute exposures, Canon 20D, 70-200L IS at 125mm, F2.8, ISO 800. Camera mounted on Kenko Skymemo.

Cropped closeup of M51

M81 & M82 Wide Angle
April 19, 2007 — Ionia, NY

M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy, is an irregular magnitude 8.8 galaxy in the constellation of Ursa Major. M82 is estimated to be 12 million light-years distant. Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded one of the best determined distances for an external galaxy - 11.8 million light-years. Three 30-second exposures, Canon 20D, 70-200L IS at 105mm, F2.8, ISO 1600. Camera mounted on Kenko Skymemo.

Cropped closeup of M81 & M82 also showing Galaxies NGC3077 at top, NGC2976 Bottom Left Corner.

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy
M51, a face-on spiral galaxy near the Big Dipper. Linked to a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195. Also note the faint magnitude 15.2 galaxy IC 4263 below M51 in the 5 0'clock position. This faint fuzzy is easier to see in this Cropped Full Size Image. M51 is 37 million lightyears away — we're looking 37 million years into the past in this photo.

Stack of 100 1-minute images at ISO 400. Canon D60. Televue Pronto at prime focus. Image processing in ImagesPlus and Photoshop. April 15, 2004 — Ionia, NY

M42 - The Orion Nebula
I struggled with my polar alignment this night, so I had to limit my exposures to 1-minute each. This beautiful nebula resides in the Sword of Orion.

View a grayscale version of this photo. View a Color vs. Grayscale rollover version.

Canon D60 through the Televue Pronto. 136 1-minute images at ISO 400. Image processing in ImagesPlus and Photoshop. December 27, 2003 from Ionia.

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. 60 2-minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus. ISO 800, RAW format. Flat and dark frame calibrated. November 20 & 21, 2003 from Ionia.

[See a slightly less-aggressively processed version]

With M32 and M110 galaxies.

M45 - The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. 69 2-minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus. ISO 800, RAW format. Flat and dark frame calibrated. November 20 & 21, 2003 from Ionia.

[A plane crossed the FOV during one exposure] | [A slightly differently processed version]

Open cluster / reflection nebula.

M51
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. Twelve 1.5 minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus, R-L Deconvolution, Digital Development; Cropped & Curves in Photoshop 7. 04/24/2003. From Ionia, NY.

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, is interacting with a neighboring galaxy.

M81, M82, NGC 3077
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. Ten 1.5 minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus, R-L Deconvolution, Digital Development; Cropped & Curves in Photoshop 7. 04/24/2003. From Ionia, NY.

M82 (Cigar Galaxy) is to the top right. M82 (Bodes Galaxy) is to the lower right. NGC 3077 is the faint mag. 10.60 galaxy to the lower left.

Leo Triplet
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. Ten 1.5 minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus, R-L Deconvolution, Digital Development; Cropped & Curves in Photoshop 7. 04/24/2003. From Ionia, NY.

M65 (mag. 10.10) is to the lower right. M66 (mag. 9.69) is to the lower left. UGC 6530 (mag. 10.40) is at the top.

M13 Globular Cluster
Prime Focus Televue Pronto, Canon D60. Fourteen 1.5 minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus, R-L Deconvolution, Digital Development; Cropped & Curves in Photoshop 7. 04/24/2003. From Ionia, NY.

M13, the Hercules Cluster, is comprised of about 500,000 stars which are gravitationally bound to each other.

NGC4565 Edge-on Galaxy
Prime Focus LX200 f/10, Canon D60. Ten 3 minute unguided images aligned and stacked in ImagesPlus, R-L Deconvolution, Digital Development; Cropped & Curves in Photoshop 7. Noise reduction with NeatImage. 04/26/2003. From Ionia, NY.

The very faint smudge to the right of NGC 4565 and at the bottom of the arcing chain of stars is NGC 4562, a magnitude 14.40 galaxy.