The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
Image Details:
M101 is a spiral galaxy seen to our North and is best observed or photographed during the Spring. Being mostly face-on, its overall luminosity is spread over a larger apparent area (roughly the same apparent size as our Full Moon) and this can make visual observation very difficult except under dark skies or with an appreciably large telescope. In real size it is comparable to Andromeda, though this galaxy is about 21 million light years distant as opposed to Andromeda’s ~2.5.
Equipment:
Celestron C8 SCT (calculated 1118mm Focal Length) using F/6.3 Reducer
Canon T3i (Astromodified)
Hypertuned Celestron CGEM-II
Exposures:
One-Shot Color: 271 x 300” (Total: 22h, 35m)
Misc Details:
Processing Software: PixInsight
Taken from: Wichita, KS, Bortle 5
Capture Dates: 12-14, 17 February, 2024