M33
Image Details:
The M33 Galaxy is our second-closest major galactic neighbor, a spiral galaxy located 3 million light-years away some apparent distance to the South and East of the Andromeda Galaxy. Much like Andromeda, this galaxy is visible without optical aid, albeit under darker skies, and is often the furthest object possible to see with the naked eye. This galaxy is only about 60,000 light years in diameter and curiously lacks a supermassive black hole at its center, which is unusual for standard spiral galaxies. This galaxy also features some notably bright HII regions such as NGC 604, a star-forming region which, if placed at the 1,344 light year-distance of the Orion Nebula, would outshine Venus in our sky.
Equipment:
William Optics Star71-II Petzval APO (345mm Focal Length, F/4.9)
ZWO ASI1600MM-P, ZWO Filters
Celestron CGEM-II
Autoguiding: Orion 50mm Guidescope + ZWO ASI224MC
Exposures:
Luminance: 308 x 180” (Total: 15h 24m)
Red, Green, Blue: 69, 69, 69 x 300” (Total: 17h 15m)
Hydrogen-Alpha 7nm: 227 x 300” (Total: 18h 55m)
Oxygen-III 7nm: 207 x 300” (Total: 17h 15m)
Misc Details:
Capture Software: AstrophotographyTool, PHD2 (guiding), Celestron CPWI (mount control), Pegasus Powerbox (dew heater control, power management)
Processing Software: PixInsight
Taken from: Wichita, KS, Bortle 4
Capture Dates: 1, 11-13 October, 1-2, 7, 10-12, 15 November, 2020