M104 - The Sombrero Galaxy -Wide Field

Date: 25/05/2020    Time: 2300hrs   Location: Sunningwell   Temperature: 13.0ºC  Relative Humidity: 74%

Camera: Nikon D80    Scope: William Optics Z66 Apo Doublet at prime focus   Mount: piggy-backed on Meade LX90 in equatorial mode  Filter: Astronomik CLS (LPF broadband filter)  Exposures: 6 x 10min   ISO: 1600   F ratio: 5.9 (No focal reducer)  Guidance: Autoguided

After a long time away from my scope and camera, the COVID19 lockdown here has meant more free time and I've returned to re-do previous targets.  Part of the reason for stopping was the lack of reasonable targets attainable with my set up and the relentlessly poor seeing conditions here in the UK.  This target was previously photographed and in fact was one of the first astrographs I took with the Meade DSI through the 8" SCT.  That photograph is in the archive section of this site and can be accessed for comparison by clicking here.  M104 subtends only 9.4 arc minutes in the sky and is therefore a small object unless you use a larger telescope that can take more magnification.  This is the size at the given focal ratio but gives a nice view of the galaxy's context as seen through the stars of our own Milky Way galaxy.  M104 lies about 30 million light years away, give or take a million, and can be found in the constellation Virgo, about half way between the delta star Porrima and beta Corvus.  Everyone knows the famous Hubble image of this galaxy showing the central dust shadow in breathtaking detail.  Unfortunately this humble photograph can only allude to the exciting findings of that Hubble image.

Air quality was poor with high moisture, thin high cloud and poor seeing, coming on a day after high winds and much atmospheric disturbance.  The 6 images were each individually neutralised by subtracting the predominant light pollution colour using Photoshop.  They were stacked summatively with Maxim DL and stretched for black and white points, again, in Photoshop with slight midtone enhancement and one pass of Noise Ninja at nominal settings.

HOME    PICTURES: Solar system    PICTURES: Wide field