We tend to avoid the more northerly galaxies because they're not up for long, and much of the time they're low in the mirk and haze. Here's our first venture north for many years, a sort of half-way house in the arms of Virgo.
M61, or NGC 4303, is a pretty barred spiral with a pink bar and interesting grand design spiral arms that seem to have become broken and angular (like insect legs perhaps).
But wait, there's more. The thumbnail is a tight crop of just M61. In the Big Image here, there is much more to see.
Toward ten o'clock from the big one is the smaller, but more intensely blue barred spiral NGC 4301, getting on for starburst class.
The much less spectacular NGC 4292 is toward two o'clock. It seems to be a pseudo-ringed spiral, with inner and outer rings, and negligible star formation, despite whatever triggered the formation of the rings, perhaps the tiny NGC 4292A, lurking guiltily just above it, which itself does have strong star formation.
The relaxed and patient observer will see dozens and dozens of other distant galaxies throughout the image.
Seniors Card Carrying Aspen CG16M on 20 inch PlaneWave. Full image 36 min arc, north up, 0.55 sec arc/pixel. Lum 5 hrs, RGB 1.5 hrs each, in 30 min subs.
So many tincy wincy tiny winy galaxies smattered throughout the field.... Along with quite a lot of blue hot pixels and a lime green star in the top left corner
I particularly love the MiniMe galaxy just to the north west of M61
So many tincy wincy tiny winy galaxies smattered throughout the field.... Along with quite a lot of blue hot pixels and a lime green star in the top left corner
I particularly love the MiniMe galaxy just to the north west of M61
The hottest of hot chilli sapphire pixels!
Quote:
Originally Posted by atalas
Worth the venture guys....lovely face on
Thanks Louie, glad you like it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alpal
Nice shot Mike and Trish,
I would have been tempted to do some
local sharpening on the galaxies.
cheers
Allan
Hi, Allan,
You are probably right, but as we have seen with comments on our last several images, and our subsequent oscillatory behaviour, the level of wow, sparkle, sharpness and local contrast versus artefact and burn-out is a Scylla and Charybdis, Devil and Deep Blue Sea juggling act with no safe middle ground.
What we need is a super-fast image displayer where the user can pull a slider that increases or decreases the star-masked local contrast in real time, adding their desired level of salt and pepper, lest England swing like a pendulum do.
You are probably right, but as we have seen with comments on our last several images, and our subsequent oscillatory behaviour, the level of wow, sparkle, sharpness and local contrast versus artefact and burn-out is a Scylla and Charybdis, Devil and Deep Blue Sea juggling act with no safe middle ground.
What we need is a super-fast image displayer where the user can pull a slider that increases or decreases the star-masked local contrast in real time, adding their desired level of salt and pepper, lest England swing like a pendulum do.
Best,
Mike and Trish
Hi Mike and Trish,
or you could present 2 images - one for the purists with no local sharpening and
another where your own artistic license is shown for all to admire
and anyone - you know who - that finds worms or other artifacts
can just look at the untouched version.
Lovely image and fun exploring the background as always M&T.
Thanks, Kevin!
Quote:
Originally Posted by alpal
Hi Mike and Trish,
or you could present 2 images - one for the purists with no local sharpening and
another where your own artistic license is shown for all to admire
and anyone - you know who - that finds worms or other artifacts
can just look at the untouched version.
cheers
Allan
That's actually a good idea, Allan, not just for degree of sharpening but for other things like emphasising the bright main structure versus showing faint but perhaps incidental background features at the expense of the main game.
Our goal is definitely to show as clearly as we can what is up there, not to be artistic as such. To that end, we think Strong Mike has it exactly right: you stop sharpening before you reach the point of showing things that are not in the sky. On which topic, it's probably time for us to start posting some of our sculptures, paintings, and macro photos in separate galleries on SmugMug. That would take the pressure off even further.
Fantastic image. Love the way your stars look in your images.
This galaxy looks a lot like M83. I wonder if the Milky Way looks much like this one.
Greg.
Many thanks Greg. Last night we did another tiny galaxy in Aquarius. It was very pretty. We wondered what the Vogons, in their jewel encrusted leather battle shorts, looking back the other way, would think if they knew we thought their galaxy was pretty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strongmanmike
Really lovely image guys, you have colour processing nailed
MIke
Thanks Mike, that is very encouraging. We learn but slowly, one of us being colourblind and the other reluctant to say, "That's Kermit-colour".
Quote:
Originally Posted by SimmoW
This is gorgeous, I call it a Peaceful galaxy. I wouldn't change your imaging process, it looks so natural.
Live the Seniors Card reference...
Ta Simmo! Both the camera and the operators are feeling their age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billdan
Another great image M&T , lots of galaxies in the larger field of view, great colours.
Beautiful work, M&T! The whole field is a feast for the eyes. I'm with the "more cowbell" crowd when it comes to saturation and sharpening but you probably knew that already
Beautiful work, M&T! The whole field is a feast for the eyes. I'm with the "more cowbell" crowd when it comes to saturation and sharpening but you probably knew that already
Thanks so much, Rick, from you that is a real compliment.
We happened to have your Pencil nebula and your Cassiopeia SNR readily to hand, to check for campanulas. They are exquisite.
