Processed to show both the fine detail of the active galactic nucleus and two of the four star-bridges or dead-straight ray-like tidal tails allegedly from cannibalizing companions, one at 7 and one at 8 o'clock. The bottom one has a 'foot' on it, like a hockey stick. The 8 o'clock one is thinner, like a billiard cue.
We had also rattled off an additional 8 hours of 2x2 binned shots, hoping to really chase these tails more clearly, but there was some thin cirrostratus about, which completely hid the star-bridges. So we now know to only try on the darkest of clearest cloudless nights. Perhaps just that discovery is worth posting.
Not good enough, summer is i-cumin in, and we're unlikely to get any more this year, but we very much wanted to post it, because it is an intriguing galaxy, new to us, and we saw more than we expected in just 3 hours.
Things to see apart from the hockey-playing star-bridges: A very well-developed bar, complete with fine dust being funneled into the nucleus. Two spiral arms attached to the tips of the bar, showing conspicuous ribbons of bright star formation. A companion getting munched in the tentacles of the upper spiral.
Nice detail, Mike. Will be interesting to see if you can get all four jets.
Thanks, Rick, Your shot is of course vastly super-good, and shows three of the four jets. I'm not sure that anyone much, even the stunning Robert Gendler and Martin Pugh APOD shots, have really convincingly absolutely definitely got the fourth jet.
I'll be pleased if next year I can get the background a bit smoother, and find the short-n-stumpy third jet. Winter 2015 perhaps.
Hi, Michael,
The link to your shot from IIS seems to be broken, but Google found it. Stunning. Perhaps now that I'm getting my eye in, you and Rick both have three and a half jets each, or seven altogether .
Hi, Michael,
The link to your shot from IIS seems to be broken, but Google found it. Stunning. Perhaps now that I'm getting my eye in, you and Rick both have three and a half jets each, or seven altogether .
Best,
Mike
...yeah it looks to be in my negative data but Ricks million hour effort does appear to confirm nicely the location of jet 4
Yours is a fine result too Mike with lots of detail, well done.
Really nice image, Mike. 1 hour subs, just amazing. I would be so nervous around the 59 minute mark hoping a plane or cloud won't zip through the frame! Love the detail and the visible jets.
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...yeah it looks to be in 
