Messier 51 – The Whirlpool Galaxy

Messier 51 (M51) and its companion NGC 5195, forming one of the most iconic galaxy pairs in the night sky. 🌌 Overview Name: Whirlpool Galaxy Catalog: Messier 51 (M51), NGC 5194 Constellation: Canes Venatici Distance from Earth: ~23 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~8.4 Size: ~11 Γ— 7 arcminutes Type: Interacting Spiral Galaxy (SA(s)bc pec) ✨ What We See This image captures the graceful spiral arms and intense interaction between: ...

May 12, 2025 Β· 2 min Β· Dan Harabagiu

NGC 2403 – A Hidden Spiral in Camelopardalis

NGC 2403, a hidden northern spiral with active star formation. 🌌 Overview Name: NGC 2403 Type: Intermediate Spiral Galaxy (SAB(s)cd) Constellation: Camelopardalis Distance from Earth: ~8 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~8.9 Angular Size: ~21 Γ— 12 arcminutes Group: M81 Group (same galaxy group as M81 and M82) ✨ What We See NGC 2403 is a bright, nearby spiral galaxy showcasing: Well-defined spiral arms dotted with H II regions Bright stellar associations and dust lanes A slightly tilted orientation revealing internal galactic structure Several large, pink star-forming regions, visible even in modest exposures πŸ”­ Scientific Highlights Part of the M81 galaxy group, though further out toward the outskirts Studied extensively due to its proximity and resemblance to our Milky Way Hosts numerous Cepheid variable stars β€” critical for distance scale calibration πŸ“· Equipment Used Telescope: TS-Optics 80PHQ (544mm f/6.8 Quintuplet APO) Camera: SVBONY SV605MC (IMX533 Mono) Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Guiding: Off-Axis Guider with veLOX 178 C Filters: LRGB Software: NINA, PHD2, PixInsight, Photoshop Signature: Custom watermark overlay πŸ“ Final Thoughts Often overlooked due to its obscure location, NGC 2403 is a gem of the northern sky. With a beautiful spiral form and bright H II knots, it’s a rich target both scientifically and visually β€” perfect for spring skies and wide-field imaging. ...

May 12, 2025 Β· 2 min Β· Dan Harabagiu

Messier 101 – The Pinwheel Galaxy

A full-frame capture of Messier 101 with spiral arms stretching into the cosmos. 🌌 Overview Name: Messier 101 (M101) Nickname: The Pinwheel Galaxy Catalog: NGC 5457 Constellation: Ursa Major Distance from Earth: ~21 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~7.9 Size: ~28 Γ— 26 arcminutes (larger than the Moon!) Type: Grand design spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs)cd) ✨ What We See M101 is a spectacular face-on spiral galaxy, renowned for its: ...

May 12, 2025 Β· 2 min Β· Dan Harabagiu

Messier 65 – A Spiral Galaxy in Leo

Messier 65 and its Leo Triplet neighbors with signature overlay. 🌌 Overview Name: Messier 65 (M65) Catalog: NGC 3623 Type: Spiral Galaxy (type SAa) Constellation: Leo Distance: ~35 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~10.3 Size: ~9 Γ— 2 arcminutes Group: Member of the Leo Triplet along with M66 and NGC 3628 ✨ What We See M65 is a gently tilted spiral galaxy, appearing just off edge-on from our viewpoint. The structure includes: ...

May 12, 2025 Β· 2 min Β· Dan Harabagiu

Messier 106 (M106) and Its Galactic Neighbors

Messier 106 (M106) and neighboring galaxies, including NGC 4217. Messier 106 (M106) Zoom In. 🌌 Messier 106 (M106) Catalog: Messier 106, NGC 4258 Type: Intermediate spiral galaxy (Sbp) Constellation: Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) Distance: ~22–25 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~8.4 (visible with small telescopes) Angular Size: ~19 Γ— 8 arcminutes Actual Diameter: ~135,000 light-years πŸ”¬ Scientific Importance M106 is classified as a Seyfert II galaxy, known for: A supermassive black hole at its core Anomalous spiral arms visible in radio and X-ray β€” likely jets of energetic gas Hosting a water maser, used for highly precise cosmological distance measurements 🌠 NGC 4217 β€” The Edge-On Companion Type: Edge-on spiral galaxy Distance: ~60 million light-years Apparent Magnitude: ~11.7 Angular Size: ~5 Γ— 1 arcminutes Orientation: Seen from the side, offering a textbook profile of a spiral galaxy’s disk ❗ Note: NGC 4217 is not physically associated with M106 β€” it lies in the background and only appears nearby due to line-of-sight coincidence. ...

May 12, 2025 Β· 2 min Β· Dan Harabagiu