Final image of M51 using narrow band plus LRGB wide field view.
Final image of M51 using narrow band plus LRGB wide field view.
Unfortunately I can't compete with the Hubble, it is outside our atmosphere and has a huge mirror compared to the little 4 inch lenses on the AP refractor looking thru a thousand miles of atmosphere and city glow.
Also, this close up is from a much larger wide field image so it won't have the clarity from that stand point.
Resolving power of the 4 inch refractor is about 1.015 arches at 500nm whereas Hubble has about .043 arcsec (and no real atmosphere!
So I am not overly disappointed in the clarity of my image. :)
However, it does pretty good and revealing a lot of the data that Hubble does, eve though without the clarity.
Compare to the NASA Hubble Images on this page.
M51- April 2021 Imaged From Anthem AZ
Astro Physics StarFire 102
CGE/G11 Mounts
ASI6200MM Cooled Camera
ASI174MM (Guide Camera)
Optec 3in TCFSi
Optec 2in IFW
Optec Sagita Off Axis Guider
NB + LRGB filters by Optec.
R 16 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
G 14 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
B 15 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
Ha (3nm) 13 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
Hb (3nm) 13 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
OIII (3nm) 13 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
SII (3nm) 15 Frames x 1800 Seconds -15C 1x1 bin
SGPro For Capture
Messier 51 (M51, NGC 5194) is the famous "Whirlpool" galaxy in Canes Venatici.
It is one of the most conspicuous and best-known spiral galaxies in the sky. M 51
is interacting with its much smaller neighbor, NGC 5195; the two galaxies may be
seen with binoculars under very dark skies.
Wikipedia
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an
interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It
lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified
as a spiral galaxy.
Distance to Earth: 23.16 million light years
Radius: 30,000 light years
Age: 400.3 million years
Magnitude: 8.4
Apparent mass: ~160 billion M☉
Coordinates: RA 13h 29m 53s | Dec +47° 11′ 43″

Copy Right
Steven Ruttenberg 2021
Steves 4x5 Photography 2021
Compare to the NASA Hubble Images on this page.