NGC 4565

Edge-On Spiral Galaxy in the Constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4565 is a spiral galaxy that we view edge-on from here on Earth.  It lies at a distance of 31 million light-years from Earth.  Also of interest in the frame at bottom center is the faint galaxy IC 3571 which lies at a distance of approximately 60 million light-years.

Image Details:

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  • Instrument:  Celestron C14 SCT @ f/6.0 (2136mm) focal length
  • Mount:  Astro-Physics AP-1200GTO
  • Image Scale:  1.08 arc-seconds per pixel after processing
  • Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM with CFW8 Color Filter Wheel and AO-8 Adaptive Optics
  • Filters & Exposure Times:  
    • L:   12 x 5 minutes binned 1 x 1
    • R:  12 x 5 minutes binned 2 x 2
      G:    6 x 5 minutes binned 2 x 2
      B:    6 x 5 minutes binned 2 x 2 
  • Total equivalent unbinned exposure time of 5 hours
  • Software: Maxim DL/CCD, Adobe Photoshop CS2, RC Astro Gradient X-Terminator, Neat Image Pro
  • Location: C.A.A.S. East Observatory, Little Rock, AR., El. 650ft
  • Date: May 22nd, 2009