Leo Trio

This collection of galaxies is collectively known as the "Leo Trio". It is found in the lower portion of the constellation Leo, down near the leg, and is quite visible in a moderate sized scope. I shot this with my Canon 300D DSLR and my Orion 100mm F6 Refractor. It is made of 6 images of four minutes at ISO 1600.

Another Black-Eye

Here is another view of the Black-Eye Galaxy, M64. I shot this with my 100mm F6 refractor and my Canon DSLR. It is a composite of 4 four minute images. This scope has a much wider field, and the camera gives a hint of the galaxy's coloration.

Two for the price of one...

This is a close-up of NGC 2438 inside the open cluster M46. It is a planetary nebula, an expanding sphere of gas thrown off by a dying star. When you look at the M46 cluster, you can just barely see this nebula through most small scopes.

I imaged this with my Intes-Micro M500 and my DSI-Pro at F5.

Galaxy with a Black Eye?

The Black-Eye Galaxy, or M64 as it is also known, is a spiral galaxy with a strange swath of dust obscuring part of it's core. The overall effect is that of having been decked in the eye. It is very bright and easily seen in small scopes, though a 6 inch or larger is needed to see the dust lane visually.

Imaged with my Intes- Micro M500 and DSI-Pro at F5.

A very dim M94...

M94 is a very difficult galaxy to image, this photo simply highlights this fact. It has a very bright core, and 2 very dim outer disks. Only one of these disks is visible in this image. It is very hard to expose one without over or underexposing the other. This image shows a bit of detail in the core area, but the outer disks are rather underexposed.

This galaxy is known as a "Starburst" galaxy. Tidal forces within these galaxies create distinct rings of star formation known as Starburst Rings. The Starburst Ring in this galaxy is easily visible along the edge of the bright core.

I took this with my Intes-Micro M500 and my DSI-Pro.