NGC 891 – Edge-on Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda

Telescope: Astro-Tech 8” f/8 Ritchey-Chretien, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, Meade DSI Pro II, PHD

Exposure: (38+21)x240s, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2s, sky flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4-18.5 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is NGC 891, a fairly large edge-on spiral galaxy in Andromeda. This object is difficult to see visually, but knowing what it shows photographically makes it worth the effort. The dark lane cutting across the galaxy is a band of dust and gas that tends to collect in the plane of spiral galaxy arms. The source images for this field were collected on the evenings of November 6^th (38) and the 11^th (21).