Telescope: Meade SN10 at f/4, Orion Atlas EQ-G
Camera: QHY 168c, -10: Deepsky Default; Gain: 4, Offset 30
Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter
Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2
Exposure: 5x240sec saved as FITS
Darks: 32x240sec saved as FITS
Flats: 32×0.25sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk
Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency, clouds
Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4 mag/arc-sec^2
Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.
White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic
Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop
What I found remarkable about this image is that it is the product of only 5 subs! This particular evening unexpectedly turned cloudy and I was able to salvage only 5 usable source images. Pretty neat!
M104, the Sombrero Galaxy, is a barred spiral that we view from with 6 degrees of edge-on. The galaxy shows a prominent dust lane and a large central bulge that gives it an interesting 3D appearance and its characteristic shape. The galaxy itself is fairly large with an estimated diameter of 130,000 light years and hosts a super-massive black hole in its core with mass on the order of 1 billion suns. Visually, M104 is relatively condensed and bright with the dust lane forming a dark boundary across the southern edge of the core.
M104 is currently well placed in the south as the sky darkens.
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