Markarian's Chain (Kyle Desrosier)

Markarian's Chain

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUv9uGcN5u1/

Markarian's Chain is string of galaxies located in the Virgo Cluster, the center of which is about 70 million light years away.

The center is indicated by M87, the large elliptical galaxy in the upper right corner of the image. M87 is the galaxy which had its central super massive black hole imaged by The Event Horizon Telescope.

The chain starts with M84 and M86, the two large elliptical galaxies left and above center. It continues with The Eyes, NGC4438 and NGC4435, an interacting pair in the center of the image. To the right is NGC4461, NGC4458, and NGC4473. The end of the chain is marked by NGC4477, a barred lenticular galaxy.

Scattered about the rest of the image are dozens of other galaxies. I counted 64. Some notable ones are:

- NGC4440, a barred spiral galaxy, top center

- IC 4305, a spiral galaxy, upper left corner

- NGC4402, a spiral galaxy with a curved gas disc, below M84 and M86

- NGC4438, a transforming spiral galaxy, above M84 and M86

Processing Details:

Pre-processing (for each channel):

- Blink

- ImageCalibration

- CosmeticCorrection

- SubframeSelector

- StarAlignment

- ImageIntegration

- DrizzleIntegration

- DynamicCrop

- BackgroundModelization

Luminance:

- Deconvolution: DynamicPSF, star mask for local support, masked w/ binary range mask

- MultiscaleLinearTransform: masked w/ inverted low contrast mask

- HistogramTransformation

RGB:

- LinearFit

- ChannelCombination

- BackgroundNeutralization

- ColorCalibration

- SCNR: Green and red

- MultiscaleLinearTransform: masked w/ inverted low contrast mask

- MultiscaleMedianTransform: chrominance, masked w/ inverted super low contrast mask

- HistogramTransformation

LRGB:

- LRGBCombination

- TGVDenoise: lightness for local support, masked w/ inverted super low contrast mask

- LocalHistogramEqualization: masked w/ galaxy mask that excluded elliptical galaxies

- UnsharpMask: masked w/ galaxy mask that excluded elliptical galaxies

- MultiscaleMedianTransform: lightness, masked w/ inverted super low contrast mask

- MultiscaleMedianTransform: chrominance, masked w/ inverted super low contrast mask

- CurvesTransformation: saturation increase of galaxy, masked w/ screened galaxy mask

- ColorSaturation: targeted core and spiral arms, masked w/ screened galaxy mask

- MultiscaleMedianTransform: chrominance, masked w/ inverted low contrast mask

- MultiscaleMedianTransform: lightness, masked w/ inverted super low contrast mask (x2)

- MorphologicalTransformation: masked w/ star mask

- CurvesTransformation: desaturated background, masked w/ inverted binary range mask

- HistogramTransformation: darkened background

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	2741703
PixInsight job	5RBKNL225EFV81FYBB38L0PZAO84E017
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

RA (center)	12h27m52s.63
RA (top/left)	12h21m48s.70
RA (top/right)	12h31m35s.20
RA (bottom/right)	12h33m58s.20
RA (bottom/left)	12h24m08s.22

Dec (center)	+13°08′14″.10
Dec (top/left)	+12°39′35″.5
Dec (top/right)	+11°52′25″.0
Dec (bottom/right)	+13°36′21″.4
Dec (bottom/left)	+14°23′48″.5

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