This is my first season imaging galaxies with a long focal length telescope and I am jumping around the sky, seeing what different targets look like in my vintage 8" Meade LX200 SCT. It seems "quantity" over "quality" is the rule, simply because I am so unfamiliar with these targets and how to image them. I spent close to 5 hours collecting data on this galaxy, but had to discard almost 30% of the light frames because of clouds, airplanes, and other problems. PixInsight's WBPP script does a great job at eliminating satellites trails, but planes are asking too much of any software. In the end, there were only 57 light frames at 180s each to work with ... boy does it show! 🧐 At least 3-4 times that amount are needed to bring out the details in the galaxy's core or arms. Therefore, I am adding this galaxy to my list of "must return to" targets, perhaps next year, after I have a more experience under my belt. As for now, however, the bottom line is that for this newbie,
M90 proved a difficult target to image.
Have you imaged this galaxy already? What was your experience like?
Virgo Cluster. Although M90 is in the constellation Coma Berenices (Bernice's Hair), it is usually considered part of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Revision C is a wide field image of M90, taken with a RedCat51 refractor telescope (focal length = 249mm). You can see M90 clearly, as well as several of the beautiful galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. What a beautiful region of the night sky!
Wishing you clear, wildfire smoke-free skies. Shortly after this image was taken (late May), air quality and seeing conditions in central Pennsylvania deteriorated rapidly as the jet stream swept smoke from Canada down into our region. It's slowly getting better, but I still feel bad for my good neighbors to the north. 🔭
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