M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces (Mark Wetzel)

Celestial hemisphere: Northern · Constellation: Pisces (Psc) · Contains: M 74 · NGC 628

M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces, Mark Wetzel

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M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces

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M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces

During my October 2020 astrophotography trip to Casitas de Gila, Gila, New Mexico, I photographed Messier catalog object M74, the Phantom Galaxy in the constellation Pisces (also NGC 628). This dim galaxy was imaged over three nights using Luminescence, Red, Green and Blue filters. Imaging with a Hydrogen-alpha filter was unsuccessful due to high altitude smoke from the California wildfires. M74 is called the Phantom Galaxy since it has a very low surface brightness, making it a challenge for observers and photographers.

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Description: During my October 2020 astrophotography trip to Casitas de Gila, Gila, New Mexico, I photographed Messier catalog object M74, the Phantom Galaxy in the constellation Pisces (also NGC 628). This dim galaxy was imaged over three nights using Luminescence, Red, Green and Blue filters. Imaging with a Hydrogen-alpha filter was unsuccessful due to high altitude smoke from the California wildfires. M74 is called the Phantom Galaxy since it has a very low surface brightness, making it a challenge for observers and photographers.

This version was processed in PixInsight using Drizzle Integration. I also softened the contrast to show more of the dust clouds in the galaxy. Stars are still unsatisfactory.

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Status	Basic success
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Astrometry.net job	4043189
PixInsight job	n/a
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M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces

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M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces

M74 the Phantom Galaxy in Pisces

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