Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Pisces (Psc)  ·  Contains:  M 74  ·  NGC 628
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M74, Steve Argereow
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M74

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M74, Steve Argereow
Powered byPixInsight

M74

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

I haven't had any clear nights since 12/29.  I finally got a really cold clear winter night but a
front was coming through and it was really windy with bad seeing.  I decided to go with it
and image anyway I'll probably revisit this sometime in the future.

M74 is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Pisces. It's an archetypal
example of a grand design spiral that was discovered by Pierre Méchain sometime during September
1780. Méchain reported his discovery to Charles Messier, who subsequently determined its position
and then catalogued it on October 18, 1780.  This galaxy is located 32.5 million light-years away
and has a diameter of about 95,000 light-years, which is similar to that of the Milky Way. It has an
apparent size of 10.5 x 9.5 arc minutes . In 2002 and 2003, supernovae were discovered in M74. 


Information Credits: Homefreestar charts

Telescope:  Explorer Scientific 127mm CF APO Refractor f/7.5  (952mm Focal Length)
Explore Scientific X0.7 Reducer f/5.25 (667mm Focal Length)
Mount  IOptron CEM40
Camera ZWOASI2600MC-Pro  Temp -10C, Binning 1 x 1, Gain 100 Offset 50     
ZWO  EFW

81 X 180 Second Exposures W/Optolong IR/UV 2" Filter  
20 Dark Frames/50 Flats
Total Integration Time: 4 Hours  3  Minutes
Acquisition with SharpCap
Stacked with Astro Pixel Processor
Guiding PHD2
Processed with Astra Image
Photo taken from Seven Lakes, NC  Bortle 4.5

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