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Galaxy Messier 109 Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy

Object :	M109 (NGC 3992)
Coordinates/Direction :	RA: 11h57m, DEC: +53o22'
Object size :	7.6' x 4.7'
Apparent magnitude :	9.8
Distance :	67.2 Mly
No stars :	-
Type :	SB
Discovered by :	Pierre Mechain, year 1781
Find in constellation :	Ursa Major
More to know :	Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Messier 109

M109, 2025-12-20 + 12-24 + 12-27 (Click on image and one in full resolution in a new window)

Date :	2025-12-20 + 12-24 + 12-27
Time (UT) :	-:- to -:-

Exp. time :	90x120 seconds at 400iso, total 6 hours but only half of the images could be used
Image process tool :	Siril, Graxpert, VeraLux, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	flat, astrometric color calibrated, crop, stretch
Weather :	Clear sky, Moon phase -, Temperature --o C

Comment :

This image is stacked from three different nights. Lost the colors in the wild processing to get rid of the noisy background.

Date :

2025-12-20 + 12-24 + 12-27

Comment :

This is how the image looks like before cleaning up, static pattern, noisy and dust blobs.

M109, 2025-12-24 (Click on image and one in full resolution in a new window)

Date :	2025-12-24
Time (UT) :	22:02 to 23:56

Exp. time :	25x120 seconds at ISO400
Image process tool :	Siril, Graxpert, VeraLux, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	flat, astrometric color calibrated, crop, stretch
Weather :	Clear sky, Moon phase 20%, Temperature -2o C

Comment :

It looked very good with a clear sky, but only after 25 minutes the clouds cam in. Of 58 images I could only keep 25 of them. I continue collect data and come back later.

M109, 2025-12-20 (Click on image and one in full resolution in a new window)

Date :	2025-12-20
Time (UT) :	22:09 to 21:19

Exp. time :	30x120 seconds at ISO400
Image process tool :	Siril, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	flat, astrometric color calibrated, crop, VeraLux stretch
Weather :	Moon phase 0%, clear sky, temperature 5o C

Comment :

For the first time I have the tilt and backfocus correct on the APO refractor. Still have some problem of weak concentric rings over the image. Probably internal reflections. This is the weak galaxy M109, one hour of exposure was nothing compare what's needed. It looks to be another weak galaxy to the left of M109.

M109, 2024-12-13 (Click on image for a full resolution image in a new window)

Date :	2024-12-13
Time (UT) :	23:02 to 01:16

Exp. time :	73x60 seconds at ISO400, dithering every 3rd image
Image process tool :	Siril, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	flat, astrometric color calibrated, crop
Weather :	Moon phase 95%, almost clear sky, temperature -5o C

Comment :

A crop around the galaxies M109 (upper left) and NGC 3953. The bright star is Gamma Ursae Majores, magnitude 2.4. There are at least 14 galaxies in the full resolution photo. You find them here: M109 Astro metry plate solved.

M109, 2024-11-22

Date :	2024-11-22
Time (UT) :	23:23 to 01:53

Exp. time :	120x60 seconds at ISO400, dithering every 3rd image
Image process tool :	Siril, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	flat, astrometric color calibrated, crop 800x800 pixel 1:1 scale
Weather :	Moon phase 57%, clear sky, temperature -8o C

Comment :

With 15 times more exposure and the Nikon camera it got some better even in this Bortle 9 area.

M109, 2024-02-25

Date :	2024-02-25
Time (UT) :	19:14 to 19:21

Exp. time :	4x120 seconds at ISO1600
Image process tool :	Siril, Gimp, Irfanview
Processing :	bias, flat, astrometric col calibrated, crop 800x800 pix 1:1 scale
Weather :	clear sky for a half hour, full Moon, 0o C

Comment :

This evening I saw from the window that the sky was dark, the weather forecast say clouds. I took out the telescope at 6 pm and let it cool down for two hours. Started to take some photos but after just 30 minutes the clouds came in. Nothing more to do than take the telescope indoors, I only got 4 photos. But I put it up here for you to see how it looks with this short 8 minute exposure. There are some red dots, that's hot pixels, with only 4 photos the dithering process can't cancel these hot pixels out. Sad about the clouds because it was 12 years since I pointed a long focal length telescope against this galaxy. Next clear sky I try to take a photo once again. It's an small and weak galaxy.

M109, 2013-11-25

Date :	2013-11-24
Time (UT) :	23:51 to 00:05

Exp. time :	20x30 seconds at ISO1000
Image process tool :	AstroImageJ, Fitswork, Irfanview
Processing :	level, cal flat, dithering no bias dark noise filter
Weather :	clear with some clouds drifting by

Comment :

I had a lot of old photos on the hard disc which was unprocessed. They have got a rotation flag set that cause some of my image editors software to give up. Now after I solved that problem with this rotation flag set technique I can process them and compare with todays photos. One of my first photos with a full frame camera, the first Canon 5D (Mk I). The lens was an early 1970s Pentax with not so good color handling which cause a lot of problem, you see the red halos around the bright stars.

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