Galaxy
Messier 31
Andromeda Galaxy
|
| Object : | M31 (NGC 224) |
| Coordinates/Direction : | RA: 00h43m, DEC: +41o21' |
| Object size : | 189' x 61' |
| Apparent magnitude : | 3.44 |
| Distance : | 4.5 Mly |
| No solar mass : | 1e12 |
| Type : | SA |
| Discovered by : | Mul Dingir Tir-an-na, year 964 |
| Find in constellation : | Triangulum |
| More to know : |
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Andromeda Galaxy |
| Exp. time : | 19x120 seconds, iso400, dithering every 4th |
| Image process tool : | Siril, GraXpert, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | flat, photometric color calibration, background, stretch |
| Weather: |
Moon phase 92%, Temperature +9o C, rel Humidity 47% |
| Comment : |
Galaxy M31, this night when I took this photo it was only 17 degrees above horizon.
But it's unique to have this galaxy above the horizone at spring, normally I only have it in view in autumn.
A desperate try at the end of the season, the sky is too bright. |
| Exp. time : | 90x60 seconds, iso400, dithering every 3d |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | synthetic bias, flat, photometric color calibration |
| Weather: |
Clear sky, Moon phase 3%, temperature +4o C |
| Comment : |
A test before I proceed with the comet C/2025 F2 SWAN.
M31 only 12 degrees above horizon. |
| Date : | 2025-04-25 |
| Exp. time : | 90x60 seconds, iso400, dithering every 3d |
| Image process tool : | Siril, GraXpert, VeraLux, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | flat, photometric color calibration, dark subtraction, stretch |
| Comment : |
With the advanced script VeraLux I let it stretch the image, added some extra color in Gimp.
Yes, color there are but not much more details in the galaxy. |
| Date : | 2025-04-25 |
| Exp. time : | 90x60 seconds, iso400, dithering every 3d |
| Image process tool : | Siril, GraXpert, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | flat, photometric color calibration, dark subtraction, stretch |
| Comment : |
An alternative stretch, this time done in Gimp.
The image is separated in galaxy and stars.
Make it easier to remove dust speckles.
More details in the galaxy but doesn't look very nice.
Need a darker place and the galaxy higher up on the sky. |
| Exp. time : | 52x60 seconds, iso400, dithering every 3d |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | synthetic bias, flat, photometric color calibration |
| Weather: |
Clear sky, Temperature +14o C |
| Comment : |
Continue testing what the Nikon D800 and Pentax 645 FA 300mm lens can deliver.
Take a look at the huge resolution image, center and corner. |
| Exp. time : | 72x60 seconds, iso1600, dithering mode |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | synthetic bias, flat, photometric color calibration |
| Weather: | clear sky, temperature 17o C |
| Comment : |
The last photo I took with my Canon 6D camera. |
| Exp. time : | 60x60 seconds, iso1600, dithering mode |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | synthetic bias, flat, photometric color calibration |
| Weather temperature: |
|
| Weather clouds: | clear sky |
| Comment : |
I just wanted to have a photo from where I live with heavy light pollution to compare with these photos taken from Björnö.
There is a difference ! |
| Exp. time : | 22x120 seconds, iso1600, dithering mode |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | cal bias, flat, photometric color calibration |
| Weather temperature: |
|
| Weather clouds: | 50% clouds |
| Comment : |
First out on the field photo of the season 2023.
Even if it was promised a clear sky we had clouds that coming and go.
This time I cranked up the saturation a bit.
It was my first test of the new setup for clock synchronization and it worked very well.
The clock, date and location must be correct, otherwise some of the functions get in trouble.
That was a big step forward. Here is my story from the night in Swedish,
My night book. |
| Date : | 2023-09-21 |
| Time (UT) : | 19:08 to 20:02 |
| Comment : |
The Andromeda galaxy has satellite galaxies as our own Milky Way.
Here is M110, it's a dwarf elliptical galaxy.
It's the last number in the Messier list.
You find more details here: M110 Wikipedia. |
| Date : | 2023-09-21 |
| Time (UT) : | 19:08 to 20:02 |
| Comment : |
One more satellite galaxy to M31, it's M32.
It was discovered already 1749 by Guillaume Le Gentil.
You find more details here: M32 Wikipedia.
Notice the heavy dustlanes in the main galaxy M31.
Places where stars are born at. |
| Exp. time : | 12x60 seconds, iso1600, dithering mode |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Fitswork, Irfanview |
| Processing : | crop, resize, level, cal dark, bias, flat |
| Weather temperature: |
|
| Weather clouds: | 50% clouds |
| Comment : |
After I had setup the equipment I started with an easy target, the big and bright M31 Andromeda galaxy.
When doing this photographing a lot of clouds pass by and I had to trash more than half the photos.
With high gain on the blue channel it gives this look of the galaxy. |
| Exp. time : | 44x60 seconds, iso1600 |
| Image process tool : | AstroImageJ, Fitswork, Irfanview |
| Processing : | demosaic, flat calibrated, dark level adjust, median stack (to get rid of static pattern), crop, level |
| Weather: | clear |
| Site : | Sweden, Stockholm, Björnö nature reservation. Bortle class 4 |
| Comment : |
M31 Andromeda Galaxy.
This is the first image this season. It's also my first test of my new (used) Canon 300 mm f/4 lens.
I was not sure if my relative simple mount Star Adventurer could handle this long focal length, but it worked.
This lens has twice the focal length compared to my earlier lens, it helps a lot to see the details in the objects.
Almost like a small telescope with built in field flattener and motor focus.
This evening we had a private Star Party, we did visual observations, Starscapes and long
exposures deep sky photos.
I had some struggle with my mount, the coupling on DEC axis got broken, a fast solution fix needed to be handled. |
| Date : | 2019-09-01 |
| Time (UT) : | 00:00 |
| Comment : |
Asteroids ?
A friend to me told that there is an asteroid in this photo.
This is a star chart with the same date as the photo.
I can see two asteroids, Herschel magnitude 14.2 and Ruth Wolfe magnitude 15.5.
But both are outside of the field of the photography.
Must investigate more deeper. |
| Exp. time : | 30x120 seconds, iso800 |
| Image process tool : | AstroImageJ, Fitswork |
| Processing : | demosaic, flat calibrated, dark level adjust, median stack (to get rid of static pattern), crop, level |
| Weather: | clear sky |
| Comment : |
M31 Andromeda Galaxy.
Same object as before, but now taken with the camera mounted on the big EQ6 mount, much more stable.
Can you se any difference? |
| Exp. time : | 80x120 seconds, iso400 |
| Image process tool : | Siril, Fitswork (new 2022) |
| Processing : | flat, dark, bias calibrated, median stack (to get rid of static pattern), crop, level |
| Weather: | clear |
| Comment : |
M31 Andromeda Galaxy, version 2.
The photo was taken with my Sigma APO 150 mm lens set to f/4.
Even if it's taken with a short 150 mm lens you can still see details in the Galaxy.
I have redone the image pre processing with Siril.
I have more control of the process and can select which frames that will be included.
I also borrowed a flat screen by my friend Rolf.
See also the uncropped version by clicking on the image, so lot of stars !
With this less advanced mount it's not so easy to track the stars for 120 seconds.
I'm very satisfied with my Star Adventurer mount.
Later when I have collect more experience I hope to increase the exposure time. |
| Exp. time : | 19x30, 30x120, 16x240 seconds iso800, dithering mode |
| Image process tool : | DSS, Fitswork, Irfanview |
| Processing : | resize, level, cal dark&bias |
| Weather: | Moon phase 37% - 46%, temperature +17o C, rel Humidity - |
| Comment : |
One of my first test with the modified adapters to reduce the vignetting problems.
Works fine relative earlier.
But as seen, the 30 seconds exposures doesn't fit very well at the high levels as in galaxy center.
Partly because this camera only has 12-bit depth.
This was one and only time that I took my telescope out to the summerhouse.
Relative our flat in city there is a huge difference in light pollution and what a difference it made. |
| Exp. time : | 14x60 seconds, 1000iso |
| Image process tool : | Siril, GraXpert, Gimp, Irfanview |
| Processing : | dark, flat, photometric color calibration, dark subtraction, stretch |
| Weather: |
Moon phase 14%, temperature +1o C, rel Humidity - |
| Comment : |
New processing 2026.
This was before I bought the APO telescope.
A non achromatic Pentax 500mm lens f/4.5 lens.
Big opening but poor color handling.
This time I only got 14 photos, enough in those days but very few compare what you take today 13 years later. |
| Lens/telescope : |
Makinon 135mm f/2.8 |
| Corrector/Barlow : | none |
| Field (FOV) : | 12x8 degree, before cropping |
| Filter : | none |
| camera : | Canon 350D |
| Film/CCD : | iso800 |
| Exp. time : | of 38x60 seconds only 6 was used because of clouds |
| Weather: | clouds come and go |
| Comment : |
This was my first attempt to take a photography of the Andromeda galaxy, M31.
It's our neighbor galaxy, maybe it will collide with us in the future.
My little camera with a short telephoto lens out on the balcony and I got this.
It's fantastic that it's possibly to take a deep sky image from city where I live, without any filter!
The feeling of this photo when I took it was enormous. |
English
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(credit CdC, Cartes du Ciel)
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