M101 & NGC5474

[Aramcheck]

Like @Somerled7 I had M101 in might sights last Wednesday night / Thursday morning... My first go at dithering in between subs, using PHD2+APT, which I estimate added about 38 secs to each 180sec exposure. Managed to get 55 x 3min subs, between 22:38 and 03:01, when the birds had started singing. The SNR in the last 8 looked too dodgy, so here's the result of the remaining 47 stacked.

Does anybody know a way to find out what the small galaxy is in the top left hand side, near HD122601? (I've already tried http://nova.astrometry.net/)

SW200dps+EQ6, Canon 600D (astromodified) + IDAS D2 filter & processed in Pixinsight - found that I didn't apply TGV De-Noise on the last image properly... Processing a little rough on this one also, as mostly on auto-pilot from lack of sleep!

Glad I managed to get the dwarf galaxy NGC5474 in the frame as well - it presumably has been affected gravitationally by M101 in the past, so that the central bulge is offset.

Cheers
Ivor

[Aramcheck]

I've just found the Aladin sky atlas:- https://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/aladin.gml

This identifies the small galaxy as "MCG+09-23-025" a Type 2 Seyfert- http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=MCG%2B09-23-025&

Cheers
Ivor

[Somerled7]

Looks better than mine (no surprise there!!).  I have a 200P that I use for visual observing so I could try that for imaging, but I am guessing that would be too much scope for my HEQ5 mount.  

[Erling G-P]

1 hour ago, Somerled7 said:

Looks better than mine (no surprise there!!).  I have a 200P that I use for visual observing so I could try that for imaging, but I am guessing that would be too much scope for my HEQ5 mount.  

I image with a 200PDS on a HEQ5.  Wind has to be quiet, as it's quite a sail, but apart from that, I get some ok results.  Why not give it a shot, if you have the equipment already ?

[Somerled7]

1 hour ago, Erling G-P said:

I image with a 200PDS on a HEQ5.  Wind has to be quiet, as it's quite a sail, but apart from that, I get some ok results.  Why not give it a shot, if you have the equipment already ?

I might give it a go.  I tried a couple of years ago, but found it difficult to get a good focus as I don't have a 10:1 focuser and star images bounce around on the screen at the slightest touch.  Then I lost interest a bit.

[alacant]

7 hours ago, Aramcheck said:

M101

Hi

Absolutely stunning. Love it:)

[ebdons]

Superb! well done sir! better than any of my attempts so far. keep it up.

[Paul M]

Nice image, I was imaging M101 at the same. I looked up a few of the fuzzies in my image. Sky Saffari identifies your query galaxy as PGC49919. Same object, different designation.

I picked out many faint galaxies in my image and eventually wore myself out identifying them! I do enjoy that aspect of imaging   

[Aramcheck]

20 hours ago, Somerled7 said:

Looks better than mine (no surprise there!!).  I have a 200P that I use for visual observing so I could try that for imaging, but I am guessing that would be too much scope for my HEQ5 mount.  

@Somerled7 I thought your image was pretty fantastic - especially for a first shot! In your other post you mentioned difficulty focusing with the 200dps. It's worth getting (or making) a Bahtinov mask to help with this. Also have a look at Astro Photography Tool. It's much easier being able to see the camera live view / images when their on a laptop screen & it has a nifty Bahtinov Aid tool that helps you fine tune the focus.

Cheers
Ivor