"Not so dead after all"

[wimvb]

From the ESA flicker page:
"Many of the best-loved galaxies in the cosmos are remarkably large, close, massive, bright, or beautiful, often with an unusual or intriguing structure or history. However, it takes all kinds to make a Universe [...].

Messier 110 may not look like much, but it is a fascinating near neighbour of our home galaxy, and an unusual example of its type. It is a member of the Local Group, a gathering of galaxies comprising the Milky Way and a number of the galaxies closest to it. Specifically, Messier 110 is one of the many satellite galaxies encircling the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest major galaxy to our own, and is classified as a dwarf elliptical galaxy, meaning that it has a smooth and almost featureless structure. Elliptical galaxies lack arms and notable pockets of star formation — both characteristic features of spiral galaxies. Dwarf ellipticals are quite common in groups and clusters of galaxies, and are often satellites of larger galaxies.

Because they lack stellar nurseries and contain mostly old stars, elliptical galaxies are often considered ‘dead’ when compared to their spiral relatives. However, astronomers have spotted signs of a population of young, blue stars at the centre of Messier 110 — hinting that it may not be so dead after all."
https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/48763200193/

I collected the data for this image back in 2018. New processing skills and new procedures in PixInsight, allowed me to reveal the blue core of M110. Particularly, the use of SPCC colour calibration uses the surrounding Milky Way stars for white reference, rather than the main target of the image.

Luminance detail was enhanced with Multiscale Median Transformation in PI

Gear used:

SkyWatcher 150PDS on a SkyWatcher AZ-EQ6 mount

ZWO ASI174MM-Cool (yes, they did sell a cooled version of this camera. It's a shame they don't sell a cooled version of the ASI482)

Total integration time: 5 hrs 44 mins (3 x 20 x 3 mins RGB, 82 x 2 mins L)

Edited May 7, 2023 by wimvb

[Rodd]

Nice internal structure. 

[DaveS]

I had a look at this back in December, just Luminance. I think I may give it a go in RGB come Autumn.

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, Rodd said:

Nice internal structure. 

Yes, more than I expected.

1 hour ago, DaveS said:

I had a look at this back in December, just Luminance. I think I may give it a go in RGB come Autumn.

Go for it! It's not a difficult target as far as data capture is concerned. Just process it with a gentle touch.

[ollypenrice]

Really nice to put a bit of effort into something often marginalized by its big neighour. Bravo.

Olly