Target #2 for last night’s “first light” with the new QHY 268C… this time a trio of galaxies in the southern constellation Virgo, including NGCs 5566, 5560 and 5569. They’re a neat triplet of interacting galaxies some 65 million light years away and are obviously causing some of the weird distortions we see in the spiral arms.
Capture Details
- Imaging telescopes or lenses: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25
- Imaging cameras: QHY268C
- Mounts: Celestron CGX
- Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion 50mm Guidescope
- Guiding cameras: Orion Starshoot Autoguider
- Focal reducers: Celestron .7x Focal Reducer
- Software: NINA – Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy
- Accessory: Celestron Focus Motor
- Dates:April 8, 2021
- Frames: 24×180″
- Integration: 1h 12′
- Avg. Moon age: 26.19 days
- Avg. Moon phase: 12.14%
Basic astrometry details
- Astrometry.net job: 4393166
- RA center: 14h 20′ 24″
- DEC center: +3° 56′ 38″
- Pixel scale: 1.233 arcsec/pixel
- Orientation: 121.624 degrees
- Field radius: 0.418 degrees