Space is incredibly big, so collisions are are. But galaxies are super big too, and when two of them get close to each other they start to interact with one another. This is what will happen with us and Andromeda in a few billion years, and you can see recent examples of interacting galaxies with […]
Markarian’s Eyes: NGC 4435 & 4438
Every time I see these objects, I have an uncontrollable urge to sing “These Eyes” by the Guess Who. I blame 12 years of working in classic rock radio… NGC 4435 & NGC 4438 are two interacting galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, collectively known as “The Eyes” Galaxies. They’re also near the center of the […]
Olé! Messier 104 – The Sombrero Galaxy
It might be a few weeks early, but let’s celebrate Cinqo de Mayo by imaging Messier 104, the Sombrero Galaxy. After two nights of failure (largely the photographer’s fault), Saturday night’s photo session was short but very productive. I finalized my run at Messier 105 & Messier 91, and decided to add a last minute […]
Messier 91
Messier 89
Messier 87 & Photogenic Black Holes
M87 made the news last year when scientists from around the world collaborated to take the first photograph of a black hole. Don’t mix the object above up with the object to the right – the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy is incredibly tiny when viewed from Earth. One scientist described […]
Galaxy Messier 90
At around midnight, I switched over from shooting Messier 108 in the northern sky to spiral galaxy M90 (also known as NGC 4569) high in the south. Southern objects can be a problem because There are lots of tall trees to my south My mount is positioned just north of center of the observatory to […]
