M63 - Galaxy in Canes Venatici
A beautifully detailed galaxy whose spiral arms give it the name, "The Sunflower Galaxy".

  • RA:13:16
  • Dec: 42:01
  • Size: 12.6'x7.5'
  • Magnitude: 8.6
  • Distance: 37 million ly
  • Constellation: Canes Venatici
  • Millennium Star Atlas: Vol. II, p. 609-10
  • Scope: 12.5" Ritchey-Chretien at f/9
  • Autoguider: unguided
  • Sky conditions: only fair seeing, high winds
  • Film: FLI Dream Machine CCD
  • Exposure: 23x30 seconds L, 10,8,10x60 seconds R,G,B
  • Date: 4-15-02

The temperature was near record high (it never got below 70 deg. that evening) and the winds were howling out of the south. We took shelter as best we could behind the airport glider school trailer but the resolution of this shot was still affected by both the moving air and the gusts moving the scope.

*Image reprocessed January 2004 and upsized by 15 percent to better show detail.


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