Markarian’s Chain
Thu May 02 2024
This crowded frame captures Markarian's Chain, a graceful curve of galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, including the pair known as the Eyes Galaxies. Nearly every smudge here is an entire galaxy of billions of stars, tens of millions of light-years away. Scenes like this are a humbling reminder of just how many galaxies fill even a small patch of sky.
About this object
- Type
- Galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo (the Maiden)
- Apparent magnitude
- 15.1
- Apparent size
- 1.1′ × 26″
- Catalogue designations
- IC 3355
Acquisition
- Antlia V-Pro Luminance 36 mm: 608 × 30s (5h 4m)
- Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm: 117 × 1m (1h 57m)
- Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm: 117 × 1m (1h 57m)
- Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm: 86 × 1m (1h 26m)
- Total integration: 10h 24m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron CGEM II
- Filters: Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Luminance 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI174MM Mini
- Accessories: Starizona SCT Corrector 0.63x IV (SCTCORR-4), ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.