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NGC2403 / NGC2404

NGC2403 - An Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Camelopardalis NGC2403 - An Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Camelopardalis ©2015 Frederick Steiling
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Target Information
Main Target Designations NGC2403 / C7
Companion Objects NGC2404
RA Center 07h 36m 55.122s
DEC Center +65° 36' 04.81"
Rotation 0.155°
Exposures
One-shot color 44x240" (ISO1600)
Total Integration 2hrs 58min
Date(s) of acquisition 07Feb2015
Location Whiteside, MO
Equipment
Imager Olympus E-P5
Telescope/Lens Orion 8" f/3.9 Astrograph
Mount Celestron CGEM
Guiding Apparatus Orion ST80 (piggyback)
Guiding Camera Orion SSAG
Accessories
Coma Corrector Baader MPCC Mark III
Collimator Orion LaserMate
Focusing Bahtinov mask
Software
Acquisition Manual (remote shutter)
Guiding PHD2
Processing PixInsight 1.8

NGC2403 is a fairly large (21.9'×12.3') intermediate spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis which contains an abundance of active star formation regions (one of which has been separately designated as NGC2404 and is identified in the annotated image).  Sitting a mere 8-10 million light years from us, it bears a remarkable resemblance to the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), though presents itself smaller in our sky.  The annotated image will also draw your attention to some faint background galaxies (designated with PGC catalog numbers) which are far more distant and begin to reveal the extent of the universe and the countless treasures the sit beyond the cloak of the sky.

This image is where it all began -- not in the universe, but back on Earth near St. Louis, MO.  It was my first tracked and guided photo, and marked the beginning of the long, time-consuming hobby over which I continue to find myself obsessing.  Using a remote shutter and my trusty "daytime" Olympus camera body hooked in prime focus to the telescope, I fired off 44 four-minute subexposures under a 90% moon to compose this hidden wonder.  In time, I'll very likely revisit this target with improved equipment and skill, but this photo will always be top dog on my chronological list of images.

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