Can You Spot All the Galaxies in This Virgo Supercluster Photo?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on astrophotography of the Virgo Supercluster, specifically capturing images of galaxies such as M84, M86, and several NGC objects. The user has successfully obtained images from three different fields of view and aims to stitch together 8-10 stacks for comprehensive coverage. The current image shows at least 12 visible galaxies, with a total of 9-10 Messier objects and over 100 NGC objects identified. The user plans to share the final image on their blog once completed.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of astrophotography techniques
  • Familiarity with image stacking software, specifically Hugin
  • Knowledge of celestial objects, including Messier and NGC catalogues
  • Basic skills in image processing and editing
NEXT STEPS
  • Research advanced image stacking techniques using Hugin
  • Explore the Messier and NGC catalogues for detailed information on celestial objects
  • Learn about optimal conditions for astrophotography in varying weather scenarios
  • Investigate techniques for capturing and processing high-resolution astrophotography images
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Astronomy enthusiasts, astrophotographers, and anyone interested in capturing and processing images of celestial objects in the Virgo Supercluster.

Andy Resnick
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Virgo is favorably located right now (for me)- my goal for the next month or two is to stitch together a bunch of image stacks to get the entire region. Here's one 'frame' from last night, showing M84, M86, The Eyes, NGC 4388, 4402, 4461, 4458, 4477, 4459... you get the idea.

RGB-1_zpsmonkogi8.jpg
 
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Do I see 7-8 galaxies there?
 
a good bunch of little fuzzies :)
 
There's 12 easily visible galaxies in the image above. The faint lines are due to a passing airplane- 1 frame still has statistical significance! I've so far obtained 3 different fields of view, I think I need about 8-10 to really cover the region. This being cleveland, 8-10 clear nights over a 2 month period is not a sure bet... stay tuned!
 
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Yup. that's pretty cool :smile:

I can pick out an easy 15 fuzzies :)

That's one group I have yet to image
 
I only see like 12
 
Here's a first cut of the whole field of view, from 8 separate stacks fused together using Hugin:

virgo_filtered_small_zpsnr5dek3h.jpg


There's 9 or 10 Messier objects and at least 100 NGC objects present in this image. I'm still stacking some of the subframes and could acquire a few additional stacks around the periphery, but I'm not sure I'll have a chance before Virgo moves out of position... It's also about 10k x 12k pixels. I'll post the full image to my blog when it's done.

Next up... the globular cluster in Hercules...
 
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Here's the more-or-less final assembly, tweaked for viewing at highly reduced magnification:

virgo2x_zpszlmgtyzu.jpg


For reference, near the bottom-center is the 'siamese twins' pair of galaxies and near the top-center is M88.
 
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There appears to be a few galaxies there!
 

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