The Cigar Galaxy using QuadBand Filter

This explains as to how I captured a great image of the 'Cigar Galaxy' in the presence of a full moon by using a single light pollution filter.

The final image is a 3hr 48 min exposure of the 'Cigar Galaxy' taken during the night of February 7, 2020, with a 98% illuminated moon. Thus use of the Altair Quad-narrow-band filter greatly filtered out the excessive moonlight. I am very impressed with the results.

Messier 82 is a galaxy appearing in our vantage view as 'edge on' and appears long and thin and is also known as the 'Cigar Galaxy' due to the appearance in the shape of a cigar. It is about 11.5 million light-years from us and contains about 30 billion stars, many of which are forming at exceptionally high rates. My goal was to get the hot red core expelling outward perpendicular to the plane of the galaxy.
Telescope: 11" Celestron Edge HD at f/10
Mount: Celestron CGX
Mount setting and alignment via Celestron PWI software
Camera: Altair Hypercam 294c Pro TEC
Binning: 2x2
Sensor Temp: -15°C (5°F)
Filter: Altair Quad-band OSC
Settings: Gain: 900
76 Sub-Frames at 180sec ea (3h 48m)
Calibration Frames: 20 Dark, 40 Flat, 40 Dark-Flats
Guiding: Orion Digital StarShoot Mono & 60mm Altair Scope
Guiding Software: PHD2 V2.6.7
Capture Software: SharpCap Pro
Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker @ 2x Drizzle
Post processing in PixInsight & Photoshop CC
Focus Controller: Celestron Auto Focuser
Light Pollution: Bortle zone 4.5 (Barely can see the Milky Way)
Sky Condition: 10 (0-10 with 10 the clearest possible)
Lunar Interference: 98% Illuminated moon
Temperature: 39°F (3.9°C)
Date: February 7/8, 2020
Location: My Backyard, Savannah, GA
My website: www.HeavenlyBackyardAstro.com

Видео The Cigar Galaxy using QuadBand Filter канала Heavenly Backyard Astronomy