M61 in Virgo 26th March 2020 @ 00:22 UT
My second attempt at M61 as I couldn't get the image adjusted correctly in realtime using SharpCap. This image has better balance.
Image: 15 seconds x 120 frames (1800 seconds total), gain 6579, bin 1x1, Raw 14, black level 99, camera temperature 7.2. deg C, 1 dark. Stacked in SharpCap Pro 3.2.6248.0. The image was stacked and adjusted in SharpCap. The image was scaled down and cropped in GIMP.
I switched to using 1x1 rather than the usual 2x2 binning to see if I could capture more detail.
Equipment: Celestron CPC-800 at F5.9, Alt-Az mount, Altair Astro Hypercam 294C Pro Cooled (fan), Celestron Focuser, CPWI controlled remotely via Microsoft RDP and ASCOM.
Astrometry: M61 40 million light years distance, magnitude 9.52
NGC 4292 31 million light years, mag 12.18
NGC 4301 64 million light years, mag 13
Charles Messier discovered M61 in 1779.