Messier Challenge - M65 and M66 Galaxies

M65 & M66 in Leo 22nd March 2020 @ 23:43 UT

Two of the famous Leo Triplet (NGC 3628 missing in this image). I loved the detail in each of the spirals that built up as the frames were stacked.

M65 (left) and M66 (right) Galaxies in Leo

Image: 15 seconds x 128 frames (1920 seconds total), gain 6584, bin 2x2, Raw 14, black level 99, camera temperature 10.1 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.

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:

M65 42 million light years, mag 9

M66 64 million light years, mag 13

Charles Messier discovered M 65 and M 66 in 1780.