JLT Observatory - Galaxy Images Page

Courtesy of Wikipedia: The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2,500,000 light-years (1.58×1011 AU) away[4] in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way. As it is visible as a faint smudge on a moonless night, it is one of the farthest objects visible to the naked eye, and can be seen even from urban areas with binoculars. It gets its name from the area of the sky in which it appears, the Andromeda constellation, which was named after the mythological princess Andromeda. Andromeda is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which consists of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy Telescope: Orion Premium 110mm Refractor f/7 Mount: Atlas EQ-G Camera: QSI 583wsg with Astrodon Filters Gen II Guiding Camera: Orion Autoguider Using PHD Processed using CCDStack, PhotoShop CS3 and Astronomy Tools Acquisition: Maxim DL/The Sky 6/MaxPoint Designation: M31 or Andromeda Galaxy Constellation: Andromeda Distance: Approx 2,500,000 light-years Type: spiral galaxy Date: February 3rd, 2010 Location: Deerlick Astronomy Village

Courtesy of Wikipedia: Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is one of the most striking examples of a grand design spiral galaxy, with near perfect arms spiraling into the very center. Because of its proximity to Earth, its large size, and its active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million solar mass [8] supermassive black hole) Messier 81 is a popular galaxy to study in professional astronomy research. The galaxy's large size and relatively low apparent magnitude (lower magnitude implies higher brightness) also make it a popular target for amateur astronomy observations. Telescope: Orion Premium 110mm Refractor f/7 Mount: Atlas EQ-G Camera: QSI 583wsg with Astrodon Filters Gen II Guiding Camera: Orion Autoguider Using PHD Processed using CCDStack, PhotoShop CS3 and Astronomy Tools Acquisition: Maxim DL/The Sky 6/MaxPoint Designation: M81 or Bode's Galaxy Constellation: Ursa Major Distance: Approx 12 million light-years Type: spiral galaxy Date: February 5th, 2010 Location: Deerlick Astronomy Village