Brian Meyer’s caught this striking image of the Heron galaxy in Canes Venatici with his SVX152T. This pair of interacting spiral galaxies NGC 5394 and NGC 5395, engage in a gravitational tug-of-war that will play out over millions of years. Galactic collisions triggered star formation, visible in the reddish concentrations scattered throughout the larger galaxy (NGC 5395) and in the extended arms of the smaller companion (NGC 5394). The darker bands that can be seen represent star-forming areas within these galaxies.
According to Brian: This...this is what I've been after. The reason for wanting a large premium frac...small galaxies with tiny details captured at the ragged edge of my sky conditions. And this is cropped in pretty far given how small the galaxy is, and the details are still there.
The only way I could do better would be to move the scope remote to New Mexico or something like that (but then I couldn't use it visually come planet season).
Full res (has a full FOV version as well): https://www.astrobin.com/je0mv0/
From "Astronomy Now" Magazine:
"The interacting galaxy pair NGC 5394/5 was first observed by William Herschel in 1787 using his 20-foot-long telescope. Since then, the galaxies, also known collectively as the Heron Galaxy thanks to their gravitationally distorted appearance, have become familiar targets for amateurs and professionals alike. Astronomers believe the two galaxies have collided at least once before and are still engaged in a gravitational tug-of-war that will take millions of years to play out. Also known as Arp 84, the galaxy pair is located some 160 million light years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici."
Details:
- RGB – 5h30’
- Lum – 5h45’
- Scope – Stellarvue SVX152T
- Imaging Cam - ZWO 2600MM Pro
- Filters – Antlia LRGB
- Mount – Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6R
Designations: NGC5394 & NGC53945
References:
NGC 5394-5395 – The Heron galaxy | L’univers de Roger Ménard. (n.d.). https://rogermenard.ca/language/en/project/ngc-5394-5395-the-heron-galaxy
Michaud, P. (2019, December 13). Image: The galactic dance of NGC 5394 and NGC 5395. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-image-galactic-ngc.html
Now, A. (2019, December 13). A captivating view of the Heron Galaxy as a gravitational tug of war plays out – Astronomy Now. https://astronomynow.com/2019/12/13/a-captivating-view-of-the-heron-galaxy-as-gravitational-tug-of-war-plays-out/
Salvatore Iovene - http://iovene.com/. (n.d.). ARP 84, Heron Galaxy, NGC 5395, NGC 5394. AstroBin. https://www.astrobin.com/19dr76/