The Antenna Galaxies by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC4038/NGC4039: Antenna Galaxies
This is the Antenna Galaxies NGC4038/NGC4039 I just completed two days ago. This target is normally imaged by the big guns 24” PW in Chile because it is more of a Southern Hemisphere target. However, this image will show the power of a PlaneWave 12.5”CDK telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest altitude this target gets here is 32 degrees in North Carolina. This was an incredible shoot for the PlaneWave 12.5” CDK. Let me know what you think.
- PlaneWave 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.66 Reducer captured this image at a MAX height of 32 degrees.
- I have about 15 hours in this LRGB image of the Antenna Galaxies.
- All sub-frames were captured at 300 sec.
- Astrophysics 1100GTO CP4 mount was used with the ATIK 16200 Mono main camera.
- ATIK EFW3 filter wheel with LRGB HA, OIII, and SII Chroma filters.
The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039) are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation, Corvus. They are currently going through a starburst phase, in which the collision of clouds of gas and dust with entangled magnetic fields, causes rapid star formation. The nuclei of the two galaxies are joining to become one giant galaxy. Most galaxies probably undergo at least one significant collision in their lifetimes.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA