NGC 4676 - Mice Galaxies

NGC 4676, known as the Mice Galaxies, are two spiral galaxies in the constellation Coma Berenices, approximately 290 million light years from Earth. The long tails result from tidal action — the relative difference in gravitation pull on the near (colliding) and far sides of the galaxies. The galaxies are incredibly dim and small, providing quite a challenge from our light polluted skies outside of Bangkok.

This image was taken with our Officina Stellare RiLA 600 f/5.0 telescope on an Officina Stellare direct drive polar fork mount. An FLI ML16200 CCD camera, chilled to -25C, captured 16-1/2 hours of luminance detail and 9 hours of color detail. The imaging system is controlled using Voyager software. Image processing in PixInsight and Photoshop.

Imaged and processed in Samphran, Thailand by the SC Observatory team: Mike Selby, Stefan Schmidt and Andy Chatman.

Object details

Galaxy in Coma Berenices

Right Ascension: 12h 46m 10.1s

Declination: +30° 43′ 55″

Magnitude: 14.7

Moon Age Average: N/A

Moon Phase Average: N/A

Imaging Setup

Location:

SC Observatory, Central Thailand

Date:
Apr 23, 2018, May 7, 2018, May 8, 2018, May 9, 2018, May 11, 2018, May 12, 2018, May 13, 2018, May 14, 2018, May 15, 2018, May 16, 2018 and May 17, 2018
Telescope:
Officina Stellare RiLA 600
Focal Length:
3000 mm
F-Ratio:
F/5
Mount:
Officina Stellare Direct Drive Polar Fork
Camera:
FLI ML 16200
Image Scale:
0.41 arcseconds/pixel
Imaging Software:

Voyager

Processing Software:

Adobe Photoshop

PixInsight 1.8


Exposure Detail

Filter Filter Brand Bin Qty Exposure
L Astrodon 1x 2 720
L Astrodon 1x 68 600
L Astrodon 1x 28 480
R Astrodon 2x 55 240
G Astrodon 2x 47 240
B Astrodon 2x 44 240


Total Exposure Time

25 hours, 12 minutes

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