I have galaxies pouring out of my ears. Another realm of galaxies imaging run. Saratoga Gap 28th March 2015

"NGC 4214 a dwarf barren irregular galaxy in Canes Venatici, Mag10.2"

The title says it all. I have gone stark galaxy raving mad. My current list of targets are all galaxies. Well this is what happens when you have done all the brighter DSO's and can now fully concentrate on the dimmer fare. It also helps that this is galaxy season as we turn away from the spiral arms of our home galaxy and can peer deep into the void where other island universes roam. Its not such a bad thing. There are so many galaxies in the Leo-Virgo-Coma-Canes and Ursa Major regions that making up an imaging list is child's play. I am really digging my current imaging schedule. Also I have learnt so much about my set up that I can now routinely bag dimmer fare. The familliarity with the stacking and processing software make a big difference too! My main problem now is my images are too red. Might have to use the Orion Skyglow imaging filter to tone down on the reds.

"NGC 4244 an edge on loose spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, mag 10.2"

Having done most of the Messiers, the bulk of the galaxies on my list are now NGC's. This time round I had some fave's that I had seen and sketched in the past from Australia. These included NGC 4656, the Hockey Stick Galaxy and NGC 4631, The Whale Galaxy and its baby, both found in the constellation of Canes Venatici. I am very much in imaging mode at the moment so its imaging from the get go. Somewhere along the way, I lost my visual observing mojo. My plans are to image all that I can and then if there is some left over down time, I do some visual. I am also loving my new high capacity laptop battery as it has such a long life span. Haven't tested it full yet but after almost 3 hours of imaging, the battery was only half used! Nice.

"NGC 4274 spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, mag 10.4"

The aims for my next imaging run at Saratoga Gap are to mine the galaxy fields of Leo and Sextan's. Stay tuned!!

"NGC 4414, an unbarred spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, mag 11"

"NGC 4449, irregular galaxy in Canes Venatici, mag 10"

"NGC 4490, the cocoon galaxy and NGC 4485 in Canes Venatici, mag 9.8"

"NGC 4535 barren spiral galaxy and NGC 4519 in Virgo, mag 10.7"

"NGC 4559 spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, mag 10.4"

"NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy in Canes Venatici with its baby elliptical NGC 4627; Mag 9.8; Edge on spiral galaxy"

"NGC4656 Hockey Stick Galaxy in Canes Venatici, mag 11"

"NGC 4699 Spiral Galaxy in Virgo, mag 11.9"

"NGC 4725 in Coma Berenices. Intermediate barren spiral, mag 10.1"

"NGC 4762, barren lenticular galaxy in Virgo, mag 11.3"

Note all images taken with a Meade DSI II OSC with a Celestron Travelscope 70mm OTA on a NexStar Alt Az GOTO mount, no focal reducers and no filters from an orange zone site. Subs for all are 8x30 seconds unless indicated and captured using Meade Envisage Software.