The galaxies 7318A and B located near the center of the image are quite interesting as well. Not only are they interacting but they also have differing red-shifts. Galaxy 7318B is currently moving toward the others at high speed setting up a tremendous shock wave larger than our own milky way galaxy in size.

Location was Crow Valley Campground in the Pawnee Grasslands just north of Briggsdale, CO. Temperature was 44°F and humidity was 56%. The sky was mostly clear with a few thin clouds, no wind, turbulence around 6/10, and transparency varied from good to very good. Fifteen minutes of video taken with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, APT wedge, Meade F3.3 focal reducer, and a Astrovid Stellacam II video camera. Camera set at 9/14 gain, integrate 256 (8 sec), and medium gamma. Images were dark subtracted and flat field corrected with ImagePlus, aligned and stacked with Registax3.

Image taken with Celestron Nexstar 11, Meade F3.3 focal reducer. and Astrovid Stellacam II video camera. Integration set at 256 (8.5 second exposure), gain 9/14, and medium gamma. Images flat field, dark subtracted, and bias adjusted, 20 minute stack. Sky was clear, transparency was very good, turbulence fair 5/10, no wind, and temperature was 57 °F.

Below image taken between 11:20 MDT and 11:40 MDT last evening, April 19, 2006 with a Celestron Nexstar11 telescope mounted on APT wedge, a Meade F3.3 focal reducer, and an Astrovid Stellacam2. Temperature was 43°F, no wind, transparency was very good, and turbulence was 5/10.

NGC 3395 and 3396 are a fairly bright pair of galaxies (visual magnitude 12.1) in constellation Leo Minor. Both galaxies are at an estimated distance of 85 million light years and are thought to be in the process of merging. UV observations with the Hubble telescope have found knots of material believed to be star forming regions in both galaxies.

NGC 3396 is to the upper left and 3395 is at a right angle and down in below image (north is approximately up and east to the left).

Wider field versions are available 1600×1200, 1280×1024, 1024×768, and 800×600.

Messier 51 (NGC 5194), the whirlpool galaxy in Canes Venatici is thought to be quite similar to our own Milky Way galaxy in mass, size, and luminosity. M51 is an excellent example of a face-on spiral that can be seen in a small telescope (8″) under a dark sky. It is believed to be interacting gravitationally with is neighbor to the north, NGC 5195.

I set up the 300D to take some time exposures, but was quite dismayed when I remembered that the batteries were still in the charger back at home! Fortuanately, I had brought along the Stellacam2 so I set it up on the Celestron Nexstar11 with a 0.33 focal reducer. I was quite pleased to discover that I could set the gain very high (12/14) and still not have much background noise. Normally I can only set to about 8 or 9/14.

Around 00:30 I took this image of M51 and its companion to the north NGC 5195.

At the same time I was imaging this, my friend Gary was looking at it in his 30 inch dob nearby. It was really cool to compare the views. M51 is an awesome object in his 30 inch. The spiral arms are absolutely amazing to trace and dark lane extending below NGC 5195 is very apparent. The image on the notebook from the Stellacam2 is pretty stunning as well. The image is much noisier, but the same structures can be seen. Still though, it just can’t compare to the view through a large scope at dark site.