NGC 6946

Date: 26.+ 28.8. + 2.9.2008- seeing 5+6+6/10; transp. 5+6+9/10

Scope: 9" TMB Apo f/7 - 9.66 total exp. time (TV reducer/flattener)

CCD: Starlight Xpress SXV H16 - 3.66 hours - luminance; 6 hours 2x2 bin R,G,B 2 hours each channel; 10min subs. AstroArt4 image acqu. + guiding.

Preprocessed: Maxim DL: Dark calibration (6 darks for 2x2 binned images, no darks for 1x1) (RGB balance 1.15-1-1.2) CCD Stack (Deco). Maxim DL preprocessing; CCD stack for deconvolution (pos.constr 50 iter)

Postprocessing:PS CS2; Pix Insight LE

 
 

Discovered by William Herschel 210 years ago (exactly on the 9th of September) this beautiful spiral galaxy in the constellation Cepheus shines quite bright in the night skies at 9m7 and appears rather large as it measures 11.2 by 9.8 arc minutes.

In a distance of only 10 Mio LY NGC 6946 glistens 1.2 times more than our own milkyway, but it holds only some 40000 LY across in size. Obscured by the interstellar matter of our milkyway the light of that galaxy shone even brigther than it does!

Among Supernova-hutners this galaxy is quite popular, as 9 SNs have been monitored in this peculiar galaxy within 100 years, which makes the so calles "fireworks-galaxy" an unsurpassed record-holder.

 

 

free website hit counter