Observer's Log 16 May 2002: M51 galaxy

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Observer's Log: 16 May 2002

Below are the first tentative images of M51, the Whirlpool galaxy, in Canes Venatici, which is a small constellation next to the Big Dipper, or Great Bear (Ursa Major). Whilst Canes Venatici is a small constellation consisting of just two stars in its main asterism, it does contain a rich picking of galaxies and other deep sky objects for imaging.

These images show how image reduction and processing ca n enhance the 'raw' frames - click on the above image (on the left) for more inform ation on how this was achieved, or use the image processing link below.

Click here for more information on these images
You can download the raw fits image here, and the composite version here.
Here is a link to Landrum Haddix's enhanced version if the fits file. You'll need a FITS viewer, such as ds9, to view these files (here is the linux version of ds9).

More information

Technical information on how the images were processed will be available soon, but for now, the list below gives links to image reduction/processing and information about M51, the Whirpool Galaxy.

Thanks to Landrum Haddix for help in processing the above images. He is amongst a group of highly skilled astro-imagers who can be found at the Genesis 16 mailing list. If you want to find out about the Genesis16 camera, or ccd imaging in general, then you are highly recommended to join.

See Pedro Re's excellent article on image reduction and image processing, if you want to know how to go from a 'raw' image to the final polished shot.
Dean Jacobson has written some notes on enhancing final images to bring out details when core of the object is over-exposed. He uses Adobe Photoshop to achieve this, but The GIMP should be able to manage the same; a tutorial on using the GIMP will appear on these pages at some point.
Here is a link on using light pollution filters with a ccd camera in Tokyo.
Read Ed Grafton's article on imaging galaxies from a city, to see how the above images can be achieved from a city location like Bristol. Note: time constraints meant that much of his comments were not adhered to, but nevertheless, the Whirlpool galaxy was still imaged!
Robert Burns took this image of M51 on 13 May 2002, using a 'cookbook' CCD camera. He also includes some information about the Whirpool Galaxy.
It's amazing what you can find when you're supposed to be writing reports: Visit the 'Accidental Tourist' aka 'One night with a CCD camera and no particular place to go', by Bill Patterson. In March of one year, he used his 8" LX200 telescope and StarlightXpress MX916 camera to image over 40 of the Messier Objects. He modestly states that the results weren't worthy for publication in Sky & Telescope - visit his page and see if you disagree!
Visit the SEDS Messier Database entry for M51 for more information about the galaxy.
Galaxies.nu also contains a nice list of galaxies observable in the Northern hemisphere - groups according to their Hubble classification.
Visit The Virtual Sky's sky map, which includes M51. Here is their wide-field image of M51.

NEW:Click here for an on-line image-processing tool using a Deep Sky S urvey image of M51.

Information on how to use the processing tool will appear in due course, but for now, you can look at the CDS tutor ial