Widefield M51

M51, the Whirlpool galaxy in Canes Venatici, is one the most famous object in the Messier catalog and an easy to observe galaxy. It is surrounded by smaller galaxies. I found 15 other galaxies in the full resolution images. Some of them have been marked on flickr.


_{60 exposures of 4 minutes. 9 darks, 10 flats.
Camera : Canon EOS 1000D unfiltered
Telescope : Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor.
Mount : Takahashi EM-200 USD3.
Guiding : Orion Starshoot Autoguider on a William Optic Zenithstar 66SD refractor.
Outside temperature : 6.5°C to 8.5°C
Sensor temperature : 13°C
Software : auto-guiding and acquisition with MaximDL, pre-processing with Iris, processing with photoshop.
Location : Col des Milles Martyrs, France}

I've already made this widefield some years ago with a cheaper telescope and less experience in astrophotography