The Messier Ten Minute Challenge

M63 - Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici

Click here for a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the Global Rent-A-Scope operation.

This image was created by median combining 7 x 90 second unfiltered images taken with a Takahashi Epsilon 250 with SBIG ST-8XE CCD. The image has been cut down to be 15 x 15 arc minutes in size.

Messier 63 (NGC 5055), nicknamed the Sunflower Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy. The spiral arms show up as a grainy background and star forming regions can be traced along the full length of the arms.

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In collaboration with the Remote Astronomical Society Observatory

Martin Nicholson - Daventry, United Kingdom.

This page was last updated on April 15th 2009.