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The Sombrero Galaxy: a black hole at heart
2nd PlaceThe Sombrero Galaxy: a black hole at heart
scalvert


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: A Tribute to Stephen Hawking (Standard Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Canon EOS-7D Mark II
Location: Westport, CT
Date: Mar 25, 2018
Date Uploaded: Apr 3, 2018

 Ugh... the best possible topic at the worst possible time. It would ordinarily be easy for me to shoot a picturesque sprial galaxy, but we've had awful weather for weeks, and the only clear night happened to be right before the full moon which washes out galaxies. The Sombrero Galaxy is not very good for showing detail, but the "best" targets were positioned where I couldn't shoot them, and we haven't had a clear night since then.

This particular galaxy is about 30 million light years away and has a billion solar mass supermassive black hole at its center. It's exactly the sort of environment Hawking devoted his life to studying.

The photo consists of 111 frames at 75 seconds each, shot through a 16" SCT telescope and stacked/processed in Pixinsight. It took me until nearly 4am to capture it, and while I wouldn't usually enter such a "blah" astrophoto, BearMusic double dog dared me to go for this challenge, and it's the only opportunity I could get.

Statistics
Place: 2 out of 19
Avg (all users): 6.7174
Avg (commenters): 0.0000
Avg (participants): 6.4286
Avg (non-participants): 6.8438
Views since voting: 1543
Views during voting: 104
Votes: 46
Comments: 13
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 04/18/2018 08:53:50 AM
Cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2018 12:09:06 AM
Awesome determination with a ridiculously superb result. Congrats! What an effort.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 08:41:18 PM
It mightn't be perfect but it's awesome! Congratulations on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 04:46:07 PM
I thought it was totally staged somehow! Telescope...stack processed...Pixinsight...you are from a different planet! Chapeau!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 11:52:11 AM
OMG, what an giant effort!
The result is stunning and the ribbon well deserved - Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 07:20:04 AM
Awesome!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 06:05:13 AM
The real McCoy!! Congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 03:14:46 AM
Photographic tour de force, Shannon, congrats! Sounds like we had similar issues in this challenge :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 12:28:42 AM
Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by Lydia:
Never for me!

Never say never. The Andromeda Galaxy covers five times the area of the moon in the sky, and I've shot that with a 200mm lens. You could do it with enough determination.


I doubt it. ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 12:27:51 AM
"The photo consists of 111 frames"

THIS is why I love our SC! :D
Poor SC...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 12:27:09 AM
Originally posted by Lydia:
Never for me!

Never say never. The Andromeda Galaxy covers five times the area of the moon in the sky, and I've shot that with a 200mm lens. You could do it with enough determination.
 04/11/2018 12:22:48 AM
Scalvert: " It would ordinarily be easy for me to shoot a picturesque sprial galaxy..."

Ha! Never for me!

Congratulations on your success, Shannon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2018 12:11:37 AM
Congratulations! Very well done. I gave a 10 on this one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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