Category: Messier

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M51a - The Whirlpool Galaxy and its companion M51b by Kevin Langford from Bexley.

This super image was taken using an ED102 APO, Pegasus NYX-101 mount, ZWO ASI071, and L-Pro filter.
7.5 hours over 3 nights (19/03/26 & 06-07/04/26).

Link to Kevin's Flickrpage:
https://flic.kr/p/2s7w79z

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A fantastic selection of deep sky objects taken by Danny Pearce.

M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as NGC 5457) is a face-on, counter clockwise intermediate spiral galaxy located 21 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major.

Danny used a FRA400 and PlayerOne585MC with a UV/IR cut filter to acquire the image.  380 x 60secs subs were captured but many were infected by clouds and so ended up taking the best 180 or so. Stacked and processed using PixInsight.

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M51a - The Whirlpool Galaxy (also known as NGC 5194) is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici.  It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy and is 31 million light-years away.  Its companion is called M51b or NGC5195.

Taken on 12/04/26 from Dartford. Danny used an HEQ5 mount with a Skywatcher150PDS scope and PlayerOne585MC colour camera with a UV/IR cut filter. Exposures were all 60 sec length and Danny took 180. Stacked with Flats and Bias frames and processed in PixInsight.

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M3 (also known as NGC 5272) is a globular cluster located 33.9 thousand light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.

This image was also taken by Danny on 12/04/26 from Dartford, using an HEQ5 mount with a Skywatcher150PDS scope and PlayerOne585MC colour camera with a UV/IR cut filter. Exposures were all 60 sec length and Danny took 72. Stacked with Flats and Bias frames and processed in PixInsight.

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Two super deep sky images taken by member Neil Webster from St Mary Platt, Kent.

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M97 - The Owl Nebula and M108.  The Owl Nebula is on the left of the image and M108 on the right.

The Owl Nebula (M97) or NGC 3587 is a faint planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major, located approximately 2030 light-years away.  Discovered in 1781, it is famous for two dark, eye-like spots produced by a hollow, barrel-shaped inner shell, giving it an owl-like appearance through telescopes.

M108 (also known as NGC 3556, nicknamed the Surfboard Galaxy) is a barred spiral galaxy about 46 million light-years away from Earth. 

From the Earth, the galaxy is seen almost edge-on.

Neil acquired the image using an AA 115mm APO, EQ6 R, ZWO ASI294 MC, Optolong L Pro filter, Orion 50mm Guide Scope, and ZWO ASI290 MM Guide Camera.

Processed in APT, PHD, Nebulosity, and PS.

55 x 120s Subs, 30 x Flats/Bias, 29 x Darks.

06/04/2026

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M44 The Beehive Cluster/Praesepe (also known as NGC 2632 or Cr 189)

M44 is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer.

Image taken using an AA 115mm APO, EQ6 R, 0.79x Reducer/Flattener, ZWO ASI294MC, Optolong L Pro filter, Orion 50mm Guide Scope, and ZWO ASI290 MM Guide Camera.

APT, PHD, Nebulosity, PS

121 x 60s Lights, 30 x Flats/Bias/Darks.

07/04/2026

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The Moon & Sun by member George Buckberry; both taken using a Dwarf 3 smart scope.

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A superb selection of deep sky images taken by members during February 2026.

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sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.27.5" _module_preset="default" column_structure="1_2,1_2" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.27.5" _module_preset="default" type="1_2" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-24-at-23.44.13.jpeg" _builder_version="4.27.5" _module_preset="default" theme_builder_area="post_content" title_text="WhatsApp Image 2026-02-24 at 23.44.13" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.27.5" _module_preset="default" type="1_2" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-24-at-23.44.14-1.jpeg" _builder_version="4.27.5" _module_preset="default" theme_builder_area="post_content" title_text="WhatsApp Image 2026-02-24 at 23.44.14 (1)" 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Part of the Pleiades (M45) taken by Diane Clarke using a Seestar s50 smartscope on the 25th February 2026.

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The Orion Nebula (M42) taken by Diane Clarke using a Seestar s50 smartscope on the 25th February 2026.

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A stunning widefield view of Orion’s belt by Danny Pearce taken on the 28th Feb 2026.  Danny used an Askar FRA400 on a HEQ5 mount with .7x reducer to give a FL of 280mm. The camera was a PlayerOne Poseidon-M mono (IMX571) and a Ha filter was used.

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Here are the latest fantastic deep sky images from members taken from the 11th to the 15th March 2026.

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M81 (and M82) by Jim Burchell

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A fantastic image of the Trifid Nebula taken by Richard Bohner in July 2025 from Cottonwood in Arizona, USA.

Richard used a Seestar s50 smart scope to take the image.

The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the north-west of Sagittarius about 4100 light-years from Earth.

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A super selection of deep sky images taken by member George Buckberry using a Dwarf3 smart scope on the 3rd & 5th January 2026.

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The Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A) is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Nebula

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A close up of the Crab Nebula.

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The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.878 million light-years (ly) from Earth  in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC 598. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulum_Galaxy

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Bode's Galaxy (also known as NGC 3031 or Messier 81) is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_81

The galaxy above it (centre top of image) is the Cigar Galaxy also known as Messier 82.

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The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosette_Nebula

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The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light-years away from Earth. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant%27s_Trunk_Nebula

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The Orion Nebula taken by George Buckberry on the 1st Jan 2026 using a Dwarf3 smart scope.  This is a brilliant image as it was acquired just after a total of 15 mins of exposure.  Just shows what smart scopes can do!

''The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's belt in the constellation of Orion.  It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of 4.0. It is 1,344 ± 20 light-years (412.1 ± 6.1 pc) away and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. M42 is estimated to be 25 light-years across (so its apparent size from Earth is approximately 1 degree). It has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun. Older texts frequently refer to the Orion Nebula as the Great Nebula in Orion or the Great Orion Nebula.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula

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