Latest news with #Messier94
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amateur astronomer captures detailed photos of Croc's Eye and Whirlpool galaxies from backyard observatory
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Vermont-based astrophotographer Michele Hernandez Bayliss has captured stunning views of Messier 94 - also known as the Croc's Eye galaxy - and the famous Whirlpool galaxy (M 51), both of which are embedded in the constellation Canes Venatici. The Croc's Eye galaxy was captured over the nights of April 20 and 21 using a Takahashi TOA-130NFB Refractor in concert with a Stellarvue SVX140T-R telescope, along with the host of peripherals needed to stably capture the deep sky images. Over the course of 20 hours Hernandez Bayliss used the scopes to capture M94 with a series of luminance, red, green and blue (LRGB) filters, before combining the data using computer software to create a stunning view of the spiral galaxy, which exists 34 million light-years from our solar system. TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see galaxies in the night sky? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. "The tricky part about galaxies is the processing — for the Croc eye, the challenge was that it was a lot smaller than I thought in my 990mm scope but I was able to crop in a bit," explained Hernandez Bayliss In an email to "Also, it's very bright in the core so I had to do a bit of HDR compression to bring out the core and do a careful job with the Synthetic Luminance I created from the LRGB," she continued, referring to the filters used to capture the data. Hernandez Bayliss was a long time visual astronomer before taking up astrophotography fairly recently, and has spent the last two years building a backyard observatory at her home in Weybridge, Vermont. "The other challenge is getting dark nights with no moon for galaxies and clear nights as we don't get that many clear nights in Vermont — so it was awesome to get two nights in quick succession with no clouds, no moon and clear skies — a miracle!" Back in February, Hernandez Bayliss took aim at the Whirlpool galaxy using a set of RGB and hydrogen-alpha (Ha) filters to capture the fine structural detail of Messier 51, pictured above. It took a grand total of 16 hours to capture data on the vast cosmic structure, which the amateur astronomer later compiled into a colorful portrait. The image captures many of the sweeping features that one would hope to find in a 'grand-design' spiral galaxy, complete with a bright central core, dark dust lanes, and intense star forming regions. As noted by NASA, some astronomers believe that the prominence of the M51's spiral arms is likely the result of a close pass by the smaller galaxy NGC 5195, which can be seen in close proximity to the tip of the Whirlpool galaxy's upper spiral arm in Hernandez Bayliss's portrait. If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the solar system and beyond, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight. Editor's note: If you want to share your astronomy photographs with our readers at please email them to spacephotos@
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
April skygazing: A pink micromoon, the Lyrid meteor shower, and more
As spring approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights are getting shorter. This might be good news for early risers, but a bit of bad news for stargazers. Still, April is not without its celestial highlights: it brings the annual Lyrid meteor shower. This first full month of spring also presents a micromoon, a chance to see an iconic (if distant) galaxy, and a very frisky Jupiter. The solar system's large adult son will be particularly bright in early April, blazing in the western sky in close proximity to the waxing crescent moon. Both will be visible in the same region as the constellation Taurus, around 30° from the horizon. On April 1, the moon will hover above the Pleiades, also known as the 'Seven Sisters' in Greek mythology and, in Japan, as 'Subaru'. If you've ever wondered about the provenance of the car company Subaru's logo, now you know. The start of April provides an opportunity to take a look at a galaxy far, far away: Messier 94. It is located about 17 million light years from us in the constellation Canes Venatici. This spiral galaxy is known informally as the 'Croc's Eye' or 'Cat's Eye,' for reasons that will become clear if you get out your telescope or a set of good binoculars while it's at its highest point in the sky this year. In North America, the galaxy will become visible 41° above the north-eastern horizon at around 8:30 p.m. EDT, and continue rising until it's almost directly above around midnight. It will then sink towards the northwestern horizon as the day approaches. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken some spectacular images of Messier 94 over the years. While you're not going to see anything like this from Earth, it's still fascinating to be able to see the same object with your own eyes! There's nothing quite as dramatic as last month's blood moon this time around, but Nick Drake fans can rejoice, because April is the month of the Pink Moon. As per the Farmer's Almanac, this month's full moon takes its name from the vibrant pink flowers of Phlox subulata, or 'moss pink,' which comes into full bloom this month. [ Related: How the blood moon gets its ghoulish hue. ] Native American culture provides several additional names for April's full Oneida call it 'Wasakayutese' ('It's Thundering Moon') and in the language of the Catawba nation it's 'YitAruwakrere Nuti' ('Bear a Child Moon'). The Anishinaabemowin language of the Ojibwe provides multiple monikers, including 'Bobookwedaagime-giizis' ('Snowshoe Breaking Moon') and 'Maango-giizis' ('Loon Moon'). And that's not all! This month's full moon is also notable for being a micromoon. The moon's elliptical orbit means that its distance from the Earth varies throughout the month finds the moon at its apogee, which means that it's as far away from us as it gets. The opposite scenario, when the moon is at its perigee, is called a next supermoon is not until November, so stay patient. It's meteor shower time! The 2025 installment of the annual Lyrid meteor shower is predicted to begin on April 21, peaking in the late afternoon of April 22. This isn't far out from the full moon, which tends to make seeing other celestial objects difficult, so the best time to look for meteors will be when the moon's not around. The Adler Planetarium and the Farmer's Almanac both suggest the early hours of April 22. The moon rises at 3:32 a.m. CDT that morning, so you'll either have to stay up late or get up unconscionably early to catch the show. As always, you'll get the best experience if you get away from any sources of light pollution—and you check out our stargazing tips before you head off into the darkness. Until next month!
