Coma Cluster of Galaxies

Almost every object in the above photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured here is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies. Each of these galaxies houses billions of stars - just as our own Milky Way Galaxy does. Although nearby when compared to most other clusters, light from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years to reach us. In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just to go from one side to the other. Most galaxies in Coma and other clusters are ellipticals, while most galaxies outside of clusters are spirals.

Optics: Vixen ED81s @ f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM

Camera: SBIG ST2000XM

Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9

Filters: L,R,G,B CCD

Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius

Constellation: Coma Berenices

Date: March 26, 2022

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure: L=12x600 min bin 1x1 R=12x300 min bin 1x1 G=12x300 min bin 1x1 B=12x300 min bin 1x1

Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias