The Great Andromeda Galaxy, cosmically just down the block at 2.5 million light-years away. Blue specks in the spirals are young stars in a galaxy not our own. Magenta clouds of gas coalesce into new stars and planets.
26 hours of exposure at 530mm and F5.
Yes, Robert, FSQ106. I actually shot 10 hours of Ha, hoping to get the clouds but I shot it from my backyard in the middle of the city. So the Nebulae showed up nicely but the dim background clouds not so much. What you are seeing is really from the red channel I shot in a dark Bortle 2 site.
Maybe next year I'll shoot some dark site Ha. But that always seems like a waste :)
Nice astrophoto
So intense and truly beautiful.
Magnificent shot. Thank you for sharing this image.
Excellent capture Kevin! FSQ106 ? You can see some of the very faint hydrogen alpha clouds around M31