NGC 3718 (Arp 214) and NGC 3729 in Ursa Major
NGC 3718 (left) and NGC 3729 (right) are two related galaxies in the constellation of Ursa Major at a distance of 42 million light years. Gravitational interaction caused the disk of NGC 3718 to be strongly warped, which results in the S‑shaped appearance. The galaxy-group above NGC 3718 is Hickson 56 at a distance of roughly 425 million light years.
This is the first-light image of my participation at Blackbird Observatory, Sierra Remote (California), taken by our half-meter RCOS telescope.
Details
Telescope:
RCOS 20″ f/8.5
Mount:
Paramount ME
Camera:
Apogee U16M
Filters:
Astrodon Gen2
Exposure:
LRGB 620:240:220:160 min.
Location:
Sierra Remote, California
Author:
© Martin Rusterholz, Astrophotographer
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Hello, my name is Martin Rusterholz. I’m a Swiss amateur astrophotographer living near Zurich, the biggest town in Switzerland. My interest in astronomy started when I was 16. At that time, I built my first Newtonian telescope and mount. I studied physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) which was the only study including at least some aspects of astronomy and astrophysics.
“Looking at the nights sky is an experience touching everybody deeply inside, something common to all human beings independent to the language spoken by the individuals”.
Deep-sky astrophotography is my passion.