Whirligig Galaxy (NGC 488) in Pisces
NGC 488 is known as a prototype of a multi-armed spiral galaxy with a nearly perfect spiral structure, seen 46° from face-on. It’s angular size measures 5.5′ x 4.0′ and light needs about 95 million years to travel from this island in universe to us. William Herschel discoverd this galaxy in 1784 in the constellation of Pisces. Despite its small apparent size, the true diameter measures about 150’000 light-years.
North is at about 4 o’clock in this image.
[description from O’Meara]
Details
Telescope:
RCOS 14.5″ f/8
Mount:
ASA DDM85
Camera:
Apogee U16M
Filters:
Astrodon Gen2
Exposure:
LRGB 680:180:180:180 min.
Location:
ROSA Remote Observatories Southern Alps
Author:
© Martin Rusterholz, Astrophotographer
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. 