NGC 2903

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED

Mount : SW Wave 150i

Camera : ZWO 533mc

Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag

Filters:   Total exposure time :5 hours with SVBONY 260 5band 2"

Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3

NGC 2903

is a stunning barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Leo. Often called the "Jewel of Leo," it is famous among amateur astronomers for being one of the brightest galaxies not included in the Messier catalog.

Key Characteristics

• Type: Barred spiral (SBbc), similar in structure and size to our own Milky Way.
• Distance: Located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth.
• Diameter: Spans about 80,000 to 100,000 light-years.
• Apparent Magnitude: Around 9.0, making it one of the brightest galaxies in the northern hemisphere visible through small telescopes.

Scientific Interest

• Star Formation: Its core exhibits exceptionally high rates of new star formation, known as starburst activity.
• Central Bar: The central "bar" acts as a funnel, channeling gas toward the center of the galaxy and fueling the birth of new stars.
• Nuclear Ring: The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a ring of bright, young star clusters surrounding its nucleus.

NGC 4565 (Needle Galaxy)

 

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED

Mount : SW Wave 150i

Camera : ZWO 533mc

Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag

Filters:   Total exposure time :4hours and 9minutes with SVBONY 260 5band 2"

Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3

 

NGC 4565, also known as the Needle Galaxy or Caldwell 38, is one of the most famous and stunning examples of an edge-on spiral galaxy.

 

          Key Characteristics

• Location: Situated in the constellation Coma Berenices, near the North Galactic Pole.
• Distance: Estimated to be between 30 and 50 million light-years away from Earth.
• Size: It has a diameter of approximately 100,000 to 140,000 light-years, making it similar to or slightly larger than our own Milky Way.
• Apparent Magnitude: Around 9.6 to 10.4, which makes it visible even through small amateur telescopes under good conditions.
   
  Morphology and Appearance
• Shape: Due to its inclination (nearly 90 degrees relative to us), it appears as an extremely thin and elongated streak of light, which is how it earned the name "Needle."
• Structure: It features a bright central bulge and a prominent dark dust lane cutting across the plane of its disk, offering a view similar to what the Milky Way would look like if viewed from the outside.
• Classification: Although originally thought to be a simple spiral, newer observations (e.g., from the Spitzer telescope) suggest it is a barred spiral galaxy.

         Observation

• Equipment: Through small telescopes (80mm), it appears as a thin, fuzzy line. With larger instruments (8 inches and up), the dust lane and details in the central core become visible.
• Companions: It is often photographed alongside its smaller neighbor, NGC 4562, with which it may be gravitationally interacting.

The Medusa Nebula & NGC 2395

 

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED

Mount : SW Wave 150i

Camera : ZWO 533mc

Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag

Filters:   Total exposure time :8hours & 25minutes with SVBONY 220 7nm 2"

Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3

From 2 night's 18/2/26, 19/2/26

 

The Medusa Nebula (Abell 21) is an ancient planetary nebula located roughly 1,500 light-years away in the Gemini constellation. Often paired in wide-field astrophotography with the nearby open cluster NGC 2395 (located about

away), the nebula spans over 4 light-years, showcasing, filaments of gas, and a hot, central, bluish star. 

Key Details about the Pair:

• Medusa Nebula (Abell 21/Sh2-274): A large, old planetary nebula, it gets its name from filaments resembling snakes. Its shape is often likened to a crescent or jellyfish, featuring emission from ionized gases (OIII and Ha).
• NGC 2395: A loose open cluster of stars situated near the Medusa Nebula, often included in the same field of view for astrophotography.
• Location: Situated in the constellation Gemini, making it a popular winter target for observing and imaging. 

The Medusa Nebula is known for being quite faint, requiring long exposure times or large apertures to observe its detailed structure, which is often enhanced by the nearby backdrop of NGC 2395. 

IC 443 Jellyfish (SV220)

 

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED

Mount : SW Wave 150i

Camera : ZWO 533mc

Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag

Filters:   Total exposure time :8hours & 5minutes with SVBONY 220 7nm 2"

Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3

From 2 night's 06/02/2025 and  13/02/2026

 

IC 443 (also known as the Jellyfish Nebula and Sharpless 248 (Sh2-248)) is a galactic supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Gemini. On the plane of the sky, it is located near the star Eta Geminorum. Its distance is roughly 5,000 light years from Earth.

IC 443 may be the remains of a supernova that occurred 30,000 - 35,000 years ago. The same supernova event likely created the neutron star CXOU J061705.3+222127, the collapsed remnant of the stellar core. IC 443 is one of the best-studied cases of supernova remnants interacting with surrounding molecular clouds.

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IC 63 The Ghost of Cassiopeia

 

  

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED

Mount : SW Wave 150i

Camera : ZWO 533mc

Guiding : 8x50 SW finder with QHY 5IIL

Filters:   Total exposure time :8hours & 12minutes with SV260 2"

Programs I have used : Nina 3.0 _ PixInsight 1.8.9-3

 

Το IC 63, γνωστό ως το «Φάντασμα της Κασσιόπης», είναι ένα αινιγματικό νεφέλωμα 550 έτη φωτός μακριά στον αστερισμό Κασσιόπης, που «σμιλεύεται» από την ισχυρή ακτινοβολία και τους αστρικούς ανέμους του κοντινού μπλε γίγαντα άστρου ⋌ Cassiopeiae, λειτουργώντας ταυτόχρονα ως νεφέλωμα εκπομπής (λόγω υδρογόνου) και ανάκλασης (λόγω σκόνης), με την όψη του να θυμίζει φάντασμα λόγω της αλληλεπίδρασης του φωτός του άστρου

. 

Βασικά Χαρακτηριστικά

 

Όνομα: IC 63, "Το Φάντασμα της Κασσιόπης" (The Ghost of Cassiopeia).

Απόσταση: Περίπου 550 έτη φωτός από τη Γη.

Τοποθεσία: Στον αστερισμό της Κασσιόπης.

Σχέση με ⋌ Cassiopeiae: Η μορφή του διαμορφώνεται από την έντονη υπεριώδη ακτινοβολία και τους αστρικούς ανέμους του άστρου ⋌ Cassiopeiae (η «Δέσποινα» της Κασσιόπης)

Τύπος Νεφελώματος: Είναι ταυτόχρονα νεφέλωμα εκπομπής (εκπέμπει φως υδρογόνου-άλφα) και νεφέλωμα ανάκλασης (ανακλά φως από το άστρο)

 

Εξήγηση της Εμφάνισης

• Η υπεριώδης ακτινοβολία από το ⋌ Cassiopeiae ιονίζει το υδρογόνο στο νεφέλωμα, κάνοντάς το να λάμπει κόκκινο.
• Η σκόνη στο νεφέλωμα ανακλά το μπλε φως του άστρου, προσδίδοντας μια γαλάζια απόχρωση, και δημιουργεί τις «φαντασμαγορικές» ροές αερίου και σκόνης.
• Οι ισχυροί αστρικοί άνεμοι από το ⋌ Cassiopeiae διαβρώνουν αργά το νεφέλωμα, και εκτιμάται ότι θα διαλυθεί εντελώς σε περίπου μισό εκατομμύριο χρόνια.