CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE VIEW
Scope: C8 f/7.5, Location: Blair Valley, Anza Borrego Desert, 9 February, 2008 Camera: Artemis285
Exposure: 10 x 5 minutes Luminance exposures with IR block (1x1 bin), 6 x 3 minutes RGB exposures (2x2 bin).
Processing: Images were captured Artemis Capture (as FITs). Aligned/stacked and dark subtracted in Astroart with Sigma Combine. Luminance and Color channels were scaled and rough color balanced in Astroart. Central gradient removal performed in Astroart. Channels were co-registered in Astroart. The 5 minute IR block exposures were used for the main luminance construction with level adjustments and curves to bring out object features. LRGB combine was done in Photoshop in LAB color space. G2V factors applied to color channels. Selective sharpening (with mask) was used to enhance galaxy features. A light noise reduction was applied with PixInsight LE SGBNR. Final touches were done in Photoshop. Final Image size is approximately 1392x1040.
North is to the left in this image (and mirrored). It is shown in this orientation for aesthetic presentation. NGC 3521 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Leo. Some estimates put its distance from Earth at 35 million light years. It has a remarkably similar apearance and structure as that of M63. This image replaces an earlier image that can be seen in the Archives here. Horizontal FOV is 24'
Image center is approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 11h 05m 48.9s Dec: -00°02'15"