M49 / NGC 4472

Designation(s)M49, NGC 4472
Object Type(s)Galaxy
Relevant Catalog(s)All (Chron), Messier, NGC
Obs. Lat/Long42° 17', 073° 57'
ConstellationVirgo
Date and Time Observed2024-05-03 21:53:00
InstrumentSeeStar S50 f5.0-250mm FL
CameraSeeStar built in IMX462 sensor
Image DetailsUp is 19.6 degrees E of N. Total integration time was 11m. Exposures 10s. Darks subtracted, no flats. Alt/Az mount.
DescriptionForecast was for clouds. It was cloudy at sunset. But when I stuck my head outside, I discovered it was quite clear. So I quickly set up the SeeStar looking for unobserved Messier targets. I found that M49 was visible and in a clear part of the sky, and off we went. Captured 11m before clouds started to cause stacking to fail and I moved to another part of the sky. Given that this is a very bright elliptical galaxy with essentially no visible structure other than a bright center, I think it worked out OK. At some point I might circle pack with a more powerful imaging system, but I would expect the only difference will be in the size of the outer halo, plus better resolution of the many smaller galaxies in the background.
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