M104 lifelong favorite

[Don Quixote]

I have always wanted one of these.

Captured in the wild with...
ES AR153 f6.5
Nikon d810
45 sec ISO2000

M104 from Penfield Illinois.

I remember exactly where I was the first time I observed this beautiful galaxy. It was late spring 2017. At the time I had but one telescope, the ES80MM f6. I had it mounted to CG4 mount and I was trying to "Star Hop". Somewhere in the either there is a post about the experience. I did not know what I had seen but I drew a quick sketch and the good folks on the old forum walked me through the process of identifying. All I had at the time for star charts was a planisphere and M104 was marked out on it. I still have than planisphere, and since then I have given at least a half dozen to children who at one time or another observed with me. That was an exciting moment for me.

"The Sombrero Galaxy, M104, is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It lies 9.55 megaparsecs from Earth. The galaxy is 30% the size of the Milky Way.
As you can see from the image It has a bright nucleus, and a large central bulge. This is what give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero hat."
Quoted from internet sources with a few of my own edits.

I wonder if any of you have a first that has become a life long favorite...

"Well...that's all folks"
Quoted from Saturday morning cartoons. I

 

[Hankmeister3]

Wow, that really did turn out nice, Mark. And even more remarkable was it was captured by your 6-inch doublet achromatic refractor. Virtually no color fringing at all, sir! You weren't using an APO filter, were you?

BTW, your capture of the Sombrero turned out better than mine. Because of those high altitude cirrus clouds moving into that region of the sky, I was only able to capture two useable images out of eight Your capture of M104 turned out much better than my best one. I really like your star colors, too. Nicely done, mi amigo!

[Juno16]

Really nice Sombrero Mark!

Very nice to see that you have captured a lifelong favorite. Nice work my friend!

[Makuser]

Hi Mark. A fantastic M104 Sombrero Galaxy image here. Excellent contrast, star colors, and the edge on dark dust lane in the galaxy. This is top flight work Mark, and thanks for sharing this capture with us on here.

[The Happy Parrot]

I wonder if any of you have a first that has become a life long favorite...
 

For me it was the Ring nebula. Not the most exciting object but being strictly a visual observer learning to star hop, the first time I saw it was very satisfying after much planning and hunting for it. I went back to it many times only for the joy of finding it with my Z8.

[Ylem]

Very nice

The ring is also my favourite

[bobharmony]

Nice capture, Mark! Always good to hook up with a favorite. For me that would be M51, the Whirlpool. There is just something special about revisiting these old friends, I never tire of it!

Bob

[helicon]

Great one Mark. I have trouble with Southern Virgo/Corvus because I have a filtered view in that direction. But I always look for the "jaws" and the "stargate" to find my bearings in getting to M104.

[Don Quixote]

Wow, that really did turn out nice, Mark. And even more remarkable was it was captured by your 6-inch doublet achromatic refractor. Virtually no color fringing at all, sir! You weren't using an APO filter, were you?

BTW, your capture of the Sombrero turned out better than mine. Because of those high altitude cirrus clouds moving into that region of the sky, I was only able to capture two useable images out of eight Your capture of M104 turned out much better than my best one. I really like your star colors, too. Nicely done, mi amigo!

No filter Henry...but I did use a little bit of monkey shine

[TheButcher]

Great capture Don, I love this galaxy.

[Gordon]

Congratulations Mark on having your image selected as todays TSS APOD!!

app.php/article/4-21-2020-tss-astrophot ... of-the-day

[Don Quixote]

Wow !
Thank you!
I am pleased that the image is enjoyed.
Peace and clear skies to all!

[Mac]

Great image Mark. One of my favorites that I need to spend much more time on to get a good capture.

[chartram]

This is a gorgeous shot- thank you for sharing it with us!

My personal favorite object to observe at the eyepiece is the Double Cluster. I’ve observed quite a few galaxies but have never been able to make out any real structure.

Mike

[Don Quixote]

This is a gorgeous shot- thank you for sharing it with us!

My personal favorite object to observe at the eyepiece is the Double Cluster. I’ve observed quite a few galaxies but have never been able to make out any real structure.

Mike

Hi Mike. The Double Cluster is also a favorite visual for me.
Definitely!