Whirlpool Galaxy

Last night was a clear night so I spent a few hours at the observatory. One of the more interesting images obtained through the C14 scope was of the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. It is a conspicuous spiral galaxy about 23 million light years away. The smaller object below is NGC 5195, a smaller galaxy captured by M51. They are located near the handle of the Big Dipper which is high in the night sky at this time of year.

Despite the -19C temperatures Rowan and I drove out to Comber on January 20 where  the Windsor Centre astronomy club  has its Hallam Observatory. I took this photo of the Orion Nebula through the 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Clear nights have been scarce this winter. 

The club hosts an open house at the observatory  each month. See the links section for the Windsor Centre's web site which lists upcoming meetings, events and open houses. 

A brilliant starry night in Algonquin Park, August 2008. This image of the Milky Way and Jupiter was taken on Carcajou Bay with a Canon 40D SLR and 20 mm lens mounted on an AstroTrac.