M94

Here is a Messier Object that I had not done before.

Full size image and exposure / processing details are at:

http://jthommes.com/Astro/M94.htm

Attached Image:

Nice image! This is well beyond my meager focal length. You do amazing things with your equipment.

Tom

Very nice work Jim! I don't know how you do it, but you always manage to produce really nice images. I have trouble guiding with my G-11 at the focal lengths you are using. Great stuff!

That's a great job on a difficult object, Jim. Even the large image looks good.
You have excellent star colors and great detail in the galaxy core.
I agree with Tom and Tyler that you have a mastery of your equipment.
My only suggestion for improvement on this image would be to soften the transition from galaxy to background. M 94, as you know, has a very extended outer halo including its unusual 'dark donut'. You would probably need long exposures from a dark site to see the 'donut', but I think that showing whatever halo data that you have (even if it's noisy) would be more 'faithful' to M 94's appearance. A lot of imagers believe that showing a bit of grain in an image is not a bad thing.

dan

Nicely done Jim! 8)
Beautiful detail around the core..., like a string of pearls...

Thanks for the comments guys...

Dan, I have to laugh a little bit. I was reading up on M94 a bit and your comment fits right in. I have heard this darker ring on the outside of M94 wit a very faint ring beyond that. So upon close inspection, I see evidence of this darker ring in my luminance data. When I was processing, I assumed it was some kind of circular gradient so I kind of dark pointed it out.

I wonder if I should try to go back and process it more faithfully...