NGC 4565, the Needle Galaxy

May 30th, 2024

2 h 0 m

Two photographs of NGC 4565 (Needle) are grouped together, absolutely identical in all parameters except for the astro cameras. One was taken with a ZWO 2600 MC astro camera (pixel size 3.76 µm), the other with a ZWO 183 MC (pixel size 2.4 µm). In the photograph with the small pixel, more detail is visible, and the galaxy itself is almost twice as large. In the photograph with the 3.76 µm pixel, there is less noise, but not critically. For short-focal-length telescopes (mine is a SharpStar 130 f/2.8, 364 mm), in my amateur opinion, a small-pixel camera is better suited. Resolution for 2.4 µm is 1.4 arcseconds per pixel. Resolution for 3.76 µm is 2.16 arcseconds per pixel. There is a formula on the internet for calculating this.

May 29th, 2024

2 h 20 m