Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B and NGC 7319)

Ryjov Aleksey

2724968

Deep Sky

Sep 23rd, 2026

798

Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B and NGC 7319)

NGC 7317NGC 7318NGC 7319NGC 7320

Resolution:: 851x611 px
File size:: 29 KB

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Photo description / processing

A group of five galaxies in the constellation Pegasus. Four galaxies are actively interacting, while the fifth, NGC 7320, is merely projected onto the group. In a few million years, the four galaxies will merge into a single elliptical galaxy. Stephan's Quintet is one of the most studied examples of compact galaxy groups.

I tried to get the most out of it using RC-Astro scripts in Siril. Given the 85 mm aperture and 408 mm focal length, it's fair to say the photo and processing were done as an experiment.

Technical information

Telescope/Lens: Askar SQA 85
Camera: ZWO ASI 183 MC Pro
Mount: Ioptron HAE 29 C
Guide Scope: Askar 52 мм F4
Guide Camera: ZWO ASI 120 MM mini
Software: SharpCap 4.0, Siril

Location: Петушки, Владимирская область, Россия

Light pollution

Orange, Bortle 6 zone

Date taken: Sep 4th, 2026

Exposure

69 × 300″ · ISO/Gain: 120 · Sep 4th, 2026

Total exposure: 5 h 45 m

Comments

TimochkinS

Were AI tools used during processing? The galaxies look somehow unnaturally angular.

Sep 24th, 2026

Ryjov AlekseyReply to TimochkinS

Siril and RC-Astro scripts, nothing else(

Sep 24th, 2026

Oleg Novoselov

I'm thrilled that with such a small scope, I was able to capture these little guys quite well.

Sep 24th, 2026

Ryjov AlekseyReply to Oleg Novoselov

Thank you Oleg! The scope is small, that's true, but the optical quality is top-notch... And the RC-Astro scripts are excellent, of course.

Sep 24th, 2026

Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)

For such a telescope, an excellent shot.

Oct 2nd, 2026

Ryjov AlekseyReply to Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)

Thank you!

Oct 2nd, 2026

Ryjov AlekseyReply to Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)

I've been subscribed to you for a long time, by the way.

Oct 2nd, 2026

Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)Reply to Ryjov Aleksey

Did you mean focal length? The SQA series is top-notch) and is this a cropped frame?)

Oct 2nd, 2026

Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)Reply to Ryjov Aleksey

I subscribed to you too)

Oct 2nd, 2026

Ryjov AlekseyReply to Alena Kiseleva (Beautys89)

Yes, the SQA series delivers very high image quality, and even a short focal length allows you to pull out a lot of detail combined with image sharpness. This is a crop frame, of course.

Oct 3rd, 2026