Treasures of the Leo Constellation (the Leo Triplet)

This could be considered my first successful attempt at photographing galaxies from within the city. I encountered many challenges along the way, from the inability to use guiding with the Meade LS8 ACF telescope to solving issues related to the low light-gathering capability of the entire optical system. Through trial and error—spending about ten nights on it—I determined the optimal shooting mode and setup, purchased the missing equipment components (focal reducers), and the results of these efforts can be seen in this image of distant stellar islands located 35 million light-years away from us. Svbony SV405CC (imx294) (Sensor temp -20°C; gain from 60% and above; exposures from 5 to 20 seconds; total integration time 2 hours). Meade LS8 ACF (D=203; F=2032) + two HERCULES CCDT67 0.67x RC focal reducers. Unguided imaging on an alt-azimuth mount. May 2024.