Also known as M88 or NGC 4501, Messier 88 is a spiral galaxy located 60 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. M88 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. It belongs to the Virgo Cluster. The supermassive black hole at the heart of this galaxy has a mass of approximately 80 million solar masses. M88 is the largest and brightest galaxy in a group of galaxies that bears its name.
I had spotted the galaxy Messier 88 in another one of my photos, a wider field one. There it stood out distinctly from the many surrounding galaxies due to the appearance of a nebulous ring seemingly encircling the galaxy, resembling a cosmic wheel. This inspired me to photograph it with significantly higher magnification, the intricate details in the galaxy make it a captivating subject for astrophotography. I took this photo from my home in Metz – France.
Technical Details:
Telescope Used: Celestron C9.25 SC XLT w/ Starizona 0.63x reducer flatener
Imaging Cameras: ZWO ASI183MM Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
Date: April 13, 2024
Individual Exposure Times:
ZWO Blue: 49 frames × 120 seconds (1 hour 38 minutes) at a gain of 111.00
ZWO Green: 45 frames × 120 seconds (1 hour 30 minutes) at a gain of 111.00
ZWO Red: 53 frames × 120 seconds (1 hour 46 minutes) at a gain of 111.00
Total Exposure Time: 4 hours and 54 minutes.