NGC 4565, Taken April 22, 2006 with 5-inch apo refractor at f/4.5 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Four 10-minute exposures average-stacked.
NGC 4565, the Needle Galaxy, the classic edge-on spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices in the northern spring sky. The elliptical galaxy NGC 4494 is at the right edge. The little galaxy to the lower right of 4565 is NGC 4562. On NGC 4565, the distinction between the older yellow stars of the core and the younger bluer stars of the outer arms is obvious here, despite the edge-on orientation of the galaxy. This is the most famous and dramatic example of an edge-on. This is a stack of 6 x 10-minute exposures with the Astro-Physics 130mm apochromatic refractor at f/6 (with the 6x7 Field Flattener) and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800.
NGC 4609 "Coaldust" Cluster (my name) in Crux and in Coal Sack with 4-inch Astro-Physics refractor at f/4.5 with compressor/field flattener and with APS-frame size Canon 20Da camera at ISO400 for stack of 4 x 8 minute exposures. Shot from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 24, 2007.