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M63 - Sunflower galaxy

Spiral Galaxy - M63 Open larger image

M63 - Sunflower galaxy

M63 is a beautiful spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, which looks like a sunflower flower. Together with M51 and at least six other galaxies, it is gravitationally bound to form a group of galaxies. To find M63, the star Alkaid, the last star of the Big Dipper asterism, can be combined with the brightest star of the Hounds, Cor Caroli. Galaxy M63 lies approximately two-thirds of the way through this connector.

After composition, the source images were marked by a long break in photography, bad weather and high cloud cover. The resulting quality corresponds to this. Nevertheless, I am publishing the picture mainly because of the time I devoted to its acquisition and processing. Hopefully someday I will be able to photograph this beautiful galaxy again under better conditions and with a longer overall exposure.

Images of the object

Selected views and details from the original gallery.