Leo Trio Pictures
Images Copyright © 2001, 2006, 2008, Dick Locke.  All Rights Reserved.  Contact and Image Use Information 

Big Leo Trio Mash

The image above shows the three "Leo Trio" galaxies.  They've been mashed together and displayed "full frame+" to better show their detail.  More info and their real orientation is shown below.

Above image: Two hours (30 x 4 = 120 minutes) total exposure March 7/8, 2008.  Canon EOS 20Da (unmodified), Takahashi TOA 130 (a 5" APO refractor) with Tak flattener, and Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount.    My current image processing workflow is here.

Three Galaxies in Leo, M65, M66, NGC3628

The "Leo Trio" consists of 3 Galaxies.  Spiral galaxy M66 is at the bottom right, M65 is above right, and NGC 3628 (an edge-on spiral galaxy)  is left.  See below for close-ups of each galaxy at the camera's full resolution.

Image Details:  16x4 = 64 minutes total exposure.  Takahashi TOA 130 (a 5" APO refractor) with reducer and Canon EOS D20a.   My current image processing workflow is here.  However, since the galaxies are relatively bright and I had a good long exposures, no noise reduction beyond dark subtraction was necessary here.  This image used the Losmandy G11.

Below: Individual frames of each galaxy at the 20Da's full resolution using the focal reducer.  This, unfortunately, shows slightly elongated stars due to guiding issues and/or the behavior of the reducer...