Messier 63, the Sunflower galaxy

Constellation: Canes Venatici

Messier 63, the Sunflower galaxy, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. Its distance from Earth is about 29.3 million Ly. Link to interactive sky chart.

Messier 63 is part of a galaxy group that includes Messier 51 (the Whirlpool galaxy), as well as NGC 5023 and NGC 5229.

Telescope & Mount:

Orion Optics UK ODK10 on a GM1000HPS mount

Imaging:

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro (bin 2×2)

Data:

L: 100x300s
R: 40x300s
G: 40x300s
B: 40x300s
Ha: 60x300s

Total integration time: 23h 20′