NGC5033

NGC5033 is a massive pronounced spiral galaxy viewed at an oblique angle located in the direction of the Constellation Canes Venatici approximately 40 Million Light-Years away. It has a very bright and active nucleus and is classified as an active Seyfert Galaxy with a very massive black hole which is consuming prodigious amounts of stars, gas and dust. It seems that it may have merged with another sizable galaxy at some point in the past, thereby containing two nuclei, one orbiting the other. The bluish arms appear to also be warped from such an encounter. The arms are lit up by massive blue stars, with pinkish HII star forming regions.

Object: NGC5033
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Distance: 40 Million Light-Years
Date: April 2009
Location: Fort Davis, TX
Exposure Details: LRGB:580:170:170:170 unbinned

Processing: MaxIm DL, CCDStack, Photoshop CS3, and other aps

Optics: 12.5" RCOS Truss
Focal Length: 2908mm @ f9
Mount: Paramount ME
Camera: STL6303E
Focuser: RCOS
Guiding: Off-Axis using an SBIG Guide Camera
Filters: Tru-Balance Gen II LRGB 2"