Date Posted: 5/5/2024
Date Taken (RGB): Two nights, 2/13 -2/14/2024
Scope: Planewave CDK 12.5 f/8, 2541mm
Camera: SBIG STL-11000 with Astrodon Tru-Balance E-Series Gen2 filters
Temp: -25C
Mount: Losmandy Titan
Guiding: On-axis via ONAG-XM and SX UltraStar at 2541mm. FocusLock real-time focus for focusing.
Exposure: LRGB 375:95:100:95. Luminance 15min unbinned; RGB 5min binned 2x2.

Calibrated and Stacked with CCDStack2; RGB combine and DDP with MaximDL. Processed with CS4.

NGC 4565, also known as the Needle Galaxy, is widely considered to be the showcase edge-on spiral galaxy in our sky. The nearly edge-on view features prominent dust lanes cutting across the central bulge. It is located about 40 million light years away in Coma Berenices. With a calculated diameter of about 140,000 light years, it is about a third larger than the Milky way, and is home to an estimated 240 globular clusters. The smaller edge-on galaxy to its upper right is NGC4562; it is much further away at about 73 million light years.