Date Posted: 1/23/2024
Date Taken: Three nights, from 12/20/2023 - 1/7/2024
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, 360:105:115:110. Luminance 15min unbinned; RGB 5min binned 2x2.

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

NGC 3344 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy located about 23 million light years away in Leo Minor. Its face-on orientation provides an ideal view of its spiral arms. It is classed as an intermediate spiral, meaning the arms are neither too tightly wound or too loose, i.e. 'just right'. It is about half the size of the Milky Way.

The stars in the outer ring are moving in a peculiar way that is not fully understood. One theory is that the close passage of another galaxy some time in the past drew out the stars in the ring and led to their unusual movement.