NGC 2903

 Explanation: The wonderful barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903 in the constellation of Leo is a well-known spring observing target for amateur astronomers. With a magnitude brighter than 10, it is easy to find and identify in a small telescope. However, only large-aperture telescopes or long-exposure photographs can reveal its intricate spiral structure.

NGC 2903s swirling whirlpool of stars spans 80,000 light-years  slightly less than our own Milky Way  and is located at a distance of some 25 million light-years. NGC 2903 is one of the more conspicuous northern objects that Charles Messier missed when compiling his catalogue of nebulous objects, so leaving its discovery to William Herschel.

Taken from Dark Sky New Mexico 17” CDK

Imaged and processed by me.

Enjoy, Mark

Old Version with 14.5 RCOS

NGC 2903

Taken from DGRO Rancho Hidalgo Animas, New Mexico
14.5" RCOS F8, Apogee U16M High Cooling
Luminance 510, Red 220, Green 140, Blue 240
Calibrated,combined in CCD Stack all other processing done using PS5.