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Grasslands Observatory: Color Images of Selected Arp Galaxies

 
These tri-color CCD images were obtained at various times from 1996 to the present. Some of them were taken with an HPC-1 camera (1024 x 1024, twelve micron TI chip) or an Apogee AP7 camera (512 x 512, 24 micron SITe chip). The HPC-1 is an excellent camera with small pixels. The AP7 has a greater photon efficiency, particularly in the blue portion of the spectrum.

In March 2001, a Finger Lakes Instrumentation Dream Machine CCD camera was installed at the Grasslands Observatory. This camera has a high quantum efficiency SITe 1024 x 1024 twenty-four micron CCD chip. It provides a nearly 28 minute field of view on the 24-inch f/5 reflector at the observatory. The Dream Machine is used in operation with a Finger Lakes Instrumentation CFW-1 Color Filter Wheel and an Optec TCF temperature compensating focuser. The filter wheel contains Photometric R, V, B and I filters and also has an Open slot (O). This instrument combination is now used for most of the imaging at the Grasslands Observatory.

Exposures typically range from R = 1 minute, Green (V) = 1.5 minutes, B = 2 minutes, and O = 1-2 minutes to R = 4 minutes, Green (V) = 6 minutes, B = 8 minutes, and O = 5-20 minutes for the Dream Machine CCD camera. Short exposures are used for bright clusters, and long exposures are used for faint galaxies and nebulae. Most color imaging now is performed using a Luminance technique with Open or Clear exposures used for the Luminance (L) part of the color composition.
Camea Close-up.jpg (47952 bytes)
Dream Machine CCD Camera combined with a Finger Lakes CFW-1 Color Filter Wheel

All images are oriented with the North at the top and the West to the right.
Arp Galaxy Other Name(s) Thumbnail Image
14 NGC7314
16 M66; NGC3627 m66.jpg (27996 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image 

ST10 CCD image

26 M101; NGC5457 m101.jpg (14732 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

Takahashi Epsilon 180 telescope, Canon 20da camera, five 10-min exposures median combined

29 NGC6946; Caldwell12
37 M77; NGC1068
41 NGC1232 ngc1232(Arp41).jpg (50168 bytes)
71 NGC6045
76 M90; NGC4659 + IC3583
77 NGC1097; Caldwell67

84 NGC5935/5934; UGC8900 Arp84.jpg (23119 bytes)
85 M51; NGC5195/5195; Whirlpool Galaxy m51(Arp85).TIF (1030036 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

116 M60; NGC4649
123 NGC1888; MCG-2-14-13 arp123.jpg (119299 bytes)
134 M49; NGC4472
135 NGC1023 Dream Machine image

QSI 532 image

 

152 M87
153 NGC5128; Centaurus A ngc5128(Arp153).TIF (707868 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

157 NGC520 ngc520(Arp157).tif (2534122 bytes)
168 M32; NGC221; UGC452
206 NGC3432 Arp206color.jpg (52455 bytes)
243 NGC2623 ngc2623.jpg (57929 bytes)
244 NGC4038; NGC4039; Antennae, Ring-Tail Galaxy; Caldwell60-61 ngc4038(Arp244).TIF (2737739 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

268 UGC4305
270 NGC3395 ngc3395(Arp270).tif (1060514 bytes) Ap7 image

Dream Machine image

281 NGC4631; Caldwell32
299 NGC3690 ngc3690.jpg (21557 bytes) Shown are Arp 296 (small galaxy up and to the left) and NGC3690<Arp299> interacting with IC694.
317 M65; NGC3623 m65(Arp317).TIF (737322 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

319 NGC7320; Stephan's Quintet ngc7320.jpg (70767 bytes) AP7 image

337 M82 m82(Arp337).tif (2765267 bytes) AP7 image

Dream Machine image

 
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