https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto Sat, 08 Aug 2026 05:29:52 -0300 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 05:29:52 -0300 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Zenphoto RSS Generator https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=NGC_4438_21x600.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Moon Phase	Waxing Crescent
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet)
Date	2026-04-22
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration (x3) Drizzle Integration Background Neutralization Automatic Background Extraction Dynamic Background Extraction Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) (x2) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Curves Transformation HDR Multiscale Transform

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=NGC_4438_21x600.jpg Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=NGC_4438_21x600_Crop.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Moon Phase	Waxing Crescent
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet)
Date	2026-04-22
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration (x3) Drizzle Integration Background Neutralization Automatic Background Extraction Dynamic Background Extraction Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) (x2) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Curves Transformation HDR Multiscale Transform

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=NGC_4438_21x600_Crop.jpg Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone_Annotated5.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Total image time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Moon Phase	First Quarter
Camera	Seestar S30 Pro (4K Sony IMX585 sensor)
Optics	160 mm focal length, f/5.3, 30 mm aperture (APO quadruplet)
Filter	IRCUT
Binning	1x1
Date	2026-03-24
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration Drizzle Integration BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution) GraXpert (gradient removal) Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Fast Rotation

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone_Annotated5.jpg Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Total image time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Moon Phase	First Quarter
Camera	Seestar S30 Pro (4K Sony IMX585 sensor)
Optics	160 mm focal length, f/5.3, 30 mm aperture (APO quadruplet)
Filter	IRCUT
Binning	1x1
Date	2026-03-24
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration Drizzle Integration BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution) GraXpert (gradient removal) Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Fast Rotation

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone.jpg Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone+annotated.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Total image time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Moon Phase	First Quarter
Camera	Seestar S30 Pro (4K Sony IMX585 sensor)
Optics	160 mm focal length, f/5.3, 30 mm aperture (APO quadruplet)
Filter	IRCUT
Binning	1x1
Date	2026-03-24
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration Drizzle Integration BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution) GraXpert (gradient removal) Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Fast Rotation

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone+annotated.jpg Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone+copy.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.

[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]

Total image time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Moon Phase	First Quarter
Camera	Seestar S30 Pro (4K Sony IMX585 sensor)
Optics	160 mm focal length, f/5.3, 30 mm aperture (APO quadruplet)
Filter	IRCUT
Binning	1x1
Date	2026-03-24
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration Drizzle Integration BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution) GraXpert (gradient removal) Spectrophotometric Color Calibration NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) Multiscale Adaptive Stretch Fast Rotation

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=drizzle_integration_clone+copy.jpg Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=masterLight-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter-EXPTIME_600.jpg "Markarian's Chain is a stretch of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. When viewed from Earth, the galaxies lie along a smoothly curved line. Charles Messier first discovered two of the galaxies, M84 and M86, in 1781. The other galaxies seen in the chain were discovered by William Herschel and are now known primarily by their catalog numbers in John Louis Emil Dreyer's New General Catalogue, published in 1888. It was ultimately named after the Armenian astrophysicist, Benjamin Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s." [Wikipedia] 5 hours total integration.

Exposure	30*600sec
ISO	800
Camera	Nikon Z7 [8856 x 5504]
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120mm
Capture	KStars on an Odroid-N2
Location	Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date	2021-05-01
Processing	Processed in PixInsight.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=masterLight-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter-EXPTIME_600.jpg Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:50:04 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=masterLight_BINNING_1_FILTER_NoFilter_EXPTIME_600_integration3_Annotated.jpg "Markarian's Chain is a stretch of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. When viewed from Earth, the galaxies lie along a smoothly curved line. Charles Messier first discovered two of the galaxies, M84 and M86, in 1781. The other galaxies seen in the chain were discovered by William Herschel and are now known primarily by their catalog numbers in John Louis Emil Dreyer's New General Catalogue, published in 1888. It was ultimately named after the Armenian astrophysicist, Benjamin Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s." [Wikipedia]
5 hours total integration. This image includes galaxies from the PGC HyperLeda catalog of 983K galaxies.

Exposure	30*600sec
ISO	800
Camera	Nikon Z7 [8856 x 5504]
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120mm
Capture	KStars on an Odroid-N2
Location	Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date	2021-05-01
Processing	Processed and annotated in PixInsight.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=masterLight_BINNING_1_FILTER_NoFilter_EXPTIME_600_integration3_Annotated.jpg Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:50:04 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=integration_DBE.jpg "Markarian's Chain is a stretch of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. When viewed from Earth, the galaxies lie along a smoothly curved line. Charles Messier first discovered two of the galaxies, M84 and M86, in 1781. The other galaxies seen in the chain were discovered by William Herschel and are now known primarily by their catalog numbers in John Louis Emil Dreyer's New General Catalogue, published in 1888. It was ultimately named after the Armenian astrophysicist, Benjamin Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s." [Wikipedia] 33 min total integration.

Exposure	11*300sec
ISO	800
Camera	Nikon Z7 [8856 x 5504]
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120mm
Capture	KStars on an Odroid-N2
Location	Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date	2020-03-28
Processing	Processed in PixInsight and Lightroom.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Galaxies/Markarian-Chain&image=integration_DBE.jpg Mon, 06 Jul 2020 15:37:19 -0300