A classic anchor image for the archive, with bright galactic core, dusty lanes, and companion galaxies in the field.
- What am I looking at?
- The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and the most distant object easily visible to the naked eye.
- How far away is it?
- About 2.5 million light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Andromeda, rising in the northeast during autumn evenings.
- Why does it matter?
- Our closest major galactic neighbor and a benchmark for understanding spiral structure.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Autumn nights when Andromeda climbs high before midnight.
Capture summary
Galaxy in Andromeda
Broadband RGB
Broadband RGB
Autumn target / wide composition
- Chroma 36mm Red 1h 10m 70 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Green 1h 15m 75 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Blue 59m 59 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Lum 4h 46m 43 x 120s, 200 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 1h 56m 58 x 120s
- Totals 10h 6m
Same target, different years.
Older revisions stay in the archive so you can see how the target changed with different equipment, processing, and experience.
When to image this target
Galaxy in Andromeda; best planned for September through November from New Jersey.
Autumn is a strong window for Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and late Cygnus fields.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Prioritize transparency, darker skies, and long broadband integration.
M31 is listed here in Andromeda.
Current frame: Natural color / Broadband RGB.
Live altitude, moon, and filter guidance
Calculating target altitude and moon context.
Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.
Based on the current time.
Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.
Next upper transit.
Approximate horizon crossing.
Moon phase and altitude.
Acquisition & processing notes
Filter channels, integration times, and capture dates for this frame.
- Chroma 36mm Red 70 x 60s, 1h 10m
- Chroma 36mm Green 75 x 60s, 1h 15m
- Chroma 36mm Blue 59 x 60s, 59m
- Chroma 36mm Lum 43 x 120s, 200 x 60s, 4h 46m
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 58 x 120s, 1h 56m
- Totals 10h 6m
How I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chroma 36mm Red | 70 x 60s | 1h 10m |
| Chroma 36mm Green | 75 x 60s | 1h 15m |
| Chroma 36mm Blue | 59 x 60s | 59m |
| Chroma 36mm Lum | 43 x 120s, 200 x 60s | 4h 46m |
| Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm | 58 x 120s | 1h 56m |
| Totals | — | 10h 6m |
- Equipment used
- From my current rig
- Mount
- iOptron CEM60
- Telescope
- Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Carbon Fiber Triplet APO
- Camera
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Filters
- Chroma 36mm Ha, OIII, SII, and LRGB (ZWO EFW 7×36mm)
- Focuser / rotator
- MoonLite NiteCrawler
- Reducer
- Starizona Apex ED 0.65×
- Guiding
- ZWO off-axis guider + ASI290MM Mini
- Control / power
- PrimaLuceLab Eagle 4S, Powerwerx PSU, Bioenno field battery, and MEGAbox
