Messier 100

‍Description and Details: Known as the Blowdryer Galaxy, M100 is a magnificent grand design spiral galaxy located approximately 55 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices. As one of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster, its elegant spiral arms are lined with clusters of hot, young blue stars, glowing pink hydrogen regions, and intricate lanes of dark interstellar dust. These sweeping structures trace waves of star formation moving through the galaxy's disk, where gas clouds are compressed and transformed into new stellar generations. At its core lies a compact central bulge surrounding a supermassive black hole, hidden beneath layers of densely packed stars.

M100 has played an important role in modern astronomy beyond its visual beauty. Observations of Cepheid variable stars within the galaxy by the Hubble Space Telescope helped refine one of the first highly accurate measurements of the expansion rate of the universe, contributing to our understanding of the cosmic distance scale. It has also hosted several observed supernovae, offering astronomers valuable opportunities to study stellar death and galactic evolution. Detailed images of M100 reveal not only the graceful symmetry of a classic spiral galaxy, but also the dynamic processes that continue to shape it across millions of years.

Data:
RGB: each 81x 130sec.
Lum: 506 x 60sec.
Total integration: 17,20 hours

Camera: QHY268M
Filters: Baader LRGB
Mount: EQ6-Pro
Telescope: modified 10“ Newton

‍ ‍Name: Alexander Huber