Messier 87

Messier 87- 127mm Meade Apo Refractor - 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener - Canon 600D DSLR -20x2 minute lights at ISO 1600 Credits: Kurt Thrust and Pip Stakkert

" The clouds were racing across the sky and there was too much moonlight (half phase) but we did so want to capture a widefield image of Messier 87 - so we did"!- Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory'

Enlargement of M 87 taken from the above widefield image - showing hints of the plasma jet moving away from the central black hole at nearly the speed of light. Credit: Pip Stakkert