ROAST ::

June 24/25. And at last the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, comes into view, just in time for my birthday. It only emerges from behind trees at about 2am, which at this time of year doesn’t give much time for exposures before the sky begins to lighten (noticeably so at about 2:30). But there was enough time to grab 90 shots, although that includes 14 failures.

Some structure is becoming visible, like the dark lanes, and two of M31’s satellite galaxies: M101 at bottom left, and M32 directly above M31’s centre. I’ve rotated the image by 180° to agree with most views.

But this object really benefits from many exposures, so over the next few weeks I’ll be taking lots more and hopefully mega-stacking them all.

Details:
Target: M 31 (NGC 224), Andromeda Galaxy
Time: 2026-06-25 02:01..02:53
Equipment: Dwarf Mini, Astro filter
Integration: 38mins (76×30secs, +14 failures), gain 60
Conditions: Clear, Bortle 6
Processing: PhotoDesk equalisation, gamma

While waiting for M31 to appear, I had another go at the Eastern Veil, which is very pretty. I applied the “Star Reduction” filter this time, which brings out the nebula a bit more:

Details:
Target: C 33 (NGC 6992), Eastern Veil Nebula
Target position adjusted to:
DEC: 31.452777777777772
RA: 20.92944444444445
Time: 2026-06-24 23:00..01:56
Equipment: Dwarf Mini, Duo-Band filter
Integration: 2hrs 26mins (292×30secs, +11 failures), gain 60
Conditions: Clear, Bortle 6
Processing: PhotoDesk equalisation, gamma

And so to bed…