Perseus Galaxy Cluster Abell 426

About the Object

The Perseus Galaxy Cluster, a.k.a. Abell 426, is a fairly rich and relatively nearby galaxy cluster. Located at a distance of about 240 Mly, it hosts between 500 and 1000 galaxies of various mass and morphology. At the center of Abell 426 is the massive cD galaxy NGC1275, which is also a very bright radio source known as Perseus A or 3C84. NGC 1275 features quite a bit of structure near its center: dust lanes with star forming regions and H-alpha filaments. Working out these features was quite enjoyable, but be careful not to overflow the other galaxies in the cluster. Many galaxiess in Abell 426 are of  unspectacular E and S0 type, but there are also quite a number of nice barred spiral, and a few interesting irregulars/merger remnants.

Observation Notes

owing to the large focal length and relatively small FoV of my camera (a micro 4/3), I used this as an opportunity to get my first 1x2 mosaic done. Thanks to the great tools by John Murphy, it was a fairly uneventful process!

Data were taken on 2024 January 7,8,9,10, 18, 29 and February 17,24,25, 28.

Technical Details

View the full-resolution image together with complete acquisition and processing details on AstroBin.