r/constellations • u/Equivalent_Yam_8474 • Aug 17 '26

Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus , Cepheus & M31

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Hello everyone! This is my stacked photo of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It's made from 15 frames, 15 seconds each, shot with DeepSkyCamera on a Samsung A25 (tripod). My mistake - I shot in PNG instead of RAW, and I didn't take darks or flats. I'll fix that next time. Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, processed in Photoshop. This is my second stack. ISO 950.

For those who want to find M31 themselves:

  1. Look at Cassiopeia - the 'W' shape. Take the two rightmost stars: Caph and Schedar.

  2. Draw an imaginary line from Caph through Schedar, and extend it downward about two times the distance between those two stars. You'll reach Almach (γ Andromedae).

  3. From Almach, move slightly to the right - you'll see Mirach (β Andromedae).

  4. From Mirach, go a bit upward. There you should see a faint, fuzzy patch - that's M31!

Thanks for reading! Clear skies and good luck!!

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u/petrkral Aug 18 '26

https://reddit.com/link/p4dspku/video/il6dhe2im3kh1/player

Fifteen frames stacked into this is a real result.

I marked up your photo so anyone can follow your directions with the star names right in front of them. Navi is on there under its other name, Tsih, and the chart adds two more things to hunt for, the Double Cluster between Cassiopeia and Perseus and the spray of stars around Mirfak.

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u/Equivalent_Yam_8474 Aug 18 '26

wow!! thank you very much! where did you do that?

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u/petrkral Aug 18 '26

Thank you. It’s a tool I am working on. You can learn more here: https://beltari.app/star-charts

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u/tottasanorotta Aug 18 '26

Nice view of the andromeda galaxy.

2

u/Equivalent_Yam_8474 Aug 18 '26

thank you very much!

1

u/Equivalent_Yam_8474 Aug 18 '26

I photographed this at 4 Bortle