This image is the first I have taken after the death of our beloved son Benjamin, who left us too early on 12 December 2023.
The spread of colourful stars looks like they have come from the top of a fairy's wand and the galaxy is your ferry, with a
ferry man but please don't pay him until he gets you to the other side.

I dedicate this image to you Ben and the many precious memories you gave us. Like this galaxy, may you soar amongst the stars
and galaxies, floating free in time and space, for ever, love you mate! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarp! Smoke it up!

IC2531 is some 130 Million light years away, in the constellation Antlia (The Pump). Surrounded by a lovely spread of much
closer, sparkling, colourful Milky Way stars, we peer at it through a delicate, thin veil of red hydrogen emission clouds.


*NB: No Blur Exterminator or other AI based sharpening, was used on this data.

Orion Optics UK AG12 F3.8
Starlightxpress TRIUS PRO-694 Midi Combi PRO Blue Edition incl.CFW & OAG unit
FLI Atlas Focuser
LRGB = 770min, 90min, 85min, 85min - combined total exposure 17.2 hrs
Astronomik Deep-Sky LRGB filters
-20C chip temp, flats used but no dark frames.
Focal length 1120mm
Image scale 0.84"/pix
Guide Camera: Starlightxpress Lodestar PRO

Comments
Data collected 11 & 12 Feb and 9 March 2024
Average seeing (Ave FWHM for Lum sub frames = 1.6"-2.1") no Moon, calm and mild.

Taken from Eagleview Observatory: pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/eagleview_observatory

Equipment setup: pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/173097781/original

Some links to equipment used to take this image:

Sidereal Trading

www.siderealtrading.com.au/

StarlightXpress CCD Cameras and imaging equipment

www.sxccd.com/products

Finger Lakes Instrumentation CCD cameras:

www.flicamera.com/

Gerd Neumann and Astronomik filters:

www.astronomik.com/en/home

www.gerdneumann.net/

MSB Software & Astroart Camera control and Image processing software

www.msb-astroart.com/