Even though Mantrap is still mostly ice the loons have returned. I was surprised to find one in the night sky as well. I thought I was imaging Arp 263 (NGC 3239) a very strange galaxy. Normally I post all images with north at the top but his has south at the top as loons shouldn't swim upside down. If you aren't familiar with them then you might not see the resemblance. They are big, heavy birds that are black with lots of small white spots on the wings, a white neck band and white breast. Their black heads have a brilliant red eye that seems to glow in sunlight. When hunting fish they swim with their head cocked much like the "head and neck" of this galaxy. The asteroid in the image is (79884) 1999 AP6 at magnitude 18.8. The galaxy is about 50 million light years away. Most of the others are about 600 million light years distant. Though the blue spiral down and to the right (NE) is closer at about 260 million light years.

A less compressed version is at:
http://www.spacebanter.com/attachmen...4&d=1209853314

For those unfamiliar with loons here's a loon family I took last year. Babies came off the nest 3 days earlier. They ride on the parent's back to avoid being food for muskies which run to nearly 5 feet in this lake.
http://www.spacebanter.com/attachmen...5&d=1209853314

14" LX200R, L=4x10' binned 2x2, RGB=2x10' binned 3x3, STL-11000XM, Paramount ME

Rick

Attached Images

LOONYNGC3239L4X10RGB2X10X3-7.jpg (142.4 KB, 51 views)

Another Wow one Rick!, Simply beautiful and it sure resembles the bird another great shot also. The asteroid again gives it a an extra touch to the dynamics of this universe. Clear Skies

hi Rick,

another great shot of a gorgeous and fancy object! it looks like a classic old plane-tool.
wonderful colors too!

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best regards,
Dietmar

live long and prosper,...
www.stargazer-observatory.com

Great loon there Rick. The colors are great and I love all the other faint fuzzies in the background.

This is one of my favorite times of year in the upper Midwest. Things just coming alive!

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Observatorio de la Ballona

Great shot, Rick. I can easily visualize the loon imagery. But for some reason I can't seem to see the mag 18 asteroid.

btw, five foot muskies in a lake called Mantrap. Anyway see a horror movie plot here?

Look about three galaxy width's right and a bit down. It's by a lone orange star.

The lake got its name for its convoluted shape and lots of islands. The result is many get lost. I watched a big name TV fisherman filming on the lake in all the wrong spots. It was hilarious watching him and his film crew do everything wrong -- for this lake. At the end of the day they headed back to the public access but turned down Hoo Doo Bay instead of "The River" which was the right route. Hoo Doo dead ends. So he turned around and zoomed down to Dead Head Bay. Dead heads are logs that sunk with one end pointed up. All are deep enough not to endanger a boat but they collect lures like crazy. But for him the other meaning of "dead head" applied so he had to turn around and zoom back down Hoo Doo Bay. Then back down Dead Head. The camera boat dutifully following. He did this way too many times before running out of gas down at the end of Hoo Doo. The camera boat handed him a gas can and he handed the camera boat his map. After gassing up the camera boat lead him down the "The River" and back to the access. Oh yes, on his show he was stressing how important it was to study the lake maps of the lake before you ever went on it so you knew where to fish. He obviously didn't follow his own advice!

Another time a guy in a simple boat with no fishing gear or uniform stopped me. He handed me a map and asked this immortal question: "I'm not lost but can you show me on this map where I'm at?" I looked at the map. It covered only part of the lake. The parts in Clay and Lake Emma townships but we were in Thorpe Township so not on the map. I told him I couldn't. At that point he identified himself as a game warden and asked his question again. Again I had to say no. At that point he asked for ID and was going to write me up a ticket! But he wasn't lost he said so many times. In the end he admitted he was wrong and the ticket book was put away. I had to lead him back however.

Never thought of the name in the terms you suggest. But my daughter, when she was 9, was so afraid of being eaten by a big fish I should have. Though the 100 lb. snappers are more dangerous than the muskies. The carpenter that built part of my old cabin lost three fingers to one. He was hunting them at night. They are grabbed when they come up on the sand to lay eggs. He grabbed the "tail". It was the head. You can imagine the rest.

Rick

I saw that streak and thought it a distant edge-on galaxy. I expected a little more movement from the asteroid.

I saw big snappers like that while fishing for muskie and walleye in Ontario. We pretty much left 'em alone, but there were guys who were there just for the turtles. They would brave the black flies at dusk and mosquitos at night and slowly troll their way through the narrow channels and streams which fed the lake. I really don't know the technique or types of traps but they occasionally came back in the mornings with some huge ones.

The point in space that the galaxy was as seen from my location is where the asteroid was nearing the end of its retrograde loop and about to return to prograde motion. At this point they often tend to have more north or south motion than east or west and thus appear to move at a steep angle to the ecliptic.

Rick

Great title and a bizzare though beautiful galaxy. It certainly would qualify for the ARP catalogue.

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Kind regards
Matt
LXD75 SN 8" f/4, DSI II pro

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather, "hmm.... that's funny...."
Issac Asimov

yeah...Woody Woodpecker rides again....on a fairground go-kart!

thank you again for an excellent composition

best regards

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clear skies