Serpens is a good hunting ground for off the beaten track deep sky objects. This 11.5 magnitude galaxy is visually a disappointment in the 12.5 inch, however the CCD brings out its true nature. Moderately reddened at a B-V of .66, it spans 4.9 arcminutes in the long dimension. Classed as a SBb spiral, its inner yellow bar is surrounded by a thin set of blue arms, with plenty of active star formation in progress. The Wray Atlas says this is an excellent example of a barred spiral with a blue ring. Seeing was poor, however the overall impressions of the galaxy were maintained.

Instrument:  12.5" f/5 Home made Newtonian
Platform:  Astrophysics 1200 QMD
CCD Camera:  SBIG ST7E w/Enhanced Cooling
Exposure:  LRGB = 60:20:20:36 (RGB Binned 2x2)
Filters:  RGB Tricolor
Location:  Payson, Arizona
Elevation:  5150 ft.
Sky:  Seeing FMHW = 3.5 arcsec, Transparency 8/10
Outside Temperature:  10 C
CCD Temperature:  -25 C
Processing:  Maxim DL, Photoshop, AIP4WIN, PW Pro.