galaxies dim and distant

At around 30 million light years distant, these galaxies are receding from us at over 600 km s^-1 Red-shift it's called. Although atmospheric seeing was not that good, it was warmish and mysteriously still and so invited that oh so dangerous of human activities, thinking.

Having walked into the mount a few hours earlier causing destruction of the connecting cable -it was dark officer- the eq6 had no idea where it was pointing, so crossing the meridian at around 01:00, the flip was troublesome. Once again it was PointCraft which plate-solved us to sanity.

nervous times: the barren spring sky showing the galaxies at the meridian

galaxies -l to r- ngc4656, ngc4657 hockey stick and ngc4631 the whale in canes venatici
700d + pn208     best of 34 x 240s @ ISO800