Spiral galaxy M 98 is located in the constellation Coma Bernices,
and is a member of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. This galaxy has a number
of bright nebula, regions of new star formation. It also has several
prominent lanes of dust, evidence that there is plenty of material
available in this galaxy for more stars to form. You can spot several
other galaxies throughout this image, including NGC 4189 near the top,
behind which you can see many tiny galaxies that are part of the Abel
1499 galaxy cluster. M 98 lies about 60 million light years from earth.
Just to the left of M 98 you can see the trail left by an asteroid passing
through this part of the sky during the exposure.


Image data:
Camera: Canon 350 XT (modified)
Exposure: 5 minutes x 30
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader coma corrector, LPS filter