As we come into galaxy season, the constellation of Leo is prominent in the eastern sky. Slightly ahead of the great celestial lion is NGC 2903, a bright barred spiral galaxy some 30 million light years away. Seen here is an RGB image taken last week when the sky was clear and transparent at new moon. As with most barred spirals, the greatest mass of the galaxy is located in the central bar. Considered a starburst galaxy from an excess of star formation. Yet, the galaxies greatest mass in the bar is created from older stars. This image is a stack of 9 hours of data in LRGB with a H694 camera & Quadband filter on a C9.25 from my home under 3-4mag skies. Processing was in Pixinsight.
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