Have a photographed another galaxy?

[Hunky Dory]

I took this photo on my phone (long exposure) and captured the sky showing what appears to be a galaxy (or at least looks similar in nature if not shape to photos of the Milky Way to my ignorant eye)

The photo was taken in the north west of Canada at a hotel called Farewell Harbour Lodge. I am pretty sure I was facing east, maybe a little south of true east.

Any ideas what it is, or how I can figure it out…?

[StevieBee]

Well, technically, you've taken a photo of many thousands, if not millions of galaxies there

I'm no Brian Cox but I'd say the cloud I assume you're referring to is either part of the Milky Way or a cloud.

If you download the Star Walk app and point the phone to the sky at the same time of night and in the same location and direction you took the photo, that will tell you what's what.... providing the photo was taken in the last couple of days.

[lancslad58]

Try downloading Stellarium and configuring it for where you took the photo.


https://stellarium-web.org/

[budgie smuggler]

If you're talking about the big smudge, I agree with StevieBee, that could be the milky way, or just a cloud The only other galaxy you can usually resolve by eye/smartphone is Andromeda and generally a long exposure just shows it as a star with a smudge round it.

I think with a clear enough night and low enough light pollution you might also be able to see the magenellic clouds and triangulum galaxies but I've never managed it.

[havoc]

Looks the wrong shape / composition for the Milky Way.

Cloud - stars are still very clear, so possibly just some high or faint haze reflecting light off the surface. Most likely option certainly.

[CLK-GTR]

Doesn't look like the Milky Way and the next nearest galaxy is about the size of a pinprick in the night sky.

Sorry to disappoint but i think you've just taken a nice picture of a cloud.

[havoc]

CLK-GTR said:

the next nearest galaxy is about the size of a pinprick in the night sky.

Little-known, but the Andromeda Galaxy actually spans a size 6x the diameter of a full moon in the night sky. Thing is, it's so far away that without a powerful telescope you can't see anything other than the small very-high-luminosity core.