Joe Bauman: Photographing the holiday wreath galaxy

NASA charmingly described galaxy Messier 74 back in December 2011 when it published a Hubble Space Telescope view of it: "Resembling festive lights on a holiday wreath, this … image of the nearby spiral galaxy M74 is an iconic reminder of the impending season. Bright knots of glowing gas light up the spiral arms, indicating a rich environment of star formation."M74, a relatively close spiral, is well placed for telescopic viewing in the fall through early winter. When members of the Salt La