NGC 346, 371, 395: The Duck, the Rose, the Goldfish, and her Lover
NGC 346, the brightest piece of nebulosity in the Small Magellanic Cloud (but still faint at magnitude 10.3, surface brightness 14.3) is at bottom right. It is clearly the head of a duck (Daffy, most likely), facing to our right, and wearing a Centurion's helmet, as ducks in the SMC often do.
Exactly central is the much fainter NGC 371 (mag 12.5, SB 16.6), in the shape of a lilac rose bloom.
Both Centurion Daffy and the Rose are relatively strong in OIII due to young clusters within.
Balancing them, toward 9 o'clock is a goggle-eyed goldfish (NGC 395), suitably golden in colour, body twisted into an S-shape, and tail hooked around a piece of Magellanic seaweed. It is relatively richer in H-alpha than in OIII. The tail itself shows an interesting blistered texture.
Cropped off the thumb, but present in the full image here, in a gentle romantic touch and nothing to do with the movie, you will see neither cook nor thief, but her lover: a pair of red-gold H-alpha lips about half-way toward 12 o'clock.
This area is very typical of the Magellanic Clouds in that there is often very strong separation between OIII rich objects and H-alpha rich objects.
There are also several faint super-bubbles, great big gaseous shells, typical of areas with much past supernova activity. A large but vague one, as if made from drifting sea-weed, encloses the rose and goldfish. A smaller but more distinct superbubble can be seen toward top left of the goldfish. A tiny, presumably younger one is directly below the rose. It would be interesting to see if it was relatively strong in SII, but it would require a very long exposure.
Due to the 36 min arc field of view being a bit tight on the goldfish tail and the duck's bill, this is again a 3 panel strongly overlapping mosaic, just to give them a bit of swimming space. The full image is 50 min arc across, north up. The thumb is more the width of a single frame.
The green channel is a mixture of the two. Feel free to suppress the green channel if you prefer to do so.
We did this one some years ago, using 2x2 binning because of its faintness. This time we've stayed unbinned, but used much longer exposure (total of 24 hours). We think that's done the trick.
Yeah, a great region that with some good details revealed guys ...the SMC is often relegated to the imaging why bother cupboard, due to an impression of being boring...but clearly it is anything but, just need to point and expose and have a look
Be nice to see this in HaOIIIRGB
That's definitely Daffy Ducks girlfriend there too btw
Yeah, a great region that with some good details revealed guys ...the SMC is often relegated to the imaging why bother cupboard, due to an impression of being boring...but clearly it is anything but, just need to point and expose and have a look
Be nice to see this in HaOIIIRGB
That's definitely Daffy Ducks girlfriend there too btw
Mike
We agree totally on all points! You've made our day!
Would you believe that I was doing a search on NGC 346 with a view to making it my next imaging target and up pops this post You've produced another fine visual extravaganza MnT. The wispy lilac tendrils of nebulosity and clever supporting text make for a wonderful display.
Would you believe that I was doing a search on NGC 346 with a view to making it my next imaging target and up pops this post You've produced another fine visual extravaganza MnT. The wispy lilac tendrils of nebulosity and clever supporting text make for a wonderful display.
Thanks muchly, Rodney. Those wispy tendrils and bits of seaweed speak of the busy history. Please give it a go! It's a lovely bit of sky.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slawomir
A beautiful image Mike and Trish. This is one of my favourite areas in the sky and I just wish it was a bit higher from our location.
This image is amongst the best ones I have seen this year. Well done.
Thanks so much, Suavi. We're thrilled that you like it.
I have shot this as a HaOIIIRGB last year but not to this level of detail or contrast!
it is a pretty faint sucker so it deserves the amount of data that you've thrown at it. Definitely up there with the best I've seen of the SMC
I have shot this as a HaOIIIRGB last year but not to this level of detail or contrast!
it is a pretty faint sucker so it deserves the amount of data that you've thrown at it. Definitely up there with the best I've seen of the SMC
Thanks, Colin, that's very encouraging. We recall your very fine much wider field shot.
oh, gorgeous! Almost 3-D like effect. I followed your suggestion, downloaded it and added a little more green. To my eyes it adds yet more 3D.
Just so wonderful and inspiring, this pas de trois.
At the top left of the rose there's a tiny bright blue band. That's not an artefact, is it? Do you happen to know which chemical that is?
Some very familiar objects there, M&T, but at an image scale that shows details I've not seen before. Bravo
Thanks, Rick. One mostly sees either the whole Magellanic Cloud, or perhaps just NGC 346.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Ward
OK.. i see the fish. Remarkable to see what such a wide net can catch .
Cheers, Peter
Quote:
Originally Posted by silv
oh, gorgeous! Almost 3-D like effect. I followed your suggestion, downloaded it and added a little more green. To my eyes it adds yet more 3D.
Just so wonderful and inspiring, this pas de trois.
At the top left of the rose there's a tiny bright blue band. That's not an artefact, is it? Do you happen to know which chemical that is?
Hi, Annette Thrilled that you like it as much as we do. We like your version, but there is a strong and powerful Anti-Kermit Lobby who would prefer no green at all, whom we fondly contemplated. The little blue ring is almost certainly an artefact. It ought to go away in a 3 panel mosaic like this. Three Rings for the Elven Kings, Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their Halls of Stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die. One ring to confuse them all, get past statistical rejection techniques, and in the darkness bind them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by codemonkey
Nice work guys; exceptional data and processing of an interesting view!
Thanks Lee!
Quote:
Originally Posted by topheart
Hi M+T,
A great image!
I really like the framing of the objects using a mosaic.
Well done!
Cheers,
Tim
Thanks Tim. Reassuring.
Steve Crouch's tiny planetary nebula is there, but its colour is different due to our using quite a different palette and processing. We found it very difficult to find when Steve first posted it, so here's a moderately tight crop of our image rotated 90 deg clockwise to be the same orientation as Steve's, and with what we believe to be Steve's planetary marked. Hope we're right.
One ring to fool them all and in their backside bite them.
It's not an artefact. It's an actual thingy. I wonder how it came into being, looking so distinct as a ring, yet so near a huge force. Or maybe it's not as near as it looks and maybe it's an object not created by the same event or circumstance as NGC371.
As to what element it might be I don't know. In more common colour processing it looks turquoise. Iron?
Intriguing. Quite overwhelming how looking at [your] images it makes me NEED to know science facts re cause, effect and elements. That I have no knowledge makes me want to scream like a toddler in frustration. Anyone else get that emotion?