Faint structures streaming from LMC

[MLParkinson (Murray)]

Back in October 2013 I recorded an RGB image sequence of the LMC at Wiruna, Central Tablelands (>1000 m ASL). The sky at Wiruna can sometimes be very dark, except toward the South East (Sydney).

Here are low-resolution super-stretched versions of the original images. These noisy images show the spiral arms nicely, as well as what I imagine to be bow waves of star formation triggered by the LMC ramming into the halo of neutral hydrogen gas, dust and other dark matter surrounding the Milky Way.

Technical Specs: Canon Astro 50D with EXcooler, ISO 3200, 25 x 4-minute exposures, 100 mm f/2 Lens set at f/5.6.

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

Murray,

Certainly, your extremely interesting Deep Image shows a dramatically different LMC from the one we can see in short exposures.

Undoubtedly, the bar is way off-centre in the overall stellar distribution of this galaxy.

The pros have made various attempts to image the Mag. Clouds at great depth, for example:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1991IAUS..148..453I

http://arxiv.org/abs/1008.3727

In our discussion of the structure of the LMC in the recent "observation reports" forum, I presented an image showing the distribution of the red giant stars that define the halo of the LMC;
the bar looks off-centre, but not as far off centre.

Given the complex history of the LMC/SMC/MW system, and ongoing controversies as to how these galaxies evolved and changed with time, it is remarkable that few attempts have been made to really image as deep as possible on the LMC/SMC system.

cheers, Robert

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

A very interesting and beautiful image of the two clouds and their environment. The streamers are really standing out and seem to correlate well with previous data. You've done an awesome job at revealing these faint structures!