SMC and 47 Tuc

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

I shot this field as my short first light test image with the FSQ106 and PL16803 setup two years ago and although I was very happy with the performance of the brand new rig, I didn't take enough care with the framing and it needed more exposure plus some Ha and OIII to add some colour and more features.

So, two clear nights during the week allowed me to revisit this little galaxy with the blazing 47 Tuc in tow (and the often overlooked smaller but beautiful GC NGC 362) and gather 13hrs total exposure through 6 filters with a better framing... by fiddling with camera rotation, I have managed to squeeze in about 95% of the SMC plus 47 Tuc and NGC362 and I am much happier with this result

SMC and 47 Tuc (click on image and pan around with your cursor)

For a search of the huge collection of star clusters and nebulae in the galaxy why not go for a surf around the Full Res image

Hope you enjoy

Mike

[Slawomir (Suavi)]

Wow, that's what I call a proper FOV

I don't recall ever seeing both globulars and the entire SMC in one image. Great colours and pinpoint stars - another winner from Mike

[gregbradley]

A marvellous image. Very striking and great Ha blending.

Greg.

[h0ughy (David)]

wow what a field of view!!

[Placidus (Mike and Trish)]

The NB RGB worked brilliantly. All our favourite emission nebulae in the LMC stand out. A rich and beautiful image.

[glenc (Glen)]

An amazing image

[RyanJones]

Beautiful image Michael

[Andy01 (Andy)]

Love it!
You've nailed the composition & colours beautifully - another crackerjack image Mike.

[ozstronomer (Geoff)]

Great image Mike, really like the Ha blending

Well done

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Slawomir

Wow, that's what I call a proper FOV

I don't recall ever seeing both globulars and the entire SMC in one image. Great colours and pinpoint stars - another winner from Mike

Cheers Sous-vide There are quite a few shots out there showing both globs, just google Small Magellanic Cloud . Had I had the 645 reducer it would have fitted 100% of the SMC in, both globs and a little space around....this was close though

Originally Posted by gregbradley

A marvellous image. Very striking and great Ha blending.

Greg.

Thanks Greg, there is OIII in there too, you can see the turquoise-blue in places but as is often the case the OIII is in the same spot as the Ha so the blend of the two in those areas tends to just result in a lighter pink.

Originally Posted by h0ughy

wow what a field of view!!

Thanks Dave, nice to be able to squeeze this baby in

Originally Posted by Placidus

The NB RGB worked brilliantly. All our favourite emission nebulae in the LMC stand out. A rich and beautiful image.

Thanks M&T

Originally Posted by glenc

An amazing image

Thanks Glen

Originally Posted by RyanJones

Beautiful image Michael

Thanks Ryan

Originally Posted by Andy01

Love it!
You've nailed the composition & colours beautifully - another crackerjack image Mike.

Glad you think so Andy...actually, when I am composing images I do usually think of you, I have always tried to consider composition but like the presence of decon worms and spots is mine composition has definitely become your trademark feedback

Originally Posted by ozstronomer

Great image Mike, really like the Ha blending

Well done

Thanks Geoff, there's OIII in there too

Mike

[Atmos (Colin)]

I've gone and compared this to my 15 panel mosaic and you're right, with the rotation of the camera you've managed to capture nearly the entire thing in one shot! That alone is pretty impressive

Mine was a pure RGB and the nebulosity increase that you've managed with the addition of Ha and OIII REALLY make it pop
Really well handed Mike.

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

That's turned out well Mike. Really like the colours and composition.

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Superb image Mike! One of the best I've seen of this region.

[Paul Haese]

The field of view is epic. I too don't think I have seen an image with both globular clusters. In fact there are quite a few clusters in the field of view. The amount of hydrogen is huge across the field. Not sure if I have ever seen all these gas clouds before. There are bubbles every where. The Ha and OIII data inclusion is a great idea. The only thing I think I would change would be dropping the saturation on the Ha just a little. It's looks a bit fluro to me. Other than that it is a great image. Resolution is nice also. I particularly like the large image.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Atmos

I've gone and compared this to my 15 panel mosaic and you're right, with the rotation of the camera you've managed to capture nearly the entire thing in one shot! That alone is pretty impressive

Mine was a pure RGB and the nebulosity increase that you've managed with the addition of Ha and OIII REALLY make it pop
Really well handed Mike.

Thanks Col As I said my first light shot at it two years ago was a little lack lustre and not framed well enough, so I was keen to have another go and do it properly

Originally Posted by peter_4059

That's turned out well Mike. Really like the colours and composition.

Thanks Peter, glad to hear it, I went rather colourful compared to many other SMC shots

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Superb image Mike! One of the best I've seen of this region.

Wow thanks Marcus

Mike

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

The field of view is epic. I too don't think I have seen an image with both globular clusters. In fact there are quite a few clusters in the field of view. The amount of hydrogen is huge across the field. Not sure if I have ever seen all these gas clouds before. There are bubbles every where. The Ha and OIII data inclusion is a great idea. The only thing I think I would change would be dropping the saturation on the Ha just a little. It's looks a bit fluro to me. Other than that it is a great image. Resolution is nice also. I particularly like the large image.

Thanks Paul, yeah there are a few shots out there showing both globs at a similar image scale, the 645 reducer would have done it perfectly...but not quite as much resolution then either of course. Yes I did go "colourful" and I certainly ummed and ahhed but seemed ok with the higher level of saturation in the end and think (hope?) I managed to teeter on the edge without falling off the saturation cliff

Mike

[gregbradley]

The SMC is a very odd shape. Is that a hint of a leftover spiral structure I see in it?

I can't imagine it formed into that irregular shape without the MWay distorting it big time.

Also all the blue stars. Is that because it has lots of new hot stars?

Greg.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

The SMC is a very odd shape. Is that a hint of a leftover spiral structure I see in it?

I can't imagine it formed into that irregular shape without the MWay distorting it big time.

Also all the blue stars. Is that because it has lots of new hot stars?

Greg.

Regarding the shape of the SMC, this article may explain it? namely:

"In looking at this data, the team also observed that all the stars within the Wing—that southeast part of the SMC—are moving in a similar direction and speed. This demonstrates the SMC and LMC likely had a collision a few hundred million years ago."

There are several reasons for the prominent blue/teal/cyan in my image..

1) There are a lot of blue giants and plenty of star birth going on!(Great article here)
2) I added OIII to the mix which imparts a slight teal-cyan hue
3) I just like the look with the blue/cyan/teal turned up a little

While I have certainly favoured the blue for my own aesthetic preferences, there is no doubt the SMC is indeed rather blue see:

Gendler and Gendler et al (multiple scopes, including DSS data) and Lorenzi

Hope that was helpful Greg

Mike

[gregbradley]

Thanks for that Mike. Most interesting.

Greg.

[LostInSp_ce]

There's so much happening I don't even know where to start, kinda like being in a candy store where you just want everything. The amount of detail you've captured is astonishing. We're very fortunate to have members of your calibre in here share their work. Thanks for posting!