NGC3576 and NGC3603

Paul Haese · #1 02-01-2012, 02:11 PM

Now that I have the mount working again after having to clean the homing sensor, I thought I would postpone the other projects I have in the mill and just do some data collection for a long over due project.

I imaged this region in 2009 with my 40D and the same telescope. At the time I was very happy with the image but once I went to monochrome imaging it went on the list of images that needed to be re-shot.

Click here for image.

Feel free to critique the image.

TrevorW · #2 02-01-2012, 02:30 PM

Very active region, nicely done

midnight (Darrin) · #3 02-01-2012, 04:10 PM

Great star colours Paul. And the framing is nice too.

Lovelly image. I'll have to give this a go when I return back from overseas at the end of this month.

BTW, the 40D is still going great and really handy now that the weather has warmed up. I just need to sort out my guiding and flexure.

Darrin...

SkyViking (Rolf) · #4 02-01-2012, 05:46 PM

That's a beautiful image Paul. Nice to see the QSI doing it's job so well. I've paid a deposit on a 683wsg and will probably get it in February, I can't wait!

Do you know the reason for the warm yellowish glow of the nebula on the left, compared with the more neutral colour in the centre? Maybe some obscuring dust?

alan meehan · #5 02-01-2012, 06:03 PM

Thats a fine image Paul ,would be good to see the 40d image compared to this one
AL

Hagar (Doug) · #6 02-01-2012, 06:06 PM

Nice one Paul. Great detail and contrast.

Paul Haese · #7 02-01-2012, 06:13 PM

Thanks guys,

Trev with all the stars in this regions it is hard to control their brightness and bring out the nebulae. Too much control makes it look plastic and too little means the star still over whelm the image.

Darrin, I have keeping an eye on your images with the camera and I am please to see you getting good results. To control flexure look at OAG as an option. Once I migrated to that concept and got it working I have never had flexure problems since.

Rolf as one of the early adopters of this camera I have been more than happy with its performance. It does struggle in really hot weather but I will not image now unless the night time temp is around 18C or below. With the camera you have ordered you will be able to image at -20c pretty much all year round and near -30C in winter. The camera has high speed download and can carry more filters. It should be a very nice camera for you. As to the colour, it could be caused by the intervening dust clouds. NGC3603 is apparently in the Sagittarius arm and NGC3576 is in the Orion arm. We are looking through the Orion arm when looking at NGC3603, so that could well be the reason for the colour. Maybe someone else will be able to confirm or deny this?

Paul Haese · #8 02-01-2012, 06:16 PM

Thanks Doug and Alan

Alan here is the old image. It has the wrong NGC number as the nebula is different to the a small cluster at the bottom right which is NGC3579.

Click here for image.

RickS (Rick) · #9 02-01-2012, 06:38 PM

Great image, Paul. Pinpoint stars and great colour!

mill (Martin) · #10 02-01-2012, 07:05 PM

A very nice and busy image Paul.
What were the exposure times in minutes?

Paul Haese · #11 02-01-2012, 07:14 PM

Thanks guys,

Martin the sub exposures were 20 minutes on Luminence and Ha and 15 minute subs on the colours. Running the camera at -15C. Ha was combined with the Lum in CCDstack rather than layer masking in PS. Star control with layer mask and minimum filter with an opacity of 37%. Any more than that the stars start to get faint streaks and join stars nearby. Very little saturation added too.

ReaPerMan (Paul) · #12 02-01-2012, 08:47 PM

Lovely picture Paul, I imaged it with my ED80 last week (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=84733) and was facinated by the contrast between 3576 and 3603 considering their different size and location in our galaxy. I have been hanging out to get to imaging this with my RC10 (waiting on cloud and nights off duty to co incide ) and I am excited to see your picture as it gives me something to aim for. This was some of the info I gathered on 3603

NGC 3603 - The largest nebula in the Galaxy?

West of NGC 3576 is a much more distant nebula, this nebula is only the brightest part of an enormous nebulous region which probably extends over 1000 light years of space. . Although it is very obscured, the bright central part of this nebula is visible to us. This nebula may be one of the largest nebulae in the entire Galaxy (it is an example of a "giant HII region"). To astronomers in other nearby galaxies it would be a visible as a bright pink spot on the Sagittarius Arm. This picture shows the bright central region of this nebula which contains a very compact and very young cluster of stars.

This nebula is about 14000 light years behind NGC 3576.

all the best

Paul

atalas · #13 02-01-2012, 09:34 PM

Wonderful work Paul....poked me in the eye when I hit the link!

richardo (Rich) · #14 03-01-2012, 01:36 AM

Hi Paul,
these are two great objects and ones that I've always been fascinated by.
I like the fov you're able to get with this setup...
Good colours and some nice dark neb coming through giving it a 3D feel.

Interesting to see that SN V679 Car isn't noticeable at all any more.. well that was from 2 years ago.. last time I imaged this object.
Must get around to it this year!

Hope you kept cool these last few days...
We had 46*C for new years day.. man, no where to go but hang under the AC

All the best
Rich

prokyon · #15 03-01-2012, 08:16 AM

Wow, very nice! Colors, details... everything.

Paul Haese · #16 03-01-2012, 10:04 AM

Thanks guys for the comments.

Rich it was 41 down at the obs yesterday and a real stinker. Inside all day in the cooler air. Didn't export any power at all in the last two days. LOL.

multiweb (Marc) · #17 03-01-2012, 11:00 AM

A very nice shot of a favourite. Lovely colors.

stardust steve (Steve) · #18 03-01-2012, 12:18 PM

looks superb

Paul Haese · #19 03-01-2012, 05:37 PM

Thanks guys, glad you like it.

SkyViking (Rolf) · #20 03-01-2012, 09:16 PM

Thanks for the camera information Paul. Yes I expect to be able to image at around -30C to -35C most of the year, except maybe -20C to -25C in just Jan/Feb.

Fascinating with the reddening of the distant nebula, it's really an obvious difference you have captured there. A nice bonus for an already great image.