Abell 1060 Hydra Galaxy Cluster

[sjastro]

First light with an STXL11002 CCD.

3 hrs L and 1 hr for R, G and B exposures with a BRC-250 scope.

High resolution here.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~sjastro/HydraC.html

Clear skies

Steven

[SkyViking]

Very nice and what a great FOV for this target, you got all the outer members as well.:thumbsup:
Is that a reflection to the right of the cluster?

[Larryp]

Nice result, Steven

[Tandum]

Look at all those galaxies, holysmoke.
Do you know what that ring to the right is?

[sjastro]

Thanks for the comments.

The ring is a reflection off the brightest field star.

Reflections have been removed in the high resolution image.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~sjastro/HydraC.html

Regards

Steven

[RickS]

That's a fascinating image, Steven!

[LewisM]

Just WOW. It's images like this that inspire and fascinate!

May try myself!

[gregbradley]

That's a great image Stephen. Congrats.

Greg.

[jase]

Great first light with the new camera Steven. The distant galaxies sprinkled around the field is remarkable. Well done! I must say that I think this combination is providing better sampling. 1.46 arcsec/pixel versus 1.11 with your old ST-10. Other than the obvious benefit of a larger FoV that the STXL11k offers, what drew you to this camera? Sensitivity is down in comparison. Tired of blooms?

[Stevec35]

Great looking image Steven! I purchased an STXL11002 recently too but so far it won't talk to my mount. Don't know whether there's something wrong or it's operator error.

Cheers

Steve

[Ross G]

A great looking photo Steven.

Sharp and detailed....so many galaxies!

I like the colours and composition as well.

Ross.

[sjastro]

Thanks Rick, Lewis, Greg and Ross for your kind comments.



Thanks Jase.

The ST-X10ME will still remain the primary CCD for imaging.
I'm more interested in the fainter and more obscure objects as well as imaging in UV, although this is still a tough assignment for the ST-X10ME.
(A 70 hr UV exposure of Centaurus A is on the cards to get the same S/N ratio as 1.5 hr visible light luminance exposure.:))

The main motivation for acquiring the STXL-11002 is the larger FOV.




Hi Steve,

I've found that communications issues were always traced back to a faulty cable. The autoguide cable is not terribly robust and breaks easily.

Regards

Steven

[Stevec35]

Hi Steve,

I've found that communications issues were always traced back to a faulty cable. The autoguide cable is not terribly robust and breaks easily.

Regards

Steven[/QUOTE]

Point taken but I've tried it with three cables so far so I'm really beginning to suspect the camera.

[multiweb]

Very nice. Amazing dteails in the faint fuzzies in the high-res. :thumbsup:

[sjastro]

Sorry to hear about that Steve.



Thanks Marc.

Regards

Steven

[LucasB]

Great first light Steven. I look forward to more great shots with this set up.:thumbsup:
Lucas

[rogerg]

Great shot :)

[seeker372011]

A fascinating field

[DavidNg]

Wow, so many galaxies..

[sjastro]

Thanks Lucas, Roger, Narayan and David for your comments.

Clear skies

Steven

[sjastro]

PS.

The cluster is composed of 157 bright galaxies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_Cluster

I counted 141 in the image which probably includes some background galaxies.

Regards

Steven