LMC and SMC tidal streams

[alocky]

I've seen a few images over the last week of this, so I thought I'd have a go too!
I drove the 600km out to Mt Magnet with my 25" to do some outreach last week, and camped in behind Mt Singleton on the way up. Although the clouds were threatening when we set up camp, it cleared up around 8pm. Unfortunately I'd already written the night off and had consumed too much wine to set up the big dob - but was able to get the G11 polar aligned and try out the new-to-me old Nikon 50mm 1.8D on the SMC and LMC. Turns out these are a bit over-hyped, and the newer 1.4G is a considerably better performer in terms of coma. But - 1 hours worth and it was relatively easy to pull these very deep structures out!

http://www.astrobin.com/309256/?nc=user

very cool!
Nikon D810A, 50mm 1.8D @ f3.5, 1600 iso and 30 x 120sec frames.

[DJT]

😎 indeed. These inverted images are brilliant for showing this stuff. Well done!

[Atmos]

Very nice Andrew!

For a $150 lens brand new the 50mm F/1.8D is a pretty good performer. The F/1.4G might be better but its several times more expensive too :P

You've captured the tidal streams well though!

[alocky]

Hi Colin - I picked up the 1.8D second hand for 100, but you can pick up those G lenses as well for peanuts. I haven't even been able to give mine away! I don't think either of them are good enough for AP, so the search continues for something that will. I guess I'll try the Sigma next :-(
Here's a comparison between the two, the 1.8 is very good on-axis, but woeful at the corners. Both of these images were at f3.5.

[alocky]

Thanks David - it shows that the reality is far more complex than a simple bridge between the two! It looks like the sort of smoke trail you might get if you tied two rockets together.

[Martin Pugh]

Nice one. Certainly not seen the tidal streams around the LMC before.

is that well known??

cheers
Martin

[alocky]

Hi Martin, I've imaged the extended halo before with a 135mm lens, but this is the first time I've ever seen the narrow ribbons in there.

[strongmanmike]

These streams around the SMC/LMC are well known and have been imaged quite a few times but sheesh this is a great shot of it Andrew, niiice work :thumbsup:

Mike

[alocky]

Thanks Mike! Considering how much vino was sloshing around in me when I set it up I'm surprised anything turned up!

[clive milne]

Phenomenal Andrew... kudos!

[alocky]

Thanks Clive- some seriously dark skies might have helped!

[Atmos]

These tidal streams have been quite extensively studied in the past decade. These fainter regions are thought to be remnants of past interactions between the two dwarf galaxies.
There is a tidal bridge of neutral hydrogen that connects the LMC and SMC, very little is known about this one however and it has only been very recently that a faint magnetic bridge has been found to extend along this bridge. If it wasn't raining so much down in Melbourne I do want to give a crack at trying to detect the bridge with a Sigma Art 85mm and two panels with a QHY163M.

At this stage, going to have to wait until next new moon :(

Very nice job though Andrew :)

[topheart]

Very interesting and very well done Andrew!!
Cheers,
Tim

[Placidus]

Amazing. Well done.

[alocky]

Thanks Mike and Trish! I will have to get my main imaging scope under skies like this one day.


Thanks Tim!

[Stefan Buda]

Excellent! I've been waiting for over a year for someone to have a go at this.
Mine was done with an ancient 50mm Pentax lens: http://asv.org.au/gallery?dir=Stefan%20Buda

There is a tidal stream visible, extending out from the SMC, but the other long features have nothing to do with the Magellanic clouds. If I remember correctly, they are just galactic cirrus that is all over the place in that direction.

[alocky]

Thanks for that Stefan - the long features definitely have the right dusty colour for galactic cirrus, and there's no way for me to resolve them into stars. I thought the morphology was too coincidental though, it really looks like the LMC is connected to the end of one.
Your image is spectacular- I think it may be the one I remembered seeing that inspired me to try this field! I'm quite unimpressed with the coma on that older Nikon lens though, your Pentax looks much sharper.
Cheers
Andrew.

[gregbradley]

A fabulous image Andrew.

This is an area of great interest as even if its been imaged by pros at some point in the amateur community its brand new. Great image there as well Stefan. What was the lens and the camera for that image?

Greg.

[RickS]

Fantastic work, Andrew :thumbsup:

[Stefan Buda]

I used a 1980s SMC Pentax-M, 50mm f:1.7, stopped to f:2.8 and a QHY8 camera. My image is a 3 panel mosaic.

[Regulus]

Seriously? Polar aligning drunk is easier than putting together the two parts of a dob? If that's all it takes, I'm taking up alcohol :rofl:

[alocky]

Thanks Greg - amazing to think what technology will bring to us amateurs in the future, I can't imagine ever getting an image like this on film!


Thanks Rick - I used the pixinsight colour calibration tool on this - it plate solved a 50mm full frame field before trundling off to get a pile of g2v stars!

[alocky]

It's the bit about standing on a 6 foot fruit picking ladder putting the upper tube assembly on the poles in the dark with compromised balance I didn't want to tackle. And the nearest hospital would have been Meekatharra - 4 hours.
However I can recommend alcohol. It doesn't solve any of your problems, but it sure makes them seem funny.
;)
why isn't there a 'glug glug' emoticon on here..
cheers,
Andrew.

[multiweb]

That looks great Andrew. Thinking of doing that kind of stuff with the C11/Hyperstar from the backyard sometime see what comes up. :thumbsup:

[alocky]

Ooh yes - those things suck the light in! It would be a real challenge with light pollution, though.
Looking forward to it!

[Regulus]

Can see how that might end badly :rofl:
I'll just have a drink and think about it.