NGC 908 a Starburst galaxy in Cetus

[strongmanmike]

Another beautiful but modest sized galaxy, part of our current galaxy season down under, NGC 908 is just 5.5' X 2.5' in apparent size and even a little smaller than NGC 1350, the subject of my last image, so luckily the seeing co-operated again to allow a decent view to be captured :)

Contrary to my usual habit of only doing it without a bright Moon in the sky, the RGB for this was captured under a first 1/4 Moon...but it still seems to have worked out ok :)

Unlike NGC 1350 in Fornax though, NGC 908 is classified as a starburst galaxy, so it has quite a bit going on and displays a wealth of colour and features.

NGC 908 in Cetus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/strongman/49002096501/in/dateposted/) (click on image and scroll around with your cursor)

For a good scroll around the full resolution image, looking for faint fuzzies, go HERE (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/169976080/original), shrink it in your browser to fit your screen :thumbsup:

To assist in identifying features captured in my data, Here (https://pbase.com/image/170003219/original) is a comparison with a very high resolution image by the 8.2m VLT (https://www.eso.org/public/australia/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/) on Cerro Paranal in Chile

Hope you enjoy

Mike

[Ryderscope]

Yep, definitely a good time to bring out the AG for a bit of close up work. I particularly like the structure that has come out in the spiral arms giving them a layered terraced appearance. Lovely.

[Atmos]

Very nice Mike! This also seems to have more “double stars” than most fields in the sky! Every second brighter star seems to have a near by companion :lol:

A couple of nicely resolved background galaxies thrown in there too.

[multiweb]

Really nice. :thumbsup: I should get off my butt and get the CN-212 out there. Noticed this one comes pretty close to the zenith. Shame about the current seeing. :sadeyes:

[Geoff45]

Another good one Mike. I did this one a while back--not as good as yours but I might have a go at a repro.
Geoff

[alpal]

Great image Mike,
I can't find a better one from any amateur telescope.
There was only ESOs image from Wiki.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_908


cheers
Allan

[RobF]

Love swimmin' around the full size image.
Wonderful stuff Mike :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Rod, a great time of year down here for galaxy'afiles :thumbsup:



Yes a few double stars, I had o keep reminding myself during capture that, no, they are not elongated, they are a double star!! :thumbsup:



The seeing has been ok round here lately, can't complain :)



Thanks Geoff, yes I remember yours, I thin you said the seeing was pretty poor..?

Mike



Ahhhhh yes, thanks Allan...yes, that'd be THIS (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/170003219/original) shot, :D



Hope you enjoyed the paddle Rob :thumbsup:

Mike

[John Hothersall]

You didn't need any Ha as it was picked up in the red channel pretty strongly. You must be pleased with the seeing you got from the comparison with the professional scope. Well done Mike!

John.

[strongmanmike]

Yes John, happy enough...always wonder what could be achieved if I had this gear at 2700m in clear, steady and dry desert skies...:question:

Mike

[codemonkey]

Another awesome one, Mike. Keep 'em coming! There's some lovely background fuzzies in that one too.

Re moon phase, I generally do LRGB when the moon phase is < 50% or it's not above the horizon. It seems infuriatingly common that it's cloudy here when < 50% but as soon as it hits 50% it clears up... like it's just done, again. I now have an entire week of clear skies forecast :|

[Andy01]

Looks great Mike - you're on a roll :rofl:

[strongmanmike]

Bloody clouds, someone should blow clouds up! (Ted Bullpitt 1980)



Love imaging galaxies :D...buuuut might shoot a planetary Neb next...:question: haven't done one of those for a while...

Mike

[E_ri_k]

Sweet Mike, that full res image is great.

Erik

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Erik :thumbsup:

Mike

[SimmoW]

That's a little opal there Mike, lovely!

[Paul Haese]

Those back ground galaxies are very nice; in particular the one on the top left.

The main galaxy is probably what the Milky Way looks like from a distance. Looks like there are two main arms and then a few small spurs coming off those.

Nice work.

[Placidus]

We're in our intergalactic spaceship, approaching fast - time to start slowing down, and finding our hand luggage.

Magnificent image. As others have said, you're on an amazing roll.

[Bart]

Gee Mike, better grab another bottle, that's a corker as well!

Lots of background stuff there, beautiful main galaxy colour, awesome!

[strongmanmike]

Something about proper spiral galaxies, always the most dynamic looking :)



Yeah, I get that sense of arriving in a spaceship..cool :thumbsup:

Yes, I am indeed enjoying zooming in with a finer image scale, after a bit of a period sweeping up vast swaths of the sky with the FSQ-16803 cosmic vacuum combo :D



Thanks Bart :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Yes, an opal, good description Simon :thumbsup:...or perhaps an opal encrusted broach?

Mike

[gregbradley]

That turned out well. I also imagine it looks quite similar to what our Milky Way would look like from a distance plus a barred core.

These smaller galaxies are tough to image.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

While it is no Atacama or even Flinders Ranges, I have found Wallaroo rarely turns on poor seeing and provides at least average to decent seeing much of the time, so hitting smaller objects with the AG12 is regularly feasible :thumbsup:

Mike

[topheart]

Lovely colour and detail there Mike!!
Cheers,
Tim

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Tim :)

Mike

[gary]

Hi Mike,

Beautiful image.

Would you possibly be able to determine a designation for the galaxy
I annotated on your image in yellow which I think is at 02h23m16.8s -21:23:54 ?

Best Regards

Gary

[strongmanmike]

Hi Gary

Thanks..and ok, Here you go (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/170062338/original)...In whatever database used, there is nothing catalogued at that position!

:thumbsup:

Mike

[gary]

Hi Mike,

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to annotate the image!

I first spotted the bright one whilst comparing your image to Aladin.

It's instructive as to how many galaxies, some of them pretty bright
and obvious, have been overlooked in the surveys.

Like - let me look at my watch here - we are already in the year 2019.

For example, when you compare PGC 830139 with the one I asked about,
it's interesting how multiple surveys spotted the first but not the later.

So just in that one FOV, we have discovered Gary's Galaxy and Mike I
and Mike II and that's not counting the more obscure little ones in there. :lol:

Actually, I really like your annotated image. If I saw that annotated version
inside a marquee at an astrophotography competition held about 3 hours
north-west of Sydney, I'd think, "Wow! This person is discovering all
this cool stuff", and I would vote for it. :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

As he has done before, my friend (and expert on PN's and Galaxies) Sakib Rasool did the annotation :thumbsup:



Think of all the T-Shirts we will need to make up! :lol:



He he he...on ya Gazza :thumbsup:

Mike

[gary]

Hi Mike,

Please thank Sakib for me.

He did a bang up job! :thumbsup:

A free "We Like Mike" T-shirt to every sentient being who inhabits a planet in Mike I.

[strongmanmike]

....and a better NBN :sadeyes: :lol: :thumbsup: