The giant galaxy NGC 5084 in southern Virgo

[strongmanmike]

This beautiful and vary rarely imaged, lenticular galaxy in southern Virgo, is one of largest and most massive galaxies in the Virgo Super cluster of galaxies. We view it almost perfectly edge on, so while it appears only about one arc min in thickness, in this very deep image, NGC 5084 spans almost 17 arc min of the sky, which, at an estimated distance of 80 Million light years, means it is nearly 400,000 light years in diameter, which in anyone's book, is one seeeriously gigantic galaxy!

I have a new favourite little galaxy too :love:...the Cheese Burger Galaxy just under the outer reaches of NGC 5084 left side.

I was lucky to get some decent seeing for much of this capture, my autoguiding errors were sitting at +/- 0.2 arc sec for most of two of the three nights! the third night was nearly as good.

Don't forget to calibrate your monitor (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/55347254/original) brightness/contrast for the best view :)

Giant galaxy NGC 5084 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/strongman/49913327252/in/dateposted/) click on image and pan around with your cursor

To have a good look at the full resolution image go HERE (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/170724379/original)

Don't forget, most image capture details can be found under the image :thumbsup:

Cheers

Mike

[peter_4059]

Great view Mike. Welcome back.. enjoyed the cheese burger also btw.

[Atmos]

There is a few nice and interesting galaxies scattered throughout that field Mike :thumbsup:
The main galaxy is an interesting one, that's for sure!

[Placidus]

Oh wow, such a galaxy and such an image! Such hawks, such hounds, and such brave men.


The guiding figures were remarkable, and imply pretty good seeing. The depth and colour are all your own!


Inspired by your image, 5084 is now on the "must do" list.

[Andy01]

Well done Mike - great image & always a pleasure to see something new! :thumbsup:

[topheart]

Hi Mike,
Andy's comments are spot on!!
Awesome!
Cheers,
Tim

[marc4darkskies]

Out. Standing. :thumbsup:

Just a question Mike (!!), is the central portion supposed to be that yellow, or is that artistic license? None of the renditions I've seen show a vibrant yellow core.

[alpal]

Nice photo Mike,
that's a rare one that I haven't seen before.

What is the galaxy name just below on the right hand side?
Is it a companion galaxy?


cheers
Allan

[markas]

Great image of 5084! The time you've given it certainly has paid off. That
detail doesn't come easily.....


Mark

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Pete, I'm a quarterpounder guy myself :P



I agree Col, I shot this galaxy back in 2013 at much wider FOV with the AG12 and 16803 chip but this latest effort has better resolution through twice as fine image scale :thumbsup:



Thanks chook masters, bet that list is pretty long....:question: ;)



Thanks Andy, indeed :)



On ya Timmy :cheers:



Thanks Marcus, I was happy with how this one came together, can't beat good seeing :thumbsup: As for the yellow core, well, prob just dealers choice I recon.. showing my Tony Hallas side :P ...Adam Blocks shot with the Schulman 32" RC (http://www.caelumobservatory.com/gallery/n5084.shtml) scope on 9000ft Mt Lemmon, is pretty yellow though :shrug:



Thanks Al, dunno...? at work so haven't got my star atlass :P



Thanks Mark, yeah seeing rules :thumbsup:

Mike

[Atmos]

I’ve just noticed that you have an internal reflection Mike, on the bottom left of the main galaxy it’s been replicated :lol:

[strongmanmike]

Yeah, it looks like the star images you see in some of the older FSQ's and other refactors :lol: go the Cheeseburgers :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

A rare image, haven't seen that one before. Nicely done. It looks like a small elliptical and spiral merged with that central dome. A bit like M104 The Sombrero.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks mate, I agree, the galaxy certainly evokes M104 feelings, undale undale aribba arriba.

Mike

[codemonkey]

Very cool target, Mike; I don't recall seeing this one before.

I'd like to say that you've done an amazing job... but... I have no basis for comparison :lol:

Seriously though, I had a quick poke around and there's not many images of this. I found one, apparently captured with a 32in RC (RCOS) in the Mount Lemmon observatory and yours compares very favourably.

Edit: ha, I guess it pays to read the comments as well as the original post ;-)

[Bart]

Nice catch there, Mike! Lovely image.

[strongmanmike]

Ha ha...yeah it isn't imaged by too many at all, hardly any in fact, as you discovered. This is surprising really, because I thought it a pretty spectacular looking galaxy, for an edge on baby and at 17 arc min long it's pretty big. Thin galaxies can often be somewhat boring :confuse3: but I think its size, the bright flaring haloed core area, with the thin but fanning edge on arms and slightly billowing ends, makes for a unique and very speccy looking galaxy :shrug:



Thanks a lot Graham.

Mike

[alpal]

Hi Mike,
I found out.
This site gives the names but says the distances are unknown.
http://server7.wikisky.org/starview?object_type=2&object_id=43&object_name=NGC+5084&locale=EN


So we now know its name: PGC 46489.
The distance of NGC 5084 is 80 million ly.
see here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5084


The distance of PGC 46489 is 58 million ly.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGC_46489


Therefore it's not a companion or satellite galaxy like our LMC
or Andromeda's M110 or NGC 205 galaxy.
However it could be gravitationally bound as are many galaxies in that direction.


cheers
Allan

[strongmanmike]

Well there ya go, detective Al...no discovery...DOH! :P

Mike

[PeterSEllis]

Excellent shot of NGC5084 and those background galaxies Mike. I think I will have to add that to my bucket list, although, with so many galaxies out there the list is pretty long already.

Peter

[Ryderscope]

A great display here Mike. The collection of galaxies providing support in the composition really make the image.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Pete and Rod :thumbsup: it is the peppered background that makes a galaxy image huh? especially if lucky enough to get good seeing so the tiny smudges can be seen better...imagine if the main target just sat on flat black :sadeyes:

Mike

[alpal]

Hi Mike,
wouldn't it be more interesting if every picture here got a once over
to determine exactly what was in it and how far away it was -
at least in so far as it's possible to know?
The amateur astronomers here often pick up faint galaxies for which there are
no names or other information anywhere to be found.
In this case I got lucky.



cheers
Allan :)

[strongmanmike]

That whole scenario sounds veeery familiar Al....:question: :lol:

Hey! I even have T-Shirts to prove it :D

Mike

[h0ughy]

I must say you have been very productive with your time you have grabbed a lot of cool images. Very pleasing to the eye.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Houghy :)...actually... with the fires and smoke, travelling on holidays and Covid19, it is now nearing the end of May and I have only completed three images in the last 6 months :sadeyes:

Mike

[Paul Haese]

That is a nice image of this galaxy. I have never seen a shot of it until now. I don't think I have ever seen it visually either. It is certainly now on my list of targets for AG12 rigs. I am busy myself with a couple of very large multi year projects so any chance of capturing this year will not be possible. Possibly the year after might work. I take it you rotated this image to portrait to make the galaxy look level?

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Paul, well I guess technically then, it is probably "the best" image of this galaxy...because, there are really no others :lol: and by that analysis, it must also be the best image you have ever seen of it too..given you have never seen it before :P :thumbsup:

Yes, this is the full frame rotated 90 deg.

Mike

[Jen]

:eyepop: so pretty

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Jen, indeed, sorry it is not purple ;) :lol:

Mike