A deeper, cleaner IC 5332 - 34 hours at the helm.

[Placidus]

We previously posted an image of IC 5332 in Sculptor, a ridiculously low surface brightness face-on spiral, very tightly wound, neat and tidy, not interacting or messing about with others, just pristine and pure. But we had not so much data, and the stars looked a bit funky.

We've now got a total of 34 hours of data, including 22.5 hours of Lum and 11.5 hours total of RGB, which enabled better statistical artifact rejection.

The picture looks much the same as before, just cleaner. Big one here. (https://photos.smugmug.com/Category/Astrophotography-at-Placidus/i-QMg6Khq/0/708ae642/O/IC%205332%20Lum%2022h30%20RGB%2011h 30%20each.jpg)

For those who haven't seen it before, there are a lot of galaxies in the background, several of whom are showing strong interaction.

FLI PL16803 on 20 inch PlaneWave. All robotic electronics, firmware, software, and all processing software designed built written by us.

[jahnpahwa]

Wow! The result and the work behind it are such inspirations!
Thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

[multiweb]

Fantastic! Those spiral arms look like strings of jewels. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[marc4darkskies]

Wow, very deep M&T!! A very impressive rendition! :thumbsup:

[Peter Ward]

Hummm.....I think Mr D. Zoolander sums this one up best:

Really, really, really ridiculously good looking.

Superbly deep too

Nice. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Placidus]

Thanks JP. That's kind.



Thanks Marc! A poetic description.



Cheers Marcus. We're much encouraged.



Thank you Peter! No fashionable brainwashing was used in the making of this image.

[gregbradley]

Well that's just magic.
Wow, you set a new standard.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Such a perfectly symmetrical inner spiral on this galaxy, almost looks fake, too perfect :question:...nature... Great job guys :thumbsup:

Mike

[Ryderscope]

I agree with Mike S., a stunningly perfect galactic specimen :thumbsup:

[Placidus]

Many thanks Greg, Mike, Rodney!


Hard on new moon now, but expecting 15 to 30 mm of rain. Time to give the car, and the main mirror, a wash. The other night the dome didn't want to rotate. There was a big fat spider sitting on the motor control printed circuit board, with a hairy tummy on a chip and a leg on every track. We moved the old lady on, and the dome rotated.

[Andy01]

Very pretty & semi transparent, reminds me of a Catherine wheel firework.:thumbsup:
Compositionally though, the twin bright stars at the top right lead the eye out of the frame - might be worth cropping them out to draw us back in to that amazing hero galaxy. :)

[topheart]

Just amazing!!
Cheers,
Tim

[Placidus]

Thanks Andy!



Mike: My aunt is a Fellow of the Royal Art Society, and she would agree with you about the two stars leading the eye out of the frame. Anathema. I disagree completely. I really like those two stars, they are my special friends, and I went to great effort to keep them. (We change the centre randomly on each frame to help with artifact rejection, and these two stars only appear in about 50% of subs) Perhaps my eye is more steadfast than some :D



Thanks muchly Tim!

Very best,
MnT