June Imaging Challenge - M83 (Southern Pinwheel)

[iceman]

Hi all.

We'd love you to take part in the June Imaging Challenge (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=69,207,0,0,1,0). Please post your deep-space images of M83 in this thread. Discussions about the images can also be in this thread.

Please ensure the image obeys the image posting guidelines when you attach them.

While it would be nice if the image were taken in the month of June, it's not essential so feel free to post older images if you're unable to take some new ones.

For observation reports and sketches of the object, see the "Space & Astronomy Talk" forum.

[tornado33]

Hi
Ive reprocessed the shot Ive posted in Deep Space last month, it shows a more accurate colour balance, so I thought I would submit it here
http://www.users.on.net/~josiah/temp/m83b.jpg
A 20 and 30 min ISO 200 shot, 10 inch F5.6 newt. and EOS 300D

[atalas]

Great shot again tornado !


Louie :)

[tornado33]

Many thanks.
Actually I was wrong with the exposure info, it is in fact 2 x 17 min ISO 200 shots.
Scott

[Iddon]

wow!

[iceman]

Awesome shot Scott, I definitely like this colour balance more!

[Raydar]

Great shot Tornado

Was that Fuji or Kodak film?

Cheers

Ray

[seeker372011]

brilliant

[seeker372011]

anyway, here's my M83 effort- a widefield

[[1ponders]]

Wow! That looks almost 3D Narayan. What were you exposure details?

[Robby]

My suttle attempt from the Astrophoto weekend in Taupo. I know the colour is all screwed, but hey at least it's something.

[Robby]

Hmmm... I wonder why the upload didn't work.. I'll try again.
I'm getting an error message saying that the image is only partially uploaded. It's only 45k in size, so I wonder what is happenning.
I'll attach inline instead...
http://www.2fdesign.co.nz/astronomy/DSO/M83_Pro5_web.jpg

[[1ponders]]

Nice Robby, you've got another three or four galaxies poking their little heads in there as well.

Yeah I'm having the same trouble as well???

[seeker372011]

its better than just something....that's a great image

[Little Dragon]

Great pinwhell picture robby

:rover2:

I can see 2 more bright galaxies on the right hand side of your second picture robby. Cool :2thumbs:

[Dennis]

Hi

A somewhat late entry for M83, in the June challenge. Bad weather, work and other events thwarted my efforts during June, so here is an image captured at the Qld Astrofest in 2003.

Vixen 4" refractor, SBIG ST7E ccd camera, 40 x 120 second exposures. This truly is a lovely galaxy when viewed through a large 'scope.

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders]]

Awesome detail Dennis. :thumbsup:

[seeker372011]

wow Dennis, that is a superb shot..yes it was truly spectacular through "hector" a few weeks ago at kulnora

[atalas]

Nice work Dennis ! thanks for sharing It with us.

Louie :2thumbs:

[iceman]

Holy cow, wonderful detail in the inner lanes! Superb shot Dennis!

[h0ughy]

Scott, Dennis and Robby, wow, great effort and wonderful detail :2thumbs: . One day when I grow up I would like to take images like yours, I am still in my astrophotography infancy! :D

[Dennis]

Hi H0ughy

The SBIG ST7E which I use (purchased from our very own EddieT) makes ccd imaging reasonably straightforward. The Vixen 4" only has a focal length of 918mm so it is quite forgiving in terms of guiding. The ST7E has an self-guiding chip so once you have set everything up; polar aligned, focused, cooled down the ccd chip, acquired the target, calibrated the auto-guding chip and pressed the <Go> button, you can sit back and have a cup of tea whilst the images are being exposed.

I have found the cooled ccd chip and auto-guiding function to be of enormous benefit – the M83 was 40 x 120 secs, an equivalent 80 minute exposure which I’m not sure a DSLR could handle as well?

Cheers

Dennis

[h0ughy]

Yeah sounds simple :P . Thats why I am in my infancy. I will be bringing my newly aquired wedge to QUeensland. I figure that over 6 days i should be able to learn off a few peole how to use it! :D