|
Hello,
The night of May 6th promised an even closer encounter between the hyperactive minor planet 7 Iris and the slumbering giant galaxy, M104, also known as the Sombrero Galaxy.
Using my Takahashi Mewlon 180 telescope and SBIG ST7 CCD camera, I could just squeeze this enthralling cosmic spectacle onto the 765x510 pixel chip, by using a x0.8 reducer/flattener to bring the 180mm diameter telescope’s focal length down from 2160mm at F12 to 1728mm at F9.6.
I managed to capture 31 exposures between 7:26pm and 10:21pm AEST (GMT+10), showing the minor planet skimming the edge of the galaxy. The longer focal length “magnified” the movement of Iris between each 5 minute exposure, clearly showing the dynamic nature of this solar system interloper.
Oh the joys of imaging at longer focal lengths, using small chips, under light polluted skies! LOL!
Cheers
Dennis
|