NGC300 and friends

[Paul Haese]

I was not going to present this image until I had over 30 hours of data but I am about to change filters from Astronomiks to Astrodons and it seems the weather is not going to co-operate in the next month. Perhaps it has something to do with all the equipment I have bought recently. In any event, this is nearly 10 hours of data, but given how faint this object is, it really needs a lot more data.

Despite the noise present in the image I am sort of impressed with the hints of dust lanes near the core of this image. I looked around the net for comparable images and while it seems there are certainly lots of images of NGC300, there just is not that many that show the dust lanes near the core. An image taken by Hubble shows all the detail and confirms the hints I have in my image. Not bad for a 4" telescope and something I will image with the RC12 once the new observatory is up and running.

Also worth looking around for is the many background galaxies. Some appear in clusters, some on their own.

Click here for larger image.

[Julian]

Still has nice detail paul

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Hey Paul, nice work mate, love the vibrant colours don't let the tinted grey nay sayers tell ya anything else , colour rules Yes and some nice details in there too

Mike

[RickS (Rick)]

Looks good, Paul! It must be a very difficult target, especially for a small refractor. The surface brightness is quite low. I look forward to the RC12 version.

Cheers,
Rick.

[Shiraz (Ray)]

nice image for such a small aperture Paul. The background galaxies are particularly interesting.
Agree, weather sure has been cr** down SA way this year - amazed you found 10 hours of clear sky.
regards Ray

[multiweb (Marc)]

Great colours and details. Cool shot.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks guys,


Mike I like colour but not too fluro.

Ray, with the robotic automation I have been having more success getting the data. I can image from home or if I have the iPad with me I can start a run while out. It makes for easier data collection.

Rick, it is really dim. 20 subs on the lum should really have been 30 minutes and the colour should have been 20 minutes each sub. Without the depth, the data was producing noise on stretch. Yeah pretty dim.

[Ross G]

Great looking galaxy photo Paul.

I like the colour.

Ross.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Mike I like colour but not too fluro.

Yeah..? That's a pretty wicked blue ya got going on there

Looks ok to me though, the bluer the better I recon

Mike

[gregbradley]

That's a good image Paul. The widefield look is surprisingly good.

The little Tak continues to punch above its weight.

Greg.

[Paul Haese]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Yeah..? That's a pretty wicked blue ya got going on there

Looks ok to me though, the bluer the better I recon

Mike

Hmmm might have to dial that back a bit then.

Originally Posted by gregbradley

That's a good image Paul. The widefield look is surprisingly good.

The little Tak continues to punch above its weight.

Greg.

Yep it's been a great scope and been worth every cent I paid for it. I am starting to feel the need for a wider aperture with around the same f ratio though. However, it will have to wait for another year or so yet. I want to get the RC12 up and running with the new imaging train and mount in the new dome before I contemplate what I am going to buy to replace the mighty TSA.

[marco (Marco Lorenzi)]

Nice one Paul, I am not totally convinced of the color of the core, I got definitely a yellower tone on mine, it is a vibrant composition none the less

Clear skies
Marco

[Paul Haese]

Originally Posted by marco

Nice one Paul, I am not totally convinced of the color of the core, I got definitely a yellower tone on mine, it is a vibrant composition none the less

Clear skies
Marco

Yes I saw your image Marco when I did my google search. I noted that yours was yellow at the core. I think mine may be a little too red, but going on the Hubble image I think somewhere in between both of our images is about right.

[David Fitz-Henr]

Yes, very nice image for a small scope, great details and colour; I like the deep shots of these galaxies with the wider surrounding fields showing lots of background galaxies to swim around in. Possibly could dial the blue back a tiny smidgeon as Mike subtly hinted at