Object: | Constellation: | Coordinates: | Size: | Brightness: |
M 83 (= NGC 5236) |
Hya | 13h37m / -29°52' | 12.9' x 11.5' | 7.5mag |
The barred spiral galaxy Messier 83 (Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, NGC 5236) in the
constellation Hydra on April 19 / 20, 2015. The galaxy is approximately 15 million light years from Earth and was
discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille at the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) in 1752 (source: Wikipedia). Forty-one 3 minute exposures at ISO 800 with no dark frame subtraction were stacked with Deep Sky Stacker (resulting in a 2 h 10 min exposure) and further processed in Photoshop. The low position in the sky (declination -30°, observing latitude 47° 08' North, Switzerland) was a real challenge (maximum height above horizon: 13°). |
Equipment: Canon EOS 450D Baader modified camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 16" f/4.5 "Ninja" dobsonian telescope riding on a dual-axis Tom Osypowski equatorial platform, Lacerta MGEN autoguider, Lacerta off axis system (field of view comparison: image of the moon with the same equipment). |
Search chart for Messier 83. Map © 2015 "The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project", www.siaris.net. Map is modified. The map can be downloaded here . |