Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83)

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Photographer:

Jon Greif

Location of Photo:

Sliding Springs Observatory, NSW, Australia, remotely via itelescope.net from La Jolla, CA, USA.

Date/Time of photo:

28 February, 2017, at 0100 AM, local time

Equipment:

Planewave CDK 435 mm reflecting telescope and imaging platform.

Description:

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy also known as M83 is a barred spiral galaxy, like our Milky Way, but less than half the Milky Way's size. It is located approximately 14.7 million light-years distant in the eastern section of the constellation Hydra, and, from Southern and Equatorial latitudes, is visible with binoculars, appearing under dark skies as a patch of light with a brighter center. For mid-latitude northern hemisphere observers, the galaxy can be a difficult object as it never climbs particularly high above the southern horizon. This LRGBHa image was taken remotely, 5 minute exposures for each filter, using the iTelescope.net Sliding Springs, NSW Australia, Observatory's 430 mm PlaneWave CDK imaging platform (T17), at 1:00 AM local time. Post-processing was with Nebulosity and GIMP.

Website:

http://skyandtelescope.org/author/jgreif/