From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Messier 83 or M83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy and NGC 5236, is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation borders of Hydra and Centaurus. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered M83 on 23 February 1752 at the Cape of Good Hope. Charles Messier added it to his catalogue of nebulous objects (now known as the Messier Catalogue) in March 1781.

It is one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in the sky, and is visible with binoculars. It has an isophotal diameter at about 36.24 kiloparsecs (118,000 light-years). Its nickname of the Southern Pinwheel derives from its resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101).

Telescope: William Optics FLT132

Camera: QHY9 Mono @ -20c

Filter Wheel: QHY 7 position Ultra Slim

Filters: QHY 36mm unmounted L R G B, Baader 36mm unmounted HA OIII SII

Guidng: QHY OAG

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120 Mini

Mount: AZ-EQ6

Mount Control: EQASCOM

Focusing: SharpSky Pro and Sequence Generator Pro 3 (automated)

Light Box by Exfso

Capture Software: Sequence Generator Pro 3

Guiding Software: PHD2

Calibration and Stacking Software: PixInsight

Processing Software: PixInsight

Number and Type of Data Frames: L= 30X10min, R= 20x5min, G= 20x5min,
B= 20x5min

Ha= 6x10min, SII= x min, OIII= x min.

Binning: 1x1

Total Image Time: 11 hrs

Location: Lockleys Observatory B, Tanunda, Sth Australia