NASA APOD 3 July 2024
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240703.html
To fully appreciate the depth achieved in this image, make sure you turn up the brightness on your phone, or ideally view on a computer monitor in a dimly
lit room and adjust/increase your screen brightness appropriately, this grey scale can help: https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/55347254/original
See a collaborative composite by Robert Gendler, using my data plus five other telescopes, both ground and space based here:
http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M83-StarstreamBlend.html
Ultra Deep image of M83
This is an extremely deep image of the southern spiral galaxy M83 and immediate surrounds, in Hydra and is perhaps the deepest, as far as revealing extended
diffuse features, that has ever been compiled of this galaxy, while displaying the full dynamic range and in colour? The image shows a wealth of detail**
across the galaxy disc and main spiral arms and both Halpha and OIII data have been included in the image to better reveal the extensive star forming regions
across the galaxy. An extensive outer halo, that envelopes the galaxy out to 24 arc min in diameter, has been revealed, this is approximately double the
normally referenced apparent size of 12.5 X 10 arc min, for the galaxy and at the distance of M83, equates to a diameter of around 110,000 light years.
Not previously seen this clearly, subtle contrast enhancement applied to this halo has revealed it to be comprised of a number of very faint but distinctly
separate spiral arms, that wrap around and envelope the galaxy. Also seen and first revealed by Malin and Hadley (1997) in deep amplified photographic plates,
taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope at the Australian Optical Observatory, is a very faint outer stellar stream (bottom left), whose curve is closely
concentric with and located somewhat distant from and north west of the galaxy.
**NB: No Blur Exterminator or other AI based sharpening was used on this data.
A high contrast stretch, reveals the full extent of the galaxy halo and confirms that the outer halo
is likely also physically connected to the distant north west stellar stream, see here:
https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/174647434/original
A paper by Barnes et al. provides insights into the structure and formation of M83 and the nature of the north west stellar stream:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/789/2/126/pdf
**NB: No Blur Exterminator or other AI based sharpening was used on this data.
Orion Optics UK AG12 F3.8
Starlightxpress TRIUS PRO-694 Midi Combi PRO Blue Edition incl.CFW & OAG unit
FLI Atlas Focuser
LHaOIIIRGB = 15hrs, 4.2hrs, 3.2hrs, 1.6hrs 1.6hrs, 1.75hrs.
Combined total exposure 27.35hrs
Astronomik Deep-Sky LRGB and 6nm Ha filters
-20C chip temp, flats used but no dark frames.
Focal length 1120mm
Image scale 0.84"/pix
Guide Camera: Starlightxpress Lodestar PRO
Comments
Data collected 14 & 15 April, 7 & 9 May 6 & 7 June 2024,
Good seeing - distribution of FWHM of raw Luminance sub frames was 1.5" to 1.8" with most common FWHM value = 1.7"
Taken from Eagleview Observatory:
https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/eagleview_observatory
Equipment setup:
https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/173097781/original
Some links to equipment used to take this image:
Sidereal Trading
https://www.siderealtrading.com.au/
StarlightXpress CCD Cameras and imaging equipment
http://www.sxccd.com/products
Finger Lakes Instrumentation CCD cameras:
http://www.flicamera.com/
Gerd Neumann and Astronomik filters:
http://www.astronomik.com/en/home
http://www.gerdneumann.net/
MSB Software & Astroart Camera control and Image processing software
http://www.msb-astroart.com/
