NGC 602 – A Rarely Image Inhabitant of the Small Magellanic Cloud
OTA:……………….TAO 150 (f/7.3)
Camera:………….FLI - ML16200 (1.13 arcsec/pixel)
Observatory:….Deep Sky West, Chile
EXPOSURES:
EXPOSURES:
…R…….16 x 900 sec.
…B…....18 x 900
…G…….15 x 900
…L……..17 x 900
…H.……16 x 1800
Total exposure 24 hours
Image Width: 1.25 deg
Processed by Alex Woronow (2020) using PixInsight, Topaz, 3DLut, SWT
NGC 602 lies in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Like almost all strong HII regions, it is a star-forming area where loops of gas are pushed away from the newly ignited stars and collide with the surrounding gases to induce dense areas that form yet more new stars.
This complex lies near the SMC’s entry-way to the Magellanic Bridge. (See my discussions here
https://astrob.in/dukkk7/0/ and here
https://astrob.in/yaqx9p/0/ .)
Looking through Astrobin, except for a few versions using Hubble data, I found only four images focused on NGC 602 or the proximal area. So, here’s uno mas!
Processing: My initial take on this object, from early color compositions, was that it had little to offer in way of interest and, in fact, little in the way of an opportunity to test the image-processing limits. But, while there is not much structure to reveal, at least at this low resolution, the challenge lies in revealing the large loop that bridges the two brighter HII regions and extends downward. That structure was largely obscured by stars and noise in the original HLRGB image. I’m pleased with how much its presence, ultimately, became visible.
Along the way, one of my programs, 3DLUT Creator, through Windows into turmoil. A program that I ran 10s of times before Windows now accused of being a threat. Have any of you had this happen? Is there a resolution? I am too concerned to simply tell Windows to buzz off.
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