NGC 1313 - Topsy Turvy Galaxy (Paul Muller)

NGC 1313 - Topsy Turvy Galaxy

Who can resist a bargain!?

Well this deep sky object gives you not just one but at least two if not more galaxies in the same coordinates, the result of an intergalactic collision of epic proportions.

This is an object that I've seen a huge number of Chilean based scopes go after and achieve stunning results, so I thought I woudl have a go from my light polluted inner-city location and, well, it's not quite as spectacular. Whilst there's obviously a lot going on, what makes NGC1313 so interesting is the (at least in my image) barely detectable "cloud" of stars floating like a halo around the cores of the colliding partners. This might give you some sense of how chaotic the Brangelina of galaxies (the Milky Way and Andromeda - Milkdromeda?) might look like in 4 billion years time when it all kicks off.

The framing on this shot is unconventional but deliberate - you'll notice a small galaxy off in the corner and I through rather than crop it out, let's leave it in, a portent of things to come perhaps?

Who knows, one day I might have access to dark enough skin sto come back and do this one justice.

Original
B
Final
C

B

Description: updated due to a contrast problem...

Uploaded: ...

C

Title: NGC 1313 - one year on, new site, less data, better result

Description: Not so much a revision as a totally new image.

When I first imaged this wonderful galaxy it was from my MPSAS 18 (Bortle 8/9) balcony outside my home in Melbourne, Australia.

A year on, I've since moved the entire rig to my Springbrook observatory, adjacent to Siding Spring, and the difference is night and day, expect it's actually night and night, if you know what I mean....

The new image is based on 5 hours of data versus 12 for the previous image. You can make out the halo of stars orbiting the galactic nucleus and if you look real hard, thew top right hand corner is slightly hazy - it's much clearer in a deeper stretch, but from what I can figure out that's either gas or perhaps more stars?

At the risk of stating the obvious, dark skies makes things a LOT easier and substantially less frustrating.

Uploaded: ...

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	5155141
PixInsight job	QGZTUK99O60ARJYSBUW9O96S412D2DF1
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	03h18m16s.427
RA (top/left)	03h15m59s.750
RA (top/right)	03h15m47s.728
RA (bottom/right)	03h20m37s.778
RA (bottom/left)	03h20m41s.410

Dec (center)	-66°30′17″.57
Dec (top/left)	-66°08′36″.93
Dec (top/right)	-66°51′18″.60
Dec (bottom/right)	-66°51′48″.12
Dec (bottom/left)	-66°09′05″.73

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