NGC300: This is a classic spiral galaxy visually within the constellation Sculptor. It long has been thought to be part of the Sculptor Group of galaxies, but more recent findings suggest that it and its close neighbor NGC55 are probably located between us and the Sculptor Group; it is thought that NGC300 and NGC55 are gravitationally bound together, and the tidal forces are deforming NGC55. The pinkish regions are active star-forming regions in this galaxy; the bright blue dots are clusters of bright young stars. NGC300 is relatively close to us, about 6 million light years away. What is shown here measures about 50,000 light years across (about half what our Milky Way measures), but recent analysis has suggested that stars belonging to NGC300 may stretch twice that distance.

Technical Information:

LRGB: 300:180:150:150; All channels are the integration of 15-minute exposures through Astrodon filters. All images unbinned.

Equipment: 14.5" RCOS at about f/9, and an SBIG STL-11000M with internal filter wheel (Astrodon filter set), guided by a MOAG/AO-L combination, all riding on a Bisque Paramount ME German Equatorial Mount.

Image Acquisition/Camera Control: Maxim DL, controlled with ACP, working in concert with TheSky v6.

Processing: All images calibrated (darks and dawn flats), aligned, combined and deconvolved (data used in the luminance layer only) in Pixinsight. Color combine in Photoshop CS5. Finish work (curves and levels, adjustment of contrast, High Pass Filter/Layer Mask, and some sharpening of the luminance layer) was done in Photoshop CS5.

Location: Data acquired remotely from Fair Dinkum Skies, Moorook, South Australia.

Date: Images taken on many nights in October and November of 2014. Image posted January 27, 2015.

CCD Chip temperature: -5C

Copyright 2014, 2015 Mark de Regt

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