NGC 253

NGC 253, also called the Sculptor galaxy. For a galaxy it is relatively close to us at 11.6 million light years and rather large at 27 minutes 30 seconds (roughly ½ the width of your little finger if you hold it at arm’s length up in the night sky).

 

The Sculptor Galaxy is a starburst galaxy and was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783. Ironically she was looking for comets when she discovered this galaxy. The starburst galaxy designation means the galaxy is undergoing rapid star formation, at a much higher rate than most galaxies. One of the most prominent features of this galaxy is the complex dust lanes scattered throughout it, in addition to the blueish colour signifying a galaxy rich in gas. Speculation suggests that a gas rich galaxy collided with the Sculptor Galaxy over 200 million years ago, and this was the primary catalyst for the resulting state we observe the galaxy in. This image was taken on my first night using this new scope so my collimation was slightly out and I had to crop off about 20%.

GSO 8" f/4 Imaging Newtonian

Imaging Cameras

Canon EOS 6D (modified) ×

Mounts

Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO

Accessories

GSO 2" Photo-Visual Coma Corrector

Software

Adobe Lightroom · Aries Productions Astro Pixel Processor (APP)

Acquisition details

Dates:

Nov. 1, 2024

Frames:

100×30″(50′)

Integration:

50′

Avg. Moon age:

29.50 days

Avg. Moon phase:

0.00%

Done