Galaxy NGC 300
NGC 300 is another of my favourite galaxies. It's a classic example of a spiral
galaxy (Sc type) and appears at Magnitude 8.5 in the southern constellation of
Sculptor. Spanning a large 19.9' x 13.8'
arc-minutes of the sky and at only 6.5-million light-years distance, stars in
this galaxy are on the verge of being resolved into individual stars which
results in the hazy like appearance of NGC300. Large bright nebulae and star
forming regions appear as bright bluish clumpy knots that trace the spiral arms
of this marvellous galaxy.
The relative close proximity of NGC 300 allows astronomers to study Cepheid variable stars that occupy this galaxy. Cepheid stars pulsate in brightness over a particular period of time. A known relationship exists between the time it takes for the star to change in brightness and the stars luminosity which allows accurate distance calculations to be performed.
Image Exposure Details
| Telescope | 304mm f/5 reflector telescope. |
| Camera |
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel. |
| Exposures | 3 x 90 sec. @ ISO 1600. 3 x 7 min. @ ISO 200. 2 x 7 min. @ ISO 400. |
| Total Exposure time | approx. 37-minutes. |
| Sky Conditions | Clear but bright sky. Seeing: 8/10 Wind: 0.3/10 Moisture: 1/10. |
| Guider | hand guided. |
| Ambient Temperature | 19° C. |
| Notes | Used Baader Coma Corrector, warm
night, camera noise increasing with warmer nights. |
(C) Copyright 2005 Paul Mayo.
paulm@skylab.com.au