Thursday, December 21, 2017

successfully imaged NGC 1232 (Halifax)

The Burke-Gaffney Observatory was up and running again. The robot imaged NGC 1232 for me. A faint face-on galaxy low in Eridanus. One of the RASC Finest NGCs. Is this what our home galaxy looks like?

galaxy RASC Finest NGC 1232 in luminance

Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.

The spiral arms seem somewhat disturbed or bent, due to the companion galaxy, no doubt. Hence the Arp 41 designation. The large arm opposite 1232A has a definite kink. Meanwhile the east arms are being pulled toward the small attractor.

South-west of the grand spiral is a small faint fuzzy: LEDA 838076. It is near the star J030917.8-204247.

The round circle to the south-east is a satellite galaxy designated as NGC 1232 A.

I noted a faint small oval fuzzy, LEDA 840370, east of the bright star HD 19764.

Sadly, there's a faint satellite trail through the centre of the image.

This was one of the first BGO targets programmed using the minimum altitude setting of 20. My first attempt to shoot it, issued in Oct '16, returned the result "never rises high enough." Recently, when I tried again, I received the response that it would not work "in the next 30 days (with given exposure parameters)!" Which made me think it was possible. That's when I learned about the default elevation and that the mount could go lower.

SkyTools said the true altitude was 24° 50' while the altitude above visible horizon was 25° 13'.

Gar! There's a faint tumbler.

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Imaged again on 2 Jan '18.

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Wikipedia link: NGC 1232.

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