M83

Commonly a target for Southern Hemisphere astronomers, M83 is still available from the Northern Hemisphere in some locations. Good dark skies and a decent southern clearance are a necessity. Fortunately JMSM Observatory has both!

This is a total of almost 12 hours of exposure time though Clear, Red, Green, and Blue filters over the course of four nights. Click the image above for full details and larger images.

This was a fun image to take and process because it is not a target I would normally go after from my backyard. From the Southern Hemisphere, M83 is very well placed, high in the sky, for imaging. From the observatory in New Mexico, it only reaches a maximum altitude of 27 degrees above the horizon (27 degrees is about the height of a piece of paper held at arms-length). While not terribly low, from home this is quite difficult due to the light pollution and ocean moisture blocking the light from the galaxy.

Using the JMSM Observatory also enabled me to start and finish imaging each night almost as soon as the galaxy rose above the horizon. Something very difficult to from most locations.

M83 is most notable for being the third galaxy discovered (after The Andromeda Galaxy – M31 and its companion M32) by humanity in 1752 by Abbe Nicholas Louis de la Caille from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

This galaxy is estimated to be 15 million light years away. It is moving away from us at about 754000 mph (337 km/s).

Visible in my image of M83 are multiple dust lanes and hydrogen-alpha emitting nebula - much like our own galaxy. Each of these regions could be similar to any of the nebula images on my web site...

This is my second image using the facilities at JMSM Observatory. They are a joy to use. Yesi commented recently that since I've been using the telescope in New Mexico I should sell mine. I thought that was a funny joke... ;)

Enjoy!
-Matt