Observation by Martin Butcher: M53

Uploaded by

Stuart Morris

Observer

Martin Butcher

Observed

2012 Mar 18 - 02:36

Uploaded

2021 Aug 09 - 19:05

Objects

M53

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Constellation

Coma Berenices

Field centre

RA: 13^h12^m
Dec: +18°10'
Position angle: +21°10'

Field size

0°28' × 0°18'

Equipment

Meade LX-90 8" telescope fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge.
LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled.
Dew Removal straps fitted to telescope and camera lens
Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.
Stock Canon 40D with 200mm f/2.8 lens stopped down to f/4
Telescope driven but unguided

Exposure

Thirty sub-exposures each 30 seconds taken at ISO1600. Each sub-exposure taken with 10 second self-timer set on the camera.

Location

Isle of Colonsay

Target name

M53

Title

M53

About this image

M53 also known NGC 5024 is a globular cluster in the Coma Berenices constellation. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1775. M53 is one of the more outlying globular clusters, being about 60,000 light-years light-years away from the Galactic Center, and almost the same distance about 58,000 light-years from the Solar system.

Equipment used:- Stock Canon 40D mounted at Prime Focus on Meade LX-90 8” telescope (focal ratio f/10 focal length 2,000mm) with a 0.63x Focal Reducer (giving an effective focal ratio of f/6.3 and focal length of 1,279mm) fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge. Telescope Polar Aligned. LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled. Dew Removal straps fitted to telescope and operating. Telescope driven but unguided. Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.

Exposure details:- Thirty sub-exposures each 30 seconds taken at ISO1600. Each sub-exposure taken with 10 second self-timer set on the camera. Ambient temperature minus one degree Celsius.

Processing details:- After quality control 15 sub-exposures calibrated with Dark, Flat-field and Bias Master frames before being combined and then processed in Images Plus. Image then further processed in Photoshop CS5 and Noise Ninja. North is at the top. Image cropped to give field of view of 23 arc minutes x 15 arc minutes.

Narrative description:- Twenty five days after New Moon. The weather was cold, clear and calm with heavy dew.

Files associated with this observation

MButcherNGC5024 or M53.jpg (60.4 kB)

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