M83
Barred Spiral Galaxy
Itajobi, SP, Brazil
21º19’S / 49º06’W / +515m
2011, july 20th
23h40min (U.T.)
NELM: 5.5
2B 0.5mm graphite pencil on white paper 75g/cm², scanned then inverted
180mm (7.1″) f6 reflecting telescope, dob mounted
Super Plössl 20mm eyepiece
No filter employed
That was a cloudless, hot, calm night. The seeing was good, Antoniadi 2, and the naked eye limit magnitude was pickering 5.5. I observed a barred spiral galaxy for the first time, it was M83. I could see all the features sketched only by averted vision, because with direct vision it looked like a simple spiral with a bright core. It was a fantastic experience, so I had to register it. I hope you like my sketch, I loved that moment. For about one hour I just couldn’t take my eye from the eyepiece. That’s the result.
Best regards from South Hemisphere
Rodrigo P.C.
Beautiful capture! Love the brightening of the core with the stellar nucleus. Well done.
Rodrigo,
Nice detail in your sketch. This is a tough target from my location but I’ll bet it is well placed for you, nicely done.
Frank
Thanks, people. JayinUT, the core was really bright, very beautiful. Frank, it’s an easy target from Brazil, and for sure it worths an hour or two of observing.