Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Dorado (Dor)  ·  Contains:  30 Dor Cluster  ·  HD268823  ·  HD30759  ·  HD30969  ·  HD31165  ·  HD31249  ·  HD31335  ·  HD31518  ·  HD31532  ·  HD31562  ·  HD31576  ·  HD31722  ·  HD31754  ·  HD31907  ·  HD32246  ·  HD32375  ·  HD32571  ·  HD32762  ·  HD32858  ·  HD32956  ·  HD32972  ·  HD33117  ·  HD33477  ·  HD33486  ·  HD33617  ·  HD34127  ·  HD34170  ·  HD34276  ·  HD34437  ·  HD34651  ·  And 246 more.
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LMC #1 - The Large Magellanic Cloud & environs (PGC 17223, LMC, Nubecula Major), Paul Lloyd
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LMC #1 - The Large Magellanic Cloud & environs (PGC 17223, LMC, Nubecula Major)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
LMC #1 - The Large Magellanic Cloud & environs (PGC 17223, LMC, Nubecula Major), Paul Lloyd
Powered byPixInsight

LMC #1 - The Large Magellanic Cloud & environs (PGC 17223, LMC, Nubecula Major)

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

The Large Magellanic Cloud is the 2nd or 3rd nearest galaxy to our Milky Way at 163,000 ly.
It is an intermediate galaxy between a dwarf spiral and an irregular galaxy, and is believed
to have been a barred-spiral galaxy, the arms of which have beem disrupted by gravitational
interraction with our Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud (200,000 ly away).

What is, perhaps, less appreciated is that the prominent bar (cloud) is only a part of the
complete galaxy. In fact, the galaxy extends over a considerable area of this image. The
bright nebulae to the North and North-East of the bar are all located within the galaxy.
At a distance of ~160,000 ly, these nebulae are, indeed, huge when compared with the
nebulae in our Milky Way, exemplified by the famous Tarantula Nebula (lower left, NGC
2070, C 103, 30 Dor). All this is probably indicative of the gravitational tidal forces
affecting our neighbour.

The LMC is indeed a rich area for discovering interesting/intriguing targets for
astrophotography. Following images are my initial attempt at delving into this
fascinating area of our skies.


Telescope: Canon EF 70-200mm lens + 1.4x extender @ f=100mm
Camera:    ZWO ASI183MC Pro, 52 x 300 sec, gain = 125, no filter
           78 x 300 sec, gain = 250, Optolong 7nm H-α filter
           Bortle 3-4 sky, 30% & 50% Moon waxing, resp.
Field of View: approx. 4º 55’ x 6º 50’
Image processed and prepared in PixInsight and Photoshop Elements

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Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

LMC #1 - The Large Magellanic Cloud & environs (PGC 17223, LMC, Nubecula Major), Paul Lloyd