Tag Archives: globular clusters

Articles

One million solar masses crammed into one spot. Globular cluster 47 Tucanae — Steve Crouch

NGC 104
47 Tucanae [NGC 104]

While delving around the SMC I couldn’t resist doing a shot of 47 Tucanae which I haven’t imaged for several years.  This is 45 minutes exposure for each of L,R,G and B with the RGB added into L for synthetic luminance.

Catalogue and alternative designations NGC 104, 47 Tucanae

Type Globular Cluster
Position 00 24.1, -72 05
Constellation Tucana
Camera and Telescope STXL11002 and 36.8 cm Ritchey Chretien
Focal Ratio F9
Exposure Details LRGB 90:45:45:45 All 1×1.  Synthetic luminance used.

Description

47 Tucanae is the second brightest globular cluster in the sky but has a much stronger central condensation than Omega Centauri.  It is adjacent to the Small Magellanic Cloud and a very easy naked eye object.

You can see more of Steve Crouch’s astrophotography over on his website.
FacebooktwittermailFacebooktwittermail
Articles

The globular cluster 47 Tucanae — Mark Nickols

47 Tucanae
47 Tucanae [NGC 104]
In the Southern Hemisphere, we have some of the best globular clusters, including the biggest of all Omega Centauri with some five million solar masses, and this beauty: 47 Tucanae with about one million solar masses. Here’s a good shot of “47 Tuc” by Mark Nickols:

I’m still struggling with guiding issues, but just to prove my issue is not optics, I again pointed the scope southward where things don’t move around so much and snapped 47 Tucanae last night, just to prove I can manage to take round stars (as opposed to eggs, tadpoles, dumbbells, etc). I personally prefer Omega Centauri, but it’s pretty impressive nonetheless (the globular cluster, not necessarily the image).

10 x 3 minute exposures. Scope: LX200 8″, f/6.7 focal reducer.Camera: SBIG STF8300C

 

FacebooktwittermailFacebooktwittermail