5 minute exposure. Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera.
300mm f/6 newtonian at prime focus.
NGC 104, also known as 47 Tucanae is a sight that must be seen to be believed. Easily visible to the naked eye even in moderate light pollution NGC 104 is one of the showpieces of the sky. However situated at a declination of -72, it is invisible to virtually all northern hemisphere observers.
In binoculars the cluster appears as a large ball of light, brightening towards the centre. Resolution of the outer regions is easily achieved in a small telescope, while in an 8" telescope it is an excellent sight.
Unlike its near neighbour NGC 5139 (omega centauri), NGC 104 has a very rich core that is very difficult to resolve. This makes it a superb object for large telescopes where the cluster is too large for the field of view. Masses of stars then cover the view, yet the richness of the cluster is not lost due to the rich core. Unlike the first image, the second has been processed with a median filter to show more of the rich core.