3 minutes exposure, SBIG ST4 CCD.
300mm f/6 newtonian telescope at prime focus.
NGC 247 is one of the more difficult members of the Sculptor group of galaxies. It is situated about half-way between the bright galaxy NGC 253 and the bright star Diphda. (beta ceti) It is visible in an 8" telescope under dark skies, as a featureless, elongated smudge of light. The galaxy is actually quite bright, however it is also quite large, as shown in the image above which only records the northern portion of the galaxy. As a result, the light from the galaxy is spread over a comparitively large area, making the surface brightness low. This may be better apreciated by having a look at the film image
It is interesting to compare this image with the first one above. They were taken with the same telescope in the same location! The difference is how much CCD technology advanced in the decade between the ST4 and the ST9. Although the ST4 image appears crude, I can still remember the excitement I felt when I first started using then ST4 as an imager. To be able to record in just a couple of minutes, things which would take an hour or more with film was heady stuff!
