NGC 253


Combination of 65, 30 second images taken in bright moonlight.
Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

NGC 253 is one of the best galaxies in the sky for small telescopes, especially for southern hemisphere observers where it appears high in the sky. It is situated in Sculptor about 4 degrees south of the bright star Diphda. and it is the brightest member of the Sculptor group of galaxies. It is easily visible in binoculars and has been observered with the naked eye under very dark skies. In an 8" telescope, it appears as a very elongated patch of light. Low magnification is required to fit all of the galaxy in the one field of view as it is quite large. In a 12" telescope some mottling of the galaxy can be discerned.

Just to the south-east of NGC 253 is a moderately bright globular cluster, NGC 288. When using 35mm film with the 5" refractor, both of these objects are visible in the same field. I was trying to do just that when I took the obove image. Unfortunately it would seem that the field with a DSLR is slightly smaller as only the very edge of the globular can be seen at the bottom right edge. :-(