NGC 3201


Combination of 63, 30 second images, taken in bright moonlight.
Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

NGC 3201 is a moderately bright and very loose globular cluster in Vela, that is easily resolved in an 8" telescope. Easily visible in 7x50 binoculars, NGC 3201 is another very neglected southern globular.

The above image shows one big advantage in using a DSLR instead of a film camera. It was taken with a near-full Moon in the sky! Under such bright conditions, film imaging would not have been possible. While there is still some noise in the image, it is far superior to what could have been achieved with film.