Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

how far back does your cam see?


nytecam

Recommended Posts

Last night I had a mind to try in cloud breaks for the remotest quasar I know in APM 08279+5255 in Lynx above Castor.  I gave it a miss and searched instead my files for a previous image as below taken April 2010 in 20s exp via Lodestar and Meade 30cm LX200 SCT. 

The quasar has some remarkable properties....

the remotest object visible in amateur scopes @ 12BLY range.

light began its journey long before the Solar System at <5BYs old existed, when the universe was only 13% of its current age of 13.8BY.

is gravatationally lensed by foreground gxys by several magnitudes in brightness. 

and is powered by a 12 billion solar mass supermassive blackhole at its core. 

Ok it only records as a point-like faint star but it's amazing how deep a 20sec exposure will go and it's great for mind-games :police:

post-21003-0-28888400-1388769419_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great post, Maurice. And mind-boggling stats. An enjoyable read all round!

Thanks Aaron - here's some quasars in 1x60s exps from the past with timeline - includes the gravitationally lensed twin quasar in UMa - got another shot of it last night but this one is better   :cool:

post-21003-0-59249800-1388910232_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's the best way of determining the 'limiting magnitudes' of photos? ie. how would I know what is the magnitude of the faintest star visible on my images?

I use Wiki sky to bring up the same field as I've imaged and click on the faintest just recorded on my image. Wikisky uses pro star charts that go down to mag 20 and IDs stars to mag 19 ie a mag or so fainter than brief exp amateur pics :-). With my setup (30cm SCT + SXLodestar_C ) I get to mag 15/16 in 5s-10s exp and mag 17/18 in 2-3 min exp :-)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.