Irregular dwarf galaxy Leo A

[wimvb]

Leo A (also known as Leo III or UGC 5364) is an irregular dwarf galaxy, situated approximately 2.6 Mly from Earth. Its size is only about 6 500 light years. Although this galaxy has had fairly recent star formation, I found no evidence of Ha clouds (after 6 hrs of integration time).
There are quite a number of distant fuzzies in this image.

As always, data captured with my trusty SW 190MN and ZWO ASI294MM

Total integration time 8 hours. I also have more than 6 hours of Ha data, but it barely shows the galaxy. There are probably no Ha clouds to speak of, so the data is not included in this image.

Annotated version, showing galaxies (in pink) that have a redshift > 0.1

[MartinB]

Hats off to you Wim, that is one faint fuzzy!!  Very interesting

[The Admiral]

Come on, give me clue 🙂. Where am I supposed to be looking?

Ian

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, The Admiral said:

Come on, give me clue 🙂. Where am I supposed to be looking?

Ian

Leo A is in the lower left corner. Dwarf galaxies tend not to be bright and big. This one may get more tlc if it ever clears up and I can collect more data.

[symmetal]

Thanks Wim. Another great image.  🙂 Is that dust, just becoming visible, extending from the right side of Leo A?

Alan

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, symmetal said:

Thanks Wim. Another great image.  🙂 Is that dust, just becoming visible, extending from the right side of Leo A?

Alan

Thanks, Alan. The galaxy has no well defined edge, but even in sdss images it is not much larger than this. Since it will be visible from my location for another few months, I plan to collect more data. There may very well also be ifn near the noise floor.

[Rodd]

Wow--you must really like star fields   Too bad there is a smudge from a bad flat at left (just kidding).  Can't say I feel compelled to image this one, though your image is excellent.  the stars are perfect, and the galaxy is as good as it can be.  I am always impressed by the MN 190.  I am considering switching to that scope over teh refractors I use.  I never seem to be satisfied with my equipment.  Dark skies might solve that, but until then.  The MN 190 is calling.  Suggestions?

[wimvb]

3 hours ago, Rodd said:

The MN 190 is calling.  Suggestions?

Thanks, Rodd. The 190MN is a great scope. I love mine, even though it took a while to get to know it. And it's certainly not an install-and-forget instrument. It's tricky to collimate compared to a Newtonian (but holds collimation very well, once dialled in), and the focuser with its built in extension tube is a weak point in the design. (Why one would have an eyepiece extension tube in an imaging scope is beyond me. I've ordered a FeatherTouch to replace the stock focuser.) It definitely needs to be part of a permanent setup. A Swedish astrophotographer used it for one season in a "portable" setup. He has since sold it and replaced it with a smaller refractor. Many people complain about its weight, which is probably double that of a comparable Newtonian, but less than a comparable refractor. This is the 190MN  next to a SW 150PDS (6"Newtonian).

[Rodd]

3 hours ago, wimvb said:

Thanks, Rodd. The 190MN is a great scope. I love mine, even though it took a while to get to know it. And it's certainly not an install-and-forget instrument. It's tricky to collimate compared to a Newtonian (but holds collimation very well, once dialled in), and the focuser with its built in extension tube is a weak point in the design. (Why one would have an eyepiece extension tube in an imaging scope is beyond me. I've ordered a FeatherTouch to replace the stock focuser.) It definitely needs to be part of a permanent setup. A Swedish astrophotographer used it for one season in a "portable" setup. He has since sold it and replaced it with a smaller refractor. Many people complain about its weight, which is probably double that of a comparable Newtonian, but less than a comparable refractor. This is the 190MN  next to a SW 150PDS (6"Newtonian).

I don’t see an eyepiece extension. Can’t you have a precise part made that will be perfect?   If it holds collimation well, why does it need to be permanent?   If I had a 6” refractor I probably would not think much about it.  But I only have  a 5” refractor.  2 more inches is allot more photons. I have rarely seen an image from the MN190 that isn’t excellent.  

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, Rodd said:

I don’t see an eyepiece extension. Can’t you have a precise part made that will be perfect?   If it holds collimation well, why does it need to be permanent?   If I had a 6” refractor I probably would not think much about it.  But I only have  a 5” refractor.  2 more inches is allot more photons. I have rarely seen an image from the MN190 that isn’t excellent.  

The extension tube is retractable, a not-so-fixed part of the focuser draw tube. It's held by only one screw pressing against a compression ring, and can introduce wobble or tilt.

The 190MN is a lot bulkier than a comparable refractor, and doesn't have a handle to carry it. I find it a bit tricky to put on a mount and it's more susceptible to wind than a refractor, out in the field. In all fairness, the swedish astrophotographer who tried it in the filed, did so at temperatures down to -25C.

But its optics are fine, and it gives great images.

[Rodd]

8 hours ago, wimvb said:

it gives great images.

I'll say!  More so than any scope I think the MN190 convinces me every time I see an image from it to buy one.  It has 60 more mm or aperture than a 5" refractror and reflector data is better anyway I think--chromatic aberation is nill and I find that is what disturbs me in images the most.  severe coma or astigmatism should be able to be eliminated unless there is a defect.  But chromatic aberration is there to stay.  But not in a reflector.  Plus--no diffraction spikes like a newt, so I think it has allot going for it.  My C11Edghe is very susceptible to even the slightest breeze, so I know what that is like.  Do they still make the MN190?

[wimvb]

36 minutes ago, Rodd said:

Do they still make the MN190?

Yes. The Comet hunter from Explore Scientific is no longer produced, even though it may still be in stock with some dealers. Neither is the Intes Micro. But Sky Watcher’s is still in production. The coma is greatly reduced to an equivalent of f/9 for a standard Newtonian, but as you write, no diffraction spikes to deal with.

[GalaxyGael]

Mak Newts are wonderful.  Always fancied the 190 mn as you get 1000 mm at f/5.3, right at the limit for 3.76um pixel cameras for my skies anyway. I still have my Intes MN56, tiny 29 mm secondary though but exquisite mirror and mirror cell. There are a couple of comet hunters available again, but they might need a mirror baffle and a focuser upgrade for imaging. 

Another nice underdog dwarf galaxy capture too👍

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, GalaxyGael said:

I still have my Intes MN56

You better hold on to that scope. The small secondary should give you better contrast than the large mirror of the 190MN, but at the cost of sensor illumination.

1 hour ago, GalaxyGael said:

There are a couple of comet hunters available again,

Teleskop Service in Germany apparently (still) have a few in stock.

1 hour ago, GalaxyGael said:

Another nice underdog dwarf galaxy capture too👍

Thank you. I'm playing with the idea to capture all of the MW and Andromeda dwarfs that are visible from my location. It should keep me occupied for a few years. 😉 We'll see how that goes ...

Edited January 10, 2023 by wimvb

[ollypenrice]

Ooh yes, I like that one! It really captures the eerie spirit of deep space.

Olly

[gorann]

That is a great, and as @ollypenrice says, eerie image Wim! As you know I am at the moment escaping sub-zero Sweden on an island in the south Pacific. With Musk´s eerie Starlink as the only connection with the rest of the world I have not been on SGL as regularly as normally so I missed the posting of your dwarf galaxy. Have you tried the dark arts of BlurXT on it yet? If not you should.

Also as you know I have an MN190 tucked away in a closet - got it a few years ago for 500 Euros from someone that did not know its true value . It seems to be as close as a deadly person can get to an 8" refractor, so I see it as an investment to play with during all those dark nights I expect to get once I retire😄.

Edited January 12, 2023 by gorann

[ollypenrice]

2 hours ago, gorann said:

That is a great, and as @ollypenrice says, eerie image Wim! As you know I am at the moment escaping sub-zero Sweden on an island in the south Pacific. With Musk´s eerie Starlink as the only connection with the rest of the world I have not been on SGL as regularly as normally so I missed the posting of your dwarf galaxy. Have you tried the dark arts of BlurXT on it yet? If not you should.

Also as you know I have an MN190 tucked away in a closet - got it a few years ago for 500 Euros from someone that did not know its true value . It seems to be as close as a deadly person can get to an 8" refractor, so I see it as an investment to play with during all those dark nights I expect to get once I retire😄.

Why would a man whose job takes him to the south Pacific in northern winter want to retire?

lly

[wimvb]

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Why would a man whose job takes him to the south Pacific in northern winter want to retire?

lly

Too dark (up here)

Edited January 12, 2023 by wimvb

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, gorann said:

I am at the moment escaping sub-zero Sweden on an island in the south Pacific.

No you're not. It isn't sub zero, just gray and rainy.

5 hours ago, gorann said:

That is a great

Thank you.

[wimvb]

6 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Ooh yes, I like that one! It really captures the eerie spirit of deep space.

Olly

Thank you, Olly. Not having a long fl, I try to frame the main object such that there is something interesting in the background. In this case faraway galaxy clusters.