Messier 83, Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

[Michael]

After reading this thread (http://www.deepskyforum.com/showthread.php?272-2012-sucked-for-observing) I realized that it is more than a year ago that I made my last deep sky sketch. This year was terrible for observing but here is my latest sketch. :)

M 83 is an interesting but very difficult galaxy in a 12" telescope, not for finding it but to get many details out of it. You have to concentrate very hard and use the most sensitive part of your eye. Only,... if you do this the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy shows its real beauty. Of course a great night sky helps too and that´s not really a problem on La Palma (Spain), specially not on an altitude of 2400 meter above sea level.


M 83 (Hydra)
12" Alkaid f-4
8mm Ethos (magnification 148 x)
date/time: 30/31-5-2011, 23.30-00.45 & 1-6-2011, 23.30-00.00

418

[Ivan Maly]

That's a fantastic view and a very careful drawing. I haven't yet seen M83 with a combination of suitable latitude and aperture. Most of the time when it peeks over the horizon from my home latitude 42N the views are pathetic. Only the bar can be seen as an elliptical blob; the rest may suggest the arms but actually it is just an alignment of stars. A view with my 5.5" travel scope from Australia was my first view with actual details (second sketch on this page (http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2012/05/dunlop-100-part-3.html)). In 2012 however I caught it culminating over an unusually transparent southern horizon from home and obtained a view that I'd consider decent (second sketch on this page (http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2012/11/m104-m83-m102.html)). Naturally I am comparing the details seen and not the rendition, because my sketch is just a ball-pen schematic, not a finished drawing. The structure I saw was similar but there are also considerable differences.

[isaacnewtonzhang]

my mirror only 4.6",I think it hard to get a good visible effect to somebrous messier galaxy,
it need technique and patient mentioned by Michael,if i get,I will show the sketch.Good luck!