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NGC 3621

SPIRAL GALAXY IN HYDRA (THE SEA SNAKE)

 (Image Centred at ra 11h:18m / dec -32:48)

 

 

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VIEW

 

May 2014 - Camping La Porteña, San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

DATA

Type: Spiral Galaxy

Apparent magnitude: 10p

Apparent diameter: 12.3 x 6.8 arc minutes

Distance: 22 Millions light years

 

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: 8" Orion Optics UK Mirror with Televue Paracorr (1150 mm focal length)

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

FILTERS: Baader LRGB

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies, foggy night

EXPOSURES: LRGB (120,40,40,40)

 

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

The galaxy is around 93.000 light years across and is elongated in a 5:2 ratio from NNW-SSE. The position is inclined at an angle of 25° (from being viewed edge on). It shines with a luminosity equal to 13 billion times that of the Sun. The image shows faint arms and lots of foreground stars belonging to our own Milky Way. Several stars are nearby; three mag 11-13 stars are off the N tip and two mag 10 stars are 2.7' SW  and 3.7' SSE of center. NGC 3621 can be seen with a telescope of medium size.very nice pair that fits in the field of view of the 8 inches OOUK reflector and the QSI 583 chip combination.

 

This galaxy is also interesting because it is thought to have an active super massive black hole at its center that is enveloping matter and producing radiation. The mentioned black hole has a relatively small mass, about 20,000 times the Sun. Another two smaller black holes with masses of a few thousand times the Sun, are supposed to be located near the core.

I waited for the best position in the sky to start shooting starting from the overhead all the way to the south west. A very humid night typical from Buenos Aires early winter…