NGC 253 The Sculptor Galaxy

09-07_08-2021
NGC253, the Sculptor Galaxy or the Silver Coin Galaxy in Sculptor

Explore Scientific ED152mm, ASI2600mm Camera, Chroma Filters, CGX Mount, Captured with NINA, Processed with PixInsight

15x 120sec Lum = 30 minutes
15x 180sec RGB ea = 2hrs15min
Total Integration Time = 2 hrs 45 min.

Taken from Wee Thump south of Las Vegas
SQM reading: 21.04

Mag. 8.0
00h 47m 33s −25° 17′ 18″

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …i-V2hxN3D-X3.jpg&lb=1&s=A

Excellent image with some great detail!

Very good detailed image. Especially keeping in mind capture location. I believe Las Vegas light polluting dome was quite a challenge.

Slagrim wrote in post #19284742
Very good detailed image. Especially keeping in mind capture location. I believe Las Vegas light polluting dome was quite a challenge.

I was shooting from a location about 60 miles south of Las Vegas and this subject rises and transits across the southern sky so Vegas light pollution was not at issue. It's probably a Bortle 3 area to the south. I probably could have done 5-minute subs in broadband.
The biggest issue is that it never gets more than about 29° above my horizon at its peak when it crosses the meridian so capturing nearly 3 hours of data meant grabbing about 90 minutes on either side of the meridian to keep it as high in the sky as possible.