M28 in Sagittarius

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE VIEW (1800x1362)

Scope: Celestron 9.25 Edge 235 mm at f/10, Location: Laguna Mountains, CA  10  May 2013  Camera: ST8300M

Exposure: 12 x 2 min  (2x2 bin) exposure with UV/IR block, 8 x 2 min (2x2 bin) RGB exposures.

Processing: Data Collection -  CCDSoft (as FITs).  Calibrated, stacked (Sigma Combine), LRGB channel registration, central gradient removal, and color equalization - Astroart.  Curves, Levels, LRGB combine and finishing  - Photoshop.  Color calibration using eXcalibrator. This image is a LRGB combine with Luminance layering -   Final Image size is approximately 1800x1632.

North is up in this image.  M28 is in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is a somewhat small and dense globular cluster. It appears in a relatively rich star field. as can be seen in this image. M28 is estimated to be about 12 billion years old and about 17,900 light years distant from Earth. In 1986 an 11 millisecond Pulsar (PSR1821-24) was discovered by the Lovell radio telescope. Later , the Fermi Gamma Ray telescope discovered a signal in the direction of M28 consistent with this Pulsar's frequency. This image replaces an earlier image that can be seen in the Archives here. Horizontal FOV is 26'

 Image center is approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 18h 24m 30s Dec: -24°52'00"

All images and content remain the property of Jim Thommes - copyright 2003 - 2013

Current Web Total Hits -