Deep
Sky Objects
Updated: 2010 June 29
M-31
M-31
(NGC 224) Andromeda Galaxy - 1.5 hour exposure was taken on
103aD film by Bill Benton from the University of Southern
California on the SRO 0.76m reflector
in 1973.
In
the 1920's, Edwin Hubble studied Cepheid variable stars in
this galaxy while working at the Mount Wilson Observatory.
It was his observations that enabled an accurate measurement
of the distance from Earth to M-31.
M-33
This
photograph of M-33 illustrates the full, un-vignetted, field
of the 30-inch telescope to be just over 1 degree.
This
image was made using a 4x5-inch camera mounted at the prime
focus.
The
20-minute exposure was made on Oct 21, 1963 and represents
one of the earliest pictures we have that was taken through
the telescope.
NGC
3887
Located in the constellation Crater (the
Cup), this galaxy is of a type called a "barred-spiral."
A central bar appears to stretch across the center of the
galaxy, with two predominent spiral arms attached to each
end. Numerous bright areas in the spiral arms are clouds of
hydrogen gas where new stars are formed.
This image was made from 9 1-minute exposures using the Stony
Ridge 0.76-m f/6 telescope and Apogee AP8 camera during the
Faint Object Follow Up program.
