NGC 292, Small Magellanic Cloud and 47 Tucanae

The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy close to the Milky Way and straddling the constellations of Tucana and Hydrus. The globular cluster, 47 Tucanae can be seen to the far right. The SMC has a diameter of about 7000 light years and contains several hundred million stars. It may have once been a barred spiral galaxy that was disrupted by the Milky Way to become irregular. It lies 200,000 light years distant making it the nearest of our intergalactic neighbours and is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye.

NGC 292 Ø5 degrees 20 min x 3 degrees 5 min, m2.7
Centre RA: 00h 42m 16s
Centre Dec: -73°06' 32"'
Size: 1.97 x 1.34 deg
Image Scale: 2.43 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: Up is -174 degrees E of N
Exposure: CFA 43 x 300" . Total exposure time 3hrs 35min. Mosaic comprising 3 panes.
Telescope: Takahashi Sky 90 @ f/4.5 (fl=405mm)
Camera: ZWO ASI071MCPro CMOS
Mount: Paramount MX on permanent pier
Location: Deep Southern Skies Observatory, Federal NSW Australia on 5 Aug 2021.

mosaic