Constellation tour in Autumn
Cetus

Click on image to enlarge

Date & Time: Nov 8 2024, from 22:46 to 22:58 JST(+0900)
Composed 5 shots with 3 minutes exposed
Optical: AF zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm (f=24mm, stop: F4.0)
with Kenko Softon Clear filter
Auto-guided with EYEBELL CD-1 portable Equatorial
Digital Camera: Nikon D810A
Location: Furudono town, Fukushima pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...14bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(7360×4912)
Device size...FX format (36×24mm)
Sensitivity...ISO800, White Balance...Daylight



Astroarts StellaNavigator 		Constellation of Cetus is seen at southern sky in autumn with the third largest size in heavens. It doesn't have so many bright stars; it's fairly hard to recognize that as a monster.
The constellation is the monster "Tiamat" that tried to threaten Andromeda before Perseus killed it and rescued the princess. Though the "Cetus" means Whale in any case, the constellation has no relation with a kind of mammal in the ocean.
This constellation is famous for the prototype of long range variables and the earliest variables ever discovered. The variable star of "Mira", omicron Ceti, is positioned at the neck of the monster. The star has a magnitude range from about 10 to as bright as 2.0 with the average period of about 330 days. It's considered that Mira is a red supergiant, and has a diameter of over 400 times of that of the sun.
This image has been cropped with an equivalent focal length of 28mm.


Guide for Deep Sky Objects

M77 .....Seyfert galaxy just east of δCeti, 47 million ly. away.
NGC45 .....A dimmed irregular galaxy in SW edge, 20 million ly away.
NGC151 .....Asymmetric barred galaxy at 8.5 deg. NNW of βCet.
NGC157 .....Spiral galaxy about 10deg. north of βCet.
NGC210 .....Spiral galaxy with thin arms positioned 4 deg. north of βCet.
Around NGC246 .....Dimmed planetary nebula 6deg. north of βCeti, tail of Cetus.
NGC247 .....Large & dimmed galaxy 3deg. south of βCeti, 7.5 million ly. away.
NGC428 ....Spiral galaxy with distored arm positioned at north of body, 48 million ly away.
NGC578 .....Small spiral galaxy in southern region.
NGC584, NGC596 .....Paralleling elliptic galaxies in 2.5deg. NE of θCet.
NGC600, NGC615 .....Paralleling spiral galaxies in 2.5deg. NE of θCet.
NGC720 .....Medium-sized elliptical galaxy at 3deg. NE of τCet in central region, 80 million ly away
NGC864 .....A face-on galaxy in NE region, 65 million ly. away.
NGC908 .....Small sized spiral galaxy in southern edge, 60 million ly. away.
NGC936, NGC941 .....Medium-scaled barred galaxy at 3deg. NE of Mira, 60 million ly. away.
NGC988 .....Small galaxy in eastern edge, 60 million ly away.
NGC1042, NGC1052. .....Two dimmed spiral galaxies 7.5deg SE of Mira
NGC1055 .....Edge-on galaxy 30' east of δCet, 45 million ly away.
NGC1073 .....5'-sized Seyfert galaxy at 1.8deg. south of γCet, 55 ,illion ly away
NGC1087, NGC1090. .....Two small spiral galaxies 1deg east of M77
IC298(Arp147) .....Indistinct colliding galaxy pair at 3.6deg. SE of αCet, 430 million ly away
IC1613 .....A large but very dimmed irregular galaxy near border to Pisces.
Abell 119 .....Large-scaled cluster near a border to Psc, 590 million ly away.
Abell 151 .....A galaxy cluster at 5.5 south of ηCet, 710 million ly away
Abell 168 .....A galactic cluster near a border to Psc, 600 million ly away.
Abell 194 .....Small-scaled galaxy cluster in 7deg. north of θCet.
Abell 400 .....Small galaxy cluster in the pentagon of Cetus's head.
HCG16(Arp318) .....Small scaled compact galaxy group bathed in central region.
UA444(WLM) .....Dimmed Local Group member galaxy in western edge of Cet, 3 million ly away.
Molecular Cloud around head .....Dimmed cloud spread around the head pentagon to Taurus.



Perseus
Lacerta

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