NGC 292 - (Small Magellanic Cloud) - wonderfuluniverse.de

NGC 292 – (Small Magellanic Cloud)

I have imaged NGC 292, better known as the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), three times over the years—each time under the pristine skies of Namibia. My first attempt dates back to 2005 during a stay at the Astrofarm Hakos, using my DSLR and a telephoto lens. The second imaging session followed in 2008 at the Astrofarm Tivoli, again with the same equipment. My most recent dataset was captured in 2013, once more at Tivoli, this time with a newer DSLR camera paired with a telephoto lens and significantly longer exposure time, yielding a cleaner and more detailed result.

Scientifically, NGC 292 / the SMC is a fascinating and rewarding target. As one of the Milky Way’s two major satellite galaxies, located roughly 200,000 light-years away, it is an irregular dwarf galaxy rich in young stellar populations, active star-forming regions, and complex tidal distortions caused by its interaction with both the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way.

The galaxy hosts several well-known deep-sky objects—such as NGC 346, one of the most active star-forming regions in the Local Group—and is a prime laboratory for studying how low-metallicity environments influence stellar evolution. Imaging the SMC from Namibia’s exceptionally dark skies reveals not only its mottled structure and star-forming knots but also its extensive, faint outer regions that are nearly impossible to capture from mid-latitude locations.

Data calibration and registration were carried out using DeepSkyStacker, while the final image processing was performed in PixInsight.

The result was as follows:

The images were taken with the following equipment:

Date: 2013
Location: Tivoli, Namibia
Telescope: Canon 200
Focal length [mm]: 200
Focal ratio: 4
Mount: Losmandy G11
Camera: Canon 500 Da
Filter: no
Exposure time [min]: 636
Resolution: 4.98″/px

For the 2008 data the calibration and registration were carried out using DeepSkyStacker, while the final image processing was performed in PixInsight. The result was as follows:

The images were taken with the following equipment:

Date: 2008
Location: Tivoli, Namibia
Telescope: Tamron 28-300
Focal length [mm]: 73
Focal ratio: 7.1
Mount: Vixen Atlux
Camera: Canon 300 Da
Filter: no
Exposure time [min]: 72
Resolution: 20.92″/px

For the 2005 data the calibration and registration was done with DeepSkyStacker, the the final processing was done with PixInsight. The result was as follows: