How to photograph the Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
A bright galaxy split by a thick, dark band of dust.
Photo byESO/WFI, MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al., NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al.(CC BY 4.0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Centaurus A
Centaurus A is one of the brightest galaxies in the sky and a strong radio source. It is easy from the Southern Hemisphere and very low from the southern United States.
Gear and framing
The Centaurus A spans about 26′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
- Long focal length (800mm and up)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This is a broadband target, which means its light is mostly starlight across the whole spectrum. Shoot it with no filter or a UV/IR cut filter. A broadband light pollution filter can help a little in the suburbs. Dual-band and narrowband filters block most of its light, so leave them off. Plan it for a moonless night at a dark site.
Tips
- Long exposures show the faint outer shells around the galaxy.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.