M83 in early spring at my lattitude is pretty low, but I really like barred galaxies so it is hard to resist going after it through the murky atmosphere. I tried it on the 15th with light cirrus about mid evening but it was too low. After an hour wait and a retry I managed to find it with my C8 and a sloppy go-to. Using a Pro Dob astro video camera at 28 seconds integration and a 50% gain I was able to enjoy some of the structure and shape. Equatorial observers must have fun with this one since it would be bright and high.
Attached Image:
Roland Beard
site: www.christworksministries.org
blog: www.rolandlinda3.wordpress.com