How big are imaged galaxies anyway?

Here is a heightened processing of M83 taken in very dark and clear skies with an FS152 a few weeks ago.

Whilst it won't win any prizes it does highlight how much bigger these galaxies are than are usually shown.

No doubt stars in a galaxy go from dense spiral arms to less and less and more of a sprinkling of fewer and fewer outlying ones.

This could be a target for a really long exposure to see if I can pick it up more clearly.

Greg.

Attached Image:

Nice image Greg!

Be careful not to mistake processing artifacts for real data. Take a look at Rob G's image at this link:

http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M83JM.html

This should give you some idea about the extent of the galaxy. It certainly does extend beyond what is normally imaged, but it extends out in arms. These data were collected with Jim Misti's 32-inch RC and probably represent the object pretty well.

On my monitor, your stars are extended in size as well, which is clearly an artifact of the processing, and that same effect is present in the galaxy data as well. All in all, it is a nice image. Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Tyler