Sleepy TelescopeRCOS 16"
RCOS 16": the 16-inch Ritchey-Chrétien of the remote rig at Swan Reach, South Australia.
The RCOS 16" is a 16-inch (0.41 m) Ritchey-Chrétien telescope by RC Optical Systems, with a carbon-fibre truss and Astro-Sitall mirrors. With the ASI2600MM Pro, its focal length measures 3660 mm on the plate-solved images.
It is the main telescope of the Swan Reach remote rig in South Australia, under a roll-off roof at Swan Reach Imaging. It rides on a Paramount ME and images with an ASI2600MM Pro through Astrodon LRGBSHO 2" filters. A PrimaLuceLab rotator frames the field, a PrimaLuceLab focuser moves the secondary mirror, and dew heaters and fans keep the primary mirror at ambient temperature.
The rig is shared by a small group, so these images are joint work.
NGC 6744: Spiral Galaxy in Pavo
A large intermediate spiral galaxy in Pavo, tens of millions of light-years away, often compared to the Milky Way, with extended arms and a distorted companion, NGC 6744A.
NGC 253: The Sculptor Galaxy
The brightest galaxy of the Sculptor Group, about 11 million light-years away: a dusty starburst spiral seen at a high inclination, with prominent dust lanes and bright star-forming knots.
NGC 300: Spiral Galaxy in Sculptor
A late-type spiral galaxy about 6 million light-years away in Sculptor, also known as the Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy, with loosely wound arms.
NGC 1851: Globular Cluster in Columba
A dense globular cluster in the southern constellation Columba, about 39,500 light-years away, with a very compact core and an extended halo.
NGC 346: Star-Forming Nebula in the Small Magellanic Cloud
The brightest star-forming region of the Small Magellanic Cloud: a young open cluster wrapped in glowing hydrogen gas, about 200,000 light-years away in Tucana.