Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- User Guide
- Charles Messier
- The Observations
- The Catalog
- Statistics of the Messier objects
- Visual observation of the Messier objects
- Photography of the Messier objects
- The 110 Messier objects
- M 1
- M 2
- M 3
- M 4
- M 5
- M 6
- M 7
- M 8
- M 9
- M 10
- M 11
- M 12
- M 13
- M 14
- M 15
- M 16
- M 17
- M 18
- M 19
- M 20
- M 21
- M 22
- M 23
- M 24
- M 25
- M 26
- M 27
- M 28
- M 29
- M 30
- M 31
- M 32
- M 33
- M 34
- M 35
- M 36
- M 37
- M 38
- 39
- M 40
- M 41
- M 42
- M 43
- M 44
- M 45
- M 46
- M 47
- M 48
- M 49
- M 50
- M 51
- M 52
- M 53
- M 54
- M 55
- M 56
- M 57
- M 58
- M 59
- M 60
- M 61
- M 62
- M 63
- M 64
- M 65
- M 66
- M 67
- M 68
- M 69
- M 70
- M 71
- M 72
- M 73
- M 74
- M 75
- M 76
- M 77
- M 78
- M 79
- M 80
- M 81
- M 82
- M 83
- M 84
- M 85
- M 86
- M 87
- M 88
- M 89
- M 90
- M 91
- M 92
- M 93
- M 94
- M 95
- M 96
- M 97
- M 98
- M 99
- M 100
- M 101
- M 102
- M 103
- M 104
- M 105
- M 106
- M 107
- M 108
- M 109
- M 110
- Glossary of technical terms
- Index of figures
- Index of sources
M 83
from The 110 Messier objects
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2015
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- User Guide
- Charles Messier
- The Observations
- The Catalog
- Statistics of the Messier objects
- Visual observation of the Messier objects
- Photography of the Messier objects
- The 110 Messier objects
- M 1
- M 2
- M 3
- M 4
- M 5
- M 6
- M 7
- M 8
- M 9
- M 10
- M 11
- M 12
- M 13
- M 14
- M 15
- M 16
- M 17
- M 18
- M 19
- M 20
- M 21
- M 22
- M 23
- M 24
- M 25
- M 26
- M 27
- M 28
- M 29
- M 30
- M 31
- M 32
- M 33
- M 34
- M 35
- M 36
- M 37
- M 38
- 39
- M 40
- M 41
- M 42
- M 43
- M 44
- M 45
- M 46
- M 47
- M 48
- M 49
- M 50
- M 51
- M 52
- M 53
- M 54
- M 55
- M 56
- M 57
- M 58
- M 59
- M 60
- M 61
- M 62
- M 63
- M 64
- M 65
- M 66
- M 67
- M 68
- M 69
- M 70
- M 71
- M 72
- M 73
- M 74
- M 75
- M 76
- M 77
- M 78
- M 79
- M 80
- M 81
- M 82
- M 83
- M 84
- M 85
- M 86
- M 87
- M 88
- M 89
- M 90
- M 91
- M 92
- M 93
- M 94
- M 95
- M 96
- M 97
- M 98
- M 99
- M 100
- M 101
- M 102
- M 103
- M 104
- M 105
- M 106
- M 107
- M 108
- M 109
- M 110
- Glossary of technical terms
- Index of figures
- Index of sources
Summary
Degree of difficulty 2 (of 5)
Minimum aperture 30mm
Designation NGC 5236
Type Galaxy
Class Sc
Distance 14.7 Mly (Cepheids, 2003)
Size 55,000 ly
Constellation Hydra
R.A. 13h 37.0min
Decl. –29° 52′
Magnitude 7.5
Surface brightness 22.1mag/arcsec2
Apparent diameter 12,9′×11,5′
Discoverer Lacaille, 1752
History M 83 was only the third galaxy discovery, after M 31 and M 32, when Nicholas Louis de Lacaille found it in 1751 or 1752 during his observing campaign at the Cape of Good Hope. His entry under number I.6 reads: “nebula without star, small and shapeless.” Messier, who knew Lacaille's catalog, finally managed to see this very southerly galaxy on the 17th of February 1881. He saw a “nebula without star, it appears as a faint and even light.”
The Australian observer James Dunlop described this galaxy in detail as his catalog number 62B: “A very beautiful round nebula, with an exceedingly bright well-defined planetary disk or nucleus, about 7″ or 8″ diameter, surrounded by a luminous atmosphere or chevelure [mane], about 6' diameter. The nebulous matter is rather a little brighter towards the edge of the planetary disk, but very slightly so. I can see several extremely minute points or stars in the chevelure, but I do not consider them as indications of its being resolvable, although I have no doubt it is composed of stars.” Dunlop probably glimpsed the many prominent star clusters in the spiral arms of M 83. William Lassell observed this galaxy from Malta. With a large aperture, he recognized it as a “three-branched spiral.” Most historical observers skipped M 83 because of its southerly position.
Curtis summarized the photographic appearance in 1918 very appropriately with the words: “A bright and unusually beautiful spiral. A large number of almost stellar condensations in the rather open whorls of this fine object.”
Astrophysics Undoubtedly, M 83 is one of the most beautiful spiral galaxies in the whole Messier catalog.
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- Atlas of the Messier ObjectsHighlights of the Deep Sky, pp. 283 - 286Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008