Testing the performance of the Milankovi\'c telescope

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the 1.4-m Milanković telescope can achieve deep surface brightness limits in a few hours, effectively detecting faint galaxy features and competing with larger surveys in low-surface brightness research.

Contribution

The paper introduces the capability of the Milanković telescope to perform deep low-surface brightness imaging within a short observation time, highlighting its potential for galaxy feature studies.

Findings

Achieved surface brightness limits of 28.5-29.0 mag/arcsec^2 in 3-4 hours

Confirmed faint stream in NGC 474 with the telescope

Demonstrated competitive results compared to larger surveys

Abstract

We have undertaken a multi-band imaging campaign of several galaxies to study their low surface brightness features such as shells and streams. Using the 1.4-m Milankovi\'c telescope, we measured the surface brightness limits in various bands depending on the exposure time. Remarkably, within three to four hours of observations with the $L$-filter we reached the surface brightness limit of $\mu_g$=28.5-29.0 mag/arcsec$^2$. We have confirmed the faint stream of the elliptical galaxy NGC\,474 discovered with MegaCam. The comparison to other deep photometric surveys has revealed that within few hours of observations we can produce competitive results, showing that the Milankovi\'c telescope can be a valuable asset in the study of the low-surface brightness Universe.