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Old 30-12-2010, 10:17 AM
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ngcles
The Observologist

ngcles is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Billimari, NSW Central West
Posts: 1,664
Hi Malcolm & All,

Congratulations on an excellent report mate!

Next time you go back use a bit more magnification on NGC 1365 and have a closer look for the sinewy, filamentary arms that trail-off to the NE and SW from the bar. I have seen them several times in 25cm in a "nearly-dark" sky. I'd suggest about x150 (or a 2mm exit pupil) in your 'scope. There are several observing reports I'm inclined to trust that indicate they are visible in 20cm and even 15cm at true dark-sites.

I disagree with O'Meara (what else is new) about ranking it behind NGC 1300. The latter is superb photographically but it is somewhat harder to see spiral arms in than NGC 1365. Spiral arms are visible in 46cm in NGC 1300 but not as good as NGC 1365.

Close-by to NGC 1374 + -75 is NGC 1373. It is about 5' NW of -74. I can still remember seeing this one for the first time nearly 20 years ago when it became my "faintest galaxy seen" record holder at that time. Has a true visual mag of V13.3. That's why I've got a soft-spot for it. Have a look for it too.

Love NGC 1381 too -- it has that classical "flying saucer" shape and looks just like the photo in 46cm. NGC 1380A is very similar but fainter than NGC 1381 and IC 335 further northward is similar again. NGC 1380, -80A, -81 and IC 335 are all S0 type lenticulars that are common in large, massive clusters of galaxies. Used to be spirals once-upon-a-time, but have had the gas and dust torn and knocked out of them by repeated interactions with other large galaxies or via RAM pressure with gas in the intra-cluster medium (that has already been torn out of other galaxies). Large galaxy clusters are rather violent neighbourhoods ...

There was an interesting article on this the other day actually:

http://www.naoj.org/Pressrelease/2010/11/09/index.html

where they found large clouds of ionised Hydrogen streaming out of galaxies and between galaxies in the Coma Cluster (AGC 1656). It would be interesting to see a 21cm radio map (cold Hydrogen) of The Fornax Cluster .

No doubt it's been already done but now I've thunk it, I've gotta go look for it ...


Best,

Les D
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