[ngcles]

Hi All,

It's been quite a while since I posted any observing notes but as we all know, the cloud has almost been ceaseless for months. The only other opportunity for some dark sky was back in September when I grabbed a couple of hours at Bargo to make fresh observations of a number of objects for a Deep Sky Delights article for October next year -- so I had to embargo those.

But a trip to Mudgee had been in the planning for 7 months in November and we'd hoped to get a bit of a break over the other side of the ranges. I've never seen Mudgee so green in the 13-odd years I've been observing there. It was like lush English coutryside. All the rivers and creeks are flowing strongly and the dams are full with the patterson's curse in full-bloom painting the fields purple here and there. Really beautiful.

As it turned out, on night one (4th) I got about 45 mins just a twilight was deepening and then the clouds rolled in and rain overenight.

On night two (5th) was thick cloud all night.

The one and only good, clear night was night three (6th) that apart from the odd wispy-job was really quite good and very dark. I made recorded observations from 10pm till about 2.30am. The SQM-L reading at 1am was 21.85 (ZLM= 6.55) and the "worst" reading for the night earlier on was 21.79 (ZLM = 6.52).

Night four (7th) was cloudy until just after midnight but I didn't set-up till almost 1am fearing it was a sucker-hole. The sky did look quite good but I nearly suffered apoplexy when the first reading with the SQM-L produced a 21.93 (ZLM= 6.59)! Readings in the 21.9-22.1 bracket indicate a basically flawless "professional observatory-grade" sky. All night there had been flashes of very distant lightning to the northwest and north. We then observed until about 4am when false dawn broke, though I only recorded observations until 2.45am and then had a bit of a tour around. The worst reading on the SQM-L that morning was 21.85. Though I didn't recod them, I finished the night by tracking down all of the Fornax Dwarf Globular Clusters (6). While the brightest is NGC 1049, the others aren't a great deal worse. I'd seen four of them before with 25cm under a proper dark sky but this was the first time I'd seen all six.

Anyway, here are the other observations over the 7-odd hours of observing that were recorded over the two nights. They are all galaxies in Eridanus with the exception of Comet 103/P (Hartley).

x185 27' TF, x247 20'.

NGC 745 Multi-Galaxy Sys *
RA: 01h 54m 07.8s Dec: -56° 41' 37"
Mag: 12.6 (V) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.3'x0.7'
Class: S0+: pec P.A.: 43 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5953

MAC 0154-5641 Galaxy (PGC 95386??)*
RA: 01h 54m 11.3s Dec: -56° 41' 07"
Mag: 15.0 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.3'x0.2' Class: Source: Mitchell

NGC 754 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 54m 21.0s Dec: -56° 45' 39"
Mag: 15.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.5'x0.4' Class: E0 pec:
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

Of this pair, -45 is easily the brighter and it appears at the W of a short 5' long line of mags 10 & 11 *s that also has some fainter *s in it. There is a mag 15 * just off the edge of the halo on the E side. Slightly elong in PA 45, pretty small
, 1.25' x 45" grows slightly to centre where there is a small, similarly elong slightly brighter core zone. There is a small attached faint spot off the NE side that is PGC 95386? or MAC 0154-5641 or low but not unreasonable SB and only 15" diameter.

-54 is SSE by 5' and is a much smaller and round faint eg with quite LSB growing broadly and slightly to the centre but without any noticeable core or nucleus.



x185 27' TF, x247 20'.

NGC 795 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 59m 49.4s Dec: -55° 49' 27"
Mag: 14.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.7' Class: S0-:
P.A.: 141 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

This is a quite compact and lowish SB eg that forms an almost RA tri with 12.5 and 13th mags *s to its NNW and ENE close by not far outside the halo. Quite compact and weakly elong in about PA 135, 40" x 30" growing broadly and mod to centre from indefinite edges to a small, < 10" diameter slightly brighter core region. There is a very faint mag 15.5 * not far outside the halo to the W.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

NGC 852 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 08m 55.7s Dec: -56° 44' 13"
Mag: 14.1 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.3'x1.0' Class: SB(rs)bc:
P.A.: 56 Inclination: --- R.V.: +6409 Source: RC3 *

This eg appears imm S of a faint star that is the S most one in a tiny tri of mags 14.5, 15 and 15.5 *s -- the latter is just on the edge of the halo. The g itself is probably nearly 1' diameter, round, diaphanous, low S halo brightening weakly to centre without any apparent core, zones or nucleus.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

NGC 939 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 26m 21.3s Dec: -44° 26' 45"
Mag: 14.0 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.9' Class: E+:
P.A.: 110 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5220 Source: RC3 *

This eg appears pretty much due S of a mag 10 * by about 6'. Mod faint, quite small, 50" diameter looking like a distant elliptical type eg, off round in PA 90, 50" x 40" growing evenly and slightly at first and then near centre moderately to an occasionally visible faint stellaring in the centre. No other *s associated.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

NGC 954 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 28m 51.7s Dec: -41° 24' 07"
Mag: 13.5 (B) S.B.: 13.5 B-V: +0.67 Size: 1.6'x0.8' Class: SB(rs)c:
P.A.: 19 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5353 Source: RC3 *

This eg appears to the S of a large, long S tri of mags 9 & 10 *s. Seems elong in PA 0 and mod LSB, maybe 1.5' x 50" in about PA 0, fairly consistent mod LSB growing weakly to centre without zones or apparent core or nucleus.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

NGC 979 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 31m 38.8s Dec: -44° 31' 27"
Mag: 13.8 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.1'x0.9' Class: (R)SB(r)0^
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

ESO 246-22 PGC 9578 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 31m 00.1s Dec: -44° 25' 34"
Mag: 14.8 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.0'x0.5' Class: SBc
P.A.: 135 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5127 Source: RC3 *

979 is fairly faint but not that hard to see. Small, round pretty non-descript eg between two stars of mags 11 & 12.5 that are aligned roughly W-E. Round, 40-50" diameter, mod LSB growing broadly and mod to centre. Small <10" moderately brighter pip but no real nucleus as such. 10' NW is ESO 246-22.

ESO 246-22 is in PA 135 and has a mag 10.5 mag * to the SW by 1.5'. Small and mod elong 40" x 20 oval-shape, very, very LSB and weakly brighter in the centre with no real core or nucleus visible.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

IC 1812 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 29m 31.7s Dec: -42° 48' 43"
Mag: 13.2 (B) S.B.: 13.2 B-V: +1.01 Size: 2.0'x1.6' Class: E+:
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: +5169 Source: RC3 *

IC 1810 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 29m 26.6s Dec: -43° 04' 35"
Mag: 14.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.9' Class: (R)SAB(rs)ab
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: +5424 Source: RC3 *

ESO 246-21 PGC 9544 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 30m 28.1s Dec: -43° 01' 39"
Mag: 13.5 (B) S.B.: 13.9 B-V: +0.81 Size: 2.2'x1.3' Class: (R')SB(r)b
P.A.: 138 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5451 Source: RC3 *

ESO 246-15 PGC 9433 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 28m 46.8s Dec: -43° 04' 28"
Mag: 14.6 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.4' Class: (R)SA(s)ab:
P.A.: 150 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5046 Source: RC3 *

ESO 246-16 PGC 9472 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 29m 23.1s Dec: -42° 59' 09"
Mag: 15.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.0'x0.4' Class: S0^: sp
P.A.: 88 Inclination: --- R.V.: +5153 Source: RC3 *

ESO 246-20 PGC 9504 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 29m 49.6s Dec: -42° 57' 43"
Mag: 15.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.3' Class: S0^: sp
P.A.: 71 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

MCG -7-6-11 PGC 9532 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 30m 14.5s Dec: -42° 55' 31"
Mag: 17.0 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.4'x0.4' Class: S
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: PGC *

ESO 246-13 PGC 9407 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 28m 20.2s Dec: -42° 45' 49"
Mag: 14.0 (B) S.B.: 14.8 B-V: +0.95 Size: 0.6'x0.5' Class: E?
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

The brightest in this group, IC 1812 marks the N point of an Eq tri made with the line of -15, IC -10 and -21 at the south. This triangle barely fits in the 12mm field. Inside the tri is ESO 246-16, -20 and MCG -7-6-11 that form a W-E line parallel to the bottom line mentioned. ESO -13 is one field NW from the centre of this group.

The brightest is IC1812. ESO 246-21 at the E end of the bottom line of the tri is the brightest of the non-NGC objects and probably 2nd brightest of the group. -21 is just W of a mag 12.5 * and is a reasonably sizable eg -- in PA 0, maybe 1.75' x 1.5' looks like a spiral growing broadly and slightly to centre where there is a small mod brighter zone at centre. The mag 12 * is just on the edge of the halo and there is a mag 15.5 * just on the halo to the S.

IC 1810 is in the centre of the line of 3 at bottom. Round, has slightly higher overall SB than --21 but a little more compact. Around 1' diameter or just over, round growing broadly and slightly to centre without zones but has a hint of a faint stellaring at centre. ESO 246-15 at the W end of the line and is slightly elong in PA 150, 40" x 20" and softer looking than the other major members. Seems to have a compact, 5" dia slightly brighter spot at centre.

IC 1812 at the N tip of the tri is about 1.5' diameter and seems round, grows from indefinite edge slightly to centre where there is a 20" diameter slightly brighter zone containing a very faint *ar nucleus.

In the centre of the tri is a mag 12.5 * and just below it running E-W is the other line. ESO 246-16 & -20 are very small and faint. Both look generally quite similar, 30" x 10" brightening slightly to centre. The former is in PA 90 and the other in PA 60. These two almost point at the third member MCG -7-6-11 that is by a distance the faintest of the group. Only intermittently visible nr threshold at x247 as a tiny spot of gossamer about 15" diameter.

ESO 246-13 stands apart from the group to the NW by one field and is a small spot of haze about 30" diameter, round rising slightly to centre. Not hard to see but mod faint.



x185 27' TF, x247 20' TF

NGC 1105 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 52m 17.9s Dec: -15° 42' 36"
Mag: 15.3 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.7'x0.5' Class: S0/a
P.A.: 102 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: PGC

This eg is at the vertex of a short broad I tri made with mags 12 & 13 *s to the E and S. No worse than mod faint, lowish SB probably a bit under 1' diameter growing broadly and slightly to the centre where there is a small, slightly brighter zone.

Pt 2 to follow ...