Well after months and months of nothing but clear nights on all non-weekend and non-holiday nights, I was finally paid my due. Even though there was a fair bit of murky haze earlier in the day, it seemed to gradually decrease during the evening. Seeing was a disaster though, even worse than the deplorable Metro trains service I have to suffer through every day, at times stars at even 167x wouldn't focus to anything I'd regard as crisp. Even so, the observations I made here have taught me a key thing about observing galaxies.
I found my 5mm LVW (267x) to be superior to the 8mm (167x) for increasing the visibility of faint galaxies, infact I'd say that the 5mm is becoming my weapon of choice for such objects even if the seeing is not cooperating. I tried using a 13mm with the barlow (205x), but that didn't quite cut the mustard, so moved onto the 5mm and the results were brilliant despite trash seeing. It will be my choice for faint stuff from now on
Heck, I'm considering getting a 3.5mm Nagler just for this purpose
When quoting magnitudes, 'V' = visual, 'B' = blue/photographic
Scope: 12" F/4.4 dob
Time: 7.30pm - 1am
Seeing: 2/10
Transparency: 3/5
Dew: heavy.
NGC 4866
Virgo, GX, RA 12 59 27 , Dec +14 10 17 , Size= 6.3x1.3' , Mag V = 11.2
102x - Features a tight, nearly stellar core with a condensed haze in the immediate surrounds with a fainter, stubby and strongly elongated haze stretching away to the E-W, with the E side slightly more obvious. A mag 13.4 star lies at the NW edge of the core.
UGC 7841
Virgo, GX, RA 12 41 12, Dec +01 24 37, Size= 1.1x0.5' , Mag B = 14.7
Tiny and faint at 167x, perhaps with a slight increase in brightness toward the core. Slightly elongated approx N-S. Features a tiny stellar core.
NGC 4599
Virgo, GX, RA 12 40 27, Dec +01 11 47, Size= 1.7x0.8' , Mag V = 12.6
Small at 205x, with a bright elongated core orientated NW-SE with a thickness- width ratio of approx 2:3.
NGC 4666
Virgo, GX, RA 12 45 08, Dec -00 27 44, Size= 4.6x1.3' , Mag V = 10.7
A lovely spindle orientated NE-SW at 205x with a small, bright and elongated core region with fainter almost needle like extensions.
UGC 8067
Virgo, GX, RA 12 57 12, Dec -01 42 25, Size= 1.6x0.6' , Mag B = 14.1
Very faint at 205x, featureless and elongated NW-SE. Easily found along the southern border of a triangle bound by three 13-14th mag stars.
MCG-1-32-39
Virgo, GX, RA 12 42 19, Dec -05 46 31 , Size= 1x0.5' , Mag B = 14.9
MCG-1-32-38
Virgo, GX, RA 12 42 16, Dec -05 47 27 , Size= 1.1x0.7' , Mag B = 14.7
A very faint pair at 267x, seperated by by just under 2'. -38 is the brighter of the two and popped into view at 167x only after some scrutiny of the area. -39 is fainter and located 2' NE of -38, but was only spotted intermittently with much difficulty at 267x. A 13th mag and a 15th mag star located 2' E and NE of the pair served as handy reference points. This pair is located just over 300 million LY away and a tiny, 3rd object can be seen between them on DSS images, and appears to be seemingly disturbed, and with similar redshifts suggest that this group is gravitationally related.
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UGC 7057
GX, Virgo, RA 12 04 20, Dec +01 34 03, Size= 1.4x0.4' , Mag B = 14.8
Easily found 8' N of a mag 8 star. Faint, elongated at 267x with no features.
Polarissima Australis (NGC 2573)
Octans, GX, RA 01 41 43, Dec -89 20 04, Size= 2x0.8' , Mag V = 13.6
I've been wanting to hook this one for a while now! Finally got it. Spotted at 167x after a few minutes of scrutinising the area, but superior at 267x. Faint, and takes perserverance to spot, but quite straightforward once you pinpointed the location and give it a bit of magnification. Slightly elongated E-W and brightens slightly toward the core. A stellaring in the core was seen popping in and out of vision. NED gives a distance of 111.6 million light years.
NGC 2573A
Octans, GX, RA 23 11 39 , Dec -89 07 33, Size = 1.5x0.5' , Mag B = 14.8
Extremely faint tiny gossamer at 267x, paired up with PGC 70533, which is listed at about 0.4 mags fainter and are likely interacting as both objects appear disturbed on DSS images. Due to the listed magnitudes, it was 2573A I sighted, as its companion lies below my detection threshold as per the listed magnitudes in NED and Cartes Du Ciel (with the PGC2009 addon). This system lies approx 117 million light years away.
NGC 5426
Virgo, GX, RA 14 03 25, Dec -06 04 08, Size= 3x1.6' , Mag V = 12.1
NGC 5247
Virgo, GX, RA 14 03 26, Dec -06 01 51, Size= 2.8x2.4' , Mag V = 11.4
This is a nice pair of gravitationally locked spiral galaxies, with 5426 lying about 45 degrees to our line of sight and 5427 being face on. These objects are actually nearly 120 million light year away like the NGC 2573a system, but are far brighter and larger. 5246 lies just over 2' directly S of 5247 and at 167x it presented a diffuse elongated halo orientated N-S with slightly brightens in towards the core. NGC 5247 seemed to show a slight E-W elongation of the brighter core region with a diffuse outer halo. At 267x a stellaring seemed to blink in and out with the seeing. A mag 14 star lies just off NGC 5246's northern end.
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NGC 5248
Bootes, GX, RA 13 37 32, Dec +08 53 08, Size= 6.2x4.5' , Mag V = 10.3
Features an elongated core, NW-SE with a fainter outer halo. Looking at DSS shows a stubby central bar, which tells me that this is the feature I was seeing. A mag 13.7 star lies at the southern edge of the halo.
UGC 9794
Serpens, GX, RA 15 16 11, Dec +10 30 34, Size= 2.6x0.8' , Mag B = 13.5 B
Had an extremely tough time with this galaxy. I would call it the most difficult target I attempted during this session. It was easy enough to pinpoint the position, star hopping from a mag 8 star just 40' to the E, and then locating a par of ~12th mag stars between which the galaxy lies midway and just to the south of. At 267x I merely caught rare glimpses of it, I had stay on it for maybe 15-20 minutes to confirm it. DSS image shows a bizarre, disturbed object that doesn't conform to any common galaxy profile we are familiar with.
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So all in all a good session, I capped it off with a bottle of bubbly and a steak, loving it
another report from 25/4/11 coming soon....