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Old 22-08-2006, 04:10 AM
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glenc (Glen)
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Fornax Dwarf galaxy

Just saw the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy PGC 10074 for the first time.
Tried with 20x80 Andrews binocs first and thought I could see it.
Then I used my 10" f/5 Andrews dob and definitely saw it with a 40mm Plossl eyepiece at 30 times. The brightest part is on the north preceding side of a mag 8.3 star.

Also saw a whole lot of galaxies with the 20x80s this morning including:
Ms 31, 32, 110, 33, 74, 77
NGCs 55, 300, 7793, 1549, 1553, 1566, 1313, 6744, 247, 253, 1097, 1365, 1316, 1269, 1399, 1380, 1350, 1792, 1808 and 7331.

Tried for mag 11.3 NGC 7552 and 7582 but not seen with binocs.

The 20 X 80 TRIPLET binoculars cost $199.00. They show stars down to about mag 11.
Binocs are great for large objects like M31, LMC and SMC.

Last edited by glenc; 22-08-2006 at 06:31 AM.
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Old 22-08-2006, 05:26 PM
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Congratulations on seeing the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy, Great effort
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Old 22-08-2006, 05:40 PM
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Thanks. Have you seen it?
Your scope should show it on low power.
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Old 22-08-2006, 05:42 PM
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Glen, do you use your 20x80 binos mounted or hand held? If mounted what sort of mount?
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Old 22-08-2006, 05:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glenc
Thanks. Have you seen it?
Your scope should show it on low power.
No I have never seen it, need to get under some really dark skies for that one? I actually havent heard of too many people observing The fornax system
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Old 22-08-2006, 10:24 PM
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Sounds like a great night Glen - how does your f/5 Dob go with the 40mm EP??? Any probs with the secondary shadow appearing???
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Old 22-08-2006, 11:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mickoking
No I have never seen it, need to get under some really dark skies for that one? I actually havent heard of too many people observing The fornax system
I am a Fornax Freak! And if it ain't in view I'm chasing Virgo galaxies

My 2 favourite parts of the sky
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Old 23-08-2006, 07:17 AM
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Fornax Dwarf again

Saw the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy again last night with the 10" dob and a 26mm Meade Plossl. It was a better night with no dew. The brightest part was on the nf side of the star not np. Two things helped me see it better, first I moved my scope very slowly back and forth and second I looked at all the faint stars around it. The eye detects moving objects better than stationary ones and looking at all the nearby stars helps me see the galaxy by averted vision.

I haven't noticed eye shadow on the 40mm EP but it might be there.

My 20x80s are hand held, but I am lying on a banana lounge so my head is supported and my elbows are too. I find a bit of movement helps me see things.

I also saw NGC 6822 and 7582 last night with the 20x80s. I suspect I saw the Fornax Dwarf too with the binocs. My wife thinks I am imagining things.

The attached image shows my set up.
The laptop has Guide8 and DeskTopUniverse on it.
I look at it with sunglasses to make it fainter.
The LED torch helps me enter info.
The 20x80 triplets show MUCH more than I expected.
The banana lounge supports my head and arms.
A blanket and hairdryer keep me warm on frosty nights.
A first class guide to the galaxies. ©
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (20x80b.jpg)
80.9 KB66 views

Last edited by glenc; 23-08-2006 at 12:18 PM.
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Old 23-08-2006, 07:33 AM
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Cool

Sunglasses! Are those galaxies THAT bright???
Looks like a comfy setup.... I need to improve the comfort in my setup - just bought a folding table (big help) - now I need something nicer than an aluminium stool to sit on!

I find my laptop still robs my night vision, even on red-light mode and dimmed..... other than that its brilliant for star hopping....
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Old 23-08-2006, 07:55 AM
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Sunglasses

Only use them for the LMC, SMC & M31.

No, they are good for dimming the laptop.
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Old 23-08-2006, 11:20 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
I am a Fornax Freak! And if it ain't in view I'm chasing Virgo galaxies

My 2 favourite parts of the sky
Do you mean Fornax cluster or Fornax Dwarf?
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Old 23-08-2006, 12:39 PM
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Fornax galaxy cluster

I think i counted seven galaxies in the field of a 24mm panoptic once.
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Old 23-08-2006, 12:43 PM
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I think a few lines are crossed here? We are talking about the Fornax Dwarf galaxy not the Formax galaxy cluster
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Old 23-08-2006, 02:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mickoking
Do you mean Fornax cluster or Fornax Dwarf?
Any Galaxies in Fornax (Dwarf, clusters) pop my cork.

In fact anywhere in Fornax or Eridanus!!!
It is such a rich area that you can start at the top of Fornax and work your way down thru Eridanus and see Galaxies of all descriptions spread throughout the region. Many are very easy to see and are surrounded by lots of smaller fainter ones.

Finding Galaxies in Fornax and then having a field day in neighbouring Eridanus is the same as Virgo hunting then moving into Coma Berenices! Both are mind blowing.

As for the Fornax Dwarf, which Dwarf in Fornax? I don't know the names and numbers of stuff up there. I just look at them all and go 'ooooo' & 'aaaaahhhhh'
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Old 23-08-2006, 06:16 PM
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Glen, have you seen the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy?
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Old 23-08-2006, 06:16 PM
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The Fornax Dwarf galaxy is part of the local group.
Here is some info on it from.
http://www.seds.org/~spider/spider/LG/for_dw.html
RA: 02 : 39.9 Dec: -34 : 32 Type: dE2 Distance: 500 kly Apparent Dimension: 17.0 x 12.6 arc min Brightness: 9.3 mag vis. The Fornax dwarf was discovered in 1938 by Harlow Shapley.It has six globular clusters, the brightest of which (NGC 1049) was discovered much earlier than its parent galaxy.

The Sculptor dwarf galaxy is much fainter with SB 18.2 compared to SB 14.4 for the For dwarf.
I haven't seen the Scl dwarf.
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Old 23-08-2006, 11:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
As for the Fornax Dwarf, which Dwarf in Fornax? I don't know the names and numbers of stuff up there.
I think there is only one visible dwarf galaxy in Fornax. I've seen it on my charts before but never observed it yet. It's not like the others in the Fornax cluster that are much farther away. This one is quite close and huge. Looks about 1 degree or two full moons in size. I'll have a look for it this w/e if we get some clear dark skies.
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Old 24-08-2006, 01:51 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janoskiss
I think there is only one visible dwarf galaxy in Fornax. I've seen it on my charts before but never observed it yet. It's not like the others in the Fornax cluster that are much farther away. This one is quite close and huge. Looks about 1 degree or two full moons in size. I'll have a look for it this w/e if we get some clear dark skies.
The Fornax Dwarf galaxy is ESO356-G4 is a spheroidal galaxy and was discovered by Harlow Shapley in 1938.
It is best observed in a low power eyepiece in a dark sky in Scopes from about 20cm (8") upward, but I'm sure people will be able to observe it in smaller scopes.
Some globular cluster can be observed in it but a chart is probably required of the galaxy to know where they are
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