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18-03-2011, 08:30 AM
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Starcatcher
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Gerringong
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Observing list for face-on spirals?
OK, it's time I got serious about training my eyes on face-on spirals. I'm annoyed to have to keep asking younger people which way the arms spiral
So I need to put the next year into some concentrated observing.
Does anyone have a list of face-on spirals observable from Southern Australia - say no more than 30 degree tilt - that they are willing to share?
Or is there an observing list where I can easily select the sub-set?
I have found the following, which though complicated, looks like it can produce a list of some 40 or so face-ons for southern observing:-
http://www.beares.net/r/astro/obs/galaxies/index.htm
Last edited by erick; 24-03-2011 at 11:32 PM.
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20-03-2011, 10:23 AM
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PI popular people's front
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: perth australia
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Surprised nobody has jumped on this one, so here's some of my favourites from my regular supernova hunts in no particular order, other than I have noted the 'face-on spiralness' in my notes or they have come to mind as I wrote this email.
M83 in Hydra - first one I saw arms on with a 10"
NGC1365 in Fornax - easy barred spiral.
NGC 300
M77
NGC1672
NGC1549
NGC1566 - the Spanish Dancer
NGC1313 - the 'Inkblot'
M95 and 96
M65 and M66.
M99 and M100
Then there's NGC 2997, 'the Cyclone'
NGC 1300 in Eridanus
Of course, NGC6744 - the Grand Pavo Spiral,
And don't forget NGC5189 in Musca - also a face on spiral, but it's actually a planetary nebula.
cheers,
Andrew
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20-03-2011, 07:13 PM
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Thanks Andrew. I started creating a spreadsheet. I'll check your recommendations against what I have so far.
Many thanks
Eric
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20-03-2011, 09:13 PM
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kids+wife+scopes=happyman
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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I haven't answered the call as I don't have a list as such. I only have a few I've seen and aim to chase down.
One of these is the giant galaxy M33. Twice the diameter of the full moon, it requires a rich field scope to make out the arm structure. I felt like a kid in a lolly shop when I saw its arms. Beautiful. Not sure if it is a good proposition for the lower latitudes of Oz.
Andrew has listed some real beauties.
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21-03-2011, 09:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
I haven't answered the call as I don't have a list as such. I only have a few I've seen and aim to chase down.
One of these is the giant galaxy M33. Twice the diameter of the full moon, it requires a rich field scope to make out the arm structure. I felt like a kid in a lolly shop when I saw its arms. Beautiful. Not sure if it is a good proposition for the lower latitudes of Oz.
Andrew has listed some real beauties.
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Yep, Andrew, in fact I've chosen M33 as my northernmost declination for the list. Well +30deg is my chosen cut-off. Anything further north is in the "mush" for me. Eg. M31 never looks any good.
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21-03-2011, 12:04 PM
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Black Sky Zone
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Western Victoria
Posts: 776
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O.K. (Eric) I'll bite...... 
Here's some of my favorites Face On Spirals
From a DARK SITE 
NGC 536
NGC 266
NGC 5427 - NGC 5426 Twins 
M 106
M 90 
NGC 4535
NGC 5161
M 77 
NGC 247
M64 
NGC 4274
M 88 
M 100 
NGC 4725
NGC 4565 (side on with great dust lane) 
NGC 6946
NGC 1232
NGC 1532 (not quite face on but with interacting smaller galaxy) 
NGC 1300
NGC 1187
NGC 1398 
NGC 1097 (very nice) 
M 83 
NGC 2835
NGC 6744 
NGC 1313
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21-03-2011, 12:11 PM
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Starcatcher
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Thanks Rob - more to chase up for my spreadsheet!
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22-03-2011, 07:46 PM
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Canis Minor
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Location: Strangways, Vic
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Great thread Eric! Might be one for darker skies, but NGC 2442 in Volans is another goodie.
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22-03-2011, 08:00 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: San Jose, CA, USA
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Nice thread
DANG you Paddy! I was just writting my note and I see you put this one in but I will now second your thoughts on Ngc244. I WAS going to post this ...
Nobody (Except Paddy http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/..../winking70.gif now) has mentioned that real wild beast of Ngc2442 with all sorts of odd shape to it's two thick arms.
What a great set of other face ons on this thread, thanks! Good stuff!
On the bit smaller scale but still respectable in 12" or better scopes:
Ngc6872 is a bit dim but has very unique thin arms
Ngc6770 and 6769 make an very interesting interacting pair of face ons
Ngc1566 was mentioned but was a favorite of mine so I gotta put a motion for a third on that great mid-sized galaxy that has a lot of other fairly large galaxies
And I cannot believe Ngc5128 was left out but perhaps since it is not felt to be 'flat' that we technically cannot call it a classical face on. How about a 'sphere on' that has one of the best dark lane structures around.
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22-03-2011, 10:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by astrospotter
....... that has one of the best dark lane structures around.
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Feel free to start a thread on "Best galaxy dark lanes"?
Thanks guys. I'm collecting all this information and will need a day to research it all and finalise a spreadsheet.
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24-03-2011, 09:10 PM
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Well done Paddy
I hope it is recognized that my comment on this thread to Paddy was a bit in fun as he had made the comment on Ngc2442 first. Well done!
I think this thread on face one galaxies is much more my thing than a 'Best Dark Lanes' thread and I got a kick out of that comment Eric.
Mark
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25-03-2011, 07:37 AM
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kids+wife+scopes=happyman
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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There are a couple more big buggers that still haven't been mentioned:
NGC 1365 (Fornax) & NGC 4038/4039 (Corvus).
1365 is a large barred spiral, and 4038/9 is a pair of interacting galaxies whose tidally affected arms are observable, larger scopes though for the arms. The later is near M104, the Sombrero, which DOESN'T qualify for this thread,  , does it Eric,  , and a prime sucker for the picking this autumn.
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25-03-2011, 02:38 PM
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Ahem - I believe 1365 the second one on my list!
The antennae (4038-9) are pretty special, but it wasn't until I finally got a look through a 25" that I ever saw the tails.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
There are a couple more big buggers that still haven't been mentioned:
NGC 1365 (Fornax) & NGC 4038/4039 (Corvus).
1365 is a large barred spiral, and 4038/9 is a pair of interacting galaxies whose tidally affected arms are observable, larger scopes though for the arms. The later is near M104, the Sombrero, which DOESN'T qualify for this thread,  , does it Eric,  , and a prime sucker for the picking this autumn.
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25-03-2011, 02:43 PM
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kids+wife+scopes=happyman
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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1365, so it is, my mistake,  .
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06-04-2011, 07:06 PM
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PI popular people's front
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Browsing my regular haunts in Ret and Dor last night in the hunt for the elusive sn and noted a couple more for your list.
Key facts - transparency -8 seeing -8. Instrument 25" f5. Main eyepieces 17mm, 12mm and 9mm Naglers. Limiting power 530x - limiting mag 16.
NGC 1672 loose barred spiral, mag 10, 6'.6 by 5'.5. Observed at 187x and 265x. Higher power better compormise for contrast. Bar trends E-W, N arm can be traced for almost a half turn, the S arm much less distinct. Two brighter stars decorate one arm and a triangle of 15 mag stars fills the gap between the bar and arm. The nucleus is much brighter than the bar.
Also to reiterate other posters reccomendations for 2997 - absolutely stunning.
If there's interest I'll post my notes on these.
cheers,
Andrew.
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29-06-2011, 03:50 PM
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I've now had some time to research, and, very interesting, many of the galaxies you have nominated aren't in the spreadsheet I had located (see earlier posts). I suspect they fall outside the criterion of viewing angle being under 30 deg?
I've ended up with the attached spreadsheet with 97 galaxies (including M33 which falls slightly further north than my cutoff +30deg Dec).
I'll put it to the test and weed out the more difficult entries, but not sure when I'll get an opportunity. Dark skies needed for most entries, I expect.
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30-06-2011, 11:27 PM
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The Observologist
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Location: Billimari, NSW Central West
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Hi All,
Two noteworthy omissions so far (have looked at the excel spreadsheet):
M99 and NGC 2997 -- both of which show spiral structure in large 'scopes; particularly M99.
Best,
Les D
Edit: P.S One other to add, though an extremely faint one is NGC 45 in Cetus. If ever a galaxy deserved a "common name" it is this one: The See-Through Spiral. It is hard to imagne a lower surface-brightness face-on galaxy. Though it is low 10th magnitude, it is a difficult object even for 46cm. If you look at the DSS image, there are many background galaxies you can see through its halo.
2nd edit: Doh! Just noticed Andrew has noted M99 & NGC 2997 above. Should have read more carefully!
Last edited by ngcles; 01-07-2011 at 12:38 PM.
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01-07-2011, 10:46 AM
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Registered User
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few more face-on spirals...
IC 5332
NGC 7793
NGC 45
NGC 7424
NGC 864
NGC 1042
NGC 1179
NGC 2207
Last edited by pgc hunter; 01-07-2011 at 11:21 AM.
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01-07-2011, 02:39 PM
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M99 - row 49, Les? I'm checking out the rest, thanks Sab and Les.
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06-07-2011, 04:14 PM
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I wish I came across this list before the weekend that just went by! Was out in dark skies with my 10" dob.
I managed to see M83 for the first time in this scope which was nice
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