Mike JW

Hi Martin,

Here is SHK 244 - with the the Jocular circles - (for those folk reading this who are not familiar with Jocular, the grey circles are Quasars, the red circles are galaxies, the blue circles are SHK 244 members). It looks like I picked up the three quasars top right but nothing in the bottom grey circle. I have reduced the noise right down and grey fuzz spots (galaxies? - they seem to coincide with NED data etc - not all of them checked) abound.

Mike

19/2/21 - SHK 244 in Cvn. This is a group of  10 galaxies, 9 in a circle and the tenth just off to one side. They were easy to spot on the first sub. My attention was immediately caught by the obvious large member. The close up shows it is in fact two galaxies and judging by the spread of the grey fuzz, I wonder if they are interacting. Redshift puts them at about 1.2 billion lyrs away. Aladin (Simbad, NED data) suggest this a compact galaxy group - so maybe more than two galaxies. The grey fuzz that extends up from the left coincides with a galaxy designation. The fuzz extension going up from the right side also coincides with another galaxy designation. In the close up view I have reduced the noise to minimum so the grey fuzz bits that are left are likely to be real objects. They do seem do coincide with the Aladin view of the area which labels plenty of GinCl (galaxy in cluster) - galaxies in the region of mag 19/20.

Arp 269 - 19/02/21. The Cocoon Galaxy in CVN. I have posted this Arp earlier in the thread but this shot is I think the best I can get with my set up. I so enjoy seeing all the star formation due to the close encounter of these two galaxies.

Next up is Arp 138 in Com.  NGC 4015 and PGC 37702 lie about 210 million lyrs away. Decent images seem to indicate that PGC 37702 lies in front of NGC 4015. There is no obvious signs that they are as yet interacting. Arp classified the pair as E and E like galaxies with material emanating from the galaxy. There certainly appears to a wide zone of material around this galaxy. To the left is a third galaxy.

Here is the third Arp I visited last night -ARP 305 (VV 1489). Arp classified them as a pair of galaxies. NGC 4016 at the top and NGC 4017 at the bottom. 4016 looks a bit messed up, does it have a double set of spiral arms? It would seem to have a bar (SBd or SBdm). It certainly looks messed up.

NGC 4017 at first glance looks OK but better images show bits of the galaxy are detaching - maybe a hint of this in my image. High resolution images show faint 'wind swept debris' heading in the direction of NGC 4016. Classified as SBbc. When I got the settings correct the bar showed up nicely. This pair lie about 170 million lyrs away. If you follow the upper arm from 4017 going towards 4016 about half way is a couple of small faint grey patches. High res images show them as part of the wind swept debris coming from 4017.

Mike

Last night (16/02/21)  I took a look at three more PNs in Gemini. They are rarely visited and I struggled to find out any information on them, so if anyone finds out something about them please add it into the thread.

First up K3-71 - a very distant PN lost in a lovely star field. Lost being the operative word - if it wasn't for Jocular plate solving the subs I would have had to spent ages checking to see if the star field matched - probably impossible.  It is there in the wide field shot but you have to know where to look. Just above centre and tiny.

The close up below shows hints of detail - is it bi-polar?, dark line through it.

NeVe 6 was easy to pick up in a crowded star field.  I saw somewhere the comment  'probably a PN'.  Latest data suggests it is a H11 region and not  a PN.

J 900 - at first I could not spot it until I realised it was  the rather bloated star. I guess the give away is, for its size it lacks diffraction spikes. Colour might pick it up easier?

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/j900.html  - worth a look

5/02/21 - One of those short unexpected gaps came through in the early evening and the skies were good. I decided to have a mainly PN session.

First up is Abell 10 in Orion. This was easy to pick out form the background stars and in the close up the CS is visible with hints of structure.

The rest of the session was spent in Gemini.

Abell 19 - is in the exact centre of this shot and yes you are right - there is NOTHING showing up.  I tried all the different stretches. Presumably this PN emits very little light in the green part of the spectrum . It is mag 16/17, and is about 7500 lyrs away.

Abell 21 - The Medusa (yet another shot of this delightful PN, lurking about 1500 lyrs away.

NGC 2392 - Eskimo Nebula. The close up shows its double shell and hints of structure.  6500 ish lyrs away and about 10,000 yrs old.

This is the best shot I have ever been able to achieve.

NGC 2371 lies about 4,300 lyrs away and is bi-polar. 

HDW - 6 is about 1050 lyrs away. Look closely and you will see a circle indicating where it is, near the centre of the FOV - NOTHING seen!

M 1-7 is a compact bright PN about 8000 lyrs away.

Abell 14 in Orion ( and from a few nights back). Tricky to get this one, ( I have played about in photoshop to enhance it a bit).

Mike

3/02/21. 10.30pm to 1am.

Did I really want to venture outside in close to freezing conditions, get all the equipment out, level, align and wreck a night’s sleep?

Below is my answer.

Ten VV galaxies in Leo

VV 1364 a pair of spirals distant from each other but connected by a bridge of stars – classification PDb and at mag 17 and tiny but still be able to pick up the bridge was a real thrill. Scrutinising Aladin, the circled fuzz in the close is a compact galaxy group – no other info.

VV 396 slightly brighter at mag 15 but still tiny and the classification of N suggests three members. Looks to me that there is one brighter one and two fainter ones of unknown structure, mag 18. The brighter galaxy would appear to have an extension toward the smaller galaxy pair.

VV 1372 – another difficult mag 15 and tiny target. This time it is a pair of ellipticals in contact – PK. Are they really in contact or is this a line of sight. Then there is that extra bit of fuzz extending out from the lower galaxy – evidence of the pair interacting?

VV 755 confused me at first because I could not decide which galaxies belonged to ‘755’. It turns out it is the lower galaxy but the classification is NPNP. Now NP means nest of galaxies with a close pair so NPNP means two nests with close pairs. The upper nest is VV 393.

The close up was a second sequence of subs but this time with no binning to try to get a tighter, better resolved shot. In this one all is revealed VV 755 actually in Aladin shows big fuzz + close fainter pair and a galaxy to the left and also one further out on the right – a nest of 5? Actually there could be 6 because tight to the big fuzz is another suspicious patch of fuzz on the left.

VV 393 looks likely to be a nest of three but the big fuzz has an interesting extension (it is not noise) going off to the left.

VV 1377 – now these are easier to pick despite being mag 15 – they are bigger. We get a new classification for the session – PDt = distant pair with a tail. This confuses me because it looks like  two galaxies each with a tail that joins (= a bridge?) and then there is the obvious fuzz extension below the upper galaxy. NED data indicates a group of galaxies for VV 1377 and this fuzz extension could well be another galaxy(s). Distance to the group is about 340 million lyrs.

VV 514 immediately confused me; which one is it? Looking at the VV data base (I have this open online when chasing VV galaxies). I discovered the classification is ‘Ch’ = a galaxy chain. Thus VV 514 is the right hand fuzz -a curving line of three galaxies and the bigger one (NGC 3349 – a face on spiral, 76000 lyrs diameter) to the right. VV 529 is the right hand galaxy.

The large and more immediately interesting galaxy is VV 529 – NGC 3356, a loosely wound spiral, 140000 lyrs across and classified in the VV catalogue as N (3 galaxies) – my close up shot (not binned and a separate stack of subs) clearly reveals a fuzz below it on the apparent galaxy edge and the second companion is the fuzz above the core and slightly left. Pleased also to be picking up some of the spiral structure in NGC 3356.

VV 801 – is one of those comet galaxies (classified as K). It looks to have two cores – interaction of two galaxies? Simbad suggests there could be four galaxies in this giant comet. 

VV 1386 is also a N classification – another galactic mess up of three galaxies.

I crawled back into bed, cold, mentally buzzing with the sights I had seen and very satisfied. Looking up these galaxies and pondering what I have imaged is particularly rewarding.

Mike

Abell 13 - when I pointed the C11/ultrastar at this PN last night I knew nothing about. It took a little while to be sure I was in the right area.  I decided to stack as I went and all I could see was NOTHING. A rethink required. I played with different stretches until at last I thought I had a hint of something. Drastic measures required - I decided to abandon my personal 5 minute rule, set the camera running and went indoors to warm up (gear was sparkling in the frost). Success.

Abell 13 is seriously faint (different magnitudes given from mag 15 to mag 18), secondly it emits very little in the green spectrum which means visually it is impossible - read a report of someone using a 27" scope, with O111 filter and maybe got a hint - but not definite. It lies about 3,900lyrs away.

I have attached a gif file so you can see the image build up. If I reduce the noise too much, then I loose the PN.

It was effort to set up the gear last night but to get this result - worth the cold. The dark circle in the PN is an annoying dust bunny. Also just to the left of the obvious bright star near the centre is a faint dot which I think might be the CS.

Chaps with colour set up - you might do better than this mono attempt - have fun.

Mike

Thanks for this post, Bill. It has sent me off looking at my past shots of this area. My shot of Hickson 56 with the C11 does not add any more details than your shot. NGC 3718 - wonderful sight with its twisting dust lane, off set nucleus.

Mike

11 hours ago, Bill S said:

As so often I've spent more time looking up information and thinking about an object I've observed than I spent observing it.

That is the pleasure of the hobby. Too easy to take a quick look/image.....As with all of life the more you look, the more you see, the more you read the more you learn........

NGC 1129 appears to have an elongated core in your close up - I assume that must be a processing quirk. 

Enjoyed the post.

Mike

Here is PCG 115655+241600, also in LEO. This is a group of 5 galaxies and one of them has a redshift equal to about 1.7 billion lyrs away.

The image on the right is zoomed and some of the subs removed to help sharpen it up. The group are the obvious galaxies near the bright star . The various other fuzz spots are also galaxies.

Whilst looking at Aladin (with NED data overlay) I noticed various data points corresponding to non noise grey fuzz on my image. The shot below is even more zoomed in and further noise reduction and still fuzzy areas remain. They seem to coincide with data points on Aladin/NED. I have labelled with magnitude accordingly - I really do not believe I am picking up mag 21 or mag 22 ?????!!!!!!!

Even more unlikely is: the galaxy above the bright one if you look closely has two bright points - Aladin/NED show these two and one other as 3 galaxies - this must be some camera/optical aberration in my system? At this rate I shall be viewing beyond the universe!

PCG 114544+262426 in LEO. A group of 4 galaxies

What a lark PCG hunting is. It takes time to be sure I am at the correct spot - it is the tiny group to the right of the bright star

The zoomed in shot shows them better.

Now the interest really gets going. The four galaxies in the group are circled (mag 16/17). The bright one almost dead centre is about 1.39 billion lyrs away. No data on the other 3 members.

The left hand yellow line is Quasar - a mere 6.7 billion lyrs away (light travel time) and mag 20.3 - green filter.  The right hand yellow line is a quasar, a mere 7 billion lyrs away and mag 19.1

The three green lines point to mag 20 galaxies (measured through a green filter) - see NED data.

I find magnitude very confusing but get the point that it will be different depending on the filter used. Likewise distance does my head in when it comes to redshift data.

By the way, the bright star with the spikes is a red giant.

Mike

Mark - I assume you are referring to IC 2221 (S B of 23.9) and IC 2222 (S B of 23.2).  2222 at mag 14.5 is probably direct in the 20 on a vg night. 2221 at mag 15.2 will be AV on a vg night.

Martin, NGC 4015 - I thought it looked familiar - thanks too for your shot. It has taken about 36hrs to recover from the mad early morning outing - where did my youthful vigour go?

Mike

WBL 368 - I mouthed a silent WOW as this shot appeared - it is all happening in this shot. There are 13 galaxies in this group but my narrow fov only got 10 of them. There are hints of other galaxies.

Shot labelled using Astronometry.

3997 is a peculiar barred spiral (SBc/p), 3999 and 4011 are SO, the rest are spirals. 3987 wins the "dust lane" award. 4009 label is for a star but my SkyMap software labels the galaxy up and to the left of the green label also as 4009!

Need a wider fov shot from one of you guys with a different set up.

Mike

SHK 359 - Bootes,

A delightful circular group of  seven galaxies - the obvious ones in the circle. They all have PGC designation and range from mag 17 to 19. The brightest galaxy - bottom galaxy of the pair on the right is about 450 million lyrs away whereas data for some of the others suggests they are a mere 1.35 billion lyrs away (or there a bouts).

The yellow line points to a quasar, mag 19.6 and a distance of 4.3 billion (light travel time) and because the universe is expanding it is now 5.1 billion lyrs away. 

There are as usual various other galaxy fuzz spots in the shot. Some of them have a very similar redshift value to the SHK members so could be members of the group?

Mike

Mark, I always feel the 15/16" can do surprisingly well on a v.g. night and using AV but as you know the 20" ups the pleasure.

Mike

You get plenty for your money with this view. UGC 6483 is a mag 15 galaxy (Sc) and about 180 million lyrs away. Now note its little companion just off the right hand end. However redshift puts the companion at 1.8 billion lyrs away - surely not - it looks in front of 6483. There are quite a crowd of galaxies in this shot including another one at well over a billion lyrs away.

RFGC 1945 - NGC 3501 (UGC 6116), is a real beauty, with a hint of a dust lane on the left side of the core, about 53 (or 74) million lyrs away, mag 13.  I just had to include the spikey star for the composition value. Just off the top end, to the right is PGC 213775, mag 17 and almost a billion lyrs away.

Martin, I had not even thought it would be a PCG - that means I did three PCGs in total in the early hours. I will post the other two PCGs at some point in the PCG thread.

Mike

March 2020 saw me take a peak at his far out galaxy - IC 2567.  This one lurks about 2.1 billion lyrs away and still shines at mag 16, another lenticular (EO). Visually it would have required a very good night to have just detected it with my 20" (needed a 24" to confirm it). NED notes that it could be a galaxy cluster - will we ever know? Just to one side of it is a bit of fuzz (same side as the bright star) with a designation of mag 19 galaxy.

Right on the left hand edge is a nice edge on galaxy - IC 2661. Sadly so it does not make the distant galaxy list just a mere 350 million lyrs away, mag 15. BUT note that little fuzz spot on its edge - NED says galaxy, mag 17.4 (also suggests a galaxy cluster?) but wait for it the red shift suggests approx 920 million lyrs away - distant in my book! There are others in the shot approaching the billion mark.

Mike

An earlier observation in Lynx - IC 2221. The only distant NGC/IC galaxy in Lynx. This shot is before I started using Jocular. Not spectacular but at 1.18 billion lyrs away what did I expect. A mag 15 lenticular galaxy (EO). The other galaxies in the shot add extra interest.

Looking forward to the document.

Mike

22/01/21 - observing in the early hours I decided to take a look at IC 2938 - an elliptical in Leo.. It lies about 1.07 billion lyrs away (depends on which source you use). At a mag of about 14.5, this galaxy must be big.

So no surprise to see an oval, bright fuzz but then the fun started. A line of two/three galaxies near to it, IC 2938 -2 and then to the right is IC 2938 -3. Now fired up and wondering what the other fuzz spots might be - a job for the morning.

Below is a zoomed in shot and labelled according to NED information . I am amazed at the number of galaxies and just how faint they are. The mag 20 fuzz spots I sort of doubt but they do remain as I reduce the noise in the image so it looks like I have mag 20 galaxies confirmed !!!!

The redshift values for IC 2938, the one labelled 18.3 and the 17.5 are very similar so likely to be in the same vicinity. As to the rest - no information.

Mike (I may add my previous observations into this thread)

This thread is devoted to the distant galaxies to be found in the NGC and IC catalogues. Below is a spreadsheet with them listed - 94 in total. They are mostly found in Leo and Com.

I have observed 14 of them so far. I find it quite awesome to think that these readily observed galaxies are at least a billion light years away. 

Distant Galaxies with coordinates.xlsx

Always enjoy seeing the Berkeley Clusters (and in colour). Re 71 and the pair of stars at 3 o clock - line of sight.

You should really gather up all your Berkeley shots/notes into a single thread - would make for a useful resource.

Good idea to mention the Trumpler Classification - I use to test myself when looking at cluster visually - I rarely got it right compared to the official designation.

Mike

This looks promising. (not a lover of pink!)

Mike