Galaxy hunting in Leo

[mdstuart]

Lovely clear evening again! Two in the last week..I cannot contain myself..

So out to look for some prey in Leo..

Started with a nice edge on galaxy NGC 3666...about 60 million years away. Its part of the M65/66 NGC 3628 group...Its down and left of the famous messier group next to a nice bright field star so its easy to locate and not too hard to spot in my 14 inch..

Anyway tried something harder...NGC3799/3800..Now after I found these (took me a while) it was worth the effort. Its called ARP 83 and is two galaxies "interacting" with each other..Now these are really messing with each other...

NGC3800 was the easiest and was a smaller fainter version of 3666...3799 was just a small averted vision blob coming and going from vision..

Over 150 million light years away and they look like this...

Finally as the inevitable cloud came in I started to look at Abel 1367...I managed to pick up NGC 3861 a faint spiral galaxy which is 240 million light years away and part of the Leo Cluster which is part of the great wall....not the China one the galaxy one..

Really enjoying the 14 inch dob now...

Mark

[John]

Nice report Mark 

I got the cloud about 30 mins before you I reckon. 

I wish my garden skies were better for DSO's. I'll have to have a catch up session or two at the SGL star party !

[Bart]

I love the galaxies in Leo Virgo Ursa Major and Coma Berenciikhifjggh , can never spell that one! I'm just in after about 3 hours of it. Great night. Have to sleep I suppose. Like you, I have good aperture and these areas really reward it. My garden is pretty dark and I can just spend hours drifting around this part of the sky. Tonight the transparency was good. Got the dark lane in the needle and the black eye in the so called galaxy. Wonderful. M51 was nice and spirally with averted vision.nice to get out this time of year!

Barry

[Mike73]

I've got quite a while before I even come close to these galaxies you post about Mark but its fun reading about them anyway!

Did you see my quick report about some Leo galaxies a few days ago? I'd be interested to hear if you managed NGC 3389 with your 10"?

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/209564-a-brief-galaxy-session/

[cotterless45]

Neat, just in , we had a terrible gruesome town glow, making all but the brightest hard to see. Just scraped most of the ice off the Dob !

Nick.

[jetstream]

Great report Mark and thanks for posting that great link in the other thread!It helped me pick up a bunch of new galaxies last night-never knew my scope could show so much.

[mdstuart]

Mike

I have now read your report which as usual makes good reading..and I love those drawings.

Yes NGC3389...I have seen it with my 10 inch but as you say its pretty tough compared to M105 and that 3384. My log just says very faint. Must try it in the 14 inch...

Have you seen NGC3521? Its well down below Leo but worth a sketch I would say..

Mark

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[Mike73]

Hi Mark

Not seen NGC 3521 yet, its on my RASC list so I will get to it at some point but I'm trying to finish sketching the Messiers at the moment which isn't too bad as all the objects I have remaining are galaxies and globulars, it is a little frustrating knowing I'm passing some great objects though but 'I've started so I'II finish'.

[WaveSoarer]

Nice work. I really enjoy looking for galaxies and your report is inspiring.

[todd8137]

To busy with clusters at the min but Leo is looking good at the min sadly out the bedroom window

Pat