A Smorgasbord of Galaxies

[Sam]

After great intentions of imaging tonight I decided to flag it and just have an observing evening - and wow! was it worth it!!! There's a pile of galaxies just waiting to be observed and after finding the end of Leo (Denebola) I was off. First stop was M98 - it was quite hard to see (probably started a bit too early to make things difficult). Though with a bit of perseverance and dark adapting eyes I could make out it was edge on. Then the next stop was M99, Pinwheel Galaxy, though it wasn't very bright - but the core was easily visible. The next stop was a walk along three brightish stars to M100 - bright core and faint fuzzy bits around the outside. Just north of M100 (in Dec) was M85 - quite a bright one.

To get back down to the other galaxies in the cluster it was a trip back past M100 and M99 then off to M86 and M84, which sit really close to each other - in fact in the FOV I reckon there were about 8 or 9 fuzzies (might of been seeing things of course). Next to M84 and M86 were two other galaxies very close together NGC4435 and NGC4438 (The Eyes). Just in front of M86 and M84 NGC4388 was quite clear. I followed past NGC4388 to M87. Then a trip way down south to M49 which was quite bright and then up past M87 to M88 - by now some cloud had decided to wander over the cluster so it was a chance to take in the great view with fully dark adapted eyes. This is when I realised I actually have quite dark skies - I could see the Beehive cluster very clearly (and that was even without my glasses).

The clouds parted and it was back into the trip around the Virgo cluster. First stop across to M91 from M88, which was fairly faint with a bright core. Then south in Dec to M90 and M89 and then to M58. M58 seemed like a good place to stop for a while - could nearly make out spiral arms...maybe. Just below M58 were the Siamese twins but I think I could only see NGC4568, not NGC4567, but I think I could see NGC4564 just a little way from NGC4568.

The last two were M59 and M60, they were quite bright and capped off a great trip through the cluster. Feeling pretty happy with myself for seeing a vast amount of galaxies in one go I thought I'd throw in a globular cluster. M53 wasn't too far away so that was the next on the list. Very bright with plenty of stars visible - I put in the 10mm eyepiece to get a bit closer - and was rewarded by the sight - very impressed. The final stop for the night was the Black-Eye Galaxy - that was very bright and I could make out the dust lane that gives the galaxy its name.

What a night! Sooooo many galaxies and it was great to take the time and observe them. I'll be visiting that part of the sky again - with the camera.

cheers

Sam

[jgs001]

Nice report Sam. Well written. I didn't get an opportunity to get out tonight, but that's made up for it. Thanks.

[Andrew*]

lovely report. Sounds like the Kielder night...

Thanks for sharing

Andrew

[Casus belli]

Excellent report Sam. Thats my favorate area of the sky and your description seems to be firing a couple of neurons in my head. I can "see" those galaxies as I read your report.