NGC 2419 - The Intergalactic Wanderer

[John]

I managed to spot NGC 2419, the "Intergalactic Wanderer" globular cluster with my 102mm refractor tonight. It's pretty faint, small and indistinct to be honest so a larger scope will give a much better view. It's integrated brightness is given at mag 9 or 10 but the surface brightness is more like 12 so tough for a 4 inch scope I find. I needed around 100x magnification to be able to see it (vaguely) with direct vision. Less than that and it's only really apparent using averted vision. Transparency is mediocre here tonight. It's not a large object - a hazy patch really, about 6 arc minutes in apparent diameter.

I "hopped" to it from Castor (see maps below). I passed the pair of Jishui and 70 Geminorum to reach a triangle of stars. NGC 2419 is a little above the top star of the triangle and on the end of a little curving line of 3 stars. The maps below are RACI finder orientated. The close map is the view with a 9x50 finder, approx. 

Fun challenge with a 4 inch scope 🙂

According to Wikipedia, if NGC 2419 is one of the brightest and largest globular clusters in our galaxy but it's a long, long, long way off. Still considered to be within our galaxy though, despite the rather romantic nickname 🙄 

 

Edited March 6 by John
spelling !!

[Stu]

Nice write up and interesting info John. Will have to give this one a go at some point. Thanks

[Captain Scarlet]

Thanks John. I’ve seen it a few times in my 12 inch, where your description “faint and indistinct” still applies, although in that scope it’s not difficult IIRC. Good you’ve got it in your 4 inch. It’s on my Spring list so I’ll definitely give it a go with mine next clear night!

[JeremyS]

Excellent, John 👍🏻

[Whistlin Bob]

Nice one. 

Checked my observing logs- both of these entries were with 14" dob:

26/3/20 - Ngc2419- intergalactic wanderer- my that's faint!

22/2/22 - Ngc2419- intergalactic wanderer - still very faint!!! How the heck did Herschel see that?

Clearly it's an every other year thing to go back and check it's still faint!

[DirkSteele]

I nabbed this one last year at AstroCamp as it was part of the Spring Challenge list.  Takes 3 billion years to orbit the galaxy and is twice as distant as the LMC but still part of the Milky Way.  Definitely more interesting in mind than it is visually (certainly in the 105mm scope I used).

[Epick Crom]

Nice one John!

This globular has been a constant menace for me as I've tried several times in "good" conditions to spot it in my 10 inch dob but have always come up empty. My backyard light pollution as well as it's low elevation from Down Under have conspired against me I reckon. 

It's great that you saw it with 4 inches.

[Saganite]

Well, I tried last night with my 6"  frac and my 12" Dob for at least an hour, probably longer , I didn't look for anything else , and failed dismally !

To be fair the fog did set in half an hour after I gave in so the transparency wasn't great, and once again my neighbour left her outside light on all evening....

I was using my APM 20mm 100 deg ( 60x ) so I can't have missed the area.  What sort of mag. is needed for this one ?

To be continued.............................

Edited March 7 by Saganite

[John]

4 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Well, I tried last night with my 6"  frac and my 12" Dob for at least an hour, probably longer , I didn't look for anything else , and failed dismally !

To be fair the fog did set in half an hour after I gave in so the transparency wasn't great, and once again my neighbour left her outside light on all evening....

I was using my APM 20mm 100 deg ( 60x ) so I can't have missed the area.  What sort of mag. is needed for this one ?

To be continued.............................

I had to boost up the magnification to around 100x to see any trace of it with direct vision Steve. The trouble is that the surface brightness is faint with this one.  

[Saganite]

Ok, thanks John.

Our Astro society has a meet on Sunday at a location out of town which has the same Bortle 4 sky as home, but no blasted light pollution close up so I will take my dob there I think, along with a 13mm Nagler (92x) and have another crack at it...🙂

[Ceramus]

Seen it once with a 300mm GoTo fro southern Andalucia. Very faint but discernible (just).

[F15Rules]

It's really interesting that this object seems so elusive or faint in relatively large 10-12" reflectors, but is visible in relatively (compared to the former) "small" 4" refractors.

Why would that be?🤔 - better contrast in the refractors? Or something else?

This isn't a "Refractors vs Reflectors" loaded question..I'm genuinely intrigued by this and keen to hear opinions on this😊..

Thanks!

Dave

Edited March 12 by F15Rules
Typo

[wookie1965]

Saw this in my 8" reflector in Buxton that was a great night saw the whale and the hockey stick and other stuff. 

[John]

17 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

It's really interesting that this object seems so elusive or faint in relatively large 10-12" reflectors, but is visible in relatively (compared to the former) "small" 4" refractors.

Why would that be?🤔 - better contrast in the refractors? Or something else?

This isn't a "Refractors vs Reflectors" loaded question..I'm genuinely intrigued by this and keen to hear opinions on this😊..

Thanks!

Dave

I don't know the answer to this Dave. It's much easier to see this dim target with a 12 inch scope but I have found it possible to at least glimpse it with much smaller apertures.

Refractors are well known for their contrast and do seem to exceed expectations on DSO's quite often.

 

 

[Littleguy80]

Fab report, John. I have fond memories of hunting this down with my first scope, a 130mm newt. It was at my local dark site and was quite challenging as I was pretty inexperienced back then and wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I was enamoured by the name and really chuffed to see it. 

[Zermelo]

I saw it three years ago, just visible in my 6" Newtonian from Bortle 4.

[Zermelo]

This view from SkySafari gives an idea of its position and distance :