On April 1, I volunteered to help out with a star party, hosted by the Albany High School physics teacher (Rich Lohman), at his cabin at the edge of Arnold in the Sierra foothills. Rich recently decided to take the leap from classroom and lab astronomy and purchased a 12-inch LX-200 12-inch, CCD equipment, laptop and vacation home in a dark site (I'm not sure how on a teacher's salary)!
A couple of years back, my daughter, Andrea, helped to recruit enough students to form an advanced astronomy class at the high school and last year, Andrea, Rich and another student ground a mirror in Dobson's Academy of Sciences class. After the class ended, several interested students formed an Astronomy club at the high school and 8 of the students joined Rich, myself and Andrea to view through our scopes just outside of Arnold.
I was just expecting to act as the deep sky tourist guide for the evening, but the kids got tired of looking through our scopes by 10:30 and retired to play board games in the cabin. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity in dark skies, I immediately started worked on my remaining early spring NGC galaxies in Antlia, Leo and Hydra. This is pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as intersting object, but only a few ended up proving difficult under mag 6+ skies. The last target was Hickson Compact Group (HCG) 48, which really should never have been listed by Paul Hickson -- it's part of Abell 1060, sometimes referred to as Hydra I, a relatively bright Abell cluster. Only two or three members were visible in this faint group.
Since I had a few requests to include my descriptions of "mundane" galaxies last time, here are my notes before retreating to the warm cabin.
NGC 2984 = UGC 5200 = MCG +02-25-025 = CGCG 63-053 = IC 556
09 43 40.4 +11 03 39
V = 13.4; Size 0.7x0.7; SB = 12.6
17.5": faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. The halo, which fades at the edges, increases to ~0.6' with averted vision. A mag 14.5 star is close SSW (33" from center) and a slightly brighter star lies 0.9' NE. Forms a pair with IC 557 7' SE.
This object was discovered by William Herschel (III 34). His position was roughly 1 tmin E and 4' N of UGC 5200 = M+02-25-025 = CGCG 63-053. This object was later recorded twice by his son, John (h633) and he mentioned that the RA and Dec were approximate. Javelle later gave the position correctly (catalogued as IC 556). Karl Reinmuth (who surveyed the Herschel objects in the 1920's) mentioned that he couldn't find NGC 2984 in Dreyer's place and questioned if equal to IC 556? This identification is likely as there are no other reasonable candidates.
IC 557 = MCG +02-25-027 = CGCG 63-055
09 44 02.4 +10 59 17
Size 0.5x0.3; PA = 40d
17.5": faint, very small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 30"x15", weak concentration, very faint stellar nucleus at moments. The elongation was not always evident, so often was just viewing the slightly brighter core. Located 7' SE of N2984.
NGC 2996 = E566-012 = MCG -03-25-022
09 46 30.1 -21 34 17
V = 12.5; Size 1.5x1.3; SB = 13.2; PA = 115d
17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter. Gradually increases to a brighter core and occasional faint stellar nucleus. View hampered somewhat by a mag 10.5 star just 1.1' NE of center.
NGC 3025 = E566-015 = MCG -04-23-018
09 49 29.1 -21 44 31
V = 12.9; Size 1.5x1.2; SB = 13.4; PA = 110d
17.5": fairly faint, roundish, 0.8' diameter, weak concentration, halo fades into background. With averted vision, the halo increases to over 1' in diameter. Located 2.6' NW of mag 9.3 SAO 178051. A distinctive grouping of four mag 13-14 stars lies ~4' NW. E566-018 lies 14' ESE.
E566-018 = MCG -04-24-001 = NPM1G -21.0250
09 50 27.7 -21 48 08
V = 13.3; Size 1.3x1.0; SB = 13.4; PA = 170d
17.5": faint, moderately large, low surface brightness, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. Located 14' ESE of N3025.
NGC 3037 = E499-010 = MCG -04-24-002
09 51 24.2 -27 00 40
V = 13.1; Size 1.2x1.1; SB = 13.3
17.5": fairly faint, roundish, 1.0' diameter, very little concentration. A 30" pair of mag 14 stars close SE (~1.5') is collinear with the center of the galaxy. Located 5.4' SSW of mag 9.7 SAO 178100.
NGC 3051 = E499-016 = MCG -04-24-004
09 53 58.6 -27 17 11
V = 11.8; Size 2.1x1.9; SB = 13.2
17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.2' diameter. Broadly concentrated halo containing a very small bright core. Located 14' ENE of mag 6.4 SAO 178130. N3037 lies 38' NW.
NGC 3064 = MCG -01-26-001
09 55 41.5 -06 21 50
V = 13.7; Size 1.1x0.3; SB = 12.3; PA = 35d
17.5": very faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, low even surface brightness. A distinctive group of mag 11-13 stars is roughly 5' NE. The brighter mag 11 stars form a rectangle with a 13th magnitude star in the center.
E435-019 = MCG -05-24-012 = FGCE 783 (Flat Galaxy Catalogue extension)
09 59 04.8 -30 15 00
V = 13.1; Size 3.2x0.3; PA = 153d
17.5": extremely faint, thin edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.3', no concentration. A mag 12 star is 1' W of center and a mag 13 star is embedded in the NNW end.
IC 2538 = E374-027 = MCG -06-22-015
10 03 56.5 -34 48 28
V = 13.9; Size 1.5x0.8; SB = 13.9; PA = 1d
17.5": extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.3'. Probably viewed brighter core region only. A mag 12.5 star lies 1' SW of center. Located 4' N of mag 8.3 SAO 201012.
NGC 3120 = E374-029 = MCG -06-22-017
10 05 22.9 -34 13 13
V = 12.8; Size 1.8x1.3; SB = 13.5; PA = 1d
17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, 1.0' diameter, slightly elongated, weakly concentrated. A 20" pair of mag 12.5/13.5 stars is off the NW side 2' from center and the galaxy is also nearly collinear with a brighter pair ~4' SW.
IC 2536 = E374-026
10 03 30.1 -33 57 00
V = 13.8; Size 1.9x0.4; SB = 13.5; PA = 45d
17.5": very faint glow close NW of a mag 14 star. This is an edge-on but appeared too faint in unsteady seeing to clearly view any details. An evenly matched pair of mag 11.5 stars lie 5' NE. Located 28' NW of N3120.
NGC 3186 = M+01-26-032 = CGCG 36-085 = Mrk 720 = NPM1G +07.0217
10 17 37.9 +06 58 16
Size 0.9x0.9
17.5": very faint, extremely small, round, ~15" diameter (probably viewed core only), faint stellar nucleus. Located 1.2' SE of a mag 12.5 star. This galaxy is identified as N3186 in the RNGC and PGC and the identification is uncertain due to a poor position from Albert Marth.
This object was discovered by Albert Marth with the 48-inch from Malta. His position is 10 17 18 +07 03 (2000) which is 20 tsec W and 5' N of MCG +01-26-032 = CGCG 36-085 (the galaxy identified as N3186 in RNGC and PGC). Harold Corwin also suggests that NGC 3186 may be the northeastern component of CGCG 36-074. This galaxy is 1.5 tmin preceding and 6 arcmin south of Marth's position.
IC 602 = UGC 05561 = MCG +01-26-034 = CGCG 036-089
10 18 19.7 +07 02 57
V = 13.1; Size 0.8x0.5; SB = 12.1; PA = 177d
17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.8'x0.4', small bright core. A mag 12 star is just off the SW end. A group of 4 stars (trapezoid outline) is 4' NE. Forms a pair with much fainter IC 601 1.3' SW (see notes). M+01-26-032 (identified as N3186 in RNGC) lies 11' SW.
IC 601 = MCG +01-26-033 = CGCG 36-087 = NPM1G +07.0219
10 18 15.3 +07 02 19
V = 14.4; Size 0.7x0.2; SB = 12.2; PA = 41d
17.5": extremely faint, very small streak, ~20"x5". Visible with averted vision only and could not hold continuously. Located 1.3' SW of brighter IC 602.
N3246 = UGC 05661 = MCG +01-27-009 = CGCG 37-037
10 26 41.8 +03 51 43
V = 12.7; Size 2.4x1.3; SB = 13.8; PA = 100d
17.5": faint, moderately large, oval 3:2 E-W, broad weak concentration, 1.5'x1.0'. Forms the northern vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 11.5-12.5 stars 2.8' SW and 3.0' SSW of center. Located 9' SW of mag 6.7 SAO 118299.
NGC 3253 = UGC 05674 = MCG +02-27-021 = CGCG 65-043
10 28 27.4 +12 42 14
V = 13.6; Size 1.2x1.1; SB = 13.8
17.5": very faint, fairly small, round, 45" diameter, low surface brightness, very weak concentration. Located 3' S of a mag 10.8 star.
IC 2597 = E501-058 = MCG -04-25-051 = HCG 48a
10 37 47.3 -27 04 53
V = 11.8; Size 2.6x1.8; SB = 13.5; PA = 4d
17.5": moderately bright, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.7', fairly sharp concentration with a small bright core. A mag 14 star is close SE [40" from center]. This is the brightest member of HCG 48 along with HCG 48b 2.5' S and HCG 48c 2.0' NW. This HCG is actually a subgroup of Abell 1060 whose core is located just 30' SSW.
N3GC 434 = UGC 5980 = MCG +01-28-015 = CGCG 38-036
10 51 58.1 +03 47 31
V = 12.1; Size 2.1x1.9; SB = 13.4; PA = 5d
17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 N-S, ~1.3'x1.0'. Located 4.6' NW of mag 9 SAO 118551. Contains a large, brighter, elongated core with a much fainter outer halo which grows with averted vision. A mag 14 star lies 1.3' NNE of center. Brightest in close trio with CGCG 38-37 2.7' N (see notes) and CGCG 38-35 2.4' WSW.
CGCG 38-037
10 52 00.3 +03 50 08
Size 0.5x0.4
17.5": extremely faint and small, round, requires averted to glimpse. Located 2.7' N of N3434 and 1.5' N of a mag 14 star.
E501-059 = MCG -04-25-050 = HCG 48b
10 37 49.5 -27 07 16
V = 14.0; Size 0.9x0.8; SB = 13.5; PA = 97d
17.5": the second brightest member of HCG 48 appeared faint, fairly small, 1.0' diameter, round, low even surface brightness. Located 2.4' S of IC 2597 within Abell 1060.
HCG 48c
10 37 40.5 -27 03 28
V = 15.4; Size 0.5x0.2
17.5": HCG 48c was a marginal object (faintest of three), glimpsed 0.6' north of a mag 13 star. Visible at moments only with averted vision and appeared very small, slightly elongated N-S, ~15"x10". Located 2.0' NW of IC 2597.