by Steve Gottlieb
The first object I took a look at was Comet 9P/Tempel — soon to be rudely punctured by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft (evening of July 3rd). I was very surprised to find two objects with similar magnitudes in the same medium-power field! Of course, one was the comet and the imposter was NGC 4808 (V = 11.7) after a quick peak at the Uranometria. After realizing the comet is currently traversing Virgo, a rendezvous with a galaxy was not unexpected.
After entering the following observations in my database, I was surprised to find I'm down to a remaining total of 173 unobserved NGC galaxies visible from northern California. The hunt continues from Australia next new moon.
| NGC 4808 = UGC 08054 = MCG +01-33-028 = CGCG 043-071 = LGG 315-012 = PGC 44086 | 12 55 49.0 +04 18 15 | V = 11.7; Size 2.8x1.1; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 127d | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18" (5/29/05): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE,
2.0'x0.8'. Broadly concentrated with a mottled nuclear region but no
well-defined core or nucleus. A mag 14 star is off the NW side, 1.9'
from center. Located 54' N of mag 3.4 Delta Virginis. Picked up while
viewing Comet Tempel (9P) 30' S. The Comet will be impacted by a
spacecraft in just over one month! (July 4).
17.5" (4/4/92): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.2', broadly concentrated with no nucleus, tapered ends. A mag 14 star lies 1.9' WNW of center. | |||
| NGC 5104 = UGC 08391 = MCG +00-34-031 = CGCG 016-057 = PGC 46633 | 13 21 23.1 +00 20 32 | V = 13.7; Size 1.2x0.4; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 170d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, small, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.7'x0.3'. Contains a very small, brighter core. This is a an edge-on starburst galaxy. | |||
| NGC 5118 = UGC 08413 = MCG +01-34-019 = CGCG 044-078 = IC 4236 = PGC 46782 | 13 23 27.5 +06 23 33 | V = 13.7; Size 0.8x0.7; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 100d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, small, round, 0.6' diamter, wealkly concentrated with an irregular surface brightness. UGC 8427 lies 18' NE. | |||
| NGC 5119 = MCG -02-34-042 = PGC 46826 | 13 24 00.3 -12 16 35 | V = 13.0; Size 1.3x0.4; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 19d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, small, elongated at least 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.5'x0.2', fairly high surface brightness (possibly viewed core only). Increases to a sharp stellar nucleus. Located 70' SSW of Spica. | |||
| NGC 5122 = MCG -02-34-043 = PGC 46848 | 13 24 14.9 -10 39 15 | V = 13.4; Size 0.9x0.3; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 115d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, very small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE,
0.4'x0.2'. Contains a sharp, stellar nucleus or a faint star is
superimposed. Confusing the situation is a similar mag 14 star that is
just off the WNW extension and in line with the major axis of the
galaxy. Located 35' NNW of Spica. N5130 lies 27' N.
This is an edge-on polar-ring galaxy with extremely faint extensions perpendicular (SW-NE) to the major axis of the main body. | |||
| NGC 5130 = MCG -02-34-044 = PGC 46866 | 13 24 27.3 -10 12 36 | V = 13.4; Size 0.9x0.5; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 40d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.5'x0.3'. Sharply concentrated with a small, bright core and a very low surface brightness halo. A wide 44" pair of mag 13/14 stars lie 2' SSW. Located 1 degree NNW of Spica and 27' N of N5122. | |||
| UGC 08427 = MCG +01-34-020 = CGCG 44-083 = PGC 46884 | 13 24 35.1 +06 31 45 | V = 13.8; Size 1.4x0.7; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 15d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.45', slightly brighter core. A mag 12 star lies 1' E. Located 18' NE of N5518. Surprisingly, this galaxy was very comparable in brightness and larger than the NGC galaxy. | |||
| MCG -02-34-04 = NPM1G -12.0453 = PGC 47021 | 13 26 16.2 -12 36 59 | V = 14.3; Size 1.6x1.6; Surf Br = 15.2 | |
| 18" (5/29/05): very faint, moderately large, increases to a small, brighter knot or core with a very low surface brightness halo. Located 8.6' NW of mag 5.4 68 Virginis which must be kept out of the field or this galaxy will be nearly lost in the glare. Two unequal 30" pairs of mag 11.5/13.5 stars lie 2' E and 3' NE. Picked up while observing N5146 located 18' NNE. | |||
| NGC 5146 = MCG -02-34-049 = NPM1G -12.0454 = PGC 47055 | 13 26 37.4 -12 19 26 | V = 12.6; Size 1.8x1.2; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 35d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE. Sharply concentrated with a bright, 25" core and much fainter extensions. Bracketed by two mag 14.5/15 stars to the N and S. There is a faint galaxy as well as a faint star close N of the galaxy, but I assume I picked up the star. | |||
| NGC 5148 = MCG +01-34-021 = CGCG 044-086 = PGC 47060 | 13 26 38.7 +02 18 50 | V = 14.2; Size 0.7x0.8; Surf Br = 13.7 | |
| 18" (5/29/05): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Located 30" SW of a mag 14.5 star. | |||
| NGC 5159 = UGC 08460 = MCG +01-34-022 = CGCG 044-088 = PGC 47235 | 13 28 16.1 +02 58 58 | V = 14.2; Size 1.3x0.4; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 162d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): extremely faint, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 NNW-SSE. Not noticed initially but then caught the slightly brighter core. When drifting across the field very faint, low surface brightness extensions could be glimpsed increasing the size to nearly 1.0'x0.4'. Located 47' NE of N5148, another dim galaxy. | |||
| NGC 5167 = MCG +02-34-017 = CGCG 072-080 = PGC 47277 | 13 28 40.2 +12 41 41 | V = 13.8; Size 0.9x0.9; Surf Br = 13.4 | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, small, round, 0.5' diameter, weak concentration. Forms the northern vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 13/14 stars 2' SSW and 2' SE. Located 13' E of a mag 8.2 star. | |||
| NGC 5161 = ESO 383-004 = MCG -05-32-031 = UGCA 359 = PGC 47321 | 13 29 13.9 -33 10 26 | V = 11.2; Size 5.6x2.2; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 80d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): large, oval WSW-ENE, ~4'x2'. Broad concentration with a large, ill-defined core which seems offset to the east side (or the outer halo is irregular lit). A mag 10.3 star lies 3.9' W of center and a mag 11.5 star is off the NE flank. This photogenic spiral (thin arms with knots and HII regins) was host to a pair of recent supernova — 1998E and 1974B. | |||
| NGC 5420 = MCG -02-36-006 = PGC 50121 | 14 03 59.9 -14 37 01 | V = 13.1; Size 1.5x0.6; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 138d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE,
1.0'x0.4', weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star lies 1' S of the
center.
18" (6/18/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5', slightly brighter core. Bracketed by two mag 14 stars 1.1' S and 1.8' NE of center. Located 22' NNW mag 6.4 SAO 158325. | |||
| NGC 5442 = MCG -01-36-006 = VV 691 = PGC 50189 | 14 04 43.0 -09 42 43 | V = 13.2; Size 1.2x0.5; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 149d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE,
1.0'x0.5'. Contains a brighter core with very faint extensions. It
appeared the PA of the extensions shifted slightly with averted vision.
Host to supernova 2001U.
18" (6/18/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.4', appears brighter along its major axis. Situated in the middle of a isosceles triangle of mag 9.5 stars with mag 9.6 SAO 139717 7' N, mag 9.9 SAO 139714 6' SW and mag 9.6 SAO 139732 7' SE. | |||
| NGC 5476 = MCG -01-36-009 = PGC 50429 | 14 08 08.5 -06 05 31 | V = 12.8; Size 1.7x1.1; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, moderately large oval 4:3 NW-SE,
1.3'x1.0', broadly concentrated with no core. A mag 11.5 star is off
the west side, 1.9' from center.
18" (6/18/04): fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE, 1.0'x0.8'. The surface brightness appears slightly irregular with possibly a brighter spot or knot offset to the west side (it didn't appear to be the core). A mag 12.5 star lies 1.9' W of center. | |||
| NGC 5478 = UGC 09034 = MCG +00-36-019 = CGCG 018-055 = PGC 50430 | 14 08 08.5 -01 42 08 | V = 13.6; Size 1.1x0.8; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 37d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, small, round, 0.7' diameter. Wea, even
concentration to the center but there was no well-defined core. A mag
11 star lies 2' WSW.
18" (6/18/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter. Weak, even concentration to a small, brighter core giving a symmetrical appearance. A mag 11 star lies 2.4' WSW. | |||
| NGC 5495 = ESO 511-010 = MCG -04-34-001 = PGC 50729 | 14 12 23.3 -27 06 30 | V = 12.6; Size 1.6x1.4; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 38d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 ~N-S,
0.8'x0.4'. Contains a very small, bright core with faint extensions.
A mag 11 is just off the NE end and interferes with viewing. Located
11' NW of mag 5.1 50 Hydrae.
18" (6/18/04): faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 ~N-S. The view is severely hampered by a mag 10.5 star which is very close to the NE edge of the galaxy (42" from center)! Overall the galaxy has a fairly even surface brightness except for a very faint, nearly stellar nucleus with direct vision. Located 10.5' NW of mag 5.1 50 Hydrae which is just outside the 19' field of the 10mm Pentax XW. | |||
| NGC 5555 = ESO 579-015 = MCG -03-36-011 = PGC 51124 | 14 18 48.1 -19 08 20 | V = 14.5; Size 0.9x0.4; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 115d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): very faint, small, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 0.4'x0.3', low surface brightness. A mag 14 star lies 2' NE. It took some effort to identify this galaxy in the field, even with a star chart. Located 7' SE of a mag 9 HD 125216. A mag 10 star is a similar distance SW. | |||
| NGC 5618 = UGC 09250 = MCG +00-37-005 = CGCG 019-026 = PGC 51603 | 14 27 11.8 -02 15 46 | V = 13.4; Size 1.6x1.2; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 10d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, moderately large, diffuse glow, 1.0' diameter,
weakly concentrated. A mag 12 star lies 2' W. Located 15' W of mag
5.0 Phi Virginis.
18" (6/18/04): faint, fairly small, round, 0.8'x0.7', fairly low surface brightness with very weak concentration. A mag 12 star lies 2' W. Just outside the field lies Phi Virginis (very unequal magnitude double 5.0/9.5 at 5"). | |||
| NGC 5726 = ESO 580-012 = MCG -03-37-006 = PGC 52563 | 14 42 56.0 -18 26 42 | V = 12.8; Size 1.3x1.0; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, small, contains a fairly high surface
brightness 25" core with a fainter halo. Located 7' SE of mag 9.2 HD
129378 in a fairly rich star field. ESO 580-014 lies 14' E.
Incorrectly listed as nonexistent in the RNGC.
Incorrectly listed as nonexistent in the RNGC. Ormond Stone's position was 2.1 minutes W and 7' N of ESO 580-012 = MCG -03-37-006 but matches perfectly with his corrected position in the IC 1 notes. The correct identification is given in ESO-LV and RC3. Not identified as N5726 in the MCG. | |||
| ESO 580-014 = MCG -03-38-001 = PGC 52612 | 14 43 55.9 -18 29 02 | V = 13.9; Size 1.0x0.9; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 122d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): very low surface brightness, moderately large. Appears as a 1' very hazy glow with no core. Picked up while viewing N5726 14' WNW. | |||
| NGC 5734 = ESO 580-016 = MCG -03-38-003 = PGC 52678 | 14 45 09.1 -20 52 14 | V = 12.7; Size 1.5x1.0; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 38d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.4'. A mag 13 is just off the NE tip, 30" from center, and detracts from viewing. Forms a close pair with N5743 2.6' S. | |||
| NGC 5743 = ESO 580-017 = MCG -03-38-004 = PGC 52680 | 14 45 10.9 -20 54 48 | V = 13.0; Size 1.3x0.5; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 95d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated nearly 3:1 E-W, 1.2'x0.4', broad concentration. Larger and brighter of a close pair with N5743 2.6' N. | |||
| NGC 5744 = ESO 580-023 = MCG -03-38-007 = PGC 52761 | 14 46 38.6 -18 30 48 | V = 13.5; Size 1.0x0.7; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 108d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): faint, very small, round, 0.4' diameter. No details
were visible in this small galaxy. A striking 1.3' string of 3 stars
lies 10' E with mag 9.3 HD 130194 at the N end. N5744 is listed as
nonexistent in the RNGC. The NGC identification is uncertain and may
apply to this galaxy or E580-014 = M-03-38-001.
Stone's position is 14 45.2 -18 29 (2000) or 1.3 tmin E of E580-G14. N5744 is identified as E580-014 in the RC3, ESO (uncertain) and SGC but not MCG. ESGC identifies N5744 as E580-023 = M-03-38-007 at 14 46 38 -18 30 48 (2000) in which case Stone's position is 1.4 tmin W! | |||
| ESO 580-030 = MCG -03-38-013 = PGC 52827 | 14 47 35.4 -18 04 14 | V = 13.3; Size 1.7x1.3; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 2d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly large, low surface brightness glow with just a weak concentration, ~1.5' diameter, slightly elongated, ~1.5'x1.2' but difficult to determine an orientation. Located 30' NE of N5744. | |||
| NGC 5766 = ESO 580-050 = MCG -03-38-024 = PGC 53186 | 14 53 09.5 -21 23 38 | V = 13.4; Size 1.0x0.7; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 149d | |
| 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, small, round, 40" diameter, moderate
surface brightness. Forms the southern vertex of an isosceles triangle
(sides 2', 2' and 1') with two similar mag 12 stars to the N and NE.
17.5" (6/20/01): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 1.0'x0.8'. Very weak even concentration (not noticeable initially) but no core or nucleus. Forms the southern vertex of a thin isosceles triangle with two mag 12-13 stars 2.3' N and a similar distance NE. | |||
Posted on tac-sac May 31, 2005 20:04:56 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Sep 20, 2005 14:17:54 PT