Galaxies: what is your top five ?

[Bertrand Laville]

Hi All,

I would like to ask you a question*: what are, for you, the top five for the galaxies of the northern hemisphere*?
Take into account that I've not said the most luminous, or the most impressive, or the biggest, etc. Because I think that your top five will depend on the diameter of your scope.

In that post, I propose the five ones which I've decided to include in my top five*; four of them have been sketched with a 25'' dobson, and one through a 48'' big scope.
I think there will be no discussion to choose M 31, and M 51. For the three last ones, I chose M 33 and M 101 because they reveal a lot of starlike star clusters and/or HII regions, and NGC 4565 because, in my mind, it is a pure beauty.

I'm sure many of you will not agree this choice, and ask why not M 104, or M 106, or NGC 2963, and so on ?
As for the OOWs, let us know*!

Clear skies
Bertrand
http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/dsdlang/en/


3034

Details here: http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/m-051-t635-halo/dsdlang/en


3035

Details: http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/m-031/dsdlang/en


3036

http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/m-033/dsdlang/en


3037

Details: http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/m-101-t635/dsdlang/en


3038

Details: http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/ngc-4565-t120m/dsdlang/en

[Ivan Maly]

Bertrand, for me it could easily be the five you have chosen. Alternatively, IC 342, IC 1613, NGC 6822, M74, M81.

[kisspeter]

Ah, an impressive short list and beautiful drawings, Bertrand. Another 5 could be perhaps NGC 891, M 99, M 100, NGC 7479, + always the one I'm currently observing.

[Ivan Maly]

Didn't realize at first this was in Sketches. Here is my sketch of IC 342 (12", 75x, SQM 21.3). Not all stars are drawn.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0GyOnpYtV4/WDZZzZ49uoI/AAAAAAAAB1o/W6idn3ZQhbo6biMS-4ikGqvnFw1f-ayiQCLcB/s1600/IC%2B342%2BNov%2B6%2Bcomplete.jpg

[Jimi Lowrey]

This is five off the top of my head that are awesome in the 48" reflector.

1 Arp 240

2 Hoag's ring PGC 54559

3 Lost Galaxy NGC 4535

4 M64 Black-eye

5 M 102 I like the thin dust lane.

Tomorrow my list would be different it is hard to pick 5

[Daniel_Sp]

Hi,
I totally agree with Jimi's opinion - really hard to pick 5...

1. NGC 5371
2. NGC 3395/6
3. NGC 4565
4. NGC 7331 and friends
5. M 82

[Howard B]

It is hard to pick my top five galaxies because, like Bertrand noted, it depends on what telescope is being used. But with my 28-inch f/4 I like these best:

M51
M82
M101
M33
NGC 1365

Awesome drawings of your top five galaxies Bertrand!!!

3088

3089

3090

3091

3092

[Bertrand Laville]

Hi Howard,

Your drawings are amazing, sincerely among the best I've ever seen.
... Except NGC 1365, but hope you forgive me this apreciation !
I guess you observed the galaxy at a low distance from horizon ?

With a smaller scope, 20" Obsession, but at 60° above the horizon, and in an extraordinary namibian sky (SQM at zenith was measured five times during the night, beetwen 22.07 and 22.15, NELM > 7.4, and seeing very good), here is my drawing.

3094

Detailed report here: http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/ngc-1365/dsdlang/en

Clear skies
Bertrand
http://www.deepsky-drawings.com/dsdlang/en/

[Howard B]

Thanks Bertrand, I feel the same about your drawings. And you're exactly right about my sketch of NGC 1365 - it was only a few degrees above the horizon when I made this sketch, and I've often dreamed of seeing it under the conditions you described. Your drawing shows all the features I've seen through Jimi's 48 inch, showing what can be seen under a really good sky!