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View Full Version : Object of the week March 22, 2020- IC 2144 What is it?



Jimi Lowrey
March 22nd, 2020, 07:46 PM
IC 2144
Taurus
RA 05 50 12
Dec + 23 52 00
Mag 12.8
Type ??

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So what kind of object is IC 2144? Galaxy,PN,Emission Nebula,Or Other? This is what I found out. The noted visual observer EE Barnard found IC 2144 but I have been able to find out little about the discovery. I am not sure if he found it visually or on a image. This is what I have learned about this unusual object. It was first thought to be a galaxy with a foreground star on it. In 2008 George Herbig Of the Herbig -Haro catalog did an observation of it with the Keck I telescope. He found that the foreground star MWC 778 was a YSO (young stellar object) Imbedded in a reflection nebula. It is though that the young star might be illuminating the nebula. This is just speculation.

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Last night I observed this unusual object under fair conditions. I notated at 375X with my finder eyepiece that with direct vision I could see a small star that had a nebulas look. I was surprised at how small it was. There is a triangle of stars that point toward IC 2144 that make it easy to ID the field. The best view was with 610X. With this power I could see a bright bulge on the West Side of the star. On the East side I could detect with AV a faint nebula. I could hold this faint nebula about 90% of the time. Although this object is small and not much detail it was a exciting observation for me as I know of few observations of this object. I did try the NPB and a O III filter to see by chance if I got a response but as I figured with a reflection nebula I did not get a response.

So if you want the see as the late George Herbig called a very unusual object that not many people have seen.

“Give IT A Go”

Steve Gottlieb
March 26th, 2020, 12:34 AM
Here's an H-alpha image taken with the Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea in 2006. Although it shows all kind of structure, I mainly saw the bright central star + halo, which is tiny as Jimi mentioned, and perhaps some very dim outer nebulosity.

Based on this image, I'm surprised NED (http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=IC+2144&extend=no&hconst=73&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&out_csys=Equatorial&out_equinox=J2000.0&obj_sort=RA+or+Longitude&of=pre_text&zv_breaker=30000.0&list_limit=5&img_stamp=YES) still has it listed as a galaxy!

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Uwe Glahn
March 26th, 2020, 11:00 AM
Indeed a weird thing Jimi.

Observed it yesterday. With my 27-inch and 488x (ZAOII) I could pick up a very small, only around 5" large, patch of light directly NW of the 13mag star. Direct vision. With averted vision I could see a larger, but fainter streak to the E, perhaps around 20" long.

[OIII] gave a negative filter result but Hß shows a diffuse glow around the star. No structure detected. So it seems to be more like a RN like you already suspected Jimi. I add a sketch later when all observation are analyzed and redraw.

Panstarrs 1'x1'g
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Jimi Lowrey
March 26th, 2020, 03:27 PM
I look forward to seeing your sketch Uwe. Yes this is indeed a weird one!

Uwe Glahn
April 3rd, 2020, 05:52 PM
Below the given later sketch of IC 2144.

27", 488x, NELM 6m5+, Seeing III
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Jimi Lowrey
April 3rd, 2020, 06:22 PM
That is just like what I could see Uwe. Very real looking sketch.