Object of the week June 3 2012- Seyfert's Sextet AKA Hickson 79

[Jimi Lowrey]

Seyfert's Sextet (Hickson 79)

Compact Galaxy Group

Serpens

J2000
RA 15 59 11
DEC 20 45 17

NGC 6027 A MAG 14.8

NGC 6027 B MAG 15.3

NGC 6027 C MAG 15.3

NGC 6027 D MAG 16.5

NGC 6027 E MAG 14.4

This is my favorite compact galaxy group. Paul Hickson said that this is the most compact galaxy group in his catalog and that the entire group would fit in the Milky Way galaxy. On nights of good seeing I like to visit this group to try and pull out new detail in this super compact group. Each season I keep returning to this group I cant seem to get enough of this fascinating grouping.
233

I hope you will add this group to you're list and see how much detail you can pull out and,

"GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW"

GOOD LUCK AND GREAT VIEWING!

[Uwe Glahn]

Hi Jimi,

"This is my favorite compact galaxy group." I'm with you, for sure one of the best and most beautiful groups out there.

My experience are with 16" and 27". I wonder what aperture is necessary to see the group as one object...perhaps around 10"?

sketch with 16", 450x, NELM 7m+
239

sketch with 27", 419x, NELM 7m+
240

[Sue French]

Hi Uwe,

One lumpy blob in a 105mm or a 130mm. Three objects in a 10-inch. All six in a 14.5-inch.

See my reply to the Seyfert's thread in the Deep Sky forum.

Best, Sue

[Uwe Glahn]

Stunning observation Sue!

Yesterday I visited the group under bad seeing with my 27" and could see, that the tail (NGC 6027e) NE of HCG 79a was easier than component HCG 79d (NGC 6027d). It seems that my old observation of the tail with my old 16" was correct - you confirm that, thanks.
And you are also right with minimum aperture. I compare it with my observation of HCG 92 with 4". I have to try this also with HCG 79.

[RolandosCY]

I also tried this group under rather poor conditions last Thursday. The field is quite easy to locate, but even at the zenith, the high prevailing humidity (85-90%) did not allow sufficient transparency. In addition, a very warm (and humid) breeze prevented the seeing from allowing the group to break, even at 297X. For certainty I could see what shaped like a two-lobed shape, with a flickering effect on each lobe (I guess this was the result of the individual components showing on and off). With averted vision the 'lobes" seemed to enlarge in size. Unfortunately, conditions steadily deterioated - to the extend that we could barely see the spiral arms of M51 even with 18 inches... Next moring we awoke under very hazy skies. We'll give it another shot hopefully on Saturday evening...