Object of the Week September 16, 2012 - Abell 76 (PK 050-36.1) Ring Galaxy???????

[Jimi Lowrey]

Abell 76 AKA PK 050-36.1

Aquarius

RA
21 30 03

DEC
-02 47 06

MAG 13.9

Type Ring Galaxy

This is a object that you do not here much about. Most people who do the Abell PN skip by this galaxy because it was misclassified by George Abell in 1966 and is a galaxy and not a PN. It was proven to be A ring galaxy by Talent in 1982 with IR imaging. I have viewed this small galaxy on many occasions and with Telescopes from 18 inch to 2.1 meters and at all kind of powers and find it to be really puzzling in the eyepiece. I have never seen any hint of a ring like structure in any of the telescopes I have viewed it with. It always appears to my eye to look like a S0 or A elliptical type of galaxy. I would very much like to here you're experience with this unusual object and if you have seen any ring like structure.
297
"GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW"

GOOD LUCK AND GREAT VIEWING!

If you like Ring galaxies you can check out my list of Rings at my good friend Alvin Huey web site. I started the list in the 90'S and it has lots of rings from dim to bright to uncatalogued.
http://www.faintfuzzies.com/

[Uwe Glahn]

With 14" and 200x the galaxy seems to be absolutely round without any structure or ring detail. Looks like a PN for me. I don't try it with bigger aperture yet.

[Steve Gottlieb]

Same here with my 18" in three different observations. These notes are typical...

"Faint oval glow picked up at 220x just 1' SE of a mag 13.5 star. Once identified this object was not difficult to view with direct vision but appeared featureless. At 280x, it was slightly elongated and approximately 25"x20". A mag 8.5 star is 2.5' E."