Ivan Maly
February 7th, 2013, 06:50 PM
Largely unedited records from last night’s outing to my favorite dark site. On this second night this season spent in Camelopardalis, I viewed the last Herschel objects in that constellation. The highlight was a detailed view of NGC 2403, aided by Steve Gottlieb’s latest article in S&T, which I had with me. Today at home I identified more than a dozen Hodge star associations on my sketch.
463
February 6, 2013. Cherry Springs [700 m, 21.7 mag/sq arcsec]. 16”. Continuing Herschel 2500 in Camelopardalis in the order of NGC. Clear, transparency average by CSC, -6C, 0% humidity. Calm. 6” of snow, plowed. Road OK. It seems a little more humid but also more transparent than predicted. At the end of astronomical twilight zodiacal light stretches through Pisces past culmination [19:00].
NGC 2253 is Herschel’s VII.54. Bratton labels it nonexistent and provides no description. Its identity is discussed by Archinal and Hynes, who tentatively identify it with a group of star at Herschel’s position. Uranometria plots it as a galaxy 1/2 degrees S, which follows the proposal of Sue French according to Archinal and Hynes, who go on to note that this faint, small galaxy [MCG+11-9-7] could not be mistaken for a class VII cluster. NED quite literally goes further and tentatively identifies NGC 2253 with UGC 3511, a somewhat more prominent galaxy another 1/2 deg. S.
464
Less than halfway from the middle bright Uranometria [“U”] star to the faint U. star to the NE is the likely VII.54, a round well-detached group, on the periphery of which are easily resolved a few brighter stars; the rest is a shimmering glow. A similar but more elongated group has the faint U. star on its NE end; its brighter members form a shallow arc leading to the U. star. The first group does look like a class VII cluster and is unexpectedly [compared with survey photos of the area] well detached visually at 225x (Ethos 8 mm). At 45x (Pentax XW40) it is not noticeable. The faint small MCG+11-9-7 that is labeled NGC 2253 in Uranometria cannot be located with confidence.
A nice diversion on the same page of Uranometria is the Integral Sign Galaxy, UGC 3697. It is perfectly framed by the Ethos (225x) together with UGC 3714 to the SE, although I need to back away from the lens a little to get the two bright Uranometria stars out of the visible field. UGC 3714 is round, bright, compact, and slightly concentrated. UGC 3697 is an approximately 1x8 streak. It is as long as the distance between the two stars that do not quite exactly flank it. The galaxy is a little brighter toward the middle (which is closer to the W star). No sign of the warped ends. Invisible at 45x.
NGC 2347. III.746. (R’)SA(r)b:. 123 kly, 202 Mly. It and IC 2179 to the N are visible already at 45x. At 225x the Ethos frames the pair. The NGC is slightly elongated NS and concentrated. The IC is round and concentrated, and has what seems to be a starlike nucleus.
465
[The sketch of NGC 2366 made at 225x records the very unequal double HII region on the SW end, the core, and what seems to be a distinct star cloud on the NE end. To the W of the SW end of the main galaxy is the companion NGC 2363. I had Steve Gotlieb’s S&T article with me and used the photographs. Herschel described his III.748 as compact with a faint “branch” to the NE, clearly referring to the bright HII region and the main body of the galaxy.]
466 [Identifications on this sketch have been improved since I posted it here. The updated version with comments is in my blog: http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2013/02/star-associations-in-ngc-2403.html.]
[The sketch of NGC 2403 was made at 225x and represents my most detailed view to date. The star associations are labeled in red according to Hodge (“Stellar Associations in the Galaxy NGC2403”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1985, 97:1065-1070). “*” marks foreground stars. NGC 2403 is Herschel’s V.44 and in Herschel 400. Caldwell 7. I viewed it with my 4” f/5.5 Televue in 2010. The previous detailed observation, made with my 12” SCT, can be found here: http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2011/11/ngc-2403.html.]
[Another member of the M81/NGC 2403 group mentioned in the said article,] Holmberg II (UGC 4305) can be faintly seen as a kidney-shaped “halo” of the faint small triangle of stars on its E side at 225x. At 45x the glow is confused with this triangle.
467
NGC 2655. I.288. [Herschel 400, also O’Meara’s] Hidden Treasure #48. 225x. Sharp nucleus. Enhancement in the S arc segment may be due to an unresolved star, and the N arc segment may be entirely due to an arc of unresolved stars.
NGC 3901, III.970. Slightly elongated NNW-SSE. Slightly concentrated. Edges diffuse. A triangle of stars points at it from ESE.
NGC 4127, I.279. Elongated NW-SE. Slightly concentrated. Appears ragged, which may be due to 3 nearby stars, one of which – the closest- is on the E edge.
NGC 5295, III.946. Small, round, slightly concentrated.
NGC 5640, III.949. Small, but larger than last object, diffuse with almost no concentration, elongated slightly NNE-SSW. Difficult, but once located in the star-poor field, can be held almost continuously. 642 Mly. Last Herschel object in Camelopardalis. Midnight, -10C.
463
February 6, 2013. Cherry Springs [700 m, 21.7 mag/sq arcsec]. 16”. Continuing Herschel 2500 in Camelopardalis in the order of NGC. Clear, transparency average by CSC, -6C, 0% humidity. Calm. 6” of snow, plowed. Road OK. It seems a little more humid but also more transparent than predicted. At the end of astronomical twilight zodiacal light stretches through Pisces past culmination [19:00].
NGC 2253 is Herschel’s VII.54. Bratton labels it nonexistent and provides no description. Its identity is discussed by Archinal and Hynes, who tentatively identify it with a group of star at Herschel’s position. Uranometria plots it as a galaxy 1/2 degrees S, which follows the proposal of Sue French according to Archinal and Hynes, who go on to note that this faint, small galaxy [MCG+11-9-7] could not be mistaken for a class VII cluster. NED quite literally goes further and tentatively identifies NGC 2253 with UGC 3511, a somewhat more prominent galaxy another 1/2 deg. S.
464
Less than halfway from the middle bright Uranometria [“U”] star to the faint U. star to the NE is the likely VII.54, a round well-detached group, on the periphery of which are easily resolved a few brighter stars; the rest is a shimmering glow. A similar but more elongated group has the faint U. star on its NE end; its brighter members form a shallow arc leading to the U. star. The first group does look like a class VII cluster and is unexpectedly [compared with survey photos of the area] well detached visually at 225x (Ethos 8 mm). At 45x (Pentax XW40) it is not noticeable. The faint small MCG+11-9-7 that is labeled NGC 2253 in Uranometria cannot be located with confidence.
A nice diversion on the same page of Uranometria is the Integral Sign Galaxy, UGC 3697. It is perfectly framed by the Ethos (225x) together with UGC 3714 to the SE, although I need to back away from the lens a little to get the two bright Uranometria stars out of the visible field. UGC 3714 is round, bright, compact, and slightly concentrated. UGC 3697 is an approximately 1x8 streak. It is as long as the distance between the two stars that do not quite exactly flank it. The galaxy is a little brighter toward the middle (which is closer to the W star). No sign of the warped ends. Invisible at 45x.
NGC 2347. III.746. (R’)SA(r)b:. 123 kly, 202 Mly. It and IC 2179 to the N are visible already at 45x. At 225x the Ethos frames the pair. The NGC is slightly elongated NS and concentrated. The IC is round and concentrated, and has what seems to be a starlike nucleus.
465
[The sketch of NGC 2366 made at 225x records the very unequal double HII region on the SW end, the core, and what seems to be a distinct star cloud on the NE end. To the W of the SW end of the main galaxy is the companion NGC 2363. I had Steve Gotlieb’s S&T article with me and used the photographs. Herschel described his III.748 as compact with a faint “branch” to the NE, clearly referring to the bright HII region and the main body of the galaxy.]
466 [Identifications on this sketch have been improved since I posted it here. The updated version with comments is in my blog: http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2013/02/star-associations-in-ngc-2403.html.]
[The sketch of NGC 2403 was made at 225x and represents my most detailed view to date. The star associations are labeled in red according to Hodge (“Stellar Associations in the Galaxy NGC2403”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1985, 97:1065-1070). “*” marks foreground stars. NGC 2403 is Herschel’s V.44 and in Herschel 400. Caldwell 7. I viewed it with my 4” f/5.5 Televue in 2010. The previous detailed observation, made with my 12” SCT, can be found here: http://ivm-deep-sky.blogspot.com/2011/11/ngc-2403.html.]
[Another member of the M81/NGC 2403 group mentioned in the said article,] Holmberg II (UGC 4305) can be faintly seen as a kidney-shaped “halo” of the faint small triangle of stars on its E side at 225x. At 45x the glow is confused with this triangle.
467
NGC 2655. I.288. [Herschel 400, also O’Meara’s] Hidden Treasure #48. 225x. Sharp nucleus. Enhancement in the S arc segment may be due to an unresolved star, and the N arc segment may be entirely due to an arc of unresolved stars.
NGC 3901, III.970. Slightly elongated NNW-SSE. Slightly concentrated. Edges diffuse. A triangle of stars points at it from ESE.
NGC 4127, I.279. Elongated NW-SE. Slightly concentrated. Appears ragged, which may be due to 3 nearby stars, one of which – the closest- is on the E edge.
NGC 5295, III.946. Small, round, slightly concentrated.
NGC 5640, III.949. Small, but larger than last object, diffuse with almost no concentration, elongated slightly NNE-SSW. Difficult, but once located in the star-poor field, can be held almost continuously. 642 Mly. Last Herschel object in Camelopardalis. Midnight, -10C.