Object of the Week, March 22, 2015 NGC 5529

[Howard B]

Edge-on galaxy
Bootes
RA 14h 15m 34s
DEC +36° 13′ 36”
Magnitude 12.8
Size: 6.2’ x 0.8’

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120 million lights years away toward Bootes is the edge-on galaxy NGC 5529. What makes it special is that it’s a little known, beautiful, perfectly edge-on galaxy set in a lovely star field and surrounded by a flotilla of faint galaxies. Gorgeous.

I had a brief look last year on a night that couldn't make up its mind to be clear or cloudy, whetting my appetite for a good long look on a truly clear night.

My notes read:
“NGC 5529 is a bonus object a low power field of view from NGC 5544/5545. A beautiful edge-on galaxy with a companion situated in a set of lovely foreground stars. 408x, unreliable SQM reading because of clouds”

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There’s a beautiful image from the Lemmon Sky Center at http://skycenter.arizona.edu/sites/skycenter.arizona.edu/files/n5529s.jpg that’s a joy to see, but what have you seen in your own scope?

"GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW"

[Steve Gottlieb]

The small galaxy below NGC 5529 on Howard's sketch is CGCG 191-071 = PGC 50952. It was missed by both Herschels but was discovered visually in 1855 at Birr Castle with the 72-inch. In fact, it probably would have received its own NGC designation if Lord Rosse's observing assistant (R.J. Mitchell) had provided an offset from the edge-on or a sketch. Mitchell's description from April 19, 1855 reads "Long, narrow ray with a small, round, very faint nebula south-following."

Has anyone seen this galaxy in a 12"-15" scope?

[Howard B]

Oddly, a fainter galaxy to the west, and on the same side of 5529, is designated NGC 5527. Aside from 191-71 I didn't see it or any of the other nearby galaxies during my observation, and they are a big reason I'm looking forward to going back for another look. Directly to the east of 5529 is MAC 1416+3613A and it looks especially interesting.

[Ivan Maly]

Last post, second mentioning of "5529" must be 5527. Curiously fan-shaped in photographs.

[Howard B]

Thanks Ivan, I corrected my typo. It looks like 5527 is the galaxy that has given 5529 its gentle curve in a recent encounter.

[Uwe Glahn]

Nice OOTW Howard. Next to NGC 3044 one of my favorites of the RFGC. And like you I missed the fainter companions and only did see PGC 50952 with my 16". I did not have an observing log with my 27" but a positive with the small 8". Below my sketch with 16", 257x and NELM 6m5+

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[reiner]

Hi Howard,

this is a nice edge on, appeared three days ago with my 22" as a slender spindle, brighter and thicker in the middle. I observed it with 270 and 500x, but could not make out the dust lane nor the warping of the disk, or other internal structure.

The small companion PGC 50952 was easy and obvious.