Object of the Week - May 8th, 2016 - NGC 5383 Canes Venatici

[Paul Alsing]

Object of the Week - May 8th, 2016 - NGC 5383 Canes Venatici

NGC 5383 = UGC 8875 = MCG +07-29-023 = CGCG 219-033 = Mrk 281 = PGC 49618
R.A.: 13h57m05.0s
Dec.: +41°50'46" (2000)
Size: 2.5'x 2.0' Mag: 12.20 B

NGC 5383 is a barred spiral galaxy (Sb) in Canes Venatici, about 100 million light years distant, and discovered by William Herschel on Apr 9, 1787. With a major axis of 2.5 arc-minutes it is not very large, but it is still large enough to be interesting.

2088

On an average night in the local desert I spent a lot of time trying to tease out details, with some success. My overall first impression was of a slightly squashed face-on spiral galaxy with an obvious bright core elongated east-west, surrounded by a hazy outer shell. The galaxy's 'bar' runs almost north to south and was a very tenuous feature on this night, but the two elongated regions of star formation that emanate from each end of the bar are much easier to see.

The view is enhanced by the wide pair of 14th magnitude stars that reside on the eastern edge of the galaxy...

Only about 1-1/2 galaxy-diameters to the south of NGC 5383 lies UGC 8877, a very low surface-brightness face-on barred spiral, and on the night I viewed 5383 I couldn't see any trace of this guy. Perhaps next time.

The best photos show that the core is formed by 3 distinctly individual components, but this was impossible to detect visually.

2089

NGC 5383 has been studied quite a bit and there are lots of articles to be found. Here are a couple...

http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=260798
http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0203029

As always, give it a go and let us know

[Uwe Glahn]

Very nice catch Paul. Long ago since my last visit. I have definitively revisit the galaxy.

16", 100x-257x, NELM 6m5+, Seeing III
2096

[Howard B]

Hi Uwe,

I have only one observation from 16 years ago with my 20 inch f/5 Obsession:

"A round, diffuse glow of a galaxy. The core area is only slightly the brightest part of the galaxy, no stellar core. No distinct edges for that matter! Faint double star off to one side, 261x."

Thanks, I love barred spirals so this is now on my list to re-observe!

[Marko]

First off I have not commented on this fine Forum for ages and that is 'my bad'. Too many other diversions, no good excuse.

Only logged observation was in my 18" starmaster f3.7 from Lake Sonoma, a central CA site that Steve likes a lot but is very far for me in terms of driving. Here is my note from 8-15-2009 in a 21.5 sqm sky with fairly good seeing but not excellent seeing.

2.5-3' len 2EL 160dPA Core appears EW elongated. Showed to mam. 5mmTakLe splits a tight 7" double just to E. Some brightness off to SW side.


I don't quite understand MegaStar saying PA is 7 but I think I was describing the PA of the obvious glow of central bar.

[akarsh]

Paul, thanks for putting this beautiful galaxy on my radar. I observed it on Friday night (24th March 2023) from the Hovatter Road Antenna Site (https://www.saguaroastro.org/observing-sites/), which is where Hemant and I went after finding the Anza-Borrego desert too windy and a tad too bright for my taste. (For context, I had a social visit with Paul last week). I'll have to revisit your fabulous backyard desert again for the other things it has to offer! Here's what I logged with my 18" f/4.5, I had no tracking:

"A bright galaxy near a distracting double star. A round core with a roughly E-W elongated bar are easily seen. With effort, the "cap" of the leading (western) end of the bar is seen as a curved protrusion. The lagging (eastern) end-cap appears very occasionally."

I bet this would be a sight in Jimi's telescope.

[Steve Gottlieb]

I bet this would be a sight in Jimi's telescope.

Here you go (from May '18) ...

"I was impressed at 375x and 610x by the prominent "Z"-shaped barred spiral appearance! NGC 5383 is strongly concentrated with a very bright oval core, ~0.6' diameter, containing a very small brighter nucleus. The core isn't elongated in the direction of the bar, though, but angles WSW-ENE towards an 8" pair of mag 14 stars 1.1' from center. The central bar is oriented NW-SE and extends ~1.5' x 0.4'. At both ends of the bar are relatively large, bright knots (regions of enhanced star formation), ~18" diameter. A fairly thin, striking "wing" (spiral arm) extends ~0.7' SW from the SE end of the bar, forming a sharp right angle. A less distinct and shorter arm angles NE from the NW end of the bar, completing the "Z" with a "stroke" (core) outline. A low surface brightness, roundish halo, encompasses the striking shape. Two mag 16-16.5 stars are superimposed north of the core."

[Don Pensack]

And what about the visibility of the barred spiral nearby--UGC8877?
It seems it should have been visible in the 48".

[Steve Gottlieb]

UGC 8877 wasn't difficult, though as expected it didn't show any structure at 375x and 610x.

Faint, fairly large, low even surface brightness. This face-on barred spiral didn't display any structure due to an anemic surface brightness. A mag 10.8 star is 2' ENE. Picked up just 3' S of showpiece NGC 5383.

[akarsh]

Can we nickname it the "Batarang Galaxy"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batarang
The resemblance isn't exact but this is the closest me and a friend could find.