Object of the Week February 10, 2013 V ZW 375 AKA Haro 6-29 AKA *GLTau (What is it??)

[Jimi Lowrey]

V ZW 375 AKA Haro 6-29 AKA *GL Tau

Taurus

RA
04 37 23

DEC
+25 02 43

Type ?

MAG 15.3

You do not often see a object with a galaxy catalog ID (V ZW 375) and a planetary nebula ID (Haro 6-29), with also a star ID (*GL Tau). This got my interest when I saw this object with this unusual combinations of Id's So this is what I have found out. Fritz Zwicky started collecting blue looking compact galaxies in 1964 from the Poss 1 plates for his now famous Red Book,(CATALOGUE OF SELECTED COMPACT GALAXIES AND OF POST-ERUPTIVE GALAXIES ). He cataloged this object as V ZW 375 and his notes say "Very red Sc with compact nucleus".

Poss 1 image
V Zw 375 Poss 1.jpg

So thats how it got the galaxy ID.

IN 1970 Sargent did a spectroscopic survey with the 200" Hale telescope on selected compact and peculiar galaxies from Zwicky's unpublished list of galaxies and found V ZW 375 to be a planetary nebula. NED note says that he sent Zwicky a private communication to inform him V ZW 375 was not a galaxy but a PN. As far back as 1953 Haro in Mexico noted in his paper (New emission stars in the dark regions of Taurus-Auriga-Orion) that Haro 6-29 had a Variable star with emission nebula. That is how it got its Planetary nebula ID.

In 1974 G Romano in Budapest did photometry on the central star In Haro 6-29 (*GL Tau) and found it to be variable from 15.7 to 17.5 photographic magnitude. so that is how it got its star name (*GL Tau).

To make matters more confusing MagaStar list this PN as Haro 3-29 and Simbad list it as Haro 6-29 Simbad did not recognize Haro 3-29. I did find a note in Simbad that says Haro 6-28= PN Haro 3-29, So that cleared that up.

SDSS Image
V ZW 375 SDSS.jpg

I looked at this PN last week and here are a few of my notes " 375X small fairly faint central star AV only 488X with NPB filter got a good response to the filter looks a little brighter on the one side. Need to look again with better seeing at a higher power!"

Be sure to try this PN with all the different catalog designations when you get out and,

"GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW"

GOOD LUCK AND GREAT VIEWING!

[Dragan]

[Steve Gottlieb]

I took a look at this object back in October 1985 and it was tough in my 17.5" scope, but I logged it at 105x using an OIII filter as ...

"Extremely faint and near my visual threshold, very small, round. Verified on a CGPN finder chart" [Kohoutek's Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebula].

I didn't know about the V Zw designation, though!

[Paul Alsing]

SkyTools also has it as H 3-29, with PN G174.2-14.6, PK 174-14.1, and ARO 214 as alternatives...

[Astrojensen]

It is shown in the first edition of Uranometria 2000.0 as PK 174-14.1, with the correct planetary nebula symbol.

Sounds like an interesting object. I wish it was clear.


Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[Astrojensen]

A DSS image shows a relatively bright galaxy about 10' to the south of PK 174-14.1, as well as several fainter galaxies in the neighborhood.


Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

[Jimi Lowrey]

I looked at this nebula again last night with good transparency and fair seeing. On the north side of Haro 6-29 there is a slight brighting with the unfiltered view at 488X. With the NPB filter at 610X it was like someone turned on the patch on the North side. I was surprised at how much brighter the Nebulous patch looked with the NPB filter at this power. It has to be one of the best filter responses that I have had on a object in a long while! The variable central star was only seen a small percentage of the time with AV only. It must be on the dim side of its cycle.

Nebulous patch

5ZW375 Knot.jpg

[ScottH]

Well, you've got me excited, Jimi. I'll try and observe it soon in my 16-inch.

Scott H.