I am observing with a 12" Dob. There are an awful of NGC galaxies on Chart 92, left side. Bear with me as I pass on my observations of them. This page includes M 105 and its pair of attendant galaxies, as well as the justly famous Leo Triplet. I will begin at the bottom of the page with NGC 3441, which virtually sits on the ecliptic. From there I will zig-zag north on the right half of the (left) page. The observations are mostly from 2013-2017.
eg 3441: 0'.7 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.6; SB 12.1: The galaxy is easy to spot at 136x. It is very oval, and close to a mag. 14 star. It is brighter and full-size at 187x. Views are still good at 250x.
eg 3462: 1'.7 x 1'.2: Vis. 12.2; SB 12.8: Noted at 60x, the galaxy appears small and faint. At 100x it is now oval, with a bright centre. At 136x the galaxy is quite bright, and pretty large using a.v. A faint star is S. At 187x and 250x the galaxy is quite small but bright using direct vision. using a.v., however, enlarges the object considerably, to a mid-size oval with a very bright centre. the centre itself is pretty large, with a fainter outer envelope.
eg 3427: 1'.1 x 0'.5: Vis. 13.2; SB 12.4: Observed at 136x, 187x, and 250x. At 136x it is small, faint, and oval. It is brighter at 187x, but only the central oval is seen well. 250x shows an extended object, pretty bright, using a.v.
eg 3417: 0'.7 0'.4: Vis. 14.6; SB 13.1: At 250x this is a very small oval patch SP eg 3425 and a small stellar asterism.
eg 3425: 1' x 1': Vis. 13.1; SB 13: Viewed at 136x and 187x, the galaxy has a bright stellar centre. It appears small, bright, and fuzzy. At 250x it is round and distinct. It lies north and between two distinct stars, part of a small asterism.
eg 3439: 0'.6 x 0'.4: Vis. 14.3; SB 12.6: Elusive, tiny, and ghostly at 187x and 250x. The galaxy makes a triangle with two faint stars, with the galaxy P the north/south stars.
eg 3428: 1'.5 x 0'.7: Vis. and SB 13.1: (Note--most catalogues equate 3428 and 3429 as the same object. However, Uranometria does show two galaxies. I have only seen 28). Observed at 136x and 187x, I noticed a bright central area with fainter envelope elongation. The two very bright stars nearby (mag. 7.5 and 8) made initial viewing difficult. At 250x the galaxy is petty large and very elongated.
I have only observed 28.
UGC 6062: 1'.4 x 0'.7: Vis. 12.8; SB 12.6: Viewed at 136x, 187x, and 250x, the galaxy is pretty bright and oval. I estimated its size (I had no field info at the time, but just took a random chance at finding it) at 1'.2 x o'.9. A bit off! A much better object than either eg 3476 and 3477, both just NP.
eg 3476: 0'.8 x 0'.7: Vis. 13.8; SB 13.2: A pair with eg 3477, below. Both galaxies can be seen at 136x, and remain in the field at higher power, too. A faint star is near them. 76 is pretty faint but not a difficult object to locate. It can be seen best using a.v.
eg 3477: 0'.9 x 0'.3: Vis. 14.8; SB 13.2: A pair with 3476, above. 77 is more oval than 76, and has a brighter centre. Both can be seen even at 187x and 250x.
eg 3490: 0'.5 x 0'.5: Vis. 13.8; SB 12.4: These little galaxies are a favourite with me; I love hunting them down. This one was located at 187x, using hand drawn chart. It is a tricky object! Though a bit easier to view at 200x, it still requires a.v. and good experience. It is NP a very faint star. It becomes much easier to see at 250x, though it is still not an easy object. It is small, round, faint, and hazy.
eg 3466: 1' x 0'.6: Vis. 13.6; SB 12.9: A pair with 3467, below. Both galaxies were located at 100x, and seen well at 136x. 66 is elongated, and has a brighter centre. 67 is round, also with a bright middle. A nice pair at 187x.
eg 3467: 0'.8 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.4; SB 12.9: See 3466, above. Fun to see with a 12" and good transparency.
eg 3433: 3'.5 x 3'.3: Vis. 11.6; SB 14: Located a bit P a mag. 9.5 star. the galaxy was noted at 100x. Better at 136x, it was also seen at 187x. It is very large, oval, and has a very slightly brighter centre. I tried to relocate it later, after chasing my wind-blown dew cap, but was unsuccessful.
eg 3444: 1' x 0'.2: Vis. 14.7; SB 12.8: Glimpsed at 187x, I saw a very small, faint slash, perhaps 0'. 5 x 0'.1? Except for a brisk wind, the sky was exceptionally transparent. Good luck to you if you try this!
eg 3438: 0.8 x 0.8: Vis. 13.4; SB 12.8: Located at 100x, using a detailed hand drawn map, the galaxy is quite small and hazy. AT 136x it is small, but the centre is bright. A mag 14 star is just SF. At 187x the envelope around the bright middle is much fainter.
I. 664: 1'.3 x 0'.9: Vis. 13.1; SB 13.1: A pair with eg 3492, below. Both galaxies are located within Abell Galaxy Cluster 1142. Both objects can be seen at 100x and 136x. 92 is a bit brighter and easier to see. 664 seems smaller, but is not difficult to view. At 187x the oval shape in both becomes more apparent. They both now show stellar cores, surrounded by bright centres with fainter, extended envelopes. An easy pair to see, near a fairly bright star.
eg 3492: 1'.1 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.2; SB 12.9: A pair with I. 664. See above.
eg 3506: 1'.2 x 1'.1: Vis. 12.5; SB 12.6: Located at 60x. It is bright and round at 100x and 136x. At 187x it becomes even brighter, and now clearly shows a stellar core. At 250x it is pretty big, but becoming dimmer. The fainter envelope surrounding the bright centre shows well here.
eg 3491: 0'.9 x 0'.9: Vis. 13.2; SB 12.9: Located at 100x, it seems very bright at 136x and 187x. It is round and quite easy to view. The galaxy precedes two very bright stars. A very faint star (mag. 15?) is following. The galaxy is pretty small, and does show a stellar core.
eg 3379, Messier 105: 5'.4 x 4'.8: Vis. 9.3; SB 12.8: Part of another very fine Leo Triplet! All three galaxies can be seen at 60x, and even at 200x they still fit in the field of view. Thus they are much closer together than the actual triplet, making these perhaps more fun to view. M 105 is round, big, and easily the brightest of the 3 Messier galaxies (M 96, M 96). The other two are close enough to easily sweep to at low power, making this one of the most exciting areas in Leo. At 200x and 250x M 105 is still very, very bright, showing a large core area, a large somewhat less bright area surrounding it, and plenty of fainter envelope around all. In order of brightness among the three close Messier objects, it is M 105, M 96, and M 95.
eg 3384: 5'.5 x 2'.5: Vis. 9.9; SB 12.6: 3384 is nearly as bright as M 105, and it is curious that it was never assigned a Messier number. The core is much smaller than M 105, and its envelope fainter. At 200x and 250x the core is very bright, and the surrounding envelope is wide, fat, and oval. A highlight of Leo observing.
eg 3389: 2' x 1'.3: Vis. 11.9; SB 13.2: Though much fainter than its two companions, this is also a beauty in a 12" scope. Even at low powers it is very elongated, and well positioned preceding 3 bright stars in a rough line. The galaxy is long and lovely at 136x, best with a.v. 200x shows it very long, wide in the centre, and though it is pretty bright, its glow is ghostly. To me it gave the impression of a nearly cloaked space ship! I will undoubtedly return to this area again and again, as I do with the original Triplet. Leo turns out to be an amazing journey with a large Dob!
M 95 and M 96 are also an easy star hop away, towards the right side.
eg 3412: 3'.6 x 2': Vis. 10.5; SB 12.6: This big, bright galaxy is close enough to the M 105 group to consider making it a sixth member on wide sweeping nights. Large and bright at 84x, 136x only improves things, also showing a 14.2 mag. star on the galaxy's N edge. Another fainter star is SP. This big galaxy is nearly as bright at eg 3384. It is smaller, but has a very bright core. At 187x and 200x the envelope is faint, but large and oval. It can now be seen to extend right to the 14 mag. star N.
eg 3419: 1'.2 x 1'.1: Vis/SB 12.5: A pair with eg 3419a, below. The main galaxy is bright and oval at 100x. 136x shows a bright core with a fainter surrounding envelope. Up to 250x shows it well, with an elongated core caused by a foreground star in there being involved.
eg 3419a: 1'.8 x 0'.3: Vis. 14.1; SB 13.3: This galaxy sits just N of 3419, and is pretty tricky to view. 187x, 200x, and 250x shows a stellar core, faint, and an occasional faint slash with a.v. Good luck with this one!
eg 3391: 1' x 0'.5: Vis. 13; SB 12.1: Located at 100x, at 136x it was a nice oval haze, with the middle showing as slightly brighter. Seen well between two faint stars, I was able to view it up to 200x.
eg 3489: 3'.5 x 2': Vis. 10.3; SB 12.3: Easy to see at 60x, this is one very bright object! Views are great up to 272x. The galaxy is large and has a very bright central globe surrounded by a large oval haze, much less bright. It is quite a stunning sight in a 12" mirror! A faint star (14?) is P.
eg 3485: 2'.3 x 2': Vis. 11.8; SB 13.3: Located at 100cx, the galaxy is pretty faint and pretty large. Views are better at 136x, now showing a bright middle. Views are best at 187x with a.v., where 3485 is now pretty bright. At 250x it begins to fade. Afterwards I could see it at 60x.
eg 3399: 0'.8 x 0'.8: Vis. 12.9; SB 13.3: A pair with 3405, are both small and pretty faint. 05, the fainter one, is actually an interacting pair of round galaxies, though the eyepiece impression is of an oval single galaxy. 99 was spotted at 136x, very near a bright star, helping to hide it, it lies within a group of four stars. At 187x both galaxies are seen, with 05 following very closely. It is very small, very faint, and a bit oval, They both have stellar cores. Views are good at 200x.
eg 3405: 0'.8 x 0'.7: Vis. 13.4; SB 12.7: A pair with 3399. See above.
eg 3347: 3'. 7 x 2'.1: Vis. 12.5; SB 14.6: A pair with 3447A, both galaxies are faint and oval at 187x, 200x, and 250x, using a.v. Both lie close to a mag. 9.9 star, making these objects a challenge. three very faint stars form an arrowhead pointing to the galaxies. The pair lie between this pattern and the 9.9 mag. star, though very close to the star. Both galaxies lies on the border of galaxy cluster Abell 1126. 47 is oval.
eg 3447A: 1'.5 x 0'.8: Vis./SB 12.5 (?-- more like 14): A pair with 3447. See above.
eg 3454: 2'.1 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.5; SB 13.1: A pair with 3455. 55 was seen at 100x. It was quite large, oval, and S of a mag. 11 star. 54 was seen at 136x, N of the mag. 11 star. It was a narrow slash. At 187x 54 was pretty nice, but it fades at 200s and 250x. 55 is much bigger and brighter, and is still good to view at 250x. A fine pair!
eg 3455: 2'.6 x 2': Vis. 12; SB 13.7: A pair with 3454. See above.
eg 3443: 2'.8 x 1'.4: Vis. 13.1; SB 14.4: This one took three attempts to locate, but I got it quickly the third night with a hand drawn detail map. It was seen at 136x, though it is very elusive. It was best at 187x, where it was oval with a stellar core and very faint envelope. It sits between two stars, the P one brighter. Uranometria notes say "Small, weak nucleus in faint, uniform envelope."
eg 3457: 0'.9 x 0'.9: Vis. 12.7; SB 12.3: Located at 100x and 136x, it appears stellar with some envelope around it. I was round and bright. At 187x it is still bright, and the round envelope is bigger. It is not unlike viewing a planetary nebula. At 200x it remains bright, especially the central core.
eg 3473: 1'.2 x 1': Vis. 13.5; SB 13.6: A pair with 3474. Both galaxies can be seen at 187x. 74 is much easier to see, being small and round. it is faint, though, and best seen with a.v. 3473 is round, larger, and comes up to a 12.8 mag. star just N. Lying between two faint stars, it ismuch harder to see.
eg 3474: 0'.8 x 0'.7: Vis. 13.9; SB 13.2: A pair with 3473. See above.
eg 3487: 0'.9 x 0'.4: Vis.13.9; SB 12.6: Located at 136x and also observed at 187x, though it was seen only using a.v. The galaxy is very elongated, very faint, and ghostly. It appears to sit in a barren section of the sky.
eg 3501: 3'.9 x 0'.5: Vis. 12.9; SB 13.4: The central area of this needle galaxy was seen (barely) at 60x and 100x. Even at 136x and 187x, this is a very faint edge-on, seen best with a.v. It is very long and thin. A bright star NP is in the field of view, mag. 9.
which will be discussed on Chart 73.
This completes the objects seen between 10h48m and 11h04 , or the four first squares on the left hand page. Now we will visit the remaining 6 squares on Chart 92 left.
eg 3559: 1'.3 x 0'.9: Vis./SB 12.8: Observed at 100x, 136x, and 187x,the galaxy is pretty large, but very faint and diffuse, quite evenly lit. It does not seem to be 12.8 mag., but considerably fainter (13.8?).
eg 3524: 1'.6 x 0'.5: Vis. 12.8; SB 12.4: Located at 100x. At 136x it is bright, very elongated, and pretty large. 250x gives a pretty decent view. It is still bright.
eg 3524.
eg 3547: 2' x 0'.9: Vis. 12.8; SB 13.2: Located t 100x. At 136x it was large, oval, and bright. At 187x it remains bright and pretty large. 250x also gave a good view. There is now a very faint star F.
eg 3526: 1'.9 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.2; SB 12.7: Located at 136x, this is as classic edge-on galaxy, among my favourite things to discover. A mag. 13 star precedes its nose. It is very elongated at 187x, with star immediately P. The galaxy is long, thin,and not that bright. At 250x it is now a ghostly sight. However, it is large, especially the central oval area.
NOTE: eg 3567 and eg 3601 will be discussed on Chart 112.
eg 3624: 0'.9 x 0'.6: Vis. 13.9; SB 13: This one was a big challenge on a previous hazy night, but under much better skies the next time it was quickly located. It was seen at 187x, and though pretty faint, its elongation was evident.
eg 3666: 4' x 1': Vis 12; SB 13.5: Located at 84x. The galaxy is very bright and very elongated. At 136x it is harder to see because because of the glare of a nearby 5.5 mag. star. At 187x and 250x, with the offending star removed from the field of view, I enjoyed good views of a very large, very elongated galaxy. It shows a stellar core. There is a large, oval and quite bright envelope. Occasional glimpses were had of very faint tips, or extensions. A very faint star lies N.
eg 3623--Messier 65: 9'.8 x 2'.9: Vis. 9.2; SB 12.7: One of many showpiece galaxies in Leo, it is also one of the Leo Triplets. It is very large and very elongated, and rewards long views by getting larger as the eye adapts. I saw a dark lane on the F edge, passing the bright core. This is one of those objects that seems fine at all magnifications, and with almost any size telescope. It is also one I return to year after year.
eg 3627--Messier 66: 9'.1 x 4'.1: Vis. 8.9; SB 12.7: Somewhat brighter than M 65, the galaxy also has a squatter shape. Like its neighbour it is seen well at virtually all magnifications, but I prefer it at 200x. As it moves across the field of view so quickly, however, it is best sketched at 120x. The core is star-like, and decidedly N or the centre. The central bright dome is wider than M 65. It surrounds the core for some distance. Next comes the fainter extensions, best seen using a.v. M 65 and M 66have been my two most frequently viewed objects in Leo so far. I will continue to view them each Spring.
eg 3628: 13'.1 x 3'.1: Vis. 9.6; SB 13.5: The third member of the famous Leo Triplet, along with M 65 and M 66. It is faint but enormous at 60x, it is possibly the largest galaxy I have seen outside of M 31. It is amazing to see in a dark sky at around 100x, 120x, and 150x. A.v. shows an evenly dim nebula that seems to go on and on. Dimmer than the 2 nearby Messier objects, it rewards the viewer nearly as much. The dark lane is not difficult to see. The galaxy dims considerably at 200x. All three objects fit into my field of view at 43x and 60x.
eg 3593: 5'.2 x 1'.9: Vis. 11; SB 13.4: Located P the Triplet, this has also become a favourite fof mine when visiting the area. It can be seen well from 60x-200x. Large, oval, and quite bright, it marks the 4th corner of a rectangle with three bright stars. The galaxy has a large and bright central area. It is also a fine object in an 8" scope.
eg 3596: 4' x 3'.8: Vis. 10.9; SB 13.7: Yet another fine galaxy close to the Triplet, this one is NP. Though easily seen on a good night, it is much fainter than 3593, above. It appears as a dim and very large circle, or possibly very slight oval. I can see no hint of arms or even a brighter centre. Easy to access from the Triplet and 3593. I now call this area the Quintet!
eg 3592: 1'.8 x 0'.6: Vis. 13.9; SB 13.8: A threshold slash, not small, was seen at 120x and 150x. A.v. was the only way to see this object. Seen from my suburban back deck in 2013!
eg 3598: 1'.8 x 1'.3: Vis. 12.3; SB 13.3: This small oval galaxy was not difficult to locate from my deck, but at first I thought I was looking at two faint stars. A faint star sits on the galaxy's N edge. The object was seen at 100x, 120x, 150x, and 200x, even without using a.v. I was surprised by the small size of the galaxy, given its dimensions.
eg 3602: 1' x 0'.3: Vis. 15; SB 13.5: I looked long and hard many times for this galaxy in the past. Tonight it was finally glimpsed, elusive and faint as it is. No elongation was apparent, just the central core glimpsed at 125x and 150x. This is the dimmest of 7 closely groped galaxies in this area. Good luck with this one!
eg 3659: 2'.3 x 1'.3: Vis. 12.2 x 12.9: Located easily at 100x. At 136x it is very elongated, with a wide middle. It seems to glow softly and evenly. Views are good at 187x with a.v. It is pretty large, but not terribly bright.
eg 3655: 1'.5 x 1': Vis. 11.7; SB 11.9: Even at 60x and 100x the galaxy is very, very bright and pretty large! At 136x a faint star is NF. The galaxy is very elongated. At 187x it shows a very large central area. The surrounding envelope is still bright at 250x.
eg 3681: 2' x 2': Vis. 11.2; SB 12.5: One of 4 galaxies 4 degrees N of the Triplet, and about 8' F. Located at 83x, it lies NF 81 Leonis, a star of mag. 5.5. The galaxy is bright, round, and pretty large. At 136x it seems to be the brightest of the big three in this immediate area. It shows a bright middle, pretty large, with a fainter envelope. At 187x it is large, round, and bright, and its full size can be experienced with a.v.
eg 3684: 3'.1 x 2'.1: Vis. 11.4; SB 13.3: In a diagonal line with 3681 and 3686, all 3 are fun to sweep between at low and high powers! They all all quite close together. this one is an easy object to view well at 136x, located S of a pretty bright star. At 187x it is a very good object, especially with a.v. It is 2nd brightest of the three. It is very oval, and shows more brightness in the larger central area. It certainly is a large object!
eg 3686: 3'.2 x 2'.5: Vis. 11.2; SB 13.4: This is the largest of the three galaxies discussed in this last section. Located at 83x, it is pretty amazing at 136x. It is also a bit fainter than the other two nearby galaxies, but it is my favourite. Very good views were had at 187x, especially with a.v. It is oval, very large, and shows a stellar core. While all three galaxies are recommended for a 12" scope, this one is the showpiece of the crowd.
Leo Uranometria notes will be continued next time.
Mapman Mike
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