Category: interacting

An Ursa Major Pair

M81 and M82

M81 and M82 in Ursa Major
Sketch and Details by Rony De Laet

M81 and M82 an Ursa Major Pair

The famous M81 and M82 form a nice duo in a pair of binoculars. First try to locate the star 24 Ursae Majoris. With that star in the center of the fov, M81 should be visible near the western edge of the field. M82 can be glimpsed at about 40′ to the north of M81. M81 is the brighter one of the two. It looks like a small glowing patch of light. Its center appears to be a tad brighter. M82 is rather weak, but the cigar shape is clearly present! I find it amazing that at a distance of 13 million light years, this duo is recognizable in a simple pair of binoculars.

Observing data:
Date : March 31, 2008
Time : around 21.30UT
Binoculars : Bresser 8×56
FOV: 5,9°
Filter : none
Mount : Trico Machine Sky Window
Seeing : 2,5/5
Transp. : 2,5/5
Nelm : 5,0
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with PhotoPaint, based on a raw pencil sketch.

Target data:
NGC 3031(M81) in Ursa Major
Spiral Galaxy
13 million l.y.
Mag: 6.9
SB: 13
Dim 26′.9 x 14′.1

NGC 3034 (M82) in Ursa Major
Irregular Galaxy
13 million l.y.
Mag: 8.4
SB: 12.8
Dim 11′.2 x 4′.3

A Fine Cigar

M82

M82, NGC 3034 “The Cigar Galaxy”
Sketch and Details by Przemysław Horoszkiewicz, text by Rich Handy

Polish amateur astronomer Przemysław Horoszkiewicz has wonderfully captured M82, the Cigar Galaxy. M82 is classified as an irregular galaxy. The beautiful spiral M81, has had several previous close approaches to M82. Gravitational instabilities caused by these encounters have triggered massive star formation. Consequently, strong winds from supernovae and stellar formation have sculpted huge plumes of energized hydrogen gas that extends deep into the space around M82. It is this gas that obscures the central portions of the galaxy as is shown so well in Przemysław’s sketch.

Sketch information:

Object name: M 82 (NGC 3034)
Object type: Galaxy
Location: Poland, Zielona Góra (a few kilometers from the city)
Date: 29.11.2008r
Scope: Newton 254/1200
Eyepieces: LVW 8 ( 150x)
Seeing: 7/10
Technique:Pencil,graphics GIMP2
Amateur astronomer:Przemysław Horoszkiewicz(Poland)

A Handful of Peculiars

ARP 229

Arp 229
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

Here’s another entry from Halton Arp’s catalog of Peculiar Galaxies: Arp 229. (I believe Arp’s designation applies only to the central galaxies in my sketch.)

I thought this made a particularly interesting view as the galaxies are quite varied even though there’s not really any structure visible in my instrument. From the top, we have NGC499 which presents an elongated, well-condensed core, followed by the bright over/under pair of NGC508 and 507, both of which present semi-stellar cores. The little guys around that pair, clockwise from the center of the sketch are IC1687 with no core visible, MCG+05-04-048 with a dim semi-stellar core visible, and NGC504 with a bright stellar core. Lastly is IC1685 in the lower left, which is quite bright but shows no core at all.

Sketched 11/30/2008 from County Louth, Ireland,
as viewed through a 16” Mak-Cass @ 150X; Pickering 5, NELM 5.5, SQM 20.4.
Daler-Rowney HB Graphic pencil on white cartridge paper. Scanned and inverted in Photoshop.

Cheers,

— Jeff.

Before Two Become One

NGC 2207

NGC 2207 and IC 2163
Sketch by Eiji Kato, text by Frank McCabe

This remarkable sketch was made by Eiji Kato using a 47 cm. f/4 reflector and looking out to a distance measured to be 114 to144 million light years. These beautiful, large, interacting spiral galaxies are located in the constellation of Canis Major at R.A. 6 hrs.16 min.22 sec.; Dec. -21° 22′ 21”. The smaller of the two IC 2163 is about the size of our own Milky Way galaxy. Both members were discovered by John Herschel in 1835. Supernova hunters may be familiar with this pair since the brighter, larger member NGC 2207 has been the site of three supernovas in the past 33 years. The visual magnitudes of these galaxies are 12.2 (IC 2163) and 11.6 (NGC 2207). The nuclei of theses spirals are about 1.4′ of an arc apart. In time, galactic cannibalism will complete the merging of this pair.

Hubble Heritage Image from November of 1999 http://heritage.stsci.edu/1999/41/big.html

The Leo Three

The Leo Three

The Leo Three
Sketch by Janis Romer, Details by Frank McCabe

Janis has rendered here an impressive sketch of the “Leo triplet” of galaxies in the constellation of the same name. The northern most member closest to the bottom of the drawing is NGC 3628. At approximately magnitude 9.9 visually, it was missed by Charles Messier but recorded by William Herschel in the spring of 1784. At 35 million light years distant it has an apparent diameter of 15 arc minutes. In an 18 inch telescope from good skies the dust lane bisecting this galaxy is clearly visible. The outer visible parts of this galaxy are distorted by gravitational interactions with the other two members of this group, namely M-65 and M-66. These two galaxies were discovered and recorded by Charles Messier in March of 1780 (incorrectly attributed to Pierre Mechain until recently corrected). M-65 the fainter of these two at magnitude 9.3 and western most (top left) in this sketch, is a tightly wound spiral with an apparent size of 8’ by 2’. M-66 the eastern most (top right) galaxy in the sketch is dusty looking and brighter at magnitude 8.9. This less symmetrical spiral measures 8’ by 3’ in apparent dimensions. Values for the distances of these last two galaxies vary from 22 million light years to 35 million. Measurements taken using Cepheid variables as standard measuring candles find the distance to these galaxies at about 35 million light years (11 mega parsec).

This sketch was made using a Criterion 8” f / 8 Newtonian reflector telescope

Galaxy Cluster Choreography

Stephan’s Quintet

Stephan’s Quintet
Sketch and Details by Dale Holt

Stephan’s Quintet

Perhaps as a follow on to Jeff Young’s superb NGC 7331 “Deer Lick with fleas” My own rendition of Stephan’s Quintet might fit well?

On the 2nd of October this year I used my observatory 14″ F5 Newt with Watec 120n video camera sketching from a 9″ B&W monitor, using a graphite pencil plus blending stump on standard cartridge paper to capture the enigmatic Stephan’s Quintet.
The image was scanned and turned to a negative to give a more realistic and pleasing view. I caught up with this exquisite galaxy cluster following some wonderful shared visual studies with my 20″ at the Kelling Heath Autumn Equinox star party in Norfolk, England the previous week.

Siamese If You Please

Siamese Twins

The Siamese Twins (NGC 4567, 4568, and 4564)
Sketch and Details by Bill Ferris

NGC 4567 & NGC 4568 “Siamese Twins”: Galaxy Pair (Virgo)
RA: 12h 36.6m / DEC: +11º 15′.5
Instrument: 18-inch Obsession

This interacting galaxy pair resides in the heart of the Virgo cluster. My sketch presents a 199X view in the 18-inch Obsession. NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 stand just inside the southern field boundary. This duo is known collectively as the “Siamese Twins.” Of the two, NGC 4567 is more prominent. This 11.3 magnitude SA-type galaxy ranges over a 2′.8 by 1′ area and is aligned nearly east-to-west. This galaxy features a stellar core embedded within a brighter core region. NGC 4568 connects at the eastern tip and extends to the south-southwest. This 10.8 magnitude spiral is about the same length but cuts a slimmer profile. NGC 4568 also presents a brighter core region within the larger oval but does not present a stellaring at the center. A close pair of bright stars simmers 3′ to the east. About 11′ north just inside the opposite field boundary, NGC 4564 is seen. It’s an 11.1 magnitude elliptical galaxy about 1′.5 by 0′.6 in size. NGC 4564 is arranged along a northeast-to-southwest axis. It is flanked 4′ to the southeast and 3′ to the northwest by 12th magnitude stars. You’ll find the Siamese Twins about 38 southeast of M58.

The Swirling Splendor of M51

M51

M51 (NGC 5194 and 5195)
Sketch by Serge Vieillard

Serge Vieillard created this sketch of M51 during three precious minutes he had at the eyepiece of a 60 cm (T600) telescope. The intricate detail that was visible conflicted with the short amount of time he had to record it. Serge notes that he wished he had hours to spend on the nearly photographic detail, but he did his best to quickly capture the main features of this beautiful pair of galaxies. He did have opportunity a little later in the evening to spend 2 more minutes at the 80 cm (T800) telescope to refine a few more details.