U 306
00:16 to 00:48
-17° to -28°
Cet, Scl

THE SOUTHERN PORTION of the sweeping tail of Cetus the Sea Monster is shown on this chart, marked by the yellowish 2nd magnitude luminary Diphda (Beta Ceti).

One of the most spectacular edge-on galaxies, the Silver Coin (NGC 253) is nestled between the stars of this chart.

FEATURED OBJECTS: NGC 253, NGC 247, NGC 45, NGC 150, IC 1558, NGC 175.

NGC 45
ESO473-G001
RA 00:14:03
Dec -23°11.0'
Galaxy

Discovered by Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He recorded it as "extremely faint; large; round; very gradually very little brighter in the middle; attached to and nearly involving a large star; the following of two. A very faint object of singular appearance, 3 or 4' diameter; forms a kind of cometic appendage to the star, which, however, is quite at the edge."

Burnham calls it a 12.1 mag spiral galaxy in Cetus, 8' x 5.5', which is "extremely faint, large, a little brighter in the middle, with an 8th mag star 4.5' S.p. It has a loose, scattered structure, and the spiral pattern is dim."

Sanford writes: "It is a member of the South Galactic Pole group of galaxies, which includes NGC 45, NGC 55, NGC 247, NGC 253, NGC 300, and NGC 7793. This loose grouping has been characterized as the nearest group of galaxies there is beyond the Local Group, which is centred on our Milky Way Galaxy."

G. de Vaucouleurs ("Galaxies and the Universe", Chapter 14 - Nearby Groups of Galaxies) notes " The fainter, smaller member NGC 45 also has the largest velocity, and it may be on the far side of the [Sculptor] group."

Sandage and Tammann (1975, Astrophysical Journal, 196, 313-328) includes this galaxy in the South Polar Group. Members include NGC 24, NGC 45, NGC 55, NGC 247, NGC 253, NGC 300 & NGC 7793.

Included in the CCD-atlas of Ryder S.D. & Dopita M.A. (1993) "An H-alpha Atlas of Nearby Southern Spiral Galaxies" Astrophys.J.Suppl. 88, 415. They note: "This is one of the closest and lowest surface brightness galaxies contained in this atlas. Although associated with the Sculptor group of galaxies, cluster mass models suggest NGC 45 is merely an 'interloper.' Imaging studies of this galaxy are hampered somewhat by the presence of both a 10.6 and a 6.5 mag star within 4' of the nucleus."

The Southern Galaxy Catalogue (1985, Corwin, de Vaucouleurs & de Vaucouleurs) notes: "pretty low surface brightness, very faint nucleus, many knots on faint arms. A star superposed 1.5' south-south-following. Superposed on group."

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes the magnitude as 12.0 and comments: "8'x 5' extent; large and faint with little brighter center; field motion helps; 8M star 4.5' to SSW; good supernova prospect; photo @ HAG-37."

Steve Coe, using a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Extremely faint and pretty large at 100X. This galaxy is elongated 3 X 2 and has a 10th mag star involved. Using the hood to cover the eyepiece and my head helps some, but the object is still averted vision only."

11x80: Searched long and hard, but nothing seen. One day . . . (exurban skies, seeing 7, transparency 7, sky darkness 6, lim.mag. at south pole 6.0 (naked eye), 10.7+ (binoculars)) [AS]

6-inch f/8.6 Newtonian: At 50x, this galaxy shares the field with a bright, red star to its south west, as shown on chart 306. East of this star is a much fainter star, which has a very faint milky patch extending to the north, looking like the blurred coma caused by dew on the eyepiece. I couldn't use the 72x K18mm eyepiece on this object; only the 25mm and larger eyepieces showed it. I am 99% certain I saw the galaxy and not merely a dewed image -- in any case, the size of the blurred coma was too large for such a faint star. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 150
ESO410-G019
RA 00:34:15
Dec -27°48.3'
Galaxy

First noted by Lewis Swift in using the 16-inch refractor at the Warner Observatory. He recorded it as "pF, pS, R."

G. de Vaucouleurs ("Galaxies and the Universe", Chapter 14 - Nearby Groups of Galaxies) notes that the five brightest members of the NGC 134 Group are NGC 134, NGC 289, NGC 150, NGC 148 & NGC 254.

IC 1558
ESO474-G002
RA 00:35:46
Dec -25°22.4'
Galaxy

NGC 175
ESO540-G006
RA 00:37:20
Dec -19°56.2'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H III-223) with an 18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He called it "vF, lE or oval, 1' diameter, N.p. 2 pretty bright stars."

h: "Synonymous with H III-223? pretty bright, pretty large, elongated, gradually brighter in the middle, resolvable, 80 arcseconds long, 60 arcseconds broad. If this nebula be really III.223, the P.D. [polar distance] assigned to that nebula by my Father's observations must be 1 degree in error. The error cannot lie in this observation, the 109th degree of Polar distance being beyond the possible reach of the instrument in [this] sweep."

Burnham calls NGC 175 a 12.8 mag barred spiral galaxy in Cetus, 1.5' x 1.3', "pretty bright, pretty large, elongated, gradually brighter in the middle, theta-shaped structure."

Steve Coe, using a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty faint, pretty small, round and somewhat brighter middle at 100X."

NGC 247
Ben 3
ESO540-G022
RA 00:47:08
Dec -20°45.6'
Galaxy

William Herschel observed it in 1784 with his newly completed 18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He called it "a Streak of light about 27' long, and in the brightest part 3' or 4' broad. The extent is nearly in the meridian, or a little from S.p. to N.f. ... The situation is so low, that it would probably appear of much greater extent in a higher altitude." (H V-020)

Burnham calls it a 10.7 mag spiral galaxy in Cetus, 18' x 5', "faint, extremely large, very much elongated, sudden nucleus." He notes that "in small telescopes, using low power wide-field oculars, it may be detected as a much-elongated smear of faint haze, oriented nearly north-south, with an extreme length of about 18'. .. Photographs show a very patchy and irregular distribution of star clouds in which the actual spiral pattern in only faintly recognized. A small bright central mass dominates the system. The northern quarter of the galaxy is occupied by a large dark oval area about 4.5' x 1.5, neatly enclosed by the loop of the system's northernmost spiral arm."

Hartung writes: "This large elliptical spiral nebula belongs to the Sculptor group . . . it lies in PA 175° as a long not bright ellipse about 15' x 3', rising broadly to the long axis with ill-defined centre. A fairly bright star is projected on the central line south-following. The lengthened form of the nebula is faint but definite with a 6-inch."

Sanford says that this galaxy appears "as a large, faint stain on the sky with [a rich-field telescope], brighter toward the south. It is a large, nearby member of the South Galactic Pole group of galaxies, which includes NGC 45, NGC 55, NGC 247, NGC 253, NGC 300, and NGC 7793. This loose grouping has been characterized as the nearest group of galaxies there is beyond the Local Group, which is centred on our Milky Way Galaxy." Sanford notes that it "is seen at a high inclination, and has a curious darkening of the northern part, showing in photographs to be due to either a dark cloud of intervening matter or an area in the galaxy which has a low stellar density. There are several H II regions that are almost stellar in appearance and visible in large amateur telescopes. These are located at the north end, about half way down to the nucleus on the west side, with a group of 3 nebulae just south of the nucleus on the west side. There is a fairly bright star (probably of about 11th magnitude) at the southern limit of the galaxy, which is a foreground object. NGC 247 requires a clear, dark sky to be found, but is worth the search!"

Listed by the Herschel Club, described as "mag estimated 11, extremely elusive, elongated. Used averted visoin for this elusive galaxy, surface brightness is low. Try to find with binoculars, may stand out brighter as a whole. 8-inch, 43x and 10x50 binoc."

Houston calls this galaxy "huge, being about 21' by 7'. Though its total light is equal to a 9th mag star, the surface brightness is quite low due to the great size." In 1972 he wrote about observing from a mountaintop in Colorado with Everhart's 11.4-inch scope: "Because its light, though equivalent to a 9th mag star, is spread over a band about a quarter degree long, its surface brightness is low. Thus, even a trace of sky glow hides NGC 247."

Sandage and Tammann (1975, Astrophysical Journal, 196, 313-328) includes this galaxy in the South Polar Group. Members include NGC 24, NGC 45, NGC 55, NGC 247, NGC 253, NGC 300 & NGC 7793.

The ESO/Uppsala Survey of the ESO(B) Atlas remarks: "In foreground of cluster." The magnitude is given as 9.4.

Other names: "UA11,E540-22". Inclination: (face-on, in degrees) 72 Total photoelectric blue mag 9.67 Total colour index .56 Logarithm of the angular diameter D25 (arcminutes) 2.33 Blue photographic magnitude 9.66 This galaxy is included in a sample of galaxies with velocity less than 500km/s with respect to the centroid of the Local Group. [Nearby Galaxies. Schmidt K.-H., Priebe A., Boller T. (Astron. Nachr. 314, 371 (1993))]

North of NGC 247 lies the interacting galaxy known as the Burbidge Chain. (Arp, 1973, Ap.J., Vol 185, p797-808. fig. 3.)

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes "10M; 18'x 5' extent; oblique view of very large and faint galaxy; axis oriented N-S; 10M star embedded in S tip; many dimmer stars in and around; sketch their pattern for supernova hunting; about 3 degrees SSE of the Whale's tail: 2M Beta CET; good supernova prospect."

Steve Coe, using a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty faint, very large, much elongated (4 X 1) and has a star at one end. It is not much brighter in the middle at 100X in the 13". This object was much more conspicuous in my old 17.5" at 130X. In either scope, this galaxy has a pretty low surface brightness and does not deserve the 10th mag rating it gets in many listings. The outer portions are mottled in both scopes, with good seeing."

11x80: A challenging blur. Seen as a delicate smudge trailing northwards of a 9th mag star. Averted vision shows a small star just off the northern end. Galaxy extends for about 15 arcminutes, and with careful averted vision it ends near a small star to the east of the northern tip. (exurban skies, seeing 7, transparency 7, sky darkness 6, lim.mag. at south pole 6.0 (naked eye)) [AS]

NGC 253
Ben 4
ESO474-G029
RA 00:47:34
Dec -25°17.5'
Galaxy

Nicknamed the Silver Coin or Sculptor Galaxy, it is probably Caroline Herschel's most spectacular discovery.

At the Cape, h's first record of it was made on 20 November 1835. He recorded it as "very very bright; very very large; very much elongated; 30' long, 3' or 4' broad; has several stars in it; gradually much brighter towards the middle to a centre elongated like the nebula itself. The nebula is somewhat streaky and knotty in its constitution and may perhaps be resolvable." A second observation made on 12 September 1836 was recorded as "very very bright; very very very large; a superb object; 24' in length, breadth about 3'; posn = 143.8 very exact. Its light is somewhat streaky, but I see no stars in it but 4 large and one very small one, and these seem not to belong to it, there being many near. - The difference of R Ascensions of this and the former obs. arises in great part from the undefined nature of the object."

Houston calls it a "bright, highly inclined spiral that resembles NGC 55 in magnitude and size. One difference is that the illumination is more evenly distributed across the disk. Caroline Herschel discovered it while searching for comets. It stands as a tribute to her comet hunting career, since only a truly dedicated observer would search the dregs of the atmosphere as near to the horizon as NGC 253 appeared from her home in England." In 1976 he wrote: "NGC 253 is a fine spiral galaxy that appears as a bright 24'x4' oval."

Mullaney writes that is "can easily be glimpsed in binoculars and finders from northern temperate latitudes despite its southern declination. ... It is a real showpiece in 6-inch and larger telescopes."

William P. Clarke (San Diego, California, USA) writes in the The Webb Society Nebulae and Clusters Section Report No. 10, July 1992: "Large and highly elongated galaxy with a bright nuclear region, and strong mottling throughout. A pair of 8th magnitude stars are just south of the nucleus. (10-inch f/4.5, x48)."

Steve Coe, in "SACNEWS On-line for November 1996" notes: NGC 253 is one of the most beautiful galaxies in the sky. Every astrophotographer who can get at this lovely, bright edge-on will shoot it eventually. It can be seen at 0 hr 47.6 min and -25 17. On a night at Sentinel that I rated 9/10 for transparency and 8/10 for seeing it was a stunning site in a variety of instruments. This bright object was easy in binoculars or finderscope and 1 star on NE end and 3 stars on the southwest end frame the galaxy. At 60X with a 38mm Erfle eyepiece in my 13", I saw NGC 253 as very bright, very large, very much elongated 4X1 in PA 45, much brighter middle, very mottled, a beautiful convex lens shape, with many dark markings in arms. Going to 100X provided an excellent view, with a stellar nucleus evident about 20% of the time, 7 stars involved, two pretty bright oval patches in southwest arm, and lots of dark markings, the most mottling I have ever seen.

Michael E. Sweetman (Tucson, Arizona, USA), observing with a 12x40 binoculars, writes in the The Webb Society Nebulae and Clusters Section Report No. 10, July 1992: "Easily spotted at x48. Large and bright but with hazy edges; there is no nuclkeus and only a slight increase in brightness towards the centre. Best views obtained at x102; several star-like points scattered across the image. The galaxy is elongated east-west; the extremities are faint and averted vision shows how extremely large it is. The preceding side is brighter and more well-defined; following side very hazy. Uneven brightness around the centre, which shows some mottling."

Listed by the Herschel Club, described as "extremely elongated, a band of light or streak across the eyepiece field, covering 30 arcsec across. Bright in centre, fading towards the outer rim. 8-inch, 48x."

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes "7M; 25'x 4' extent; very bright and large; axis oriented NE-SW; oblique view of SP GAL; great binocular object; mottling visible at >200x; good supernova prospect; photo @ HAG-34; 1.75 degrees to SE is GLOB N288."

Steve Coe, observing with a 17.5" f/4.5 at 100X, notes: "Very bright, very large, very, very elongated at 100X. Many dark lanes with swirls and rifts prominent throughout the galaxy to a somewhat brighter core. This galaxy displays lots of mottling across its' surface. It is easy in binoculars or a finderscope. Sentinel 13" 9/10--in either 10X50 or 11X80, bright, large, much elongated, somewhat brighter middle, one star on NE end and three stars on southwest end frame the galaxy. 60X with 38mm Giant Erfle-- Very bright, very large, very much elongated 4X1 in PA 45, much brighter middle, very mottled, beautiful convex lens shape, many dark markings in arms. 100X--Excellent view, stellar nucleus evident about 20% of the time, 7 stars involved, two pretty bright oval patches in southwest arm, lots of dark markings, the most mottling I have ever seen. 150X 14mm UWA--core is gradually sculptured by dark lanes, oval bright core has tiny stellar nucleus. 220X core has a fascinating pattern of light and dark markings, but no spiral structure, more like a surrealistic painting.

See also "Visual Astronomy of the Deep Sky" by Roger N. Clark (1990, Sky Publishing Corporation) page 74.

A supernova erupted in this galaxy in 1940 (14.0p)

Other names: "UA13,E474-29". Inclination: (face-on, in degrees) 77 Total photoelectric blue mag 8.04 Logarithm of the angular diameter D25 (arcminutes) 2.44 Blue photographic magnitude 7.72 This galaxy is included in a sample of galaxies with velocity less than 500km/s with respect to the centroid of the Local Group. [Nearby Galaxies. Schmidt K.-H., Priebe A., Boller T. (Astron. Nachr. 314, 371 (1993))]

The ESO/Uppsala Survey of the ESO(B) Atlas lists the magnitude as 8.04. The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 7.5 mag galaxy. Their coded description reads EL,BM,HISB,KNPCHYSTR.

10x50: very large, bright. No prominent central brightening. Could have central bulge (?) Between 2 stars - one could be a pair of stars (?) Elongated in direction of line between 2 stars. Visible without averted vision (suburban skies, sky ashen grey with very little contrast.) [Danie Cronje]

11x80: Very elongated galaxy, wedged between stars. Brightest part is about 11 arcmin across, which is off-centre in a longer glow 22 arcmin long, mostly extended to the north-east; it doesn't grow much to the south-west of the two small stars. (exurban skies, seeing 7, transparency 7, sky darkness 6, lim.mag. at south pole 6.0 (naked eye)) [AS]

10-inch f/5 Newtonian: At 30x, a stunning object. A very long, unevenly bright ray of light lying in a field of large and small stars. The galaxy is closely surrounded by several stars, and it appears to be jammed in between them. The most noticeable of these stars is a bright, very wide pair, lying on the south-east side of the galaxy. Because of its uneven brightness, it appears to point to the north-east; from the start of the galaxy is the south-west, it extends and gradually brightens towards the north-east, reaching an area of maximum brightness, which very abruptly and most sharply fades away unevenly further north-east. A bright star in involved at the north-eastern faded end of the galaxy, and two other small stars are seen on its surface in the brightest region. (suburban skies) [AS]

12-inch Meade Newtonian:A showpiece galaxy, bright and almost edge-on. Large elongated with dark knots spread all over in uneven brightness. A little brighter to the middle with two bright stars to the south in a busy starfield underline this galaxy beautifully. About 30 arc minutes in size. (Super 40mm eyepiece, fov 53') (suburban skies) [MS]