U 328
12:00 to 12:32
-17° to -28°
Crt, Crv, Hya

THE FOUR PROMINENT stars of Corvus are the brightest objects on this chart, a lot easier to find than the many galaxies also shown here.

Amongst the many faint galaxies, there are two surprise objects - the well-known Antenae, or Ring-tail Galaxies (NGC 4038 / 4039). Unexpectedly, there’s also a bright planetary nebula on offer - NGC 4361

FEATURED OBJECTS: NGC 4038, NGC 4033, NGC 4462, IC 2995, NGC 4039, NGC 4087, NGC 4361.

NGC 4038
Antenae, Ring-tail Galaxies
ESO572-IG047, Arp 244A
RA 12:01:51
Dec -18°51.9'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H IV-028) "pB, L, opening with a branch, or two nebulae very faintly joined. The southern is smallest."

Hartung writes: "These .. nebulae, each about 2.5' long, are inclined 40 and in contact following. Both are broadly but not brightly luminous with little central condensation and a 6-inch is needed to show the forms well. This pair is very similar in appearance to NGC 4567-8 on the northern edge of Virgo, but is larger and better placed for southern observers."

Houston writes: "Skilled deep-sky observers Ronald Morales described that pair as looking like a little shrimp, and I think others will agree . . . the system is about 2.5' in diameter and 11th magnitude. It's easily visible in my 4-inch Clark as an asymmetrical 11th mag blur, and I can easily make out the unusual shape though a 10-inch reflector. I once had a particularly good view of it with a friend's 12-inch reflector .. NGC 4038 showed a wealth of internal structure." He notes that "Pedro Cavanna of Norfolk, Connecticut, could just see the tail with his 10-inch reflector at 133x. He notes that the galaxy's appearance became better at higher powers until the image began to loose structure at 200x."

Telescopically the grouping looks "like a doughnut with a bite taken out of it," says Sanford. "It has fairly high surface brightness, so is interesting in any scope with an aperture of 6-inches and upwards."

Gerd Bahr-Vollrath (Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia) observing with an 8-inch f/12 SCT, writes in the The Webb Society Nebulae and Clusters Section Report No. 10, July 1992: "Two small, oval, mottled glows which seem almost to touch. The northern object [NGC 4038] is distinctly brighter and shows intense mottling, showing interesting detail at high powers. The two faint extensions that give the galaxy pair its name did not show."

Tom Lorenzin: “11M; 2.5' diameter; has extension to S designated N4039; 14.5M star on NW edge; the celestial "COMMA"; reference: BCH-II-720.”

Donald J. Ware:”The Ring Tail or Antennae Galaxy. This fascinating object is actually two interacting galaxies which have been greatly distorted by gravitational forces. A telescope shows a curving arc about 3' in length and about 2' at its widest point. Oriented N-S, it looks like a bulging crescent and is brighter on the northern end.”

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “Pretty bright, pretty large, irregularly round and somewhat brighter in the middle at 100X. Going to higher powers reveals some of the bizarre nature of this extraordinary galaxy pair. The "shrimp" or "comma" shape of the two interacting galaxies is evident at 165X and 220X. There are several small dark features seen and the entire galaxy pair is very mottled, almost like a sponge, at high power.”

The brighter companion (mag 11.3) is NGC 4038; a supernova erupted in it in 1974 (15.5p)

NGC 4033
ESO572-G042
RA 12:00:34
Dec -17°50.5'
Galaxy

NGC 4462
ESO506-G013
RA 12:29:21
Dec -23°10.0'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel (H III-764) "cF, pS, R, stellar."

h: "pB, pmE, spmbM, 1' long." On a second occassion he called it "pB, E, sbM; pos of elongation 130 degrees."

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 13.0 mag galaxy. Their coded description reads EL,BM,DIF,PCHY.

IC 2995
ESO440-G050
RA 12:05:45
Dec -27°56.4'
Galaxy

Missed by both Herschels, it was noted by a trio of later observers (Swift, Howe, Stewart) in the IC as “vF, L, cE 120 degrees, * 8 following”

Houston includes this galaxy in his Hydra Hysteria. He writes: "... it is not a bright object, but it should offer no problems for a 6-inch scope at 100x once you locate the exact spot. Its oval disk is about 3' long."

Steve Coe (1992, The Deep-Sky Observer, Webb Society, Issue 1) observing with a 17.5-inch f/4.5 at 100x notes: "eF, L, somewhat elongated, not brighter in the middle, not much."

NGC 4039
Antenae, Ring-tail Galaxies
ESO572-IG048, Arp 244B
RA 12:01:53
Dec -18°53.1'
Galaxy

[See the entry for NGC 4038 above]

NGC 4087
ESO505-G010
RA 12:05:34
Dec -26°31.3'
Galaxy

NGC 4361
ESO573-PN019, PK294+43.01
RA 12:24:29
Dec -18°47.1'
Planetary nebula

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H I-065) "vB pL irregularly round, brighter in the middle like two nuclei."

In the 5th edition of Webb's Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes it is described as "according to William Herschel, resolvable. Nucleus."

Houston calls this "an easy object for a 4-inch. The 10th mag nebula surrounds a 13th mag star, which is best seen with higher magnifications. ... the 4-inch Clark has never shown its 13th mag central star. At first this seems odd for a telescope with which I've reached 14th mag. However, the planetary's nebulous haze reduces contrast between the star and background, and maximum contrast is essential to achieve optimum performance from a telescope." Houston also called it "an easy 10th mag planetary with a 13th mag central star that many observers have trouble seeing. The trick is to use high power, which enlarges and dims the nebula and improves the contrast between it and the star. Pedro Cavanna of Norfolk, Connecticut, could not see the star with his 10-inch at 64x but found it 'easy' with averted vision and 133x."

Sanford calls this "one of the brightest large planetary nebulae in the sky, and sits just above the centre of the trapezoid of Corvus. It appears as a large (80 arcsec) round, featureless, gray-coloured object, with a fairly prominent 13th magnitude central star."

Tom Lorenzin: “10.5M; 80" diameter; N-filter pops out nebulosity but knocks down 13M center star.”

Hartung notes that although discovered by William Herschel in 1785, he did not recognize it as a planetary "as it is more hazy and less well defined than the usual type. It is a prominent round object about 45 arcsec across and white, with a clear central star ... only this star can be seen with a 3-inch but a 4-inch shows the hazy spot."

Donald J. Ware:”This large planetary nebula is about 50" in diameter, and has an easily seen central star. The nebulosity is grey, and reminds me somewhat of the Owl Nebula in Ursa Major.”

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “Bright, large, somewhat elongated (1.5 X 1) in PA 90, grey in color at 135X. The central star is obvious at all powers. Going to 220X brings out an almost "mottled" effect across the face of this planetary nebula, a strange effect for this type of object. Most planetaries I have seen appear smooth at high powers, this one does not.”

10-inch f/5 Newtonian: This planetary is an easy target for a 10-inch f/5 at 30x. It is remarkably easy to spot, and I noticed it as once whilst sweeping for it. At 30x, it appears very much like a small globular cluster; it is a round, diffuse, pale milky patch of light. Using the 10mm eyepiece for approx. 120 power, averted vision shows a bright, point-like nucleus, which may or may not be the central star. The same impression is noticed at 30x. (suburban skies) [AS]

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: A 15.5-inch at 220x shows the planetary rather like a globular cluster through fog; the disc is diffuse, and the central star easy. Occassionally, this nucleus seems double? The disc appears mottled. (suburban skies) [AS]