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(IAAC) Observing superluminous star clusters in NGC 1569
Just recently I've submitted an article on the IC 342 galaxy group. One of
the lesser members - NGC 1569 is a starburst galaxy with two highly unusual,
very blue objects. Designated NGC 1569 A and B, these are superluminous
globular clusters of absolute magnitudes ~ -14, about 4 magnitudes greater
than any associated with our galaxy, or M 31. The brightest is NGC 1569A,
listed at 14.8 mag (v), while B is slightly dimmer at 15.5.
This past weekend, I was able to observe both clusters with our club's
24-inch Tectron using magnifications ranging from 304 to 548x. They were
visible as a faint 'double star' in the brightest part of the galaxy,
roughly aligned SE-NW, and ~ 6" separation. David Riddle, Art Russell and
Alex Langoussis confirmed these observations.
Coordinates:
NGC 1569A 04 30 48.2 +64 50 59
NGC 1569B 04 30 49.0 +64 50 53
Selected refs:
1991 ApJ, 370, 144
1996 A&A, 312, 391
Hopefully, some of will take the challenge and duplicate these observations.
- Rich Jakiel
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