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(IAAC) Obj: M60 - Inst: 20" f/5 Dobsonian
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Observer: Lew Gramer
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: 1998-01-01/02 10:30 UT
Location of site: Deerfield Township, OH, USA (Lat 41oN, Elev 100m)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 6.8 (cirrus) <Limiting magnitude>
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: 20" f/5 Dobsonian
Magnification: 70x, 210x
Filter(s): None
Object(s): M60
Category: External galaxy
Class: E1
Constellation: Vir
Data: mag 8.8 size 7'x6'
Position: RA 12:44 DEC +11:33
Description:
After leaving off a trio of faint fuzzies (see previous logs for i3647, i3638,
i3686), I continued my Barnstorm tour of Virgo tonight with easier game: the
bright galaxies off the E end of the Markarian Chain. Sweeping N of rho Vir
with a low power eyepiece (35mm TV, 70x, 55'), the strikingly bright trio of
galaxies M60, M59, and NGC 4638 swung into view almost immediately. M60 is
much the brightest member of this group, containing a bright central region
of about 1.5', stepping gradually to a much fainter halo about 6' wide, with
no sign of elongation even at 210x. Strangely, on this night averted vision
at 210x showed what appeared to be dark mottling in the N of the round halo.
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