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(IAAC) Obj: NGC 4638, NGC 4637 - 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 11:00 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): NGC 4638, NGC 4637
Category: External galaxy
Class: E5, S0:
Constellation: Vir
Data: mag 11.3, 13.5? size 2.8'x1.6', 1.5'x0.8'
Position: RA 12:43 DEC +11:26
Description:
NGC 4638 was next up on the Galactic Barnstorm, a nearby member of the M60
"group" (see previous logs for M60, M59, n4647) within the Virgo cluster. At
70x, this elliptical appeared simply as a "soft star", easily confused with
the nearby mag. 11 star to the NW. At 210x, the "star" became a bright core
elongated NW-SE, barely 1' wide, and set in an extended 2.5' halo, elongated
(in averted vision only) the same way as the intense inner core. N4637 was
a roundish "spot" to averted vision, just E of (and uninvolved with) '38. Of
note in a low-power field was a bright "diamond" formed by '38 on the S, M60
in the E, M59 in the W, and a pretty mag. 9 yellow-white star to the N.
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