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(IAAC) Obj: NGC 3226, NGC 3227 (Arp 94), NGC 3222 - Inst: 17.5" f/4.5 dob




Observer: Lew Gramer, Dan Winchell, Mike Aramini; Steve Clougherty
Your skills: Intermediate (some years); Advanced (many years)
Date/time of observation: 28/29 Mar 2001, 03:15 UT
Location of site: ATMoB Clubhouse, Westford MA USA (42oN, 86m elev)
Site classification: Exurban.
Sky darkness: 5.6 <Limiting magnitude>, 6 <Bortle Scale>
Seeing: 9 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky; Cirrus bands nearby
Instrument: 17.5" f/4.5 dob
Magnification: 57x, 220x, 285x
Filter(s): None.
Object(s): NGC 3226, NGC 3227 (Arp 94), NGC 3222
Category: Group of galaxies.
Class: E2, SAB(s)abP, SB0
Constellation: Leo
Data: mag 12, 11, 14; size 3.2x2.8 15o, 5.4x3.6 155o, 1x1
Position: 1023 +1954
Description:
As a gauge of our conditions in between the cirrus bands tonight,
we decided to try viewing this lovely trio (actually a quadruple)
of galaxies, which lie tantalizingly close (40'-50' E) of gamma
Leonis (Algieba). Despite searching at high power, I just didn't
find the third member (n3222) at all tonight. It has shown up to
averted vision very well in this scope on earlier occasions, so
I think this entire observation was hampered by moisture tonight.
We did not even bother to look for the fourth eg, n3213, tonight.
--
On the other hand, the bright interacting Arp pair, NGC 3226 and
n3227, showed up passingly well tonight. Northerly member n3226
had a bright, well-defined core which was striking at all powers.
At highest power, this bright inner nugget occasionally seemed to
show a much smaller, sparkling nucleus, not quite at center. But
it displayed no other detail, in the core or in the diffuse halo.
--
NGC 3227, the Southerly member of the pair, was just a bit of a
disappointment tonight, showing only a modicum of detail: it had
a nicely (N-S) elongated, but mostly diffuse core, set inside a
similarly elongated (NW-SE) halo, which nearly touched the outer
halo of n3226. However, none of the fine spiral structure we'd
seen on a prior night (especially with Dan's fine new 14" dob!)
was even hinted at tonight. Nor was the spiral arc that reaches
out right up to the hub of n3226 visible, at any power.
--
Coincidentally, this group appears to belong to a larger cluster
of galaxies, which also includes the NGC 3190 group (Hickson 44).
Does anyone know if these 4 egs are also catalogued as a group,
or which if any catalogued cluster these groups both belong to?
--
Here are prior logs of two of these egs, with 10" and 8" scopes:
http://www.visualdeepsky.org/msg00517.html
http://www.visualdeepsky.org/msg00571.html
http://www.visualdeepsky.org/msg01863.html


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