Object of the Week November 24, 2013- Dwingeloo 1 Group

Dwingeloo 1

Cassiopeia

Ra
02 56 51
Dec
+58 54 42

Mag 8.3

Type SB

Dwingeloo 1 was discovered by the Dwingeloo Obscure Galaxy Survey(DOGS) in 1994. Dwingeloo 1 is a bared spiral at 10 million light years away and is heavily obscured by our Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy is a real challenge object and I highly recommend that you have a good finder chart to help you track down this object. It makes all the difference when you know just were to look with the galaxy.
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Dwingeloo 1 is part of a three galaxy group and for those of you that are looking for a real challenge to see the 3 members of this group is very difficult. The second member of this group Dwingeloo 2 was discovered by the (DOGS) survey in 1996 and the 3rd member MB 3 was discovered by McCall and Buta while doing research on the IC 342 Maffei group in 1997 at 19.8 Mag (Ouch) its tough. I have seen MB 3 as a averted vision only soft diffuse glow almost at the limits of my vision. I was able to see its very faint glow on three different nights last fall.
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Hope you will try this unusual group! and,

“Give it a go and let us know!”

Hi Jimi,

I had tried to observe Dwingeloo 1 (and only this one, not the others) two or three times a few years ago. I was able to see the stellar object, which I assumed to be a foreground star and not the core of the galaxy. I was not sure about anything beyond this stellar thing.

Traveling right now on business in Texas (near San Antonio). Off the top of my head, I've seen Dwingaloo a couple times.

One night at CalStar (~2009), I pulled it up in my 22" and showed it to several TACos and we all saw a soft glow in a very rich star field. The skies were pretty good, actually, one of the best I've experienced at CalStar (NELM close to 7). I don't remember the magnification.

With 27" and AP 4mm under very good transparency of a high Alpine observing place Dwingeloo 1 was not a problem to detect. I wrote:

27", 172x, Seeing V, NELM 7m+
round diffuse glow around faint 15mag star; a little bit concentrated to its middle but difficult to say because the star is just in front of the glow; round, not elongated; around 1'-1,5' large; faint, but could hold the glow with averted vision

I did not try MB 3

I viewed Dwingeloo 1 in October 2008 from a dark sky site at 1500' elevation.
30" f/4.5, transparency 8/10, seeing 6/10, power 175x-769x

Not seen at lower powers. Suspected with averted vision at intermediate powers. Using 769x and averted vision, it was intermittently detectable and popped strongly twice. The two strong views were sufficient to see it as almost edge on and to reveal the orientation. Later, after looking at several different images of the galaxy, it was apparent that I was seeing the galaxy's bar but not the arms.

Jim

I have been wanting to look at this object with my 18" (Dave Knisely reports seeing it with a 14"), as part of an IC342 group project. However, I've been unable to see even Maffei-II. Looks like dark skies are absolutely necessary for this (and most other IC342 group) objects. Is that true?

Akarsh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by akarsh

I have been wanting to look at this object with my 18" (Dave Knisely reports seeing it with a 14"), as part of an IC342 group project. However, I've been unable to see even Maffei-II. Looks like dark skies are absolutely necessary for this (and most other IC342 group) objects. Is that true?

Akarsh

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Absolutely.