UGC 6514 (= PGC 35572-35576, Hickson 55, Arp 329, VV 172)
R.A. 11 32 07; DEC +70 48 56
Mag (NED): 15,2
Size: 1'

UGC 6514a = PGC 35573 = HCG 55c; Mag (bmag LEDA) 17,0; distance: 0,67 Gyr
UGC 6514b = PGC 35572 = HCG 55b; Mag (bmag LEDA) 16,4; distance: 0,68 Gyr
UGC 6514c = PGC 35575 = HCG 55a; Mag (bmag LEDA) 15,9; distance: 0,70 Gyr
UGC 6514d = PGC 35574 = HCG 55d; Mag (bmag LEDA) 17,1; distance: 0,70 Gyr
UGC 6514e = PGC 35576 = HCG 55e; Mag (bmag LEDA) 17,4; distance: 1,52 Gyr

1959 started the history of UGC 6514 - the Russian astronomer Vorontsov-Veljaminov found the object on the POSS plates and cataloged the group as VV 172. On year later Burbidge focused his interest to the group – the term "galaxy chain" was born. In later years the tension raises again, because the redshift measurements showed, that the faintest group member PGC 35576 has a discordant redshift. Later papers discussed the discordant member but the current knowledge believes that PGC 35576 physical belongs not to the group. Later the group became member of some more famous catalogs like Hickson (55) and Arp (329).

What can be seen?
With 16" the chain is visible as a 1' N-S elongated streak of light 25' NW of the fine edge-on NGC 3735. When seeing is good HCG 55a and HCG 55b glimpsed out as stellar peaks.
With 20"-24" the streak curved like an "S", components HCG a-d could be seen easily as stellar spots within the chain. Component e is still hard to resolve.
Bigger aperture shows the Hickson as a concatenation of five galaxies.

HCG55_5.jpg
POSS II blue plate

HCG55_27.jpg
sketch with my 27" at 586x (home with inverted version)

"GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW"

GOOD LUCK AND GREAT VIEWING!