Last Sunday night I had a chance to revisit this beautiful Hickson group, from a (relatively) dark site near Larnaca, Cyprus.

Using the 18" I had no problem locating the field. With the 13mm Ethos on a 2X barlow (316X) I could readily see two of the galaxies with direct vision, and two that were on-off. Covering my head with a blanket the image was immediately transformed.

NGC 4174 appeared the brighest to me, with a 2:1 length width ratio, and a very bright nucleus, with a smooth light gradient from the core.

NGC 4169 appeared very round and distinct with a stellar core.

NGC 4175 was very long (4:1) with a slight central concentration and slightly brighter nucleus, but overall it appeared much fainter than the two western galaxies.

Finally, NGC 4173 was the real phantom. Very long (5:1) and very faint, with a very low surface brightness and practically no central brightening. This galaxy was initially on and off visible with direct vision, but later on during the observation I could hold it steady.

Seeing all four together was a fascinating sight. I have observed Hickson 61 three years ago from a much darker site with a 12" dob, and I recall that I could not hold 4173 steady even with averted vision.

I hope to be able to observe this group soon from a dark site...
HK61c1.jpg