Object of the Week, August 28, 2022: NG 447 trio in Pisces

[FaintFuzzies]

Object of the Week, August 28, 2022: NG 447 trio in Pisces
Galaxy Trio

RA (center of the trio): 01h 15m 55s
Dec (NGC 451): +33^o 04’ 02”
Size: NGC 447: 2.8x2.1’. NGC 449: 0.8x0.5’. NGC 451: 0.7x0.6’
Mag: NGC 447: 14.0v NGC 449: 14.2v. NGC 451: 14.9p

This week’s OOTW is among my favorite class of deep sky objects, galaxy trios and I enjoy observing multiple galaxies in a field. Not only that, sometimes a “bright” star is nearby presents a challenge to see the object. The Horsehead Nebula in Orion, NGC 404 in Andromeda and Abell 12 in Orion comes off the top of my head as objects next to a bright star. This trio is near a 6th mag star, just off the east edge. I think the best strategy is to use a “narrow-field” eyepiece, such as an orthoscopic or a Plössl eyepiece of enough magnification to keep the 6th mag star off the field. Below are my brief notes from an observation about a decade ago from mag 7.0 skies at 7600 feet elevation.

22” f/4 (230, 255 and 383x) – A thin triangle of galaxies with differing appearances. A super blazing mag 6.0 star lies just 2.9’ ENE of NGC 449 and should be kept off the field. Use an orthoscopic eyepiece to narrow the field without putting the trio at the edge of an ultra-wide field.

NGC 447 – Considerably faint large 3:1 elongated glow with a nearly stellar core. At first glance of this object, I noticed only the central small round glow, but with averted vision, the elongated halo came into view. Very low surface brightness. If the above-mentioned mag 6 star is not off the field, the halo would not be visible. The “bar” is 0.8’ long and PA = 20.

NGC 451 – Faint very diffuse round glow with no core. 0.4’ across.

NGC 449 – Considerably bright 5:2 elongated glow with sharply defined edges. Nearly stellar core. PA = 80 and 0.2’ long.


NGC0451.jpg
Labelled SDSS image




Anyhow, as always, give it a shot and let us know.