Object of the Week June 29, 2014 - VV 274 and VV 275 - 2 VV objects next to a blaziing mag 7.2 star
VV 274 and VV 275
RA center: 14 55 30
Dec center: +32 50 00
Mags: 16.8 to 17.5
Distance of the three glows from end to end: 1.0’
Const: Bootes
Uranometria 2000.0 page number: U52L
Continuing my quest to observe all VV Part I and II galaxies. Last two weekends I managed to observe 52 VV objects. So for this week, I selected one of the more interesting VV’s from my notebook.
VV 274 and 275 are literally next to each other.
Boris originally noted that VV 274 was a pair of galaxies. I looked at the SDSS image and noted that he may have thought the brighter east and west arms as “separate galaxies”. Take a look at the DSS image and it actually does appear as two galaxies on either side of the core.
That was just my hypothesis.
VV 275 is a close pair of galaxies about 36” SE from VV 274.
22” at 383x (NELM = 6.8)
VV 274 is faint small round glow with defined edges. The west and east edges a bit more defined than the north and south edges. 0.3’ across. Slightly brighter very compact core in the middle.
VV 275 is a double galaxy. Both are equal brightness, small and round. Slightly smaller than VV 274. Each is about 0.2’ across.
They key to this observation is that there is a mag 7.2 star just 2.3’ WSW from the group. I used my 6mm Zeiss ZAO-II and moved the star off the field and the three glows popped into view. All three were easily held with averted vision.
Hope that you enjoy this object, despite that you will need a pretty big scope to see it.
VV 274 is a "contact pair with tail". The tail, evidently, is the N spiral arm. The "a" and "b" labels on the original VV photo (not the Palomar survey but obtained with a 50-cm Maksutov in Crimea) indeed point to the two bright segments in the arms. Curiously, while the components of VV 275 have separate MCG designations, VV 274 has just one, but this MCG is (to this day in NED) considered a galaxy pair.
Visited the group yesterday under very good transparency but bad seeing. All three were visible with direct vision, VV 204 shows a very bright stellar core and a faint glow around without structure. Sketch will be handed later.
Reply With Quote
