While looking for new objects to observe by scanning the Sloan Digital Sky Survey...I ran across this blue edge-on galaxy. Then I looked at the DSS and it was right there. It is right below IC 1101.
Has anyone seen this one?
Edit: Changed from Gravitational arc to flat galaxy as I stand corrected. I didn't look at the z values from NED - just got too excited.
BTW, IC 1101 is the largest known galaxy.
IC 1101 SDSS normal.jpg
SDSS
IC 1101 DSS-crop.jpg
DSS
Last edited by FaintFuzzies; March 15th, 2012 at 10:08 PM.
You sure about it being a gravitational arc? It sure looks like an edge on galaxy.
It looks like it and it is the only blue object so I think it is a background object. This cluster sits more than a billion light years away. Well, I'm not totally sure, but it appears as such.
Edit: Now I'm not sure anymore as if it was an arc due to IC 1101, it would be at least perpendicular to the center of IC1101 and this blue thing is not - off by at least 10-15 degrees.
Last edited by FaintFuzzies; March 15th, 2012 at 04:47 AM.
It's worth mentioning that IC 1101 is certainly one of the easiest to view billion light-year (travel-time) galaxies, excluding quasars. It would be interesting to hear how small an aperture can capture this distant galaxy?
Steve
24" f/3.7 Starstructure
18" f/4.3 Starmaster
Adventures in Deep Space
Contributing Editor, Sky & Tel
Alvin,
Look at the redshift of the two galaxies.
IC 1101 Z .077947
Blue EO Z .022115
This is from NED.
Blue objects in the SDSS are very LSB, I have tried the edge on before and could only see the brighter round core of this galaxy. On the night I tried it I did not get a hint of the faint EO arms.
Clear Skies,
Jimi Lowrey
Fort Davis Texas
48"F4 OMI/TEC
28'F4 ATM
Thanks Jimi, I didn't think of looking up the redshift! Just at first glance it looked like an arc.
ditto that. It is very straight and seems rather regular.
Let me roam the deep skies and I'll be content.
Mark Johnston
18" StarMaster f/3.7
12" Meade LightBridge f/5
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