Sky and Telescope - January 2016 - 59

Howard Banich can be reached at howard.banich@nike.com where he's daydreaming about observing NGC 1365 near the zenith in a very dark, very transparent sky.

"The core is quite bright
but the spiral arms are
exceedingly dim - I
can barely detect the
brighter northern arm.
The best view is with
the 2× Barlow and
13-mm eyepiece, and I'll
bet the southern arm
will be visible with less
moisture in the air."
November 16, 2014, 8"
f3.3, 103×, 21.50 SQM

- NGC 1365
But what can Northern Hemisphere observers do to
get a decent visual observation of 1365? Aside from packing your bags or getting a larger telescope, persistence
and luck are workable alternatives. Just keep at it - the
more often you observe, the more likely you are to see as
much as possible from your location.
Most importantly, make a careful sketch because the
process of drawing insures you'll see as much as you can
at your eyepiece.

"Wow, this is my best
view of this terriﬁc galaxy
ever. The spiral arms get
very long when I gently
rock the scope back and
forth, plus there's some
detail in the arms as
well. Excellent contrast
for being a few degrees
above the horizon - a
terriﬁc view really, but one
day I've got to see this
thing from the southern
hemisphere!" September
28, 2008, 28" f4, 253× and
408×, 21.95 SQM

The Spiral Arms
I love seeing spiral arms in unimaginably distant
galaxies, and in my book 1365 has two of the best. I've
detected the brighter northern arm in an 8-inch scope -
see my sketch and observing note - but I couldn't quite
tease out the southern arm. However, in 10-inch scopes
and larger, both arms can be seen (see S&T: Jan. 2015,
p. 56). They're the most distinctive part of 1365, and the
brightest segments of the arms appear as rather straight
brackets on either side of the core.
My series of sketches show the arms at various
lengths depending on the conditions and size of the
scope. I made both the 2014 (8-inch) and 2008 (28-inch)
observations in nearly ideal conditions, but my most
detailed view to date was in 2013 through Jimi Lowrey's
48-inch f/4 telescope at his home in Fort Davis, Texas.
Unfortunately, it was made under rather poor conditions.
Even so, the view was impressive, easily oﬀering
detail that was beyond what I've seen in my own scopes
and tantalizing with the promise of more. The long,
gracefully curved spiral arms hinted at considerable
internal detail with two bright knots in the southern
arm, which also showed slightly more of its fainter
curved extensions than the northern arm.
These knots don't align with any H II regions of
ionized atomic hydrogen, but rather appear to be star
clouds. Also note that the base of each spiral arm
extends slightly beyond each end of the bar.
I should mention that my sketch was made immediately after coming down the ladder from the eyepiece of
Lowrey's 48-inch scope, and although it was a quick-look

Howard Banich

"Horrible, terrible
seeing is ruining the
view so we only took a
quick look. Dang . . ."
November 2, 2013, 48"
f4, 375×, 21.28 SQM
ALL SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR

impression on a sub-par night, this observation sparked
an acute case of aperture fever.
How could it not? Now I can't help but imagine seeing each arm curving all the way around in bits and
tufts, ﬂanking its counterpart.

The Central Bar
My observing notes consistently state that 1365's central
bar is fainter than the spiral arms and is much fainter
than the core. Even so, both portions of the bar are much
easier to see than M51's "bridge." Interestingly, murky
sky conditions can mask the bar and produce a view -
Sk yandTelescope.com Januar y 2016

http://www.SkyandTelescope.com

Sky and Telescope - January 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - January 2016