Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 60

DECEMBER 2024 OBSERVING
Going Deep
In Pegasus: FGC 2360,
FGC 2385, FGC 2379
Karachentsev didn't include the famous
dusty edge-on galaxy NGC 891 in the
Flat Galaxies Catalogue, even though it
has a major-to-minor axes ratio of 7.
But to see its virtual twin, which is
much farther from us than NGC 891,
scan some 3° north-northwest of
4th-magnitude Eta Pegasi. FGC 2360
(magnitude 15.4) lies exactly edge-on
and has a bright - though flat - core
and is bisected by an equatorial dust
lane in photographs. At a magnification
of 150×, I saw the nucleus as nonstellar,
and the galaxy's core appeared
boxy. Sharp-edged extensions stretch
to the east and west, tapering gradually.
The compact galaxy PGC 67957
hung in the eyepiece field some 4′ to the
northwest. I couldn't detect any trace
of FGC 2360's equatorial dust band
(which is 2″ across) that night. Make
sure you search for this feature when
seeing conditions are steady.
Return to Eta Pegasi and slew 2¼°
east to arrive at FGC 2385, which
you should see less than 2′ southwest
of 9.6-magnitude TYC 2737-1324-1.
Visually, the 14.0-magnitude galaxy
stretches from a field star on its eastern
end, first broadening to a modest core
then tapering again. Continue scanning
with averted vision along the same
line until you detect another patch of
light, tenuously connected to the core.
FGC 2360
150×, 10′
FGC 2360
FGC 2385
In photographs, this is the counterpart
to the peripheral disk that extends past
the star on the opposite end. Visually, I
could only see the farthest extent of the
galaxy in the western direction, likely
due to the interference with the light of
the embedded star. Trace the outermost
reaches of the galaxy to the east and see
how far you can go.
To round off our tour, drop south
past the front legs of Pegasus and scan
a bit less than 6½° south-southeast to
find FGC 2379 - the galaxy is only 4′
west of 12.6-magnitude NGC 7241.
While the NGC object itself is strongly
inclined to our line of sight, FGC 2379
has a major-to-minor axes ratio of 13!
This makes it the flattest galaxy in our
list. Here, however, we come to the
limit of what we can see in the eyepiece.
At least I did. The minor axis is a
mere 12″ long, and the galaxy's magnitude
is 14.3 - this feeble light is spread
out over nearly 2′ along the length of
the major axis. What this amounts to
in terms of contrast perception (which
defines resolution in visual observing)
is that I could only detect the central
FGC 2385
250×, 7′
FGC 2379
portion of the galaxy. And it appeared
much thicker than its tabulated dimensions.
Try to see this flat galaxy as a flat
galaxy - it will test you, your telescope,
and your sky.
Has the sampler been appetizing?
Wondering what's beyond? The Astronomical
League has assembled a list of
a couple hundred flat galaxies that are
perhaps the most accessible to amateurs
- you'll find the table at https://
is.gd/AL_flat_galaxies. (Al Lamperti,
whose name you might recognize as the
author of, among other things, several
Going Deep columns, is the program
coordinator.) The book Observing Flat
Galaxies by Alvin Huey will guide you
through another fine selection. And in
1999, Karachentsev and his colleagues
published a revised version of their catalog
that you'll find in electronic format
at https://is.gd/FGC_1999.
Whichever way you choose to go
about it, happy hunting!
¢ IVAN MALY is a fixture at his astronomy
club in upstate New York. His
website is at www.deepskyblog.net.
FGC 2379
570×, 6′
60 DECEMBER 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
https://is.gd/AL_flat_galaxies https://is.gd/AL_flat_galaxies https://www.is.gd/FGC_1999 http://www.deepskyblog.net

Sky & Telescope - December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - December 2024

Contents
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 1
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 3
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 4
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 5
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 6
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 7
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 8
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 9
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 10
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 11
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 12
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 13
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 14
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 15
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 16
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 17
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 18
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 19
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 20
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 21
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 22
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 23
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 24
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 25
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 26
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 27
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 28
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 29
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 30
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 31
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 33
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 35
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 37
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 38
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 40
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 43
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 50
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 71
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 72
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 73
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 79
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 80
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 81
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Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 83
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - 84
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - December 2024 - Cover4
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