Pisces and Cetus galaxies

[Bigzmey]

10/13/2023

Location: Anza desert site, Bortle 4.0.

Equipment: Celestron 9.25” Edge HD SCT on SkyTee 2 manual AltAz mount.

EPs:
Pentax XW 10mm, 70 deg (235x, 1.0mm exit pupil, 0.30 deg TFV)
Pentax XW 14mm, 70 deg (168x, 1.4mm exit pupil, 0.42 deg TFV)
Pentax XW 20mm, 70 deg (118x, 2.0 mm exit pupil, 0.6 deg TFV)

Heat wave with dry clear weather is here and I am riding it as long as I can. Soon first winter storm will bring my 2023 Anza season to the end, but until then, Anza here I come!

Astronomical darkness arrived around 19:30. However, there were some high clouds and to wait them out I took a couple hours of sleep. By 22:00 the sky has cleared. This summer I have spent a few sessions in Pegasus, but it was close to the zenith now, and Pisces below were in more comfortable viewing position.

22:00. PISCES GALAXIES

IC 3 (mag 13.8, size 36" x 18", SB 11.7) – small faint oval with AV (168x, 235x).
IC 6 (mag 13.5, size 48" x 48", SB 12.8) – faint wide oval with stellar core (118x, 168x).
IC 7 (mag 13.8, size 42" x 36", SB 12.6) – small, faint, elongated oval (118x, 168x).
IC 8 (mag 14.4, size 48" x 24", SB 12.9) – FAIL.
IC 34 (mag 12.6, size 2.4' x 48", SB 13.1) – very faint narrow lens with AV (118x).

IC 53 (mag 13.9, size 30" x 30", SB 12.1) – very faint narrow oval, detected with AV by moving EP (168x, 235x).
IC 55 (mag 14.1, size 42" x 18", SB 12.1) – faint tiny spec next to star (168x).
IC 1672 (mag 13.0, size 1.3' x 1', SB 13.0) – larger wide oval (168x).
IC 96 (mag 13.9, size 48" x 24", SB 12.4) – smaller narrow oval in the same FOV with IC 1672 (168x).
IC 107 (aka IC 1700, mag 12.9, size 1' x 42", SB 12.3) and IC 1698 (mag 13.5, size 1.3' x 24", SB 12.5) – two faint ovals next to each other (168x).

After about one and half hours at the EP I took a break to enjoy a snack and beautiful starry sky. Winter Milky Way was rising, not as bright as the summer Milky Way since we are looking away from the galaxy center, but still fun to trace. Now Pisces were getting closer to zenith so, I have shifted my attention to Cetus.

00:00. CETUS GALAXIES

IC 116 (mag 13.7, size 54" x 36", SB 12.8) – FAIL.
IC 130 (mag 14.2, size 30" x 30", SB 12.4) – very faint fuzzy star (118x, 168x).
IC 159 (mag 13.2, size 1.5' x 42", SB 13.0) – very faint small oval with AV (118x, 168x).
IC 164 (mag 13.1, size 1.4' x 1.2', SB 13.4) – faint round disk (118x).
IC 168 (mag 14.2, size 54" x 18", SB 12.5) – very faint narrow spot, detected with AV by moving EP (118x, 168x).

IC 172 (mag 14.0, size 24" x 18", SB 11.4) – faint fuzzy star (235x).
IC 209 (mag 13.1, size 1.7' x 1.3', SB 13.7) – faint oval (168x).
IC 206 (mag 14.2, size 1' x 24", SB 12.9) and IC 207 (mag 13.9, size 2.2' x 24", SB 13.9) – two faint narrow shapes, detected with AV by moving EP (118x, 168x).

IC 214 (mag 14.2, size 42" x 36", SB 13.0) – FAIL.
IC 219 (mag 13.4, size 1' x 36", SB 12.6) – faint oval with stellar core (168x).
IC 225 (mag 13.5, size 1' x 54", SB 13.1) – FAIL.
IC 233 (mag 14.2, size 24" x 18", SB 11.6) – FAIL.
IC 241 (mag 13.4, size 1.1' x 42", SB 12.9) – very faint small oval with stellar core (118x, 168x).

I had the solar eclipse to catch in the morning so, I have wrapped it up around 01:30.

[helicon]

Nice report Andrey! Way to focus on the IC galaxies...most tougher than NGC galaxies I think....

[Bigzmey]

Nice report Andrey! Way to focus on the IC galaxies...most tougher than NGC galaxies I think....

Thanks Michael! While I am selecting targets from both NGC and IC catalogs based on the same criteria, I seem to have more misses with IC. So, I agree with your assessment, on average IC catalog a bit tougher. Although there are easy IC galaxies and tough NGCs.

[John Baars]

Thanks for your nice report.
Very good work with a 9.25 inch telescope!
I suppose the Anza Bortle 4 sky is cooperating well with that.
I see you are shifting the emphasis from NGC to IC objects this time. A shortage of NGCs?

[kt4hx]

Another superb galaxy hunt Andrey! You are correct that there are some IC galaxies that are brighter and easier than some NGCs. When Dreyer published the NGC in 1888 he pulled in the works of the Herschels and other observers who contributed to the discovery of objects. His first update as more and more objects were being discovered came in 1896 when the first edition of the Index Catalogue was released. He then released the second edition in 1905, which contained further discoveries and some correction to both the NGC and first edition IC. Between both the NGC and IC, there are over 13,000 objects listed. There have been attempts over the succeeding years to make revisions of the data contained in both in order to further reduce the errors. Unfortunately there are still issues in both. Even major catalogues such as the MCG, UGC, PGC, etc., have errors. Certainly anything humans are involved in is never going to be perfect!

Anyway, very well done my friend. An evening to be proud of under a fine dry sky hunting the elusive denizens of the deep! A VROD for certain.

[helicon]

Like I said above great report....and congratulations on a VROD as nominated by Alan.

[Bigzmey]

Thanks Alan and Michael, much appreciated!

[Bigzmey]

Thanks for your nice report.
Very good work with a 9.25 inch telescope!
I suppose the Anza Bortle 4 sky is cooperating well with that.
I see you are shifting the emphasis from NGC to IC objects this time. A shortage of NGCs?

Thanks John! Just like to mix and match.

[John Baars]

You did a good job mixing and matching!
Congratulations on your VROD!