Arp 272 / NGC 6050 / IC 1179

Designation(s)Arp 272, NGC 6050, IC 1179
Object Type(s)Galaxy
Relevant Catalog(s)All (Chron), Arp, IC, NGC
Arp CategoryGalaxies with connected arms
Obs. Lat/Long42° 17', 073° 57'
ConstellationHercules
Date and Time Observed2025-06-30 01:09:00
InstrumentEdgeHD 8" w/f7 reducer-1,422mm FL
CameraPlayer One Apollo-M Mini
Image DetailsUp is 91.0 degrees E of N. Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 38m. Exposures 15s@300g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding.
DescriptionArp placed this in the "Double Galaxies - Connected Arms" category. His observing notes added: "Arms join at dense knot or nucleus...." My interpretation from the beginning was that we were really looking at 3 galaxies: NGC 6050 (lower left), IC 1179 (upper right) and a third, smaller galaxy at the end of NGC 6050's arm (upper left). Arp's comment suggests he saw the nucleus but wasn't willing to suggest it's a 3rd galaxy. My research discovered the Hubble image you can find in the gallery which confirms it is a third galaxy.

The full image is worth studying as it contains many additional interacting galaxies despite a field of view which is only 0.343° x 0.260°. Note Arp 71 which is the "integral sign" galaxy (interacting with a dwarf galaxy on its "toe") higher on the image directly above Arp 272. Overall, the image captures a significant portion of Abell 2151, the "Hercules Cluster", which contains at least 200 galaxies, many of them interacting.
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