| Name | Spindle Galaxy |
| Designation(s) | M102, NGC 5866 |
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier, NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Draco |
| Date and Time Observed | 2023-09-12 20:20:00 |
| Instrument | EdgeHD 8" f10-2,032mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294mc-Pro |
| Image Details | Up is 89.6 degrees E of N. Total integration time was 10m. Exposures 30s@305g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding.. |
| Description | Undated entry by Méchain from late March or early April, 1781: "Nebula between the stars Omicron of Bootes & Iota of the Dragon [Draco]: it is very faint; near it is a star of the sixth magnitude." The entry was published without confirmation and without a measurement, although Messier's personal copy of the Catalog contains a handwritten location. Méchain disclaimed this observation in a letter to Bernoulli, written May 6, 1783, and declared it was an erroneous re-observation of M101. However, Messier's location and the description both point to NGC 5866 as the likely target. <--> This is an edge-on lenticular galaxy with a well defined dust lane bisecting the disk. Deserves more than 10m but cut short by clouds. Originally imaged by me as part of the CN EAA Challenge for September '23. |
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