| Description | Cataloged February 17, 1781: "Nebula without star, near the head of Centaurus: it appears as a faint & even glow, but it is difficult to see in the telescope, as the least light to illuminate the micrometer wires makes it disappear. One is only able with the greatest concentration to see it at all: it forms a triangle with two stars estimated of sixth & seventh magnitude... M. de la Caille has already determined this nebula." <--> This barred spiral galaxy appears distorted by prior encounters, with the upper arm pulled out slightly with an extended tail upwards. At Dec -30°, it is a very tough target from the Catskills (42°N) as it maxes out about 18° altitude (17° at capture time). The moon was rising, and clouds emerging. It took me half an hour to capture these 4m 30s, and I figured any more time would likely make the image worse. So I stretched the heck out of it in Affinity Photo to allow me to see some detail. I was amazed that this is a Messier object, given that Paris is even further north than the mid-Hudson valley. Then learned this object was discovered at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and added based on correspondence. Impressive that Messier could observe it himself (as he clearly did) from Paris, which is even further north than I am. Anyway, a truly fascinating galaxy... |
