[AZ-Observing] Hicksons and Pals

Last Tuesday night, the observing conditions at Anderson Mesa were  
excellent. Both seeing and transparency were about as good as it gets, here in  
northern Arizona, and I took advantage of the primo weather to catch some  
photons 
with my 18 inch Obsession. Here, are links to my sketches and notes on  the 
objects.
 
NGC 5529: _http://members.aol.com/billferris/n5529.html_ 
(http://members.aol.com/billferris/n5529.html) 
 
Here's an interesting edge-on galaxy. NGC 5529 resides in west-central  
Boötes about 4 degrees southwest of 3rd magnitude Gamma (27) Bootis. My sketch  
presents a 199X view in the 18-inch Obsession. NGC 5529 is the thin sliver of  
light at the center. This 11.9 magnitude spiral covers a 6' by 0'.7 patch of 
sky 
 with that part west of the core appearing brighter than its counterpart to 
the  east. The core region is slightly irregular in shape, looking like two 
small  humps on either side of the core. An interesting three-star asterism 
stands a  few arcminutes to the east. A faint 14th magnitude sparkler simmers 
close 
by,  just off the galaxy's eastern tip. And 1'.7 south of this star is where 
PGC  50952 emerges from the night. This 15.3 magnitude spiral presents as a 
30"  diameter glow. It's very subtle and best seen with averted vision. Even m
ore  challenging, is the delicate smudge some 5' to the northwest. That tiny 
patch of  fog is MCG +06-31-85a, a 16th magnitude galaxy with just the brighter 
0'.3  diameter core being visible in the 18-inch. This galaxy is seen 
intermittently  with averted vision, but always in the same location. This view 
is 
framed by  twenty-five stars scattered throughout the field in my sketch.
 
Palomar 4: _http://members.aol.com/billferris/pal4.html_ 
(http://members.aol.com/billferris/pal4.html) 
 
This is among the more challenging Palomar globular star clusters. OK, none  
of the them--with the possible exception of Palomar 8--is exactly a showpiece, 
 but Palomar 4 gives real meaning to the phrase, "faint fuzzy." My drawing  
captures a 199X view in the 46 cm (18-inch) Obsession. The field is defined by  
the L-shaped collection of stars in the southeast quadrant. 9.8 magnitude SAO 
 81851 stands just inside the eastern edge of the field. PPM 101191 is the 
10.0  magnitude ember near the southern boundary. A 12th magnitude star lies 
just  north of it. And the feeble point of light at the center of my sketch 
shines at  14th magnitude. Palomar 4 is seen as a ghostly haze just to the 
southwest of  this star. Palomar 4 teases the eye, a 1'.2 diameter gauzy patch 
of 
light that  is only seen with averted vision, but always in the correct 
location. 
At 18th  magnitude, even the brightest residents of Palomar 4 lie beyond the 
reach of my  scope. More typically, this cluster's stars shine at 20th 
magnitude or fainter.  Discovered in 1949 by Edwin Hubble, Palomar 4 was 
initially 
thought to be a  nearby dwarf galaxy and was given the moniker, Ursa Major 
Dwarf. 
However, its  status as a distant halo globular of the Milky Way has since 
been  well-established.
 
Palomar 5: _http://members.aol.com/billferris/pal5.html_ 
(http://members.aol.com/billferris/pal5.html) 
 
Here's another very difficult object. With an average surface brightness of  
24.7 magnitudes per square arcsecond, very dark skies and excellent 
transparency  are a must when going after Palomar 5. Discovered in 1950 by 
Walter Baade, 
 astronomers have since found evidence that this cluster is being shredded by 
the  Milky Way. My sketch presents this carnage as seen at 109X in my 18-inch 
(46 cm)  Dobsonian. 9.0 magnitude HD 135660 marks the southeast edge of the 
cluster. Best  seen with averted vision, Palomar 5 emerges northward from this 
bright star. The  ancient cluster appears as a 7' by 3'.5 oval and is 
elongated northwest to  southeast. Its mottled appearance and irregular shape 
are 
nearly unique among  the nearly 80 globulars I've observed. It's possible one 
or 
two of the 15th  magnitude stars seen within that feeble glow are cluster 
members. The brightest  of Palomar 5's stars shine at 15.5 magnitude, well 
within 
the reach of my scope.  As with Palomar 4, this globular was initially thought 
to be a nearby dwarf  galaxy and Palomar 5 was nicknamed the Serpens Dwarf. 
While you're in the area,  be sure to check out nearby M5. M5 is truly one of 
the magnificent showpieces of  the summer sky and it lies just over 2 degrees 
north of Palomar 5.
 
Hickson 70: _http://members.aol.com/billferris/hickson70.html_ 
(http://members.aol.com/billferris/hickson70.html) 
 
 
Hickson 70: _http://members.aol.com/billferris/hickson70.html_ 
(http://members.aol.com/billferris/hickson70.html) 

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