The Local Group of galaxies includes three large spiral galaxies – the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Triangulum Spiral – and dozens of smaller systems.  Two of the toughest to see are found in the constellation Cetus and make up this two-month challenge.

We begin with IC 1613, discovered in 1906 by German astronomer Max Wolf on photographs taken with the Bruce 16-inch (41-cm) refractor at the Astrophysical Observatory in Heidelberg.  Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope in 1999, Andrew Cole and colleagues confirmed that IC 1613 lies 2.4 million light years away.  This places it a bit closer to us than M31 and its cadre of satellites.  Like that galactic family, IC 1613 is also approaching the Milky Way, in this case at a rate of 234 km per second. While that is comparable to NGC 147, one of M31's companions, IC 1613 is not gravitational kin to Andromeda.  In fact, it is nearly as far away from M31 as it is from the Milky Way.

Despite being relatively nearby, IC 1613 suffers from the same problem that plagues many other Local Group members, such as previous challenges Leo I, Leo II, and Leo III (aka Leo A).  Like those systems, the feeble light from IC 1613 is spread across such a large area that its surface brightness drops precipitously.  Although it is listed as 9th magnitude, remember that is its integrated brightness, or how bright it would appear were it compressed to a stellar point.  The fact that the galaxy is spread across an area half the apparent diameter of the Full Moon lowers its surface brightness to only magnitude 15.5.

Although it can be a bear to see, IC 1613 is not hard to locate thanks to its proximity to 26 Ceti.  To get there, aim your finderscope along the rope attached to the southern Fish's tail at Epsilon (ε) Piscium.  Look 2½° south-southeast of Epsilon for an equilateral triangle of stars made up of 73, 77, and 80 Piscium.  From here, move about 4° south to 26 Ceti.  Be careful not to confuse it with 29 Ceti, which is more to the east-northeast.  IC 1613 is 47' north of 26 Ceti and just 11' south of an orangish 7th-magnitude sun, SAO 109653.

The galaxy's large apparent size conspires with its low surface brightness to make this such a difficult catch.  In order to squeeze it all into a single eyepiece field, we need to use low power.  But low power also lowers image contrast.  Higher magnifications boost contrast, but reduce the field size too much.  It's a vicious circle that requires experimentation to solve.  In my 18 inch (46 cm), I have found the best compromise to be a 22-mm Tele Vue Panoptic eyepiece that yields 94x and a real field measuring 42' in diameter.

With that combination, I can make out that the northeastern section is slightly brighter than the region toward the southwest, but beyond that, I see no distinct boundaries.  Instead, the galaxy just diffuses softly into the background.

Photographs, such as the great image below by CN'er George Simon, show that IC 1613's internal structure is both loosely and poorly organized.  Outwardly, it resembles Barnard's Galaxy, NGC 6822, although its total mass is far less.  IC 1613 has an estimated mass equal to just 80 million Suns.  By comparison, NGC 6822 has a mass equal to 130 million Suns.  Like that summertime object, IC 1613 is designated as a dwarf barred irregular, a strangely bloated mishmash highlighted by an axial "bar" across its core.  There is also the subtle suggestion of spirality, with a gently curving extension tapering away from a jumbled core.

A brighter northeastern segment corresponds to a region populated with blue-giant stars distributed among more than two dozen stellar associations.  The galaxy also contains more than two dozen very small star clusters, as well as a dozen small nebulae.  Under extraordinary conditions the largest scopes may be able to just resolve some of these distant deep-sky objects, as well as several background galaxies shining through IC 1613 itself.

Don't get too full of yourself if you see IC 1613 through your "big" telescope, however.  Arizona astronomer Brian Skiff has seen it through his 2.8-inch (7.1-cm) refractor, while super-eyed Steve O'Meara reports an observation of IC 1613 through his 4-inch (10.2-cm) refractor from a high-altitude site in Hawaii.

Have a favorite challenge object of your own? I'd love to hear about it, as well as how you did with this month's test. Contact me through my website or post to this month's discussion forum.

Until next month, when we take an even deeper dive into the Local Group, remember that half of the fun is the thrill of the chase. Game on!