6 replies to this topic

[PhilH]

The Coma Galaxy Cluster, Abell Galaxy Cluster (AGC) 1656, contains more than 800 galaxies brighter than photographic magnitude 16.5. It’s a real galactic forest that will take great patience to make your way through. There is no rushing this one. Unless you have enough time to devote to the task, best to push on to another target and come back here when you do. In fact, you will never get through this huge collection of galaxies in one sitting. Or even two, three, or four sessions, for that matter. AGC 1656 could well take years before every galaxy in view is recorded and identified.

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[Jacq]

Came to about 500 galaxies and my plan is to analyze which one is most far, just to know.

[lwbehney]

Hi Phil, thanks for this article. I only have a 210 mm aperture reflector, but I will challenge myself on some of your brighter galaxies in AGC 1656.

Incidentally, do you think it would be possible for my telescope to allow me to visualize IC 1101 in Abell 2029? If so, what source would you recommend to help me recognize it among the faint stars in its vicinity? I have been able to see Triton with averted vision in my telescope.

[Alex Swartzinski]

Hi Phil, thanks for this article. I only have a 210 mm aperture reflector, but I will challenge myself on some of your brighter galaxies in AGC 1656.

Incidentally, do you think it would be possible for my telescope to allow me to visualize IC 1101 in Abell 2029? If so, what source would you recommend to help me recognize it among the faint stars in its vicinity? I have been able to see Triton with averted vision in my telescope.

I think your 210mm scope can capture IC 1101 without too much difficulty from a dark site. It's quite diffuse, so I preferred medium powers over higher ones when I observed it in March. CNer Scott Harrington has even managed this object with a 6" scope! 

 

Feel free to checkout this thread for these two observations:  https://www.cloudyni...serving-report/

 

Thanks for the posts, Phil! I think one of my May dark site nights will be partially dedicated to this list! I'm sure I will only scratch the surface of the 800+, but I need to start this project somewhere! 

[Sky King]

I took a wide field stack last night with a C8 and HyperStar for a couple hours for an overview of the "galactic forest." 

 

 

[Sky King]

This is such an interesting collection! I can't keep away in spite of not having the aperture to do it justice. Last night I got a another view with the 8 EdgeHD, .7 reducer and focal length around 1475. Here it is on astrometry.net. The LS-DR9 tab is amazing (the photometry of the DR9 release of the Legacy Imaging Surveys). I wouldn't be surprised if some astronomer somewhere devotes his/her whole career to studying this area.

Edited by Sky King, 11 May 2023 - 04:00 PM.

[kt4hx]

Thank you for the challenge Phil.  Back on April 16, 2020 at our dark site house in the western part of the state, I focused on this cluster and observed 88 members one evening as I followed it across the sky.  The scope used was a 17.5 f/4.5 dob.