[Lvas] April Observing Challenge - Markharian's Chain

[Jim Gianoulakis]

Fred, Roger
 
Thanks for the effort placed into this document. It far exceeds my
expectations from an effort and particularly a content perspective. This
is meaningful and more importantly a useful document for all of us. What
started as, in my mind, a novel concept has blossomed into a recurring
endeavor that I will truly look forward to participating in. Thanks
again on the extraordinary efforts you two guys have put forth on our
behalf.
 
Jim
 
Jim Gianoulakis
Manager Application Services Mobile
702-876-7093
702-253-7213 fax
jim.gianoulakis at swgas.com 

>>> Fred Rayworth <rayworth1969 at hotmail.com> 4/30/2009 6:36 PM >>>

MONTHLY OBSERVER*S CHALLENGE
Compiled by:
Roger Ivester, Boiling Springs, North Carolina (See Roger.jpg)
&
 Fred Rayworth, Las Vegas, Nevada (See Fred.jpg)
April * The Virgo Cluster (Markharian*s Chain)Introduction
     The purpose of this observer*s challenge it to encourage others to
take up visual observing.  It is open to everyone that is interested,
and if you are able to contribute notes, drawings, or photographs, we
will be happy to include them in our monthly summary.  Observing is not
only a pleasure, but an art.  With the main focus of amateur astronomy
on astrophotography, many times people tend to forget how it was in the
old days before cameras, clock drives, and GOTO.  Astronomy depended on
what was seen through the eyepiece.  Not only did it satisfy an innate
curiosity, but it allowed the first astronomers to discover the beauty
that is free for the taking.

     Before photography, all observations depended on what the
astronomer saw in the eyepiece and how they recorded their observations.
 This was done through notes and drawings and that is the tradition we
are stressing here today.  By combining our visual observations with our
drawings, and sometimes, astrophotos (from those with the equipment and
talent to do so), we get a unique understanding of what it is like to
look through an eyepiece and to see what is really there.  The hope is
that you will read through these notes and become inspired to take more
time at the eyepiece studying each object and looking for those subtle
details that you might never have noticed before.  Each new discovery
increases one*s appreciation of the skies above us.  Please join us and
learn how to get the most from peering into an eyepiece.

Markharian*s Chain

     For the visual observer, there is nothing more thrilling than to
see the exceptional view.  By that I don*t necessarily mean the seeing
conditions, but rather the object observed.  There are many many, or to
paraphrase Carl Sagan *billions and billions* of objects to choose from.
 Well, maybe not *billions* literally, but depending on the size of your
scope, there should be more than enough stellar and non-stellar objects
out there to keep one busy for a lifetime.  That being said, there are
the showpieces, or as I call them, the *tourist objects,* such as many
of the Messiers.  Then there are the obscure faint fuzziest that are
more observing goals than something that will blow you away.  Finally,
there are the downright unusual objects that most amateurs had no idea
existed.   Markharian*s Chain is one example.  Just for object count
alone, this group of galaxies is a show-stopper.  Instead of seeing just
a couple of smudges, with a 12* or larger scope, you will gaze upon nine
galaxies at once if the conditions are right.  It may even be possible
to see all 9 with a 10* scope.  That*s a lot of bang for the buck.  The
participants in this month*s observing challenge were Roger Ivester from
North Carolina, along with Fred Rayworth and Jim Gianoulakis from Las
Vegas.

Observations/Drawings/Photos

Roger Ivester:
     He first found out about the Virgo cluster from Tom Lorenzin,
author of 1000+ The Amateur Astronomer's Field Guide to Deep-Sky
Observing.  Tom asked him if he*d ever viewed all nine galaxies within a
1* field of view centered on M-86.  Roger had not, but was most anxious
to give it a try.  Using his 10* f/4.5 Meade DS-10A reflector with a
20mm University Optics 60* Erfle eyepiece (57x), he was able to view
with an approximate 1* true field of view.  He never saw three of the
fainter galaxies with that arrangement.

     He did a drawing of the six visible galaxies, then went to (160x)
using the 20mm UO Erfle and a 2.8x UO Klee Barlow, and spotted the
fainter ones.  He then sketched the three faint galaxies in their
appropriate positions and tried his best to draw them to scale based on
a picture from Sky and Telescope magazine.  See Rogers Chain and Rogers
Chain Identification images.  His notes are as follows:

M-84: Bright, with a brighter more concentrated middle, and a mostly
round shape.
M-86: Bright.  Brighter middle, round, very similar to M-84 but not as
well concentrated.
NGC-4387: A very faint mostly round blur.  Difficult at best requiring
averted vision.
NGC-4388: Low surface brightness, elongated slash with an E-W
orientation.
NGC-4402: Very faint slash, low surface brightness.
NGC-4413: Very faint and dim, small, very diffuse with little
concentration, mostly round.
NGC-4425: Very faint, elongated, axis NS, small and dim.
NGC-4435: Fairly bright, mostly round, stellar nucleus, smaller than
NGC-4438.
NGC-4438: Bright, elongated, with a brighter middle.
 
Fred Rayworth:

     Over the years, he has seen eight of the galaxies individually,
but never knew they were part of a specific group until Roger Ivester
told him about it.  On March 28, Virgo was high enough in the sky to
take a crack at it, and with a little zap of his green laser finder,
Fred had this group in the field of view.  Using a 16* f/4.5 Meade
LightBridge and an Orion Q-70 26mm 70* field eyepiece, he had no trouble
seeing all nine galaxies at once.  Because of this observing project, he
saw that ninth galaxy for the first time, only because he knew it was
supposed to be there.

     That ninth galaxy, NGC-4387, is magnitude 13, and considering the
night, it was by far the faintest galaxy he saw all night.  If he hadn't
known it was there, he would*ve missed that little smudge.  In fact,
several other people looked at the group and only counted 8 until he
pointed out where it was.

     Despite a fishbowl effect at the edges, he had no problem seeing
even the galaxies at the edges through that Q-70 eyepiece.  He moved the
scope around to study each individual galaxy in the center of the field,
but to satisfy the observing challenge, he DID see all 9 at once in the
field.

     All of the galaxies, even M-84 and M-86 were featureless.  No
mottling or any detail at all, but they were all definite faint fuzzies
and had distinct shapes.  The most visually striking of the group was
NGC-4388, an edge-on spiral.  It was a nice, though faint large
streak, and out sized and outclassed the similar NGC-4402.  See Freds
Chain Drawing.

     On April 25th, he tried again and saw all 9 galaxies right away
with the Q-70 26mm eyepiece.  A witness didn't see them all at first,
but after he pointed out where to look, the guy did.  Another individual
with a 12.5" f/5 also saw them, but he had to use a 31mm Nagler to get
them all in the field, and just barely.  Though a bit dimmer, Fred saw
all 9 galaxies through that 12.5*.  Back on his 16* LightBridge, he
tried the Q-70 32mm and the galaxies fit into the field better, but the
background just wasn't dark enough.  They looked better with the 26mm.
 
Jim Gianoulakis:

Jim didn*t have any observational notes, but he took an excellent photo
of the group.  See Jims Chain Photo.

References

     References for this month*s objects are from Luginbuhl & Skiff*s
book, Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects and are
presented by Roger Ivester.  This is our sole reference source for
Markharian*s Chain because it is the only catalogue that includes all 9
galaxies.  The following descriptions are more scientific and detailed
than the average observer is likely to include in their notes.  They are
presented here to give you a more detailed and scientific description to
compare to what Roger and Fred saw.  If you do not have this most
comprehensive observing book, get it today.  It will teach you how to
observe and what to look for in over 2,000 deep-sky objects.

Note: The objective or mirror diameters are metric, so here is a quick
key to each size mentioned: 6cm = 2.6*, 15cm = 6*, 25cm = 10*, 30cm =
12*

M-84 dimen.  5*.0 x 4*.4 magnitude = 9.3
Messier 84 is visible in 6 cm, appearing similar to nearby Messier 86
(cf.eg4406), but a little brighter.  15 cm shows a bright oval haze with
an intense, broadly concentrated core.  In 25 cm it is elongated
ESE-WNW, reaching to about 2*.5 x 2*, but fading so smoothly to the sky
that the boundary is indefinite.  The innermost regions, however, rise
sharply in brightness toward a sub-stellar nucleus.  With 30 cm the 4* x
3* halo has a strong, very even concentration, and the nucleus is
clearly non-stellar.  A mag. 14 star is involved 1`.25 WSW of center.

M-86 dimen.  7*.4 x 5*.5 magnitude = 9.2
Messier 86 is visible with 6 cm in the same low-power field with
Messier 84 (eg 4374, q.v.) and appears as a slightly elongated spot with
a bright center.  In 15 cm the 2* x 1*.5 halo grows much brighter toward
the center, but is otherwise featureless.  The galaxy appears similar to
M84 in 25 cm, fading very smoothly to the sky background.  However, the
3*.5 x 3* halo, elongated ESE-WMW, is distinctly larger than that of
M84, and seems more diffuse.  The light is broadly brighter except at
the very center, where a sharp nucleus is visible.  With 30 cm it is
more elongated and strongly concentrated than M84, though their
brightnesses are similar.  The 5* x 3* halo contains a condensed 10*
core that occasionally shows a stellar nucleus.

NGC-4387 dimen.  1*.9 x 1*.1 magnitude = 12.9
This galaxy is quite faint in 15 cm.  25 cm shows it as a circular 30*
patch with smooth, moderate concentration to a sharp center.  A mag 13
star is visible 1*.5 NNW.  30 cm shows it much larger.  1*.8 x 0*.75,
elongated SE-NW.  The halo has a moderate, broad concentration to a
small, faint nucleus.

NGC-4388 dimen.  5*.1 x 1*.4 magnitude = 11.2
An easy object for 15 cm.  Spindle is elongated E-W and shows a slight
central brightening.  With 25 cm the small core lies W of center,
stellar rings and a stellar nucleus are visible at high power.  The E
side of the core is squared off abruptly by a dark patch.  A mag 14.5
star lies 1*.3 NE.  The northern flank of the halo fades abruptly in 30
cm.  The light is evenly concentrated to a less elongated core and a
very faint stellar nucleus.

NGC-4402 dimen.  4*.1 x 1*.3 magnitude = 11.3
Much more difficult than nearby Messier objects, this galaxy is visible
in 15 cm at 100x.  It is elongated but less distinctly so here than in
larger apertures.  With 25 cm the halo is elongated in pa 90*, and
completely un-concentrated, though a little mottling is discernable at
100x.

NGC-4413 dimen.  2*.5 x 1*.7 magnitude = 13.0
In 15 cm it is faintly visible at low power as an un-concentrated, low
surface brightness patch elongated roughly NE-SW.  25 cm shows a halo of
moderately low surface brightness that is broadly brighter and faintly
mottled across the center.

NGC-4425 dimen.  3*.4 x 1*.2 magnitude = 11.8
In 15 cm this galaxy appears as a slight brightening without structure
about 1* diameter.  25 cm shows a sharply defined oval elongated in
position angle 30*.  The core is moderately brighter, much more
elongated than the halo, and contains a very faint stellar nucleus.

NGC-4435 dimen.  3*.0 x 1*.9 magnitude = 10.8

NGC-4438 dimen.  9*.3 x 3*.9 magnitude = 10.0
These interacting galaxies lie 4*.3 apart in pa 165*.  In 15 cm, 4435
is about 1* diameter with a bright stellar nucleus.  With averted
vision, 15 cm will show 4438 in pa 20* with a small bright core.



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