COMA BERENICES by Steve Coe 13" f/5.6 unless noted NGC 4032 Pretty faint, pretty large, round, pretty gradually brighter in the middle at 100X. NGC 4064 Pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated 2.5X1 PA 150, much brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4131 pretty bright, pretty small, round, somewhat brighter middle at 100X. It is the brightest of group of three. NGC 4132 faint, small, round at 100X. NGC 4136 pretty faint, large, round, not much brighter middle at 100X. Face-on fuzzball, some mottling in arms. NGC 4147 Bright, pretty large, round, bright middle at 165X. Five stars are resolved in good seeing. A nice globular to break up all these galaxies. NGC 4150 Pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 135, stellar nucleus embedded in a bright middle at 135X. NGC 4152 faint, pretty small, round, somewhat brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4158 Pretty faint, pretty small, round and brighter in the middle at 100X. 10th mag star SE 5'. NGC 4162 Pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2X1 in PA 25, brighter in the middle at 100X. Two stars on either side E-W, one 12th mag the other 10th mag. NGC 4169 pretty bright, pretty large, much brighter middle, round at 165X. Has three faint companions. NGC 4192 (M 98) pretty bright, large, very elongated, somewhat brighter middle at 135X. Has a companion to south that is faint, small and somewhat elongated. One of the few galaxies in the Coma-Virgo area that does not show a red shift. With the 13" at Cherry Rd. on a 7/10 night it is bright large, very much elongated 5 X 1 in PA 165, bright middle. The two companion galaxies are seen, better with averted vision. The arms are quite smooth, very little mottling. There is a stellar nucleus, but it is only glimpsed 10% of the time. NGC 4203 bright, pretty large, very bright middle at 100X. Very mottled arms, really grows with averted vision. NGC 4212 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated, somewhat brighter middle at 135X. IC 3061 in field. IC 3061 very faint, pretty small, Elongated, not brighter in middle. Just barely there. NGC 4237 Pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 1.5X1 in PA 110, gradually brighter middle at 150X. In a star poor field. NGC 4245 pretty bright, pretty large, somewhat elongated, much brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4251 pretty bright, pretty small, elongated 2X1, much brighter middle at 135X. NGC 4254 (M 99) bright, large, roundish, much brighter middle at 135X. Seen in 11 X 80 finder, spiral structure seen at all powers in 13" scope. With the 13" at Cherry Rd. on a 7/10 night, bright, large, round, much, much brighter in the middle at 150X. There are 2 stars in the spiral arms with averted vision. At 220X the stellar core is held 20% of the time and the core is light yellow, compared to the light blue and silvery arms. NGC 4262 pretty bright, pretty small, little elongated, much brighter middle. Averted vision makes it grow. NGC 4274 bright, pretty large, much elongated, brighter middle at 100X. Has three companions in 40' field of 20mm Erfle. Brightest of three is 4278. At 150X the elongation is 3 X 1 in PA 110. The nucleus is small, almost stellar. What is strange is that the core is offset to the west end of the galaxy so that it is divided into 1/3 and 2/3 parts by the "central" core. NGC 4293 pretty bright, large, much elongated, brighter middle at 135X. NGC 4298 faint, pretty large, little elongated, somewhat brighter middle. NGC 4302 pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated in ratio 3X1. 4298 fits in wide angle eyepiece. NGC 4314 pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated, brighter middle, very mottled at 100X. 4308 in field (faint, very small, not much). NGC 4321 (M 100) bright, large, round, brighter middle, big face-on. Faint, elongated companion fits in 40' field. A small version of M 33. With the 13" at Cherry Rd. on a 7/10 night it is bright, large, irregularly round, much, much brighter in the middle, very mottled and shows a hint of spiral structure at 150X. At 220X the bright core is stellar 30% of the time. The core is light yellow and the spiral arms are silvery. The spiral structure is more prominent at high power. NGC 4340 pretty faint, pretty large, round, somewhat brighter middle at 135X. 4350 in field. NGC 4350 pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 30, much brighter middle with an almost stellar nucleus at 135X. NGC 4377 Pretty bright, small, round, suddenly much, much brighter in the middle with a stellar nucleus at 150X. NGC 4379 Pretty bright, small, round, suddenly much brighter middle at 150X. NGC 4382 (M 85) bright, large, somewhat elongated, star involved on north side of nucleus. 4394 following is pretty bright, small, elongated. With 13" on 7/10 night at Cherry Road, at 220X it is bright, large, elongated 2X1 in PA 20, very bright middle with a stellar nucleus about 30% of the time in good seeing. There is a very faint star to the NNE of the nucleus. NGC 4414 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 3X1, much brighter middle at 100X. At 165X, stellar core comes and goes with the seeing. Going to 220 shows a definite stellar core 20% of the time, there is either a faint star just south of the nucleus, or this galaxy has a double nucleus. NGC 4419 pretty bright, pretty large, much brighter middle, much elongated 2X1 in PA0 at 150X. NGC 4448 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2X1, much brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4450 pretty bright, pretty large, little elongated, much brighter middle at 135X. NGC 4455 Faint, pretty large, much elongated 2.5X1 in PA 10, gradually brighter in the middle at 100X. Two 11th mag stars off the N tip. NGC 4459 pretty bright, pretty small, much brighter middle at 100X. At the edge of the Coma Galaxy Cluster, so there are four small, faint companions in the 40' field of view. NGC 4473-7-9 these three galaxies easily fit in the 40' field of the 20mm Erfle which gives 100X in the 13" f/5.6. There are several 10 mag stars in the field and this sets off the galaxies very nicely. NGC 4473 pretty bright, pretty small, round, much brighter middle, has a very faint, round companion to the NW. NGC 4474 Pretty bright, pretty small, elongated 2X1 in PA 90, much brighter middle with an almost stellar nucleus. Has a nice spindle shape at 150X. NGC 4477 Bright, large, considerably brighter middle, round. NGC 4479 pretty bright, pretty large, much brighter middle, elongated in 2X1 ratio. NGC 4494 bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle at 100X With 13" on a 7/10 night at Cherry Road it is bright, pretty large, round, very suddenly very much brighter in the middle with a bright nucleus at 150X. This galaxy almost doubles in size with averted vision, it has a pretty high surface brightness. NGC 4498 faint, pretty large, little elongated, much brighter middle at 100X. The NGC says (BIN) which I assumed to mean binary core. Therefore I tried 200X with Barlow to see if core is double. The seeing was 6/10 so my view was not conclusive, however the core did appear elongated at high power. NGC 4501 (M 88) bright, large, much elongated, much brighter middle at 100X. Pretty faint star in South section. With the 13" at 100X it is bright, large, much elongated 3X1 in PA 135, with at bright middle. Going to 220X shows an elongated bright core that is in the same PA as the main galaxy. The arms are very mottled, almost "stippled". M 88 12.5" f/4.5 of Adam Sunshine with 12mm Eyepiece-- from Buckeye a faint star (supernova of 13th mag) is "down and left of the core". It is not much, averted vision helps. NGC 4540 pretty bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle at 165X. This galaxy looks like a globular and there are four faint stars involved which make it look resolved. NGC 4548 pretty bright, pretty large, somewhat elongated 1.2X1 in PA 135 at 150X, somewhat brighter middle. There is a hint of spiral structure that I could hold for about 20% of the time. Marked M 91 on U2000. Messier gave a position near here for an object "dimmer than M 90". Shapley says it may be a comet that got away, NGC 4571 has been suggested. Owen Gingerich says it was a duplicate observation of M 58. NGC 4556 Faint, small, round, not brighter in the middle at 135X. There are two companion galaxies, both very faint and not much. NGC 4559 bright, large, much elongated 3X1, somewhat brighter middle at 135X. Three stars involved in south arm make this object unique, don't miss it. The core is also seen to be elongated at 220X, the core is 2X1, both it and the main galaxy are elongated in PA 165. The arms are very mottled and really sparkle on a transparent night. There are two companion galaxies, just seen to the south. This high surface brightness galaxy was pretty easy in the 11X80. NGC 4561 Pretty faint, pretty large, round, very little brighter in the middle at 150X. NGC 4565 very bright, very large, extremely elongated 10X1, very bright middle at 135X. Dark lane is easy at a good site, it can be held with direct vision. At 200X some fine detail within the dark lane is visible in moments of good seeing at our best sites in the mountains of northern Arizona. It has always looked like the classic flying saucer. At a Saguaro Astronomy Club star party someone called it "God's Frisbee". This spectacular edge-on galaxy is also a companion to Comet Coe. The story goes like this: I had just completed a new 17.5" Dobsonian and had had only few chances to get it out into dark sky. I trucked it to a club gathering at one of the best sites we use. When I observed NGC 4565 it had an obvious companion that I immediately thought was a comet. After showing it to A. J. Crayon and several other club members, I looked it up and it was quite obvious in a photograph in Burnham's. Oh well, so much for fame and fortune. Several "friends" pointed out that it could be a very long period comet that is coming directly at the earth. 36" f/5 TSP 96 20mm Nagler-- The ENTIRE width of the field of view, aviz makes it double in thickness, the dark lane is obvious and has much "scalloping" in several places with direct vision. The nuclear bulge is easy and is about twice the width of the rest of the galaxy. The core "sits" on the dark lane. Amazing view. The nuclear stars are yellower than the outer arm stars, seeing the difference in POP I and POP II stars right before your eyes. Cherry Rd. 7/10 S+T 11X80 just seen as faint and elongated. 100X bright, very large, extremely elongated 7X1 in PA 135, suddenly brighter middle with almost stellar nucleus. The dark lane is easy for central 1/2 of galaxy, it trails off at the edges. The stellar nucleus "sits" on the dark lane. 150X is the best view. The dark lane is scalloped along about 80% of its length. The arms are still smooth, no mottling. NGC 4571 faint, pretty large, elongated 1.8X1 in PA 60, not much brighter middle at 100X. 9th mag star on north side. This object has a low surface brightness, so I doubt Messier could have seen it, therefore, it can be safely eliminated from the choices for M 91. NGC 4595 Faint, pretty large, little elongated 1.2X1 in PA 120, very gradually brighter middle at 150X. NGC 4613 Faint, small and somewhat elongated, has a companion that looks similar but is round. NGC 4635 Faint, large, very gradually brighter in the middle, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 0 at 150X. Low surface brightness object. NGC 4651 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 1.5X1, somewhat brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4689 pretty faint, pretty large, somewhat elongated, not much brighter middle at 100X. NGC 4710 pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated, bright middle. Nice blue and white double star to NE split at 100X. NGC 4712 Pretty faint, pretty large, gradually brighter middle, elongated 2X1 in PA 165 using 150X. NGC 4725 bright, large, much elongated, very bright middle at 100X. My old 17.5" would show a hint of barred spiral structure at 125X, but I have not had the chance to use the 13" on this object from an excellent site to see if the smaller scope will duplicate that feat. Dugas S+T 7/10 13" 11X80--pretty easy 150X--bright, large, elongated 2X1 in PA 30, much, much brighter middle with a very bright nucleus. 3 layers of increasing brightness. The core is about = 10 mag. star. Arms are always mottled, grows with averted vision. NGC 4747 faint, small, somewhat elongated, not brighter middle. NGC 4793 pretty bright, pretty small, elongated 2X1, not brighter middle at 135X. NGC 4826 (M 64) bright, large, elongated 2X1, much brighter middle at 100X. There is a dark lane near the nucleus, just to the north side. This "Black eye" feature is averted vision at lower powers, this dark smile is easily seen with direct vision at 220X. The arms of this galaxy sparkle with mottling at all powers. White Tanks site 6/10 11X80 just seen. 100X very bright, large, much elongated 3X1 in PA 120, much brighter middle with a stellar bright nucleus. The dark marking to the north of nucleus that gives the "black eye" its' name is pretty easy. Going to 220X shows the dark, curved marking more easily. Somewhat like a black "smiley face" near the core. NGC 4874 Faint, pretty small, very little brighter in the middle, round at 220X. NGC 4889 and Coma Galaxy Cluster. A spectacular region that is "lumpy" from the overwhelming background of galaxies. NGC 4889 and 4874 are the center of this rich cluster. Both are pretty bright, pretty small and roundish. 4889 has a bright core that makes it stand out brighter than any other members. On a good night I see NGC 4889 as pretty faint, pretty small, brighter middle and somewhat elongated (1.8X1) in PA 90 at 150X. The cluster is about one degree in size. Dr. Fritz Zwicky surveyed the cluster and identified 804 galaxies brighter than 16.5 magnitude, so don't worry about running out of goodies to observe. This group of distant galaxies is best observed from the darkest of sites on the best of nights. I use a dark cloth to cover my head and block off stray light. This is a tough field to draw accurately, the red flashlight on the paper makes the dimmest members disappear. The field around 4889 surrounded by a swarm of dim galaxies. Using the dark hood I can pick out 5 pretty faint members and 20 very faint members on a night I rated 9/10 for seeing and transparency. That is using the 13" at 165X on a superior evening at 7000 ft. in the mountains of central Arizona. There is an excellent picture of this cluster in Sky and Telescope May 1980 on page 366. 36" f/5 20mm Nagler TSP 96--126 galaxies counted within one field of view of the center. The central section has 42 galaxies, including the two bright ones and lots more, with detail in the brighter members, dark lanes, arms, etc. WOWWOWOWOWWOW!!!! Every shape and size and tilt there is to see. Averted vision shows hundreds more galaxies. Push the scope five fields of view away will show you that the light grey background you have seen is unresolved galaxies lightening the field of view. Easily my best view of this object. NGC 4961 Faint, pretty small, little elongated 1.5X1 in PA 90, gradually brighter middle at 150X. NGC 4971 Extremely faint, pretty small, just a blob at 100X. NGC 4983 On a night I rated 5/10 for seeing and 6/10 for transparency, I could not find this object. NGC 5000 On a night I rated 5/10 for seeing and 6/10 for transparency, I could not find this object. NGC 5012 Pretty faint, large, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 15, several stars involved near a suddenly brighter middle. This lens-shaped galaxy shows some mottling at 150X. NGC 5016 Pretty faint, pretty large, very little brighter in the middle, elongated 1.5X1 in PA 45 at 150X. The listed mag of this galaxy is 14.3, I estimate 13. NGC 5024 (M 53) bright, large, irregular shape, very bright middle, very rich at 165X. Seen in 11 X 80 finder as a silvery glow. About 50 stars resolved in the outer sections. At 200X, there are 10 stars in the core that are resolved. Wm. Herschel said of this object "one of the most beautiful sights I remember to have seen in the heavens." With the 13" at Sun Valley Parkway it is bright, large, very, very compressed, very much brighter in the middle at 150X. There is a very dramatic difference between the view with direct and averted vision. Averted vision almost doubles the size of this globular. At this relatively low power, I could only count 15 stars in this compact cluster. Going to 330X makes it sparkle with stars that are just resolved in the 13" on a 6/10 night. I count 34 stars with the faintest 10 or so are only glimpsed. There is an 11th mag star on the NNE edge and a thin dark lane at the SSW edge of the very compressed central ball of stars. NGC 5032 A and B both very faint, small, not brighter in middle at 100X. Only seen as separate pair at 165X, not much at any power. NGC 5053 faint, large, round, not brighter in middle. Six stars are seen across the face at 135X. NGC 5074 Extremely faint, small, round and not brighter in the middle at 150X. This is tough to spot on a night I rated 6/10 from Buckeye, Az. NGC 5116 Faint, pretty small, elongated 2X1 in PA 45, gradually brighter middle at 150X. NGC 5172 Faint, pretty large, elongated 1.5X1 in PA 90, gradually brighter middle at 150X. COMA STAR CLUSTER (Melotte 111) is extremely bright, extremely large, not rich, not compressed. I count 32 members with a pair of 10 X 50 binoculars. A telescope does not help much, there are few "fill in" stars. The cluster has a definite arrowhead shape. 6" f/6 S+T=7 Eagle Eye Rd. 33mm--53 stars counted, extremely bright, extremely large, rich, scattered, several nice pairs, it takes up 2 fields of view. The 38mm Erfle has a wider field of view, but the field is still only about 80% of the size of the cluster, but not as contrasty so there are fewer stars. Double Stars 2 Comae split at 165X, white and bluish. 12 Comae Split at 135X, nice triple, no colors recorded. 17 Comae Easy split at 100X, white and light blue. 24 Comae a beautiful double star, it is easily split at 100X and shows a nice bright yellow and blue pair. A springtime Alberio. 35 Comae is easily split at 100X, the intriguing thing is that this pair appears yellow and purple! This is one of the few doubles I have ever seen with a purple comes, look for yourself and see if you agree. Struve 1615 easy to split at 100X, light yellow and light blue pair. Struve 1633 easy to split at 100X, matched pair both white. Otto Struve 245 Not an easy split because of magnitude difference, just split with Barlow at 200X, no colors recorded.