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Constellation Report |
| Our Constellation report is an easy way for people to become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated with the various constellations as well as describing the numerous deep sky objects residing in the area. No equipment is required to view the constellations, though a star chart can be quite helpful. This ease of observing makes constellations a natural place to begin your journey to the stars.
 This weekend we move on to the constellation Leo the Lion. This is an easy constellation to find. The lion faces west. It's huge, backward question mark shaped head based on Alpha Leo or Regulus the 21st brightest star in the sky. This connects to a rectangular body which finally attaches to a triangular tail.
There are many beautiful sites in Leo including one with an associated event. The Leonid Meteor Shower appears to emanate from 2° NW of the star Gamma Leonis. This amazing event peaks every year on November 17th. Always a treat, the 2001 event was one of the most memorable in years. Meteor rates peaked in excess of 1000 per hour! It was an unforgettable experience.
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Deep Sky Report |
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Leo. Fortunately, or unfortunately, about the only deep sky objects you'll find in Leo are galaxies. If you like searching for and studying galaxies, you're going to love Leo. Leo can be found due east of the constellation Cancer which we visited last weekend. Leo has several bright stars outlining its figure... making it fairly easy to locate. This is one of my favorite constellations for several reasons. First off, it's arrival marks the beginning of spring. Secondly, and more importantly, Leo marks the arrival of the galaxies. Sure there are galaxies to be seen at any time of the year, but as Leo arrives on the scene, the number and diversity of galaxies grows considerably. Leo is home to many dozens of galaxies. Several of these will be visited in this weeks report.
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Our first stop in Leo is it's brightest star, Alpha Leonis or Regulus(mag1.36). Regulus is known as the "heart of the lion" and lies some 85 light years away. It has a true luminosity that is over 160 times greater than our Sun. Regulus is actually a binary star. It's companion is an easy target at mag7.9. It's also easy to split at about 179".
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 Next on our list is Gamma Leonis(mag1.98). This is, without a doubt one of the finest double stars in the sky. It's components are both yellowish, have magnitudes of 2.14 and 3.39 and are separated by about 4.6". This beautiful pair requires a bit of magnification to split, but... it's definitely worth the effort. If you find yourself searching for deep sky treasures in Leo, make sure you checkout this beauty. Aperture is not a major requirement. Most telescopes should be able to split this on nights of good seeing.
This beautiful shot was taken by Jon Webdale of Colchester England. |
 Ok, our fist object is Spiral Galaxy M65(mag9.3). This is a beautiful spiral galaxy viewed at an intermediate angle. Located some 29,000,000 light years distant, this galaxy is believed to span roughly 60,000 light years across. The galaxy is believed to be an outer member of the massive Virgo Cluster of Galaxies which we'll visit again in a few weeks.
M65 can be found about 2.5° south of mag3.3 Theta Leonis. You can spy this galaxy with a pair of astronomical binoculars, but you'll need at least a 4-6" telescope to get a view you can appreciate. Larger apertures will reveal a bright, non-stellar core with an extended oval shaped outer section.
This beautiful shot was taken by Robert Gendler. Many will recognize Robert as a past Utah Skies Astrophotographer of the Month. |
 Next we'll hit another fine Spiral Galaxy M66(mag9.0). This galaxy (visible in the same low power field of view) is slightly larger and slightly brighter than M65. You'd never notice it visually, but that's what all the charts say. M66 is viewed from a more face-on position. It shows considerably more mottling than M65 which has a smoother appearance. The distance to M66 is also listed at 29 million light years.
Similar in optical requirement to M65, M66 will show a more mottled appearance visually. At higher powers and in larger apertures, you'll begin to see the spiral arms.
This beautiful shot was also taken by Robert Gendler. What a sweet shot. Robert always seems to be pushing the astro-photography envelope. In fact, he out does many observatories while imaging from his driveway in Connecticut!
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 Next we'll hit another fine Spiral Galaxy NGC3628(mag9.5) Also in the same field of view as M65 and M66, this galaxy is viewed almost edge-on. This one offers a very interesting view. Compared to NGC891 in Andromeda which has a pronounced cigar shape with a dust lane running through the middle. This object has the a less pronounced shape. It's dust lane is quite conspicuous, but the edges don't seem to terminate, they just fade into the background. When you look at this galaxy, you'll notice the bright core, partially hidden by intervening dust. As you'd probably expect, at mag9.5, aperture is becoming more and more important. Since this object is quite a bit larger, and a little bit fainter, the surface brightness is considerably lower. You'll still see this object in a 4-6" telescope, but you'll probably want 10-12" and dark skies to get the views you're looking for.
This is another awesome shot by Robert Gendler. |
 These three Spiral Galaxies occupy the same low power field of view. Collectively they are known as the Trio in Leo. This is an awesome sight. This is (with the possible exception of M81 & M82) the most sought after galaxy grouping in the sky. To see these distant island universes in the same wide field of view is simply amazing. Each of these galaxies contains hundreds of billions of Suns. It's simply mind boggling to see this site and attempt to pull the meaning of it together.
Since each of these galaxies are visible simultaneously, and all three of these galaxies are within a 1/2 magnitude range, this is a great view to study the contrasting appearance of galaxies. You could compare other galaxies, but none are viewed so closely as to allow you to move so quickly between them. In this picture, you have an edge-on, a face-on and an intermediately positioned spiral galaxy. Note their differing views offered be each aspect.
This shot of the trio was taken by Utah Skies own Anthony Arrigo on March 28, 2003 using a Canon Rebel 2000 loaded with Fuji Superia 800 film. It required a 20 minute unguided exposure through a 10" f/4.5 reflector. |
 Next we'll hit a Barred Spiral Galaxy M95(mag9.7) This is a cool looking galaxy. Doesn't it look like one of those Star Wars spaceships? Anyway, you should enjoy this object. Every increase in power and/or aperture seems to provide additional detail. If you can increase both under dark skies, you're in for a treat.
This is yet another beauty from Robert Gendler. |
 Next we'll hit a Spiral Galaxy M96(mag9.2) This has a somewhat elliptical appearance at first. This is especially true if you're just finding it with one of your low power eyepieces. Anyway, once you find it, and manage to decide which you're gonna view up close first, this galaxy handles magnification well; one can fill a good portion of an eyepiece with this galaxy.
Yea... yea... yea... another incredible shot from Robert Gendler. Have you visited his site yet? It's full of incredible stuff. |
 This time, we have a pair of galaxies for you, M95, M96. These look much more similar than the previous triplet. It is difficult telling which is which at first glance. Remember, M96 is brighter, while M95 has a pronounced bar. Too, M96 has a more condensed looking core. Also, M95 is to the west. |
 Next we'll hit an Elliptical Galaxy M105(mag9.3). Once you're done enjoying M105, move slightly to the northeast. There are several other galaxies in the area. In fact, in a wide field centered on M105, you'd most likely already have them in your sights. The brightest of these are NGC3384 and NGC3389. |
 Next up is a very interesting shot of Spiral Galaxy NGC2903(mag8.9). Is this cool show, or what? It was taken by Al Kelly and Arne Henden of the US Naval Observatory. Arne made 2 images, one with an Ha filter and one filtered for a nearby continuum region, using the 1.0-meter USNO telescope and a 1024x1024 SITe-chip CCD camera. Al took the CMY images which were made with an 8" SCT and a Cookbook 245 CCD camera. Arne's images were summed and processed to create the luminance layer for the L/CMY composite and were used to create the difference image for the Ha representation. Pretty cool, huh?
NGC2903 is located about 1.5° south of lambda Leonis(mag4.3). Given it's brightness and proximity to a bright star, this object ought to be a cinch.
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 Let's wrap things up with this weeks dual Utah Skies Challenge Objects, Spiral Galaxy NGC3190(mag11) and Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC3187(mag13.1). NGC3190 is the brighter galaxy in the center of the image, while NGC3187 is the odd shaped galaxy just up and to the right. Elliptical Galaxy NGC3185 is up and to the left. If you find one... and your scope has enough horsepower(aperture), you'll find them all.
Let me just tell you.. we've only scratched the surface on Leo's galaxies. There are many, many more. If you've enjoyed these, perhaps you should schedule some time to cover Leo in more detail. Finding, identifying and studying Leo's numerous galaxies can keep you busy for quite some time.
Good Luck!
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