Deep Sky Object in Spring
NGC5866 (M102, Galaxy in Draco)


Date & Time: Dec 29 2014, from 27:38 to 28:22 JST(+0900)
Composed 8 shots with 6 minutes exposed
Optical: Meade 25cm(10") Schmidt-Cassegrain with a conversion lens (f=1600mm, F6.3)
with BaaderPlanetarium Moon&Skyglow filter
Auto-guided with Meade LX200 Equatorial & Pictor 201XT
Digital Camera: Canon EOS 600D (Remodeled)
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording format...14bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(5184×3456)
Sensitivity...ISO3200


NGC5866(M102) / Galaxy, type SA0+
R.A.15h 06m 30.2s (2000.0)
Dec.+55° 45' 47" (2000.0)
Apparent Size2.8×1.0'
Radial Velocity+877km/s
Magnitude10.8
Distance32 million light yrs.
Group of GalaxiesNGC5866 Group
Other IDsUGC9723, MCG9-25-17
PGC53933
NGC5866 is a compact galaxy in the constellation of Draco. And I wrote "M102" in parentheses; actually this Messier's number is informal because it's considered that Messier mistook M101 for M102. Although recent researches tell this NGC5866 is M102, it's open to question whether telescopes in that time could catch such a faint celestial object with a long axis of 3 arc minutes and brightness of 10.8.
The galaxy has been classified in elliptical and being edge-on, you can appreciate it as a well-proportioned spindle shape. Large telescopes can detect a dark lane crossing the center. The distance from us is estimated about 32 millions light years.



M101
Around M106 & NGC4217

Copyright(c) 2015 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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