NGC 4866 (Galaxy)
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Right ascension: 13h 00m
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Declination: 14° 07'
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Constellation: Virgo
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Date/time: 2009.05.20 20:30 UT
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Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
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FoV: 24'
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Magnification and filter(s): 167x
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Seeing: 5/10
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Transparency: 4/5
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Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
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Observer: Ferenc Lovró
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Description:
A faint, but clearly detectable galaxy of about 12 magnitudes, with a tiny, star-like core. Near this, a faint little star can be noticed that seems to be a supernova, however it is only a bare foreground star. Compared with photographs, it seems that the area seen by me is in fact only the brighter region around the galactic core. The galaxy has even fainter outer territories that cannot be seen visually by me. With these, the area of the galaxy is about twice the size, but for now, I estimate an apparent visual size of about 3.5' x 0.8' only. The foreground star is encircled by the galaxy and it looks as if the latter would be darker around the star. However, this is obviously only an optical illusion. Apart from that, it still shows many details: brighter and darker areas. Because of this, it seems to be an irregular galaxy, yet it is in fact belongs to a rare sub-group of spirals.
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Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]
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