{"id":2175,"date":"2017-06-01T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/wordpress\/?p=2175"},"modified":"2018-01-16T09:59:11","modified_gmt":"2018-01-16T09:59:11","slug":"may-2017","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.popastro.com\/deepsky\/may-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"May 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

I received two images and two sketches this month, from three section members.<\/p>\n

Paul Brierley<\/strong> of Macclesfield imaged globular cluster M3 in the constellation of Canes Venatici using an Altair Astro 115mm EDT refractor and Canon 1000D DSLR.\u00a0 M3 has been studied by professional astronomers for over a century.\u00a0 In 1913 American astronomer S.I Bailey began to identify variable stars within M13, and well over 200 are now known, around half being RR Lyrae type.<\/p>\n

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M3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Generally globular clusters are found to be metal poor;\u00a0 M3 is relatively metal rich for a globular but relative to our sun it is still quite poor in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium however, at about 4% of the solar abundance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

David Davies<\/strong> of Cambridge used an APM 107mm triplet APO refractor and QSI 583 camera plus red, green and blue filters to capture this image of Markarian’s Chain, a string of galaxies to be found in the constellation of Virgo.<\/p>\n

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Makarian Chain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pair of galaxies just below left of centre are NGC 4435 (uppermost) and below it NGC 4438.\u00a0 The oval galaxies to the right of these are, first, M86, and to its right M84. To the upper left of NGC 4438 are a fainter pair:\u00a0 NGC 4461 and the smaller NGC 4458 above it.\u00a0 Toward the top left is NGC 4473, and in the top left corner another pair;\u00a0 NGC 4477 and the smaller NGC 4479 just below and to the left.<\/p>\n

Michael Kinns <\/strong>of Eastry employed an Orion Optics (UK) 200mm f6 Newtonian reflector at x150 and x100 respectively to sketch M102 and NGC 5907;\u00a0 both galaxies in the constellation of Draco.<\/p>\n

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M102<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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NGC 5907<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

M102 is a Messier catalogue item that was once thought to have been a duplicate entry for M101, but many sources identify it as this galaxy, also known as NGC 5866 or the Spindle galaxy.\u00a0 High resolution professional images show the galaxy to have a disc of dust;\u00a0 not common for a lenticular galaxy;\u00a0 since it is almost exactly edge-on however it is possible that it is really a spiral.\u00a0 NGC 5907 is also an edge-on galaxy, sometimes known as the Splinter galaxy.\u00a0 Professional images show streams of material around it, possibly evidence of a gravitational encounter long ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dave Finnigan<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I received two images and two sketches this month, from three section members. Paul Brierley of Macclesfield imaged globular cluster M3 in the constellation of Canes Venatici using an Altair Astro 115mm EDT refractor and Canon 1000D DSLR.\u00a0 M3 hasRead more<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2175","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-reports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t