Observer: Mark G. Birkmann
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation:3-28-2001, 8:15 UT (2:15 CDT)
Location of site: New Haven, Missouri (Lat ~38, Elev ~700 feet)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 4 or 5 in moderate fog <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Seeing: 5 or 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: 40" f/5 dob
Magnification: 408x
Filter(s): none
Category: external galaxy
Class:SBb
Constellation: Serpens
Data: mag 11.5(B) size 4.9' x 3.9'
Position: RA 15h:21m 56.4s DEC +5:04'11"
Description:
This galaxy was fairly easy to find about 3 degrees north of m5.
My notes report this galaxy as being very faint. However there
was a relatively bright bar running roughly north and south. A faint,
barely nonstellar, nucleus was seen at the center of the bar. A small,
faint extension was seen off the northwest side of the galaxy and was about
equal in brightness to the bar. The galaxy was oval shaped and showed
no additional detail other than a possible condensation in the extension
to the northwest and a possible dark lane immediately adjacent to the bar
on the southwest side. North is roughly down in this drawing.