WBL 133 Galaxy Group

I got bit by the Tower of Babble yet again. I took this field back in 2009 but put it under NGC 2334 for some reason (it is in the field -- maybe). So it never got taken off the to-do list and was taken again this January. It wasn't until after processing when I was looking for other images of the field and the first color image Google turned up was my long forgotten and then misfiled image! I hate it when I'm the only "authority" I can find. Why I as looking is that sources that turn DSS images into color images show all the galaxies in this field as blue yet they are classified as elliptical or S0 making me wonder if my color was off. But the new image agrees with the old one as to color but is a bit sharper and deeper so I'll consider it an unintentional retake. Besides it was already processed when I found the duplication. The 2009 image is at http://www.spacebanter.com/attachmen...9&d=1258517776

NGC 2340 is the largest and brightest member of the WBL 133 galaxy group located about 275 million light-years away in the constellation of Lynx and not far from the far larger Abell 569. The group contains some 13 members though not all are within my image. As with most groups the members are mostly elliptical and S0 galaxies and thus showing the orange-gold color of old stars due to the lack of new star formation. Apparently these galaxies have so interacted with other members of the group that the dust and gas needed for star formation has been stripped from them leaving them to slowly redden and fade away. NGC 2340 is a giant elliptical. As it just fades away in my image without any obvious edge I had to pick an arbitrary end point which gives it a diameter of over 300,000 light-years

The spherical galaxy to the upper left of NGC 2340 is IC 465 and maybe also NGC 2334. Why the "maybe"? Seems there's lots of problems with the visual observations that created the NGC catalog. This is one of them. Since the catalog is numbered in RA order (at the time of the catalog, precession has changed things somewhat since then when looking at galaxies today on opposite sides of the sky) it should be west of NGC 2340 not east. This is the first hint that something may be wrong. For further information I'll refer you to Dr. Corwin's discussion at the NGC catalog. http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_n2300.asp Scroll down to NGC 2334 and click on the data button then scroll down that window for the lengthy discussion.

The large elliptical near the right edge nearly directly west of NGC 2340 is NGC 2332. Below it is IC 457 which may or may not be NGC 2330. This problem is included in the lengthy discussion of IC 465/NGC 2334 in the above link.

There are some other ID problems in this image. IC 462 is just a blue star. Could it be the observer saw the nearby galaxy but got the position of the star by mistake? That was my explanation in 2009. Since then I've found that the galaxy was too faint for the scope used but could have blended with the star to make the star appear very slightly fuzzy. The position however is for the star not the galaxy which is PGC 2365343.

Then there's the blue object I've identified as a Seyfert 1 galaxy at 1.97 billion light-years. In 2009 I called it a quasar, [VCV2001] J071006.8+500245. NED shows many different catalog entries for it. One, the one I used in 2009, says it is a quasar. Another, the one used this time, calls it a galaxy (RX J0710.0+5002 ID) as well as an X-ray source. It's shown as an IR source in the 2MASS catalog (2MASSi J0710068+500246). It is also listed in several radio catalogs. It certainly is using most of the spectrum. It's strong blue color is common to quasars. Apparently it is still being debated just what this object is. NED is coming down on the side of galaxy so that's what I used but since the active core blots out the galaxy as is usually what happens with most quasars I'm not convinced.

Another galaxy that got my attention this time but didn't in 2009 is IC 460 up and right of NGC 2340. Its core is off center to the leFt leaving a dark gap in the ring that seems to encircle the galaxy. It is listed as E/S0: but sure appears to have a bar though spindle S0 galaxies can give that appearance. With the off center core it appears to have been "sloshed" with NGC 2340 a likely candidate though I found nothing on this so it's only my supposition.

While most IC galaxies had redshift data IC 463 didn't hence the question mark where I'd normally put the distance. As a member of the WBL 133 group it's likely safe to assume it is at about the same distance as the others. Though it could be a huge member of the group in the field at over 800 million light-years.

I've been complaining for months now about horrid transparency when I have better seeing but it appears this image has both better transparency and seeing than I did back in 2009.

14" LX200R @ f/10, L=4x10' RGB=2x10', STL-11000XM, Paramount ME

Rick