ASTRO: Perseus 2

Perseus 2/KKH 12 is a likely member of the Maffei1 group of nearby
galaxies hidden by our galaxies dust and gas. It is located on the east
northeastern edge of the double cluster which explains the increase in
rather bright blue stars toward the western (right) side of the image.
The lone estimate of its distance which is based on the assumption it is
part of the group puts it at 3 kilo parsecs or about 10,000 light-years
to one significant digit. Now you can all go back to your images of the
double cluster and see if you picked it up! NED considers it an
irregular galaxy. Looks pretty much like a featureless disk galaxy to
me. There's an oblong orange object near its core. I can't tell if it
is a core, which doesn't fit the irregular classification, or a double
star in our galaxy too close for me to separate. Looking at its PSF I'd
say it is one object as the center of it is the brightest pixel in my
FITS image. This would make it a spiral galaxy if correct so I'm likely
wrong. It is surprisingly neutral in color for such an obscured galaxy.
That could mean it is a very blue galaxy if we could see it without
all the dust and gas of our galaxy blocking the view.

The only other obvious galaxy in the image is LEDA 168301 to the south
west of Perseus 2. NED has no significant information on it. They
classify it as U. I have no idea what U means. They leave that
classification blank when there isn't one so I doubt it means unknown.
If anyone out there knows please let me know.

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

Rick
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Prefix is correct. Domain is arvig dot net

Oops, I meant to say LEDA 168301 is southeast of Perseus 2 (lower left).
Rick

On 5/28/2013 3:35 AM, Rick Johnson wrote:
Perseus 2/KKH 12 is a likely member of the Maffei1 group of nearby
galaxies hidden by our galaxies dust and gas. It is located on the east
northeastern edge of the double cluster which explains the increase in
rather bright blue stars toward the western (right) side of the image.
The lone estimate of its distance which is based on the assumption it is
part of the group puts it at 3 kilo parsecs or about 10,000 light-years
to one significant digit. Now you can all go back to your images of the
double cluster and see if you picked it up! NED considers it an
irregular galaxy. Looks pretty much like a featureless disk galaxy to
me. There's an oblong orange object near its core. I can't tell if it
is a core, which doesn't fit the irregular classification, or a double
star in our galaxy too close for me to separate. Looking at its PSF I'd
say it is one object as the center of it is the brightest pixel in my
FITS image. This would make it a spiral galaxy if correct so I'm likely
wrong. It is surprisingly neutral in color for such an obscured galaxy.
That could mean it is a very blue galaxy if we could see it without
all the dust and gas of our galaxy blocking the view.

The only other obvious galaxy in the image is LEDA 168301 to the south
west of Perseus 2. NED has no significant information on it. They
classify it as U. I have no idea what U means. They leave that
classification blank when there isn't one so I doubt it means unknown.
If anyone out there knows please let me know.

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

Rick


--
Prefix is correct. Domain is arvig dot net