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Unsung NGC 2903



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 2nd 06, 02:40 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

Until recently, the galaxy NGC 2903 somehow slipped under my radar.
I'd viewed it once, through my 7-inch scope, but that was at my
astronomy
club's suburban site, so I didn't notice much beyond the fact that this
galaxy
is extremely bright and easy to see.

Last spring, I got my first serious look, using Godzilla, the 36-inch
Dob
that's jointly owned by several club members. What really knocked my
socks off was the fact that I could see so much detail in a galaxy
under
such mediocre skies. True, 36 inches isn't exactly small for a
telescope,
but as I've said many times, dark skies are usually more important than
aperture for viewing galaxies. M33, for instance, shows vastly better
through my 7-inch under dark skies than through Godzilla in the Boston
suburbs. But NGC 2903 is an exception because so much of what makes
it interesting has high surface brightness.

Last Friday, I spent some time with this galaxy using my 12.5-inch Dob
under moderately dark skies, and in some ways, that was best of all.

The most prominent feature of this galaxy is its huge, bright bar.
Offhand,
I can't think of *any* better example of a barred spiral in the whole
sky.
M83, maybe, but its bar is much smaller and fainter in relationship to
the galaxy as a whole than NGC 2903's is. And at each end of the
bar, you can clearly see a spiral arm taking off at clean right angles
to the bar itsef -- like a textbook illustration. There's a lot more to
see,
but I'll leave that to be experienced firsthand.

What really surprises me is that people so rarely talk about this
galaxy. Everybody's heard of NGC 4565, or 891, or 253. But
NGC 2903 is as interesting as any of those, and far brighter
and more complex than most of the Messier galaxies, yet it
somehow seems consigned to the second class.

- Tony Flanders

  #2  
Old May 2nd 06, 04:26 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

wrote
...
Until recently, the galaxy NGC 2903 somehow slipped under my radar.
I'd viewed it once, through my 7-inch scope, but that was at my
astronomy
club's suburban site, so I didn't notice much beyond the fact that this
galaxy
is extremely bright and easy to see...........



Tony,

This galaxy has been an old favorite of mine for years! It's even easy
to see in an 4.25" Astroscan. NGC 2903 was one of many galaxies I observed
about a week ago using my Obsession 20 from my rather dark front yard. It
was certainly a lot easier to see than Hickson 44 that is not too far from
it. Here's my 2001 image of NGC 2903, plus some raw HST data that I found on
the 'net and processed: http://www.kopernik.org/images/archive/n2903.htm
I'll have to re-do it with my new camera.

George Normandin


  #3  
Old May 2nd 06, 05:36 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

Tony Flanders wrote:

Until recently, the galaxy NGC 2903 somehow slipped under my radar...


Impossible to believe I might have beat you to something...

Last spring, I got my first serious look, using Godzilla, the 36-inch
Dob...


I used a TeleVue 76 :--)

The most prominent feature of this galaxy is its huge, bright bar...


As seen at http://www.davidillig.com/ast-ngc2903.shtml. I decided to
try to photograph it as a target of opportunity in February of 2005.
The bottom photo on the referenced page shows a wider portion of the
DSLR frame, with a bonus galaxy -- NGC 2916, a spiral galaxy about
which little is known.

What really surprises me is that people so rarely talk about this
galaxy. Everybody's heard of NGC 4565, or 891, or 253. But
NGC 2903 is as interesting as any of those, and far brighter
and more complex than most of the Messier galaxies, yet it
somehow seems consigned to the second class.


OK, OK, you win. I've put a note in my calendar to look for it visually
next March.

Nice report. Thanks.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
  #4  
Old May 2nd 06, 08:17 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

On Tue, 02 May 2006 03:26:16 GMT, George Normandin wrote:

Tony,

This galaxy has been an old favorite of mine for years! It's even easy
to see in an 4.25" Astroscan.


Same here. It was one of the ones I liked to observe with my first
telescope, a Tasco 4.5" reflector. Visible from fair suburban skies but
really a standout in dark skies.

Mike Simmons
  #6  
Old May 2nd 06, 02:16 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

NGC 2903 was one of my first binocular targets outside the Messier List
many years ago, but I've never really payed close attention. I'm gonna
hafta take a closer look one of these nights...
Marty

  #9  
Old May 2nd 06, 05:11 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

Tony Flanders wrote:

Until recently, the galaxy NGC 2903 somehow slipped under my radar.
I'd viewed it once, through my 7-inch scope, but that was at my
astronomy club's suburban site, so I didn't notice much beyond the fact that this
galaxy is extremely bright and easy to see...

What really surprises me is that people so rarely talk about this
galaxy. Everybody's heard of NGC 4565, or 891, or 253. But
NGC 2903 is as interesting as any of those, and far brighter
and more complex than most of the Messier galaxies, yet it
somehow seems consigned to the second class.


So we thought. Now, from the growing number of positive replies in this
thread, I'm starting to think that /Tony/ was the only one ignoring NGC
2903 ;--)

I remember thinking when I photographed NGC 2903 "I'll bet hardly
anyone has seen this obscure beast." Wrong again.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
  #10  
Old May 2nd 06, 07:47 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
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Default Unsung NGC 2903

hmm .. not sure if I've seen 2903 before, it seems like such
a long time since we've had clear skies (we had a teaser a
few days back).

put it on my list, I *know* it'll eventually clear here too!

Esmail
 




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