{"id":58895,"date":"2024-05-11T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/d13b3394-5162-447b-b7c4-54e571c2459c"},"modified":"2024-05-11T08:08:26","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T08:08:26","slug":"from-a-cosmic-sombrero-to-colliding-galaxies-6-of-the-best-deep-sky-objects-to-see-in-the-crow-and-the-cup","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/from-a-cosmic-sombrero-to-colliding-galaxies-6-of-the-best-deep-sky-objects-to-see-in-the-crow-and-the-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"From a cosmic sombrero to colliding galaxies, 6 of the best deep-sky objects to see in the Crow and the Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

How many deep-sky objects can you find in Corvus and Crater? <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Saturday, 11 May 2024 at 07:15 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Corvus and Crater are two constellations that seem to go hand in hand.<\/p>

They’re located next to one another in the sky and, as is often the case, are also related to one another in terms of their mythology.<\/p>

As Ian Ridpath explains in his Star Tales website<\/a>, the story begins with Apollo preparing to make a sacrifice to Zeus and sending a crow – Corvus – to collect water from a spring.<\/p>

Corvus flies off with a bowl or cup – Crater – in its claws and finds a fig tree full of unripe fruit.<\/p>

A chart showing how to find the Sombrero Galaxy in the constellation Corvus<\/figcaption><\/figure>

We’ll let you read the rest of that particular myth for yourself, and instead focus on some of the best deep-sky objects to be found in Corvus and Crater.<\/p>

These include the fabulous Sombrero Galaxy<\/a>, an edge-on galaxy that resembles the famous headwear, and the interacting galaxy<\/a> pair known as the Antennae Galaxies.<\/p>

Below is The Sky Night presenter Pete Lawrence’s pick of 6 wonderful deep-sky objects in Corvus and Crater.<\/p>

See how many you can tick off the list, and let us know how you got on (contact details at the bottom of this page).<\/p>

For help locating the objects, use our Crater and Corvus deep-sky tour chart (PDF)<\/a>.<\/p>

Happy hunting!<\/p>

1 – M104<\/strong><\/h2>
\"The
The Sombrero GalaxyDan Crowson, remotely via Telescope Live, El Sauce Observatory, Chile, August\u2013September 2022Equipment: QHY 600M camera, PlaneWave CDK24<\/figcaption><\/figure>

We start with the iconic form of M104, the Sombrero Galaxy.<\/p>

This is a mag. +8.0 side-on peculiar galaxy with a prominent dust lane running south of its equatorial plane.<\/p>

Locate it by extending the line from Zeta (\u03b6) Corvi through Algorab (Delta (\u03b4) Corvi) for the same distance to reach the correct area.<\/p>

A 150mm scope shows a 6 x 2-arcminute glow with a distinctive dark dust lane. Larger scopes will improve the contrast and apparent size.<\/p>

Lying 31.1 million lightyears away, M104 is unusual for showing characteristics of a spiral galaxy but elements associated with giant ellipticals too.<\/p>

2 – NGC 4361<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Spitzer
Spitzer Space Telescope image of NGC 4361. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Our next target lies within the distinctive quadrilateral pattern of Corvus formed from Beta (\u03b2), Delta (\u03b4), Gamma (\u03b3) and Epsilon (\u03b5) Corvi.<\/p>

Identify the mid-point between Delta and Zeta Corvi and head 0.8\u00b0 north to locate the mag. +10.9 planetary nebula<\/a> NGC 4361.<\/p>

A 150mm scope shows this as a large circular smudge. The challenge here is to try to see the central star that shines at mag. +13.0.<\/p>

A 250mm scope has no difficulty and begins to show that the brighter central region is more rectangular in shape and slightly offset to the south.<\/p>

The central region appears approximately 40 arcseconds across through a 250mm instrument. NGC 4361 lies at a distance of around 3,400 lightyears.<\/p>

3 – NGC 4027<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Galaxy
Galaxy NGC 4027. Credit: Walter Primik \/ CCDGuide.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Algorab again comes in handy for locating our next target, mag. +11.1 face-on galaxy NGC 4027.<\/p>

To find it, extend the line from Algorab through Gienah (Gamma (\u03b3) Corvi) for the same distance again. NGC 4027 is approximately 0.4\u00b0 south of the point you arrive at.<\/p>

A 150mm scope will show a circular patch of light roughly 2 arcminutes across.<\/p>

Larger instruments will begin to reveal a mottled core and an irregular outline.<\/p>

NGC 4027 is believed to have been gravitationally perturbed by a fainter 15th-magnitude companion, NGC 4027A to the south.<\/p>

Also known as Arp 22, this is a barred spiral galaxy 83 million lightyears distant.<\/p>

4 – NGC 4038 and 4039<\/strong><\/h2>
\"NGC4038
The Antennae Galaxies by Haim Huli, Kibutz Ramat Hakovesh, Israel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The interacting galaxy pair NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, known as the Antennae Galaxies, lie approximately 0.7\u00b0 northeast of NGC 4027 and may be interacting with that galaxy as well.<\/p>

A 150mm scope shows the pair as a large, single bright spot 2.5 arcminutes across.<\/p>

Larger apertures reveal a kidney shape with the two distinct lobes. The northern lobe, NGC 4038, is brightest.<\/p>

A 300mm scope reveals that NGC 4038\u2019s core contains two main condensations.<\/p>

Under clear, dark skies, the pair is wonderful to spend time with as more and more detail becomes clear.<\/p>

A mottled light bridge between the cores is apparent, along with a hint of the extensions that give the pair its informal name.<\/p>

5 – NGC 3887<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Hubble
Hubble Space Telescope image of galaxy NGC 3887. Credit: ESA\/Hubble & NASA, P. Erwin et al.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Head west from NGC 4038 and 4039 to mag. +5.2 Eta (\u03b7) Crateris.<\/p>

Using this as a navigational base, head 2.1\u00b0 due west and 0.2\u00b0 north to arrive at NGC 3887, a mag. +11.0 barred spiral galaxy.<\/p>

This is a nice, tight object appearing as an elliptical glow 3 x 2 arcminutes in size through a 150mm scope.<\/p>

A pair of stars lie in the foreground close to the galaxy\u2019s outer halo; these can skew the shape of the galaxy with smaller apertures.<\/p>

The galaxy\u2019s shape is very obvious through a 250mm scope, the outline showing a ragged appearance and the core appearing fairly uniform with only a subtle hint of a central concentration.<\/p>

6 – NGC 3962<\/strong><\/h2>
\"NGC
Credit: Donal Pelletier. Image created using Aladin Sky Atlas software from the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center and Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System) public data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Our final target is a little tricky due to its low brightness.<\/p>

Find NGC 3962 3.4\u00b0 northeast of NGC 3887 or use easier-to-locate Eta Crateris as a base, head 3.2\u00b0 north and 0.5\u00b0 west to reach this mag. +12.2 elliptical galaxy.<\/p>

The galaxy appears as an elliptical glow through a 250mm scope, its centre forming one vertex of a right-angled triangle with two 10th-magnitude stars further to the south.<\/p>

Larger instruments show little in the way of detail apart from the bright inner core, a 300mm instrument showing a 3 x 1-arcminute glow.<\/p>

NGC 3962 is estimated to be an impressive 105 million lightyears distant.<\/p>

Let us know how many deep-sky objects in Crater and Corvus you were able to observe by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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