NGC 5529 & Company
Edge-on Spiral Galaxy
aka PGC 50942, MCG 6-31-85, UGC 9127
RA: 14h15m34.2s, Dec: +36°13'35" (2000) in Bootes
Magnitude: 12.70
Size: 6.5'x 0.7'
Mean Surface Br. 23.0 Mag/arc-secē

Minimum requirements to detect: 6-inch under dark skies


This is an obscure edge-on spiral galaxy that lies some 120 million light years distant in the direction of Bootes. 

NGC 5529 is a bit of a challenge for a 6 inch, unless you have very dark skies; it appears as a very faint, elongated smudge that can only be seen with averted vision.  In a scope this small you will have to know exactly where to look.

Those with dark skies and large scopes should try for the two tiny galaxies that lie to the south.  MCG 6-31-87 is a 15.6 magnitude face-on spiral.  NGC 5527 is a 16th magnitude face-on barred spiral.  Both are less than 1' in diameter.  See the image at the bottom of this page.   For those with very large scopes, here's a real challenge: can you glimpse the dark lane of material that cuts across this galaxy?


The view in a 6" at 50x. North is down, East is to the right.


The above image was generated from the Palomar Sky Survey using SkyView and shows a 6' x 6' area.

 

Millennium Star Atlas Vol II Chart 627
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 7
Uranometria 2000 Vol I Chart 110
Uranometria 2nd Ed. Chart 52
Herald-Bobroff Astroatlas B-07 C-28

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