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The Caldwell Objects

The Caldwell Objects

The Caldwell Objects

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fuse but obvious glow of patchy light surrounds<br />

the galaxy's central region. At times this outer<br />

envelope seems to be bristling with whisker-like<br />

structures, though I believe this is an illusion<br />

caused by the alignment of various patches. <strong>The</strong><br />

dappled texture is most strongly enhanced along<br />

the galaxy's major axis.<br />

With a modest increase in power (72x),<br />

clumps of nebulous matter pop into view,<br />

branding the entire galaxy with a distinct Xshaped<br />

pattern. NGC 4449 is at its best at 189x.<br />

Several starlike spots line the galaxy's major axis,<br />

and a detached segment seems to waver in and<br />

out of view to the north. <strong>The</strong> galaxy's southern<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Caldwell</strong> <strong>Objects</strong><br />

21<br />

end has a roughly triangular shape whose apex<br />

points toward the rather robust core. After looking<br />

at the galaxy through her 13.1-inch reflector,<br />

Barbara Wilson called NGC 4449 the Box Galaxy<br />

because of its unusual squarish shape. She, too,<br />

noted its mottled interior.<br />

Without question, I would rate NGC 4449 as<br />

a superb object for small-telescope users who<br />

would enjoy seeing details in a distant galaxy.<br />

Thus I was surprised to read that Christian<br />

Luginbuhl and Brian Skiff required a 10-inch<br />

telescope to bring out its central spots. Similarly,<br />

Roger Clark describes a view he had through an<br />

8-inch Cassegrain reflector—under the dark skies<br />

of Hawaii, no less — as nothing more than an<br />

elongated glow with a faint extension to the<br />

north. Can a small telescope reveal the knots? I<br />

believe the brightest might show up in a highquality<br />

60-mm refractor.<br />

While in the area, be sure to challenge<br />

yourself by looking for NGC 4460, an 11thmagnitude<br />

galaxy about 40' north of NGC 4449.<br />

You may have to use moderate power to seek it<br />

out because the galaxy's dim elliptical form all<br />

but hides behind the glow of the nearby double<br />

star Struve 1645 (Σ1645), or ADS 8561, whose<br />

components shine at magnitudes 7.4 and 8.0,<br />

respectively, and are separated by 10". Once you<br />

locate NGC 4460 using moderate power, try to<br />

detect it with low magnification. Doing so takes<br />

practice.<br />

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