The Caldwell Objects

fuse but obvious glow of patchy light surrounds
the galaxy's central region. At times this outer
envelope seems to be bristling with whisker-like
structures, though I believe this is an illusion
caused by the alignment of various patches. The
dappled texture is most strongly enhanced along
the galaxy's major axis.
With a modest increase in power (72x),
clumps of nebulous matter pop into view,
branding the entire galaxy with a distinct Xshaped
pattern. NGC 4449 is at its best at 189x.
Several starlike spots line the galaxy's major axis,
and a detached segment seems to waver in and
out of view to the north. The galaxy's southern
The Caldwell Objects
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end has a roughly triangular shape whose apex
points toward the rather robust core. After looking
at the galaxy through her 13.1-inch reflector,
Barbara Wilson called NGC 4449 the Box Galaxy
because of its unusual squarish shape. She, too,
noted its mottled interior.
Without question, I would rate NGC 4449 as
a superb object for small-telescope users who
would enjoy seeing details in a distant galaxy.
Thus I was surprised to read that Christian
Luginbuhl and Brian Skiff required a 10-inch
telescope to bring out its central spots. Similarly,
Roger Clark describes a view he had through an
8-inch Cassegrain reflector—under the dark skies
of Hawaii, no less — as nothing more than an
elongated glow with a faint extension to the
north. Can a small telescope reveal the knots? I
believe the brightest might show up in a highquality
60-mm refractor.
While in the area, be sure to challenge
yourself by looking for NGC 4460, an 11thmagnitude
galaxy about 40' north of NGC 4449.
You may have to use moderate power to seek it
out because the galaxy's dim elliptical form all
but hides behind the glow of the nearby double
star Struve 1645 (Σ1645), or ADS 8561, whose
components shine at magnitudes 7.4 and 8.0,
respectively, and are separated by 10". Once you
locate NGC 4460 using moderate power, try to
detect it with low magnification. Doing so takes
practice.
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