The Caldwell Objects

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delicate variations of light. First look for a
northwestward extension — a feeble spiral arm
that appears to be pushing against an embryo of
faint nebulosity. The strongest half of this arm is
that nearest the core. More challenging is sighting
the hyperfine dark lane separating the stubby
southeastern arm from the oval core. Use the
highest feasible magnification, lightly tap the
telescope tube, and hyperventilate briefly. If this
fails, stand up and walk around the telescope to
regenerate your circulation, take a deep breath,
return to the eyepiece, and try again. I suspected
two spiral
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arms or two dust lanes after performing these
rituals a few times, but I was not able to keep
them in constant view. Maybe you will have better
luck. Larger telescopes, of course, will reveal
the galaxy's mottled texture. (There are seven IC
objects, all condensations, in the galaxy.)
By the way, NGC 4559 is a good galaxy for
supernova hunters to check in on every now and
again. In 1941 a magnitude-13.2 supernova flared
to prominence some 30" west and 20" north of the
galaxy's nucleus. Such a luminous event could
happen again, so be sure to place this galaxy on
your supernova checklist.
Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects