| Interacting
Nearly Edge-on Spiral Galaxy
aka PGC 42863, MCG 5-30-66, Uppsala 7907 Integrated Visual Magnitude: 11.4 Apparent Diameter: 14.8' x 2.2' Mean surface brightness: 23.8 mag/arc-sec2 Minimum requirements to view: 4-inch scope under dark skies |
Like its neighbor NGC 4631, this galaxy only appears in a photograph in Burnham's and isn't mentioned at all by Walter Scott Houston. Apparently in interaction with NGC 4631, which can be seen in the same wide field, this edge-on spiral galaxy is truly warped. The northeast end in particular has a large kink in it, leaving the vague impression of a hockey stick. This end is bright enough in its own right that it was assigned the separate designation NGC 4657 because William Herschel had cataloged it separately as H I.177. In contrast, the southwest end of the galaxy is much fainter and broader, although it too has a kinked appearance.
I "discovered" this galaxy quite by accident while observing the nearby NGC 4631 with my 18-inch f/4.5 in the spring of 2001. Here are my notes:
I bumped the scope and tried to sweep NGC 4631 back up. I ran across NGC 4656 instead and it left my jaw on the floor! This galaxy lies less than a degree to the SE of NGC 4631 and is every bit as amazing, if not more so. NGC 4656 is truly warped. The NE end looks like it has another galaxy superimposed on it, cocked at a 45 degree angle. When I looked closely, using averted vision, I was able to see a similar feature on the other end of the galaxy as well. Wow! And so close to NGC 4631. Double wow!
This is the view in a 6-inch at 50x. North is down and east is to the right.
| Millennium
Star Atlas Vol II Chart 653
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 7 Uranometria 2000 Vol I Chart 108 |
