This 10th magnitude
edge-on spiral galaxy appears bright even in a 6-inch scope.
It features a bright, nearly stellar core. Use averted vision
to see the fainter outer parts, particularly on the long axis.
The nearby MCG -1-26-21 is just barely visible in a 6-inch as a tiny
smudge of light.
This is one of many
objects that look equally good in any size telescope. The only
difference is in how easy it is to see the outer regions. For
users of larger instruments (>16 inches) looking for a challenge,
it may be possible to glimpse the tiny galaxy just to the right (as
pictured in the bottom image).
I observed the Spindle
in my 18-inch. Here are my notes from that session:
This was my first look
at this great edge-on galaxy in a large-aperture instrument. It
looked very nice, although it didn't reveal any detail I hadn't
seen in smaller scopes. It appears as a thin, bright line
that is slightly wider near the center. At the center is a
bright, stellar core. The entire object is surrounded by a
much larger, oval haze.
The view in a 6 inch at 50x. North is down and East is right.
This image was created with SkyView and shows a 0.5o x
0.5o region oriented as above.
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