Northeast – Chart 2

NE Chart 2

LH OB Associations: –

NGC Objects: NGC 2162, 2178, 2205

Northeast Region Chart 2

Steve Gottlieb's observations

NGC 2162 (Young Globular Cluster)

RA 06 00 31.0 Dec -63 43 18 Mag 12.7 Size 2.1′ Age 1.1 billion years

16″ at 228x: NGC 2162 appears fairly bright, round, ~1′ in diameter. It has a large brighter core, and a beautifully gritty halo. No stars are resolved, but one persistent little sparkler danced merrily in and out of view. The cluster is located 4′ W of lovely white mag 8.5 HD 41515, which has three mag 11.5-12 stars extending south-southwest from it; a very pretty arrangement of stellar baubles.

NGC 2162

ESO 121-03 (“Age Gap” Globular Cluster)

RA 06 02 02.5 Dec -60 31 20 Mag 14.1 Size 2.1′ Age ~9 billion years

16″ at 228x: What an amazing globular cluster to observe! Until 2022, it was the only known globular that formed during the vast ~6-7 billion “age gap” between the two bursts of cluster formation – that of the ancient globular clusters and the young globular clusters. (The second one discovered is KMHK 1592.) It lies an astounding 10° from the center of the LMC! It is located just 6.2′ SE of mag 6.9 HD 41451, which acts as a handy marker to locate this cluster, but also interers with the observation. It appears as a very faint glow, smallish, round and diffuse, with no definite edges, it simply fades away into the surrounding sky. Averted vision helped with the observation.

ESO 121-03

NGC 2178 (Background Galaxy)

RA 06 02 47.6 Dec -63 45 50 Mag 12.6 Size 1.1′ x 1.0′ SB 12.7 PA –

16″ at 228x: Lying just 15′ ESE of the young globular cluster NGC 2162, this background galaxy appears round and smooth with a very small core surrounded by a much fainter halo, ~35″ in diameter. Lemony mag 8.5 HD 41904 lies 2.7′ ENE of the galaxy.

NGC 2178

ESO 86-56 (Background Galaxy)

RA 06 03 58.9 Dec -63 41 58 Mag – Size 0.9′ x 0.4′ SB – PA –

16″ at 228x: This background galaxy appears as a faint, hazy glow, elongated 50′ x 30′ WNW-ESE, with a small, brighter, round core.

ESO 86-56

ESO 121-06 (Background Galaxy)

RA 06 07 29.8 Dec -61 48 27 Mag 12.6 Size 4.2′ x 0.6′ SB 13.5 PA –

16″ at 228x: I find edge-on galaxies simply beautiful to observe; their symmetry is striking. And ESO 121-6 is a classic edge-on in its image, but alas, it doesn’t display its classic shape and pointy ends in the telescope, appearing as a very faint streak, 1.6′ x 20″, elongated NE-SW. In the image a small star appears to lie very close southeast of the galaxy’s core, but in the telescope it appeared so close that it interfered with the galaxy’s brightening to the centre. It lies among some pretty stars: a mag 9.8 star lies a mere 1′ W, a mag 11.6 star lies 2.4′ NW and bright yellowy mag 5.0 HD 42540 lies 21′ SSW.

ESO 121-6

NGC 2205 (Background Galaxy)

RA 06 10 33.0 Dec -62 32 19 Mag 12.7 Size 1.3′ x 0.9′ SB 12.8 PA 80°

16″ at 228x: NGC 2205 appears as a fairly faint, fuzzy, oval glow, 30″ x 25″, elongated E-W, with a small core surrounded by a fainter halo.

NGC 2205

ESO 121-26 (Background Galaxy)

RA 06 21 38.7 Dec -59 44 23 Mag 11.9 Size 3.0′ x 2.0′ SB 13.7 PA –

16″ at 228x: ESO 121-26 has a fairly faint, hazy halo, elongated 2.0′ x 1.5′ ESE-WNW, with a very small and relatively brighter core. It lies 17′ N of mag 6.9 HD 45058, the northernmost star of a trio of bright stars that form an attractive arc open to the northeast, with mag 6.5 HD 45270, the next star in the arc, followed by mag 5.8 HD 45557.