AAQ Visual Observing Section
Selected Deep Sky Objects In SculptorWhile not the most prominent of constellations, now is a good time to find some of the gems hidden in this southern constellation. All observations were made with a 150mm f8 refractor. NGC 55 (00h 15.1m RA, -39° 13' Dec.) An absolutely spectacular edge on spiral galaxy that even 40x gives an outstanding view. You should be able to see hints of brighter areas in the central part of the galaxy with120x. While using a wide field eyepiece, in the same field of view look for a delicate double of yellow primary and blue/green secondary. As the brightest galaxy in the Sculptor galaxy group, NGC 55 is a must see object, and would be truly stunning in a large aperture telescope. NGC 300 (00h 54.9m RA, -37° 41' Dec.) In contrast this more face-on galaxy was a shapeless hazy glow, barely visible in a finderscope. While quite large, I was unable to distinguish any features apart from a subtle uniform glow. However it is set in a pretty field of bright stars. NGC 7507 (23h 12.1m RA, -28° 32' Dec.) Another galaxy that 40x shows as a small fuzzy patch. You should be able to see quite a bright central pinpoint of light with higher magnifications. Kappa 1 Scl (00h 09.3m RA, -27° 59' Dec.) This pair of similar magnitude stars can be clearly separated with 80x. Near Delta Scl is HJ 5423 (23h 50.1m RA, -25° 17' Dec.) Use 80x and you should be able to split this delicate pair of a pale orange primary with a tiny fainter secondary. LAL 192 and LAL 193 (23h 54.4m RA, -27° 00' Dec.) Look for these two sets of double stars that are both just visible in a wide field eyepiece. NGC 253 (00h 47.6m RA, -25° 17' Dec.) Like NGC 55 this is another must see object. A spectacular sight set amongst some bright field stars, this edge on galaxy shows a bright central region, along with strong hints of dark dust lanes visible even with a modest sized telescope. Yet another ideal target for a large aperture instrument. NGC 288 (00h 52.8m RA, -26° 35' Dec.) Easily seen in the same finderscope field of view as NGC 253, this globular cluster is quite large and bright. I found it not heavily concentrated, so subsequently there was no major brightness increase towards the centre. Epsilon Scl (01h 45.6m RA, -25° 03' Dec.) 80x will cleanly resolve this delicate pair of a yellow coloured primary with a much fainter secondary close beside. NGC 439 (00h 13.8m RA, -31° 45' Dec.) At magnitude 11.4 this barely visible hazy glow was difficult to locate visually. A face on galaxy that needs a dark sky and bigger aperture.
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