NGC 5102


Combination of 3, 3 minute exposures, Meade 416xt CCD.
300mm f/6 newtonian telescope at prime focus.

Situated less that half a degree from the bright star iota centauri, is the bright galaxy NGC 5102. Although it is quite bright, the galaxy can be difficult to observe unless iota is kept out of the field of view. In an 8" telescope it appears as a bright central region surrounded by a faint haze.

To the upper left is a faint streak. This is the edge-on spiral galaxy PGC 46705. At magnitude 16.7, I know of no visual observations of this object, but under dark skies in the southern hemisphere, it should be visible with 18" or larger telescopes.