Observing the 100 Brightest Arp Peculiar Galaxies

Halton Arp, a professional astronomer with provocative ideas about the origin of quasars, and their association with nearby galaxies, has compiled an extensive list of peculiar galaxies.  For more information about these, visit Dennis Webb's site.

This list of the "100 Brightest Arps" was sorted and created by Jim Shields, who not only supplied me with the list, but also gave me a booklet of photos he made from RealSky. Thanks, Jim!

Dates: 8/2, 4, 6/97

Equipment: 17.5 f/4.5 reflector. 7mm Nag = 285x Seeing good (4 on a one to
five scale). Visual limiting magnitude: 6.2. Location: Packer Saddle,
California. These are my notes for observing 39 of these on the above
nights:

Arp 114    N2300+2276    7 32; +85 42    Mag 10.8    Ura 1 Excellent. Two large gals: one large "planetary-like" (2276)-- even glow, with just a touch of mottling. N2300: typical featureless EO gal.

Arp 80    N2633    8 48; +74 6    Mag 11.9     Ura 7
Nice lenticular spiral, brighter center. Nearby face on to the
south-Ngc 2634 .

Arp 337    Messier 82    9 56; +69 41    Mag 8.4    Ura 23
Gorgeous with 7mm Nag; fills entire field. A lot of mottling,
irregularity seen--dark swath across the middle. The best I have ever
seen it.

Arp 24    N3445    10 55; +56 59    Mag 12.4     Ura 46
Large face-on; brighter northern limb.

Arp 27    N3631    11 21; +53 10    Mag 10.4     Ura 46
Very nice. Large face-on; no arms seen; central brightening.

Arp 23    N4618    12 42; +41 9    Mag 10.8     Ura 75 Two large diffuse gals; brightest and largest (N4618) asymmetrical, southern lobe lighter.

Arp 85     Messier 51    13 30; +47 12     Mag 8.4    Ura 76
Excellent, as usual. The "ropy" structure very apparent under mag 6.2
skies.

Arp 104    N5218+16    13 32; +62 46    Mag 13.1    Ura 26
Nice pair, though pretty featureless; northern most is more
interesting: oval shape, brighter.

Arp 84    N5395+94    13 59; +37 26    Mag 11.6    Ura 110
Very nice and unusual. Large oblong with interacting or distant (?) SB
gal on northern edge; no bars seen, however.

Arp 178     N5613    14 24; +34 54     Mag 12.5    Ura 111
Featureless oval blob. Unexciting.

Arp 26    Messier 101    14 3; +54 21    Mag 7.7    Ura 49
Two prominent arms seen; a third "comes and goes." A number of H II
regions seen, especially the detached two groups on the eastern arm.

Arp 136     N5820+1    14 59; +53 53     Mag 11.9    Ura 50
5820 the brighter of the pair, typical SB type. 5821 quite dim,
featureless oval.

Arp 185     N6287         16 32 40; +78 11 57         Mag 11.2 Ura 11
Much brighter core; some irregularity--definite brightening along n/s
axis... Looked for, but only imagined the spiral bars!

Arp 38     N6482     17 29 36.2; +75 42 17      Mag 11.7     Ura 12 Nice, large face-on. Somewhat brighter middle. Kinda has that "planetary" glow. Nestled in a beautiful field of stars.

Arp 29        N6946         20 34 52.2; +60 09 14         Mag 8.8    Ura 32
Excellent! Four spiral arms seen; central brightening, asymmetrical,
oval shape. A real beauty. Star cluster N6939 to the N/W.

Arp 226    N7252        22 20 44.8; -24 40 43        Mag 11.4    Ura 347
Some irregularity seen in this SAB gal--kinda blurry starburst pattern.
Star poor area.

Arp 14        N7314         22 35 45.7; -26 03 03         Mag 10.9    Ura 347
Large, bright lenticular shape SAB. Some mottling detected throughout;
center only a little brighter.

Arp 319    N7317        22 35 51.9; +33 56 41        Mag 13.6    Ura 123
Stephan's Quintet. All five seen. Easy to "bust apart" middle two;
hardest one was the N/E one

Arp 13     N7448        23 00 02.4; +15 59 22        Mag 11.6    Ura 213
Nice. Pretty gradual brightening from center. Southern "lobe" slightly
elongated.

Arp 99        N7547         23 15 03.6; +18 58 23         Mag 13.7    Ura 168
Three gals in field; Northern looked larger, but featureless like
southern gal (no SB's like photo). West gal elongated.

Arp 170    N7578a,b    23 17 11.9; +18 42 03         Mag 13.8    Ura 169
Small. Two gals, plus one star--makes a kinda "footprint." Cute.

Arp 223    N7585        23 18 02.1; -04 38 56        Mag 11.4   Ura 259
Bright central core. Pretty gradual dimming to large halo.

Arp 212    N7625        23 20 30; +17 13 32         Mag 12.1    Ura 169
Nice, bright center; gradual lessening to edges. "Planetary" looking.


Arp 182    N7674        23 27 56.7; +08 46 45        Mag  13.2    Ura 214
Hickson 96. Two very faint oval gals, no brightening in center.

Arp 28        N7678         23 28 27.8; +22 25 16         Mag 11.8    Ura 169
Very slight irregularity seen; otherwise uniform surface brightness in
this SAB gal.

Arp 222    N7727        23 39 54.2; -12 17 31        Mag 10.6    Ura 260
Looks like unresolved globular; center a little brighter.

Arp 86        N7752         23 46 58.5; + 29 27 32    Mag 14.3    Ura 89
Nicer than photo; three gals: small, medium and large. Kinda like a
mini Whirlpool.

Arp 323    N7783        23 54 10; +00 22 58        Mag 13    Ura 215
Hickson 98. Nice "pollywog" shape. Three gals, four?--clumped together;
7 Nag will not bust apart. very small, but near bright star.

Arp 282    N0169        00 36 52; +23 59 30  Mag 12.4    Ura 126 Two interacting gals at right angles to each other. Very nice, but dim. Averted vision, as well as taking the bright star out of field helps.

Arp 127    N0191        00 38 59.2; -09 00 07        Mag 12.5    Ura 261
Nice clump of two gals and one star.

Arp 140    N0275        00 51 04.6; -07 03 48        Mag 12.5    Ura 261
Two gals: one w/ bright center; one quite diffuse. Interacting? The
pair make a very "comet-like" appearance.

Arp 331    N0383        01 07 24.9; +32 24 45        Mag 11.9    Ura 91 Fantastic "string of pearls": Eight gals, very similar appearance (ellipticals) and magnitudes. Three and a half 7mm Nag fields of view. An easy  count. Includes: Ngc's: 0379, 0380, 0382, 0384, 0385, 0386, 0388, as well as the brightest N0383.

Arp 227     N0470        01 19 45.5; +03 24 37        Mag 11.9    Ura 217
Two large, widely spaced gals. Some mottling in larger spiral, none in
elliptical.

Arp 229    N0507        01 23 39.7; +33 15 23        Mag 14.1    Ura 91 A real hodgepodge of gals; eight counted in three 7mm fields--different types and sizes. Something to return to, indeed!

Arp 157    N0520        01 24 35.2; +03 47 37        Mag 11.5    Ura 218
Peculiar looking rectangular shape, fading at S/E end.

Arp 308    N0545        01 25 5959.2; -01 20 25    Mag 12.2    Ura 218
Arp 133 in field too. Three gals--two of which are "Siamese-like
connected." Ellipticals with nice clumpiness.

Arp 166    N0750        01 57 32.4; +33 12 36        Mag 12.9    Ura 92
Large clumpy; split in middle--two gals upon further averted vision;
includes N0751.

7/20/98:

Arp 18    N4088    12 06; +50 32    Mag 11.2    Ura 047
Excellent object!   Fat, bright, 3/4 edge-on. Spiral structure detected; some
mottling; brighter core; more defined northern edge.

Arp 120   N4438  12 28; +13 00    Mag 10     Ura 193
Nice, very nice pair of SB gals. Both tilted at same angle.

Arp 134  Messier 49  12 30; + 8 00      Mag 8.4    Ura 193
Bright elliptical.  Unusually bright center.

Arp 281  N4631+27   12 42; +32 32    Mag 9.2    Ura 108
Beautiful!  Filled entire 9mm Nagler field.  Companion galaxy quite evident.

Arp 116  Messier 60  12 44; +11 33    Mag 8.8     Ura 194
M60 quite  bright, N4647 about same size, but a mag or two dimmer.

Arp 189  N4651  12 44; +16 24  Mag 10.7  Ura 149
Bright, but pretty featureless. Badly placed this time of year (summer).

Arp 163  N4670  12 45; +27 08  Mag 12.7   Ura 108
Small, featureless elliptical. N4673 in same field--almost as bright.

Arp 266  N4861  12 59; +34 52  Mag 12.2   Ura 108
Interesting object: elongated edge-on; between two stars (at either end);
or central brightening at one end?

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