NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 3509 48" (2/20/12): NGC 3509 = Arp 335 displayed a fascinating amount of structure at 375x, though conditions were subpar in terms of transparency and seeing. The appearance is very asymmetric with the brighter "central" portion elongated SW-NE and containing a very small, round, bright core. A small knot is just 15" S of the core. Attached on the northeast side of the central body is a well defined, easily visible tidal arm that gracefully sweeps to the northeast and then hooks sharply counterclockwise towards the south. The total length of the arm is perhaps 1.5', though it ends about 45" E of the core. The southwest side of the galaxy has no corresponding arm, but is slightly brighter along the south edge. A mag 16.5-17 star is 30" SW of the core on the west edge. PGC 93108, recorded as "fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, ~15"x7", weak central concentration", lies 3.0' NW. The PGC galaxy is listed as C2 (collider) in the 2009 Atlas and Catalog of Collisional Ring Galaxies (Madore et al) and the knot close south of the core is listed as C1. 17.5" (4/1/95): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.6'x0.7'. Low surface brightness with a very weak concentration (no visible core). It was difficult to determine the outer extent of the halo but appears to have an asymmetric shape (slightly curved?).