NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 4709 18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.8'x0.7' diameter. This member of the Centaurus Cluster has a symmetrical appearance and steadily increases to a small, bright core and quasi-stellar nucleus. NGC 4706 lies 6.4' NNW and ESO 322-102 is 5' W ("faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.2', very weak concentration". NGC 4709 is located 14' ESE of NGC 4696 in the core of the Centaurus cluster with many faint galaxies within 10'. It is the brightest member in a subgroup called Cen 45 with a significantly higher recessional velocities, though these galaxies may be streaming and merging with the main cluster. 17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W. Four mag 12-13 stars forming a parallelogram are roughly 4' NE. Located 15' ESE of NGC 4696 within the core of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526) and the second brightest member. Forms a pair with MCG -07-26-057 1.2' SE (not seen).