NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 4945 24" (4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): remarkable spiral at 200x, extending southwest to northeast across 2/3 of the 30' field. I didn't take detailed notes on this observation but there was just a broad concentration with no defined core region. The galaxy is very slightly wider through the center and only tapers towards the tips. Along the south edge, just southwest of center, is a brighter linear streak forming a sharp edge (the dust lane is just beyond). The main body of the galaxy fades a bit in this area and then brightens again further southwest. The major axis appears slightly warped or bent towards the north near the northeast tip. On the south side of the northeast end, some very faint haze is visible. The DSS image reveals this is a portion of the galaxy beyond the dust lane. Member of the M83/Centaurus A galaxy group. 13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): beautiful, huge edge-on spiral oriented SW-NE. At 166x, appears ~15'x2' with tapering tips that fade out towards the ends of the extensions. There is only a broad concentration with gently bulging core, although the surface brightness is somewhat irregular or mottled due to dust. The galaxy fades a bit to the southwest of the core and then brightens slightly further southwest. The northeast extension seems a bit splotchy or mottled. I was very surprised that the view from Costa Rica was a bit better than from Bargo, outside of Sydney, with a similar aperture. 12" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): this long edge-on spiral is fairly bright and broadly concentrated with a slightly bulging core, extending SW-NE ~14'x2.5'. The surface brightness is relatively uniform with a weak central brightening and dimming towards the tips. Set in a rich star field peppered with faint stars. Located just north of a line connecting mag 4.8 Xi 1 Centauri 18' ESE and mag 4.3 Xi 2 31' SE. NGC 4976 is situated 30' E. Member of the Centaurus Group that includes both M83 and NGC 5128 and reddened by dust within our galaxy. NGC 4945 is comparable in dimensions to NGC 4565 although the dust lane was not evident.