NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 7253 is an interacting double system with a bridge between the galaxies, plumes streaming off both, and lots of dust. In the blue, the brightest parts of the galaxies are knots in the disrupted arms. The images smooth over quite a bit in the red, but in the near-infrared, the two galaxies appear almost normal -- thin bulges whose light evenly rises to bright nuclei. It is these bright nuclei that I have preserved as the positions for the two objects, with one of the bright knots in the southeastern object as an optical highlight. Marth's position is not accurate enough, and his description not detailed enough, to tell us which of the two galaxies he saw. So, I am presuming that the brighter northwestern galaxy was Marth's object. Steve Gottlieb's two observations support this supposition: he calls the northwestern galaxy "fairly faint" and "very faint" in 24- and 17.5-inch telescopes, while the southeastern galaxy is "very faint" and "extremely faint" in the same telescopes.

===== NGC 7253 24" (7/24/14): NGC 7253 = Arp 278, a disrupted, interacting double system, was observed at 260x. NGC 7253A, the northwest component, appeared fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, ~50"x20". A mag 12.5 star is 1.3' WNW, collinear with the major axis. A 7" pair of mag 15 stars is barely off the ESE end. NGC 7253B is attached at the east-southeast end of NGC 7253A, very close to the faint double, and appears very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 30"x15". A mag 13.3 star is 0.7' E. Situated in a rich star field. 17.5" (9/2/89): NGC 7253A is very faint, small, elongated WNW-ESE. Forms a double system (Arp 278) with NGC 7253B = VV 242b attached at the east end with a separation of 55" between center. The companion is extremely faint, small, elongated SW-NE. A pair of mag 15 stars is at the east edge.