“The Virgo 9” Nine Galaxies All within a 1° Field of View, When Centered on M86
A great galaxy group of nine galaxies when (centered on M86) however, there are a number of other galaxies in this area in very close proximity.
The “Virgo 9” allows anyone with an 8-inch or larger telescope, the opportunity to use a wide-field eyepiece with greater than a magnification of 100x to observe all nine.
I thought this unique galaxy group needed a unique name, and a modern name at that: The “Virgo 9” sounded perfect.
Something to NOTE: I was unable to see three of the faintest galaxies with my 10-inch reflector at 57x, as I needed more magnification. I could see all galaxies at 114x, but my best views of the fainter members came at 160x, but of course, not in a 1º field.
I tried to sketch the fainter galaxies in their appropriate location at 160x, and to scale as best as I could.
Digital images following:
A excellent image of the nine galaxies all within a 1º field of view, by Mario Motta of Massachusetts.
Specifications: A two hour twenty minute exposure stacked of five minute subs. Taken with my 6-inch f/7.2 refractor that piggybacks on my 32-inch telescope. This image was taken with a new latest camera. A ZWO AS16200, processed in pixinsight. Mario Motta
The following cropped image is from the above, which is a 1º FOV, as an illustration for an EP field, via the visual observer.
Don’t expect the following view visually, as the three faintest galaxies will require a magnification of 150x or greater, at least for me, using a 10-inch reflector from a suburban back yard.
I first found out about this galaxy cluster, from the late Tom Lorenzin, author of “1000+ The Amateur Astronomer’s Field Guide to Deep-Sky Observing.” http://www.1000plus.com/#fs
Tom asked me while waiting for darkness in a cow pasture in (March 1993) if I’d ever viewed all nine galaxies within a 1° field of view, when centered on M86. I had not…
However, my attempt would come a few years later on March 16, 1999. My notes from that night are listed below, and my sketch is following:
M 84: (mag. sfc. br. 12.6) Bright, with a brighter more concentrated middle, mostly round.
M 86: (mag. sfc. br. 13.2) Bright, brighter middle, round, very similar to M84, but not as well concentrated.
NGC 4387: (mag. sfc. br. 12.9) A very faint mostly round blur. Difficult at best, requiring averted vision.
NGC 4388: (mag. sfc. br. 13.1) Low surface brightness, elongated slash with an E-W orientation.
NGC 4402: (mag. sfc. br. 13.0) Very faint slash, low surface brightness.
NGC 4413: (mag. sfc. br. 14.3) Small, very faint and dim, diffuse with little concentration, mostly round.
NGC 4425: (mag. sfc br. 13.2) Very faint, elongated, axis N-S, small and dim.
NGC 4435: (mag. sfc. br. 12.6) Fairly bright, mostly round, stellar nucleus, smaller than NGC 4438.
NGC 4438: (mag. sfc.br. 13.8) Bright, elongated with a brighter middle.
Roger Ivester
The following image by Barry Yomtov. Telescope: Celestron RASA 11; Stacking of 126 subs at 30 sec exposure, 63 minutes on March 15, 2020.
The following image by James Dire:
Date/Location April 18, 2015 KEASA Observatory, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii
Camera and Settings SBIG STF-8300C CCD Camera -10°C
Telescope William Optics Star 71 – 71mm f/4.9 apochromatic refractor
Mount Paramount ME
Exposure 100 minutes (10 x 10 min)
At a star party on Kauai, using two 14-inch reflectors, and a 26mm Nagler with an 82º AF, and an 82x magnification for a perfect 1º true field, many counted ten galaxies in both scopes.
Click on image to enlarge for identifications:
Hello Roger,
I have attached a “zoomed” in image of M86, which I took last Friday night (April 2-3, 2021) with a 5.2-inch f/7 apochromatic refractor.
James Dire
