Hickson 44 - The NGC 3190 Group of Galaxies
An interesting group of galaxies centered around NGC 3190, located in Leo's neck.

  • RA: 10:18
  • Dec: 21:48
  • Size: 4x1.5'
  • Magnitude: 11.1
  • Distance: 60 Mly
  • Constellation: Leo
  • Millennium Star Atlas: Vol. II, p. 683-4
  • Scope: 12.5" Ritchey-Chretien at f/9
  • Autoguider: ST-4 in faint mode
  • Sky conditions: Moderate transparency, marginal seeing
  • Film: FLI Dream Machine CCD
  • Exposure: 30x90 seconds L
  • Date: 4-11-05

The first real attempt to image with the scope since moving to New Mexico. The upside? It's dark enough to shoot many objects right from the backyard. The downside? The wind blows here frequently and the seeing can deteriorate dramatically with little warning. In fact, it came apart so badly during this particular evening, I nearly put the scope away. After blurring for more than an hour, things finally settled down and allowed me to complete the luminance set. And to add insult to injury, the camera decided it was time for purging and could not be cooled below -30 deg. C without developing frost on the chip.


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