16ha54 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2020
core, so it doesn’t look nearly
as good as others of this type.
That said, a 12-inch telescope
will allow you to see the
stubby extensions of two
arms. Through really big
scopes at high magnification,
look for a thick bar that runs
north-south through this
object.
Our next object — NGC
4429 — lies in the heart of
the Virgo Cluster. It’s an
attractive spiral that measures
twice as long as it is wide (5.8'
by 2.8') and glows at magni-
tude 10.2. When you observe
it, you’ll spot two nearby 9th-
magnitude stars. SAO 100102
lies 2' to the north-northeast,
and SAO 100103 lies 5' to the
south-southeast.
The core of this galaxy
spans roughly one-third of its
length. You’ll also notice that
the halo region is more appar-
ent than in similar spirals. An
8-inch telescope is a great
instrument for viewing NGC
4429 at a dark site. Crank up
the power past 250x to see all
of its details.
Less than 2° north of NGC
4429 you’ll find NGC 4435
and NGC 4438, a pair of gal-
axies called the Eyes. The two
glow at magnitude 10.2 and
9.7, respectively, and they’re
not small, spanning an area
8.5' by 3'. Some millions of
years ago, these star cities
came within 16,000 light-
years of each other. If you can
view them through a 12-inch
scope, try to spot the dis-
torted outer regions of NGC
4438.
Done with the Eyes? Head
5° south for the Lost Galaxy
(NGC 4535), which often
gets overlooked by observers.
It glows at magnitude 10.0
and measures 7.0' by 6.4'. This
barred spiral boasts a core
that far outshines the arms.
Through a 12-inch or larger
scope, you might notice
the central region looksrectangular. Crank up the
power beyond 300x, and
you’ll spot two faint spiral
arms that begin at the ends of
a bar. Also, the northern arm
contains a 13th-magnitude
star some amateurs have
thought is a supernova.
Unfortunately, it’s just a fore-
ground star in the Milky Way.
The “Lost Galaxy” moniker
comes from American ama-
teur astronomer Leland S.
Copeland, who wrote that it
had a “hazy phantom-like
appearance in the amateur
telescope.”
Next up is the unusual spi-
ral NGC 4536. It glows at
magnitude 10.6 and measures
6.4' by 2.6', with arms that
extend nearly straight outNGC 4216
NGC 4535
ADAM BLOCK/MOUNT LEMMON SKYCENTER/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAADAM BLOCK/MOUNT LEMMON SKYCENTER/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONADEEP-SKY OBJECTS