56 JUNE 2020 • SKY & TELESCOPE
Stars, Clusters, and Galaxies in Boötes
Object Type Mag(v) Size/Sep RA Dec.
δ Boo Double star 3.6, 7.9 109 ′′ 15 h 15.5m +33° 19′
Kangaroo Asterism — 113 ′ × 53 ′ 15 h 00.9m +33° 09′
ε Boo Double star 2.6, 4.8 2.8′′ 14 h 45.0m +27° 04′
NGC 5466 Globular cluster 9.0 9.0′ 14 h 05.5m +28° 32′
NGC 5529 Flat galaxy 11.9 6.4′ × 0.7′ 14 h 15.6m +36° 14′
U GC 9242 Flat galaxy 13.5 5.7′ × 0.3′ 14 h 25.4m +39° 32′
NGC 5714 Sextet Galaxy group 13.4–16.9 11.5′ 14 h 38.5m +46° 39′
Angular sizes and separations are from recent catalogs. Visually, an object’s size is often smaller than
the cataloged value and varies according to the aperture and magnifi cation of the viewing instrument.
Right ascension and declination are for equinox 2000.0.this galaxy’s 5.7′ length, a pin of light
pointing east-northeast. Texas amateur
Jimi Lowrey brought this super-thin
galaxy to my attention. How much of
its length can you see?
We’ll end our tour with a compact
sextet of galaxies 1.9° west-northwest of
38 Boötis. In my 130-mm scope at 164×,
I can barely see three of these faint
galaxies with averted vision (that is, by
looking a little off to one side of each
object). NGC 5714 (mag nit ude 13.4)
is just a slightly elongated blur, while
NGC 5717 (mag. 14.4) and NGC 5722
(mag. 14.7) show only their tiny cores
as extremely faint spots. Two 13th-
magnitude stars 5.2′ north-northwest ofNGC 5722 point right to the galaxy.
Through my 10-inch scope at 166×,
NGC 5714 becomes a 1½′ streak tipped
a little north of east with a slightly
brighter, elongated core. A 12th-mag-
nitude star hovering over the galaxy’s
northern fl ank guards a 13th-magni-
tude star to its east. This fl at galaxy
shares the fi eld of view with NGC 5717
and NGC 5722. The former is a 1′
oval leaning northeast, which harbors
a brighter core and starlike nucleus.
NGC 5722 is small and round with an
elusive, stellar nucleus.
My 15-inch refl ector at 216× adds
two fainter smudges to the group —
NGC 5721 (mag. 14.9) and NGC 5723(mag. 15.0). The fi nal member of the
sextet, NGC 5724 (mag. 16.9), remained
invisible to me. Can you spot it?
NGC 5717, 5721, 5722, and 5723
are each about 500 million light-years
distant. NGC 5714 and 5724 are fore-
ground galaxies 130 million and 260
million light-years away from us.¢ Contributing Editor SUE FRENCH
wrote this column for the June 2013
issue of Sky & Telescope.UGC 9242pHere’s the author’s impression of the NGC
5714 sextet as viewed through her 15-inch
Newtonian refl ector. She didn’t see NGC 5724,
the faintest member of the sextet.JUNE 2020 OBSERVING
Deep-Sky Wonders
SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY (2)57145717572157225724 5723571457175721
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