Arp 158

ARP 158 2015 Sep 20

Object:       ARP 158    (NGC 523) Date:               2015 September 20
Peculiarity:    Spiral with small high surface-brightness companion on arm.
Constellation:           Andromeda Time & altitude:   01.10 UT      73º
Catalogue data: Seeing (5 high):                               4/5
            R.A:                1h 26m Transparency (5 high):                   5/5
            Dec:                +34º 02 Telescope:     0.5m f4.1 Dob.
            Magnitude:    13.5 Eyepiece:      8mm Ethos      x260
            Galaxy size (mins):  2.5 x 0.7 Filters:            None

Notes:

A rare night of very transparent air. In the zenith M31is perhaps the best I’ve seen from England. However a series of aircraft vapour trails running N-S and drifting from E-W are interfering now.  Arp 158 was easily seen and is shaped like a dart or comet aligned E-W with the point to the W and the ‘tail’ to the E. There are three separate cores within the dart.  I was unable to detect the finger of material that shows up in Arp’s photo and which runs ESE from the SE corner of this object.