| Object: ARP 259 (NGC 1741 group, Hickson 31) | Date: 2015 November 9 |
| Peculiarity: Irregular clumps. | |
| Constellation: Eridanus | Time & altitude: 03.00 UT 32º |
| Catalogue data: | Seeing (5 high): 2/5 |
| R.A: 5h 02m | Transparency (5 high): 4/5 |
| Dec: -4º 16 | Telescope: 0.5m f4.1 Dob. |
| Magnitude: 13.3 | Eyepiece: 8mm Ethos x260 |
| Galaxy size (mins): 2 x 1 | Filters: None |
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Notes: Viewed on and off in the gaps between scooting clouds. It is inconspicuous but could be seen sometimes with DV, and invisible at other times. I struggled to decide its outline and eventually settled on a flat triangle or chevron. There was no chance of seeing any structure. Afterwards, comparison with SDSS images indicates that what I saw was Hickson 31a (15.6m) and Hickson 31c (13.3m). These two together are in the right place and have that flat triangular or chevron shape. I don’t think I’ve seen Hickson 31b (15.2m) which is located on the SW side of 31a+c. Magnitudes quoted vary by up to ±1 mag. depending on the source consulted. |
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