Hydra Hysteria

Constellation of the Month CFAS General Meeting Wednesday, April 9, 2014 Mythology of Hydra

Associated with Associated with the nine- the snake in cup headed monster served by a killed by crow to Apollo, Hercules as one who seeing the of his twelve fraud cast them labors. all into the sky.

Etruscan pottery, circa 525 BCE Engraving, Barthel Beham, 1545 Urania’s Mirror, 1825 Political Cartoon, 1836 Political Cartoon, 2001

Hydra as seen by the naked eye. Walter Scott Houston (1912-1993) Wanted “something a little different” from the Messier Marathons, “something that would sharpen the skills needed to star-hop to small and faint galaxies.” So he created his “Hydra Hysteria.” The perfect place: • Stretches across nearly 100° of sky • 1303 square degrees of area (largest of any constellation) • Hosts many 8th to 12th magnitude galaxies • Ample supply of 5th to 8th magnitude stars, “perfect for star-hopping with a finder.” • Planned for use with Sky Atlas 2000.0 or Uranometria 2000.0.

M48 (NGC 2548)

Open cluster discovered but miss-plotted by Messier in 1771.

Considered “missing” until rediscovered as NGC 2548 by Caroline Herschel in 1783 at its correct coordinates.

Sparse sprinkling of stars which appears “distinctly triangular” just below the head of the snake.

Called “the alligator” by O’Meara. Hydra Hysteria

NGC 2642 NGC 2713 SBb, v12.7, 1.6’x1.6’ SBa, v12.7, 3.2’x1.0’ Hydra Hysteria

NGC 2962 NGC 2967 (Sextans) S0, v12.9, 1.8’x1.0’ Sc, v12.4, 2.0’x1.8’ Hydra Hysteria

NGC 2610 NGC 2763 PN, v13.0, 35”x30” Sc, v12.7, 1.5’x1.5’ Hydra Hysteria

NGC 2781 NGC 2811 S0, v12.7, 2.0’x0.7’ SBa, v12.4, 1.7’x0.4’ Hydra Hysteria

NGC 2848 NGC 2855 Sc, v12.8, 2.1’x1.4’ Sa/E1, v12.5, 1.2’x1.1’ Hydra Hysteria “Professor” Lewis A. Swift NGC 2851 Warner Observatory Rochester, New York Challenge Object, v14.0 Hydra Hysteria NGC 2992 / NGC 2993 NGC 2889 Sa/pec, v13.0, 1.0’x0.5’ Sc, v12.4, 1.4’x1.3’ S/pec, v13.0, 0.4’x0.4’ Hydra Hysteria

NGC 3109 NGC 3145 I, v11.2, 11.0’x2.0’ SBb, v12.5, 2.4’x1.0’ Hydra Hysteria Edward Holden NGC 3200 Washburn Observatory Sa/Sb, v12.8, 3.6’x0.9’ Madison, Wisconsin M68 (NGC 4590)

Discovered by Mechain in 1780 and described by Messier as a “nebula without stars.”

Shapley-Sawyer Class X

v8.0, diam 9’

O’Meara describes a “wedge- shaped pattern” with dark lanes that form a “windmill-like formation” and a detached portion with a dark “footprint.” Hydra Hysteria

NGC 5085 NGC 5101 Sb, v12.3, 2.9’x2.5’ SBa, v12.5, 3.0’x1.0’ Hydra Hysteria NGC 5253 NGC 5150 (Centaurus) E2, v13.1, 0.7’x0.6’ E/pec, v10.8, 4.0’x1.5’ Brightest extragalactic outburst on record (v7.2) July 8, 1895

M83 (NGC 5236) The Southern Pinwheel Sc, v8.0, 10.0’x8.0’

Discovered by Lacaille in 1751 from the Cape of Good Hope.

One of the closest (10 million light-years) and brightest galaxies.

Well defined spiral arms form a reverse “S” shape.

Host to four supernovae in 50 years.

Hydra Hysteria

NGC 5694 (Class VII) NGC 3314a/b cB, cS, v11.0, diam 2’ Overlapping galaxies

NGC 3242, Ghost of Jupiter Caldwell 59, CBS Eye Nebula Turn Left at Orion