NGC 584 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Cetus. The galaxy was discovered on 10 September 1785 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel. Number 20 in the Herschel 400 list is NGC 584. NGC 584 is a moderately large and bright elliptical galaxy in Cetus. In an 18 inch telescope it appears as an elongated patch of light with a bright center. The two bright galaxies either side of NGC 584 are the 13.2 magnitude NGC 582; (left) and the 15.2 magnitude PGC 1028168. (Right). While NGC 582 was an easy object in the 18 inch, the PGC galaxy was not seen with certainty.
A galaxy is, by definition, any large collection of stars that can be recognized as a distinct physical entity. In terms of the number of stars, a small 'dwarf irregular' …show more content…
One story from this culture gives an interesting account of Orion's death. Here he is called Aqhat, and was a handsome and famous hunter. The Battle-Goddess Anat fell in love with Aqhat, but when he refused to lend her his bow, she sent another man to steal it. This chap bungled the job, and wound up killing Aqhat and dropping the bow into the sea. This is said to explain the astronomical fact that Orion and the Bow (an older version of the constellation) drops below the horizon for two months every …show more content…
NGC 584 and NGC 596 are among several fine galaxy groupings in Cetus. Cetus, the sea monster, is one of the largest constellations by area. The head is defined by a pentagonal arrangement of stars near the southeast corner of Pisces. The body of the seamonster is separated from the head by nearly 20 degrees. All the stars in the body should be at naked eye visibility under a dark sky. However, none is brighter than about 4th magnitude and that makes Cetus a challenging constellation to identify.
Once you have identified the body of Cetus, center 3.6 magnitude Theta (45) Ceti in your finder scope. Theta is actually a double star with 6.0 magnitude 44 Ceti standing about 10' to the north. If you slew 1 degree to the north, you will encounter a pair of bright stars, one shining at 5.9 magnitude and the other at 7.4 magnitude in brightness. These appear as the single 6th magnitude object just north of Theta Ceti on the top finder chart. Move 2 degrees to the east from this pair and you will be centered upon NGC 584 and NGC 596. The 5.8 magnitude star immediately to the east of NGC 596 is plotted on the top finder
A galaxy is, by definition, any large collection of stars that can be recognized as a distinct physical entity. In terms of the number of stars, a small 'dwarf irregular' …show more content…
One story from this culture gives an interesting account of Orion's death. Here he is called Aqhat, and was a handsome and famous hunter. The Battle-Goddess Anat fell in love with Aqhat, but when he refused to lend her his bow, she sent another man to steal it. This chap bungled the job, and wound up killing Aqhat and dropping the bow into the sea. This is said to explain the astronomical fact that Orion and the Bow (an older version of the constellation) drops below the horizon for two months every …show more content…
NGC 584 and NGC 596 are among several fine galaxy groupings in Cetus. Cetus, the sea monster, is one of the largest constellations by area. The head is defined by a pentagonal arrangement of stars near the southeast corner of Pisces. The body of the seamonster is separated from the head by nearly 20 degrees. All the stars in the body should be at naked eye visibility under a dark sky. However, none is brighter than about 4th magnitude and that makes Cetus a challenging constellation to identify.
Once you have identified the body of Cetus, center 3.6 magnitude Theta (45) Ceti in your finder scope. Theta is actually a double star with 6.0 magnitude 44 Ceti standing about 10' to the north. If you slew 1 degree to the north, you will encounter a pair of bright stars, one shining at 5.9 magnitude and the other at 7.4 magnitude in brightness. These appear as the single 6th magnitude object just north of Theta Ceti on the top finder chart. Move 2 degrees to the east from this pair and you will be centered upon NGC 584 and NGC 596. The 5.8 magnitude star immediately to the east of NGC 596 is plotted on the top finder