Ghost of Mirach (NGC 404)
History
The galaxy NGC 404 was discovered on 13 September 1784 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel with his 18.7 inch reflector and cataloged as II 224. [277].
Since NGC 404 is very close to the star β Andromedae, the galaxy was not even drawn on some star maps, as it would otherwise be covered by the star's symbol. It so happened that this galaxy was mistaken for a newly discovered comet by some amateur astronomers. [105]
Physical Properties
NGC 404 or Mirach's Ghost is a spiral galaxy of the SA(s) type, with tightly wound spiral arms. The The axis of rotation points in our direction, which is why it appears circular with a diameter of 6.1 arc minutes. The core of this galaxy is very bright. The visual brightness is 10.3 mag, but the surface brightness is only 14.0 mag. The distance of this galaxy is 8 million to 8.2 million . Light years indicated and it is supposed to move 178 km/s from the center of the local group. [134]
| Designation | NGC 404 |
| Type | Gx (E-S0) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 01h 09m 26.9s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +35° 43' 06" |
| Diameter | 3.5 × 3.5 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 11.2 mag |
| Visual magnitude | 10.3 mag |
| Surface brightness | 12.8 mag·arcmin-2 |
| Redshift (z) | -0.000160 |
| Metric Distance | 3.920 Mpc |
| Dreyer Description | pB, cL, R, gbM, β Andr. sf |
| Identification, Remarks | WH II 224; h 89; GC 218; UGC 718; MCG 6-3-18; CGCG 520-20; IRAS 01066+3527; Mirach's ghost |
Finder Chart
The galaxy NGC 404 can be found in the constellation Andromeda. The location is so memorable that even an inexperienced stargazer would find it straight away. It is only about 7 arc minutes northwest of the 2.1 mag bright star Mirach (β Andromedae) away. One should not be confused by possible ghost images of Mirach in the eyepiece. Although these look similar, they do not always have the same position relative to the star. The best time for observation is in the months June to February.
Visual Observation
300 mm aperture: In order to be able to see the galaxy well, the bright star Mirach should be positioned outside the edge of the image field. From NGC 404, only the brighter central region can be seen at a low magnification of up to about 160 times, which can be seen as a weak, round, diffuse spot. If one does not know that there is a galaxy immediately next to Mirach, one can easily mistake it for a reflection of the star on the lenses in a poorly coated eyepiece, which some also did. This is why I named the galaxy Mirach's Ghost.
At an even higher magnification, such as 300 times, the galaxy reveals more of its structure. The center of the galaxy reveals its stellar core, which can be seen particularly well with averted vision. The brightness of the galaxy is significantly higher in the middle area.