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RA: 15h 34m 35.06s
Dec: +15° 12′ 0.2″
Ch: MSA:692, U2:199, SA:15
Type: galaxy (AGN LINER-type), Sc:
Mag: B=13.7, V=?
Size: 1.258′ x 0.616′
Synonyms: H II-179
Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel with an 18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He called it "Two, very close. Both small, stellar. The southern [NGC 5953] is largest." The other object is NGC 5954.
These two galaxies are listed as No. 91 in Arp's "Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies" (Astrophysical Journal Supplement, vol. 14, 1966.) He remarks "broad peculiar arm to companion; then absorption; faint extension from companion."
The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 13.5 mag galaxy. Their coded description reads EL,UHISB,ATT TO53.
Van den Bergh (1961, Astronomical Journal, Vol 66, p566) notes that this galaxy forms a pure pair with NGC 5953 0.8 arcminutes away.
Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "This is a contact galaxy pair and the two galaxies could just barely be split into separate objects at 220X. I was able to pick out this system at 135X. This observation is for the entire system of both galaxies. Pretty faint, pretty small, elongated 2 X 1 in PA 45 and brighter in the middle at 220X. The two galaxies meet at an obtuse angle. They can only be split into two objects at 220X in moments of good seeing."
The Messier objects
The Bennett objects
The Caldwell list
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