NGC 2672

Remarks

It is the brightest (magnitude 11.6) and largest member of a sparse group of galaxies some 2 degrees Southeast of the Beehive, M44. Like its companion, NGC 2673, it is an elliptical galaxy, and is believed to be interacting with it. The companion lies just 0.5' west.

Historical observations

William Herschel (c.1784)

Synonyms: H II-048, H II-080

On the night of 14 March 1784, Sir William Herschel logged II-48 with an 18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He called it "pB pL lbM, contains one star." A week later, on the night of 21 March 1784, he logged II-80, which he described as "pB pL E r 2 or 3 stars in it." These two descriptions refer to the same object, NGC 2672.

Published comments

Supernovae

A supernova erupted in this galaxy in 1938 (15.5p).

Burnham's Celestial Handbook

Burnham calls it a 12.6 mag elliptical galaxy, measuring 0.4' x 0.3', pretty bright, pretty large, slightly elongated and much brighter in the middle. He adds that NGC 2673 lies on its eastern edge.

Arp (1966)

Listed as No. 167 in Arp's "Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies" (Astrophysical Journal Supplement, vol. 14, 1966.) He remarks "Compact galaxy very condensed, has curved plume."

Sulentic & Tifft (1973)

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 13.0 mag galaxy. Their coded description reads E,R,BM,*CLOSE PR.

Modern observations

Tom Lorenzin

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes: "12.6M; small, <0.5' extent; with N2673 (13M; 1.4' diameter) at E edge; both are EL GALs; best at >200x; to the SE of the Beehive, 1.5 degrees NE of 4M Delta CNC."

Steve Coe

Steve Coe, SACNEWS On-Line for March 1996, notes: "seems pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2 X 1 in PA 45 and much brighter in the middle at 220X. There is a companion galaxy superimposed on the east side of NGC 2672, it is NGC 2673 and it is pretty faint, small and round."

Steve Coe, using a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2 X 1 in PA 45 and much brighter in the middle at 220X. There is a companion galaxy superimposed on the east side of NGC 2672, it is NGC 2673 and it is pretty faint, small and round."

Brian Skiff

POSS: m14 *s 1'.2 SE & 1'.6 NE (brtr); implies 15cm size 1'.8 diam. grp ~5'

SSE incl pair + single *.

RC2: 0'.6 sep.

15cm - faint. BS, 23Mar1982, Anderson Mesa.

- mod br (brtst by far this night), vis easily @ 50x. 140x: elong ~E-W with two nuclei. m14 *s NE & SE (the latter closer). outer envelope reaches three-fourths way to * SE. -72 much the brtr, circ w/strong even concen to *ar nuc that is br but only occas pops out over vbr core. -73 has sub*ar nuc, and is embedded in E side of -72's halo. some concen twd center, but hard to discern in this circumstance. short arc of three m12.5-13.5 *s 8' SSE looks neb @ 80x, res @ 140x. BS, 5Apr1989, Anderson Mesa.

25cm - elong pa110. averted vis shows diff haze rising mod to sm round core. on E is -73, a roundish appendage to oval parent. Roof.

- br, vis @ 65x. 125x: circ 0'.75 diam w/pretty f nrly *ar nuc. m13 * at 1'.2 in pa20. at pa135 is f *, 1'.25 away. at 40" in pa100 is -73, m14. 190x shows -72 to have 15" well-def core, but nuc still sub*ar. BS, 23Mar1982, Anderson Mesa.

30cm - modsfcbr, round core. 1'.5x1' in pa110. -73 seen as *ing on ESE of core. m14 * 2' SE. CBL, Roof.

Contemporary observations

Tom Bryant

2010 3 17 21:52:28

Observing site: Little Bennett Regional Park

Telescope: C-11

[8h 49m 18s, 19° 4m 0s] An elongated smudge, with little detail. The companion, N 2673, was not seen.