Arp 272 is a trio of galaxies in the Hercules cluster. Arp put it in his category for group character, connected arms. The disks of all three do overlap as seen from earth. Whether they really overlap is questionable. It could be just an alignment due to our viewpoint. Their redshifts are rather different which would argue this is just an illusion though the lower two both have plumes that are likely due to interaction. So they may be related but just passing by each other at rather high speed. The interaction, if any could be happening as we look or happened some time ago with them lining up from our viewpoint. It is hard to tell.

The eastern galaxy is NGC 6050 classified by NED as SB(rs)cd, the western is IC 1179 classified by NED as SB0^0^. They are about a half billion light-years distant. NED doesn't consider IC 1179 part of Arp 272 yet most sources consider it one of the two or three galaxies that make up Arp 272. Again Arp's catalog (1966ApJS___14____1A.pdf) lists Arp 272 as NGC 6054 which can't be correct. In any case, the southern pair was discovered twice by Lewis Swift. Once on June 27, 1886 becoming NGC 6050 and again on June 3, 1888 becoming IC 1179. It is likely he saw these as one galaxy as even in larger scopes than his they can't be seen as two objects. The eastern galaxy seems to only carry the NGC 6050 name at NED but most consider it also as IC 1179. It is classified as SA(s)c.

This brings us to the northern object, UGC 10186. Some sources consider it a piece of the pair that has broken off. I have trouble with that and see it as yet another galaxy. If so this may be a triple system. NED considers it part of Arp 272 and calls it a double system which I find rather confusing as it ignores IC 1179. Seligman however considers IC 1179 the same as NGC 6050. He says the two are PGC 57053 and PGC 57058 right to left. Anyone confused?

This data was taken September 13, 2007. I didn't have the tools to do it justice back then. I need to reshoot this one. It also contains ARP 71, Arp 122 and Arp 172. Details are in the annotated image. The annotated image shows details on many other galaxies in the cluster and beyond it.

Arp's image: http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Arp/Figures/big_arp272.jpeg

14" LX200R @ f/10, L=6x10' RGB=3x10', STL-11000XM, Paramount ME