I have always loved the Arp Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. The list contains some of the most beautiful and interesting objects in the entire sky.

In my search for interesting objects to image, the only Arp poster I could find was the original Arp compilation, done primarily with the largest telescope of its time, the 200 inch Hale reflector, in black and white. I put together this compilation poster as an example for those of us who want to attempt to image the Arp objects ourselves with our own backyard equipment. All of the images were done from my backyard with a 130mm refractor. Each image is individually posted on my Astrobin site with the equipment and exposure details, along with a description. Most of these objects are tiny and difficult to image with conventional equipment, but my interest in them overwhelmed any concerns I had about the final images not being as clear and crisp as they should be.

The Arp objects vary tremendously in their size, structure, and type. This compilation contains the 50 Arp objects that I subjectively found most interesting. Many recognized Arp objects did not make my Top 50 cut, such as Arp 16 (M66), Arp 29 (NGC 6946 - Fireworks Galaxy), Arp 76 (M90), Arp 116 (M60), Arp 134 (M49), and Arp 168 (M32-Andromeda satellite galaxy). These objects are still beautiful I didn't find them to be much different than the average DSO.

In addition to showing the image and designation of each object, the poster also includes each object's common nickname (if it has one) and Arp category. I find the Arp categories to be interesting, with some of them being a bit puzzling. But that is not to diminish the quality of Dr. Arp's work, which was amazing for its time.

I have also included the FOV width of the image (not the object width itself) in arc-minutes. I am hopeful that this size information will be helpful for some of you who will be trying to frame these objects with your optical system. The image widths vary from 4 to 40 minutes.

I hope that you enjoy the poster. For those of you who haven't attempted to image Arp objects yet because they are "too small", I hope that this poster may help inspire you to attempt to capture your own images of these outstanding objects.

If you would like to see the entire Arp catalog, please click here.  A poster containing the entire Arp collection is here.