00 07 15.9 +27 42 29; Peg
V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 120°
24" (10/12/20): moderately bright, oval 4:3 or 3:2
WNW-ESE, strong sharp concentration with a very bright core. The 40"x30" halo has a nearly
even surface brightness. A mag 15
star is 0.9' NE and a mag 13 star 1.5' NNW. Member of a group (LGG 002), that also includes
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, slightly elongated
~E-W, bright core, stellar nucleus.
Forms a pair with
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, oval 3:2 ~E-W, small, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 1.9' NNE and a mag 13 star is 1.5' NNW of center.
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly faint, very small, small bright core.
13.1" (11/5/83): faint, very small. Forms a pair with NGC 2 2' SSE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 1 on 30 Sep 1861 while
testing the 11-inch f/17.5 Merz refractor of the Copenhagen Observatory. He missed nearby NGC 2. This was d'Arrest's first deep sky
discovery, though he was uncertain if his object was identical to h4 or h5
(both of which refer to
******************************
NGC 2 = UGC 59 = MCG +04-01-026 = CGCG 477-055 = Holm 2B =
00 07 17.1 +27 40 41; Peg
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 115°
24" (10/12/20): at 375x; fairly faint, oval 5:3 WNW-ESE, ~35" major axis, broad weak concentration. A mag 13 star is 1.1' W.
17.5" (11/14/87): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness. A mag 12.5 star lies 1.1' W of center. Forms a pair (optical) with brighter and larger NGC 1, just 1.8' N.
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, small, elongated ~E-W. A mag 13 star lies 1' W.
13.1" (8/24/84): very faint, very small, low surface brightness. Forms a close pair with NGC 1.
Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 2 on 20 Aug 1873 and recorded a "vF companion [to NGC 1] south". Dreyer confirmed the observation on 29 Oct 1877 and noted, "Nova 2' ssf easily seen, vF, eS stellar."
NGC 2 was missed by d'Arrest, who discovered NGC 1 on 30 Sep 1861 with an 11-inch refractor, and Herman Schultz, who observed NGC 1 with the 9.6-inch refractor at Uppsala. Yann Pothier credits Auguste Voigt with the original discovery on 14 Sep 1865 with the 31-inch Foucault reflector at the Marseilles Observatory.
******************************
00 07 16.8 +08 18 06; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 111°
48" (10/24/11): at 610x appeared fairly bright,
elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 30"x12", well concentrated with a very small
bright core and stellar nucleus. A
mag 11.5 star lies 1.3' SW.
Brightest in a group with the other members much fainter. These include
18" (10/21/06): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 0.4'x0.25', very small slightly brighter core, faint stellar nucleus with direct vision. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.2' SW. Brightest in a group of faint galaxies.
17.5" (8/2/86): fairly faint, small, bright core,
slightly elongated. A mag 11.5
star is 1.2' WSW. Brightest in the
NGC 3 group with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 3 = m 1 on 29 Nov 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "F, vS, R, alm stellar." NGC 3 is the brightest in a small group of faint galaxies (NGC 7834, 7835, 7837, 7838, 7840, 3, 4) all discovered by Marth on the same night. Édouard Stephan made observation on 26 Sep 1867 and 19 Sep 1873, and measured an accurate position on 9 Oct 1876.
******************************
00 07 24.4 +08 22 23; Psc
V = 15.9; Size 0.4'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30°
48" (10/24/11): at 610x appeared fairly faint, very
small, round, 10" diameter, high surface brightness. This description applies to the core as
the faint thin extensions on the DSS were not noticed. Located 2.9' W of mag 9.5
18" (10/21/06): extremely faint and small, round. This threshold object appeared virtually stellar, perhaps 4" diameter and only visible occasionally with averted vision. Located 3' due west of a mag 9 star. Another very difficult galaxy, NGC 7840, lies 4' WNW.
17.5" (8/2/86): faintest member of the NGC 3 group. Extremely faint and small, at visual threshold. Located 2.9' W of mag 9 SAO 109022 and 4.8' NNE of NGC 3.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 4 = m 2 on 29 Nov 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and simply noted "eF". His position is 10 tsec of RA following
and 5' N of NGC 3 (discovered on the same night, along with 5 other faint
galaxies). The galaxy listed here
(
******************************
00 07 48.9 +35 21 44; And
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 115°
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, very small, round, small bright core.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 5 = St. 12-1 on 18 Sep 1871. His rough position 5' too far ESE. His published micrometric position (list 12, #1) was made 10 year later on 21 Oct 1881 with description "Small core of 13 to 14 mag, surrounded by a very small and faint nebula."
******************************
00 09 32.6 +33 18 31; And
See observing notes for
Lewis Swift found NGC 6 = Sw. 2-3 on 20 Sept 1885 with the
16" Clark refractor at Warner Observatory and recorded "eF; cE; vS;
one of 5 stars which point to it is pretty near." There is nothing at his position, but
75 seconds of RA east and 47' north is NGC 20 = UGC 84. The RA offset is shared by several
other objects discovered this night (
******************************
00 08 20.8 -29 54 55; Scl
V = 13.9; Size 2.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 29°
17.5" (8/20/88): extremely faint, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE. Requires averted vision due to low surface brightness and low elevation.
John Herschel discovered NGC 7 = h4014 on 27 Sep 1834 and logged "vF, pL, vmE, gradually very little brighter middle, 2' long." The next night he observed the galaxy again and noted "vF, mE, very gradually very little brighter middle." On a third sweep he called it "eeF, L, mE, requires the utmost attention to perceive though the sky is perfectly pure."
Surprisingly Pietro Baracchi searched for it unsuccessfully twice in 1887 with the 48" Melbourne telescope.
******************************
00 08 46 +23 50 16; Peg
V = 15.3/16.5; Size 6"
= **, Corwin.
Otto Struve discovered NGC 8 on 29 Sep 1865 with the 15-inch
refractor at Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg. He described it as fainter than
******************************
NGC 9 = UGC 78 = MCG +04-01-030 = CGCG 477-059 = Holm 3a =
00 08 54.6 +23 49 03; Peg
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 155°
17.5" (11/14/87): faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, weak concentration. Located at the western vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 9 stars 6' E and 6.5' NE.
Otto Struve discovered NGC 9 on 27 Sep 1865 with the 15-inch Merz & Mahler refractor at Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg. It was found while unsuccessfully searching for Comet Biela (never returned after 1852). Struve's position was 15 seconds of RA too small and 2' too far south. He noted a mag 9 star follows by 26 seconds (time), so the identification is certain. This is one of 4 NGC galaxies that Struve discovered while fruitlessly searching for Comet Biela (3 others were rediscoveries). See NGC 8.
******************************
00 08 34.5 -33 51 30; Scl
V = 12.5; Size 2.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 25°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright
core, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE. A mag 13
star follows by 2.9'. Located 21'
SSE of mag 5.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 10 = h4015 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "Not vF, L, lE, gradually little brighter middle, 1'.". On a later sweep he logged it "F,
pL, R, bM, 40"." His mean
position matches
******************************
00 08 42.5 +37 26 53; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 111°
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, fairly small, edge-on WNW-ESE. A close double star with mag 11/12 components lies 3' N.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 11 = St. 12-2 on 28 Sep 1867 with the 31" silvered-glass reflector at the Marseilles Observatory and recorded a rough unpublished position (3' SW of the galaxy) in his logbook. On 24 Oct 1881 he measured a micrometric position and recorded, "vF; vS; little irregular oval SE to NW; two very faint stars involved."
******************************
00 08 44.8 +04 36 45; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 125°
17.5" (12/19/87): very faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration, diffuse.
William Herschel discovered NGC 12 = H. III-868 = h1 on 6 Dec 1790 (sweep 984) and logged "eF, pS, irr F." The 4 Nov 1850 observation using Lord Rosse's 72" reads "Some stars seen in it, it is vF. Nothing further remarkable."
******************************
00 08 47.7 +33 25 59; And
V = 13.2; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 53°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 13 star is 30" S and a mag 12 star lies 1.2' SSW of center. First of three with NGC 20 12' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 13 = H. III-866 = h2 on 26 Nov 1790 (sweep 981) and logged "vF, vS. 300 verified and showed 3 stars and the nebula placed in the form of a square; the nebula being the np corner." R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant on 18 Sep 1857, recorded "2 neb. nearly in line p. and f; about 14' apart; the p one [NGC 13] is of irregular outline; F; bM. The f. one [NGC 13] is S; R; pB; bM." The pair was observed 5 times up to 1873.
******************************
00 08 46.1 +15 48 56; Peg
V = 12.1; Size 2.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 25°
17.5" (12/19/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval
SSW-NNE, broad concentration, faint extensions. Located 1.4° ESE of
William Herschel discovered NGC 14 = H. II-591 = h3 on 24 Dec 1783 and noted it was "very faint, elongated", but without the ability to determine an accurate position he didn't include it in his first published catalogue. He found the galaxy again, though, in sweep 590 on 18 Sep 1786 and recorded "F, pL, iF, unequally bright." The two observations were connected in Caroline's Sweep Records.
John Herschel first observed NGC 14 on 2 Nov 1823 (sweep #1, though 7 earlier sweeps were performed in May through Sep). On 11 Sep 1828 (sweep 174), he logged "eF; R; bM; a star 10 m north preceding, dist. 5'."
******************************
00 09 02.5 +21 37 28; Peg
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30°
17.5" (11/14/87): faint, small, very elongated SSW-NNE, brighter core, faint stellar nucleus.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 15 = m 3 on 30 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "vF, vS, R, bM". His position is reasonably match with
******************************
NGC 16 = UGC 80 = MCG +04-01-032 = CGCG 477-061 = PGC 660
00 09 04.3 +27 43 46; Peg
V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 16°
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly bright, moderately large,
elongated ~N-S, bright core, stellar nucleus.
13.1" (8/24/84) : moderately bright, small, bright stellar nucleus, small fainter lens SSW-NNE.
8" (8/16/82): fairly faint, small, elongated N-S, bright nucleus at 200x.
8" (6/19/82): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, weak concentration.
William Herschel probably discovered NGC 16 = H. IV-15 = h4 = h5 on 8 Sep 1784. He recorded "Stellar, or rather like a faint star with a small chevelure and two burs [sic]. F, S." His RA was 1 min 24 seconds too large (using a different star Corwin found an error of 1 min 6 seconds).
John Herschel observed this galaxy on 5 Sep 1828 and described h4 as "pB; R; bM; 30" (? if not IV. 15)" Due to the difference in position he wasn't sure if his object was new. John Herschel swept the area again 11 nights later and found a nebula (h5) that he assumed was his father's H. IV-15: "a star 15m with a burr, RA from Catalogue." Édouard Stephan made several observation, apparently trying to find two different objects as reported in the General Catalogue (GC 8 and 12). In the NGC, Dreyer combined the previous designations into NGC 16 and Corwin favors this interpretation. Wolfgang Steinicke feels H. IV-15 more likely applies to NGC 22 than NGC 16. Herschel's RA was off by 40 seconds (too far east) and 7' too far south but the description "F, S, Stellar, or rather like a faint star with a small chevelure and two burs" may be a better fit.
J.L.E. Dreyer, observing with the 72" on 29 Oct 1877, recorded "pB nucl with vF neby; round; E sp nf; 2 st 13 and 12 mag preceding in the parallel about 4' and 5' distant."
******************************
00 11 06.7 -12 06 27; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30°
48" (11/5/21): at 488x; bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, gradually increases towards the center, overall high surface brightness with a faint thin halo. A faint, roundish glow [apparently tidal debris] is attached on the NW side. With careful averted vision, a thin, very low surface brightness tidal tail occasionally pops to the NE, ~30" in length. A fairly bright double star (WZ 1 = 12.4/13.9 at 7") is 2' W.
17.5" (8/20/88): moderately bright, small, round,
bright core, stellar nucleus. A
close double star is 2' W. Forms a
pair with
This infrared-luminous galaxy is in an advanced stage of merger with a tidal tail to the NE.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 17 = LM 2-276 in 1886 and logged
"mag 13.5, 0.1' dia, irregularly round, two stars mag 9.5, 2.0' in PA
280°." Muller's position was
2.0 min of RA west of
This galaxy was independently found by Lewis Swift (Sw. 6-1)
on 21 Nov 1886 (same year) at Warner Observatory and catalogued as
******************************
00 09 23.0 +27 43 56; Peg
= **, Carlson and Corwin.
Herman Schultz discovered NGC 18 on 15 Oct 1866 with the 9.6-inch refractor at Uppsala Observatory. Schultz's micrometric position is 19 sec of RA following NGC 16 and corresponds precisely with a double star at 00 09 23.0 +27 43 55 (2000). Dreyer noted that Heinrich d'Arrest and Lord Rosse couldn't find NGC 18 and neither could Édouard Stephan (notes section of his 11th list).
******************************
NGC 19 = UGC 98 = MCG +05-01-046 = CGCG 499-065 = PGC 759
00 10 40.9 +32 58 59; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 42°
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated SW-NE, diffuse. A mag 15
star is 1' SW. Located 9' S of mag
6.8
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 19 = Sw. 2-4 on 20 Sep 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His description reads, "eeF; lE; in [the] center of 3 vF st forming an equilateral triangle, two of them double." There is no obvious candidate at Swift's position but 74 seconds of RA east and 8' north is UGC 98. Similar offsets in RA and Dec yield identities for NGC 21, 7831 and 7836, all discovered the same night (NGC 6 also shares the same offset in RA). Furthermore, his description of the surrounding stars matches this galaxy. Hermann Kobold suggested this identification when he measured its position in 1898 at Strasbourg with the 18-inch refractor. Heber Curtis found it again on a photograph taken with the Crossley reflector in 1912-13 and reported it as new ("not noted in the NGC).
NGC 19 is mislabeled as NGC 21 in RNGC, PGC and UGC (and software Megastar) and not assigned a NGC designation in MCG and CGCG. Finally, RNGC misclassifies NGC 19 as nonexistent because of the error in Swift's position. See Corwin's Notes.
******************************
NGC 20 = NGC 6 = UGC 84 = MCG +05-01-036 = CGCG 498-082 = LGG 001-008 = PGC 679
00 09 32.6 +33 18 31; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 140°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is just 30" E and a brighter mag 10 star lies 2.4' E. Second of three with NGC 13 12' NW.
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 20 using Lord Rosse's 72"
on 18 Sep 1857 and recorded as "S; R; pB; bM"). Although no position was measured it
was catalogued as GC 6 (Rosse nova) and later by Dreyer as NGC 20. Herman Schultz independently found the
galaxy on 16 Oct 1866 with the 9.6" refractor at Uppsala and it was
entered by Dreyer in the GC Supplement as GC 5086, though Dreyer added the
comment "Query = GC 6".
Schultz's micrometric position matches
Lewis Swift later independently found this galaxy on 20 Sept
1885 and published it in his second discovery paper (#3). Swift's position for NGC 6 was 1.1
minutes of RA west and 47' S of UGC 84.
His RA offset is identical to the error in his positions for NGC 19, NGC
21, NGC 7831,
******************************
NGC 21 = NGC 29 = UGC 100 = MCG +05-01-048 = CGCG 499-066 =
00 10 46.9 +33 21 11; And
See observing notes for
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 21 = Sw. 2-5 on 20 Sept 1885 and
recorded "eF; S; lE."
His positions for NGC 19, 7831 and 7836 from the same evening are all
offset ~70 seconds in RA and 8' in declination. The offset position for NGC 21 lands on NGC 29. So, NGC 21 is a duplicate of NGC
29. RNGC, UGC and PGC misidentify
******************************
NGC 22 = UGC 86 = MCG +05-01-039 = CGCG 499-055 = PGC 690
00 09 48.2 +27 49 57; Peg
V = 13.6; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 160°
17.5" (11/14/87): faint, fairly small, diffuse, slightly elongated, broad concentration. Located 2.5' S of a mag 10 star. Forms a wide pair with NGC 16 12' SW.
13.1" (8/24/84): very faint, fairly small, roundish, very diffuse, even surface brightness.
13.1" (11/5/83): extremely faint, small, round. A mag 9 star 3' N interferes with viewing. Located 12' NE of NGC 16.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 22 = St. 13-1 on 28 Sep 1867 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. On this date he only wrote a rough position for NGC 16 in his logbook but gave an offset (38 seconds of RA and 5' dec) to NGC 22. He observed NGC 22 again on 29 Oct and 1 Nov 1877 and published an accurate position (reduced on 2 Oct 1883) with description "eF; pS; R; little brighter middle, resolvable".
William Herschel possibly discovered this galaxy on 8 Sep 1784 (H. IV-15, sweep 260) and recorded "F, S, Stellar, or rather like a faint star with a small chevelure and two burs." His position is poor -- 40 sec too far east and 7' too far south -- but the description is a reasonable fit. Dreyer assumed the observation referred to NGC 16, which is 1 min 25 sec of RA to the west and he commented in the NGC notes "Some error in recording the transit, probably simply of 1 min; reductions correct." Wolfgang Steinicke feels H. IV-15 refers to NGC 22 and Herschel never observed brighter NGC 16, but Corwin and Seligman favor Dreyer's interpretation.
******************************
NGC 23 = UGC 89 = MCG +04-01-033 = CGCG 477-062 = Mrk 545 = LGG 002-003 = PGC 698
00 09 53.3 +25 55 26; Peg
V = 12.0; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 8°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated NNW-SSE, diffuse. Unusual appearance as a mag 14 star is superimposed 26" SE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 26 9' SE. Brightest member of a group (LGG 002) at a distance of ~200 million l.y.
8" (7/24/82): faint, small, elongated NW-SE, stellar nucleus. A star is at the SE end.
William Herschel discovered NGC 23 = H. III-147 on 10 Sep 1784 (sweep 264) and recorded as "2 or 3 stars in a line, with seeming nebulosity between them." I only noted a single superimposed star, though Herschel's second "star" may be the nucleus. Stephan made an observation on 28 Oct 1875, while Dreyer (as Lawrence Parsons' assistant) observed the galaxy a month at Birr Castle and described a "vS neb, with a starlike nucl = 11-12 mag and a *13 in PA 135.2°. Dist 26.2"." Englemann measured an accurate position, in Astronomische Nachrichten 2485.
******************************
00 09 56.4 -24 57 49; Scl
V = 11.6; Size 5.5'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 46°
24" (10/17/20): fairly bright, large, very elongated 7:2 SW-NE, 4.0'x1.2', large brighter middle bulge (elongated). A mag 12.7 star is just east of the NE end.
17.5" (8/2/86): moderately bright, pretty edge-on 5:1 SW-NE, 4.0'x0.8', large bright core. A mag 12 star is just east of the NE end. This is a little-known striking spiral.
William Herschel discovered NGC 24 = H. III-461 = h2308 on 27 Oct 1785 (sweep 467). He logged it as "vF, cL, lE, gradually little brighter middle, 4 or 5' long." John Herschel observed it from the Cape of Good Hope as "F; vL; vmE; very gradually brighter middle; 4' l; 1' br." Pietro Baracchi, observing with the 48" Melbourne telescope on 9 Dec 1887, called it "pF; L; vmE; gradually brighter in the middle; fades away gradually at the ends - outline not well defined, woolly." Herbert Howe, using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory, reported the length as 3' and PA = 45°.
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00 09 59.4 -57 01 14; Phe
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 85°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright,
moderately large, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.8'x0.5', fairly well concentrated with a
brighter core. Flanked by a mag 15
star 0.6' NE and a similar star 1' S.
Located 2.7' SE of a mag 10.5 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 25 = h2309 on 28 Oct 1834 and
recorded as "F; R; 30" across." His position matches
******************************
NGC 26 = UGC 94 = MCG +04-01-034 = CGCG 477-064 = LGG 002-004 = PGC 732
00 10 25.8 +25 49 55; Peg
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 100°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, broad concentration. Two mag 13.5 stars are 1.0' NE and 1.2' N of center. Forms a pair with NGC 23 9' NW.
13.1" (12/11/82): very faint, fairly small, oval.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 26 on 14 Sep 1865 with an 11" Merz refractor at Copenhagen and made a total of 3 observations. His position and descriptions (combined in the NGC as "vF, pL, R, 2 F stars north) match. As the observer for the 4th Earl of Rosse, Dreyer rediscovered this galaxy on 28 Sep 1875 and recorded "eF, pL, R. Clouds came on." Édouard Stephan also made an observation on 28 Oct 1875, perhaps aware of d'Arrest's discovery.
Yann Pothier credits Auguste Voigt with the original discovery on 13 Sep 1865 (just one day before d'Arrest!) with the 31-inch Foucault reflector at the Marseilles Observatory.
******************************
00 10 32.7 +28 59 46; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 117°
24" (8/25/19): at 324x; moderately bright and large, oval 2:1 WNW-ESE, ~0.9'x0.4'. Contains a round, small bright core that gradually increased to a slightly brighter stellar nucleus. A mag 10.5 star is 1.6' S.
NGC 27 forms a close pair with superthin galaxy
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
5:2 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.4', broad concentration to a brighter core. Located 1.5' N of mag 9.5 SAO
73786. A wide pair of mag 13.5
stars are 1.4' NNW and 2.0' NNW.
Forms a pair with
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, small, roundish, very small brighter core. Situated between two mag 13 and 14 stars.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 27 = Sw. 1-1 on 3 Aug 1884 with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and recorded as "vvF; vS; E; B* nr." His position matches UGC 96 = PGC 742.
******************************
NGC 28 = PGC 730 = LEDA 395160
00 10 25.2 -56 59 21; Phe
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright,
fairly small, irregularly round, 30"x25", fairly high surface
brightness, steadily increases to a very small bright core and stellar
nucleus. Located in the core of
AGC 2731 with NGC 31 1.8' E, NGC 25 4' SW and
John Herschel discovered NGC 28 = h2310 on 28 Oct 1834 and
described as "eF, preceding of 2. Requires attention, but no doubt
remains." The 2nd object is h2311 = NGC 31. His position matches
******************************
NGC 29 = NGC 21 = UGC 100 = MCG +05-01-048 = CGCG 499-066 = PGC 767
00 10 46.9 +33 21 10; And
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 154°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is at the north edge. Located 13' N of mag 6.8 SAO 53694. Third of three with NGC 13 and NGC 20.
William Herschel discovered NGC 29 = H. II-853 = h6 on 26 Nov 1790 (sweep 981) and noted "F, S, E nearly in the meridian." John Herschel called it "pB; pL; irr figure." Swift found the galaxy on 20 Sep 1885 and recorded it as new in his second discovery list (#5). His position was offset by 70 seconds of RA too far west and 8' in declination, so Dreyer assumed it was a different object and catalogued it as NGC 21. But Swift's position for NGC 19, 7831 and 7836, all discovered on the same night, carry this same offset. So, NGC 21 is a duplicate observation of NGC 29. NGC 29 was observed 8 times with Lord Rosse's 72" and recorded on 16 Oct 1854 as "Elongated north and south, * at on end of neb inv, and another rather fainter south of center."
******************************
00 10 50.8 +21 58 37; Peg
= **, Carlson and Corwin.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 30 = m 4 on 30 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "Neb * 13." SDSS shows a very close double 1' N of Marth's position at 00 10 50.8 +21 58 37 (J2000). Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, states "*14 and ? neb *15 nf alm att; *13.3 nff 2.9'. Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 lists of NGC/IC corrections, identifies NGC 30 as a double star.
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NGC 31 = ESO 149-020 = PGC 751
00 10 38.5 -56 59 11; Phe
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): this is the
largest of 9 members of AGC 2731 viewed.
Appeared moderately bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 N-S, 1.2'x0.8',
broad concentration, bright core.
Situated in the center of the cluster with NGC 28 1.8' W, NGC 25 5.7' SW
and
John Herschel discovered NGC 31 = h2311 on 28 Oct 1834 and logged "eeF; the following of 2. Requires attention, but leaves no doubt" and on a later sweep as "eeF; S; R." The preceding object is h2310 = NGC 28. Herschel's positions clearly establishes NGC 28 = PGC 730 and NGC 31 = ESO 149-020 = PGC 751. Nevertheless, the PGC reverses the identifications of NGC 28 and 31. The galaxy identified in the RC2 as NGC 28 is actually NGC 31. The ESO entry (149- G20) for NGC 31 does not give the NGC equivalence. The SGC (Southern Galaxy Catalogue) identifications are correct although the PGC errata paper claims the SGC reverses the identifications.
******************************
00 10 53.5 +18 47 46; Peg
= wide **, Corwin. =several stars, RNGC.
Julius Schmidt discovered NGC 32 = Au 1 on 10 Oct 1861 while observing Comet Encke with the 6.2-inch Plössl refractor at Athens Observatory. Although it wasn't Schmidt's first discovery, it was published (AN 1355) in time to be included in Auwers' 1862 list in new nebulae and by John Herschel as GC 16. His position corresponds precisely with a pair of mag 13.6/14.7 stars at 27" separation in PA = 200. Harold Corwin identifies Schmidt's object as a double star and RNGC calls it several stars.
******************************
00 10 56.6 +03 40 33; Psc
= **, Corwin.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 33 = m 5 on 9 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "eF, vS, or neb st." Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, describes NGC 33 as a "? Neb *13.7, eS, R; *9.5 sp 2.0', *13.0 ssf 1.8'." The POSS shows a faint evenly matched double star at 00 10 58 +03 40.5 located 2.0' NW of a mag 10 star. This appears to be Reinmuth's object although the *9.5 is sf 2.0' not "sp". Corwin also identifies NGC 33 as a double star near Marth's position.
******************************
NGC 34 = NGC 17 = MCG -02-01-032 = Mrk 938 = VV 850 = PGC 781
00 11 06.7 -12 06 27; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30°
48" (11/5/21): at 488x; bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, gradually increases towards the center, overall high surface brightness with a faint thin halo. A faint, roundish glow [apparently tidal debris] is attached on the NW side. With careful averted vision, a thin, very low surface brightness tidal tail occasionally popped into view to the NE, ~30" in length. A fairly bright double star (WZ 1 = 12.4/13.9 at 7") is 2' W.
17.5" (8/20/88): moderately bright, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A close double star is 2' W. Forms a pair with NGC 35 6' NNE.
This infrared-luminous galaxy is in an advanced stage of merger with a tidal tail to the NE.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 34 = Sw. 6-1 on 21 Nov 1886, along with NGC 35, with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position and description ("equilateral triangle with 2 stars, one a close double") matches MCG -02-01-032 = PGC 781. Frank Muller independently found this galaxy in 1886 and listed it as LM II-276 (later NGC 17). His RA was 2.0 minutes too small, but the description matches. So, NGC 34 = NGC 17 (discovery priority unknown). Herbert Howe searched for NGC 17 unsuccessfully with the 20" refractor at Denver and concluded it was equivalent to NGC 34 based on the similar descriptions.
******************************
NGC 35 = MCG -02-01-033 = PGC 784
00 11 10.5 -12 01 15; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.4
17.5" (8/20/88): moderately bright, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A close double star (WZ 1 = 12.4/13.9 at 7") is 2' W. Forms a pair with NGC 35 6' NNE.
This LIRG (infrared-luminous galaxy) is in an advanced stage of merger with a tidal tail to the NE.
Lewis Swift independently discovered NGC 35 = Sw. 6-2, along with NGC 34, on 21 Nov 1886. Frank Muller also found NGC 35 = LM 2-277 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. Swift's position is 48" N of MCG -02-01-033 = PGC 784. The discovery priority is unknown.
******************************
00 11 22.3 +06 23 21; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 2.2'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 21°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, fairly small, almost
round, bright core. A mag 14 star
lies 1.9' NE. Forms a close pair
with
William Herschel discovered NGC 36 = H. III-456 on 25 Oct
1785 (sweep 464) and recorded "vF, pS, irr figure." His RA is 1.0 minute too large, but it
was corrected by d'Arrest and Bigourdan and the NGC position is just 1' south
of
******************************
NGC 37 = ESO 149-022 = PGC 801 = LEDA 395521
00 11 23.0 -56 57 26; Phe
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint,
fairly small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.4'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright compact core,
surrounded by a low surface brightness halo. A mag 15 star lies 0.8' E.
John Herschel discovered NGC 37 = h2312 on 2 Oct 1836 and
recorded as "extremely faint, small, round.". His position matches
******************************
00 11 47.0 -05 35 10; Psc
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 80°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, small, almost round, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 1.4' WNW a mag 12 star 2.6' ENE of center.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 38 = St. 12-3 on 30 Sep 1867 and recorded a rough position (3' too far SE) in his logbook. He published an accurate micrometric position made on 25 Oct 1881 and described it as "F; S; R; bM; bright stellar nucleus."
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00 12 19.0 +31 03 42; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, diffuse. A mag 14 star
is at the south edge. Forms a pair
with
William Herschel discovered NGC 39 = H. III-861 = h7 on 2 Nov 1790 (sweep 975) and noted "eF, S." John Herschel made three observations as well as two by d'Arrest.
******************************
00 13 01.0 +72 31 19; Cep
V = 10.6; Size 38"x35"; PA = 14°
48" (10/23/14): this showpiece, annular planetary was observed unfiltered (low-excitation) at both 488x and 813x, and a remarkable amount of structure was seen . The main body of NGC 40 was nearly round and 0.7' in diameter but outer extensions on the north and south ends increased the dimensions to roughly 1.0'x0.8' SSW-NNE. The darker interior surrounding the blazing mag 11.5 central star (WC8-type carbon Wolf-Rayet) had a very uneven surface brightness and was slightly darker SW of the central star.
The rim was irregular and much brighter along fairly narrow N-S strips on the W and E side. The western rim was the brighter of the two and somewhat patchy with a slightly darker notch to the south of its center. At its N end was a small, faint extension. The rim was more uniform in brightness on the E side.
A very faint, thin outer loop curled N and W at the north end of the main disc! A small, detached, elongated patch floated near its N edge, but slightly S of the tip of the outer loop to its east. A very faint star or stellar knot is involved in this patch.
The rim was very weak on the S side and an easy star was visible at the SW end. A faint, very small detached piece was easily visible at the southern extremity [32" SSW of the central star] of NGC 40. This patch forms the E vertex of a small triangle with the star ~10" NW (noted earlier) and a fainter star 10" SW.
17.5" (12/30/99): at 100x appeared (unfiltered) as a slightly elongated, moderately bright disc surrounding a bright mag 11.5 central star. A slightly fainter mag 12 star lies 1.0' SW. This is a low excitation PN with an OIII/H-beta ratio of just 0.4 and at 100x there was a noticeable enhancement using the H-beta filter, while it dimmed with an OIII filter. At 220x, a star was intermittently visible at the SW edge and the PN was slightly elongated SSW-NNE. The UHC filter gave the best response at this power. The surface brightness appeared irregular -- darker around the central star and slightly brighter along the west and east side of the rim. At 280x, the faint star I noted earlier was barely off the SW edge and the PN was weakly annular with a brighter rim along the west and east side and a darker center. The SW and NE ends of the halo were clearly weaker, though. 380x provided a nice view with subtle irregularities in the interior.
17.5" (11/1/86): bright, moderately large, round. Contains a prominent mag 11.5 central star surrounded by a fairly bright halo.
13.1" (12/7/85): at 166x (unfiltered): bright central star visible centered within a fairly small prominent disc.
13.1" (1985): moderately large, bright central star surrounded by a moderately bright halo at 166x and 214x using a UHC filter.
8": at 100x; a bright central star is surrounded by an easy halo.
William Herschel discovered NGC 40 = H. IV-58 = h8 on 25 Nov 1788 (sweep 886). He recorded, "a star about 9th mag [central star], surrounded with very faint milky nebulosity; other stars of the same size are perfectly clear from that appearance. The star is either not round or double; but I am in the north and above the pole, I could not view it sufficiently to determine it. Less than 1' in diameter." He used NGC 40 in his 1791 PT paper as one of several examples where the association of the nebula and star was unquestionable.
On 20 Nov 1829 (sweep 228), John Herschel described it as "a star 11m with a luminous atmosphere 30" to 40" diameter." On 29 Oct 1831 he noted "a * 10m with strong nebulous atmosphere 15" diameter. Exactly round and pretty suddenly fading away makes a double star class 5 with a star preceding."
Williamina Fleming first noted the bright emission spectrum in 1905: "Five bright lines or bands appear in the spectrum..[but] the nebular lines near wavelength 5000 are not seen." Based on Crossley photographs, Curtis (1918) described, "Central star about mag 10. The nebula resembles a truncated ring from the ends of which extend much fainter wisps. The brighter central portion is 38"x35" in PA 14°, while the total length along this axis is about 60"."
******************************
00 12 48.0 +22 01 25; Peg
V = 13.6; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5" (11/14/87): faint, small, round, broad
concentration. Forms a pair with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 41 = m 6, along with NGC 42, on 30 Oct 1864. Using Lassell's 48" on Malta he recorded "pF, S, lE, gradually brighter in the middle."
******************************
NGC 42 = UGC 118 = MCG +04-01-041 = CGCG 478-043 = PGC 867
00 12 56.3 +22 06 02; Peg
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 115°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, very small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus, compact. Forms a pair with NGC 41 5' SSW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 42 = m 7, along with NGC 41, on 30 Oct 1864. He called it "F, vS, stell."
******************************
NGC 43 = UGC 120 = MCG +05-01-054 = CGCG 499-079 = PGC 875
00 13 00.8 +30 54 55; And
V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, very small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 49" NW of center. Forms a pair with NGC 39 12' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 43 = h9 on 11 Nov 1827. His description reads, "eF; has a 12m star 45" dist; pos 325°?" His position was 2' too far N (nearby NGC 39 is also offset 1.5' too far N).
******************************
00 13 13.4 +31 17 11; And
= **, Corwin. Not found, RNGC.
John Herschel discovered NGC 44 = h10 on 22 Nov 1827 and logged as "eF, vS; not to be seen but in the clearest night." There is a faint, very close double star at his position (00 13 13.4 +31 17 11) on the SDSS. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, appears to identify this double star as NGC 44: "cF, eS, E, ident doubtful; BD +30d17 npp 6.6'; double star 16 and 12.5 nf 1.5', *14 sf 1.3'." Corwin's confirms the identification as a double star.
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00 14 03.9 -23 10 52; Cet
V = 10.7; Size 8.5'x5.9'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 142°
17.5" (8/2/86): faint, large, almost round, very
diffuse. A mag 10 star (SAO
166133) is attached at the south end.
Located 4' ENE of mag 6.9
NGC 45 is a low surface brightness, metal-poor spiral with a weak star formation rate. It resides in the background of the Sculptor Group at a distance of ~23 million l.y.
13.1" (12/7/85): extremely faint, fairly large. A mag 7 star 4' WSW detracts from observation.
13.1" (8/24/84): only suspected at visual threshold. The nearby mag 7 star interferes with viewing.
John Herschel discovered NGC 45 = h2313 on 11 Nov 1835 and
logged "extremely faint; large; round; very gradually very little brighter
in the middle; attached to and nearly involving a large star; the following of
two. A very faint object of singular appearance, 3 or 4' diameter; forms a kind
of cometic appendage to the star, which, however, is quite at the
edge." His position is 9 sec
of RA west of
******************************
00 14 09.8 +05 59 16; Psc
= *, Carlson and Corwin.
Edward Cooper discovered NGC 46 = Au 2 on 22 Oct 1852 with the 13.3-inch refractor at the Markree Observatory in Ireland. While compiling the comprehensive Markree Ecliptic Catalogue it was noted (probably by assistant Andrew Graham) as a nebulous star but there is only a single mag 12.2 star at his position. Auwers reported only finding a sharp, nebulous star on 28 and 30 Sep 1861, but included it in his 1862 list of new nebulae. Bigourdan also reported he could not find a nebula at the Markree position.
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00 14 30.7 -07 10 04; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.4
24" (11/7/18): at least fairly faint and nearly moderately bright, round, up to 1.5' diameter with averted vision, broad concentration with a relatively large slightly brighter central region, no distinct nucleus. The halo fades out without a perceptible edge. Located 5' NE of a 1' pair of mag 7.3/9.5 stars that point to the galaxy.
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval
WNW-ESE, bright core. Collinear
with mag 9
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 47 in 1886 with the 11-inch refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. There is no published record on his observation, so the discovery must have been communicated directly to Dreyer, but Tempel's position matches PGC 967. Lewis Swift likely discovered this galaxy again on 21 Oct 1886, though his position for Sw. 5-3 (later NGC 58) is 1 min of RA to the east. The discovery priority is unknown.
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00 14 02.1 +48 14 05; And
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 15°
17.5" (8/31/86): third and largest of six in a group
(first of three NGC galaxies with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 48 = Sw. 2-6, along with NGC 49
and 51, on 7 Sep 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position was 0.7 minutes of RA too
large. Bigourdan measured an
accurate position on 13 Oct 1890 (repeated in the
******************************
NGC 49 = UGC 136 = MCG +08-01-033 = CGCG 549-029 = WBL 005-005 = PGC 952
00 14 22.4 +48 14 48; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 165°
17.5" (8/31/86): fifth of six in the NGC 51 group. Fairly faint, small, almost round, bright core. Second of three NGC galaxies and situated between NGC 48 and 51.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 49 = Sw. 2-7, along with NGC 48 and 51, on 7 Sep 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position was 0.5 minutes of RA too large, though his description "middle one of 3 in line" pins downs the identification. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 13 Oct 1890 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes) and as well as Barnard (AN 4136). Barnard's sketch of the field was published in AN 4136.
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00 14 44.7 -07 20 43; Cet
V = 11.6; Size 2.3'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 155°
24" (11/7/18): at 375x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, strong concentration with a very bright core that increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus. Flanked by a mag 12.9 star 1.8' S and a mag 13.7 star 1.7' NW.
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE. Rises to a small, very bright core. Brightest in a group with MCG -01-01-057 3' NNW (logged as "faint, very small, round") and NGC 47 11' NNW.
Gaspare Ferrari discovered NGC 50 = Nova #13 = Sw. 5-1 on 8
Jan 1866 while searching for Biela's Comet, which never returned after
1852. He was using the 9.5-inch
Merz equatorial at the College Romain as an assistant to Father Angelo Secchi
(see AN 1571). His position
matches
******************************
NGC 51 = UGC 138 = MCG +08-01-035 = CGCG 549-031 = WBL 005-006 = PGC 974
00 14 34.9 +48 15 20; And
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5" (8/31/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round, small bright core. A faint star is superimposed on SE edge (or a companion galaxy). Brightest and last of six in the group. Also the third of three NGC galaxies in the NGC 51 group.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 51 = Sw. 2-8 on 7 Sep 1885, along with NGC 48 and 49, with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His RA was 0.5 minutes too large (similar offset as the other two). Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 13 Oct 1890 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes) and as well as Barnard (AN 4136).
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00 14 40.1 +18 34 54; Peg
V = 13.3; Size 2.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 127°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, small, thin edge-on 5:1 WNW-ESE, weak concentration.
William Herschel discovered NGC 52 = H. III-183 = h11 on 18
Sep 1784 (sweep 277) and recorded "eF, S, irr E." The NGC position is
0.4 min of RA east of
******************************
00 14 42.8 -60 19 44; Tuc
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 160°
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright and large, elongated 5:3 N-S, 1.2'x0.7'. Broadly concentrated, then suddenly condenses to a sharp stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 1.7' W of center and a faint star lies 1' NE of center [this is a close double star]. Several mag 10-12 stars are in the field.
John Herschel discovered NGC 53 = h2314 on 15 Sep 1836 and
recorded "extremely faint; round; very little brighter in the middle;
30" across." His
position matches
******************************
NGC 54 = MCG -01-01-060 = PGC 1011
00 15 07.7 -07 06 25; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 93°
24" (10/17/20): at 260x; fairly faint, very elongated 4:1 E-W, 0.8'x0.2', brighter in the middle along the major axis. Part of a small group (USGC S005) with NGC 47 10' SW.
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, small, very elongated 3:1 E-W, even surface brightness. Located 10' ENE of NGC 47 in a group.
Wilhelm Tempel independently discovered NGC 54 = Sw. 5-2 in 1886 with the 11-inch refractor at the Arcetri Observatory, as well as Lewis Swift on 21 Oct 1886. Tempel's observation doesn't appear in any of his lists, so the discovery must have been communicated directly to Dreyer. The first discovery date is unknown.
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00 15 05.9 -39 13 01; Scl
V = 7.9; Size 32.4'x5.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 108°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran): NGC 55 nearly filled the 37' field of the 21mm Ethos at 264x, extending close to 30' in length WNW-ESE and roughly 4' in width. The structure was fascinating at 429x with a highly irregular surface brightness due to dusty patches and rifts, along with bright clumps and knots. The "bright" central section, which is offset WNW of center, spans ~9' in length. At the west end of the central section, the surface brightness dims significantly, and the galaxy tapers, extending several arc minutes further WNW. On the east side of the central region is the "core" (cataloged as HII region [HK83]#17-19). It appeared ~1' in length and bright, elongated, mottled, and slightly bulging.
Just ESE of the core are two noticeable, elongated knots; the first, [WS83]#1, is small, while the second knot, [HK83]#14, is very bright and elongated. With careful viewing the second knot resolved into two individual pieces or clumps. Continuing further ESE, the surface brightness abruptly drops significantly, and a large, elongated dark notch appears to take a bite out of the galaxy. Just as the galaxy begins to brighten again, there is another bright round knot [HK83]#10 with a very small piece just detached to its SE. The ESE extension of the galaxy brightens a bit more and has an irregular, patchy appearance, with a couple of brighter stars (mag 12.0 and 13.7) superimposed along the S edge.
20" (7/8/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): viewed at nearly 60° elevation at 212x, this huge galaxy was an amazing sight and overfilled the 23' field (at least 25' in length). Near the core were two small, prominent HII knots ([HK83]#14 and [WS83] #1). A couple of additional low surface brightness knots, [HK83]#10, were visible further east along the mottled extensions. The appearance was asymmetric with the brighter WNW section bulging slightly.
17.5" (11/1/86 and 12/3/88): very large, edge-on 6:1
WNW-ESE, 16'x3'. Very asymmetric with a bright, elongated western
portion, darker center and a faint, nearly detached eastern section (
13.1" (11/5/83): fairly bright, very large. The very faint eastern portion is near detached from the bright WNW section.
8" (9/25/81): very large, very elongated, brighter to the west, very faint eastern section.
15x50 IS binoculars (10/21/06): although very low in the southern sky, NGC 55 was visible as a faint, relatively large elongated patch using handheld IS binoculars. NGC 55 is easy to locate 3.8° NW of Alpha Phe as the galaxy is exactly collinear with three mag 7 stars to the east that are aligned from east to west.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 55 = D 507 = h2315 on 7 Jul 1826 from Parramatta, New South Wales. Using his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector, he described it as "a beautiful long nebula, about 25' in length; position N.p. and S.f., a little brighter towards the middle, but extremely faint and diluted to the extremities. I see several minute points or stars in it, as it were through the nebula: the nebulous matter of the south extremity is extremely rare, and of a delicate bluish hue. This is a beautiful object." Dunlop observed the galaxy on 4 nights and made a simple sketch (Figure 21).
John Herschel first observed this galaxy from the Cape on 3
May 1834: "bright; very large; very much elongated in a long irregular
train, the preceding end being much the brightest. Whole length = 1.5 diam. of
field, or 22' The nucleus is either a double star or a much more sharply
terminated nebulous mass, elongated in a different position (146.5 ) from that
of the nebula (109.8 )." He observed it again on 23 October 1835,
recording it as "very bright; very large; very much elongated; at least 25'
long and 3' broad. The following part is faint, the preceding and shorter
trinuclear the 2d, nucleus taken. A strange object." His final observation
on 4 October 1836 reads: "very bright, very large; a very long irregular
crooked ray with 3 nuclei, the second of which appears to consist of
stars." His sketch of the galaxy (fig. 8, plate IV) clearly shows its
convoluted form and three brighter sections. In his discussion, he grouped it
together with the galaxy
Joseph Turner sketched NGC 55 using the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope on 29 Oct 1875 (plate I, figure 2 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae made with the Great Melbourne Telescope from 1869 to 1885"). He reported "The present appearance agrees well with H.'s description and drawing. The 'following' portion is now much fainter than shown by H.'s sketch; indeed it is so very faint that its exact outlines cannot with certainty be determined, a faint whitishness being all that can be made out, while the star-like appearance described by H. in his portion cannot now be seen. The 'preceding' portion is still, as shown by H., much the brightest. There are still three nuclei, the centre one of which is much the brightest. H. says this one appears to consist of stars; but although I have tried several powers, I cannot with any certainty, determine this point, although it has, at times, a sparkling appearance. The 'following' portion of this nebula appears to have become much fainter since H. observed it." Turner's sketch shows the bright knot on the eastern end of the galaxy.
Lewis Swift reported the eastern section (Sw. 11-2) as a new object: "eeeF; vL; eE; close f NGC 55; f of 2." As a result, Dreyer assigned it as IC 1537, though this section was sketched by both Dunlop and John Herschel (plate IV, #8).
The photographic appearance of the fainter eastern portion caused confusion. In 1940, Harlow Shapley and J.S. Paraskevopoulo wrote NGC 55 was "possibly two overlapping systems, similarly inclined, with similar internal structure? The third interpretation, suggested in conversation by Dr. G.Z. Dimitroff, is lent color by the appearance of the object on small-scale long-exposure plates, where it appears to be a double, edge-on spiral, without nuclei and with the components differing perhaps three magnitudes in total brightness. Strong absorption may conceal nuclear regions; but a number of spirals that appear to be devoid of a central nucleus or strong central concentration are now known. It may well be that such objects will need to be recognized as forming a distinct class."
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00 15 24 +12 26; Psc
= Not found, Carlson and Corwin.
John Herschel found NGC 56 = h12 on 13 Oct 1825 and logged "about this place a considerable space seems affected by nebulosity." Neither Guillaume Bigourdan nor Édouard Stephan found anything near Herschel's position and nothing was found on Mount Wilson and Lick photographs. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. See Corwin's notes for more.
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00 15 30.9 +17 19 43; Psc
V = 11.6; Size 2.2'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40°
24" (9/16/17): at 375x; moderately bright and large,
round, diffuse outer halo, 1'-1.2' diameter, but well concentrated with a small
bright core and occasional sharp stellar nucleus.
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 57 = H. II-241 = H. II-243 = h13 on 8 Oct 1784 (sweep 286) and recorded (for H. II-241) "pS, cometic, but hazy weather." A couple of nights later he logged this galaxy again as H. II-243, "faint, small, irregularly round." In the GC, John Herschel notes that Auwers misidentified H. II-243, which is identical to H. II-241 (the confusion was caused by an omitted offset star). This galaxy was observed 7 times at Birr Castle and the 26 Oct 1854 observation reads "vF, I think it is resolvable [mottled]."
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00 14 30.7 -07 10 04; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 47.
Lewis Swift found NGC 58 = Sw. 5-3 on 21 Oct 1886, in a trio with NGC 50 and NGC 54, with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. There is nothing at Swift's position but his description reads "vF, pS, R, wide D * near sp; 3rd of 3." Herbert Howe, using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory, was unable to find NGC 58 on two nights and suggested that NGC 58 was a duplicate of NGC 47, discovered earlier by Wilhelm Tempel in 1886. This requires that Swift's RA for NGC 58 was 1.1 minutes too large. Despite Swift's comment "3rd of 3", his description of a "wide D[ouble] star nr sp" applies to NGC 47, making this equivalence very likely. Dreyer repeats Howe's efforts in the IC II Notes and adds "probably = [NGC] 47". See Corwin's notes for the full story.
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00 15 25.3 -21 26 42; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 127°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, large bright core. There are four mag 13-14 stars to the west.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 59 = LM 1-1 on 10 Nov 1885 and
recorded "pS, irregularly round, lE 120°". His very rough RA (to nearest tmin) is coincidentally just
0.2 tmin E of
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00 15 58.4 -00 18 13; Psc
V = 14.4; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 155°
17.5" (8/20/88): extremely faint, small, round. A mag 15 star is off the west
edge. Located 17' due east of mag
8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 60 = St. 12-4 on 28 Oct 1875. His published position (list 12, #4) was made 7 years later on 2 Nov 1882 with description "eeF; vS; R; slightly condensed towards the center."
******************************
00 16 24.5 -06 19 21; Psc
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5" (8/20/88): this is a double system with the
brighter component (
William Herschel discovered NGC 61 = H. III-428 = h14 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435). He logged "very faint; very small; irregular figure." John Herschel called it "faint; round; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 15" diameter." The declination in RNGC (copied from MCG) is 5' too large. MCG and RC3 label the brighter component as NGC 61A.
******************************
00 17 05.5 -13 29 13; Cet
V = 11.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 130°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, small, oval WSW-ENE,
weak concentration. Located
between mag 7.2
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 62 = St. 13-2 on 8 Oct 1883
(date position was reduced) and recorded "F, vS, R, gradually little
brighter middle." His
position matches
******************************
00 17 45.5 +11 27 01; Psc
V = 11.6; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 108°
17.5" (12/19/87): fairly bright, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W, bright core, stellar nucleus.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 63 = Sf. 96 on 27 Aug 1865
with the 11-inch Merz refractor at Copenhagen and recorded (combining two
observations) "class II, round, 35", mag 16 nucleus; lying between
two mag 12 and 13 stars, the first precedes the nebula by 9.7 sec." His position and description matches
Truman Safford made an independent discovery on 30 Sep 1867 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. Hermann Vogel made an observation on 16 Aug 1868 (he credited d'Arrest) with the 8.5" refractor at the Leipzig Observatory, as well as Édouard Stephan at Marseilles Observatory on 18 Sep 1871.
Birr Castle assistant J.L.E. Dreyer observed NGC 63 on 30 Oct 1877. He logged, "pB, pS, oval p f, suddenly much brighter middle. Inside a triangle of 3 st 12, one of them in PA 268.9 (W), Dist 143.7", the 2 others about the same distance np and f."
******************************
00 17 30.3 -06 49 30; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. An anonymous galaxy (2MASXi J0018358-070255) lies 21' SE.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 64 = Sw. 5-4 on 21 Oct 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 17 sec of RA east and 1.6' south of MCG -01-01-068 = PGC 1149. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
******************************
00 18 58.7 -22 52 50; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 178°
17.5" (8/20/88): faint, small, round. Located 2.6' WNW of mag 8.8 SAO
166184. Forms a pair with
Frank Muller discovered NGC 65 = LM 2-278, along with NGC
66, in 1886. His position is 1.0
minute of RA west of
******************************
NGC 66 = ESO 473-010 = MCG -04-02-002 = PGC 1236
00 19 05 -22 56 18; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 32°
17.5" (8/20/88): faint, small, slightly elongated
SSW-NNE, even surface brightness.
Located 1.4' S of mag 8.8
Frank Muller discovered NGC 66 = LM 2-279, along with NGC
65, in 1886. His position is 1 min
of RA west and 1' south of
******************************
00 18 12.2 +30 03 19; And
V = 15.6; Size 0.45'x0.3'; PA = 112°
24" (9/15/12): very faint, very small, round,
12"-15" diameter, just visible continuously. This galaxy is at the
west end of the
18" (11/14/09): this galaxy and PGC 1185 were the faintest members viewed in the NGC 68 group. NGC 67 appeared as a mag 16 threshold glow 1.7' SW of NGC 68. It required averted to occasionally glimpse, though a few times I could tell it was elongated. In a 22" scope, I was able to hold this galaxy continuously at over 400x.
PGC 1185 was occasionally glimpsed as a threshold
"star" sandwiched between this galaxy and NGC 68 (0.8' from both
galaxies). Most sources identify
PGC 1185 as NGC 67 and this galaxy as
17.5" (8/27/87): extremely faint and small. First in the NGC 68 group of 9 with NGC
68 0.9' NE,
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 67 on 7 Oct 1855, while observing and sketching the NGC 68 group (plate XXV, fig 1 in the 1861 publication). PGC 1185 (close northeast) is misidentified as NGC 67 in various sources including Megastar. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 68 = Arp 113 = VV 166b = Holm 6a = UGC 170 = MCG +05-01-065 = CGCG 499-106 = WBL 007-008 = PGC 1187
00 18 18.5 +30 04 18; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x1.1'
24" (9/15/12): at 322x appeared fairly faint to
moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, high surface
brightness though contains a brighter nucleus. One of the brighter members in a dense group of galaxies and
forms a tight trio with NGC 70 1.0' NE and NGC 71 1.3' SE. In addition,
18" (11/14/09): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter. Appears as a compact knot (like a core) of moderate surface brightness with no outer halo. Forms the southwest vertex of a tight trio with NGC 70 and NGC 71 in a dense group.
17.5" (8/27/87): faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, weak concentration. This galaxy is the brightest in a compact group and first in an interconnected trio with NGC 70 1.0' NE and NGC 71 1.2' SE. An extremely difficult galaxy, NGC 67, is just 0.9' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 68 = H. V-16 = h15 on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) and recorded "extremely faint, 5 or 6' dia, 3 or 4 stars in it; but they seem to have connection with it." This is the only galaxy credited to Herschel in the compact group, but he placed it in his fifth class of "large" nebulae, so doesn't apply to a single small galaxy. Instead, Harold Corwin feels it's likely that Herschel saw the merged glow of NGC's 68, 70, and 71 (3 brightest in a small triangle in the core) and I agree, based on his size estimate.
John Herschel made a similar observation. On 16 Sep 1828 (sweep 178) he wrote "An extr faint cluster with nebulosity, 5' diam. Several *s 15...18m. Seen distinctly, but there is also unresolved nebulosity.
Birr Castle assistant made a sketch of NGC 67, 68, 69, 70,
71, 72, 74 (Plate XXV, Fig. 1, 1861 LdR publication) on 7 Oct 1855. The NGC position matches
******************************
NGC 69 = Arp 113 = VV 166e = Holm 6f = MCG +05-01-066 = CGCG 499-105 = WBL 007-007 = PGC 1191
00 18 20.5 +30 02 24; And
V = 14.8; Size 0.5'x0.3'
24" (9/15/12): faint, very small, round, 15"
diameter, bright quasi-stellar nucleus.
Member of the compact NGC 68 group and first in a string with
18" (11/14/09): very faint, extremely small, round, 15" diameter. Located 1.6' SSE of NGC 71 and a similar separation due west of NGC 72.
17.5" (8/27/87): extremely faint and small, faint stellar nucleus. In the core of the NGC 68 group with NGC 67 1.8' NW, NGC 71 1.6' NNE, NGC 72 1.8' E.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 69 on
7 Oct 1855, while observing the NGC 68 group. It's clearly shown on the sketch on plate XXV in the 1861
publication. The NGC position matches
******************************
NGC 70 = Arp 113 = VV 166a = Holm 6c = UGC 174 = MCG +05-01-067 = CGCG 499-108 = WBL 007-010 = IC 1539 = PGC 1194
00 18 22.6 +30 04 47; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 0°
24" (9/15/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated ~N-S. Extends between two mag 14 stars separated by 42". Sharply concentrated with a small, high surface brightness core and a much fainter halo.
18" (11/14/09): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, sandwiched between two mag 13.5-14 stars at the NNE and SW ends [42" separation]. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright core and a diffuse, low surface brightness halo that might extend to 0.8'x0.6', though the stars confuse the extent of the halo. Forms the northern member of a very tight trio with NGC 71 1' SSE and NGC 68 1' SW. A total of 9 members were viewed within a 7' circle!
17.5" (8/27/87): very faint, very small, round, small bright core. Located in the core of NGC 68 group and nearly between two mag 13.5 stars 25" NE and 20" SSW. In an interconnected trio with NGC 68 1.0' SW and NGC 71 1.0' SSE.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 70 on
7 Oct 1855 while observing the NGC 68 group. It was accurately placed on the sketch (plate XXV, fig 1) in
the 1861 publication. The NGC
position matches
Heber Curtis, in his 1918 description of nebulae photographed with the Crossley reflector at Lick, misidentified NGC 70 as NGC 68.
******************************
NGC 71 = Arp 113 = VV 166c = Holm 6b = UGC 173 = MCG +05-01-068 = CGCG 499-107 = WBL 007-009 = PGC 1197
00 18 23.5 +30 03 48; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4
24" (9/15/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, sharply concentrated with a high surface brightness 0.4' core and a much fainter halo to 40" diameter. In a tight group of 10 galaxies including NGC 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, along with numerous stars mixed in! A mag 14 star is 40" ENE.
18" (11/14/09): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter. Compact appearance with a fairly high uniform surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is close following [38" ENE]. Forms the SE vertex of a tight equilateral triangle of galaxies with NGC 68 and NGC 70.
17.5" (8/27/87): very faint, small, oval ~E-W, weak concentration. Member of the NGC 68 group and third in a close trio with NGC 68 1.2' NW and NGC 70 1.0' NNW.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 71 on 7 Oct 1855 while observing the NGC 68 group. It was accurately placed on the sketch (plate XXV, fig 1) in the 1861 publication. Heinrich d'Arrest independently found the galaxy on 23 Sep 1865.
******************************
NGC 72 = Arp 113 = VV 166d = Holm 6d = UGC 176 = MCG +05-01-069 = CGCG 499-109 = WBL 007-011 = PGC 1204
00 18 28.3 +30 02 26; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 15°
24" (9/15/12): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 30"x24", very small brighter nucleus. Member of the compact NGC 68 group and in a string with NGC 60 1.7' W and NGC 72A 1.3' ESE.
18" (11/14/09): faint, small, slightly elongated, 35"x30" diameter, low even surface brightness. Located 2-3' SE of a tight trio (NGC 68/70/71). NGC 72A, an extremely compact galaxy, lies 1.3' E.
17.5" (8/27/87): very faint, very small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. Located in the core of the NGC 68 group with NGC 72A 1.3' ESE, NGC 69 1.8' W, NGC 71 1.7' NW.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 72 on
7 Oct 1855 while observing the NGC 68 group. It was accurately placed on the sketch (plate XXV, fig 1) in
the 1861 publication. The NGC
position matches
******************************
00 18 39.0 -15 19 20; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 145°
17.5" (8/20/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core. A mag 14/15 double star is close following (separation of 24" oriented SW-NE).
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 73 = Sw. 5-5 on 21 Oct 1886 with
a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and logged "vF; S; R; vF D*
close following." His
position is 30" N of
******************************
00 18 49.3 +30 03 42; And
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 130°
24" (9/15/12): faint or fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 0.6'x0.25', broad weak concentration. On the east side of the NGC 67-72 group, 5.6' due east of NGC 71.
18" (11/14/09): extremely faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 0.6'x0.2'. Appears as a phantom streak with averted vision. Located ~6' E of the NGC 68/70/71 triple and furthest east member of the group.
17.5" (8/27/87): very faint, small, elongated NW-SE, diffuse, even surface brightness. Located 6' E of NGC 71 at the east edge of the NGC 68/NGC 70 group.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 74 on
7 Oct 1855 while observing the NGC 68 group. It was accurately placed on the sketch (plate XXV, fig 1) in
the 1861 publication. Bigourdan
measured an accurate position on 29 Sep 1886, matching
******************************
00 19 26.4 +06 26 57; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5" (8/20/88): faint, small, round, bright core,
stellar nucleus. Located 5' SE of
an isosceles triangle of mag 11/12 stars with sides 1.3', 1.6' and 1.7'. Mag 7.2
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 75 = Sw. 5-6 on 22 Oct 1886 with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 6 sec of RA west and 48" north of UGC 182 = PGC 1255.
******************************
00 19 37.8 +29 56 01; And
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 80°
24" (8/31/16): fairly faint to moderately bright,
fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 30"x25", very small bright
nucleus. Forms a close pair with
17.5" (8/27/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, small bright core.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 76 = Big. 1 on 22 Sep 1884 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory. This was Bigourdan's first discovery.
******************************
00 20 01.6 -22 31 56; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5" (12/20/95): extremely faint spot on the threshold
of visibility with averted vision.
Only glimpsed for moments several times although sighting certain. Located 3.1' ESE of a mag 11.5
star. Next closest is a 14th mag
star 4.0' WSW. Incorrectly
identified in the RNGC as
17.5" (10/21/95): not seen, though viewed through thin clouds.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 77 = LM 2-280 in 1886 using the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick observatory in Charlottesville,
Virginia. Although the discovery
positions at the observatory were generally very imprecise due to poorly
calibrated circles (in this case off by 30 tsec in RA), Howe measured an
accurate position (given in the IC 2 Notes section), which matches
******************************
00 20 27.5 +00 50 01; Psc
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80°
17.5" (8/20/88): this is a double system with the southwestern member appearing faint, very small, round, bright core. The companion is attached at the northeast end and appears very faint, very small, round, low even surface brightness. The two components are separated by just 30" and within a common halo.
Carl Frederick Pechüle discovered NGC 78 around 1876 using
the 11-inch Merz refractor at the Copenhagen Observatory. The discovery must have been
communicated directly to Dreyer as it was included in the GC Supplement (5094),
but there was no published announcement.
The NGC position is 1.5' north of
******************************
00 21 02.9 +22 34 00; And
V = 14.0; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
18" (11/22/08): fairly faint, small, round, 25"
diameter, broad weak concentration.
This member of the
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, fairly small, almost round,
broad concentration. Located at
the NW end of the NGC 80 group 9.1' NW of
13.1" (9/29/84): faint, very small, slightly elongated.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 79 = Big. 2, along with
NGC 86 and 94, on 14 Nov 1884 with the 12" at the Paris Observatory at the
NW end of the NGC 80 group. His
position matches
******************************
NGC 80 = UGC 203 = MCG +04-02-004 = CGCG 479-006 = WBL 009-003 = PGC 1351
00 21 10.9 +22 21 26; And
V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
18" (11/22/08): this giant lenticular galaxy is the
brightest in a visually rich group (WBL 009), with 20 galaxies viewed in a 25'
circle. At 283x it appeared fairly
bright, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very bright 30" core that
increases to the center and a much fainter outer halo. The closest cluster members are
17.5" (9/19/87): moderately bright, fairly small, sharp
concentration, very bright core, stellar nucleus. Brightest in a group with NGC 81, 83, 85, 86, 91, 93, 94,
96,
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, fairly small, almost round, small bright core.
John Herschel discovered NGC 80 = h16 on 17 Aug 1828 and
noted "faint; small; round; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle;
15" diameter." The NGC
80 group was observed 5 times by Lord Rosse's assistants. On 19 Sep 1857, R.J. Mitchell wrote,
"S; R; or nearly so; and little brighter in the middle." The NGC position matches
******************************
00 21 13.3 +22 22 58; And
V = 15.2; Size 0.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 84°
18" (11/22/08): this companion to NGC 80 appeared extremely faint and small, round, just 6"-10" diameter. A mag 15 star lies 0.7' NNW. Located 1.7' NNE of NGC 80.
17.5" (9/19/87): extremely faint and small, slightly elongated. Two mag 15 stars are close NW, the nearer star is 40" NW. Located just 1.6' NNE of NGC 80 in a group.
Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 81 on 15 Nov 1873 during one
of the observations with Lord Rosse's 72" of the GC 38 = NGC 80
group. Copeland described a
"F neb, fairly certain. Pos 212.3°, dist 219.5" from [NGC
83]". His micrometric offset
matches
******************************
00 21 17.4 +22 27 42; And
= *, Corwin and Carlson.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 82 = Big. 3 on 23 Oct 1884 with the 12" at the Paris Observatory. According to Corwin, Bigourdan's offset matches a star at 00 21 17.4 +22 27 42 (2000). NGC 82 is incorrectly equated with NGC 83 in the MCG.
******************************
NGC 83 = UGC 206 = MCG +04-02-005 = CGCG 479-008 = WBL 009-004 = PGC 1371
00 21 22.5 +22 26 01; And
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.4
18" (11/22/08): fairly faint, small, round, 20"-24" diameter, weak concentration. Cradled by three brighter mag 10-10.5 stars off the following side with the closest 0.9' SSE. NGC 83 is the brightest in a subgroup that is currently "falling into" the larger NGC 80 subgroup.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, slightly elongated
NW-SE, broad concentration. This
is the second brightest member of the NGC 80 group with NGC 80 5.3' SSW and the
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, very small, round. Three mag 10 stars follow. Located 5' NE of NGC 80 is a group.
John Herschel discovered NGC 83 = h17 on 17 Aug 1828 and recorded "E; perhaps bicentral; makes trapezium with three B stars." R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant on 26 Oct 1854, noted "round and brighter in the middle." Édouard Stephan made an observation on 2 Nov 1877 and Engelhardt measured an accurate micrometric position.
This galaxy is identified as NGC 82/83 in MCG although NGC 82 refers to a star.
******************************
00 21 21.3 +22 37 03; And
= *, Thomson and Corwin. Incorrectly identified in the RNGC as MCG +04-02-010.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 84 = Big. 4 on 14 Nov 1884 with the 12" at the Paris Observatory. At his position is a single star. The RNGC misidentifies MCG +04-02-010 as NGC 84. The identification was discussed in the Webb Society Quarterly Journal for July, 1991.
******************************
00 21 25.5 +22 30 43; And
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
18" (11/22/08): faint, very small, slightly elongated, ~18"x15". Forms a very close pair with IC 1546 = NGC 85B just 0.9' SE within the NGC 80 cluster. Situated between NGC 83 4.7' S and NGC 86 2.8' N.
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. Forms a close pair with IC 1546 = NGC 85B 53" ESE and NGC 83 lies 5' S.
13.1" (9/29/84): extremely faint, very diffuse, small, almost round. Located 5' N of NGC 83.
Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 85 on 15 Nov 1873 using Lord
Rosse's 72" and recorded "eeF, cL, R neb, was certainly and
repeatedly seen. Pos 7.4°, dist
289.2" or 2.7s f, 4'46" N of [N83]. His micrometric offset points directly at
******************************
NGC 86 = MCG +04-02-009 = CGCG 479-011 = WBL 009-007 = PGC 1383
00 21 28.6 +22 33 24; And
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 9°
18" (11/22/08): this member of the NGC 80 group appeared faint, very small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~20"x14". Elongated in the direction of a mag 12.5 star located just 0.7' S of center. NGC 85 lies 2.8' S.
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, very small, elongated ~N-S. A mag 12.5 star is 35" S. MCG +04-02-010 (incorrectly identified in RNGC as NGC 84) lies 2.2' NNE. Located 4' N of NGC 85 in the NGC 80 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): extremely faint, very small, round. A mag 13 star is close S.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 86 = Big. 5 on 14 Nov 1884 with the 12" at the Paris Observatory, along with NGCs 79 and 94.
******************************
00 21 14.2 -48 37 42; Phe
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): fairly faint,
fairly small, irregularly round, 0.7' diameter, low even surface
brightness. Westernmost and second
faintest in the compact Phoenix Quartet (Rose 34) with
John Herschel discovered NGC 87 = h2316 (along with NGC 88, 89, 92) on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "eF, vS, R, gradually brighter in the middle, first of four." The next sweep two nights later he logged "eF; S; R. The first of a group of four nebulae."
******************************
NGC 88 = ESO 194-010 = Rose 34 = AM 0018-485 = PGC 1370 = Robert's Quartet = Phoenix Group
00 21 22.0 -48 38 24; Phe
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 145°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, very small bright core. An extremely faint star is attached at the SW end. This galaxy is the faintest in the Phoenix Quartet (Rose 34) and centered in an equilateral triangle of galaxies with NGC 87 1.5' NW, NGC 92 1.9' NE and NGC 89 1.5' S.
John Herschel discovered NGC 88 = h2317 (along with NGC 87, 89 and 92) on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "eF, vS, R, 2nd of 4, in centre of gravity of the others.".
******************************
NGC 89 = ESO 194-011 = Rose 34 = AM 0018-485 = SCG 0018-4854 = PGC 1374 = Robert's Quartet = Phoenix Group
00 21 24.4 -48 39 55; Phe
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 148°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5', very small slightly brighter core, faint stellar nucleus. Has a slightly higher surface brightness than NGC 92. Furthest southern member of the compact Phoenix Quartet (Rose 34) with NGC 87, 88, and 92. NGC 88 lies 1.5' N and a faint star is 43" N (at the midpoint to NGC 88).
John Herschel discovered NGC 89 = h2318 (along with NGC 87, 88 and 92) on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "vF; S; R; gradually brighter in the middle. The 3rd of four."
******************************
00 21 51.4 +22 24 00; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 113°
48" (10/30/16): at 488x and 610x; bright, oval 3:2 E-W,
sharply concentrated with a very bright roundish core (slightly elongated at
610x) and a fairly large oval halo, ~60"x40". A spiral arm is visible on the
northwest side, curling clockwise to the south but the long, thin tidally
stretched extensions to the northwest and southeast were not seen. Forms a striking (interacting) pair
with
NGC 90 = Arp 65 was classified as a Spiral galaxy with
small, high surface-brightness companions on arms.
18" (11/22/08): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, 0.5'x0.35'; contains a small, round, brighter core. NGC 93 lies 2.8' ENE and a mag 12 star is 1.4' SW.
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, small (only the central portion of the galaxy observed), slightly elongated, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 1.3' SW. Forms a pair with NGC 93 2.8' E. Located on the east side of the NGC 80 group 7.0' ESE of NGC 83.
13.1" (9/29/84): very faint, elongated NW-SE. A mag 13 star is 1' SW.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 90 and
93 on 26 Oct 1854. His description mentioned "Several S; F neb visible at
once in finder" so John Herschel assumed at least 3 objects were
discovered, which he catalogued as GC 40, 41, 42. But a sketch of the NGC 90 field shows only two nebulae
labeled as Alpha (now NGC 90) and Beta (now NGC 93). Herman Schultz observed the field on 17 Oct 1866 with the
9.6" refractor at Uppsala and measured an object he thought was GC 40, but
was actually Mitchell's Alpha. His
micrometric position matches
Modern catalogues misidentify UGC 208 as NGC 91 but Schultz's position for NGC 91 falls precisely on a very faint star 1.9' S. This misidentification may have originated in Curtis' description of nebulae (1918) based on Crossley photographs at Lick observatory. See Corwin's notes for further discussion.
******************************
00 21 51.6 +22 22 06; And
V = 14.8
48" (10/30/16): this number applies to a mag 14.8 star 1.9' due south of the center of NGC 90 = Arp 65.
Herman Schultz discovered NGC 91 on 17 Oct 1866 with the 9.6" refractor at Uppsala Observatory. Schultz's micrometric position of 00 21 52.1 +22 22 06 (2000) pinpoints NGC 91 as a mag 15 star at 00 21 51.6 +22 22 06. Lord Rosse and d'Arrest are credited with this number in the NGC, but Corwin notes this star was not mentioned in the Birr Castle observations of the field nor by d'Arrest. All modern catalogues misidentify NGC 90 = UGC 208 = PGC 1405 as NGC 91.
******************************
NGC 92 = ESO 194-012 = Rose 34 = AM 0018-485 = PGC 1388 = Robert's Quartet = Phoenix Group
00 21 31.6 -48 37 30; Phe
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 144°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): this galaxy is the brightest member and furthest east in the compact Phoenix Quartet (Rose 34). It appeared moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.6', broad concentration to a bright core. The faint tidal tail to the SE was not seen. The nearby members of the quartet are NGC 87 2.9' W, NGC 88 1.9' SW and NGC 89 2.6' SSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 92 = h2319 (along with NGC 87, 88 and 89) on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "F, R, gradually brighter in the middle; 20" across. The last of four"."
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NGC 93 = Arp 65 = UGC 209 = MCG +04-02-012 = CGCG 479-015 = WBL 009-010 = PGC 1412
00 22 03.3 +22 24 29; And
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 48°
48" (10/30/16): at 488x and 610x; very bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 or 7:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.3', well concentrated with an intense core that elongates into a bar with averted vision. A low surface brightness outer halo increases the size to 1.0'x0.45'. Three mag 13.5-14 stars are close following. Forms a striking interacting pair with NGC 90 2.8' WSW.
18" (11/22/08): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, 0.5'x0.2', contains a very small brighter core. A triangle of mag 13.5-14 stars follows by 1'-2'. NGC 90 lies 2.8' W.
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, very small, oval SW-NE, faint stellar nucleus, bright core. This is a double system with an anonymous companion 35" S. Three mag 13.5-14 stars follow at 1.2' E, 1.9' E and 1.9' ESE forming a small right triangle. Forms a pair with NGC 90 2.8' W at the east side of the NGC 80 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, very elongated. There is a trio of very faint stars to the east.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 93 and 90 on 26 Oct 1854 and labeled it as "Beta" on his sketch. The description mentions "Several S; F neb visible at once in finder" so John Herschel assumed at least 3 objects were discovered, which he catalogued as GC 40, 41, 42, but only two are labeled on the sketch. NGC 93 was independently found by Heinrich d'Arrest on 5 Oct 1864 and catalogued by Dreyer as GC(S) 5098, as he was unsure of the positions and identifications. Stephan observed NGC 90 and 93 (identified as GC 5097 and 5098) on 12 Oct 1869. The two GC entries, #42 and #5098, were combined under NGC 93.
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00 22 13.6 +22 28 59; And
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 25°
18" (11/22/08): faint, very small, elongated 4:3,
~20"x15". This member of
the NGC 80 group forms a nearly contact pair with
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, very small, round, small bright core. Forms a close pair with an anonymous galaxy (2MASX J00221387+2228242) 35" SSE. Located on the east edge of the NGC 80 group.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 94 = Big. 6 on 14 Nov
1884 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory, along with NGCs 79,
86 and 96. His position is a
reasonable match with
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00 22 13.6 +10 29 31; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 75°
17.5" (12/19/87): moderately bright, moderately large, round, bright core, very faint stellar nucleus, diffuse halo. A mag 12 star is 2.0' NE of center.
13.1" (12/19/87): faint, small, round, weak concentration.
William Herschel discovered NGC 95 = H. II-257 = h19 on 18 Oct 1784 (sweep 298) and logged "F, S, R, little brighter in the middle." He found it again on 23 Nov 1785 (sweep 477) and noted "F, pL, mbM, iR." John Herschel made the single observation "vF; pL; R; gradually brighter in the middle."
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NGC 96 = MCG +04-02-014 = PGC 1429
00 22 17.8 +22 32 47; And
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6
18" (11/22/08): very faint, small, round, 24" diameter, irregular surface brightness. Occasionally a faint star at the edge or possibly a stellar nucleus sparkles. Last of 20 galaxies viewed in the NGC 80 group. The SDSS reveals a faint star is superimposed.
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, very small, slightly larger but more diffuse than NGC 94. Located at the NE edge of the NGC 80 group.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 96 = Big. 7 on 24 Oct 1884 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory. 10 days earlier he discovered NGCs 79, 86 and 94 in the NGC 80 group.
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00 22 30.0 +29 44 43; And
V = 12.3; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 30" WSW and a mag 14 star 1.3' WNW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 97 = h18 on 16 Sep 1828 and recorded "F; R; g; bM; 15"."
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00 22 49.5 -45 16 09; Phe
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 0°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, sharply concentrated with a bright core and very small bright nucleus.
John Herschel discovered NGC 98 = h2320 on 6 Sep 1834 and
recorded as "very faint; round; brighter in the middle;
resolvable." His position
(single observation) matches
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00 23 59.4 +15 46 12; Psc
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.2
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, fairly small, round, weak
concentration. A mag 14 star is
1.4' WNW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 99 = St. 13-3 on 8 Oct 1883 (date the position was reduced) and recorded "vF, R, 1' dia, gradually brighter in the middle."
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NGC 100 = UGC 231 = MCG +03-02-009 = CGCG 457-012 = FGC 42 = Holm 9a = PGC 1525
00 24 02.6 +16 29 10; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 5.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 56°
48" (11/8/15): bright, extremely large and thin edge-on 10:1 WSW-ENE, extends at least 4.0'x0.4'. A brighter central region extends ~2' in length and the outer extensions fade significantly and taper towards the tips as they dim out. A mag 15.3 star is just beyond the east end of the galaxy. Four mag 15.2-16.2 stars (in an E-W string) lie within 2.5' south of the galaxy.
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, thin edge-on 7:1 WSW-ENE, moderately large, 2.0'x0.3', weak concentration. NGC 99 lies 42' S.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 100 = Sw. 3-1 on 10 Nov 1885 with
a 16" refractor at his Warner Observatory. His description reads "vF; pS; vE" and the
position matches
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00 23 54.5 -32 32 12; Scl
V = 12.8; Size 2.2'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 84°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, fairly small, oval ~E-W, low surface brightness.
John Herschel discovered NGC 101 = h2321 on 25 Sep 1834 and
logged as "pretty bright; pretty large; a little elongated; 45";
precedes a star of 14th magnitude."
On a later sweep he noted "very faint; round or very little
elongated; gradually brighter in the middle; 15 arcseconds." So the two observation differ
significantly in terms of brightness.
His position matches
Pietro Baracchi observed this galaxy on 5 Oct 1885 with the Melbourne telescope and wrote "pF, pL, a little elongated following and preceding, about 70" long and 50" broad. A star 14m following, a little north. This object is not conspicuous - it is quite flat - or evenly lighted and the outline is not sharp."
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00 24 36.5 -13 57 22; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, round, bright core.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 102 = LM 1-3 in 1886 with the 26-inch refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and described as "0.2'. Round." His rough position is just 1' S of MCG -02-02-011 = PGC 1542.
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00 25 17 +61 19 18; Cas
V = 9.8; Size 5'
24" (1/4/14): at 125x and 260x, ~40 stars mag 12-15 were resolved, mostly within or near a distinctive 3.3' string oriented SSW-NNE. Two brighter mag 11.8/12.3 stars lie at the N end of the string, just detached from the richest clump of stars near the center of the cluster. Another sparser string of stars is parallel and just 1' W of the main string. A string of stars oriented N-S is detached to the SE of the main string. Observed with a 4 day moon up.
13.1" (10/20/84): 20 faint stars over unresolved haze, very elongated SSW-NNE. Two mag 11 stars are at the north end.
John Herschel discovered NGC 103 = h20 on 5 Oct 1829 and
recorded, "pS, p compressed cl; 3' diam; st 11...18m in 2 or 3 principal
branches. If this be VI 35 [NGC
136], there must be a mistake in my father's obs or mine of 6m in
RA." Herschel's conjecture
was wrong -
The first observation was made by William Herschel on 26 Nov 1788 (sweep 887). He noted "clustering, small stars, considerable rich", but didn't assign it a discovery number. He mentioned again, though, in his 1817 paper "Astronomical observations and experiments tending to investigate the local arrangement of the celestial bodies in space, and to determine the extent and conditions of the Milky Way."
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00 24 05.2 -72 04 50; Tuc
V = 4.0; Size 30.9'; Surf Br = 0.1
25" (10/26/22 - OzSky): viewed 47 Tuc at only 102x with a 48' field. The astonishing cluster seemed to fill the vast majority of the field, down to the intensely luminous core, which was distinctly yellow-ochre colored.
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; the core was distinctly orange-yellow. In addition, I immediately noted a couple of obvious orange supergiants at the south edge of the core and in the outer halo on the east side.
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 163x and 264x): absolutely stunning view in the 30" at 163x and 264x. Even in the 37' field of the 21mm Ethos, the stars appeared to fill the entire field, only thinning out near the edge. The pinpoint stars were amazingly packed, but increased in intensity to a relatively small, blazing core, which was plastered with resolved stars. The very center of the nucleus contained a small, intense knot overlaid with packed stars giving a strong impression of layers. I immediately noticed the core had a pale yellowish tint.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at low power (76x using a 27mm Panoptic) the blazing core had an unusual, pale yellow hue.
20" (7/8/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this was the best view I had of 47 Tucanae during the week. At 212x, the entire 23' field was packed edge-to-edge with pinpoint stars and the blazing, intense core, which had a yellowish tint, was resolved into a mesmerizing dense mat of stars. The halo extended to at least 30'.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x, this breathtaking globular was viewed at over 50° elevation and was stunningly resolved into several thousand stars out to a diameter of over 25'. The star density steadily increases towards the center. The relatively small 4' core was blazing and highly resolved right to the edge of a very small compressed nucleus. A 3-dimensional affect was very strong with layers of stars forming a dense mat over the core. Many of the stars in the halo are connected in chains and lanes. The 9 mm Nagler did a better job of busting apart the stars in the core, although the cluster overfilled the field at this power. Although the total visual magnitude is just slightly fainter than Omega Centauri and the size slightly smaller, 47 Tucanae is certainly equal if not surpassing Omega Centauri in visual impact due to its dazzling central blaze.
12.2" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): While at Bargo, I observed 47 Tucanae for the first time. Though still very low in the sky the view was thrilling. At 186x, the globular filled the 26' field with an uncountable number of stars. Strongly concentrated to an intense, blazing core which was only partially resolved at a low elevation. The highly resolved outer halo extended ~25' in an irregular outline while the central halo was very symmetric. This is the most prominent naked-eye GC as so much of its light is concentrated into the central core and it lies in a sparse field with no other rivals other than the SMC.
Naked-eye: easy 4th magnitude naked-eye blur just west of the SMC, seen many times from the southern hemisphere. Visible in a dark sky while very low in the sky and from suburban locations when higher in the sky.
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered the nebulous appearance of NGC 104 = Lac I-1 = D 18 = 47 Tucanae = h2322 in 1751-1752 with a 1/2-inch telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. It appeared "like the nucleus of a fairly bright comet." He placed it in group I, consisting of nebulae without stars. The cluster was noted, though, as a "star" in Bayer's Uranometria, which was first published in 1603. The designation "47 Tuc" comes from Bode's extension of Flamsteed numbers to the southern constellations (these are not used today except for 47 Tuc and 30 Dor).
With his 9-inch speculum reflector, James Dunlop logged "(47 Toucan, Bode) this is a beautiful large round nebula, about 8' diameter, very gradually condensed to the centre. This beautiful globe of light is easily resolved into stars of a dusky colour. The compression to the centre is very great, and the stars are considerably scattered south preceding and north following." His sketch (figure 1 in his catalogue) shows a beautifully resolved, elongated cluster.
John Herschel observed it for the first time on 11 Apr 1834 and logged "the great cluster preceding the Nubecula Minor. Estimated dia of the denser portion 5'; of the whole (not, however, including loose stragglers) 8'. Stars 14..16 mag. and one of 12th mag N.p. the centre. Excessively compressed. (N.B. In a sweep below the pole, when of course owing to the low altitude much of the light was lost.)" His observation of 12 Aug 1834 reads: "A most glorious cluster. The stars are equal, 14th mag., immensely numerous and compressed. Its last outliers extend to a distance of 2 min, 16 sec in RA from the centre. It is compressed to a blaze of light at the centre, the diameter of the more compressed part being 30 arcsec in RA. It is at first very gradual, then pretty suddenly very much brighter in the middle. It is completely insulated. After it has passed, the ground of the sky is perfectly black throughout the whole breadth of the sweep. There is a double star 11th mag. preceding the centre (Pos. 226.5 - 6.5 arcsec in RA from centre of neb.)" On 21 Sep 1835 he wrote: "Fills the field with its stragglers, condensation in three distinct stages, first very gradually, next pretty suddenly, and finally very suddenly very much brighter in the middle up to a central blaze whose diameter in RA is 13.5 sec and whose colour is ruddy or orange-yellow, which contrasts evidently with the white light of the rest. The stars are all nearly equal (12..14 mag). A stupendous object." His final record of the object was on 5 Nov 1836: "A most magnificent globular cluster. It fills the field with its outskirts, but within its more compressed part, I can insulate a tolerably defined circular space of 90" dia wherein the compression is much more decided and the stars seem to run together; and this part I think has a pale pinkish or rose-colour." In his diary Herschel also refers to the "Rose coloured central mass".
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00 25 16.8 +12 53 02; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 167°
17.5" (12/19/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration. Two mag 13.5 star lie 0.7' W and 1.4' ESE. Situated in a group of six mag 13/14 stars.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 105 = St. 13-4 = Sw. 5-7 on 15 Oct 1884 (date position reduced) with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. His description reads "eF, S, R, very little brighter middle". Lewis Swift independently found the galaxy again on 31 Oct 1886 and included it in his 5th discovery list (#7). His position is just 5 seconds of RA too small and the description "inside of and near [the] preceding corner of equilateral triangle" applies.
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00 24 43.8 -05 08 55; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 80°
17.5" (9/17/88): faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 106 = LM 1-4 in 1886 with
the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position in list I is 1.0
tmin E of
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00 25 42.1 -08 16 59; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140°
17.5" (9/17/88): very faint, very small, round, low even
surface brightness. Located 4.9'
NW of mag 7.8
Otto Struve discovered NGC 107 on 14 Jan 1866 with the 15-inch Merz & Mahler refractor at the Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg. It was found while unsuccessfully searching for Comet Biela. This is one of 4 NGC galaxies Struve discovered in his search (the comet never returned after 1852) and 3 others that had been previously discovered. MCG (-02-02-014) doesn't label this galaxy as NGC 107, although the identity is certain.
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00 25 59.8 +29 12 43; And
V = 12.1; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (10/17/87): moderately bright, fairly small, small very bright core, faint extensions SSW-NNE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 108 = H. III-148 = h21 on 11 Sep 1874 (sweep 266). He noted "very faint, pretty large, little brighter in the middle." John Herschel made two observations, logging on 16 Sep 1828 (sweep 178): "pretty bright; round; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle; 20" diameter."
Birr Castle assistant made an observation on 3 Nov 1855: "elongated sp nf, the arms being very faint, and preceding one rather the brighter, they are perhaps cut off from central Nucl. by dark spaces, but all this is very uncertain. Night not good."
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00 26 14.6 +21 48 27; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 77°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, oval ~E-W. Located about 75' SE of the NGC 80 group.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 109 = Au 3 on 8 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen (early discovery) and described it (combining two observations) as "vF, vS, R. Forms a quadrilateral with 3 stars." Auwers included it as #3 in his 1862 list of new nebulae.
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00 27 25.4 +71 23 27; Cas
17.5" (9/2/89): this is a loose group of mag 11-14 stars surrounding a mag 10 star. Near the bright star are several faint stars in a string. The status as a cluster is doubtful and this is very possibly a random grouping.
John Herschel discovered NGC 110 = h22 on 29 Oct 1831 and recorded "a very loose; p rich cl; *s 9...12m; *9m in middle taken."
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00 26 42 -02 38; Cet
= Not found, SG.
= possibly equal to
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 111 = LM 2-281 in 1886
and recorded "vF, vS, R, little brighter middle, *8.5, preceding 36s and
2' N, RA doubtful". There is
nothing at his position and the RNGC misidentifies
John Ponting has suggested NGC 111 is identical to NGC 758, though the RA is 1.5 hours off and the declination is 20' off. See Corwin's NGC ID notes for more on this suggestion.
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00 26 48.8 +31 42 11; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 108°
17.5" (11/25/87): faint, small, oval WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is 1.8' WSW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 112 = Sw. 2-9 on 17 Sep 1885 with
a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His RA is just 4 sec east of
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NGC 113 = MCG -01-02-016 = PGC 1656
00 26 54.6 -02 30 03; Cet
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 45°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright
core, faint stellar nucleus.
Located 43' S of the
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 113 = T. 1-1 = T. 4-1 on 27 Aug 1876 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. He described it as a "class III nebula, small, mag 14-15 nucleus."
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NGC 114 = UGC 259 = MCG +00-02-027 = CGCG 383-014 = PGC 1660
00 26 58.2 -01 47 11; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 165°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, round, very small bright
core. Forms a twin of
Truman Safford discovered NGC 114 = Sf. 114 = T. 4-2, along with NGC 118, on 23 Sep 1867 with the 18.5" Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. The discovery list was not published until 1887 so Safford wasn't credited in the NGC. Wilhelm Tempel independently found the galaxy on 27 Sep 1880 with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and included it in his 4th discovery paper. Tempel was credited with the discovery in the main NGC table.
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00 26 46.1 -33 40 36; Scl
V = 12.9; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 127°
17.5" (12/3/88): extremely faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE. An unequal double star is 1' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 115 = h2323 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "faint; large; very little elongated; 60" across; has a
double stars 2.5' distant N.p.".
His position and description matches
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00 27 05.2 -07 40 07; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 99°
17.5" (9/17/88): faint, fairly small, oval ~E-W, bright core. A mag 11 star is 2.5' SSW. The NGC identification of this galaxy is uncertain.
Gaspare Ferrari discovered NGC 116 = Nova #14 on 14 Jan 1866
while searching for Biela's Comet.
He was using the 9.5-inch Merz equatorial at the College Romain as an
assistant to Father Angelo Secchi (see AN 1571). There is nothing at his position but PGC 1671is 15' further
north and Corwin assigns it to NGC 116 (with uncertainty). MCG doesn't label this galaxy as NGC
116.
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00 27 11.0 +01 20 01; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 100°
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W. A mag 15 star is involved at the west edge 24" from center.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 117 = m 8 on 13 Sep 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and described as "F, vS." His position matches
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NGC 118 = UGC 264 = MCG +00-02-032 = CGCG 383-016 = III Zw 9 = PGC 1678
00 27 16.2 -01 46 49; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core. Forms a twin of NGC 114 4' W. NGC 124 lies 10' ESE.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 118 = Sf. 91 = T. 4-3, along with NGC 114, on 23 Sep 1867. Wilhelm Tempel found the galaxy again on 27 Sep 1880 (along with NGC 114 and NGC 124) with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and he was credited with the discovery in the NGC.
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00 26 57.6 -56 58 41; Phe
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; moderately bright and large, irregularly round, ~0.9'x0.8', smooth halo, sharply concentrated with a small, very bright nucleus. Sparsely populated star field.
John Herschel discovered NGC 119 = h2324 on 28 Oct 1834 and recorded "pretty bright; round; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle; 25" diameter." His position is accurate.
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00 27 30.0 -01 30 48; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 73°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, oval WSW-ENE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 16' NNE of the NGC 114/NGC 118 pair.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 120 = T. 4-4a on 27 Sep 1880. In his description of NGC 124 (4th entry in his 4th discovery list), he mentions he found another nebula 10' north of a mag 9.5 star (about 8' north of NGC 124). The NGC position is 5' too far north. Bigourdan measured an accurate mircrometric position on 16 Nov 1890 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
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00 26 48.3 -71 32 09; Tuc
V = 11.2; Size 1.5'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x appeared fairly bright, roundish, 1.3' diameter with a brighter core, no evident resolution. A mag 12 star lies just 1' W of center, a bit beyond the halo. NGC 121 is in the same low power field with 47 Tucanae and 35' SW of mag 6.1 Theta Tuc. This globular is the oldest and most luminous in the SMC, though it is still 2-3 Gyr younger than the oldest galactic globulars.
12.2" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): this is one known classical globular in the SMC. At 186x is appeared fairly faint, small, 1.5'x1' diameter, contains a small brighter core. There was no hint of resolution. Located 35' NNE of 47 Tucanae.
John Herschel discovered NGC 121 = h2325 on 20 Sep 1835 and logged as "pretty bright; a little extended; very gradually brighter in the middle; 40" dia." His position is accurate. It was described as a "Bright globular cluster, near 47 Tucanae" in the 1935 Harvard Observatory Bulletin 899 based on Bruce plates at Arequipa, Peru.
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00 27 38.3 -01 38 26; Cet
= *15?, Gottlieb and Corwin. Not found, RNGC
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 122 = T. 4-4b on 27 Sep 1880
(along with NGC 124) with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri
Observatory. Tempel noted two
nebulae 3'-4' north of a mag 9.5 star.
These numbers may refer to a pair of mag 15.5 stars about 5' NW of the
brighter star. If this is the
case, then NGC 122 is at 00 27 38.3
-01 38 26 (2000) and
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00 27 40.0 -01 37 39; Cet
= *15?, Gottlieb and Corwin. Not found, RNGC
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 123 = T. 4-4c on 27 Sep 1880 (along with NGC 120, 122 and 124) with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. In the observation, Tempel noted two nebulae 3'-4' north of a mag 9.5 star. These numbers may refer to a pair of mag 15.5 stars about 5' NW of the star. Assuming this identification is correct, then NGC 123 is at 00 27 40.0 -01 37 39 (2000). See Corwin's NGC ID notes.
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NGC 124 = UGC 271 = MCG +00-02-038 = CGCG 383-018 = PGC 1715
00 27 52.3 -01 48 38; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 168°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A pair of mag 14 stars are 1.8' W of center. Member of a group with NGC 114 and NGC 118 12' WNW.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 124 = Sf. 92 = T. 4-4d, along with NGC 114 and 118, on 23 Sep 1867. Wilhelm Tempel found the galaxy again on 27 Sep 1880 (along with NGC 114 and 118) with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and reported it as new in his 4th discovery paper. Tempel was credited in the NGC.
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00 28 50.3 +02 50 19; Psc
V = 12.1; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 85°
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright core ~15" diameter surrounded by a faint halo. A 20" pair of mag 12 stars is less than 1' S of center.
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, small, round, very
bright core, stellar nucleus. A
mag 12/13 double star at 20" separation oriented NNW-SSE lies 1' SW. Located 6' WSW of
13.1" (11/5/83): faint, small, round, small bright core. Two stars close SW are oriented N-S. Second brightest of three in the NGC 128 group.
William Herschel discovered NGC 125 = H. III-869 = h23,
along with NGC 128, on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and recorded "vF, vS, bM,
N.f. 2 small stars. 300 shewed it
very plainly in the field with the following [NGC 128]. The CGCG failed to label
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00 29 08.1 +02 48 40; Psc
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110°
18" (12/3/05): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 0.3'x0.2', weak concentration, low surface brightness but easy with averted vision and slightly brighter than the close companions to NGC 128. Located 3.6' SW of NGC 128 in a group of five. A mag 12 star lies.1.6' NW.
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, oval ~E-W?. Located 3.6' SSW of NGC 128 in a group.
13.1" (11/5/83): extremely faint, very small. Member of the NGC 128 group.
Bindon Blood Stoney probably discovered NGC 126 on 4 Nov
1850. Lord Rosse's 1861
publication mentions "3 others near [NGC 125 and 128]." But no diagram was given and only two
new objects -
Heinrich d'Arrest measured accurate positions on 19 and 21 Sep 1865 (published in 1867). Édouard Stephan possibly observed it on 23 Aug 1871 as he noted 5 objects in the field (but no separate positions). J.L.E. Dreyer, Lord Rosse's assistant, observed the field on 12 Dec 1874 and reported NGC 126 as "Suspected a nebulous knot between [NGC 125] and [NGC 128], a little south." A sketch in the 1880 publication accurately places NGC 126. Lord Rosse (1) and d'Arrest (2) were credited in the NGC.
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NGC 127 = MCG +00-02-050 = CGCG 383-029 = LGG 006-010 = PGC 1787
00 29 12.4 +02 52 21; Psc
V = 14.8; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 70°
18" (12/3/05): this very close companion to NGC 128 is
quite dim, appearing as an extremely faint knot just 12" diameter with no
details. It is fainter and closer
than
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, round. Located just 0.8' NW of NGC 128. Faintest of five in the NGC 128 group.
Bindon Blood Stoney and Lord Rosse discovered NGC 127 and NGC 130, on 4 Nov 1850, while observing NGC 128. Stoney reported "2 small objects [NGC 127/130] about equally distant from [NGC 128]. Both Lord Rosse and I thought they were small nebulae, they lie a little below the minor axis of [NGC 128]."
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NGC 128 = UGC 292 = MCG +00-02-051 = CGCG 383-029 = LGG 006-002 = PGC 1791
00 29 15.1 +02 51 51; Psc
V = 11.8; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 1°
18" (12/3/05): moderately bright and large, very elongated 7:2 N-S, 1.4'x0.4', sharply concentrated with a very bright core that gradually increases to a stellar nucleus. The N-S extensions fade out and taper towards the tips. Flanked on either side of the northern extension by two close companions, NGC 127 and NGC 130, less than 1' NW and 1' NE.
17.5" (10/8/88): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 N-S, bright core, stellar nucleus. Brightest in a group of five with two extremely close companions: NGC 127 0.8' NW and NGC 130 1.0' ENE. NGC 125 lies 6' WSW.
13.1" (11/5/83): fairly bright, fairly small, spindle N-S.
8" (8/16/82): faint, small, elongated N-S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 128 = H. II-854 = h25, along with NGC 125, on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and logged "pB, vS, R, very gradually much brighter middle, pretty well defined on the margin". Birr Castle assistant J.L.E. Dreyer observed this galaxy on 12 Dec 1874: "considerably elongated in PA 2.4°, much brighter middle, probably sharp on f side, and a little curved, convex side f; two stars (or eS nebulous knots perhaps?) follow very near."
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00 29 58.5 +60 12 43; Cas
V = 6.5; Size 21'
24" (1/4/14): at 125x and 260x, ~100 stars resolved in
a 10'x5' region elongated N-S. The
cluster is more compressed on the south side, where three mag 9 stars (HD
236429,
17.5" (8/29/92): 60 stars mag 10-15 in the 8'x6'
central region of the cluster formed by an isosceles triangle with vertex at
the south end. Each side of this
triangle includes a mag 10 star and most cluster members are contained within
triangle. No real boundaries and
many mag 15 stars are at the edges of this triangle. Mag 6.0
8": ring-shaped open cluster with stars mag 9-13. There is a line of stars to the north on the east edge.
William Herschel discovered NGC 129 = H. VIII-79 = h24 on 16 Dec 1788 (sweep 892) and logged "a coarsely scattered cluster of large stars, mixed with smaller ones, not very rich." John Herschel reported "a * 9m about middle of a vL, coarse sc rich cluster of *s 9..13 which more than fills field."
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NGC 130 = MCG +00-02-052 = CGCG 383-029 = LGG 00-011 = PGC 1794
00 29 18.5 +02 52 13; Psc
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 44°
18" (12/3/05): very faint, very small, slightly elongated SW-NE, ~0.3'x0.2', weak concentration, easy with averted vision. Slightly brighter of two companions to NGC 128 and situated just off the NE flank, 1.0' from center.
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, oval ~SW-NE, small bright core. Located 1.0' ENE of NGC 128. Second faintest of five in the NGC 128 group.
Bindon Blood Stoney and Lord Rosse discovered NGC 130 and NGC 127, on 4 Nov 1850, while observing NGC 128. Stoney described "2 small objects about equally distant from [NGC 128]. Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position (3 different nights) with the 11-inch at Copenhagen.
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00 29 38.3 -33 15 36; Scl
V = 13.2; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 63°
17.5" (12/3/88): very faint, very small, oval WSW-ENE,
weak concentration. A mag 14.5
star is off the ENE edge. Located
9' WSW of much brighter
John Herschel discovered NGC 131 = h2326 on 25 Sep 1834 and logged "pretty bright; pretty large; pretty much elongated; very gradually brighter in the middle." On a later sweep he noted "very faint; the preceding of two. The other [NGC 134] very large and bright."
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00 30 10.6 +02 05 34; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 40°
17.5" (11/6/88): fairly faint, moderately large, oval SSW-NNE, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.7' NE of center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 132 = H. II-855 = h26 on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985). He catalogued summary from 2 observations reads "pB, cL, irregularly round, resolvable, very gradually brighter middle, about 1 1/2' sp a vS star."
Birr Castle assistant Bindon Stoney logged on 6 Dec 1850: "R, F nucleus, 40" broad."
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00 31 17 +63 21 12; Cas
Size 7'
17.5" (10/13/90): about 15 stars including 5 brighter stars forming a "Y" asterism and 10 faint stars. One of the brightest stars is a very close double star (9.7/11.3 at 6") and a curving lane of very faint stars passes through this double star, not rich. This is the poorest of three clusters just north of Kappa Cassiopeia.
8" (8/16/82): group of 8 stars in "Y"
asterism, in field with open cluster
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 133 on 4 Feb 1865 with an 11" refractor at Copenhagen and recorded (single observation) a "double star in a group of scattered stars, mag 10 and fainter. Found while observing h28 [NGC 146]. The double star is mag 10 and 11 at a separation of 6"." His position and description matches this weak cluster.
******************************
NGC 134 = ESO 350-023 = MCG -06-02-012 = PGC 1851
00 30 21.5 -33 14 50; Scl
V = 10.4; Size 8.5'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 50°
17.5" (12/3/88): bright, fairly large, very elongated SW-NE, sharp concentration with a bright core and long faint arms. Two mag 13.5 stars are nearby; one at the preceding edge 40" NW of center and one on the opposite side of the core, 1.5' SE of center. NGC 131 is in the field 9' WSW.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly bright, very elongated SW-NE, small bright core, sharp edge along the west side. A star is off the preceding side.
8" (11/8/80): fairly faint, elongated, low surface brightness.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 134 = D 599 = D 590 = h2327 with his 9" reflector on 7 Jul 1826. His description for D 599 reads "very faint nebula, about 25" diameter, rather elliptical. North of Eta Caelae Sculptoris. There are four small stars south of the nebula in the form of a lozenge." His position is 22' NNW of the galaxy but the description of the four nearby stars to the south clinches the identification. For D 590 he logged (handwritten notes), "a very faint round nebula, about 2' diameter, rather brighter in the middle, il defined. South following Eta Sculptoris."
John Herschel's positio for h2327 is accurate and he noted it could be identical D 590. His observation on 25 Sep 1834 reads, "vB; vL; vmE; pretty suddenly little brighter middle; 8' long; 1' broad; pos = 47.9°; dies away gradually at both extremities; has a star 10th mag., distance 45", pos = 327.9. On a second sweep on 19 Oct 1835 he logged "bright; large; vmE; pretty suddenly little brighter middle; 4' long; 1' broad; position = 227°; the following of 2." He also sketched the galaxy (Plate VI, figure 19), clearly showing its spindle-shape with tapering edges.
Joseph Turner sketched NGC 134 on 2 Nov 1875 with the 48" Melbourne Telescope (plate I, figure 1 of "Observations of the Southern Nebulae...") and noted, "The present appearance of nebula is exactly as represented in Herschel's sketch; the centre is sharp and stellar-like with power of 255; but with 420 it is more diffused, and somewhat sparkling. A careful examination leaves the impression that it is practically unchanged since Herschel's time, the only difference between his sketch and present aspect being the position of the North star, which in Herschel's sketch is shown in a straight line with the centre of nebula and s.f. star, whilst at present it is somewhat to the n.f. of that point; this may however be the fault of the engraver."
The earliest photograph is probably from 1909-1911 by Knox-Shaw at the Helwan Observatory with the 30-inch Reynolds reflector. It was described as "B, 5' x 1', an elongated spiral."
******************************
00 31 45.9 -13 20 16; Cet
V = 15.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (10/21/95): faint, very small, round, weak
concentration with a slightly brighter core. Forms a quadrilateral with three mag 14 stars, all within
2'. Located 3.5' SW of a mag 9.5
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 135 = LM 1-5 on 2 Oct
1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is 2 min of RA west
(typical error) of
RNGC and PGC (and second sources such as Megastar) misidentify NGC 135 as IC 27 based on their positions. The correct identification is given in NED, HyperLeda and SIMBAD.
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NGC 136 = Cr 4 = OCL-295 = Lund 18
00 31 31 +61 30 36; Cas
V = 11.6; Size 1'
24" (1/4/14): ~10 faint stars are resolved in a small,
circular patch ~1' diameter, over unresolved haze. A small detached group to the southeast increases the total
to 15 stars and the size to 2'.
Most of the resolved stars are mag 14-15. Located ~6' NE of mag 8.5
17.5" (8/16/93): 7-8 faint stars mag 14 resolved in very tight, compact group of 1.5' diameter, over background haze. A few additional stars trail to the SE so there are about 10 stars in the group. Located 6' NE of mag 8.3 SAO 11238.
13.1" (10/20/84): 5 or 6 very faint stars 13/14 over haze. Appears similar to a small, faint gc with no strong concentration.
William Herschel discovered NGC 136 = H. VI-35 on 26 Nov 1788 (sweep 887). He described a "a small cluster of very faint, exceedingly compressed stars about 1' diam. The next step to an easily resolvable nebula." He considered this cluster a miniature globular.
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00 30 58.1 +10 12 30; Psc
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5" (12/19/87): fairly faint, small, irregularly round, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 1' NNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 137 = H. II-471 on 23 Nov 1785 (sweep 477) and logged "F, irr figure, little brighter in the middle." His position is very accurate. Heinrich d'Arrest also measured an accurate position.
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00 30 59.2 +05 09 35; Psc
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 175°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, small, oval N-S, small
bright core, stellar nucleus. A
mag 11 star is 1' N. Brightest in
a trio with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 138 = m 9 (along with NGC 139 and NGC 141) on 29 Aug 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "F, eS, suddenly brighter middle." Marth's position is accurate.
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NGC 139 = CGCG 409-022 = PGC 1900
00 31 06.4 +05 04 43; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, small, almost round. Located in a group with NGC 138 5' NNW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 139 = m 10 (along with NGC 138
and NGC 141) on 29 Aug 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged
"eF, S." Marth's
position is 2' N of
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00 31 20.5 +30 47 32; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 45°
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, fairly small, round, diffuse, broad concentration. Two faint stars following including a mag 15 star 44" SSE.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 140 = Sf. 60 = St. 12-5 on 8 Oct 1866 with the 18" refractor at Dearborn Observatory and described it as "probably a small cluster". His discovery list was not published until 1887, too late to be credited in the NGC. Édouard Stephan independently found the galaxy on 5 Nov 1882 and is credited with the discovery in the NGC.
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NGC 141 = CGCG 409-027 = PGC 1918
00 31 17.5 +05 10 47; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 0°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 5' ENE of NGC 138 in a compact trio.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 141 = m 11 (along with NGC 139
and NGC 138) on 29 Aug 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged as
"vF, vS, iR." His
position is 0.1 minute east of
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00 31 07.9 -22 37 07; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 101°
17.5" (10/8/88): first of three with
Frank Muller discovered NGC 142 = LM 2-282 (along with NGCs 143 and 144) in 1886 using the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is OK and his note of a double star 0.5' N pins down the identification. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
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NGC 143 = ESO 473-022 = MCG -04-02-015 = PGC 1911
00 31 15.6 -22 33 36; Cet
V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 20°
17.5" (10/8/88): second of three with NGC 142 and NGC 144. Extremely faint, small, oval SSW-NNE. Located 3' NNE of NGC 142.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 143 = LM 2-283, along with NGCs
142 and 144, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is a reasonable
match with
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00 31 20.6 -22 38 45; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (10/8/88): third of three with NGC 142 and NGC 143. Faint, small, round, very weak concentration. Located 3' SE of identical NGC 142.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 144 = LM 2-284, along with NGC
142 and 143, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick
Observatory. His rough position is
a reasonable match with
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00 31 45.7 -05 09 09; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 135°
48" (11/8/15): at 375x and 488x; fascinating irregular spiral galaxy. A bright bar extends 30" N-S. A spiral arm is attached at the north end of the bar and is easily visible extending to the west, and curling clockwise. The arm has a fairly high contrast and definition. A small HII knot (~8" diameter) is nearly attached to the north end of the bar where the spiral arm begins. A fainter, low contrast arm is attached at the south end of bar and extends 30" due east.
Two companions were picked up.
17.5" (9/17/88): fairly faint, moderately large, oval
~E-W, small bright core. Located
6' WNW of mag 8.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 145 = h27 = h2328 on 9 Oct 1828 and recorded "vF; vlE; gradually little brighter middle, 60" long."
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NGC 146 = Cr 5 = OCL-299 = Lund 21
00 33 01 +63 18 42; Cas
V = 9.1; Size 7'
24" (1/4/14): at 125x and 260x, ~60 stars are resolved in a 7' region that stands out reasonably well at low power. Near the southeast end of the group is the pair HJ 1033 = 10/10 at 7". The cluster is generally elongated NW-SE and includes a dozen or so brighter stars. A rectangular "void" lacking stars is on the NW side.
17.5" (10/20/90): about 30 stars in a fairly large group about 10' diameter. Includes a close mag 10 pair at 7" separation, 10 stars mag 12-13 and 20 stars mag 14-15. Third of three open clusters in low power field with King 14 10' SW and NGC 133 10' WNW.
8" (11/28/81): includes a few mag 10 stars, many mag 12 stars and fainter stars over haze. Located 22' N of a mag 4 star. NGC 133 is in the field to the WNW and King 14 is close SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 146 = h28 on 27 Oct 1829 and recorded a "loose cl; *s 11 and 12m; 10' diam; place that of a double +* (h 1033) whose RA is erroneously stated in my 4th catalogue."
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00 33 11.7 +48 30 27; Cas
V = 9.5; Size 13.2'x7.8'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 25°
17.5" (10/13/90): fairly faint, very large, elongated almost 2:1 SSW-NNE, 5'x3', very low almost even surface brightness. A mag 13.8 foreground star is superimposed just north of center. The halo gradually fades into background.
17.5" (8/29/92): at 115x (20mm Nagler) appears up to 8'x4' from the White Mountains (elevation 12,500 ft).
8" (8/28/81): very faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, diffuse.
24" (1/1/16): Hodge III is the brightest globular cluster in NGC 147 at V ≈ 16.5. At 450x and 500x it only occasionally popped but was verified at the same position using a detailed finder chart.
I first identified two mag 13 stars at 1' separation oriented N-S, which are situated 5' SSE of the center of NGC 147. These stars are just outside the halo of the galaxy. A mag 14.7 star is 1' further NW, forming an obtuse isosceles triangle with the two mag 13 stars. Hodge 3 is 41" N of the mag 14.7 star and nearly forms the 4th vertex of a parallelogram with these three stars.
John Herschel discovered NGC 147 = h29 on 8 Sep 1829 and
recorded "very faint; very large; irregularly round; 4..5' diam; loses
itself insensibly; has a *11m in the centre." Bindon Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant on 25 Oct 1851, logged
"L, vF neby, round a * 12m. I
suspect it is a spiral of the faintest class, perhaps h 29." Although William Herschel discovered
On 21 Aug 1852, Birr Castle assistant George J. Stoney (returning after examinations at Trinity) wrote, "Involves some stars, one of about 12th or 13th magnitude, elongated; very faint."
In 1944 William Baade announced that NGC 147, along with NGC
185, were members of the Local Group (1944ApJ...100..147B) when they were
resolved into stars on plates take with the 100-inch at Mt Wilson. NGC 147 is considered a satellite
system of
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00 34 15.5 -31 47 10; Scl
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 90°
17.5" (8/2/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated E-W, small bright core.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly bright, small, elongated E-W, very small bright core.
John Herschel discovered NGC 148 = h239 on 27 Sep 1834 and
recorded "vB; S; lE in parallel; suddenly much brighter middle to a *
11m." His RA was 1.0 min west
of
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00 33 50.3 +30 43 24; And
V = 14.3; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 155°
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, round. Contains a faint stellar nucleus or a mag 15 star is involved. A mag 13 star is close SW just 0.6' from the center.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 149 = St. 13-5 on 1 Nov 1877 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. His reduced position was measured nearly 6 years later on 4 Oct 1883 with description "vF, vS, R, gradually brighter in the middle, mag 14 stellar nucl, *12 close sp".
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00 34 16.0 -27 48 16; Scl
V = 11.4; Size 3.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 118°
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, weak concentration, irregular surface brightness [probably due to spiral arms], slightly mottled.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 150 = Sw. 6-3 on 20 Nov 1886 with
his 16" refractor. His
position was 30 seconds of RA west of
It was first photographed by Delisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described as a "Fine small spiral". The galaxy was also photographed between 1909-11 by Harold Knox-Shaw at the Helwan Observatory and described as a "two-branched spiral".
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00 34 02.5 -09 42 20; Cet
V = 11.6; Size 3.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 75°
48" (10/29/19): very bright striking spiral with an inner ring and a long, drawn out spiral arm! Overall, at 610x the galaxy extended over 2:1 WSW-ESE, ~3.2' x 1.4'. Very strongly concentrated with a very bright core that gradually increased to the center. Immediately west of the core was a noticeably darker gap and a lower contrast gap was east of the core. These gaps were outlined by bright arcs, each about 90°, creating a partial oval ring surrounding the core.
The western half of the halo had a low surface brightness and extended at least 1.5' from the center. I noticed a brightening at the extreme west end of the halo. Checking the SDSS, this is a split spiral arm, separated beyond a darker dust lane. A thin, long spiral arm was attached at the south side of the core (along the inner ring) and was easily seen gently curving northeast, extending directly to a mag 12.6 star!
A small, faint knot, at most 10" diameter, was easily seen near the end of this arm, very close SSW [16"] of the mag 12.6 star. This "knot" is a companion galaxy (2MASX J00340814-0941481), though its redshift is 1/3 greater than NGC 151, so it may be in the background.
24" (12/1/16): bright, fairly large, contains a very bright boxy rectangular central section that is slightly elongated NNW-SSE (this is the central bar and nucleus), encased by a fairly low surface brightness halo extended at least 2:1 E-W, ~2.7'x1.2'. A mag 12.5 star is at or just off the ENE edge (1.7' from center). A superimposed companion is at the tip of the eastern spiral arm of the galaxy, very close southwest of the mag 12.5 star. It was marginally glimpsed but only occasionally popped.
17.5" (9/17/88): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 5:3 WSW-ENE, 2.5'x1.5', bright nucleus. A mag 13 star is at the ENE edge, 1.7' from the center.
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly bright, bright core, very bright nucleus, very faint halo elongated ~E-W. A faint star is at the ENE edge.
William Herschel discovered NGC 151 = H. II-478 = h30 = h2330 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). He logged "pretty bright, large, little extended, little brighter middle." On 10 Dec 1798 (sweep 1086) he noted "considerably bright, considerably large, brighter middle, nearly in the parallel, a little from south preceding to north following."
John Herschel observed this galaxy at Slough and at the
Cape, where he recorded "pF; R; gradually brighter middle; 60"
diameter." His two entries
were combined in GC 74 and his position matches
Based on photos taken at the Helwan Observatory in 1919-20 with the 30-inch Reynolds reflector, NGC 151 was described as "4' x 1.5', bright almost stellar nucleus; spiral with at least 3 long, much curved arms in what are almost stellar condensations. One of the arms appears to wind completely around the nucleus, and possibly extend to more than 3' from it to a star in p.a. 190°."
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00 32 55.5 -73 06 59; Tuc
V = 12.9; Size 3'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
128x this SMC cluster appeared as a fairly faint, fairly large, round glow, ~2'
diameter. At 228x, the cluster had
a fairly smooth, fairly low surface brightness with no core and no signs of
resolution.
John Herschel discovered NGC 152 = h2331 in the SMC on 20 Sep 1835 and logged "vF; L; R; very gradually little brighter middle; 2'." His position was 2 min of RA too far west, but the position was corrected in the GC and NGC.
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00 34 02.5 -09 42 20; Cet
V = 11.6; Size 3.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 75°
See observing notes for NGC 151.
Lewis Swift found NGC 153 = Sw. 4-1 on 9 Aug 1886 with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and logged "pF; pS; R; * near north-following". There is nothing at his position but 17 seconds of RA west is NGC 151. This is a similar offset as other objects he observed that night and his description matches this galaxy. Rudolph Spitaler analyzed the equivalence NGC 153 = NGC 151 in AN 130, p57 (1892) and Dreyer mentioned it in the IC 1 Notes.
Strangely, in the RC1 notes section, de Vaucouleurs stated the mag 12.5 star at the end of the northeast arm was Swift's NGC 153!
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00 34 19.4 -12 39 24; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a triangle with two mag 13.5 stars.
William Herschel discovered NGC 154 = H. III-467 = h31 on 27
Nov 1785 (sweep 478) and recorded "eF, vS, 240 power left some
doubt." His position matches
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00 34 40.1 -10 45 59; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175°
17.5" (9/17/88): fairly faint, very small, oval 4:3 N-S, bright core.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 155 = Sw. 4-2 = LM 1-6 on 1 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His RA was 10 seconds too small. Frank Muller also found the galaxy in 1886 (sometime before Oct 12th) with the 26" Leander McCormick refractor and reported "mag 13.0, S, R, bsp, *12 in PA 90° at 3.2' separation." Bigourdan measured an accurate micrometric position on 21 Oct 1890 as well as Howe at Denver near the end of the century.
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00 34 35.8 -08 20 24; Cet
= **, Carlson and Corwin.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 156 in 1882 with an 11"
refractor at the Arcetri Observatory, while observing
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NGC 157 = MCG -02-02-056 = PGC 2081
00 34 46.6 -08 23 48; Cet
V = 10.4; Size 4.2'x2.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 35°
48" (10/29/19): at 610x; showpiece spiral with the sweep of two prominent spiral arms, outlined by dust lanes, forming a striking, stretched "S" pattern, similar to Superman's logo! Overall, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, ~3'x2'. At the center was a very small, intense nucleus. A beefy spiral arm was attached at the west side of the nucleus. It showed a high contrast, due to inner and outer dust lanes with a brighter, curving arc at its southwest end. This arm rotated clockwise towards the southeast side, and hooked towards the northeast. The second thick arm as attached on the east end of the nucleus. It also showed a high contrast arc along its northeast portion, then rotated sharply clockwise towards the west and angled southwest to the west of the central region. Two mag 13.6/15.3 stars (0.6' apart) lie 1.3' NE of center. A dusty triangular wedge (between spiral arms) extended from these stars towards the core.
17.5" (9/17/88): bright, large, oval 3:2 SW-NE, broad
concentration, small bright core, mottled appearance, sharp edge along the east
side. Two mag 13.5 and 15 stars
are near the NE edge. The galaxy
is bracketed between 9.5-mag
8": fairly faint, fairly large, diffuse. Located between two mag 8.5/9.5 stars to the north and south.
William Herschel discovered NGC 157 = H. II-3 = St. 9-1 on 13 Dec 1783 (sweep 42). This was the first object he discovered using a vertical sweep in the meridian, as his original technique involved a horizontal movement. His published description (based on two observations) reads, "F, L, mE, between two considerably bright stars [visible in the finder]."
Eduard Schönfeld, Heinrich d'Arrest and Father Secchi provided accurate positions, so the NGC position is correct. Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 18 Sep 1873 (probably looking for H. II-3) and commented it was "tres belle". He measured an accurate position on 28 Oct 1878 and reported it as new in his 9th discovery list (#1). Dreyer listed d'Arrest and Stephan in the "Other Observers" column.
******************************
00 35 05.3 -08 20 40; Cet
= *?, Corwin. "Not found", Carlson.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 158 in 1882 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and recorded in list V while observing the field of NGC 157. Corwin identifies his object as a single star at 00 35 05.3 -08 20 40.
******************************
00 34 35.7 -55 47 24; Phe
V = 13.8; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 95°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly faint to
moderately bright, elongated nearly 3:1 E-W, 1.0'x0.3', contains a small
bright, round core and a stellar nucleus.
Located 29' SSE of mag 7.3
John Herschel discovered NGC 159 = h2332 on 28 Oct 1834 and logged "vF, S, R, 15", precedes 3 stars." On a second sweep he noted "vF, R, gradually little brighter middle, 20 arcseconds". His position is accurate.
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00 36 04.1 +23 57 29; And
V = 12.6; Size 3.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 45°
24" (9/30/16): at 200x; fairly bright or bright, large,
elongated 2:1 or 5:2 SW-NE, sharply concentrated with a small very bright core
that increases to a stellar nucleus.
Surrounding the core is a large, low surface brightness halo
~1.8'x0.8'. Situated 4.3' SSW of
mag 7.3
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately bright, almost round. Located 4.2' SSW of mag 7.5 SAO 74134. Forms a wide pair with NGC 169 11' ENE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 160 = H. III-476 = h32 on 5 Dec 1785 (sweep 484). He described it as "Very faint, very small, stellar, a few minutes south preceding a pretty bright star [mag 7.3 HD 3293]. 240 showed the same." Herschel missed NGC 169, which is only 11' ENE. John Herschel reported that NGC 160 (h 32) "has a * 7m, 5' distant; position of neb from * 195.5°." The Birr Castle assistants made 7 observations of the field.
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00 35 33.9 -02 50 55; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 150°
24" (10/6/18): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small,
slightly elongated SSW-NNE, ~30"x20" though the length increases with
averted. Contains a bright core
and a very tiny nucleus. A mag
12.1 star is 1.2' N. Forms a pair
with
24" (11/24/14): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3
SSW-NNE, fairly high surface brightness.
Contains a small bright nucleus that increases to a stellar point. A mag 12 star is 1.2' N and a mag 12.5
star is 2' SSW. Forms a close pair
with IC 1557 1.7' S. Located 6' SE
of mag 8.8
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Bracketed by two mag 12 stars 1.2' N and 1.5' S.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 161 = Sw. 6-4 on 21 Nov 1886 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. He recorded, "eF; eS; R;
nearly between 2 equal mag stars."
His position is 18 sec of RA east and 1' north of
The MCG, PGC, RNGC and Roger Sinnott's
******************************
00 36 09.2 +23 57 45; And
= * 75" NE of NGC 160, Thomson and Corwin.
Lawrence Parsons discovered NGC 162 on 16 Oct 1866 using Lord Rosse's 72" and by Herman Schultz on 5 Sep 1867 with the 9.6" refractor at Uppsala Observatory. Both observers recorded a single star 75" NE of NGC 160. This star was possibly noted even earlier by Heinrich d'Arrest on 22 Aug 1862. Schultz assumed this object was GC 82, discovered by R.J. Mitchell at Birr Castle on 18 Sep 1857. But Mitchell's object is a close companion of NGC 169 (now known as IC 1559), not NGC 162 as John Herschel assumed. Dreyer also observed this star on 6 Nov 1874 and noted "An eS, F neb point, or probably a F* nf h79 in PA 78"."
In the GC Supplement, Dreyer incorrectly decided "Rosse nova does not exist [so GC 82 = IC 1559 did not receive an NGC number]. 82 was undoubtedly observed instead of 79, which latter nebula is not double. The description in PT 1861, agrees perfectly with the appearance of 82" He added that "Schultz's GC 80 has not been seen in Birr before 1874: I have therefore entered it in the catalogue as a nova." So, Dreyer assigned Schultz's GC 80 to the single star (the one first seen by Lawrence Parsons in 1866) following NGC 160 and renumbered it as GC 5107. RNGC misidentifies NGC 162 with an anonymous galaxy close SE of NGC 160 and Dorothy Carlson incorrectly equates NGC 160 = NGC 162 in her NGC errata list. Wolfgang Steinicke thoroughly covered the identifications of GC 80 and 82 in his book on the history of the NGC.
******************************
00 35 59.8 -10 07 18; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 85°
24" (8/29/19): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, round, well concentrated with a small bright core and stellar
nucleus. The halo drops off
quickly in surface brightness. It was obvious only to 30" and ~45"
diameter with averted vision. In a
trio with
17.5" (9/17/88): fairly faint, small, round, brighter core, stellar nucleus, diffuse halo. Forms a pair with NGC 165 6' E.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 163 = Sw. 4-3 on 20 Sep
1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His mean position (also measured on the next night) matches
Lewis Swift independently found NGC 163 on 9 Aug 1886 and reported it in his 4th discovery list (#3). Swift's RA was 14 seconds too large and falls between NGC 163 and 165 but Swift's positions for three other galaxies he observed on this night (NGC 153, 217 and 7774) are all 10 - 15 seconds of time too large. This implies that Swift missed slightly fainter NGC 165. Based on a photograph taken with the Crossley reflector between 1912-13, Heber Curtis described NGC 163 as "Almost stellar; structureless; bright nucleus. A very faint spindle is 1.5' s.p.
******************************
00 36 32.9 +02 44 59; Psc
V = 15.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5" (11/6/88): extremely faint, very small,
round. Located about 30' W of the
Albert Marth discovered NGC 164 = m 12 on 3 Aug 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged as "eF".
******************************
NGC 165 = MCG -02-02-069 = PGC 2182
00 36 28.8 -10 06 23; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 50°
24" (8/29/19): at 375x; between fairly faint and moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, brighter core, low surface brightness halo ~45" diameter. A mag 13.5 star is 1.4' NE. NGC 165 is the fainter of a pair with NGC 165 7' E. A mag 9.6 star (HD 3336) lies 7' NW.
MCG -02-02-064, located 15' NW, appeared faint, oval ~5:2 SSW-NNE, soft even surface brightness, ~0.75'x0.3'
17.5" (9/17/88): faint, fairly small, almost round, very weak concentration, low surface brightness. Slightly larger but fainter than NGC 163 6' W. A mag 14 star lies 1.5' NE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 165 = H. III-954 on 10 Dec 1798 (sweep 1086) and recorded "extremely faint, small." His position is just 1.6' NNW of NGC 165 = PGC 2182, and much further from NGC 163 = PGC 2149, the galaxy associated with III-954 in the NGC. In the 1912 revision of Herschel's catalogues, Dreyer noted the RA of H. III-954 was 28 seconds too large (for NGC 163). Wolfgang Steinicke and Harold Corwin agree with the conclusion that H. III-954 more likely applies to NGC 165.
Wilhelm Tempel found NGC 165 in 1882 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and reported it as new in his fifth discovery paper. He noted finding another fainter nebula 30 seconds following NGC 163. Tempel's second nebula was assumed to be new, so he was credited with the discovery of NGC 165 in the NGC. Spitaler measured an accurate position in 1891 at Vienna.
Based on a photograph taken with the Crossley reflector between 1912-13, Heber Curtis described NGC 165 as "Nearly round, 1' in diameter. A very faint, rather regular spiral. Nucleus almost stellar."
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00 35 48.8 -13 36 38; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (12/3/88): very faint, very small, oval NW-SE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 166 = LM 1-285 in 1886
with the 26" refractor of the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is just under 1 min
of RA preceding
******************************
00 35 22.9 -23 22 29; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 171°
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, small, oval 3:2 ~N-S, very weak concentration.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 167 = LM 2-286 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and noted "0.8',
irregularly round, gradually brighter in the middle." His position is 1 minute of RA east of
Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes). The NGC error in RA was also noted in the table of corrections published by Harvard Observatory based on plates taken at Arequipa between 1898 and 1901.
******************************
00 36 38.7 -22 35 37; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 26°
24" (10/3/13): first of three edge-ons with
17.5" (12/3/88): first of three in a group with NGC 172 and NGC 177. Very faint, very small, slightly elongated. An extremely faint star is possibly involved. NGC 172 lies 7' E and NGC 177 13' ENE.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 168 = LM 2-287, along with NGC
172 and 177, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick
Observatory. His position and description matches
******************************
NGC 169 = Arp 282 NED1 = UGC 365 = MCG +04-02-035 = CGCG 479-044 = PGC 2202
00 36 51.7 +23 59 27; And
V = 12.4; Size 3.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 88°
24" (9/30/16): at 200x; fairly bright, fairly small,
elongated 5:2 E-W, ~0.8'x0.3'.
Contains a small, bright elongated core that increases to a stellar
nucleus. Forms a disturbed,
interacting pair (
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately bright, slightly elongated
~E-W. Located 3.8' WSW of mag 6.4
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 169 on 18 Sep 1857. His description reads, "a vS, double nebula, the north one is elongated south-preceding north-following, brighter middle." A month later he logged "double nebula, alpha [on a diagram] is much extended preceding-following, bM. Beta is lE nearly north-south, bM." In Lord Rosse's 1861 publication, it was mistakenly assumed that the observation referred to NGC 160, so was not a new object. The following year Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered NGC 169 and was credited with discovery in the General Catalogue (GC 82), published in 1864. Mitchell's "Beta" was assigned GC 80.
d'Arrest listed his discovery in a large table of new nebulae published in 1865, so he was able to add a footnote that his object was discovered earlier at Birr Castle (assuming it was identical to GC 80). In the NGC, Dreyer correctly credited both LrR and d'Arrest for the discovery of NGC 169, but he mistakenly described NGC 160 as a double nebula (repeating Mitchell's error) and deleted GC 80 (Mitchell's "Beta"). Finally, the companion was catalogued as IC 1559, though it should have received a NGC designation. See that number for more. William Herschel recorded the nearby mag 6.2 star on 4 Dec 1784 (sweep 328), but missed the galaxy. Immediately after logging the star he noted "a very thin whitish haziness all over", so sky conditions were poor.
MCG labeled the brighter northern galaxy as
******************************
00 36 45.8 +01 53 11; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 85°
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, round. Located 2.0' NW of mag 9.0
Albert Marth discovered NGC 170 = m 13 on 3 Nov 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "F, S, R." Marth's position is 1' N of
******************************
00 37 21.6 -19 56 04; Cet
See observing notes for
William Herschel discovered NGC 171 = H. III-223 on 20 Oct 1784 (sweep 303) and recorded "vF; lE or rather oval; roughly 1' dia; np 2 pB stars". There is nothing at the NGC position, but Dreyer states in the 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that Carolyn Herschel made a one degree error in copying the declination for III-223. Once corrected, NGC 171 is identical to NGC 175, found by John Herschel on 11 Nov 1834. This galaxy is generally identified as NGC 175, due to the error in declination for NGC 171. See Corwin's notes for more.
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NGC 172 = ESO 474-005 = MCG -04-02-027 = KTS 4B = PGC 2228
00 37 13.6 -22 35 13; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 2.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 12°
24" (10/3/13): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on
SSW-NNE, 0.9'x0.2', irregular surface brightness. Second of three edge-ons in the
17.5" (12/3/88): second of three with NGC 168 and NGC 177. Faint, edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE, low even surface brightness. NGC 168 lies 7' W and NGC 177 5' ENE.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 172 = LM 2-288, along with NGC
168 and 177, in 1886 with the 26" Clark refractor at Leander McCormick
Observatory. His position is a
good match with
******************************
NGC 173 = UGC 369 = MCG +00-02-092 = CGCG 383-043 = PGC 2223
00 37 12.4 +01 56 32; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 3.2'x2.6'; Surf Br = 15.2; PA = 90°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, fairly large, round, broad concentration. Bracketed midway between a mag 12 star 1.5' SW and a mag 13 star 1.6' NE. Forms a pair with fainter NGC 170 7.5' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 173 = H. III-871 = h33 on 28
Dec 1790 (sweep 988) and logged "vF, S, R, very gradually brighter
middle." Caroline's reduced
position is 4' north of
******************************
00 36 58.9 -29 28 40; Scl
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 152°
17.5" (12/3/88): fairly faint, small, oval NW-SE, weak
concentration. A mag 13 star is
just off the SE edge. Situated
among a group of mag 10-11 stars including mag 9.5
John Herschel discovered NGC 174 = h2333 on 27 Sep 1834 and
logged "F, S, lE, among several bright stars." The next sweep he noted "vF, S,
R.". Finally on a third sweep he recorded "vF, R, 25", near one
or two stars." His mean
position matches
******************************
NGC 175 = NGC 171 = ESO 540-006 = VV 791a = MCG -03-02-024 =
00 37 21.6 -19 56 04; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 2.1'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 109°
17.5" (12/3/88): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, oval small bright core, diffuse halo. Forms a right angle with two mag 11 stars 4' SSE and 5' ENE.
8" (10/31/81): faint, small, diffuse, even surface brightness.
John Herschel discovered NGC 175 = h2334 on 11 Nov 1834 and
recorded "pB, pL, E, gradually brighter in the middle, r, 80" long,
60" broad. If this nebula be really III.223 [NGC 171], the P.D. [polar
distance] assigned to that nebula by my Father's observations must be 1 degree
in error. The error cannot lie in this observation, the 109th degree of Polar
distance being beyond the possible reach of the instrument in [this]
sweep." His position and
description matches
By historical precedence, the principal designation should be NGC 171, but the galaxy is usually identified as NGC 175 due to the unambiguous position.
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NGC 176 = ESO 029-002 = Lindsay16
00 35 54 -73 10 00; Tuc
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
128x this SMC cluster is fairly faint, fairly small, round, ~40" diameter,
low surface brightness with a brighter core. It appeared unresolved except for a mag 13 star at the north
edge and a mag 14 star at the south edge.
NGC 152 lies 13' WNW.
Located 3.5' NNE of mag 8
John Herschel discovered NGC 176 = h2335 in the SMC on 12 Aug 1834 and recorded "eF; R; near a *8m (At the beginning of the Nubecula Minor." On a second sweep he logged "eF; S; lE, resolvable." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 177 = ESO 474-006 = MCG -04-02-028 = KTS 4C = PGC 2241
00 37 34.3 -22 32 57; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 2.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 9°
24" (10/3/13): this galaxy is the most prominent of a
trio of edge-ons (
17.5" (12/3/88): third and brightest of three with NGC 168 and NGC 172. Faint, edge-on 4:1 N-S, bright core, stellar nucleus. NGC 172 lies 5' WSW.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 177 = LM 2-289, along with NGC
168 and 172, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick
Observatory. Muller's position is
2' S of
******************************
00 39 08.4 -14 10 26; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 175°
24" (9/30/16): at 282x; fairly bright, fairly large,
elongated 5:2 N-S, ~1.5'x0.6'.
Appears mottled along the major axis with a brighter knot or region at
the north end [HST image reveals this is a giant star-forming region]. The galaxy appears to spread or bulge
out with a faint extension on the southwest side [the HST image shows this is a
series of HII/star-forming clumps].
This highly disrupted galaxy lies 8' NE of mag 9.0
17.5" (11/6/93): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 N-S, 1.8'x0.8', broad low concentration but no nucleus. NGC 207 is in the field 9' ESE and NGC 210 lies 27' NE.
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly faint, fairly small, weak
concentration, elongated 2:1 N-S, lies 27' SW of
R.J. Mitchell probably discovered NGC 178 = LM 1-7 on 7 Dec 1857 as the observer on Lord Rosse's 72". He stated "about one field of finder [26'] south, and a few seconds preceding, is another neb., faint, E nearly n s, no nucleus." Dreyer assumed this description applied to GC 108 = NGC 207, but the north-south elongation clearly applies to NGC 178, which is 18' S, though 1.4 minutes of RA to the west. Yann Pothier caught this correction in March 2020.
Ormond Stone made an independent discovery on 3 Nov 1885
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded
"F, S, mE 0°, bM, faint wing south-preceding." His rough position (nearest min of RA)
is 1.5 min of RA too far west but his description and sketch (examined by
Harold Corwin) matches this galaxy. Stone was credited with the discovery in
the NGC. Finally, Stephane Javelle
discovered NGC 178 again on 26 Aug 1892, assumed it was new based on position
and listed it as the 28th object in his first discovery paper (J. 1-28, later
The galaxy was described as "sausage shaped with a tail south", in the 1924 list of "nebula" descriptions at Helwan observatory.
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00 37 46.1 -17 50 57; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 113°
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, very small, round. Forms a double with a mag 14.5 star just 25" NNW of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 179 = LM 2-290 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position matches
******************************
00 37 57.7 +08 38 06; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 2.4'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 160°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, bright core. A mag 11 star is at the NW edge 39" from the center.
13.1" (12/7/85): faint, small, elongated NW-SE. A mag 10.5 star at the NW edge detracts from viewing.
William Herschel discovered NGC 180 = H. III-876 on 29 Dec 1790 (sweep 991) and logged "vF, pL, irregularly round, just S.f. a small star which is partly involved in the nebulosity." Auwers' reduction was 1° off in North Polar Distance, though the NGC position was just 2' N.
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00 38 23.2 +29 28 21; And
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 151°
24" (9/15/12): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1
NNW-SSE, 0.6'x0.15'. Located 2.7'
SSW of
18" (10/21/06): faint, small, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.2'. In a trio with NGC 184 4' ESE and NGC 183 2.7' NE. A mag 12 star lies 1.5' SE
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, small, round,
diffuse. First of three with NGC
183 2.7' NE. Located 10' N of 30
Andromedae (V = 4.4). Member of
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 181 = St. 13-6, along with with NGC 183 and 184, on 3 Nov 1877. His published position (list 13, #6) was reduced on 6 Oct 1883.
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NGC 182 = UGC 382 = MCG +00-02-095 = CGCG 383-045 = PGC 2279
00 38 12.4 +02 43 43; Psc
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 75°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; bright, moderately large,
slightly elongated, 1.0'x0.8', sharply concentrated with a very bright round
core. Located 3.6' SE of mag 7.7
17.5" (10/8/88): moderately bright, small, round,
bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
Located 4' SE of mag 7.6
Brightest in the large NGC 182 group (sometimes called the NGC
200 group) including
William Herschel discovered NGC 182 = H. III-870 on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and logged "vF, S, irregularly round, very gradually brighter middle." The NGC position is accurate.
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NGC 183 = UGC 387 = MCG +05-02-035 = CGCG 500-057 = PGC 2298
00 38 29.3 +29 30 40; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 130°
24" (9/15/12): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 50" diameter, well concentrated with a bright core increasing to a very small bright nucleus. Brightest and largest in a group including NGC 181 2.7' SSW, NGC 184 4.1' SSE and LEDA 1871091 (very low surface brightness edge-on) 5.2' NNE. A mag 12.4 star lies 3.2' S. It was easy to locate this group as it is situated just 12' N of mag 4.4 Epsilon And.
18" (10/21/06): fairly faint, fairly small, round, very
small bright nucleus, 40" diameter.
Based on the listed dimensions, I missed a very low surface brightness
halo and viewed the high surface brightness core. Forms the NW vertex of a triangle with a mag 12 star 3' S
and a mag 13 star 3' E. Brightest
in a trio with NGC 181 and NGC 184 close south.
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. Located 12' N of 30 Andromedae (V = 4.4). Brightest of three in AGC 71 with NGC 181 2.7' SW and NGC 184 4.1' SSE.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 183 = Sf. 65 = St. 13-7 on 5 Nov 1866 with the 26" refractor at Dearborn Observatory and simply called a "neb. * 13m." Édouard Stephan also found the galaxy on 3 Nov 1877 (perhaps aware of Safford's discovery?). He reported it as new in his 13th discovery list (#7) with a micrometric position measured on 6 Oct 1883. Stephan was credited with the discovery in the NGC as Safford's discovery list wasn't published until 1887, after the NGC was going to press. William Herschel recorded nearby Epsilon And on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266), but missed NGC 183.
******************************
NGC 184 = CGCG 500-059 = PGC 2309
00 38 35.8 +29 26 51; And
V = 14.8; Size 0.7'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 5°
24" (9/15/12): faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 24"x12", slightly brighter core. Faintest in a trio with NGC 181 3.1' NW and NGC 183 4.1' NNW. Bracketed by a mag 12.4 star 1.6' WNW and a mag 13.5 star 50" E.
18" (10/21/06): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 24"x16". Situated between a mag 13 star 0.9' E and a mag 12 star 1.6' WNW. In a trio with NGC 181 3' NW and NGC 183 4' NNW. Located 8' N of mag 4.4 Epsilon (30) Andromedae.
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, round. A mag 13.5 star is 1' E. Third of three in AGC 71 cluster with NGC 183 4.1' NNW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 184 = St. 13-8, along with NGC 181 and NGC 183 (discovered earlier by Truman Safford), on 6 Oct 1883. His position was accurate.
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NGC 185 = UGC 396 = MCG +08-02-010 = CGCG 550-009 = PGC 2329
00 38 57.2 +48 20 15; Cas
V = 9.2; Size 11.7'x10.0'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 35°
24" (9/14/12): Hodge V is the brightest globular cluster in NGC 185, first identified by Paul Hodge in his 1974 paper "Photometry of the Globular Clusters of NGC 185" (PASP, 86, 289). At 325x and 450x it appeared as an extremely faint star (V = 16.7), forming the southern vertex of a small equilateral triangle with a mag 14.5 star 20" N and a mag 15 star 20" NW. This extragalactic globular was repeatedly glimpsed for brief moments and a couple of times it could be held for a few seconds. Situated 3.8' NE of the center of NGC 185 and outside the visible halo of the galaxy.
17.5" (10/13/90): bright, very large, slightly elongated ~E-W, broad concentration but no nucleus. Three mag 14 stars are at the W, NW and SW ends. Higher surface brightness than NGC 147. The brightest globular is located 8' N of center and is a marginal object at high power (see description). This is a satellite system of M31 and a Local Group member at a distance of 2.15 million light years.
8" (10/4/80): fairly faint, fairly large, diffuse, NGC 147 58' WNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 185 = H. II-707 = h35 on 30 Nov 1787 (sweep 786). He recorded "pretty bright, very large, irregularly round, very gradually much brighter middle, resolvable, 5 or 6' diameter."
The first observation at Birr Castle on 28 Mar 1848 reads "Resolved by a power of 800, although the night was rather hazy." This is a good example of how preconceptions that nearly all nebulae were resolvable influenced the results. James Keeler first photographed the galaxy using the Crossley reflector at Lick before 1900. It was described (1918 Curtis publication) as "rather irregular slightly oval, 3' long; there are two curious rifts near the nucleus; it appears to be an irregular spiral. The nebular matter is faint and diffuse. A star of mag 14 is north of the very faint nucleus."
In 1944 William Baade announced that NGC 185, along with NGC 147, were members of the Local Group (1944ApJ...100..147B) when they were resolved into stars on plates take with the 100-inch at Mt Wilson. In an unusual situation, Baade requested that an actual photographic print of NGC 185 was bound in his ApJ paper to demonstrate resolution, as detail was lost with an ordinary halftone illustration.
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NGC 186 = UGC 390 = MCG +00-02-098 = CGCG 383-047 = PGC 2291
00 38 25.3 +03 09 59; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 23°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; bright, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 40"x20".
Sharply concentrated with a very bright round core and bright stellar nucleus. Situated just north of the line
connecting a mag 6.4 star 14' W and a mag 7.4 star 12' E. Located on the west side of the NGC 182
group.
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, elongated SW-NE, stellar
nucleus. Located between mag 6.4
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 186 on 6 Dec 1850 (Friday). Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was noted as "much smaller than alpha (NGC 194), and is suddenly brighter in the middle and I think a nova." Heinrich d'Arrest made an independent discovery on 23 Sep 1862 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen. d'Arrest measured an accurate position. Édouard Stephan made another observation on 29 Oct 1875, while working through the galaxy group.
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00 39 30.3 -14 39 23; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 1.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 148°
17.5" (12/3/88): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 5:2 NW-SE, even surface brightness. Located 30' SSE of NGC 178.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 187 = LM 1-8 on 3 Nov 1885 with
the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and he logged "F,
S, mE 150°, bM." His rough
position is 1 min west of
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00 47 15 +85 14 49; Cep
V = 8.1; Size 14'
17.5" (12/26/00): At 100x, ~75 stars resolved within
10'-12', roundish group. The
cluster is fairly rich but unconcentrated, with a noticeable void of stars near
in the center and a somewhat ill-defined boundary. The stars appear to be layered; at least a dozen mag 12-13
stars are superimposed on a much richer carpet of mag 14-15 stars over
unresolved haze. At 220x, some
additional very faint stars are visible, bringing the total up to ~85 stars. Two mag 9.5-10 field stars (
NGC 188 is one of the older known open clusters with an age of ~6.3 billion years and the closest to the north celestial pole.
13.1" (8/24/84): about 50 stars at 62x with several mag 7-9 stars in field, appears fully resolved.
8" (8/24/84): large cluster, many faint stars, not rich, blank areas near center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 188 = h34 on 3 Nov 1831 and recorded a "Cl, vL, p Rich, 150-200 stars mag 10-18; more than fills the field." The Sky Catalogue 2000.0 gives a poor position of 00 44.0 +85 20.
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00 39 36 +61 05 42; Cas
V = 8.8; Size 4'
24" (1/4/14): well detached, roundish group of stars at 125x. Using 260x, ~40 stars are resolved in a 5'-6' group. There are several pairs and tight groupings. Many of the stars are in a richer 3' inner group, generally arranged in a ring and including HJ 1043 = 11.6/12.7 pair at 12" (oriented N-S). A few of the brighter stars, though, form the 6' outline. A distinctive quadrilateral of stars is ~6' NW.
17.5" (12/23/92): 30 stars mag 10-14 in 6' diameter, weakly compressed, no dense areas but appears to have some unresolved background haze. Elongated E-W due to a couple of strings extending to the west. A 6'x5' parallelogram of four mag 9 stars in the field to the south. Not an impressive cluster.
8" (11/13/82): about two dozen stars, moderately large, irregular shape, scattered, haze.
Caroline Herschel discovered NGC 189 = h36 on 27 Sep 1783,
along with
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00 38 54.7 +07 03 46; Psc
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6
48" (10/25/11):
18" (8/26/06): this double system was just resolved into two very close, small knots, roughly 20" each in diameter with their halos in contact. Both components have faint stellar nuclei. The northern component (HCG 5A) was slightly brighter and larger. HCG 5C is a difficult object 1' NW. The entire quartet is arranged in a N-S chain with a total length of only 1.6'.
18" (11/23/05): NGC 190 is a double system which often appears as an elongated glow, 40"x20", oriented N-S. With careful viewing, the system just resolves into two very small round knots, just 20" between centers. The northern component is ~20" diameter and the southern member ~15". The two knots both have faint stellar nuclei and appear virtually tangent. A third member, HCG 5C, is occasionally visible as an extremely faint knot off the NW side.
17.5" (12/11/99): Initially seen as a single faint, elongated glow at 220x. At 280x in moments of good seeing this object cleanly resolved into two very close, very small knots with the brighter component on the north side. HCG 5C was only intermittently visible with averted vision as a 15" threshold knot.
17.5" (9/5/99): NGC 190 is a challenging double system
best viewed at high power. Using
280x, at first appeared as an elongated irregular glow but with extended
viewing, two "knots" oriented N-S were resolved within a common
halo. The brighter and larger
component (HCG 5A) is at the north end and appears very faint, very small,
round, 20" diameter. The
southern component (HCG 5B) is extremely faint and small, perhaps 15" diameter. HCG 5C is a threshold knot 1' NW. The HCG is a subgroup of
17.5" (10/8/88): very close double system, faint,
small, elongated SSW-NNE, irregular.
HCG 5B is a very small companion attached at the south edge just
22" between centers. In a
compact group of four (
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 190 = Sw. 5-8 on 22 Oct 1886 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is just 6 sec of RA east of
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00 38 59.3 -09 00 09; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 125°
17.5" (9/17/88): close double system with
William Herschel discovered NGC 191 = H. II-479 = h38 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) and logged "pB, mE nearly in the meridian, near 2' long". Sir Robert Ball, using Lord Rosse's 72" on 12 Dec 1866, recorded "One neb, with either 2 stars or B, S, neb knots very closely foll - cB, pL, R, bM, two pB st preceding." One of these "knots" is IC 1563, although discovery credit is given to Bigourdan in the IC. The NGC position is accurate.
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00 39 13.5 +00 51 49; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 167°
18" (11/23/05): moderately bright, fairly small, very
elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.3' or 1.0'x0.3'. Well concentrated with a small very bright core that
increases to a stellar nucleus.
Brightest in the
17.5" (10/8/88): brightest of four in the HCG 7 group. Moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated NNW-SSE, bright core. NGC 197 lies 2.1' NNE, NGC 196 3' N and NGC 201 5' ESE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 192 = H. III-872 = h39, along with NGC 196 and NGC 201, on 28 Dec 1790 (sweep 988) and logged "vF, vS, bM." John Herschel made 5 observations and measured an accurate position.
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NGC 193 = UGC 408 = MCG +00-02-103 = CGCG 385-055 = PGC 2359
00 39 18.5 +03 19 52; Psc
V = 12.2; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 55°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 40"x32", sharply concentrated with a very bright, very small core. A mag 13 star is barely off the SW edge and a mag 10 star is 2.6' ESE. NGC 204 is 6.7' ESE (on line with the mag 10 star).
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, very small, round, sharp concentration. Located 2.6' WNW of a mag 10 star (9.9/10.6 at 2"). A mag 13 star is off the west edge. Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 204 7' ESE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 193 = H. III-595 = h37 on 21 Dec 1786 (sweep 657). He recorded "very faint; small; 3 or 4 stars in it, but I have not been out long enough [he had just started observing this night], however I have no doubt." Only 25 seconds later, Herschel logged a second object: "very faint, very small, but I have not been out long enough, any may be a deception." His offset from NGC 193 clearly matches NGC 204, though likely due to his uncertainty it wasn't catalogued.
William's RA for NGC 193 was off, so his son John thought his own observation (recorded as h37) was new: "very faint; large; close to a *15. RA by III. 595, which this precedes 25.5 seconds." Birr Castle assistant R.J. Mitchell observed the galaxy on 24 Nov 1854 and noted "Not L; R; bM; a bright star close sp; resolvable?"
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NGC 194 = UGC 407 = MCG +00-02-105 = CGCG 383-054 = PGC 2362
00 39 18.4 +03 02 14; Psc
V = 12.2; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; bright, fairly small, slightly out of round, ~35"x30". Sharply concentrated with a very bright, very small core and stellar nucleus. A mag 7.4 star is 6' NNW. Near the center of the NGC 182 group with several galaxies near; NGC 200 is 10' SSE, NGC 199 is 7' NE and NGC 186 is 15' NW.
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, fairly small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 5' S of mag 7.3 SAO 109348! Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 199 6' NE and NGC 200 10' SSE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 194 = H. II-856 = h40 on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and recorded "F, S, very gradually brighter middle." John Herschel called it "pB; S; R; bM."
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00 39 35.8 -09 11 41; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 45°
24" (12/1/16): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, 0.5'x0.4', weak concentration.
17.5" (9/17/88): faint, very small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 195 = T. 1-2 in 1876 with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. His position was 0.4 min of RA west and 5' north of MCG -02-02-079 = PGC 2391. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 16 Dec 1897 (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
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NGC 196 = HCG 7B = UGC 405 = MCG +00-02-110 = CGCG 383-053 = LGG 010-003 = PGC 2357
00 39 17.8 +00 54 46; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 3°
18" (11/23/05): moderately bright, small, fairly high surface brightness. Sharply concentrated with a bright, very small core surrounded by a much fainter oval halo 3:2 N-S, ~0.6'x0.4'. Second brightest in the HCG 7 quartet with NGC 192 3' SSW and much fainter NGC 197 1' SSE.
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core. Forms a very close pair with NGC 197 1' SSE in the HCG 7 group. NGC 192 lies 3' SSW and NGC 201 5' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 196 = H. II-860 = h41, along with NGC 192 and NGC 201, on 28 Dec 1790 (sweep 988). He noted "pF, pS, very gradually brighter middle." John Herschel made 4 observations. MCG mislabeled this galaxy as NGC 197.
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NGC 197 = HCG 7D = UGC 406 = MCG +00-02-107 = CGCG 383-053 = LGG 010-006 = PGC 2365
00 39 18.8 +00 53 31; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
18" (11/23/05): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. This galaxy is the smallest and faintest in the HCG 7 quartet and was missed by William and John Herschel.
17.5" (10/8/88): extremely faint, very small, almost round. Member of the HCG 7 group and located 2.1' NNE of NGC 192. Forms a close pair with NGC 196 1' NNW and NGC 201 lies 4' SE. Appears fainter than 14.2z.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 197 = m 14 on 16 Oct 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "eF, s of 196." His position matches
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NGC 198 = UGC 414 = MCG +00-02-109 = CGCG 383-057 = LGG 009-003 = PGC 2371
00 39 23.0 +02 47 52; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 80°
24" (12/12/17): at 200x; fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, 60"x50", large bright core. Slightly higher surface brightness than NGC 200 6' NNE. Two mag 12 stars 3.5' N and 4.5' N are collinear with the galaxy. A mag 9.9 star is 5.3' SSE.
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration. Located within the NGC 182 group with NGC 200 6' NNE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 198 = H. II-857 on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and recorded "F, S, very gradually brighter middle". At the same time he found H. II-858 = NGC 200 to the northeast. Herman Schultz, Heinrich d'Arrest and Basilius von Engelhardt all measured accurate micrometric positions.
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NGC 199 = UGC 415 = MCG +00-02-111 = CGCG 383-058 = PGC 2382
00 39 33.1 +03 08 19; Psc
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 160°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; fairly faint or moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, sharply concentrated with a very small bright core, stellar nucleus. Situated 5' E of a mag 7.3 star and 7' NE of NGC 194. Member of the NGC 182 group.
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core. Located 5' E of mag 7.3 SAO 109348 within the NGC 182 group. NGC 194 lies 6' SW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 199 on 24 Sep 1862 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen and described (from 3 observations) "faint and small. A mag 8 star precedes 27 sec and somewhat south." Ralph Copeland, Lord Rosse's (Lawrence Parsons) assistant, found this galaxy on 11 Dec 1873 and logged "cF, L neb." Édouard Stephan made another observation at the Marseilles observatory on 29 Oct 1875.
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NGC 200 = UGC 420 = MCG +00-02-112 = CGCG 383-060 = PGC 2387
00 39 34.8 +02 53 15; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 161°
24" (12/12/17): at 200x; moderately bright or fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, 60"x40", broad concentration but no distinct nucles. One of the brightest members of the NGC 182 group. NGC 198 lies 6' SSW. A 1' pair of mag 12.4 stars oriented N-S lies 3'-4' SW.
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 198 6' SSW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 200 = H. II-858, along with NGC 198, on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 985) and recorded "pB, S, very gradually brighter middle." Ralph Copeland, Lord Rosse's assistant on 17 Sep 1873, logged "cB, L, considerably elongated north-south, gradually brighter in the middle." There was a confusion, though, in the orientation with respect to NGC 198. The NGC position (from d'Arrest and Herman Schultz?) is accurate.
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NGC 201 = HCG 7C = UGC 419 = MCG +00-02-115 = CGCG 383-059 = LGG 010-004 = PGC 2388
00 39 34.9 +00 51 35; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 155°
18" (11/23/05): NGC 201 is the largest member of the HCG 7 quartet. At 225x appears faint, fairly large, round, ~1.6' diameter, low nearly even surface brightness with only a very weak concentration. Located 5' E of NGC 192.
17.5" (10/8/88): largest in the NGC 192 group = HCG 7. Faint, moderately large, diffuse, even surface brightness, slightly elongated NW-SE. Last of four including NGC 192, NGC 196 and 197.
William Herschel discovered NGC 201 = H. III-873 = h43, along with NGC 192 and NGC 196, on 28 Dec 1790 (sweep 988) and recorded "eF, cL. I should not have seen it but for the other two [III-872 = NGC 192 and II-860 = NGC 196]." On 20 Dec 1827 (sweep 113), John Herschel recorded "vF; L; E; 60". The last of 3 on the parallel of the first."
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00 39 39.8 +03 32 11; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 153°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; faint to fairly faint, fairly
small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE. A mag 13.6 star is off the east side [42"
from center] and a mag 15-15.5 star is at the NNW tip. Located 7' SSW of mag 7.6
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, elongated NNW-SSE, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is at the east edge 0.7' from center. Located 7' S of mag 7.8 SAO 147387. Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 203 5' S.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 202 = St. 8a-1 on 29 Oct 1875. His rough position was 5' too far W. His published position (list 8a, #1) was made on 17 Nov 1876 with description "eF, vS, a few faint points (stars) involved". One star is at the N end.
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NGC 203 = NGC 211 = MCG +00-02-114 = CGCG 383-061 = PGC 2393
00 39 39.5 +03 26 34; Psc
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 85°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, oval E-W, 30"x20", fairly high surface brightness, quasi-stellar nucleus. In the NGC 182 group with NGC 193 8.6' SW, NGC 204 8.6' S and NGC 202 5.6' N.
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, oval E-W, weak concentration. Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 202 5' N.
Ralph Copeland, assistant for Lord Rosse (Lawrence Parsons),
discovered NGC 203 on 19 Dec 1873.
It was found while observing the field of NGC 193 and 204. His micrometric position matches
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NGC 204 = UGC 423 = MCG +00-02-116 = CGCG 383-063 = PGC 2397
00 39 44.2 +03 17 58; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; moderately or fairly bright,
fairly small, round, 25" diameter, well concentrated with a small bright
core that mildly increases towards center.
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located 4' ESE of a mag 9.5 star. Member of the NGC 182 group with NGC 193 7' WNW.
William Herschel made the first observation of NGC 204 = h42 on 21 Dec 1786 (sweep 657). Just 25 seconds after discovering H. III. 595 (later NGC 193), he logged "very faint, very small, but I have not been out long enough [he had just started observing that night], any may be a deception." His offset from NGC 193 clearly matches NGC 204, but it wasn't catalogued and Herschel was uncredited in the GC and NGC.
John Herschel made an independent discovery on 16 Oct 1827:
"pretty bright; round; the following of 2 [with
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00 40 22.0 +41 41 07; And
V = 8.1; Size 21.9'x11.0'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 170°
13.1": bright, very large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE,
10'x4', quite prominent but only a gentle broad concentration. G73, the brightest globular cluster in
8" (10/4/80): fairly bright, large, elongated ~N-S, companion to M31.
Charles Messier discovered M110 = NGC 205 = H. V-18 = h44 on 10 Aug 1773 and made a sketch showing M31 and its two companions, though he didn't mention it in his three catalogues. He first published a description in 1798 and the sketch was published in 1807. Kenneth Glynn Jones suggested adding NGC 205 as M110 in a 1967 Sky & Telescope article.
Caroline Herschel independently discovered M110 on 27 Aug 1783 with her 4.2-inch comet-seeker reflector. She entered it as #9 in her discovery log and described "about 1/2° preceding and a little north of Mess. 31, a nebula, there are many stars besides in the field, but these two are rather largest." William observed M110 on 24 Oct 1783, just before starting his sweeps. Observing with his 18.7", he first observed H. V-18 (later NGC 205) in his 18.7" on sweep 282 (5 Oct 1784), when he was observing off the meridian to the east. On 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 613), he called it "vB, mE, above 20' long nearly in the meridian; a few degrees from np to sf, the branches lose themselves." Again a week later on 24 Oct 1786 (sweep 621), he logged "eB, mE. I suppose not less than 1/2° long and 10 or 12' broad.; very gradually much brighter middle; so as to come to a luminous nucleus. The time very inaccurate, the telescope being off the roller, and only guided by hand." William wrote In his 1785 Philosophical Transactions paper, "there is a very considerable, broad, pretty faint, small nebula near it; my sister discovered it, August 27th, 1783, with a Newtonian two-feet sweeper. It is not the 32d of the Connoissance des Temps.." Caroline was credited with the discovery in the NGC.
M110 was observed with Lord Rosse's 72" on 2 Nov 1850 and "spirality" was suspected (falsely). A later observation on 16 Oct 1855 recorded "vL; mE np by sf; sharp nucleus, for some distance round which, the neb. is bright and then suddenly decreases; there is a bright star np the nucleus; and another involved in sf end; another in preceding border.”
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00 40 31.4 +40 44 16; And
Size 4.2'x2'; PA = 0°
24" (8/25/19): quite prominent, very large elongated patch, extending 4'x2' N-S. A number of faint stars were easily seen superimposed. A brighter, narrow "spine" stands out well with the general star cloud. NGC 206 can be traced further SSW, where it merges with Association 79, a very large 6'x2' cloud of lower surface brightness oriented SSW-NNE. Association 80 is a 3' patch directly south of NGC 206 by 7' and has 3 brighter stars superimposed on the north side. This patch also includes C107, a 5" open cluster on its south side.
48" (11/1/13): Using Jimi Lowrey’s 48-inch f/4, we carefully examined the large association NGC 206 for resolved stars using the finder chart in Stephen Odewahn's 1987 study "A photometric survey of the rich OB association NGC 206 in M31”. I assumed using a labeled photographic chart it would not be difficult to identify individual stars, but his chart failed to capture the range in visual brightness of the Milky Way and cluster stars. As a result I had to carefully verify small patterns of stars (triangle, quadrilaterals, etc.) several times to feel confident of the identifications. After several minutes of observation, I had identified the 6 or 7 brightest members down to V = 17.6, as well as the superimposed Milky Way stars. The brightest “star" (Odewahn #12 at V = 16.1) at the north edge was relatively prominent, but most were in the mag 17-17.5 range.
Finally, I stopped carefully scrutinizing individual stars, relaxed my eyes and just gazed at the entire star cloud with averted vision. I was startled that in moments of good seeing, roughly 20 additional extremely faint stars popped in and out of view, mimicking the appearance of a dense open cluster or partially resolved globular cluster! Based on photometry in the paper, the magnitudes of the resolved stars extended down to approximately V = 18.3-18.4. The cloud, itself, was quite irregular and split up into several slightly brighter patches.
Checking journal articles afterwards, I found that Odewahn #12 (= BH05) was not a single star but was listed as a globular cluster candidate (M31GC J004030+404530) in Barmby & Huchra’s 2001 paper "M31 Globular Clusters in the HST Archive: I. Cluster Detection and Completeness”. But the 2010 paper "A Photometric catalog of 77 newly-recognized star clusters in M31” by Paul Hodge described the results of an HST WFPC2 search for star clusters in active star-formation regions of M31. BH05 was reclassified as a luminous and massive young cluster with an unusually elliptical shape. In addition, Odewahn’s #40 and #112 (and perhaps others) are also clumps of stars or clusters, but visually were essentially stellar.
17.5" (8/18/93): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 5:2 N-S, 4.0'x1.6', low and uneven surface brightness. A few very faint stars are just visible over surface including a brighter star at the south tip. Located 40' SW of the core of M31. This is the huge star cloud at the SW end of M31.
8" (12/6/80): very faint, moderately large, elongated N-S, low surface brightness patch near the SW end of M31.
William Herschel discovered NGC 206 = H. V-36 = h45 on 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 613). He recorded "very faint, very large, much elongated, about 20' long nearly in the meridian [N-S], or a little from np to sf." His orientation is accurate, but the size estimate was much too large! Caroline assumed it was a new discovery but according to Wolfgang Steinicke, William's first observation was made on 5 Oct 1784 (sweep 282), while observing off the meridian to the east. He logged "a streak of milky nebulosity, horizontal, or part of the 31st Nebula." An accurate position couldn't be determined in this orientation. John Herschel simply called it "a very large space filled with neb.”
E.E. Barnard independently discovered NGC 206 in 1883 and assumed it was new. On 14 Sep 1885 he reported [AN 2687], "about two years ago, I found with my 5-inch refractor, a moderate size nebula involved with the extreme preceding end of the Great Nebula in Andromeda. I have now confirmed the observation with the 6-inch Cooke Equatorial and as I can find no record of such nebula I suppose it is new." Barnard quickly caught his mistake and credited Herschel the next month [AN 2691]. Interestingly, Barnard also reported discovery of the M31 association A54 on the opposite end of M31, though for some reason Dreyer didn’t assign this object a NGC designation.
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NGC 207 = MCG -03-02-035 = PGC 2395
00 39 40.6 -14 14 13; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 85°
24" (9/30/16): at 282x; fairly faint/moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:3 E-W, 25"x15". A mag 14 star is close southwest [separation 38"]. NGC 178 is 8.7' NW and IC 41 is 3.8' N. A mag 9.5 star lies 4.4' SE.
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, small, elongated 3:2 E-W,
25"x15". A mag 14.3 star
is just 40" SW of center.
Located 4.4' NW of mag 9.2
J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 207 on 29 Oct 1877 as the observer on Lord Rosse's 72". He wrote, "About 35 seconds preceding and 25' ± south [of NGC 210] is [NGC 178], very faint, S, lE p f, much brighter middle to a nucleus, stellar, 5' nnf a coarse double star 10-11 and 12m. A very insignificant object." The description applies, as well as the time difference (actual value 32 seconds preceding) in RA although the galaxy is 5' NNW of the coarse double star instead of NNE as stated.
Dreyer assumed R.J. Mitchell's description from 7 Dec 1857 referred to NGC 207, but as it mentions the object is elongated N-S, it more likely applies to NGC 178. Ormond Stone independently discovered NGC 207 at Leader-McCormick Observatory on 3 Nov 1885 and reported it as new (LM 1-9) in the observatory's first discovery list.
IC 41 (discovered by Javelle) lies 3.7' north, although MCG,
PGC and HyperLeda incorrectly equate IC 41 with NGC 207 (error also in
Megastar). RNGC misclassified NGC
207 as nonexistent and it was reported as not found at Helwan observatory in
1924 (though.
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NGC 208 = MCG +00-02-118 = CGCG 383-064 = PGC 2420
00 40 17.6 +02 45 23; Psc
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; faint, small, round, 24"
diameter, low even surface with no nucleus. Three brighter stars follow; a mag 11.1 star 3.0' ENE, a mag
11.7 star 5' ESE and a mag 12 star 6' ENE. NGC 208 is one of the faintest NGC members of the NGC 182
group.
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, very small, round. Located west of four mag 11-13 stars that form a rhombus. The closest is a mag 11 star 3' ENE. Member of the NGC 182 group.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 208 = m 15 on 5 Oct 1863 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and simply noted "pF". His position is very close SE of CGCG 383-064 = PGC 2420. Édouard Stephan found the galaxy on 29 Oct 1875. Initially he noted it as new in his logbook, but later crossed that out.
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00 39 03.6 -18 36 30; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10°
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core. Located 70' SW of Beta Ceti.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 209 = LM 1-10 on 9 Oct
1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is ~1.4 min of RA east of
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NGC 210 = MCG -02-02-081 = PGC 2437
00 40 34.8 -13 52 28; Cet
V = 10.9; Size 5.0'x3.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160°
24" (11/21/19 and 10/17/20): at 322x; the central region is very bright, moderately large, oval 5:3 ~N-S, 1.2'x0.7'. Contains an intense roundish core that gradually increases to the center. With averted vision, a very large, low surface brightness halo - more easily visible on the south side - increased the size dramatically to nearly 4'x2'. Often the halo seemed like a ring as there was a dip in brightness surrounding the brilliant central region. Although there was hint of structure, the arms were not evident. The halo passes through a mag 12.6 star on the west side [1.2' from center].
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly
elongated ~NNW-SSE, small very bright core. A mag 11.5 star is close WSW [1.3' from the center]. Located 7' E of mag 8.3
8" (10/31/81): faint, small, round. A mag 9 star is 7' W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 210 = H. II-452 = h46 on 3 Oct 1785 (sweep 451) and recorded "pB, pS, mbM, resolvable, star 1.5' distant". His position is 30 tsec too far west.
R.J. Mitchell, LdR's observer on 7 Dec 1857, logged "bright centre; much elongated north and south, arms vF." Francis Leavenworth independently found the galaxy on 2 Oct 1886 at the Leander-McCormick Observatory and included it in the LM first discovery list (#11).
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NGC 211 = NGC 203 = MCG +00-02-114 = CGCG 383-061 = PGC 2393
00 39 39.5 +03 26 34; Psc
See observing notes for NGC 203.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 211 = St. 8a-2 on 29 Oct 1875 (rough position 3' to the WNW). He reported it as new (list 8, #2) based on a position taken 18 Nov 1876, but there is nothing (other than a faint star) near his position. Corwin found that Stephan misidentified his offset star (GSC 0014-1250 at 00 40 43.5 +03 28 05) so his position for NGC 211 was 20' E of NGC 203. When his offsets are reapplied they point directly to NGC 203, discovered three years earlier by Ralph Copeland. So, NGC 211 = NGC 203, with the original discovery going to Ralph Copeland. Emmanuel Esmiol did not catch Stephan's error when his rereduced Stephan's positions at the Observatoire de Marseille, so the position is incorrect in his 1916 paper.
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00 40 13.3 -56 09 11; Phe
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 131°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): NGC 212, along
with
John Herschel discovered NGC 212 = h2336 on Oct 28 1834 and recorded "vF, S, R, 15", the preceding of two [with h2337 = NGC 215]".
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00 41 10.0 +16 28 09; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 13.5-14.0 star is off the SE edge 26" from center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 213 = H. III-200 on 14 Oct 1784 (sweep 289) and logged "2 small stars with nebulosity between, verified with 240 power." His position is accurate. On 18 Sep 1786 (sweep 590) he noted "2 small stars with faint nebulosity, most of the chevulure is about the preceding star; the stars are within 1/2' of each other."
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00 41 28.0 +25 29 58; And
V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 35°
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately bright, slightly elongated SW-NE, brighter core, faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 214 = H. II-209 = h47 on 10 Sep 1784 (sweep 264) and recorded "vF, pL, irregularly round, equally bright, r." R.J. Mitchell (LdR's assistant) observed the field on 3 Nov 1855 and noted, "I find 3 neb, perhaps 4, as in annexed sketch. A is oval, and I think resolvable; and has a star at np edge." Mitchell goes on to describe 1 or 2 additional nebulae in the field, but these are either stars or close doubles.
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NGC 215 = ESO 150-019 = PGC 2451
00 40 48.9 -56 12 51; Phe
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 120°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): this is the
brightest member of AGC 2806. Appeared moderately bright or fairly bright,
moderately large, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, well concentrated with a bright core
that increases to the center. NGC
212 (just barely inferior) lies 6' NW.
Located 4' NE of mag 10
John Herschel discovered NGC 215 = h2336 (along with NGC 212 = h2336) on Oct 28 1834 and recorded "pF, S, R, 20", the following of two [with NGC 212]." On a later sweep he logged "F, R, very gradually brighter middle; among stars." His position is accurate.
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00 41 27.1 -21 02 44; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 27°
17.5" (12/3/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, fades at tips.
William Herschel discovered NGC 216 = H. III-244 = h49 on 9 Dec 1784 (sweep 330) and noted "eF, vS, E." John Herschel logged "eF; lE; nf to sp." The NGC position is accurate.
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00 41 33.8 -10 01 20; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110°
17.5" (12/3/88): moderately bright, fairly small. This is a pretty edge-on 4:1 WNW-ESE with a small bright core and stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 217 = H. II-480 = h48 = Sw. 4-4 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). He recorded "faint, pretty large, little elongated, little brighter middle." John Herschel observed NGC 217 on 14 Dec 1830 (sweep 310) and noted "not vF; S; gradually brighter in the middle; 10-15"." Lewis Swift found this galaxy again on 9 Aug 1886 and reported it as new in his 4th discovery list (#4). His position was 15 seconds of RA too large, a similar offset as other objects he observed that night.
In his comprehensive book on William Herschel observations, Wolfgang Steinicke mentions that Herschel made an early observation ("nebula north preceding 17 Ceti") on 24 Dec 1783 (sweep 62), but didn't catalogue the observation, probably due to an insufficient position.
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00 46 31.9 +36 19 32; And
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 177°
24" (12/22/14): at 260x: moderately bright and large,
irregularly round, ~0.8' diameter though the halo increases in size and shape
with averted vision. A brighter
nucleus is offset to the east side of the galaxy, so could be mistaken for a
knot in the halo. Forms an
interacting pair (
CGCG 519-022 was fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.2', very weak concentration. The SDSS reveals numerous thin, blue arm segments of NGC 218 that are apparently tidally stretched towards CGCG 519-022.
17.5" (9/1/02): fairly faint, fairly small, irregular shape and surface brightness, 1.0' diameter, broadly concentrated. Forms the right angle of a small isosceles triangle with two mag 13.5-14 stars 1.4' N and 1.3' W. Forms an interacting pair with MCG +06-02-017 1.4' E. The companion is very faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.5'x0.25'. Member of the Pisces-Perseus Supercluster.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 218 = St. 8a-3 on 19 Oct 1873
and logged an initial position only 30" E of center of
I checked Emmanuel Esmiol's 1916 re-reduction of Stephan's positions at Marseilles Observatory and found that NGC 218 was left off of the main tables, but replaced with an "Anonymous" galaxy using a delta RA of +4 min from the same offset star. This offset corresponds exactly with UGC 480. At the bottom of the page Esmiol added the note "wrongly identified as NGC 218." So, clearly NGC 218 = UGC 480. Harold Corwin and Wolfgang Steinicke agree with this analysis. Wolfgang notes in his book on the history of the NGC, that Esmiol's catalogue gives 4 discoveries of Stephan that did not receive NGC designations, but he missed this connection with NGC 218. This identification has now been incorporated into NED, although it is still incorrect in HyperLeda (as of 2013) as well as the NGC/IC Project, which has not been updated in a long time.
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00 42 11.3 +00 54 16; Cet
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60°
17.5" (10/8/88): very faint, extremely small, slightly
elongated. A mag 12 star is 1.1'
SSW of center. Located 3.7' NNW of
George Phillips Bond, director of Harvard College
Observatory, discovered NGC 219 = HN 1 on 16 Sep 1863 at Harvard College
observatory with the 15-inch Merz & Mahler refractor. His position and description matches
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00 40 30.6 -73 24 11; Tuc
V = 12.4; Size 0.8'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
228x, this SMC cluster appeared moderately bright, fairly small, round,
~50" diameter, brighter nucleus.
There was no resolution except for a single faint star near the
center. A mag 11 star lies 1' NE
and just south of
James Dunlop discovered NGC 220 = D 2 = h2338 on 1 Aug 1826. He described (single observation) a "faint ill-defined nebula, about 1 1/2' long, irregular figure, rather branched. This is just involved in pretty strong margin [edge] of the Cloud." His position is 3.6' NW of NGC 220 and the comment "rather branched" suggests he may have seen both NGC 220 and 222 as a single elongated object. Herschel assigned D 2 to NGC 231 = h2340 (also in the chain), but it has a lower surface brightness and less likely to have been noticed.
John Herschel observed NGC 220, along with NGC 231, on 12 Aug 1834 (sweep 482) and recorded "F, very gradually brighter middle, irregular figure." In Sep 1835 (sweep 625) he wrote "The first of an irregular string of nebulae and stars which descends at an angle of about 45 degrees from the centre to the edge of the field (i.e. in a north-following direction)." Harold Corwin notes that h2339 (later NGC 222) may be a 4th observations of this cluster (see notes).
Pietro Baracchi observed the cluster on 16 Dec 1887 (first of 14 objects) with the Melbourne telescope and called it "pB, irr, pS, little brighter middle, amidst stars."
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00 42 41.9 +40 51 53; And
V = 8.1; Size 8.7'x6.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 170°
24" (11/24/14): extremely high surface brightness, large, elongated at least 4:3 NNW-SSE, ~5'x3.5'. The large halo is highly concentrated to a small very bright core. The core itself is sharply concentrated to a very small, very bright nucleus punctuated by an intense stellar nucleus.
13.1" (8/24/84): very bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, about 4'x3', increases to small very bright core which is almost stellar. Located 24' S of the center of M31.
8" (8/24/84): very bright, moderately large, round, 24' S of M31.
15x50mm (7/26/06): an intense "star-like" core is surrounded by a small halo in my IS binoculars.
Guillaume Le Gentil discovered
William Herschel first observed M32 with his 18.5" on 5 Oct 1784 (sweep 282), while observing off the meridian to the east. The position could not be determined accurately, but it was catalogued as I-54. A correction was made later when Caroline realized it referred to M32. A late observation was made on 26 Dec 1813: "A very bright, round nebula, very gradually brighter to the middle up to a nucleus." John Herschel recorded (1 Oct 1828), "eB; pL; suddenly brighter in the middle to a * 10m; 40"; a small star follows it 11.5 seconds."
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NGC 222 = ESO 029-004 = Lindsay 24
00 40 44.5 -73 23 03; Tuc
V = 12.2; Size 0.6'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): second and the smallest of three SMC clusters in a string with NGC 220 1.5' SW and NGC 231 2.5' NE. At 228x, it appeared as a fairly faint, small, round glow of ~30" diameter, unresolved. A mag 11.5 star lies 30" south.
John Herschel discovered NGC 222 = h2339 on 11 Apr 1834 and simply recorded "vF, R, outlying." His position, though, is unusually poor - landing 3.7' S of NGC 220. Since h2339 was only recorded on the single sweep 441, Harold Corwin suggests this number may be another observation of NGC 220, which was recorded on 3 later sweeps, but not the one on 11 Apr 1834! As NGC 220 is much more prominent than the smaller cluster taken as NGC 222, it seems unreasonable that Herschel would have missed NGC 220. On sweep 625, Herschel recorded NGC 220 as "The first of an irregular string of nebulae and stars which descends at an angle of about 45 degrees from the centre to the edge of the field (i.e. in a north-following direction)". It's very possible that the cluster taken as NGC 222 was one of these "string of nebulae and stars" as it is just 1.5' NE of NGC 220, so perhaps he did see the cluster on this date. See Corwin's notes for more on this identification.
James Dunlop's D 2, discovered on 1 Aug 1826, probably refers to this chain. He described a "faint nebula, about 1 1/2' long, irregular figure, rather branched. This is involved in the margin of the Nebula minor." His position is ~3.5' WNW of NGC 220/222 and may apply to NGC 220 (brightest cluster) only. Herschel assigned D 2 to NGC 231 = h2340, which is likely incorrect due its low surface brightness.
Pietro Baracchi observed the cluster on 16 Dec 1887 (second of 14 objects) with the Melbourne telescope and called it "pB, roundish, pS little brighter middle, amidst stars."
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NGC 223 = IC 44 = UGC 450 = MCG +00-02-129 = PGC 2527
00 42 15.8 +00 50 44; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 62°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, elongated SW-NE, small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 219 3.7' NNW. Located close to the midpoint of a mag 11 star 2.8' SE and a mag 12 star 3.0' NW that is just south of NGC 219.
George Phillips Bond discovered NGC 223 = HN 7 = Au 4 = Sw.
6-5 on 5 Jan 1853. It was found
with the 15-inch Merz refractor during the Harvard Zone observations of stars
near the celestial equator. He
noted a round nebula, between stars #131 and 132 and measured the dec, but not
the RA. The discovery was listed
as #4 in Auwers 1862 list of new nebulae, though the RA was only given to the
nearest minute of time. Heinrich
d'Arrest independently discovered the galaxy on 1 Jan 1862 and assumed it was a
new discovery. He added a note of
Bond's earlier discovery in his 1865 catalogue of new nebulae. Lewis Swift made another discovery
(list VI, #5) on 21 Nov 1886.
Finally Swift "discovered" it again on 12 Nov 1890, and
described Sw. 10-1 (later
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00 42 44.1 +41 16 08; And
V = 3.4; Size 191'x62'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 35°
17.5" (7/5/86): the remarkable "Andromeda galaxy" is very bright, extremely large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, about 2.5° length. Very large bright core containing a stellar nucleus using direct vision. There are two black parallel dust lanes along the NW side of the core. The galaxy extends beyond the star cloud NGC 206 located about 40' SW of the core.
18": a total of 38 globular clusters have been tracked down in M31 as well as 9 star clusters.
8" (number observations starting in 1980): amazing at 50x with a prominent dust lane along NW side, stellar nucleus.
Persian astronomer Abd-al-Rahman Al-Sûfi first mentioned M31
= NGC 224 = h51 in his "Book of Fixed Stars" (964 AD) as the
"Little Cloud" lying before the mouth of a Big Fish (an Arabic
constellation). Surprisingly,
Tycho Brahe didn't mention M31 in his star catalogue (nor Hipparchus or Bayer),
which included 6 nebulous objects (only real one was
William Herschel first observed M31 with his 6.2" reflector on 6 Aug 1780 ("has no star in it"). But using the same scope on 2 Aug 1783 he noted, "227x, a strong suspicion of stars. This speculum has not light enough. I doubt not but 20 feet will confirm it. 460x, suspicion still stronger." He was obviously mistaken on the resolvability. Herschel also noted the nebula "begins to shew a faint red colour." Perhaps he detected a slight hue to the nuclear region (red giants), though this seems unlikely and he described many globular clusters, as well as double stars, as having a faint red color. In 1826 John Herschel wrote, "At present it has not, indeed, a star, or any well-defined disk in its center, but the brightness, which increases by a regular gradation from the circumference, suddenly acquires a great accession, so as to off the appearance of a nipple as it were in the midd, of very small diameter (10" or 12")...Its nebulosity is of the most perfectly milky absolutely irresolvable kind, with the slightest tendency to that separation into flocculi above described in the nebula in Orion..."
The quasi-stellar nucleus was observed by Johann Lamont on 13 Oct 1836 with a 10.5-inch refractor at Munich Observatory and measured as 6.9" diameter. George Bond made a remarkable sketch in 1847 using the new 15-inch Harvard refractor, showing two sharply defined dust lanes, a stellar nucleus and M32 and M110 embedded within the halo of M31. He mentioned "a sudden interruption of light, appearing like a narrow, dark band, in which the eye could detect no deviation from perfect straightness, streating, in the direction of the axis of the nebula, entirely across the field of view; exterior to this, with respect to the axis, was another band or canal..." Bond also traced the major axis to a length of 4°. Leopold Trouvelot produced a beautiful sketch of the dust lanes in 1874 at the Harvard College Observatory.
The spiral nature, though, was first revealed in photographs by Isaac Roberts in 1888 with a 20-inch reflector (reproduced in many publications) and E.E. Barnard in 1890 with the 12-inch refractor, though neither used in the word "spiral" in their papers. Roberts speculated wildly on the nature of M31, suggesting it was a "new solar system in the process of condensation from a nebula" and the two companions, M32 and M110, were "already undergoing their transformations into planets."
Ernst Hartwig discovered the first extragalactic supernova near the center of M31 on 20 Aug 1885 with the Dorpat Observatory's 9.6" Fraunhofer refractor. SN 1885A = S And reached mag 5.85 and faded to mag 14 a half a year later. The brightness (if a nova) seemed evidence that M31 was relatively nearby (within the Milky Way). In 1899, though, German astronomer Julius Scheiner obtained a spectrum using a 7.5 hour exposure and found "No traces of bright nebular lines are present, so that the interstellar speace in the Andromeda nebula, just as in our stellar system, is not appreciably occupied by gaseous matter." He further stated "previous suspicion that the spiral nebulae are star clusters is now raised to a certainty, the thought suggests itself of comparing ..our stellar system, with especial reference to its great similarity to the Andromeda nebula." This added strong support for the "island-universe" theory.
In 1919 Knut Lundmark obtained a distance of 650,000 light years based on the brightness of M31 novae, implying an extragalactic nebula. But in the early 1920's Adriaan van Maanen claimed he measured internal displacements on photographs taken 12 years apart that showed rotation or motion outward along the spiral arms, implying a close distance and small diameter. The Island Universe question was effectively ended when Hubble identified a Cepheid variable (V1) in M31 on a plate taken October 5-6, 1923 and derived a distance of 930,000 l.y based on the Period-Luminosity relation. In 1929 he obtained a distance of 900,000 l.y. based on a large number of Cepheids.
In 1943-44, while the Los Angeles area was in a World War II blackout, William Baade first resolved the central region of M31, M32, M110 as well as NGC 147 and NGC 185 using the 100-inch at Mount Wilson. He identified two distinct populations of stars based on their metallicity, naming young, high-velocity stars in the disk as Type I and older red stars in the bulge as Type II. The differences in Population I and II Cepheids modified the P-L relation and increased the distance by 2.5x.
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NGC 225 = Cr 7 = OCL-305 = Lund 25 = Sailboat Cluster
00 43 35 +61 46; Cas
V = 7.0; Size 12'
24" (1/4/14): bright, large, scattered group of ~50 stars in 10' group. Includes 15-18 brighter stars that stand out (mag 9.5-11). A ragged N-S string of stars defines the eastern border of the cluster. There are no rich subgroups and a lack of faint stars.
A detached group of stars is off the north side, but these
stars do not appear to be part of the cluster.
17.5" (11/2/91): about two dozen stars at 100x in a 12' diameter. Bright but scattered. Outline forms an isosceles triangle with the vertex at west edge and the long base on the east side. Most stars are mag 10-11 and evenly spaced. The cluster appears completely resolved. Only one fairly close double star in group. Just ENE of the main group is a line of five mag 9 stars oriented N-S.
8": two dozen stars in a cluster, fairly bright but scattered, no dense spots.
Caroline Herschel discovered NGC 225 = H. VIII-78 = h52 on 27 Sep 1783, along with NGC 189, with her 4.2" comet seeker reflector. She described "about 2° from Gamma Cas, making an isosceles triangle with Gamma and Kappa, a small cluster of stars, seeming to be intermixed with nebulosity." She observed it again a few times, including 30 Oct 1783 and 23 Feb 1784, and entered it as #11 and possibly #15 (based on different observations) in her discovery log, according to Wolfgang Steinicke.
William Herschel first observed the cluster on 12 Mar 1784 before he began sweep 165 and called it "a cluster of coarsely scattered large stars, seeming to contain many smaller...7 ft [6.2"] power 57. 20 large stars. Carolina found it Sept. 27, 1783." On 26 Nov 1788 (sweep 887 with his 18.7"), he recorded "a good many coarsely scattered L stars of an equal size, they take up a space of 15 or 20'."
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00 42 54.0 +32 34 52; And
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (9/1/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
4:3 ~E-W, 0.6'x0.45', very weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is just off the
south side, 30" from the center.
Located 11' ESE of mag 8.5
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small,
irregularly round, bright core, irregular surface brightness. A mag 14 star is 30" S. Located 7' NE of mag 9.4
John Herschel discovered NGC 226 = h53 on 22 Nov 1827 and
logged "eF; S; R; has a 13m to south, dist 20"." His position and description matches
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00 42 36.8 -01 31 43; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 155°
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately bright, very small bright core or stellar nucleus?
13.1" (9/29/84): compact galaxy elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, small prominent nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 227 = H. II-444 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448) and logged "F, pL, little brighter middle." The micrometric position from Engelhardt in the NGC is accurate.
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00 42 54.5 +23 30 12; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5" (10/13/90 and 10/20/90): faint, small, almost
round, weak concentration. In a
tight quadruple group with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 228 = St. 10-1, along with NGC 229, on 3 Oct 1869 (single unpublished position between the pair). His published micrometric position was made on 10 Oct 1879.
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NGC 229 = MCG +04-02-049 = CGCG 479-064 = PGC 2577
00 43 04.6 +23 30 33; And
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5" (10/13/90 and 10/20/90): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, stellar nucleus. In a quadruple group with NGC 228 2.5' W and CGCG 479-065 9' ESE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 229 = St. 10-2, along with NGC 228, on 3 Oct 1869 (single unpublished position between the pair). His published micrometric position was made on 10 Oct 1879.
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00 42 27.1 -23 37 44; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 1.1'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 44°
24" (12/22/14): extremely faint to very faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, ~20"x10", low surface brightness. Requires averted and concentration, but clearly visible ~25% of time.
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely tough, very small object
that I suspected on a couple of pops.
My field sketch shows it situated just south of the midpoint of two
stars oriented NW-SE [separation 1.5'] and it seemed extended SW-NE
(perpendicular to the line connecting the stars). This matches the DSS image, so I probably finally detected
this galaxy. Located 6' SW of NGC
232 and 8' SW of the double system
17.5": negative sightings on 12/3/88, 10/21/95 in thin clouds and 12/20/95.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 230 = LM 2-291, along
with
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NGC 231 = ESO 029-005 = Lindsay 25
00 41 06.4 -73 21 08; Tuc
V = 12.7; Size 0.8'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this SMC cluster appeared as a moderately large, low surface brightness hazy region with an irregular outline, ~2' diameter. A few mag 14 stars were resolved. Last of three open clusters with compact NGC 222 2.5' SW and NGC 220 4.0' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 231 = h2340 on 12 Aug 1834 (sweep
482) and recorded "an irregular train of stars and nebulosity in the
Nubecula Minor. (Evidently that referred to in sweep 625 [NGC 220])." His
position falls very close to the cluster taken as NGC 231 (
Herschel suggested h2340 might be equivalent to D 2, but Dunlop likely saw only NGC 220 or both NGC 220 and 221, which he described as "a faint nebula, about 1.5' long, irregular figure, rather branched. This is involved in the margin of the Nubecula Minor."
Pietro Baracchi observed the cluster of 16 Dec 1887 (third of 14 objects) with the 48" Melbourne telescope and called it "eeeF, very small thin nebulosity around a minute star. Two or more stars near."
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NGC 232 = ESO 474-015 = MCG -04-02-040 = VV 830 = PGC 2559
00 42 45.7 -23 33 41; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 171°
24" (12/22/14): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, weak concentration. NGC 235/235B lies 2.0' NE and NGC 230 is 6' SW.
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, very small, round, weak
concentration. Forms a trio with
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 232 = LM 2-292, along
with NGC 230 and 235, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander
McCormick Observatory. His
position essentially matches
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00 43 36.6 +30 35 13; And
V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core, stellar nucleus, diffuse outer halo, no distinct edges.
William Herschel discovered NGC 233 = H. III-149 = h54 on 14 Oct 178 (sweep 266) and logged "eF, vS, R." R.J. Mitchell, assistant to Lord Rosse's on 22 Nov 1854, recorded "pB, vS, R, a F* v close preceding??". There is a very faint star close west of the core.
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00 43 32.4 +14 20 33; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (10/8/88): moderately bright, moderately large, irregularly round, broad concentration, faint nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 234 = H. II-245 on 14 Oct 1784 (sweep 289). He logged "F, pS, irregular oval." On 18 Sep 1786 (sweep 590) it was called "pB, cL, gradually much brighter middle." Dreyer made a detailed observation at Birr Castle on 8 Nov 1876: "pB, pL, irregularly round, seems with higher power to have two points of condensation, p and f, the f. one the brighter. I think the p one is a S * involved. Lord Rosse thought it resolved." A mag 16.3 star is at the west edge and the following "point of condensation" probably refers to the nucleus. The NGC position is 2.5' too far south.
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NGC 235 = ESO 474-016 = MCG -04-02-041 = PGC 2569
00 42 52.8 -23 32 29; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 117°
24" (12/22/14): at 260x; NGC 235A, the brighter northwest component of this interacting double system, appeared fairly bright, fairly small, round, 24" diameter high surface brightness, bright core increases to a very bright stellar nucleus. NGC 235B is attached on the southeast side and appeared fairly faint, small, 12" diameter, round, very small brighter nucleus. The pair of galaxies are separated by just 20" between centers!
17.5" (12/3/88): the western member of this double system appeared faint, very small, round, small bright core. The eastern component, attached at the following end, appeared extremely faint and small, round. Forms a double with NGC 232 2.5' SW.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 235 = LM 2-293, along
with NGC 230 and 232, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander
McCormick Observatory. His
position is 0.3 min of RA east of
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00 43 27.5 +02 57 30; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 160°
17.5" (10/20/90): faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 SW-NE, fairly low even surface brightness. A mag 14.5 star is off the NE edge 1.4' from center. Located roughly 1 degree east of the large NGC 182 group.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 236 = m 16 on 3 Aug 1864 using
Lassell's 48" reflector on Malta and recorded "vF, pL". His position is 1.5' N of
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00 43 27.9 -00 07 30; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated NNW-SSE, brighter core.
13.1" (12/7/85): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, weak concentration.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 237 = Sf. 94 = Sw. 6-76 on 27 Sep 1867 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. His discovery list was not published until 1887, so Dreyer was unable to credit him in the NGC. The galaxy was independently found by Lewis Swift on 21 Nov 1886 with a 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and catalogued it as #6 in his 6th discovery list, though his position was 16 seconds off in RA. Swift is credited with the discovery in the NGC. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1897 using the 20" refractor at the Chamberlin Observatory in Denver.
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00 43 25.5 -50 10 57; Phe
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 93°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, moderately large, roundish, ~1.5' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. A weak central bar extends NW-SE from the nucleus.
Subtle structure was evident in the halo with slightly
enhanced regions. A slightly
brighter patch is on the northwest and west side (images show this part of an
inner ring) and an extremely faint "star" is superimposed [25"
NW of center]. The DSS2 image
reveals this is either a bright knot or possibly an interacting companion. In 1981ApJS...46...75A
("Spectroscopic Measures of Galaxies, Their Companions, and Peculiar
Galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere"), Arp identifies this object as a
companion galaxy as well as Madore in the 2007 paper "The Curious Case of
John Herschel discovered NGC 238 = h2341 on 2 Oct 1834 and
recorded "eF, pL, R, gradually very little brighter middle,
50"." His position
matches
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00 44 37.4 -03 45 34; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 28°
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, broad concentration. A mag 12 star is 2.6' E of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 239 = LM 1-12 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is just 1' S of MCG -01-03-007 = PGC 2642. Ormond Stone's "corrected" position, given in the IC 1 notes, is 1.1 tmin too far E. In the IC 2 notes section, Max Wolf states the original NGC position was correct!
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00 45 01.9 +06 06 47; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, small, oval 4:3 ~E-W, small bright core. A mag 14 star is 1.2' SSE of center.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 240 = Sw. 5-9 on 22 Oct 1886 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and recorded "vF; S; R; * nr
south". His position is 9 sec
of RA east of
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00 43 34 -73 26 36; Tuc
V = 12.0; Size 0.9'
See observing notes for
John Herschel discovered NGC 241 = h2342 on 12 Aug 1834 and described "a very F, R nebula or group (We are now fairly in the Nubecula Minor, and field begins to be full of faint perfectly irresolvable nebulous light." There is nothing at his sinngle Cape of Good Hope position but 10' N is h2343 (later NGC 242). Herschel caught this error and corrected the NPD in an errata list at the end of the CGH catalogue, though apparently he didn't notice the nearly identical positions. Since Herschel only observed NGC 241 on a sweep where NGC 242 was not recorded, Harold Corwin (as well as ESO and Eric Lindsay) equate NGC 241= NGC 242. Since NGC 242 refers to his first observation it should be the primary designation. See Harold Corwin's notes for more.
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NGC 242 = NGC 241 = ESO 029-6 = Lindsay 29
00 43 34 -73 26 36; Tuc
V = 12.0; Size 0.9'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
282x, this SMC cluster appeared fairly bright, slightly elongated E-W,
0.8'x0.6'. A faint star is at the
west end and another faint star or clump of stars is at the SE end. A pair of mag 12.5/13 stars lies 2.5'
SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 242 = h2343 on 11 Apr 1834 and recorded "pL; vF; R; very gradually brighter middle; (in a sweep below the pole and ill seen) the RA is probably also in error. On a second sweep he recorded "a binuclear nebula, or two, vS, R, running together." Finally on a third sweep he noted "a small irresolvable knot in the bright part of the Nubecula Minor." NGC 241 = h2343, recorded in Aug 1834, is a duplicate observation (see notes).
Interestingly, Pietro Baracchi observed the cluster on 16 Dec 1887 (as well as numerous other SMC clusters) with the 48" Melbourne telescope and logged it as two objects (labeled as "D" and "E") "almost forming a double nebula". The main NW clump was called "pB, very small, nebulous star" and the SE knot as "pB; eeS; nebulous star very close to D. I believe two minute stars in D and one in E which makes the objects sparke, many stars in the field." This matches Herschel's description of "a binuclear nebula, or two..." SIMBAD labels the NW clump as NGC 241 = Kron 22w = Lindsay 29w and the SE clump as NGC 242 = Kron 22E = Lindsay 29e and NGC 241/242 is listed as a star cluster pair in 2000A&AS..146...57D.
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00 46 00.9 +29 57 34; And
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 145°
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 1.4' E of a mag 10.5 star.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 243 = St. 12-6 on 6 Oct 1869 and recorded an unpublished position 2' SSE of center. He published an accurate micrometric position made on 18 Oct 1881 and recorded "Faint, very small, round, gradually brighter middle, *10 precedes by 6 seconds [of time]."
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00 45 46.7 -15 35 50; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 50°
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, small bright core. Located 3.5' NNW of a mag 10.5 star. A tight trio of mag 14.5 stars is 8' W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 244 = H. III-485 = h55 on 30 Dec 1785 (sweep 499) and logged "vF, S, iF, resolvable." The NGC position is just 1' too far N.
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00 46 05.5 -01 43 22; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 145°
17.5" (10/8/88): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated ~E-W, stellar nucleus. A pair of stars mag 13.5 and 14.5 with a separation of 35" lie 1.5' S.
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, star superimposed or faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 245 = H. II-445 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448) and recorded "F, irregularly round, easily resolvable, 1' broad." The NGC RA is just 0.1 tmin too large.
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00 47 03.3 -11 52 19; Cet
V = 10.4; Size 240"x210"; PA = 120°
48" (10/23/14): At 488x with an NPB filter the view of the Skull Nebula was breathtaking and all the structure in a detailed photograph was visible. The thin brighter rim varied in brightness, thickness and scalloped structure along its entire length.
The rim is brightest along a 60° arc on the western side, bulging inward just north of center, creating a small darker indentation in the rim due west of the prominent central star. Moving counterclockwise around the rim, a small brighter, elongated patch is at the northwest edge, close to a mag 11.5 star just outside the planetary. The rim is relatively weak along the north side, but two brighter (detached) patches are along the northeast side. An irregular, elongated luminous patch spreads inward here. This glow is fairly prominent just northeast of center, on line with the central star and the second interior mag 12 star (southwest of center). A second luminous patch is midway from the central star to the north rim. The rim is weakest overall along a 90° arc on the eastern side, near a mag 13.5 star, which is embedded just within the planetary. Two more luminous patches are visible at the south rim, with the westernmost glow both larger and brighter.
The interior is relatively dark, though glows weakly with subtle variations, creating pockets of darkness - one is northeast of the central star - and mild enhancements. A small diaphanous glow is just south of the mag 12 star on the southwest side. More extensive milky nebulosity extends inward from the southern rim, though the most prominent interior glow is the split nebulosity mentioned earlier on the northwest side.
33" (9/15/07): gorgeous annular planetary viewed at 200x. The thin brighter rim was striking and varied in brightness and thickness around the periphery. The rim is brightest along the western or WNW edge and weakest on the east side. The interior was darker but irregular in surface brightness.
18" (10/13/07): 175x gave an excellent view using the NPB filter and the thin, bright irregular rim (only dimming on the east side) and darker center was quite striking.
18" (8/23/03): I took a quick look at 160x from Chew's Ridge with a thin waning crescent low in the ENE. Without a filter I don't remember the brighter rim being so crisply defined and the annularity so clear. The superimposed stars gave the planetary a transparent, 3-dimensional feel as if I was seeing inside the object.
17.5" (1/8/00): at 100x, appears as a moderately bright, 3.5' irregular glow with a darker center and encompassing four stars including the 12th magnitude central star. Excellent contrast gain using an OIII filter, which sharpens up the edge of the roundish annulus and enhances the irregular surface brightness. The halo is brightest along a 270° arc running from SW to NE and is clearly weakest at the east edge of the halo. A mag 11.5 star is embedded at the NW edge of the halo 2.0' from center. The irregular central hole is much darker but faintly luminous. A mag 12 star is also superimposed southwest of the central star and a 4th star is just inside the eastern boundary. The central star forms a thin right triangle with the other two brighter stars. At 220x, the western 90° outer arc is brightest and there appears to be a knot embedded at the NE edge of the halo.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly bright, large, 4' diameter, annular. Four stars are involved including the central star. This planetary has an irregular surface brightness with subtle structure.
13.1" (many dates from 11/13/82 to 8/24/84): fairly bright with filter,
clearly annular, sharper edges.
8" (11/5/83): fairly faint, large, four stars involved. No annularity noted.
16x80 (8/24/84): faintly visible in finder.
80mm finder (10/13/07): visible unfiltered at 25x. Nice contrast gain using the NPB filter and the planetary also appears to increase in size.
William Herschel discovered NGC 246 = H. V-25 = h56 on 27 Nov 1785 (sweep 478). He recorded "four or five pretty large stars forming a trapezium of 4 or 5' diameter. The enclosed space is filled up with milky nebulosity faintly terminated. The stars seem to have no connection with the nebulosity." Immediately afterwards he swept up the galaxy NGC 255, which is 25' NNE.
Isaac Roberts described NGC 246 as a spiral nebula based on an early photograph. In 1912 Knox-Shaw reported it was not a spiral, but "like the Owl nebula", based on a photograph taken at the Helwan Observatory with the Reynolds reflector from 1909-11. Still Hardcastle later classified NGC 246 as a spiral nebula. Campbell (at Lick) and Paddock found the spectrum to be of a PN. Based on a Crossley photograph, Heber Curtis described (1918) "a somewhat irregular oval, brightest on western edge; 4'x3.5' in PA 120°. Periphery clear-cut, with a broken ring effect. Very faint, irregular matter in inner parts. The central star is bluish, and considerably brighter photographically than visually."
The 1973 "Revised New General Catalogue of Nonstellar Objects" (RNGC) reversed the sign of the declination (+), and this typo was copied into some amateur software and digital setting circles.
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00 47 08.2 -20 45 37; Cet
V = 9.1; Size 21.4'x6.9'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 174°
48" (10/31/13): at 287x, NGC 247 spanned at least
18'x5' NNW-SSE and stretched from an HII region at the NNW tip to beyond the
mag 9.5 star (
17.5" (11/1/86): bright, very large, bright core,
elongated 7:2 N-S, 14'x4'. The
southern extension is brighter and mag 9
13.1" (8/5/83): fairly bright, diffuse, very large, bright core.
8" (10/4/80): very large, elongated ~N-S, bright core. A mag 10 star is at the south tip. The southern extension appears brighter.
William Herschel discovered NGC 247 = H. V-20 = h57 on 20 Oct 1784 (sweep 303) and logged "a Streak of light about 27' long, and in the brightest part, which was pretty bright is 3' or 4' broad. The extension nearly in the meridian (I believe a little from from S.p. to N.f.) ... The situation is so low, that it would probably appear of much greater extent in a higher altitude." His size estimate (27') was much too large but it was probably a difficult observation, with the large galaxy at an elevation of 16°. John Herschel also observed NGC 247 at Slough on 16 Sep 1830 (sweep 293) and noted "extremely faint; very large; very much elongated; very gradually little brighter middle; 10' long; pos 172.0 deg. Has no bright star in it, but a star 8.9 mag at some distance n.p." Surprisingly, he made no (published) observations at the Cape of Good Hope.
Based on a photograph taken with the Crossley reflector, Heber Curtis described NGC 247 as "a faint, very large spiral, 18'x5' in p.a. 175°. Nucleus stellar; many almost stellar condensations. Whorls somewhat irregular, and indistinct." (1918)
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NGC 248 = SMC-N13A/B = ESO 029-8
00 45 24.0 -73 22 47; Tuc
Size 0.8'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x this fairly faint SMC nebulous cluster appeared as an irregular glow, 0.8'x0.6', elongated NW-SE. There was a good response using a UHC filter at 76x. One or two stars or knots are involved including a small nebulous knot at the southeast end (N13A). NGC 256 lies 8' SSE and NGC 242 is 9' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 248 = h2344 on 11 Apr 1834 and logged "very faint. Below the pole, and the sweep otherwise irregular." On a later sweep he recorded "faint, elongated or binuclear, small, very gradually a little brighter in the middle." His position matches the knot at the southeast end.
Pietro Baracchi observed this cluster on 16 Dec 1887 along with a number of other SMC clusters with the 48" Melbourne telescope. He listed NGC 248 as two separate objects; the NW object (SMC-N13B) was labeled as "F" and called "pF; eeS a faint nebulous star" and the SE object was labeled as "G" (SMC-N13A) and described as "very close to F, almost forms a double nebula - this is a little brighter and larger than F. pB; vS; R; pmbM."
Annie Jump Cannon discovered the emission knot at the SE end in 1933.
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00 45 33 -73 04 48; Tuc
Size 2.0'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): NGC 249 is the first of four
striking, collinear SMC nebulae and clusters with
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x this SMC cluster with nebulosity appeared fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated, 1.3'x0.9', weakly concentrated. Two or three faint stars are involved including a mag 13 star just north of the center. The UHC filter produces a good contrast boost and increased the size to at least 2'. Forms a pair with NGC 261 4.5' ESE with NGC 242 18' S.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 249 = D 19 = h2346 on 5 Sep 1826 with his homemade 9" speculum reflector. He recorded "a small faint elliptical nebula - this is the preceding in a line of small faint nebulae." His position is just 3.7' N of this SMC nebula.
John Herschel recorded NGC 249 on 3 sweeps. In Sep 1835 (sweep 635), he remarked "faint, large, round; very gradually brighter in the middle; 2' across. Here begins a starry region of the Nubecula Minor." On 4 Oct 1836 (sweep 738), he wrote, "pretty bright, pretty large, oval, resolvable, 2' diameter." Herschel noted that Dunlop's D 19 or 21 might be equivaent.
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00 47 16.0 +07 54 36; Psc
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 153°
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, almost round, faint stellar nucleus. Located in the center of a small right triangle consisting of two mag 13.5 stars 2.1' NE and 2.8' NE and a mag 12.5 star 2.7' S. Located 29' NW of mag 4.4 63 Psc.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 250 = Sw. 3-2 on 10 Nov 1885 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is 17 sec of RA east of
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00 47 54.0 +19 35 48; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 2.4'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 105°
24" (11/21/19): at 322x; nearly moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated E-W, decent concentration with a bright core and faint halo that extends over 1'. The surface brightness seemed irregular like a face-on spiral (it is) and the periphery varied with averted vision. A mag 12.5 star is 1' NE of center and a 3.5" pair of mag 14.5 stars is just off the E edge. Located 10' E of mag 6.1 59 Psc.
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration. Enclosed by a small group of four mag 12-14.5 stars including a mag 12.5 star (close double) just 0.7' E. Located 9.5' E of 59 Piscium (V = 6.1).
William Herschel discovered NGC 251 = H. III-204 = h58 on 15 Oct 1784 (sweep 291). His description reads, "vF, S, s.p. 2 vS stars, a third star in it but not in the center, and I suppose is not connected with it. 240 verified it." On 13 Nov 1786 (sweep 635) he logged "vF, S, little brighter middle, just preceding two stars are in the same meridian." John Herschel recorded "vF; R; follows a *6.7 40s and is 1.5' north of it. It is near 2 v s st. If this be III 204, my father's polar distance is 5' wrong."
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00 48 01.5 +27 37 26; And
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 80°
17.5" (10/17/87): moderately bright, moderately large,
large slightly elongated halo, bright core, stellar nucleus. Brightest and first of three with NGC
258 3.2' NE and
William Herschel discovered NGC 252 = H. II-609 = h59 = h60 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and logged "pB, S, irregularly round, gradually brighter in the middle." John Herschel made 4 observations under h59 and a 5th observation listed as h60.
Both Herschels missed
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00 47 33.1 -25 17 17; Scl
V = 7.2; Size 27.5'x6.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 52°
48" (10/23/14): although I've viewed NGC 253 several previous times with Lowrey's 48", I'm always amazed by the spectacular view as the mottled galaxy explodes into numerous bright knots, dusty patches, dark lanes and luminous star associations. Using a 21mm Ethos (232x), NGC 253 completely filled the 26' field. The central region of this starburst galaxy contains a blazing, nonstellar nucleus surrounding by an intense, elongated core with several bright patches around the periphery of the core (segments of the inner spiral arms). Just northwest and southeast of the nucleus are extremely bright sections of the core. Since the galaxy is only 12° from edge-on, many visible features extend parallel to the SW-NE major axis (PA = 52°).
A dark lane running SW-NE parallels the core just off its northern side. Close northwest and parallel to this dust lane is a very bright, fairly narrow arm, extending ~3' in length. Another thin arm (also running SW-NE) is to the southeast of the core with a prominent, very thin section ~3.5' SW of center, just southwest of a superimposed mag 12.5-13 star. Three smaller bright patches surround a superimposed star ~2.5' NE of the nucleus. The brightest and largest of these patches is close southeast of the star. Further northeast the surface brightness lowers in the outer portion of the galaxy, but it still appears curdled and blotchy. Several bright stars are near the periphery including a mag 9.3 star 6.2' SW of center and a mag 11.6 star 3.8' W of center. A brighter patch is ~3.5' WSW of center is near the latter star. Additional luminous patches are further out on the southwest end.
30" (10/12/15 - OzSky): superb view at 152x and 303x with NGC 253 within 10° of the zenith. Much of the detail seen in Lowrey's 48" was visible, although the bright patches were not quite as contrasty. The nucleus is a very small region embedded in a very bright, elongated central region that is enhanced immediately south of the nucleus. A thin, luminous "arm" extends in the direction of the major axis near the north side. A long spiral "arm" is along the northeast flank of the galaxy, extending 5 or 6' in length. Three slightly brighter patches were noted to the northeast of the core close to a superimposed star (also marked in the 48" observation). A bright, elongated strip was along the southwest side, about 2.8' NNW of a mag 9.3 star near the southwest edge (6.2' from center).
30" (11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): stunning view in the 13mm Ethos at 264x although the galaxy overfilled the 23' field. The dust structure and knots were mesmerizing but I didn't take detailed notes.
17.5" (many dates 8/2/86 to 8/29/92): at 100x; very bright, very large, edge-on 6:1 SW-NE, 30'x5', at 100x. The galaxy exhibits only a weak central concentration to a small elongated core that is slightly larger than the visible knots. Remarkable dust structure and mottling visible particularly on the southwest extension and a dark lane runs along the north side. Three faint HII knots are visible near a superimposed star on the southwest side and a slightly brighter knot lies northeast of a star near the core.
13.1" (9/11/82): very bright, elongated 4:1 SW-NE, very mottled, dust lanes, dark patches, 30' diameter.
8" (10/4/80 and 9/11/82): very bright, large and elongated! Mottled appearance, 25'-30' diameter.
10x30mm IS binoculars: easily visible as an elongated glow.
Caroline Herschel discovered NGC 253 = H. V-1 = h61 = h2345 on 23 Sep 1783 from Datchet with her "small Newtonian Sweeper of 27 inches focal length [4.2" aperture], and a power of 30." She entered it as #10 in her discovery log and NGC 253 was the only galaxy she discovered. William then observed it in his 6.2" reflector and described it using 57x as a "nebulous spot lengthened out to a considerable extend from south preceding to north following ..."
William found it again just a month later (30 Oct 1783) while just starting to sweep horizontally with his new 18.7-inch (solo object in sweep 8). Initially he thought it was new, but after looking for his sister's nebula unsuccessfully, he realized it was the same object. He wrote, "On looking at the nebula a long while the suspicion of its consisting of stars grows stronger as it begins to put on a faintly mottled appearance." On 27 Oct 1785 (sweep 467) he recorded "about 45' long and 7 or 8' br; cB, mBM. The place taken is that of the brightest part of it, where there is a small star visible, which however I suppose has no connection with the nebula. It makes an angle of 25 or 40° with the meridian, from sp to nf. The faint ends of it require much attention to be seen, and I believe extend much farther than I could trace them."
John Herschel recorded it from the Cape as "vvB; vvL; vmE; 30' long, 3' or 4' broad; has several stars in it; gradually much brighter middle to a centre elongated like the nebula itself. The nebula is somewhat streaky and knotty in its constitution and may perhaps be resolvable." A second observation in 1836 was logged as "vvB; vvvL; a superb object; 24' in length, breadth about 3'; pos = 143.8 very exact. Its light is somewhat streaky, but I see no stars in it but 4 large and one very small one, and these seem not to belong to it, there being many near." In the GC, he noted the position angle should read 54.5°. John Dunlop didn't publish an observation from Paramatta (near Sydney) as it lies a couple of degrees outside his northern declination cut off.
William Lassell sketched NGC 253 from Malta in November 1863 with his 48". His sketch included numerous dark lanes and rifts on the southwest side and a very irregular outline. Wilhelm Tempel's sketch with the 11" Amici refractor at Florence captures several small knots (brightest in the nucleus) and accurately depicts the surrounding star field and superimposed stars. The origin of the "Silver Coin" nickname goes back to at least 1964 (Time-Life International edition of "The Universe"), with the description "Silvery Coin of the flat Sc spiral NGC 253", though the 1962 edition published in the U.S. reads "Silvery Dollar ..."
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00 47 27.6 -31 25 20; Scl
V = 11.7; Size 2.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 137°
17.5" (12/3/88): moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 2:1 NW-SE, very bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 5' SW of mag 7.1
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly bright, small, elongated ~E-W, small bright nucleus. Located 5' SW of a mag 8 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 254 = h2347 on 28 Sep 1834 and logged "vB, R, gradually much brighter middle, 40", has a star 8th mag 5' distant." His position is accurate.
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NGC 255 = MCG -02-03-017 = PGC 2802
00 47 47.1 -11 28 07; Cet
V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 15°
17.5" (8/16/93): moderately bright, fairly large,
elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, 2.0'x1.6', broad mild concentration. A mag 14 star lies 2.5' ESE. Forms a pair with
13.1" (8/24/84): similar to previous observation but exhibits a weak concentration.
13.1" (11/5/83): moderately bright, fairly small, round, no noticeable concentration.
8" (8/28/81): faint, small, round. Located 25' NNE of NGC 246.
William Herschel discovered NGC 255 = H. II-472 = h62 on 27 Nov 1785 (sweep 478) and recorded "F, pS." The previous object discovered in the sweep was the large planetary NGC 246.
John Herschel made a single observation, "vF; L; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 30"." In 1912 Harold Knox-Shaw identified this galaxy as an "spiral with many stellar condensations in the whorls", based on photographs taken with the 30" Reynolds reflector at the Helwan Observatory between 1909-11.
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NGC 256 = ESO 029-11 = Lindsay 30
00 45 54 -73 30 24; Tuc
V = 12.5; Size 0.9'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; bright,
fairly small, roughly triangular outline, 30"-35" diameter, high
surface brightness, bright core, mottled.
A few faint stars were resolved.
A mag 9.7 star (
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this SMC cluster appeared moderately bright, fairly small, triangular or wedge-shaped, 30" diameter. Weakly concentrated with a slightly brighter core but there was no resolution. Located 1.9' SSW of mag 9.7 HD 4558, which detracts somewhat from viewing. NGC 248 lies 8' NNW and several clusters are within 15' including NGC 265 6' ENE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 256 = h2348 in the SMC on 11 Apr 1834 and described "not vF, S, R, has a star 9th mag Nf." On a second sweep he logged "F, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 40" south of a star 8th mag. (In Nubecula Minor)." His third observation reads "F, lE, 30", precedes a star 9th mag" and a fourth record states "F, S, R, 18"; a star 9th mag Nf."
Pietro Baracchi observed this cluster on 16 Dec 1887, along with a number of other SMC clusters, with the 48" Melbourne telescope. He described NGC 256 (labeled as "H" as "follows G [NGC 248] by 30s and is 7' 20" south of it. pB, very small, sparkling, stars are in it - resolvable? Probably a group of close stars, only few - immersed in very faint nebulosity."
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00 48 01.6 +08 17 48; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 105°
17.5" (10/8/88): fairly faint, moderately large, oval 3:2 ~E-W, weakly concentrated but no core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 257 = H. II-863 on 29 Dec 1790 (sweep 991). He logged "pretty bright, little extended, gradually brighter middle, resolvable." John Herschel made no observations, though Stephan measured a position on 23 Aug 1871.
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NGC 258 = MCG +04-03-005 = Holm 23d = PGC 2829
00 48 12.8 +27 39 26; And
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (10/17/87): extremely faint and small, round. A mag 11 star is close WSW 40" from center. Second of three with NGC 252 3.2' SW and NGC 260 5.3' NE.
George Johnstone Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 258 on 22 Dec 1848. This was his first discovery and he noted "3 nebulae in line, 2 of them novae." The field was observed no less than 7 times at Birr Castle, though the descriptions are sometimes contradictory and made under poor conditions. Stoney probably also discovered NGC 260 to the northeast (the 3rd nebulae), and it was also seen in 1854, though d'Arrest was credited with the discovery in the NGC.
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00 48 03.2 -02 46 31; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 140°
17.5" (11/28/97): fairly faint, moderately large, very
elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 2.0'x0.7', broad concentration. Forms the vertex of a right isosceles triangle with a mag 11
star 3' SSE and a mag 11.5 star 3.4' WSW.
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, bright core, stellar nucleus, pretty system. Forms a right angle with a mag 10.5 star 3' SSW and a mag 11.5 star 3.5' ESE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 259 = H. II-621 = H. II-703 = h63 = h64 on 13 Dec 1786 (sweep 646). He recorded II.621 as "faint, elongated from np to sf, 1 1/2' long, little brighter middle." He found it again the following year on 11 Sept 1787 (sweep 756) and Caroline assumed it was new. As a result it was catalogued again as II. 703 (both numbers in his second catalogue).
Strangely, John Herschel also recorded the galaxy twice, as h63 (called a "Nova") and h64 = H. II-621. Heinrich d'Arrest noted the equivalence of both entries. See notes in the GC and NGC.
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NGC 260 = UGC 497 = MCG +04-03-006 = CGCG 480-009 = Holm 23c = PGC 2844
00 48 34.6 +27 41 33; And
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated. A faint mag 14.5-15.0 star is close NE. This galaxy is the third of three with NGC 252 8.4' SW and NGC 258.
George Johnstone Stoney discovered NGC 260 on 22 Dec 1848 with LdR's 72" and recorded "3 neb in a line nff, p one = h59 [NGC 252], other two vF [NGC 258 and NGC 260], middle one [NGC 258] eF, vS, distance of extremes about 12'." Although NGC 260 = UGC 497 is 9' ESE of NGC 252, it is collinear with the other two, and most likely the 3rd nebula seen by Stoney. Another observation in 1854 also mentions "3 neb".
Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered NGC 260 on 27 Aug
1865 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen. His position matches
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NGC 261 = SMC-N12A = ESO 029-12
00 46 29 -73 06 06; Tuc
Size 1.8'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; prominent, fairly large roundish glow, ~1.25' diameter, high surface brightness, surrounding a 13th magnitude H-alpha emission star (SK 9 = Lin 78). Excellent contrast gain adding a NPB (narrow-bandpass) filter yielding a superb 2' nebula, sandwiched between similar NGC 249 5' WNW and the stellar association Hodge 12 with nebulosity (SMC-N19). A number of stars are close east (part of the association) including three collinear mag 13.5-14 stars 2' E and a 4th mag 12.5 star 3' E.
SMC-N19 lies 5' ESE. At 244x it was a fairly faint, very large nebulous glow, ~3' diameter. With careful viewing an uncatalogued detached piece is sometimes visible to the NW (centered at 00 47.5 -73 05) and very faint nebulosity spreads to the southwest for a total diameter of 4' diameter. Unfiltered a 6' cloud of at least 50 mag 12.5-15 stars (Hodge Association 12) are involved with the nebula.
SMC-N30 lies ~11' ESE. At 244x unfiltered it was a fairly easy, fairly large, irregular curving or kidney-shaped nebula SW-NE, ~1.5'x0.8'. Unfiltered a couple of 14th magnitude stars are involved. Adding a NPB filter, the nebulosity was prominent and filled in to a more roundish outline.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x this SMC HII region appeared fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.5' diameter with a single mag 13 star at the center (emission-line star Lin 78 = SK 9). A UHC filter produced a good contrast gain and increased the size to over 2'. A group of four stars follows including supergiant SK 13 (three brighter in a string and one faint star) and a number of faint stars are scattered nearby. Forms a similar pair with NGC 249 4.5' WNW. NGC 267 lies 12' SE.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 261= h2349 = D 4 = D 21 on 1 Aug 1826. He described "a considerable condensation of the nebulous matter of an irregular figure in the margin of the bright part of the cloud, 2' or 3' diameter. His position is about 7' too far ENE, though the description probably applies to both NGC 249 and 261 and perhaps N19. His published description for D 4, though, is "faint round nebula, about 30" diameter." D 21 was logged on a drift on 5 Sep after recording D 19 = NGC 249, and described as a "small round faint nebula." His position was 3' too far N (same offset as NGC 249).
John Herschel made 3 observations, first logging it in Sep 1835 (sweep 625) as "very faint, round, gradually brighter in the middle, 2' across, resolvable." On 4 Oct 1836 (sweep 738), he described it as "pretty bright, round, 60". Has a star 13th mag in centre. Occurs in a field illuminated by the Nubecular Minor and many stars." Herschel noted this object could be either Dunlop 3, 4 or 21.
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00 48 47.1 +31 57 25; And
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1
24" (11/24/14): moderately bright, small, round,
dominated by a high surface brightness core that increases to the center, very
low surface brightness halo, ~25" diameter. Forms a pair with
17.5" (11/25/87): faint, small, round, bright core. Contains a faint stellar nucleus about 15th magnitude.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 262 = Sw. 2-10 on 17 Sep 1885
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 15 sec of RA east of
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00 48 48.4 -13 06 27; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5" (10/13/90): faint, small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is 30" W.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 263 = LM 1-13 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is close to MCG -02-03-021 = PGC 2856.
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00 48 21.0 -38 14 04; Scl
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 113°
18" (11/22/08): fairly faint, small, elongated 4:3
WNW-ESE, 0.4'x0.3'. Contains a
very small brighter core with direct vision. A group of 4 stars including mag 9
John Herschel discovered NGC 264 = h2350 on 30 Aug 1834 and noted "F, S, R, very small & very much brighter middle to a star 13th mag. A trapezium of large stars follows."
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NGC 265 = ESO 029-14 = Lindsay 34
00 47 10 -73 28 36; Tuc
V = 12.2; Size 1.0'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; bright, fairly large, irregular outline, ~1' diameter, mottled appearance, brighter on the north end. A few resolved stars occasionally sparkled. Three other clusters are within 6'; NGC 256 to the WSW, Kron 25 is 3.6' WSW and NGC 269 to the SE. A mag 9.7 star is 4.8' W and a mag 8.5 star is 9' E. Situated in a very rich field of faint stars with numerous HII regions and clusters to the north.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this SMC cluster appeared moderately bright and large, 1' diameter, round, fairly symmetrical appearance with no concentration. NGC 256 lies 5.7' WSW with NGC 269 6' SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 265 = h2351 in the SMC on 11 Apr 1834 and remarked "vF; situated on the edge of the Nubecula Minor." On a later sweep he recorded as "vF, R, 30 arcseconds."
Pietro Baracchi observed this SMC cluster, along with many others, on 16 Dec 1887 with the Melbourne telescope. He called it "pB; S; R, gradually brighter in the middle."
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00 49 47.8 +32 16 40; Psc
V = 11.6; Size 3.0'x2.9'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, bright core, stellar nucleus. Located on the Andromeda border 4' N of mag 8.2 SAO 54174. Brightest in a large group (LGG 014).
William Herschel discovered NGC 266 = H. III-153 = h65 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and noted "vF, pL, lE, r, very little brighter towards the following side." John Herschel observed NGC 266 on 4 sweeps and 5 observations were made by Lord Rosse's assistants. On 18 Sep 1857 it was described as "S, pB disc, in vF haze of mottled nebulosity, which seems brightest in a line p and f." E.E. Barnard found NGC 266 in Feb 1889 while sweeping with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. He described it as "R, 1' +/- or less, bM to faint nucleus of 13m."
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00 48 02.9 -73 16 27; Tuc
Size 2.5'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x + NPB filter; bright, very large nebulous cluster, slightly elongated N-S, ~2'x1.6'. Removing the filter, several faint stars were peppered across the glow. Very good contrast gain using the NPB filter.
SMC-N25 is a separate 1' patch 2' NNE that appeared fairly bright (with the filter), moderately large, round glow, ~50" diameter. SMC-N28 is a very large, lower surface brightness patch (barely detached from NGC 267), ~1.5' diameter, centered ~2.3' ENE of NGC 267. On close inspection it was divided into two sections on the north and south side and weaker in the center. The southern section (SMC-N28A) was extended E-W and slightly brighter.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
228x this SMC cluster with nebulosity appears as a fairly faint, fairly large
irregular glow ~2'x1.4'. The
surface was grainy with a half-dozen mag 14 stars resolved (Hodge Association
15). There was a good response
using a UHC filter, which increased the size of the visible nebulosity. Collinear with two mag 10.5 stars ~6'
SE. A string of brighter stars to
the north heads east for 17' towards
John Herschel discovered NGC 267 = h2352 in the SMC on 4 Oct 1836 and recorded "a faint, pretty large, cluster of very small stars. It is the preceding knot (or centre of condensation) of the resolvable portion of the Nubecula Minor which fills the subsequent field and consists of irregularly scattered clustered stars 12...20th mag." His position is on the southwest side of the cluster/nebula.
Pietro Baracchi observed this nebulous cluster (labeled as "I prime" on 17 Dec 1887 with the 48" Melbourne telescope. He logged it as "Cl; F; pL; very faint stars. Not observed last night."
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00 50 09.4 -05 11 38; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 95°
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, fairly small, diffuse,
slightly elongated 4:3 ~E-W, weak concentration but no nucleus. Lies west of a group of four bright
stars including mag 8.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 268 = H. III-463 = h66 on 22 Nov 1785 (sweep 474) and logged "vF, pL, irr R, resolvable." The NGC position is accurate.
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NGC 269 = ESO 029-016 = Lindsay 37
00 48 21 -73 31 54; Tuc
V = 12.6; Size 0.6'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 397x; bright, fairly large, round, 45" diameter. This SMC cluster contains a relatively large brighter core that appeared a little lively but showed no resolution. A mag 10.5 star is 3' SE. Kron 25, situated 3' NNW, appeared fairly faint, irregular glow, ~35" diameter, low surface brightness. NGC 269 is located in a rich SMC region with numerous clusters and nebulae to the north.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.6' diameter, weak concentration but no core or resolution. A 2.5' string of three stars follows by 2'-3' and a mag 11 star lies 3' SE. Situated in a rich SMC star field 6' SE of NGC 265.
John Herschel discovered NGC 269 = h2353 on 5 Nov 1836 in the SMC and described as "vF; S; R; 30"." His position is accurate.
Pietro Baracchi observed this cluster on 16 and 17 Dec 1887, along with a number of other SMC clusters, with the 48" Melbourne telescope. He described NGC 269 (labeled as "L") as "F ,S , R, gradually brighter in the middle. This follows K [Kron 25] by 21s and is 2' 40" south of it. A star 10m follows L by 64s and is 3' north of it."
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00 50 32.4 -08 39 07; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 25°
17.5" (10/13/90): fairly faint, small, oval 3:2 SW-NE,
bright core, almost stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 270 = H. III-955 on 10 Dec 1798 (sweep 1086). He logged "considerably faint, very small, irregularly round." His position is accurate, though nearby NGC 277 was missed.
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00 50 41.9 -01 54 37; Cet
V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130°
17.5" (10/8/88): moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated NW-SE, small bright core.
Mag 8.4
William Herschel discovered NGC 271 = H. II-446 = h67 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448) and noted "F, S, E, milky; about 1 1/2' preceding a pB star." On 13 Dec 1786 (sweep 646) he noted "pB, R, mbM, about 1' sp a bright star." John Herschel logged "Not vF; R; pretty suddenly little brighter middle; 30"; a star 8-9m follows."
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00 51 25 +35 49 18; And
V = 8.5; Size 5'
17.5" (9/26/92): 9 stars in a 5' diameter forming a "hook" asterism. Includes a mag 9 star and a close double star. Appears to be fully resolved and only an unimpressive, scattered asterism.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 272 on 2 Aug 1864 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen. His single position points directly to this group of stars. It is listed in the 4th edition of the Gosta Lynga catalogue but was removed from the 5th edition. Visually it appears to be a scattered asterism.
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00 50 48.4 -06 53 08; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 2.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 105°
24" (10/5/13): moderately bright and large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, ~48"x16". Contains a very small brighter core. A mag 14 star is off the NW edge by ~20". NGC 272/274 = Arp 140 lies 11' SSE.
17.5" (10/13/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W. A mag 14 star is off the NW edge, 42" from center. NGC 272/274, a contact pair of galaxies, lies 11' SSE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 273 = H. III-430 on 10 Sep
1785 (sweep 435) and noted "vF, vS.
This precedes the former [
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NGC 274 = Arp 140 NED1 = VV 81a = Holm 26b = MCG -01-03-021 = LGG 015-002 = PGC 2980
00 51 01.9 -07 03 28; Cet
V = 11.8; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 155°
24" (10/5/13): bright, round, fairly small, 0.6'
diameter, sharply concentrated with a small intensely bright core that
gradually increases to the center, but no nucleus. This is the brighter but smaller component of a striking
double system (
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, small, compact, very small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 275 1' SE.
8" (11/13/82): faint, very small, round.
William Herschel discovered NGC 274 = H. III-429 = h69 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435), although he only noted a single object as "vF, pS, E."
The pair was observed 8 times with Lord Rosse's 72-inch. On 3 Oct 1856, assistant R.J. Mitchell's wrote, "69 [NGC 274] is S, B, R, with bright nucleus; 70 [NGC 275] is F, E and patchy. Suspect formed of two knots involved in faint nebulosity; there appears to be a nebulous connexion between them all." On 15 Nov 1857, Lord Rosse experimented with a silvered secondary (the speculum secondary was covered with a thin silver layer) and noted "silvered mirror shows the object brighter than before, but no new details.”
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NGC 275 = Arp 140 NED2 = VV 81b = Holm 26a = MCG -01-03-022 = LGG 015-002 = PGC 2984
00 51 04.5 -07 03 56; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 90°
24" (10/5/13): at 375x appeared moderately to fairly bright, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, ~45"x27". Very unusual patchy, irregular appearance! A brighter elongated N-S patch (or arm) is on the east end. Also the southwest border is slightly brighter with a sharp, curving edge. This edge is more prominent at the NW end of the galaxy, where it merges with NGC 274 just northwest.
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, fairly small, diffuse, even surface brightness. Forms a close pair with NGC 274 1' NW.
8" (11/13/82): faint, very small, round.
John Herschel discovered NGC 275 = h70 on 9 Oct 1828 and logged "A fine double neb; the preceding only seen by my father. pB; S; suddenly much brighter middle. The f is vF; S; R; pos = 60°; dist of centres 40". The neb join at borders." Also see the observations using Lord Rosse's 72" under NGC 274.
Based on a photograph taken at the Helwan observatory with the Reynolds reflector in 1927-31, NGC 275 was described as an "irregula nebula with 4 pB stellar knots, and one vF knot involved. These knots are joined together in the form of an "M", the preceding side of which curves round and extends as far as NGC 274."
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00 52 06.5 -22 40 49; Cet
V = 14.9; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 90°
17.5" (10/21/95): extremely faint, very small, 20"
diameter. This is a threshold object
and can just glimpse at moments.
No details visible including shape but detection repeated several
times. View hampered by mag 7.6
Frank Muller discovered NGC 276 = LM 2-294 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and he noted a "*11,
position 0° [North] Delta 3.2'."
His position is 1.2 min of RA west of
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NGC 277 = MCG -02-03-028 = PGC 2995
00 51 17.2 -08 35 49; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 50°
17.5" (10/13/90): faint, very small, round. A mag 11 star is just off the NW edge 50" from core.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 277 on 8 Oct 1864 with the
11" refractor at Copenhagen.
His position and description of the nearby mag 11 star (52"
distant) is a perfect match with
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00 52 04.3 +47 33 02; Cas
V = 10.8; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.2
48" (10/27/16): at 610x and 813x; NGC 278 is extremely bright, large, the halo has a squarish appearance, ~1.4' diameter, high surface brightness. Very well concentrated with an intense round core that increases to the center. Sections of the two main thick spiral arms are visible, particularly along the north and south portion of the halo. Slightly darker lanes outline the inside of the arms. The inner arm sections are only noticed as subtle brighter patches. A well defined, small knot is on the east side of the halo [25" from center] and a second small knot is on the northeast side [23" from center]. These two star-forming complexes are catalogued as X-ray sources in NED. I also noted a third object at the NE edge, but at this position on the HST image is a very faint star.
17.5" (10/13/90): bright, moderately large, round,
bright core, stellar nucleus.
Located 3' S of mag 8.8
14.5" (12/17/20): fairly bright striking galaxy, moderately large, 1.25' diameter, high surface brightness, large bright core, sharp stellar nucleus. The halo has an irregular surface brightness, well defined periphery.
William Herschel discovered NGC 278 = H. I-159 = h71 on 11 Dec 1786 (sweep 644) and logged "very bright, round, very gradually much brighter middle, about 1.5' dia., about 1' south of a pretty considerable star." At the latitude of Slough, the galaxy transited the meridian just 5° from the zenith. On 30 Nov 1787 (sweep 786) he noted "considerably bright, round, very gradually brighter middle, about 1 1/2' dia.
Lord Rosse assistant R.J. Mitchell made an observation on 16 Oct 1855: "pretty bright, round, nucleus, light certainly patchy, but I can distinguish no stars in it. It is a right handed spiral?? I suspect a faint star cluster following the nebula."
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00 52 08.9 -02 13 07; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 5°
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, small bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 279 = H. III-439 = h73 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448) and logged "vF, S, irr figure." John Herschel made two observations of NGC 279 at Slough.
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00 52 29.9 +24 21 01; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 95°
17.5" (10/20/90): faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is just off the SE edge 1.0' from center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 280 = H. III-477 = h72 on 5 Dec 1785 (sweep 484) and logged "vF, S, R, just preceding a vF star." This galaxy was observed with on 3 nights at Birr Castle and R.J. Mitchell recorded on 26 Oct 1854, "F object with two nuclei, possibly a spiral." There is no double nuclei, but the spiral suggestion is correct.
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00 52 49 +56 37 40; Cas
Size 35'x30'
18" (2/16/07): remarkable view of this detailed
emission nebula/cluster at 115x and 220x.
Without a filter at 220x about three dozen stars are visible in the
region of the nebula, including a number of faint stars. At the center of the cluster (
The nebulosity responds dramatically to a UHC or OIII filter. The two brightest regions have a butterfly appearance with the two lobes or wings partially divided by a curving dust lane oriented roughly N-S. A fainter detached portion is on the southeast side. The overall dimensions extend to 15'-18'. The two lobes are fairly similar in size and surface brightness, though the following section is larger including the southern piece. The western section has the brightest and most sharply defined edge running along its southern border and oriented E-W. A long straight dust lane extends along the southern boundary of both lobes and defines the sharp edge on the western lobe. The curving central dust lane intrudes into the nebula on the south side and nearly divides the two sections, though weak nebulosity connects the two wings.
17.5" (9/28/02): the bright central quadruple (ADS 719 = Burnham 1) includes a mag 8.6/9.1/9.8 trio at 4" and 9". At 140x, a fainter companion (mag 10) at 1.54" separation was just visible close following the brightest member and is cleanly resolved at 324x.
17.5" (10/17/98): spectacular view of this detailed HII region at 100x using an OIII filter. This 15' nebulous complex has a mushroom appearance and is separated into three main lobes apparently by dust. The brightest and largest lobe is following a bright triple star embedded near the center (8.6/9.2/9.8 at 4" and 9"). There appears to be a much fainter detached piece off the south end of this lobe. Preceding the triple star is a section that is noticeably elongated and irregular in surface brightness fading to the NW. The section to the north is faintest and separated from the eastern lobe by a curving dark lane. A dark intrusion, apparently due to obscuring dust, is visible south of the triple star.
13.1" (8/24/84): very large, fascinating nebulosity, very irregular, dark gaps between sections, five brighter stars mag 8.6-12.5 involved. The brightest star is a very close double.
80mm (2/16/07): at 13x and a UHC filter, the PacMan nebula is easily visible surrounding the central star.
E.E. Barnard discovered NGC 281 visually on 26 Nov 1881
(Sidereal Messenger, Vol 2, p226 and AN 369, 108, 1884) with his 5-inch
refractor at Nashville and recorded a "large, faint nebula, very diffuse,
not less than 10' diameter."
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00 52 42.2 +30 38 21; Psc
V = 13.7; Size 0.4'x0.3'; PA = 50°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, very small, round,
bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
Located 2' N of mag 8.4
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 282 = St. 10-3 on 6 Oct 1869 and recorded an unpublished position 1' SE of center. He published an accurate micrometric position made 10 years later on 13 Oct 1879 with description, "faint, small, round, little brighter middle."
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00 53 13.2 -13 09 50; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 1.6'x1.0'; PA = 160°
24" (10/5/13): first and largest of five galaxies
including four similar NGCs and much fainter
17.5" (10/28/89): very faint, very small, round, bright
core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5'
NE. First of four similar galaxies
with NGC 284 3' E and
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 283 = LM 1-14 (along with NGCs 284, 285 and 286) on 2 Oct 1886. He gave the same positions for NGC 283, 284 and 285 in his discovery list, although the (rough) position is good. NGC 286 was placed 2' further N. Since the positions were only given to the nearest minute of RA, this is reasonable and his rough position is a reasonable match with MCG -02-03-031 = PGC 3124. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1897 of NGC 282, 284, 285 and 286 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory.
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NGC 284 = MCG -02-03-032 = PGC 3131
00 53 24.2 -13 09 33; Cet
V = 14.4; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2
24" (10/5/13): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 20"x15". Collinear with NGC 285 1.4' E and NGC 283 2.7' W, all three similar in brightness. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.6' NW with MCG -02-03-032 2.4' NW.
17.5" (10/28/89): extremely faint, very small, round. A mag 13.5 star is 1.6' NW. Second of four similar galaxies with NGC 283 3' E, NGC 285 1.5' E and NGC 286 3' SE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 284 = LM 1-15 (along with
NGCs 283, 285, and 286) on 2 Oct 1886 with the 26" refractor at the
Leander McCormick Observatory. His
(rough) position is a good match with
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NGC 285 = MCG -02-03-033 = PGC 3141
00 53 29.8 -13 09 39; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4
24" (10/5/13): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 18"x15", very small brighter nucleus. Third in a string with similar NGC 284 1.4' W and NGC 283 4.1' W. NGC 286 is ~3' due N.
17.5" (10/28/89): very faint, very small, round. Third of four in a group and third of three almost on a line with NGC 283 and NGC 286 3.5' S. Appears similar to NGC 284 2' W.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 285 = LM 1-16 (along with
NGCs 283, 284 and 286) on 2 Oct 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander
McCormick Observatory. His (rough)
position is a good match with
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NGC 286 = MCG -02-03-034 = PGC 3142
00 53 30.3 -13 06 46; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 175°
24" (10/5/13): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 N-S, 40"x30", weak concentration, small brighter nucleus. By a slight margin, the brightest in a compact quartet of similar NGC galaxies with NGC 283/284/285 in an east-west string just 3' S. Also PGC 173072, a much fainter galaxy, lies 3.7' SW.
17.5" (10/28/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. Fourth of four with NGC 285 3.5' S and NGC 284 4' SSW.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 286 = LM 1-17 (along with
NGCs 283, 284 and 285) on 2 Oct 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander
McCormick Observatory. His (rough)
position is a good match with
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00 53 28.3 +32 28 56; Psc
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.4'; PA = 15°
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly faint, very small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus.
John Herschel discovered NGC 287 = h75 on 22 Nov 1827 and
recorded "eF; S; R. The
faintest object imaginable; (night wonderfully clear)." His position
matches
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00 52 45.2 -26 35 03; Scl
V = 8.1; Size 13.8'; Surf Br = 0.1
30" (10/15/15 - OzSky): this very loose globular appeared fully resolved at 303x. There were too many stars to possibly count, but certainly several hundred were resolved including a number of relatively bright stars (brightest members mag 12.6). The core was loosely overlaid with a dozen or so brighter stars. A number of stars in the halo appeared to be arranged in strings and arcs including one string extending towards the west.
18" (1/1/08): at 220x-280x, ~60 stars were resolved in an 8' diameter. This globular has a very loose, irregular appearance with a very small brighter core containing a clump of resolved stars. A string of stars running SSW-NNE runs through the west side of the halo with a brighter star (double) at the NNE end of this string. A roughly parallel string also passes through the east side of the halo. Located 1.8° SE of NGC 253 and form a nice pair in the 80mm finder at 13x.
18" (8/25/06): this bright globular is quite loose (concentration class 10) and well-resolved at 220x over the entire face and halo. The outer halo is very irregular with a scraggly appearance and extends to 8'-10' in diameter. Roughly 100 stars were resolved in total.
18" (8/23/03): bright but loose globular, well-resolved at 323x into 75-100 stars (difficult to count). A number of the stars are clearly aligned in long chains.
17.5" (8/29/92): very bright, very large, round, ~8' diameter. Well-resolved over entire disc into 75-100 stars mag 13-15 over background glow although not densely packed. Observation made from the White Mountains (12,500 ft). In a previous observation, roughly 60 stars were resolved, only weakly concentrated in core.
13.1" (9/11/82 and 11/5/83): 30-40 stars resolved over haze.
8" (10/31/81): faint stars resolved across entire disc at 200x with averted, many near visual limit
8" (10/4/80): very large, grainy, few stars resolved at the NW and south edges, other clumps on the verge of resolution.
15x50 (8/25/06): easily visible in IS binoculars as a fairly large, diffuse glow.
8x50 (11/5/82): fairly easy at just 8x.
William Herschel discovered NGC 288 = H. VI-20 = h74 = h2354 on 27 Oct 1785 (sweep 467). He described it as "pretty bright, large, oval round, brighter in the middle, 7 or 8' long, 4 or 5' br." His summary description (including a 2nd observation) reads "cB, irregularly round, 8 or 9' diameter, a great many of the stars visible, so that there can remain no doubt but that it is a cluster of vS stars." Caroline Herschel missed this cluster two years earlier when she discovered NGC 253.
John Herschel observed this globular both at Slough and at the Cape. From the southern hemisphere is called it a "globular cluster; bright; large; round; gradually brighter in the middle; all resolved into stars 12..16 mag; 5' diameter."
NGC 288 has a galactic latitude of -89.4°, so it is within 37' of the south galactic pole.
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00 52 41.6 -31 12 28; Scl
V = 11.0; Size 5.1'x3.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 130°
17.5" (12/3/88): fairly bright, fairly large, oval NW-SE, broad concentration. A mag 13.5 star is off the NW edge 3.2' from the center. Brightest in a group that includes NGC 254 situated 1.1° WSW.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly bright, oval ~E-W. A mag 13 star is off the west edge.
John Herschel discovered NGC 289 = h2355 on 27 Sep 1834 and logged "vB; L; pmE; oval; has a star 11th mag north preceding.". His position and description is accurate.
In 1914, Hardcastle classified NGC 246 as a "spindle-shaped nebula" but the following year, Knox-Shaw reported it was a"open spiral" based on a photograph taken at the Helwan Observatory with the Reynolds reflector.
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NGC 290 = ESO 029-019 = Lindsay 42
00 51 14 -73 09 42; Tuc
V = 11.7; Size 0.8'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; bright, fairly small, irregular, triangular shaped, 40" diameter. A star or quasi-stellar knot is at the north tip. SMC-N45, located 4.5' SE, appeared bright, moderately large, irregular or triangular in shape, 35"-40" diameter. Several very faint stars are superimposed or at the edges of the glow including a couple of mag 15 stars at the south edge and a couple of mag 15.5 stars at the east edge. Two mag 13/14 stars lie 0.8' SE.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, very small, granular, 20" diameter, brighter core. A faint star or knot is at the north edge (may be a compact HII region). A pair of mag 10/11 stars 8' NE are collinear with the cluster.
LHA 115-N45 (cluster with nebulosity) lies 4.5' SE. This SMC HII region and cluster appeared as a faint, elongated patch with a few faint stars resolved around the edges.
John Herschel discovered NGC 290 = h2357 in the SMC on 11 Apr 1834 and simply logged "eF". His position (single sweep) is about 35" N of the cluster.
Glen Cozens associates Dunlop's D 5, discovered on 5 Sep
1826, with NGC 290. Dunlop's
rather generic description "a faint ill-defined nebula about 12"
diameter" and poor match in position (12' to the SE), makes this
identification rather arbitrary.
In fact, his position for D 5 is 5' due north of
******************************
00 53 29.8 -08 46 04; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 45°
17.5" (10/5/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, very thin extensions. Located 12' W of 21 Ceti (V = 6.2) at the edge of 220x field.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 291 = m 17 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "vF, vS, lE, alm stellar." His position is accurate.
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00 52 38 -72 48 00; Tuc
V = 2.3; Size 316.2'x186.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 45°
18" (7/6/02 - 7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory): During a week's stay I went through the most prominent clusters and nebulae in the SMC using the fork-mounted 18" at Zane Hammond's observatory.
Naked-eye (6/29/02 - Bargo): this number refers to the entire SMC. My first view of the SMC was outside Sydney with Les Dalrymple. I only took observing notes (through a 12.2") on SMC globular NGC 121 and nearby cluster Kron 3, as well as 47 Tucanae.
Amerigo Vespucci was the first northern hemisphere explorer to see the SMC in 1501, 20 years earlier than Magellan. This was mentioned in a 1990 article by Dekker.
John Herschel (h2356) has two entries: "I should consider this to be about the main body of the Nubecula Minor, which is here fairly resolved into excessively minute stars, which are however certainly seen with the left eye." On a later sweep he noted: "Hereabouts seems to be placed the main body of the Nubecula Minor which is a Faint, Rich, Large Cluster of very small stars (12..18) filling many fields, and broken up into many knots, groups, and straggling branches. But the whole is clearly resolved into stars."
Pietro Baracchi observed the region between NGC 220 and NGC 294 over 16 and 17 Dec 1887 using the 48" Melbourne telescope. Along with discovering a few new objects that went uncredited (Bruck 67 near NGC 294, Kron 25, SMC-N45), he wrote "About this region there is a very large cluster of stars scattered in an irregular way - from 12 to 18. This covers more than one field ..with the supposed [GC 166 = NGC 294], there are other small groups surrounded by extremely faint nebulosity; and along this space occupied by the objects from A [NGC 220] to N [NGC 294] there are several stars which seem to be nebulous. All the region along with these objects the sky is almost continuously covered with a multitude of stars, which render the observations difficult and confusing."
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00 54 16.0 -07 14 08; Cet
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 10°
17.5" (10/13/90): extremely faint, very small, round,
very low surface brightness. A mag
14.5 star is off the SE end 1.1' from center. Forms a pair with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 293 = m 18 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "vF, S." His position is accurate.
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NGC 294 = ESO 029-22 = Lindsay 47
00 53 05 -73 22 49; Tuc
V = 12.2; Size 0.8'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; bright, moderately large, round, 40" diameter, slightly mottled but there was evident no resolution. Bruck 67, located just 2.3' SSW, appeared faint, fairly small, irregular low surface brightness patch, 35" diameter.
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly small, round, 45"-50" diameter, contains a bright core. The halo has a smooth moderately high surface brightness but there were no resolved stars. Four mag 12-13 stars forming a parallelogram are centered 4.5' NW, but there are no bright stars in the immediately field. Bruck 67, a slightly smaller irregular glow with a low surface brightness, lies 2.2' SW. NGC 267 lies 23' WNW.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 294 = D 5 or D 6 = h2358 on 5 Sep 1826. He described D 5 as "a small faint nebula, about 10" or 12" diameter." and D 6 as "a faint nebula, about 20" diameter". D 5 was placed 5' too far N, while D 6 (logged next on the drift) is 5' too far SSE. Either could apply.
John Herschel first observed this nebula on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 441). He simply noted "eF. In a sweep below the Pole." and added a note later "This obs give 47 -- instead of 46 -- for the min of RA. The earlier minute preferred." In Sep 1835 (sweep 625) he recorded the RA minute as 46, which was used in the GC and NGC but this is 1.0 min too far west. He referenced D 5 as the discovery.
Pietro Baracchi observed this cluster on 16 and 17 Dec 1887, along with a number of other SMC clusters with the 48" Melbourne telescope. He described NGC 294 (labeled as "N") as "pB, pL, R, gradually brighter in the middle. N follows M [Bruck 67, which he discovered] by 18 seconds and is 2' north of it."
The Hodge-Wright SMC Atlas labels NGC 294 as Lindsay 47, though Table 6 suggests NGC 294 = L47?
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00 59 32.3 +31 47 53; Psc
Size 0.55'x0.5'
24" (10/1/16): at 375x; faint, small, slightly
elongated, 15"-18" diameter, very weak concentration. Located 6.5' SW of mag 7.8
NGC 295 is the slightly fainter of a pair with
Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 295, along with CGCG 501-058,
on 26 Oct 1872. While observing
the field he assumed was
There is nothing at Copeland's offset from NGC 296. A 10th magnitude star is near NGC 296
but it's not at the reported position angle and separation, so it's clear
Copeland misidentified the field and Corwin considered NGC 295 as lost. Confusing the situation further, the
computed position for NGC 295 happens to land on NGC 296! As a result, all modern catalogues
label NGC 296 as NGC 295 and
Recently (2016) Yann Pothier was able to identify the
correct field about 1° ENE, surrounding mag 7.8 HD 5801 = SAO 54330. This star is 115" distant in PA
32° from CGCG 501-058, so Copeland assumed this galaxy was NGC 296. The second object is
******************************
NGC 296 = (R)NGC 295 = UGC 562 = MCG +05-03-024 = CGCG 501-042 = PGC 3260
00 55 07.6 +31 32 32; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 164°
17.5" (11/25/87): fairly faint, moderately large, very
elongated NNW-SSE, bright core.
Located just 30" W of a mag 10 star. Brightest in a group of four with
William Herschel discovered NGC 296 = H. II-214 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). His description reads, "F, E, preceding a bright star. Appears almost like a brush issuing from the star, but does not join it by a good deal." Although his RA was 20 seconds too large and his declination 1' too far N, it's clear from his description that NGC 296 = UGC 562.
Dreyer used Herschel's (poor) position to derive the position of NGC 295, a much fainter galaxy found by Ralph Copeland. See NGC 295 for the story. Coincidentally, Dreyer's erroneous position for NGC 295 happens to land on Herschel's II-214! As a result UGC, CGCG, PGC and RNGC misidentify NGC 296 as NGC 295. In addition, RNGC misidentifies UGC 565 as NGC 296.
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00 54 58.9 -07 20 59; Cet
V = 15.7; Size 0.3'x0.3'
18" (11/22/03): this extremely faint and tiny galaxy was a marginal object at 257x, barely glimpsed several times as a fleeting quasi-stellar spot just 1.3' SW of NGC 298. If this observation is valid, NGC 297 is one of the very faintest NGC galaxies (B = 16.7) that I've recorded.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 297 = m 19 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and simply noted "eF". His position is 2 sec of RA west and 1' S of much brighter m 20 = NGC 298, discovered at the same time. It's possible that Marth confused a close, faint double situated 2' S of NGC 298 as a nebula. But 1.3' SW of NGC 298 at 00 54 58.9 -07 20 59 (2000) is a nearly stellar galaxy, described here, which is a more likely candidate. In any case, NGC 297 is not identical to NGC 298 as stated in the RNGC. See Corwin's notes.
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NGC 298 = MCG -01-03-033 = LGG 015-003 = PGC 3250
00 55 02.2 -07 20 00; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 87°
18" (11/22/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 E-W, 1.0'x0.5', weak concentration. Located 11' W of a mag 6 star that I kept outside the field. NGC 297 is an extremely difficult companion just 1.3' SW. Member of a small group (LGG 015) including NGC 274/275 and NGC 337.
17.5" (10/13/90): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 E-W. Forms a pair with NGC 293 11' NW. Located 11' W of mag 5.9 SAO 129032 in field!
Albert Marth discovered NGC 298 = m 20 (along with NGC 297) on 27 Sep 1864 using Lassell's 48" reflector on Malta. His position is accurate.
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00 53 24.5 -72 11 50; Tuc
V = 11.7; Size 0.9'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; bright, fairly small,
round, high surface brightness, 0.8' diameter. Contains an intensely bright
quasi-stellar nucleus. A few stars
were resolved at the edges at 397x.
Brightest in a group of clusters with
Lindsay 51 appeared moderately bright, fairly small, irregular shape, ~30" diameter, very small bright nucleus. Situated just 0.6' W of a mag 10.6 star (SMC yellow supergiant) in a rich section of the SMC.
Kron 28 appeared fairly faint, moderately large, round,
~45" diameter, low surface brightness glow extending to the west of mag
10.7
18" (7/11/05) - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x appeared fairly bright, fairly small, round, 50" diameter with a broad weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 306 5' SE.
18" (7/9/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x, this SMC cluster appeared as a small, round, bright knot, ~45" diameter. Forms the southeast vertex of an obtuse triangle with two mag 11 stars ~3.5' NNE and 4' W. Forms a trio with NGC 306 4.7' SE and Kron 30 3.8' W. Kron 30 appeared as just a hazy patch, ~1.5' diameter with a few mag 13/14 stars superimposed or resolved.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is
the first of two small knots of stars (the other being NGC 306) located 26' W
of
John Herschel discovered NGC 299 = h2360 on 12 Aug 1834 (sweep 482) and recorded "F; vS; R; gradually little brighter middle; r; 15"." His final observation on 5 Nov 1836 (sweep 745) reads, "pB, vS, R, 12", resolvable. Situated at the upper limit of the nubecula which here is starry. At the other it is nebulous."
James Dunlop possibly discovered NGC 299 earlier on 5 Sep 1826. Dunlop's D 50, 51 and 52 were described as three small, faint nebulae in a line with orientation NW to SE and his position is 17' to the NE of NGC 299 and NGC 306. Although the positions are a poor match, the orientation and separations of the two clusters match up well (with two of Dunlop's numbers), suggesting that NGC 299 is D 50 or D 51. NGC 306, though, might be too faint for Dunlop's 9" speculum reflector, so perhaps his orientation is a coincidence.
This cluster is misclassified as a Bright Nebula in the RNGC, and the wrong type was copied into the NGC 2000.0 and first edition of the Uranometria 2000.0.
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NGC 300 = ESO 295-020 = MCG -06-03-005 = AM 0052-375 = LGG 004-002 = PGC 3238
00 54 53.4 -37 41 00; Scl
V = 8.1; Size 21.9'x15.5'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 111°
25" (10/21/17 - OzSky): at 187x; bright, extremely large, irregular, elongated roughly 5:3 WNW-ESE, at least 15'x9'. Contains a large, brighter core region with a mag 11.5 star at the ENE edge of the core. A mag 9.6 star is in the halo (along a faint spiral arm), 2.6' SW of center and a mag 10.6 star is superimposed in the outer halo, 5.3' SE of center. Spiral structure was surprisingly subtle. A low contrast, broad inner arm extends W from the N side of the core, curls S on the W side and spreads out. A more obvious inner arm emerges from the S side of the core and sweeps E and N, though the root of the arm is not defined.
The arm passes through a relatively bright and large HII patch/OB association, ~25" diameter, situated 3.9' E of center and loses contrast further N. This giant HII complex is catalogued as #65 in a 1966 paper by Sersic and #137 in a 1988 study by Deharveng et al, "H II regions in NGC 300." A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' further NE in the outer halo of the galaxy. I didn't have time to examine the galaxy at higher power to search for additional H II knots.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly large oval 3:2 WNW-ESE, very diffuse appearance, bright stellar nucleus. There is a hint of structure although the galaxy has a low surface brightness and was viewed at a low elevation (13° at most) from my latitude of +38.5°. This nearby galaxy is located at a distance of 6 million light years in the Sculptor group, and may be physically paired with NGC 55.
15x50 IS binoculars: (11/18/06): visible in binoculars as a relatively large, very low surface brightness hazy region, roughly 15' in size. A star is superimposed on the SW side.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 300 = D 530 = h2359 on 5 Aug
1826 with his 9" speculum reflector.
Based on 3 observation he described "a pretty large faint nebula,
irregular round figure, 6' or 7' diameter, easily resolvable into exceedingly
minute stars, with four or five stars of more considerable magnitude; slight
compression of stars to the centre." There are several superimposed Milky
Way stars. In his first
observation, he noted "a pretty bright small star south of it [probably
mag 8.7
John Herschel observed the galaxy on 3 occasions. On the first sweep (1 Sep 1834) he described it as "B; vL; vgpmbM; vmE; irregular figure; 8' to 10' long, 3' or 4' broad; has subordinate nuclei." His sketch (plate V, figure 10) includes the nucleus and two or three additional regions of nebulosity. Three nights later, he noted it as "faint, very large, very gradually brighter towards the middle; 4' long; 2' broad; has another nebula attached." The secondary nebula is the large HII complex [DCL88] 137 on the east side. On 30 Nov 1837 he wrote: "A large oval nebula, containing three stars." He had tentatively identified it with Dunlop 530, but noted: "Mr. Dunlop's neb 530 is described by him as easily resolvable into very minute stars. Its identity with [NGC 300] is therefore very doubtful."
Joseph Turner sketched NGC 300 with the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope on 20 Dec 1875 (plate I, figure 3 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae..."). The giant HII complex on the east side is clearly shown on the sketch as a distinct oval patch. Pietro Baracchi obsrerved NGC 300 on 7 Oct 1884 and thought there might be changes based on Herschel's sketch and Turner's sketch. He wrote "The appearance of this nebula may be greatly altered by the state of the atmosphere; but an inspection of drawings shows some change, I think. The principal change is this, that the patch following does not exist at present, or it must be very much fainter than all the rest." The galaxy was photographed by Harold Knox-Shaw at the Helwan Observatory between 1909-11 and described as a "spiral with many conensations".
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00 56 18.3 -10 40 25; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70°
17.5" (10/28/89): very faint, very small, round. Situated between two mag 9/9.5 stars with a separation of 15'.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 301 = LM 1-18 in 1886 with the
26-inch refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position (nearest minute of RA) is fortunately
just 0.2 tmin W of
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00 56 19.1 -10 40 42; Cet
= * 1.8' ENE NGC 301, Corwin.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 302 = LM 1-19 in 1886 and placed
1.0' ENE (PA 75°) of NGC 301. The
only object close to this position is a faint star. RNGC misidentifies NGC 302 with
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00 54 54.7 -16 39 18; Cet
V = 15.3; Size 0.7'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 158°
17.5" (10/21/95): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, low surface brightness with just a weak concentration. Can almost hold steadily with averted vision once identified on my finder chart.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 303 = LM 1-20 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 1' N of
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00 56 06.0 +24 07 37; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 175°
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, very small, elongated
3:2 NNW-SSE, small very bright core.
Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 304 = St. 9-2 on 4 Nov 1875. His published position (list 9, #2) was recorded 3 years later on 23 Oct 1878.
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00 56 20.9 +12 03 54; Psc
17.5" (9/26/92): small group of 7 stars, including a
mag 9.5 star, in a 3' diameter. A small equilateral triangle of three mag 11-12
stars is just south. This is an
unimpressive but fairly distinctive asterism in a very sparse field. RNGC, PGC and RC 3 incorrectly equate
NGC 305 with the galaxy
John Herschel discovered NGC 305 = h76 on 17 Oct 1825 as "a small cluster of p closely scattered stars". At Herschel's position is a small unimpressive asterism (not a cluster). MCG, RNGC and RC3 misidentify the galaxy UGC 571 as NGC 305. HyperLeda now shows NGC 305 as stellar (or stars) and NED correctly identifies the number as "six galactic stars". Discussed in Malcolm Thomson's "Catalogue Corrections" and Corwin's notes.
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NGC 306 = ESO 029-023 = Kron 33 = Lindsay 50
00 54 14.7 -72 14 30; Tuc
V = 12.1; Size 1.1'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): NGC 306 is slightly fainter and smaller than NGC 299 4.7' NW. At 244x; fairly bright, fairly small, round, ~35" diameter. At 397x, two faint stars were resolved at the northeast and southwest ends. Two brighter mag 12 and 13 stars lie 1.8' ESE and 2' ENE. A fairly close pair of mag 13/14 stars (~9" separation) is 1.4' WNW.
18" (7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): slightly fainter of a pair with NGC 299 5' NW. Appeared fairly faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, smooth surface brightness, no resolution. Two mag 12 stars lie 2' E and SE.
18" (7/9/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): NGC 306 is a slightly smaller and fainter companion of NGC 299, situated 4.7' NW. At 128x it appeared small, round, fairly faint, ~35" diameter with no sign of resolution. Forms the west vertex of a small triangle with two mag 12 stars ~2' SE and a 2' E.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is a fainter of a pair of small SMC clusters with NGC 299 and located 4.7' SE of NGC 299. At 171x it was just a small, hazy compact knot, ~30" in diameter, with no resolution and fairly even surface brightness to the edge. A mag 12 star is ~2' SE. In the same low power field with the impressive NGC 346 located 22' ENE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 306 = h2361 on 4 Oct 1836 and recorded "an extremely small faint [in italics] knot of the Nubec. Min. 15" diameter." His position is accurate.
James Dunlop possibly made an earlier discovery on 5 Sep 1826. Dunlop's D 50, 51 and 52 were described as three small, faint nebulae in a line with orientation NW to SE and his position is 17' to the NE of NGC 299 and NGC 306. Although the positions are a poor match, the orientation and separations are a good match (perhaps a coincidence?), suggesting either D 51 or D 52 refers to NGC 306. But I'm not convinced as this cluster may be too faint to have been seen by Dunlop (Herschel only noticed it on 1 of the 4 sweeps that he logged NGC 299!).
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00 56 32.5 -01 46 19; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 85°
24" (9/28/19): at 322x; moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.9'x0.3', strong concentration with a bright core that increases to a very bright nucleus.
18" (10/16/09): at 285x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, 0.8'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a very small bright core. This galaxy is in the foreground of Abell Galaxy Cluster 119, which lies 1/2 degree to the north.
17.5" (10/8/88): faint, very small, oval 3:2 E-W, small
bright core. A mag 15.5 star (NGC
308) is 1' SSE. The center of
John Herschel discovered NGC 307 = h77 on 6 Sep 1831 and
logged "pF; S; E; 15"."
His position matches
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00 56 34.3 -01 47 03; Cet
= *, Corwin.
Sir Robert Ball discovered NGC 308 on 31 Dec 1866 while observing the field of NGC 307. He recorded a faint "Nova" in PA 147° (SE) at a separation of 60" (measured at 52" on 23 Oct 1876). In this position (51" separation) is a 15th magnitude star that Ball apparently mistook for a very small nebulous object.
The RNGC misidentified
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00 56 42.8 -09 54 50; Cet
V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 175°
24" (12/21/16): at 282x; fairly faint, moderately
large, roundish, fairly low but uneven surface brightness, contains a brighter
core that increases somewhat to the center. I detected hints of spiral arms in the halo (slightly
brighter arcs). A mag 12.5 star is
2' NNE and a mag 15 star is off the west side, 1.5' from center.
17.5" (10/28/89): fairly faint, fairly large, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is off the NNE edge 2.1' from center. A mag 15 star is off the west edge.
8" (10/31/81): very faint, slightly elongated, even surface brightness.
At a redshift distance of ~260 million light years, NGC 309 is one of the largest and most luminous spiral galaxies known.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 309 = T. 1-4 in 1876 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. His RA was 10 seconds too small. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 26 Oct 1897 as well as by Howe in 1898-99 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory.
Based on a photograph taken with the Reynolds reflector at the Helwan observatory, NGC 309 was described as a "open spiral with a pB sharp stellar nucleus, well defined arms and many condensations".
******************************
00 56 48.1 -01 45 58; Cet
= *, Corwin and Gottlieb.
Sir Robert Ball discovered NGC 310 on 31 Dec 1866 while observing the field of NGC 307. His placed this object, with respect to NGC 307, at 225" separation in PA 81°. The offset was measured again on 23 Oct 1876 as 239" in PA 84.8°. At this position (233" in PA 85°) is a single mag 15.3 star that Harold Corwin identifies as NGC 310.
The RNGC and PGC misidentify
******************************
00 57 32.7 +30 16 51; Psc
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 120°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, round, small
bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
First of three on line and equally spaced with
John Herschel discovered NGC 311 = h78 on 15 Sep 1828. While observing H. II-210 = NGC 313 he recorded "F, vS; R; bM; 6". The next sweep he logged "pB; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 10"."
******************************
00 56 15.6 -52 46 58; Phe
V = 12.4; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 62°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 394x; bright, fairly small, high surface brightness, 40"x30", sharply concentrated with an intense core. The halo is extended 4:3 or 5:4 WSW-ESE. A mag 11.3 star lies 2.4' W.
NGC 312 is the furthest north in a group of 8 galaxies in a
25' string to the south. The
galaxies share a common redshift of z = .026, implying a distance of ~350
million l.y. The closest companion
is
John Herschel discovered NGC 312 = h2363 on 5 Sep 1836 and noted "vF, S, R". On a later sweep he logged "F, S, R, 15", follows a star 12th mag on same parallel". The mag 12 star mentioned in the description is 2.5' W. His mean position from 2 observations is accurate.
******************************
00 57 45.7 +30 22 00; Psc
= ** 1' NW of core of
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 313, along with NGC 316, on 29 Nov 1850 (Friday). Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. Stoney's offset of 1' NW of NGC 315 points directly to a double star (clearly resolved on the DSS) at 00 57 45.7 +30 21 56 (2000) - position on the southern star. The sketch in the 1861 publication shows two stars encased in a small nebula (labeled as Gamma), but in the 1880 publication there are only two stars.
Dorothy Carlson (in her 1940 NGC Correction paper) and Harold Corwin identify this double star (the northern component itself is a very close double, so technically a triple) as NGC 313.
******************************
NGC 314 = ESO 411-032 = MCG -05-03-015 = PGC 3395
00 56 52.3 -31 57 48; Scl
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 168°
17.5" (12/3/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2.1' ESE of center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 314 = h2362 on 27 Sep 1834 and recorded "F, eS, R, suddenly brighter in the middle to a stellar nucleus." On a later sweep he logged "eeF, vS; almost doubtful whether really the object looked for. Has a pB star following 2' distant. (N.B. The coincidence of the places destroys this doubt)." His mean position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 315 = UGC 597 = MCG +05-03-031 = CGCG 501-052 = Holm 28a = PGC 3455
00 57 48.8 +30 21 09; Psc
V = 11.2; Size 3.2'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly bright, fairly small, oval 3:2
~SW-NE, bright core, stellar nucleus.
Located 3.5' NW of mag 8.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 315 = H. II-210 = h79 on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) and noted "F, pL, unequally bright, resolvable, near a pB star." John Herschel observed NGC 315 on 3 sweeps and NGC 311 was also found. When the field was observed by Lord Rosse's assistants, NGC 318 was also discovered, though a nearby single star (NGC 316) and a double star (NGC 313) were mistaken as nebulous.
******************************
00 57 52.4 +30 21 16; Psc
= * 47" following NGC 315, Gottlieb. =**, de Vaucouleurs.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 316, along with NGC 313, on 29 Nov 1850 (Friday). Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was noted as "suspected" and labeled as Delta on a diagram with an offset of 44" ENE from the center of NGC 315. At this position is a single star (noted as such in the 1855 observation published in 1861). John Herschel repeated it was a star in the GC notes but Dreyer still added it to the GC Supplement.
******************************
00 57 40.4 +43 47 32; And
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 105°
24" (10/5/13): this is the larger component of a close
double system with
17.5" (8/29/92): the SSE component of this double
galaxy appeared very faint, very small, round, low even surface
brightness. A mag 11 star is 1' W
and a faint mag 14 star is 1' SW, forming a wide 30" double. The NNW component is the slightly
brighter of the pair and appears faint, very small, very small bright core,
stellar nucleus. On the POSS the SSE galaxy is the brighter component.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 317 = Sw. 2-11 on 1 Oct 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His description reads "eeF; lE; pS; iR; D * close following; v difficult." His position is poor (28 seconds of RA too large) and the "Double star close following" is actually to the west. This galaxy is identified as NGC 317A in the MCG as the close pair are given separate designations.
******************************
NGC 318 = CGCG 501-054 = PGC 3465
00 58 05.2 +30 25 32; Psc
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 15°
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 is off the NW edge 0.9' from the center. Located 5.6' NE of NGC 315 and the third of three in a group.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 318 = St. 12-7 on the 3 Nov 1855 observation of NGC 315 . It was noted as "F, S, R." and placed accurately on a sketch in line with NGC 311 and 315. Dreyer noted it was not seen earlier in the 1850 observation or later. Édouard Stephan independently found this galaxy on 6 Nov 1882 and listed it as new in his 12th discovery list, missing the earlier GC entry. Stephan's position is accurate.
******************************
00 56 57.5 -43 50 20; Phe
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 35°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately bright,
fairly small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.5', contains a very small
brighter nucleus. A mag 15.4 star
is 33" SW of center and a mag 13 star is 2.3' SSE. Forms a pair
24" (10/5/13): at 225x appeared faint to fairly faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, 20"x15". NGC 322 lies 7' NNE. Despite an elevation of only 10°, both galaxies were easily seen.
John Herschel discovered NGC 319 = h4007, along with NGC 322, on 5 Sep 1834 and remarked "eF; vS; R; little brighter in the middle." His CGH position has a typo of 23h instead of 00h in RA, but he corrected this mistake in his errata list at the end.
******************************
00 58 46.5 -20 50 24; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 159°
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, very small, round, very small
bright core, very faint stellar nucleus, diffuse slightly elongated halo. A mag 12 star is 1.5' NNW. Located 15' SE of mag 7.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 320 = LM 2-295 in 1886
with a 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.4 tmin of RA east is
******************************
00 57 39.1 -05 05 11; Cet
V = 14.8; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8
24" (12/1/13): faint, very small, round, 15"
diameter. Easily visible 1.5' SE
of a mag 12.5 star and 5.7' WSW of
17.5" (12/11/99): very faint, very small, round,
15" diameter. The faintest of
5 galaxies in the field (
13.1" (7/12/86): very faint, small, round.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 321 = m 21 (along with NGCs 325,
327 and 329) on 27 Sep 1864 using Lassell's 48" on Malta. His description simply reads "eF,
vS", but his position matches
******************************
NGC 322 = ESO 243-015 = AM 0054-435 = MCG -07-03-003 = PGC 3412
00 57 10.0 -43 43 39; Phe
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 153°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately bright and
large, very elongated 7:2 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.25', contains a very small bright
nucleus.
24" (10/5/13): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 5:3 NNW-SSE, 25"x15". A mag 13 star lies 1.4' SW. Brighter of a pair with NGC 319 7' SSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 322 = h4007, along with NGC
319, on 5 Sep 1834, and recorded "vF; vS; R; little brighter middle;
follows 3 stars 12, 13 and 14m."
His position is 6 sec of RA east and 1' south of
******************************
NGC 323 = ESO 151-009 = PGC 3374
00 56 41.6 -52 58 34; Phe
V = 12.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 178°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 394x; fairly bright, fairly
small, round, high surface brightness, 40" diameter, very small bright
core. In a group of galaxies (8
recorded in a 25' string N-S) with NGC 328 4' NE and
John Herschel discovered NGC 323 = h2365 on 3 Oct 1834 and recorded "vF, S, R. The RA may err several seconds. The PD also is not very good." On a much later sweep he recorded "Viewed; found exactly in the place of No 29, Sweep 498 [previous description] pB, S, R, bM, 15 arcseconds, there is also another [NGC 328], pos = 36.8 degrees [NE], delta in PD = 4'."
******************************
00 57 14.7 -40 57 34; Phe
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 95°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; moderately bright and large, elongated at least 3:1 E-W, ~1.0'x0.3'. Strongly concentrated with a bright core and much fainter extensions that were initially missed. Resides in a sparsely populated field with a mag 12 star 5' WNW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 324 = h2364 on 23 Oct 1835 and
recorded "F, S, Stellar, the bad definition of a south-easter prevents
certainty, but I think it is not a star." There is nothing at his position, but exactly 30' S is ESO
295-G25 = PGC 3416, a galaxy that fits Herschel's description, assuming he
noticed only the central region.
ESO, MCG and RC3 correctly identify this galaxy as NGC 324 but RNGC
misidentifies
******************************
NGC 325 = MCG -01-03-045 = FGC 111 = PGC 3454
00 57 47.8 -05 06 45; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 1.5'x0.2'; PA = 90°
24" (12/22/14): at 260x; very faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, ~20"x10". Occasionally a mag 16.5 star appeared to be involved [DSS shows a very faint star just north of the core]. Situated 2.1' NW of NGC 327.
17.5" (11/6/93): only highly suspected several times as an extremely faint and small glow situated 2.1' NW of NGC 327. This galaxy is a very low surface brightness edge-on in a group with NGC 329 4' NE and NGC 321 2.7' NW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 325 = m 22 on 27 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "vF, vS." His position matches
RNGC and MCG misidentify NGC 321 = MCG -01-03-043 as NGC 325. RC3 doesn't label MCG -01-03-045 as NGC 325. The "Deep Sky Field Guide" (version 1) mentions a "faint, anonymous galaxy 2' NW" of NGC 327 and this is probably NGC 321. I find it odd that Marth described NGC 325 as "vF", while NGC 321, which is noticeably brighter, is described as "eF".
******************************
00 58 22.7 +26 51 56; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.0
24" (12/6/18): NGC 326 is a merged double system with
twin nuclei separated by only 8".
At 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, round, slightly brighter core. Increasing to 500x, the nucleus was
precisely collinear with a mag 13.0 star 1.2' W and a mag 13.7 star 2.5'
W. This corresponds with the
northern of the dual nuclei.
Occasionally the second nuclei (10" SE) seemed to sharpen as a
faint quasi-stellar spot within the halo.
Located 5' NNW of mag 7.3
17.5" (10/20/90): faint, small, round, weak
concentration. A mag 13 star is
1.2' W. Situated at the center of
an isosceles triangle consisting mag 7.2
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 326 on 24 Aug 1865 with the
11" refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 2 nights) matches
******************************
NGC 327 = MCG -01-03-047 = Holm 30a = PGC 3462
00 57 55.2 -05 07 50; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175°
24" (12/1/13): at 375x appeared moderately bright and large, very elongated 3:1 N-S, ~48"x15", fairly high even surface brightness with only a weak concentration. Brightest in a small group with NGC 329 3.9' NNE and NGC 321 4.8' NW.
13.1" (7/12/86): faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Second of three with similar NGC 329 3.8' NNE and MCG -01-03-041 9' NW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 327 = m 23 (along with NGC 321, NGC 325 and NGC 329) on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "F, E." His position and description is appropriate.
******************************
NGC 328 = ESO 151-013 = PGC 3399
00 56 57.4 -52 55 26; Phe
V = 13.3; Size 2.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 100°
30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE, 1.4'x0.35', contains a slightly bulging core that is only weakly concentrated. In a group of 8 galaxies in a 24' string N-S including NGC 323 4' SW and ESO 151-010 2.6' NW. The ESO galaxy (B = 15.7) appeared fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, 15"x10".
John Herschel discovered NGC 328 = h2366 on 5 Sep 1836 and
logged "vF, lE, very gradually brighter middle.". His position is 0.1 min of RA east and
1' north of
******************************
NGC 329 = MCG -01-03-048 = Holm 30b = PGC 3467
00 58 01.4 -05 04 17; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 20°
24" (12/1/13): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 45"x15". NGC 327, the brightest member in the group, lies 3.9' SSW.
13.1" (7/12/86): faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Third of three with NGC 327 3.8' SSW and MCG -01-03-041 8' NW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 329 = m 24 on 27 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "F, E." This galaxy is the last in a quartet
along with NGC 321, NGC 325 and NGC 327.
His description and position applies to
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00 56 18 -72 27 32; Tuc
V = 9.6; Size 1.9'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 397x; extremely bright, fairly large, elongated NW-SE, ~1.5' diameter, high surface brightness cluster. Easily over 20 stars were resolved in central region and more than three dozen including outliers around the periphery. NGC 330 is situated in a rich, glowing section of the SMC just 20' SW of NGC 346, the top HII region in the SMC.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is one of the brightest SMC clusters and a fascinating object at 228x. It appears as a bright, extremely rich knot of stars, just 1' to 1.5' diameter, which was only partially resolved. Streaming out from the dense core were numerous mag 12 and fainter stars, some arranged in a curving chain off the following side of the core. The bright outliers seemed scattered about to at least 5' (Hodge Association 40). NGC 330 is situated 20' SW of the remarkable HII region NGC 346 within a rich star field!
10x30 IS binoculars (11/4/12 - Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand): visible as a very small, but non-stellar knot.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 330 = D 23 = h2367 on 1 Aug 1826. His published description (based on his 5 Sep observation) reads, "A small, but very bright nebula, exceedingly condensed. This is the brightest nebula in the small cloud. I think I perceive two bright nuclei in this body." His published position was just 2' due N of center.
John Herschel observed the cluster on 5 separate sweeps, first recording on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 440), "pretty bright, small, oval, resolved, 60"." On 12 Aug 1834 (sweep 482), he called it a "globular cluster, S, B, little elliptic, gradually brighter in the middle; 2' across. Fairly resolved into rather large and not very crowded stars."
******************************
NGC 331 = MCG -01-03-012 = PGC 2759
00 47 06.9 -02 43 51; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 0.8'x0.5'; PA = 127°
17.5" (11/28/97): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Requires averted to glimpse and can only view for moments knowing exact location. A nice mag 13/14 double lies 6' N [at 20" separation]. Located 14' W of NGC 259. The identification NGC 331 = MCG -01-03-012 is very tentative.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 331 = LM 2-296 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position,
though he mentions the RA (which is often bad) is doubtful. Harold Corwin suggests the possible
identification NGC 331 = MCG -01-03-012 = PGC 2759 (listed here), though that
assumes Leavenworth made a 10 min error in RA. Leavenworth's description mention a *12 located 3' NE and
there is a faint star (closer to mag 15) in this relative position. RNGC and
PGC misidentify
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00 58 49.1 +07 06 41; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (10/5/91): faint, small, bright core, slightly
elongated NW-SE. A line of three
mag 12-13 stars is close SW.
Located 18' NNE of a mag 6.9 star
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 332 = Sw. 5-10 on 22 Oct 1886
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position and description ("5 or 6 stars near south
in a curve") matches
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00 58 51.3 -16 28 09; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 119°
17.5" (11/6/93): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, very slight central brightening. Almost on a line with two mag 13 stars 3' SE and 5' SE. This is a double system (not resolved).
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 333 = T. 1-5 in 1877 with an
11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. Tempel's position is 10 sec of RA west and 4' south of PGC
3519. Herbert Howe measured an
accurate position in 1898-99 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin
Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
This is a double galaxy (often listed as
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00 58 49.8 -35 06 58; Scl
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 169°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, no concentration. Best viewed at 280x. Forms the north vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 11-12 stars 2.5' SW and 2.5' SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 334 = h2368 on 25 Sep 1834 and recorded "F, S, R, gradually little brighter middle; makes a triangle with two stars south of nebulosity." On later sweep he logged "eF, S, R, at the northern angle of an equilateral triangle formed with two stars 11th mag." His position and description (of the nearby mag 11 stars) clearly establishes NGC 334 = ESO 351-026.
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00 59 19.5 -18 14 01; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 137°
17.5" (10/21/95): extremely faint, small, elongated 5:2
NW-SE, 0.8'x0.3', low even surface brightness.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 335 = LM 1-21 on 9 Oct
1885 with the 26" Clark refractor at the Leander McCormick
Observatory. His very rough
position is just 0.1 tmin of RA east and 2' S of
******************************
NGC 336 = ESO 541-002 = PGC 3470
00 58 02.8 -18 23 05; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 42°
17.5" (10/21/95): very faint, very small, round, low surface brightness. A mag 13 star is 2.2' NW of center. NGC 335 lies 20' NE. Incorrect identification in RNGC.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 336 = LM 1-22 on 31 Oct
1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. Corwin examined the discovery sketch
and verified NGC 336 = ESO 541-002 = PGC 3470. The RNGC, PGC and ESO misidentify
******************************
NGC 337 = MCG -01-03-053 = IV Zw 35 = LGG 015-004 = PGC 3572
00 59 50.3 -07 34 43; Cet
V = 11.6; Size 2.9'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130°
48" (11/1/13): at 488x appeared bright, fairly large, very irregular with a number of obvious clumps. Although the galaxy is generally elongated 3:2 or 5:3 NW-SE it contains a bright, elongated N-S central region that seems to be a bar. On the south end of the "bar" is a brighter elongated patch extending towards the WSW. Another brighter knot is at the north end of the bar, extending to the east. On the southeast flank of the galaxy is an elongated, fainter patch. The northwest side of the halo extends further out, giving an asymmetric outline, and one or two small knots are involved. A mag 11 star lies 5' E. Member of a group (LGG 015) that includes NGC 274/275 and NGC 298.
17.5" (12/26/00): fairly bright and large, elongated
3:2 NW-SE, ~1.8'x1.2', broad concentration. The appearance is asymmetric -- with a noticeably mottled or
irregular surface brightness.
Brighter knots within the halo are also clearly visible at moments. The visual impression matches well with
the DSS image, which shows a chaotic structure with a number of large HII
knots.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, fairly even surface brightness, diffuse outer halo. A mag 11.5 star is 5.4' E of center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 337 = H. II-433 = h80 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435). His description reads "pB, pL, bM, irregular parallelogram in the direction of the meridian."
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, observed this irregular galaxy on 3 Oct 1856 and recorded "pL, not vF. Its brightest part is a line running diagonally, and there is a knot at either end. Perhaps it shaped like an "S". The galaxy has a distorted appearance on CCD photo.
******************************
01 00 36.4 +30 40 09; Psc
V = 12.8; Size 1.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 109°
17.5" (10/5/02): nice, fairly small edge-on oriented WNW-ESE, 0.8'x0.25', very small bright core. A pair of evenly matched mag 14 stars are close off the south side.
17.5" (11/25/87): moderately bright, very elongated WNW-ESE, moderately large, bright core. An easy mag 14 double star at 22" separation is off the SSE edge just 0.8' from center.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 338 = T. 1-6 = St. 12-8 on 13 Oct 1869 with further observations on 28 Oct 1875 and 3 Nov 1877. His published micrometric position (discovery list 12, #8) was not made until 6 Nov 1882 with description "vF, vS, irregular, bright nucleus."
Wilhelm Tempel rediscovered NGC 338 in 1877 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and recorded "small but class III; has 2 stars mag 14-15 near the south end." His RA is 11 seconds too small and 1' S, but the description of the nearby stars fits. Tempel was credited with the discovery in the NGC with Stephan listed second due to Stephan's later publication, though the discovery order is reversed.
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00 57 46.5 -74 28 13; Tuc
V = 12.8; Size 2.2'
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright,
fairly large, roundish, 3' diameter, weak concentration to a small brighter
core. The outer halo appears
ragged and mottled but the only definite resolution was a star on the east side
of the halo. This cluster is
located 15' SE of mag 6.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 339 = h2369 on 18 Sep 1835 in the SMC and recorded "vF, L, R, very gradually brighter middle, 3' or 3.5' diameter". His position is 1.3' NNW of center. NGC 339 was described as "probably globular" in the 1935 Harvard Observatory Bulletin 899 based on Bruce plates at Arequipa.
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01 00 34.9 -06 52 00; Cet
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 65°
17.5" (10/20/90): very faint, small, elongated 2:1
WSW-ENE, bright core. First of six
in the
Albert Marth discovered NGC 340 = m 25 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, S, E". This is the first in a group of 6 galaxies he discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350). His position is accurate.
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01 00 45.8 -09 11 09; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; PA = 55°
48" (11/4/21): at 610x; bright, moderately large, roundish, 1' diameter. Strong concentration with a very bright, slightly elongated core that increased to an intense stellar nucleus. A fairly low contrast spiral arm is attached on the SE side of the core. It curled around the south side and extended to the NW, fading out west of center. The northern arm was very weak along the north side of the halo.
17.5" (10/28/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration. Located along the west side of a triangle formed by a mag 11.5 star 2.5' N, a mag 12.5 star 3' ESE and a mag 13.5 star 3' SSE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 341 = St. 12-9 on 3 Oct 1869 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory and recorded an unpublished position 2' NE of center. He published an accurate micrometric position made on 21 Oct 1881 and recorded "faint; irregularly round; moderately large; a little central condensation; fairly distinct nucleus; seems resolvable."
Forms a double system (Arp 59) with
******************************
NGC 342 = MCG -01-03-058 = PGC 3631
01 00 49.8 -06 46 22; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 105°
17.5" (10/20/90): very faint, very small, slightly
elongated, weak concentration.
Forms a pair with NGC 340 7' SW and second of six in the NGC 349 group
(USGC S034). Located 11' WNW of
mag 7.2
Albert Marth discovered NGC 342 = m 26 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS". Second in a group of 6 galaxies he discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350).
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00 58 24.1 -23 13 30; Cet
Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 9°
18" (12/3/05): extremely faint, very small, ~12"
diameter. Appears as a very low
surface brightness spot with averted vision located 2' W of a 1.2' pair of mag
14 stars. Forms a very close pair
with
18" (11/6/04): extremely faint, small, round, very low surface brightness. Situated 2' W of a N-S pair of mag 14 stars. A mag 15 star is 1' N. NGC 344 close SE was not seen. The identification of this pair is uncertain.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 343 = LM 2-297, along with NGC
344, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick
Observatory. This nebula was
placed 1' N of NGC 344 but there is nothing at Muller's position. Corwin suggests NGC 343/NGC 344 are the
faint pair of galaxies AM 0055-232 = PGC 133741/
******************************
00 58 25.4 -23 13 46; Cet
Size 0.3'x0.2'
18" (12/3/05): extremely faint and small, 5" diameter. Forms a very close pair with NGC 343 close preceding, just 24" between centers. At times this object appeared stellar and easier to view than NGC 343, though there doesn't appear to be a faint star close by that I might have confused it with.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 344 = LM 2-298, along with NGC 343, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory.. Muller described both objects as possible stars and his position is 0.3 min of RA east and 1.5' north of ESO 475-006. Corwin suggests that NGC 343 and NGC 344 may instead refer to a faint pair of galaxies (Arp-Madore 0055-232 = PGC 13374/198261) about 2.5 min of RA due east of Muller's position. If Muller observed this pair, then NGC 344 (fainter SE component) at B = 17.2 is the faintest discovery at Leander McCormick Observatory with the Clark refractor.
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01 01 22.0 -06 53 04; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 140°
17.5" (10/20/90): faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, even surface brightness.
Located 6' SSW of mag 7.2 SAO 129088. Third of six in the NGC 349 group (USGC S034) with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 345 = m 27 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS, gradually brighter in the middle." Third in a group of 6 galaxies he discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350) and placed accurately.
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NGC 346 = SMC-N66 = ESO 051-010 = Lindsay 60 = SMC Ass 45
00 59 05 -72 10 36; Tuc
V = 10.3; Size 14'x11'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the largest HII region in the SMC and an amazing sight at 171x using a UHC filter. The brightest section is a "bar" extending NW-SE with a well-defined edge along the northern side. Extending from the central region are two sweeping "arms" or extensions, creating an exaggerated "S" appearance similar to a barred spiral galaxy! The longer but lower surface brightness arm is attached at the southeast end of the central region and broadly sweeps towards the west, below the bar. The shorter, but high surface brightness arm is attached at the northwest end and hooks towards the east. These extensions increase the diameter to 8'-10' in total size!
Without the filter, the nebula is set in a rich star field
(Hodge Association 45) and a number of stars are superimposed or involved with
the nebula, some in the center. NGC 346 hosts 33 O-type stars, several in a
small clump including a massive 02-type mag 12.8 star and a mag 12.6 O4-type
star. On the NE side is
10x30mm and 15x50mm: NGC 346 is easily visible in binoculars.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 346 = D 25 = h2370 on 1 Aug 1826. His published description (based on an observation on 5 Sep) reads "pretty large, pretty bright nebula, about 2.25' diameter, irregular round figure, resolvable, very slight condensation, not well defined at the edges."
John Herschel lists 5 observations in his Cape catalog: He first observed it on 11 Apr 1834 as "B, L, pmE, pretty gradually much brighter middle, 5', resolvable (ill seen, below the pole)." On a second sweep he called it "Cluster, imperfectly resolved; rather irregular figure; 5' diameter. Not equally condensed about centre; fades imperceptibly; has a double star (12th mag) in centre." His third observation was recorded as "B, L, irregularly round, gradually much brighter middle, 3' or 4' in extent, fades away insensibly." His next sweep was recorded as "B, L, neb with resolvable centre; irregularly extended into a kind of broad train as in figure, gently graduating away to the borders. 6' diameter." His final observation was logged as "B, L, irregular figure, with a star 13th mag in most compressed part." His published sketch is in the CGH catalogue on plate IV, figure 6.
Joseph Turner sketched NGC 346 with the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope on 17 Dec 1875, with an "arm" attached on the NW end of bar, hooking to the east. It also shows a very small knot of stars about 0.8' NE of center (plate I, figure 4 in "Observations of Southern Nebulae made with the Great Melbourne Telescope 1869 - 1885"). He commented, "It is very unlike H.'s drawing and description; indeed I cannot trace any resemblance between that and its present appearance; and were it not for its position, and the fact that L.S. observed and sketched it on 5th February 1870, I should be in great doubt as to its being the proper object. The position, however, accords with that given by Herschel, and Le Sueur's sketch [unpublished plate VII, figure 79] is, in its general features, very like mine, so that there is no room for doubting its identity. The central portion is by far the brightest, being a cluster of stars so very distinct that they could almost be counted; and the nebula here also appears the most dense. From this point it proceeds s.f. for almost 1' 30", terminating in a few very faint stars. Towards the n.p. direction it forms a complete bend or hook, and is here very faint. A little n.f. the main or central portion is a very small and faint round patch, which at times looks like a cluster of very faint stars, but I cannot with certainty determine whether or not it be stars or only nebula, although the night is an exquisite one, being clear and steady."
Although a spectrum taken in 1919 at the Cordoba Observatory of Argentina clearly revealed a gaseous spectrum, Charles Perrine declared "the first true spiral which I have encountered that appears appears to consist almost wholly of gaseous nebulosity." (confusing the spiral morphology with a spiral galaxy).
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01 01 35.2 -06 44 02; Cet
V = 15.0; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 105°
17.5" (10/8/94): very faint, very small, round,
20" diameter, very weak concentration. Located 4' N of mag 7.5
Albert Marth discovered NGC 347 = m 28 on 27 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS". This is the 4th in a group of 6
galaxies discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350). At Marth's position is
But RNGC misidentifies
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01 00 52.0 -53 14 41; Phe
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 91°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; NGC 348 and
ESO 151-018, situated 7' ENE of NGC 348, appeared fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 N-S, 0.6'x0.2', small bright core. The extensions fade out at the tips.
John Herschel discovered NGC 348 = h2371 on 3 Oct 1834 and
recorded "eF, S, R." On
a later sweep he noted "eeeF, seems to have a vF star involved." His position and description matches
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NGC 349 = MCG -01-03-068 = PGC 3687
01 01 50.7 -06 47 59; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 140°
17.5" (10/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, broad concentration.
Located 4' E of mag 7.2 SAO 129088! Forms a close pair with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 349 = m 29 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS". This is the fifth in a group of 6 galaxies discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350). His position is just 1' too far south (same offset as NGC 350).
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NGC 350 = MCG -01-03-069 = PGC 3690
01 01 56.6 -06 47 45; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (10/20/90): very faint, very small, round, bright core. A mag 11 star is 1.2' E. Last of six in the NGC 349 group and forms a close pair with NGC 349 1.5' W. Located 6' W of a mag 7.2 SAO 129088.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 350 = m 30 on 27 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "eF." This galaxy is the last in a group of 6
he discovered that night (NGC 340, 342, 345, 347, 349, 350). His position is 1' S of
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01 01 57.8 -01 56 12; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 142°
17.5" (10/5/91): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
3:2 NW-SE, broad concentration.
Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 351 = Sw. 3-3, along with NGC 353, on 4 Nov 1875. His rough RA for NGC 351 was 8 seconds too large. Stephan didn't confirm or publish the discovery, so didn't receive credit in the NGC.
Lewis Swift rediscovered both galaxies on 10 Nov 1885 and included them his 3rd discovery list, #3 and #4. His RA for NGC 351 was also 12 seconds too large. Bigourdan measured an accurate micrometric position on 25 Oct 1897 as well as Howe in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory.
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01 02 09.2 -04 14 45; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 2.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 165°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 1.5'x0.5', broadly concentrated with fainter extensions.
William Herschel discovered NGC 352 = H. III-191 = h81 on 20 Sep 1784 (sweep 280) and logged "vF, mE." His position was poor but John Herschel measured a fairly accurate (mean) position.
The position angle in Harold Corwin's ESGC and the Deep Sky Field Guide (first edition) is in error (10° or NNE-SSW), instead of 165° or NNW-SSE.
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NGC 353 = UGC 641 = MCG +00-03-058 = CGCG 384-058 = PGC 3714
01 02 24.6 -01 57 28; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 26°
17.5" (10/5/91): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 351 7' WNW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 353 = Sw. 3-4, along with NGC 351, on 4 Nov 1875. His rough RA for NGC 351 was 10 seconds too large. Stephan didn't confirm or publish the discovery, so didn't receive credit in the NGC.
Lewis Swift rediscovered both galaxies on 10 Nov 1885 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. The RA in his third discovery list, #4, was 9 seconds too large (similar offset as NGC 351).
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01 03 16.3 +22 20 33; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 29°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, fairly high surface brightness. A mag 13 star is at the WNW end and a mag 11 star is 1' E. Located 3.3' NNW of mag 9.1 SAO 74452.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 354 = St. 12-10 on 5 Oct 1869. He published an accurate micrometric position made 12 years later on 24 Oct 1881 with the description "eF and S; R; a mag 14 star precedes by 1 sec".
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01 03 06.9 -06 19 26; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 125°
17.5" (9/26/92): extremely faint, very small,
round. Near my visual threshold
and only glimpsed with averted vision for moments. Located just 4' WNW of
Albert Marth discovered NGC 355 = m 31 on 27 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "eF, vS." His position matches
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01 03 07.0 -06 59 17; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 70°
17.5" (10/20/90): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 3:2 SW-NE, very weak concentration. Located about 30' SE of the NGC 349 group (USGC S034).
Albert Marth discovered NGC 356 = m 32 on 27 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, S, iR." His position is accurate.
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NGC 357 = MCG -01-03-081 = PGC 3768
01 03 21.9 -06 20 22; Cet
V = 12.0; Size 2.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 20°
13.1" (9/3/86): moderately bright, small, compact, very bright core. A faint mag 14 star is at the ENE edge. NGC 355 4' WNW not seen in 13.1" but glimpsed in 17.5".
William Herschel discovered NGC 357 = H. II-434 = h82 on 10
Sep 1785 (sweep 435) and recorded "F, S, irr figure, bM,
resolvable." His position is
accurate. John Herschel observed this galaxy on 3 sweeps, logging on 10 Oct
1828: "F; R; suddenly brighter middle; to a *13m; 20" a *14 10 sec
nf." His position and
description is a perfect match with
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01 05 10.9 +62 01 14; Cas
17.5" (11/6/93): consists of just four mag 11-12 stars in a 2'x1' trapezoid at the NGC position. This appears to be just a small asterism. 10' SE is also a scattered group in two detached sections elongated E-W with about a dozen mag 12-13.5 stars in each group.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 358 on 4 Feb 1865 with the
11" refractor at Copenhagen while observing h 83 = NGC 366. Harold Corwin suggests his description
(translated roughly from Latin) is "A cluster of several stars -- not many
members. Found when inspecting the
cluster h 83 [
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01 04 16.9 -00 45 53; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 135°
17.5" (10/5/91): faint, small, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, bright core. A mag 14.5 star is 1.2' SSE. Forms a pair with NGC 364 7' ESE.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 359 = m 33, along with
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01 02 51.4 -65 36 36; Tuc
V = 12.6; Size 3.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 144°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; excellent
large, thin edge-on NW-SE with tapered tips, stretching ~2.5'x20". The center is slightly brighter with a
mottled or clumpy appearance. A faint double (mag 14.5/15) at ~12" is just
west of the southeast end. Two
bright stars are near; mag 8.8
John Herschel discovered NGC 360 = h2372 on 2 Nov 1834 and
remarked "eF, vmE, very little brighter middle; a Ray nebula, pos = 145.4°". His position and descriptions matches
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01 02 11 -71 36 24; Tuc
V = 11.8; Size 1.6'
18" (7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
228x, this SMC cluster appeared moderately bright and large, round, 1'
diameter, weak concentration to center, grainy. A single star or clump was resolved. Located 4.5' SE of mag 7.8
James Dunlop discovered NGC 361 = D 54 = h2374 on 6 Sep
1826. After logging mag 7.8 HD
6222 (less than 5' NW), he recorded "a small round pretty well-defined
nebula, 15" or 20" diameter." His position was 7' too far SE, but in the same offset
direction as
John Herschel rediscovered NGC 361 on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 441) and noted "vF, L, oval, very gradually very much brighter in the middle." He listed the possible equivalence with D 55, which was the next object in the drift and offset 10' E of NGC 361. D 55 may refer to a pair of stars at 01 03 02 -71 33.2.
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01 03 14 -70 50 54; Tuc
V = 6.5; Size 12.9'; Surf Br = 0.1
25" (10/27/22 - OzSky): at 318x; gorgeous globular that is highly resolved into a few hundred stars over the entire face of the cluster. The halo, which extends roughly to 8', was plastered with a large number of fairly brighter stars overlaying a dense layer of fainter stars. Strongly concentrated with a bright 2' circular core with a much higher stellar density that extends right up to a very small intensely bright nucleus. Situated 3.3° ENE of 47 Tucanae at the north tip of the LMC.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): At 228x, NGC 362 appeared very bright and well-resolved into a couple of hundred stars! The rich halo was plastered with stars and extended to nearly 8' diameter. The 2' compressed core was well-concentrated to a blazing center (concentration class III). Stars appeared to stream out of the core in curving spiral lanes. This globular has a classic symmetric appearance with a prominent, round core and halo. NGC 362 is situated just north of the SMC, though 47 Tuc (NGC 104) overshadows the splendor of NGC 362.
Naked-eye (11/4/12 - Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand): this 6.5-magnitude globular was just visible naked-eye to the north of the SMC.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 362 = D 62 on 1 Aug 1826. He described "a beautiful bright
round nebula, about 4' diameter, exceedingly condensed. This is a good
representation of the 2nd of the Connaissance des Temps [
John Herschel (h2375) reported it with his 18" reflector from the Cape of Good Hope on 12 Aug 1834 as a "Fine, highly condensed globular cluster; pretty suddenly brighter middle; diameter 4'." On 3 Nov 1834 he called it "very bright; very large; pretty suddenly very much brighter middle; round; 5' or 6' diameter; all resolved." Observing the next night, he recorded it as "a globular cluster; vB; very little extended; gradually very much brighter in the middle. Diameter of more condensed part approx. 60 sec in RA; but there are loose stars to a considerably greater distance, stars 13 or 14 mag all nearly equal and distinct, but run into a blaze in centre."
There was a 1.0 tmin error in reduction in the NGC position too far west. This error was noted in Harvard College Observatory NGC corrections based on plates taken with the Bruce telescope at Arequipa between 1898 and 1901 and repeated by Dreyer in the IC 2 notes.
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01 06 15.8 -16 32 34; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 49°
17.5" (11/6/93): very faint, very small, round, 0.5' diameter, very small brighter core. A mag 12 star is 3' NNE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 363 = LM 1-23 on 28 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is 1.5 min of RA
west of
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NGC 364 = UGC 666 = MCG +00-03-069 = CGCG 384-067 = PGC 3833
01 04 40.8 -00 48 10; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30°
17.5" (10/5/91): faint, small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 359 7' WNW. Plotted too far south on the first edition of the Uranometria 2000.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 364 = m 34, along with NGC 359, on 2 Sep 1864 and logged "vF, vS". Édouard Stephan made an observation on 28 Oct 1875.
The RNGC position is 3' too far south. CGCG doesn't identify its 384-067 as NGC 364 and the UGC position is 26' too far S!
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01 04 18.7 -35 07 17; Scl
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 5°
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, small, round, 30" diameter. A pair of mag 11/13 stars [45" separation] lie ~5' SE. Required averted vision to comfortably view this galaxy.
John Herschel discovered NGC 365 = h2373 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "F, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 20"." His
mean declination from two observations is ~1.3' S of
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NGC 366 = Cr 9 = OCL-286 = Lund 37
01 06 26 +62 13 42; Cas
Size 3'
24" (1/4/14): small, rich group with 30 stars resolved in a 3' region at 260x, with several small knots of stars. On the south side is the multiple star STI 177 A/B/C = 12/12.9/13 at 3.8" and 10". Just 48" NE, is the 12" mag 12/13 D and E components with a fainter component at 7" and another close pair or triple is ~30" E. On the N end of the group is DAM 304 = 12/14 pair at 9". A string of mag 14-15 stars oriented SW-NE is on the west side of the main grouping.
17.5" (11/6/93): 10 stars mag 12-14 in a small 3' group. Consists of two mag 12-13 stars both of which form very close doubles and a tight trio of mag 13-14 stars on the east side. The rest are faint stars and the cluster is set over unresolved haze. Not impressive but stands out clearly in field.
John Herschel discovered NGC 366 = h83 on 27 Oct 1829 and reported a "small cl 2' in diam. Place that of the double star h 1070." His position, though, is 2' S of the double star.
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01 05 48.9 -12 07 42; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15°
17.5" (12/26/00): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, low even surface brightness. Requires averted vision but visible ~80% of the time with concentration at 280x once identified in the eyepiece field. Elongation not noted so I probably only picked up the brighter central region.
17.5" (10/4/97): uncertain sighting. Possibly barely glimpsed on a couple of occasions using a GSC finder chart to pinpoint location and averted vision at 280x. No elongation noticed.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 367 = LM 2-299 in 1866 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded "mag
16.0, 1.0'x0.2', E 175°, bn, 3 st 12, np 30°. There is nothing at his position but 1 min of RA east is PGC
3894. This galaxy is elongated SSW-NNE (Muller's PA is nearly N-S) and his
description of three nearby stars matches this galaxy. RNGC misidentifies FGC 120 = PGC 90518,
an extremely thin edge-on, as NGC 367.
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01 04 21.9 -43 16 36; Phe
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7
24" (10/5/13): at 225x; very faint, very small, round,
18" diameter. Situated 3.1'
NE of mag 8.8
John Herschel discovered NGC 368 = h4012 on 5 Sep 1834 and logged "eeF; vS; N.f. a star 7-8 mag distant 3'." His position and description is accurate (after correcting for a 1 hr typo in RA).
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01 05 08.9 -17 45 32; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 52°
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, small, round, 0.8' diameter, gradually weak concentration. A similar pair of mag 10.7 and 11.1 stars oriented NW-SE lie 5' SW.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 369 = LM 1-24 on 9 Oct 1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is 3' S of ESO 541-017 = PGC 3856. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
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01 06 44.6 +32 25 43; Psc
See observing notes for
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 370 = Au 5 on 7 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at the Copenhagen Observatory. There is nothing at his single position, though he mentions a mag 13 star is 15" to the south.
Harold Corwin suggests that NGC 370 is possibly equal to NGC 372. This is a triple star found by Dreyer at Birr Castle on 12 Dec 1876 at a mean position of 01 06 44.6 +32 25 43 (2000). The triplet is about 10 seconds of time greater and 1' further north than d'Arrest's position and the separation for the north-south pair is close to his estimate. This identification is uncertain, but there is nothing else in the vicinity that matches.
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NGC 371 = SMC-N76 = ESO 051-14 = Lindsay 71 = Kron 48 = SMC Ass 53
01 03 30 -72 03 24; Tuc
Size 8'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x
and UHC filter, NGC 371 is a fairly bright, prominent, round SMC nebulous
cluster, up to 6' in diameter with a fairly well-defined edge. The haze has a pretty consistent high
surface brightness and seems suspended in a large, scattered cluster or star
cloud (Hodge Association 53). A 5'
string of four mag 10-11 stars oriented NW-SE is superimposed on the glow (one
is mag 13.0 WR star SMC AB 7) as well as a number of fainter stars. SMC AB 6, another mag 12 WR binary, is
at the south end. This is an
excellent low power field with the striking HII region NGC 346 22' WSW and NGC
395/
10x30mm and 15x50mm IS binoculars: easily visible along with NGC 346.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 371 = D 31 = h2376 on 1 Aug 1826. Based on 5 observations he described it as "a pretty large unequally bright nebula, about 5' diameter, round figure, resolvable into stars of mixt magnitudes." His published position was 8' too far south, but the description fits. On 5 Sep 1826 he wrote "a large faint ill-defined nebula, irregular round figure, easily resolvable, about 5' diameter. This is the large faint nebula in the northern extremity or what I have called the 3 nebulae in the [Small]] Cloud."
John Herschel made 5 observations beginning on 11 Apr 1834, recording "cluster, 6th class; faint, round, 10' diameter, stars 15..18th mag." The next observation was logged as "vF, L, p rich cluster, 6th class. Stars 14..15th mag." On a third sweep he noted it as "a F, L, p compressed cl of 6th class. 10' diameter. gradually brighter in the middle; stars 12..16th mag - in some parts almost nebulous." The fourth observation was recorded as a "cluster 6th class; stars 12..15th mag, a few = 10th mag and one of 9th mag; much compressed in the middle; fills field and has loose straggling lines and crooks branching off." The final sweep was recorded as "F, L, cl; little compressed; gradually brighter in the middle; 7' diam; resolved into stars 14..16th mag." Herschel was very uncertain (??) if Dunlop 31 referred to this cluster.
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01 06 44.6 +32 25 43; Psc
18" (11/18/06): faint triple star resolved at 280x. The components form a very small equilateral triangle 1' N of a mag 12 star with the components ~10" apart. The brightest component of the triple is at the north vertex and the other two are mag 15-15.5. NGC 370 may also refer to this multiple star.
J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 372 on 12 Dec 1876 with the 72" at Birr Castle and stated "the last nova [GC 5146 = NGC 372] looks at first sight like a hazy *, the higher power seems to resolve it, at all events sev luminous points were seen. Has a *12 in pos 166.5d, dist, 74"." This pins down the equivalence with a triple star with a mean position of 01 06 44.6 +32 25 43 (2000). Heinrich d'Arrest *possibly* also observed this triple star (or one or more of its components) on 7 Oct 1861 and it was catalogued as GC 197 = NGC 370.
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01 06 58.2 +32 18 31; Psc
V = 14.9; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0
18" (11/18/06): extremely faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. There appears to be a 15-16th magnitude star superimposed as a stellar point was sometimes visible offset from the center. Located on the SW side of the "Pisces Group", 9' SW of NGC 383.
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, very small, slightly
elongated ~E-W. Located 8.3' SW of
J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 373 on 12 Dec 1876 using the
72" at Birr Castle in the NGC 383 group. His description is simply "vF, vS" but he
accurately placed it 428" in PA 225.8° with respect to a mag 12.2 star
situated SSW of
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01 07 05.8 +32 47 42; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 175°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, bright core, faint stellar nucleus or mag 15 star is superimposed [SDSS shows a nucleus]. Located almost midway between two mag 14 stars 0.7' NE and 0.9' SW. Located about 25' N of the core of the NGC 383 group.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 374 = Au 6 on 7 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor at the observatory in Copenhagen. His single position is accurate and he noted it was "between 2 stars mag 15." The discovery was early enough to be included in Auwers 1862 list of new nebulae.
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01 07 05.9 +32 20 53; Psc
V = 14.7; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
18" (11/18/06): very faint, extremely small, round,
15" diameter, weak concentration.
Situated ~2' W of a triangle of mag 12/13/14 stars (on the opposite side
from
17.5" (9/19/87): extremely faint and small, round. Three mag 12-13.5 stars forming an isosceles triangle with the long base oriented N-S are about 2' SE. Located 5.6' SW of NGC 383 in the core of the cluster. Forms a pair with NGC 373 2.8' SSW.
Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 375 on 1
Dec 1874 with his father's 72" and shown on the constructed sketch of the
entire Pisces Group in the 1880 publication. The GC and NGC position matches
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01 03 53 -72 49 32; Tuc
V = 10.9; Size 1.0'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 397x; very bright, fairly
small, irregular or triangular shape, 35"-40" diameter. A half dozen stars were resolved within
the glow surrounded by a much fainter halo. Brighter and larger
Lindsay 60 is 16' ENE (see NGC 419 for notes) and Lindsay 66 is 18' NW. The latter resolved into three brighter stars in a small string oriented WSW-NNE [length of 21"]. At 397x, the middle "star" was a very small knot, ~6"-8" diameter. This is probably the core of the cluster. The three stars seem surrounded by an extremely low surface brightness halo.
Henize N63 and N64 are a fairly similar pair of compact emission nebulae 27' WNW. Both are ~30" in diameter and separated by 1.4' NW-SE. They were easily noticed at 397x with N63 on the NW side slightly brighter. The contast was increased at 244x through an NPB filter. A mag 12 star lies 0.7' NW of N63.
18" (7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, small, round, 30" diameter, a few individual stars or clumps are resolved. A 10' string of stars (Hodge Association 56) passing ~4' N and angles towards the NE. NGC 419 follows by 20'. Observation made through thin clouds.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 376 = D 36 = h2378, along with NGC 419, on 2 Sep 1826. He recorded (single observation) "a faint ill-defined nebula, about 1 1/2' diameter." His reduced position (from a drift) is 9.5' ENE, though matches his offset error in declination (about 3.5') for NGC 419. So despite a size estimate that's too large, the discovery appears highly likely.
John Herschel recorded this cluster on two sweeps: on 12 Aug 1834 he logged "pretty faint, small, round, resolvable, pretty compact." On a later sweep he recorded it as a "globular cluster, a vS, vB knot of visible stars 15 or 20" diameter almost like a solid mass." His position and description on both sweeps is accurate, although DeLisle Stewart reported erroneously (based on plates taken at Harvard's Aqrequipa station between 1898 and 1901) that this object was a "double star only, components 10" apart at 270° (E-W). Herschel credited Dunlop as the possible discoverer (D 36) in his General Catalogue but not the Cape Catalog.
******************************
01 06 34.8 -20 19 57; Cet
V = 15.1; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30°
24" (12/1/13): at 325x appeared extremely faint, small, round, 18" diameter. Visible perhaps 25% of the time as an extremely faint patch and too fleeting to detect an elongated shape. Forms the northern vertex of a triangle with a mag 14.5 star 6' SW and a mag 13.5 star 4.7' SE. A large scattered group of stars including several mag 10-11 lies ~10' E.
18" (12/3/05): not seen at 225x.
18" (11/6/04): extremely faint, small, round, 20" diameter (core only viewed?). Only visible intermittently with averted and concentration (in fairly poor seeing) but sighting definite.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 377 = LM 1-25 on 15 Oct
1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. Based on the discovery sketch, Corwin
determined NGC 377 = ESO 541-019 = PGC 3931. This would place NGC 377 17' S of Leavenworth's rough
position, an unusual error in declination. ESO misidentifies 541-019 as possibly
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01 06 12.1 -30 10 41; Scl
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 90°
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2
E-W, 1.2'x0.8'. A mag 11.5 star is
3' NNE. Located 8' WSW of mag 10.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 378 = h2377 on 28 Sep 1834 and
noted "vF, S, R, gradually little brighter middle, 15 arcseconds."
His position matches
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01 07 15.7 +32 31 13; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 0°
18" (11/18/06): moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 3:2 N-S, 0.8'x0.5', broad concentration with a slightly brighter
core. Forms a similar pair with
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, even surface brightness. Forms a pair with similar NGC 380 2' S in the NGC 383 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 379 = H. II-215 = h84, along with NGC 380 and NGC 383, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). He recorded the trio as "Three, F, vS, R, all in a row in the meridian, nearly of equal size, the distance between the two most south [NGC 383 and 383] is about double that of the other."
******************************
NGC 380 = Arp 331 NED2 = UGC 682 = MCG +05-03-051 = CGCG 501-081 = LGG 017-001 = PGC 3969
01 07 17.6 +32 28 59; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
18" (11/18/06): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, sharply concentrated with a very small, very bright core. Forms a 2.2' pair with NGC 379 and 4.5' NNW of NGC 383 at the north end of the "Pisces Group".
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 379 2' S in the NGC 383 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, small, round, bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 380 = H. II-216 = h85, along with NGC 379 and NGC 383, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). See description under NGC 379.
******************************
01 08 18 +61 35; Cas
Size 6'
24" (1/4/14): nice group of ~75 stars, fairly uniformly distributed in a 6' group. A triple star (STI 185 = 10.8/12.5 at 9" and a third closer companion) is just north of center. The cluster is roughly circular with no denser patches, but it does include a number of faint stars so the appearance is fairly rich. Pretty well detached in the 50' field at 125x (less so on the north side).
17.5" (8/16/93): 40 stars mag 11-15 in loose 6' diameter, stands out best at 100x. The brightest mag 10.8 star is part of a triple along the north side. Fairly uniform in mag 12/13 stars with a scattering of faint stars, fairly even distribution with no rich regions. Not recognizable as a cluster at 220x.
17.5" (11/2/91): about three dozen stars in 6' diameter, fairly faint, roughly a circular group. Consists mostly of mag 12/13 stars. Includes a triple star (10.8/12.5/13 at 8"/~3") and two mag 11 stars on the west side. Several stars are arranged in strings. Relatively few stars in center. A line of mag 10 stars trail off to the north edge of field and the mag 10 star at the end of the string 11' N is a close double star.
8": ~30 stars in a circular group, bright curving string to the north. A mag 8 star is 10' E.
William Herschel discovered NGC 381 = H. VIII-64 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and noted "a forming cluster of pretty compressed stars." In his second published catalogued he added "Caroline Herschel disc[overy] 1783".
Caroline Herschel is often attributed with the discovery of NGC 381 based on this comment, but her description places the intended cluster west of Gamma Cas (and east of Kappa) forming an isosceles triangle, but NGC 381 follows Gamma. NGC 225 forms a flat isosceles triangle with the two stars and Wolfgang Steinicke argues this was the observed cluster. The same conclusion was reached in the August 2007 issue of Sky & Tel.
******************************
NGC 382 = Arp 331 NED5 = VV 193b = UGC 688 = MCG +05-03-052 = CGCG 501-086 = LGG 018-002 = PGC 3981
01 07 23.9 +32 24 15; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'
18" (11/18/06): fairly faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, slightly brighter core, faint stellar nucleus with direct vision. Situated at the south edge of the halo of NGC 383 (the brighter member of the "Pisces Group"), just 30" from the center.
17.5" (9/23/00): very faint, extremely small, round, 20" diameter, very faint quasi-stellar nucleus at moments. This galaxy is the fainter of a close pair with NGC 383 in the Pisces group.
Supernova SN 2000dk (Type Ia) was discovered 5 days ago (18 Sept.) and was visible as a mag 15.5 "star" at the NW edge of the halo (5" W and 9" north of center). At the first glance using 280x, the galaxy appeared elongated in the direction of the SN, but in moments of better seeing, the SN was clearly resolved and similar in brightness to the nucleus of NGC 382.
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, very small, round. Forms a double system with much brighter NGC 383 30" NNE in a group.
13.1" (9/29/84): very faint, extremely small, round. Nearly attached to NGC 383.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 382 on 4 Nov 1850. It was labeled "Gamma prime" in his sketch of the Pisces Group. Heinrich d'Arrest independently found this nebula on 26 Aug 1865 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. This is one of 5 galaxies discovered by Stoney on that night including NGCs 384, 385, 386 and 388.
******************************
NGC 383 = Arp 331 NED6 = VV 193a = UGC 689 = MCG +05-03-053 = CGCG 501-087 = LGG 018-003 = PGC 3982
01 07 24.9 +32 24 45; Psc
V = 12.4; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30°
18" (11/18/06): fairly bright, moderately large, irregularly round, 1.3' diameter, broadly concentrated to a bright core that increases to a 6" nucleus. Forms an interacting pair with NGC 382 30" S of center. This galaxy is the brightest and largest member of the "Pisces Group" (at the southwest end of the Pisces-Perseus Supercluster) and is surrounded by 10 galaxies within 8'!
17.5" (9/19/87): brightest in the NGC 383 cluster. Fairly bright, moderately large, slightly
elongated, broadly concentrated halo.
Forms a double system with NGC 382 30" SW. NGC 380 is 4.5' NNW, NGC 379 6.8' NNW,
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly bright, almost round, bright core. Forms a double with NGC 382.
William Herschel discovered NGC 383 = H. II-217 = h86, along with NGC 379 and NGC 380, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). See description under NGC 379.
John Herschel made 3 observations and reported on 22 Nov 1827 (sweep 106), "pB; pL; gradually brighter in the middle." Both Herschel's missed NGC 382, only 30" S of center, perhaps as their magnification was too low.
******************************
NGC 384 = Arp 331 NED3 = UGC 686 = MCG +05-03-055 = CGCG 501-084 = LGG 017-002 = PGC 3983
01 07 25.0 +32 17 34; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135°
18" (11/18/06): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', fairly well concentrated with a small bright core. At the south end of the "Pisces Group" with NGC 385 1.7' N.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, slightly elongated, bright core. NGC 385 2' N and NGC 386 is 4.3' NNE in the NGC 383 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, small, round, small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 385.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 384 = Au 7 on 4 Nov 1850. He labeled it "Zeta" on his sketch of the Pisces Group. Heinrich d'Arrest rediscovered this galaxy (along with NGC 385) and measured an accurate position on 12 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. Auwers published d'Arrest's observation in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae and John Herschel credited d'Arrest with the discovery in the GC. Dreyer credited Lord Rosse, as well as d'Arrest, in the NGC.
******************************
NGC 385 = Arp 331 NED4 = UGC 687 = MCG +05-03-056 = CGCG 501-085 = LGG 018-004 = PGC 3984
01 07 27.2 +32 19 12; Psc
V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
18" (11/18/06): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, strong concentration with a bright 20" core. Located near the south end of the "Pisces Group" and appears slightly larger and brighter than nearby NGC 384 1.7' SSW. A trio of mag 12-13 stars lies 2'-3' WNW and the two northern stars are collinear with the galaxy.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core. Forms a trio with NGC 386 2.6' N and NGC 384 1.8' S in the NGC 383 group.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, small, small bright core, similar to NGC 384.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 385 = Au 8 on 4 Nov 1850. He labeled it "Epsilon" in his sketch of the NGC 383 (Pisces) Group. Heinrich d'Arrest independently found this galaxy on 7 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen and measured an accurate position (4 measurements). d'Arrest's observation was included in Auwers 1862 catalogue of new nebulae and John Herschel credited d'Arrest with the discovery in the GC. Dreyer credited both LdR and d'Arrest when compiling the NGC.
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NGC 386 = Arp 331 NED7 = MCG +05-03-057 = CGCG 501-088 = PGC 3989
01 07 31.3 +32 21 43; Psc
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6
18" (11/18/06): faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, gradually increases to a very small brighter core. Located 3.3' SSE of NGC 383 and on a line to the north of the NGC 384/385 pair in the core of the "Pisces Group".
17.5" (9/19/87): very faint, very small, round, bright core. Located 3.3' SSE of NGC 383 in a group. NGC 385 lies 2.6' S.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 386 on 4 Nov 1850. He labeled it "Delta" in his sketch of the NGC 383 (Pisces) Group.
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01 07 33.0 +32 23 28; Psc
V = 15.5; Size 0.3'x0.3'
18" (11/18/06): at 280x appeared very faint, very small, round, 8" diameter. This is perhaps the smallest and faintest NGC galaxy in the "Pisces Chain". Located 2' SE of NGC 383 and 2.5' N of NGC 386 in the heart of the "Pisces Group".
17.5" (9/19/87): extremely faint, round, almost stellar. Located 1.8' NNE of NGC 386 and 2.1' SE of NGC 383 in the NGC 383 group. Not 100% certain of its non-stellar appearance.
Lawrence Parsons discovered NGC 387 on 10 Dec 1873 with Lord
Rosse's 72" and included it on the sketch that was made of the cluster
(later labeled as GC 5149), along with offsets from NGC 383. The GC (5149) and NGC position matches
******************************
01 07 47.1 +32 18 36; Psc
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 168°
18" (11/18/06): at 280x appeared faint, small, round, 20" diameter. Located 4.5' E of the NGC 384/385 pair at the south end of the "Pisces Group".
17.5" (9/19/87):extremely faint and small, round, size 10"-15". Located 5'-6' E of NGC 385 in the NGC 383 group.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 388 on 4 Nov 1850. He labeled it "Theta" in his sketch of the NGC 383 (Pisces) Group.
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01 08 30.0 +39 41 44; And
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 54°
17.5" (1/1/92): very faint, very small, elongated 2:1
SW-NE, even surface brightness. A
mag 11 star is just off the NE edge 0.7' from center which detracts from
viewing. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 389 = Sw. 2-12 on 6 Sep 1885 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 30 sec of RA west and 1.5' north of
******************************
01 07 54.4 +32 25 59; Psc
= *, Corwin.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 390 = Big. 9 on 19 Nov 1884 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory and recorded "mag 13.4-13.5; stellar aspect". According to Harold Corwin (private correspondence), Bigourdan's offsets match a star at 01 07 54 +32 25 59 (2000). This identification was first given by Hubble in his 1920 paper "Photographic investigations of faint nebulae"
RNGC misidentifies
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01 07 22.6 +00 55 33; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 45°
24" (11/21/19): at 322x; between fairly faint and moderately bright, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, very small bright core increasing to a bright stellar nucleus. Situated within a group of stars including a mag 10.7 star 1.7' NNW.
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, very small, round,
compact, well-defined edge, small bright core. Located 1.7' SSE of a mag 10 star and 4.4' NNE of mag 9.5
George Phillips Bond discovered NGC 391 = HN 3 = Au 9 on 8
Jan 1853 with the 15-inch Merz & Mahler refractor while taking micrometric
positions of stars for the Harvard Zone Catalogue. He noted a "faint
nebula, 1' 30" south following star number 32 [11th magnitude]."
At this exact position is
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01 08 23.5 +33 08 00; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 50°
24" (10/5/13): brightest member of the
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, round, bright core, sharp stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1' SW. Brightest of three (KTG 3) with NGC 394 1' NE and NGC 397 2' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 392 = H. II-218 = h87 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and simply noted "F, resembling the foregoing [NGC 379, 380, 383]." He missed the nearby galaxies NGC 394 and 397, as well did John Herschel.
John Herschel observed NGC 392 on 16 Nov 1827 (sweep 102): "pF; bM nearly to a *; between 2 stars". A mag 13 star is 1' SW, but no corresponding star to the NE. Perhaps the second "star" was NGC 394?
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NGC 393 = UGC 707 = MCG +06-03-015 = CGCG 520-018 = V Zw 52 = PGC 4061
01 08 37.0 +39 38 39; And
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 20°
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, sharp concentration, faint halo, two mag 13/13.5 star are 1.2' WNW and 1.6' NW with a separation of 36". Forms a pair with NGC 389 3.3' NNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 393 = H. I-54 = h88 on 5 Oct 1784 during sweeps 281-285, which were made in the east (not in Caroline's fair copy of the sweeps). On 18 Oct 1786 (sweep 618) he recorded "pB, S, R, very gradually brighter middle." John Herschel logged on 1 Oct 1828 (sweep 183), "vF; vS; lE; gradually brighter in the middle; 10". Allowing the moon & c. this cannot be a 1st class neb [as his father placed it]; no other neb near it." In the GC notes, John Herschel mentioned "This [h88] is not the I. 54 of the P.T, which proved to be one of Messier's nebulae, but another subsequently inserted by WH, so as not to break the order of the numbers..." Both Herschels missed nearby NGC 389 (discovered by Lewis Swift).
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NGC 394 = MCG +05-03-063 = CGCG 501-095 = Holm 36b = KTG 3B = PGC 4049
01 08 26.0 +33 08 52; Psc
V = 13.9; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.3; PA = 135°
24" (10/5/13): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 0.4'x0.2', small brighter core. Second brightest in a small triplet (KTG 3) with brighter NGC 392 1.0' SW and NGC 397 2.6' SSE.
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, oval NW-SE, small brighter core. In a group with NGC 392 1' SW and NGC 397 3' SSE.
R.J. Mitchell, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 394 on 26 Oct 1854. His described GC 212 (later NGC 392) as "B, S, R, bM. [John Herschel] described it as between 2 stars. I think the northernmost one is a nebula [NGC 394] of same character but smaller." There are two entries for this galaxy in the GC, the second (GC 215) refers to Heinrich d'Arrest's independent discovery on 22 Aug 1862. d'Arrest recognized his object was first seen at Parsonstown in a note in his 1865 catalogue. Dreyer combined the two GC entries in the NGC with credit given to both d'Arrest and LdR.
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01 05 07.9 -71 59 37; Tuc
Size 2'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): easily picked up in the same field as brighter NGC 371. At 171x, this object appeared as a moderately bright 4' round knot of mag 14 or fainter stars with a good response to the UHC filter (the emission component is SMC-N78). The surface brightness was fairly high with the filter although Hartung just described this object as a "star group". NGC 395 forms a pair with IC 1624 3.2' SSE. Located 8' NE of NGC 371.
IC 1624 appeared about half the size of NGC 395, roughly 1' in diameter with a mottled appearance and no central condensation or resolution. A mag 13 star is close west with a mag 11 star 2' W (supergiant SK 118). A very small nebulous knot (SMC-N78C) was also noted ~2' SE. A large, scattered group of stars (OB-association) is superimposed on the field.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 395 = D 35 = D 34 = h2379 on 1 Aug 1826. He described D 35 (handwritten notes) as "a very faint ill defined nebula, rather elongated, with a star south of it." His notebook position is 9' to the SSE. D 34, found on a drift on 5 Sep 1826 and described as "a faint elliptical nebula", was placed 7' due south.
John Herschel rediscovered NGC 395 on 5 Nov 1836 and recorded "very faint, pretty large, round, gradually a little brighter in the middle; 2' across."
Delisle Stewart photographed this object at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901. He noted it was a "Group of about 10 stars, not a nebula."
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01 08 08.4 +04 31 51; Psc
V = 15.2; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140°
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, very small, slightly
elongated. Required averted vision
to identify with GSC finder chart but with concentration I could just hold it
steadily. Located 2.1' NNW of a
mag 13 star. By a remarkable
coincidence, Saturn was in the same low power field just 15' due S! Best view of NGC 396 at 280x with
Saturn sufficiently out of field to avoid any glare. Misidentified in the RNGC (
Albert Marth discovered NGC 396 = m 35 on 27 Oct 1864 with
William Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "eF, S, lE." Harold Corwin notes that a faint galaxy
(
******************************
NGC 397 = MCG +05-03-064 = CGCG 501-096 = KTG 3C = PGC 4051
01 08 31.0 +33 06 33; Psc
V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3
24" (10/5/13): faintest in the KTG 3 triplet with brighter NGC 392 2.2' NW and NGC 394 2.5' NNW. At 375x appeared fairly faint, small, 15"x12", slightly elongated SW-NE, very weak concentration.
17.5" (12/23/89): extremely faint and small, slightly elongated, very low even surface brightness. Faintest of three with NGC 392 2' NW.
Sir Robert Ball, an assistant on Lord Rosse's 72"
telescope, discovered NGC 397 on 6 Dec 1866. While observing GC 212 = NGC 392 he noted a "suspected
neb preceded by a vF*". The
closest match is
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01 08 53.6 +32 30 52; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 135°
18" (11/18/06): very faint, very small, round, 10" diameter. Member of the "Pisces Group" (z = 0.016), though located 20' NE of NGC 383.
17.5" (12/23/89): extremely faint and small, round, low
surface brightness. Requires
averted to see well.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 398 = Big. 10 on 28 Oct 1886 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory. His position is accurate.
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NGC 399 = UGC 712 = MCG +05-03-067 = CGCG 501-101 = LGG 018-005 = PGC 4096
01 08 59.2 +32 38 03; Psc
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 40°
18" (11/18/06): this member of the NGC 383 group ("Pisces Group") appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.45', weak even concentration.
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, slightly elongated N-S,
even concentration to bright core, substellar nucleus.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 399 on 3 Oct 1869 and
recorded a rough unpublished position 1' NE in his logbook. I assume his target was nearby NGC 403,
which was discovered by d'Arrest in 1862.
Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 399 again on 7
Oct 1874 and noted a "small nebula" 464.3" (7.7') in PA 205.4°
(SSW) from GC 217 = NGC 403. This
offset matches
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01 09 02.5 +32 43 57; Psc
=*, HC. = Not found, JS.
Sir Robert Ball, an assistant on Lord Rosse's 72"
telescope, discovered NGC 400 on 30 Dec 1866. He placed his object, with respect to GC 217 = NGC 403, at a
separation of 151" (2.5') in PA 242° (WSW). At this offset is a very faint star at 01 09 02.5 +32 43
57.
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01 09 07.7 +32 45 35; Psc
=*, HC. = Not found, JS.
Sir Robert Ball, an assistant on Lord Rosse's 72" telescope, discovered NGC 400 on 30 Dec 1866. He placed his object, with respect to GC 217 = NGC 403, at a separation of roughly 110" in PA 291.3°. At this offset is a very faint star at 01 09 07.7 +32 45 35. This identification was first given by Hubble in his 1920 paper "Photographic investigations of faint nebulae. "GC 5153 = NGC 400, described in the same observation by Ball, is also a faint star!
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01 09 13.3 +32 48 23; Psc
=*, HC. = Not found, JS.
Lawrence Parsons discovered NGC 402 on 7 Oct 1874 with his father's 72" and recorded a "faint nebulous knot" and placed 281.7" in PA 353° from star 1 in the sketch. This star is 87.3" in PA 177° from NGC 403 and has a position of 01 09 15.7 +32 43 42 (2000). This offset points to a very faint star at 01 09 13.3 +32 48 23 (2000). This identification was first given by Hubble in his 1920 paper "Photographic investigations of faint nebulae"
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NGC 403 = UGC 715 = MCG +05-03-068 = CGCG 501-104 = LGG 018-006 = PGC 4111
01 09 14.1 +32 45 07; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 86°
18" (11/18/06): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, ~1.3'x0.4', sharp concentration with a small, very bright core. The extensions are fairly low surface brightness but appear a bit asymmetric; possibly misaligned at slightly different angles or slightly different widths. A group of four stars nearly forming a trapezoid is close south. Located ~30' NE of the core of the NGC 383 group ("Pisces Group") and one of the brightest members of the cluster.
17.5" (12/23/89): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, bright core, small bright nucleus. Four mag 10-13 stars are close south. Brightest of a trio with MCG +05-03-071 = CGCG 501-105 2' SE and NGC 399 8' SW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 403 on 29 Aug 1862 with the
11" refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 2 nights) matches
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01 09 26.9 +35 43 05; And
V = 10.3; Size 3.5'x3.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5" (10/13/01): bright, fairly large, round, at least 2' diameter. Contains a bright 30" core that increases steadily to a bright stellar nucleus. Located 7' NW of mag 2.1 Beta Andromedae (Mirach), which detracts somewhat from viewing.
13.1" (12/22/84): bright, round, bright stellar nucleus. Located 7' NW of Beta Andromedae (V = 2.1)!
William Herschel discovered NGC 404 = H. II-224 = h89 on 13 Sep 1784 (sweep 271). He recorded "pretty bright (not withstanding the light of Beta Andromeda, which is in the field with it), considerably large, round, brighter in the middle."
The observers on Lord Rosse's 72" tried to resolve this nebula. R.J. Mitchell reported on 16 Oct 1855, "pL, B. I have no doubt it is a cluster. The faint borders of the nebula extend a long way out, involving several stars."
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01 08 33.9 -46 40 05; Phe
= Double star 7.3/8.3 at 1.2", Corwin and ESO.
John Herschel discovered NGC 405 = h2380 on 6 Sep 1834 and
recorded "After a long and obstinate examination with all powers and
apertures, I cannot bring it to a sharp disc and leave it, in doubt whether it
be a star or not. The star [Beta Phe] immediately preceding offered no such
difficulty, giving a good disc with 320." This is clearly a double star on the Southern Sky Survey
(
******************************
01 07 24.4 -69 52 33; Tuc
V = 12.5; Size 3.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 160°
24" (4/5/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, this interesting edge-on is fairly bright, large, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, ~2.5'x0.8'. Contains a large, elongated core. Emerging from the east edge of the north end of the core is an extremely thin extension or arm that stretches north-northwest. A fainter, less obvious arm is attached at the west edge of the south end of the central region. In addition there appears to be a faint star or knot involved [images reveal a star superimposed south of the core]. This galaxy is located 1° NNE of the bright globular cluster NGC 362 and 3° NNE of the center of the SMC!
John Herschel discovered NGC 406 = h2381 on 6 Sep 1834 and
logged "F, R, vL, very gradually little brighter middle, 3'
dia.". His position matches
******************************
01 10 36.5 +33 07 35; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 0°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very
elongated 3:1 N-S, bright core.
Faintest of three with
13.1" (8/23/84): faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, NGC 410 5' ENE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 407 = H. II-219, along with NGC 410, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). He described both as "Two, eF and vS. The following [NGC 410] the largest." He gave a single position, roughly between the two galaxies. Just prior in the sweep he discovered the trio NGC 379, 380 and 383, as well as the NGC 392, which itself is the brightest in a trio.
Édouard Stephan (XIII-9) independently discovered the galaxy
on 2 Oct 1883 at the Marseilles Observatory and published an accurate
position. Herman Schultz also
measured a precise micrometric position and recorded a nearby star as a
"nova" (
******************************
01 10 51.1 +33 09 05; Psc
= * 1.6' W of NGC 410, Gottlieb and Carlson. Incorrect identification in the RNGC. 17.5" (12/23/89): (R)NGC 408 not found.
Herman Schultz discovered NGC 408 = Nova III on 22 Oct 1867
with the 9.6-inch refractor at the Uppsala Observatory. Schultz placed this object just 8 tsec
of RA preceding NGC 410. At this
offset is a mag 14.5 star at 01 10 51.1 +33 09 05 (2000), which almost
certainly is his object. RNGC
misidentified
******************************
01 09 33.2 -35 48 21; Scl
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, small, round, 30"
diameter. Located just 45" SE
of a mag 13 star. Identified at
280x after missing at 220x.
Brighter than
John Herschel discovered NGC 409 = h2382 on 29 Nov 1837 and
reported "eF, R, S, near a vS star." His position is 8 sec of RA east
and 2' north of
******************************
NGC 410 = UGC 735 = MCG +05-03-080 = CGCG 501-118 = Mrk 562 = PGC 4224
01 10 58.9 +33 09 07; Psc
V = 11.5; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 30°
17.5" (12/23/89): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, broadly concentrated halo, stellar nucleus. In a trio with NGC 407 5' WSW and NGC 414 5' SE. Part of a large group (USGC U045).
13.1" (9/29/84): brightest of 3, fairly bright, bright core, slightly elongated SW-NE, NGC 414 4.5' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 410 = H. II-220, along with NGC 407, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). He recorded the pair together as "Two. The preceding faint, very small. The following pretty large". Herman Schultz measured an accurate position at Uppsala.
******************************
NGC 411 = NGC 422 = ESO 051-019 = Kron 60 = Lindsay 82
01 07 55.9 -71 46 04; Tuc
V = 12.2; Size 1.9'
18" (7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly
faint, moderately large, round, 1.2' diameter. At 228x, appeared as a low surface brightness glow with a
very weak concentration and no sign of resolution. Located 5' NW of mag 8.6
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this
fairly faint SMC cluster was immediately noticed in the same lower power field
while viewing NGC 395/IC 1624 about 20' SW. At 128x it appeared fairly small, round, ~1.5' diameter,
mottled but with no resolution.
Located 5.3' NW of mag 8.6 HD 7031 and 13' ESE of mag 7.4
James Dunlop possibly discovered NGC 411 = D 57? = h2384 on 6 Sep 1826. He logged "a small faint nebula, about 15" diameter", though the reduced position was 19' too far SE. But the previous object in the drift was noted as a 7th mag star and assuming this refers to mag 7.4 HD 6623, it was also offset 18' in the same direction. Some doubt remains as this cluster might be too faint to have been noticed in Dunlop's 9" speculum reflector.
John Herschel discovered NGC 411 in Sep 1835 (sweep 625?)
and recorded "vF, pL, R, very little brighter middle; 2'." His position is accurate. On 5 Nov 1836 (sweep 745) he logged a
similar description and position, but Harold Corwin found the RA minute (1 tmin
too large) was miscopied into his table of "Stars, Nebulae, and Clusters
in the Nubecula Minor" and it received the designations GC 231 and NGC
422. So, NGC 411 = NGC 422, with NGC
411 the primary designation. See
entry for
Delisle Stewart first photographed NGC 411 at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described it in a list of NGC corrections: "as in NGC, but round, small, stellar, cB."
******************************
01 10 18 -20 01; Cet
= Not found, RNGC and Corwin.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 412 = LM 1-26 on 15 Oct
1885 with the 26" Clark refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory and
simply noted "Neb?" There is nothing near Leavenworth's
position. Corwin examined the
discovery sketch, but it wasn't of much help and he was unable to recover this
object (or even identify it with a star).
ESO lists
******************************
01 12 31.5 -02 47 37; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 151°
17.5" (8/4/97): very faint, diffuse glow located 1.3' SSE of a mag 13.5-14 star. The galaxy is roundish and ~1' in diameter with little or no concentration. The star to the north is preceded by a mag 14-14.5 star 1.4' W. The RNGC identification at 01 12 31.5 -02 47 38 is probably incorrect and this number was deleted from DSFG.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 413 = LM 2-301 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His very rough position (to nearest
minute of RA and given as doubtful) is 2 tmin west of
******************************
NGC 414 = UGC 744 = CGCG 501-123 = IV Zw 39 = WBL 031-004 = PGC 4254
01 11 17.6 +33 06 48; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 23°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 21"x14" NW-SE with a very faint halo extending SW-NE. This is a merged double system with twin nuclei NW-SE, separated by only ~7". I suspected it to be double at 375x and it was definitely "resolved" at 500x. The brighter NW nucleus (higher surface brightness) was ~6" diameter and appeared more centered in the halo. The southeast nucleus (~5" diameter) was nearly attached as a round, tiny "bulge" or knot.
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, small, elongated NW-SE. Third of three with NGC 410 5' NW and NGC 407 8.4' W. NGC 414 consists of a merged pair of compacts, though they were not resolved.
13.1" (9/29/84): faint, thin streak NW-SE, weak concentration.
Herman Schultz discovered NGC 414 = Nova IV on 15 Oct 1866
with the 9.6-inch Steinheil & Söhne refractor at Uppsala Observatory. His micrometric position is
accurate. This appears to be the only
galaxy in the NGC that Schultz discovered first. He independently discovered NGC 20, but it was discovered
earlier at Birr Castle. He
discovered NGC 90 but it was found earlier at Birr Castle (GC 40). Another is
This is a double or merged system with two nuclei. The companion on the southeast side is
catalogued separately as
******************************
NGC 415 = ESO 352-014 = MCG -06-03-024 = PGC 4161
01 10 05.7 -35 29 27; Scl
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 55°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint, small, slightly elongated, 30" diameter (probably only viewed the core). Required averted vision at 280x and could not hold it steadily. NGC 409 is located 20' SSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 415 = h2383 on 1 Sep 1834 and
noted "vF, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 20"." On a later
he called it "vF, S, R, gradually little brighter middle, 15"."
Herschel's mean position matches
******************************
01 07 59.0 -72 21 20; Tuc
V = 11.8; Size 1.1'
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this SMC cluster appeared fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.2' diameter. A mag 13 star lies 1' N. Located in a rich faint star field 31' N of NGC 419 and 27' SE of the large, nebulous cluster NGC 371.
James Dunlop probably discovered NGC 416 = h2386 = D 42 or D 43? on 5 Sep 1826 with his 9" reflector. He described D 42 as a "round well-defined nebula, about 30" diameter." His position was 13.5' SE of the cluster. D 43, logged on a separate drift on the same date, was called "a small round nebula, 8" diameter, bright at the centre" and placed 12' ENE. Either or both entries might apply.
John Herschel made 4 certain observations at the Cape. His earliest was on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 441), with description "F; S; R; 30". On other sweeps he noted sizes up to 60" and his positions are accurate. Herschel didn't reference a Dunlop number, probably because of the poor positions.
******************************
01 11 05.5 -18 08 54; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 55°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Can almost hold continuously with averted vision after identified at 280x. Very weak if any concentration. No brighter stars in field.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 417 = LM 2-300 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His RA is 0.4 min west of
******************************
01 10 35.5 -30 13 17; Scl
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 19°
24" (11/7/18): at 200x; fairly faint, large, very
diffuse, 2' diameter, low surface brightness. Broad concentration with a slightly brighter core
region. The visual brightness
profile corresponded with a face-on spiral and this was verified afterwards on
the DSS.
17.5" (11/6/93): very faint, slightly elongated, fairly small, 1.2' diameter, low surface brightness though slight broad concentration, gradually fades into the background. A mag 14 star is 2' S. Located 7' S of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 418 = h2385 on 27 Sep 1834 and
logged "not vF, pL, R, gradually brighter in the middle,
60"." On a later sweep
he noted "F, R, very gradually little brighter middle, 40", the
preceding of two [with
******************************
NGC 419 = ESO 029-33 = Lindsay 85
01 08 17.6 -72 53 04; Tuc
V = 10.6; Size 2.6'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): this SMC cluster appeared extremely bright, large, round, 2' diameter, strong concentration with a relatively large bright core. The halo was mottled but no individual stars were resolved.
Lindsay 80, located 8' NNW, appeared fairly faint, slightly elongated and irregular, 30"-35" diameter. A mag 13.8 star is at the west edge. A mag 11 star is 1.6' SSE and a mag 11.3 star is 2.9' E.
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): very bright, large, impressive, large bright core, fainter halo, 2' diameter. Mottled and lively but not resolved. A mag 9 star lies 8' S and a mag 7 star lies 9' SE.
18" (7/10/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): quite
bright, fairly large, round, 1.8' diameter, moderately concentrated, granular
but no resolution. Appears like an
unresolved globular cluster with a very symmetrical appearance although
classified as a rich open cluster.
Located 9' NW of mag 7
James Dunlop discovered NGC 419 = D 38 = h2387 on 1 Aug 1826. He described D 38 as "a very small oval nebula about 10" diameter, a little brighter in the middle with a very small star south of it. A star 7 or 8th mag following [HD 7187]." His position was off by 7' to the SSE (similar offset as NGC 395) and the description matches. He made a second observation on 6 Sep 1826 and called it "a pretty bright round nebula preceding a star 6th or 7th magnitude, rather elliptical, gradually a little condensed to the center, well defined with two minute stars following but not involved." His position was off by 4' SE and the description is an exact match. D 39, recorded on 2 Sep and placed 4' NE, might be another observation although the description is a poor match: "a rather faint nebula, about 2' long, extended in the direction of the meridian, easily resovable."
D 39 as a "pretty bright round nebula preceding a star 6th or 7th magnitude [HD 7187]. Rather elliptical, gradually a little condensed to the center. Well defined with two minute stars [11th mag] following, but not involved." His position was 4.5' to the SE and the description is an excellent match. D 39 may another observation from 2 Sep 1826.
John Herschel reported 4 observations in his Cape catalogue, first on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 441) as "pB; pL; R; 2'. Has two stars near". His position and description are accurate. Herschel gave a possible equivalence with D 36, though that entry more likely applies to NGC 376.
******************************
01 12 09.6 +32 07 24; Psc
V = 12.1; Size 2.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, moderately large, round, bright core, large fainter halo. Located 10' W of STF 98 = 7.0/8.0 at 20".
William Herschel discovered NGC 420 = H. III-154 = h90,
along with
Harold Corwin mentions that since Herschel's commented the "following is the largest", the higher number Herschel designation (III-155 = NGC 421) should apply to the galaxy, but "all the observers have assigned the preceding number (H III-154 = NGC 420)" to the galaxy.
******************************
01 12 12 +32 07; Psc
= Not found, Carlson.
William Herschel discovered NGC 421 = H. III-155, along with NGC 420 = III-154 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and logged both as "Two. Both eF, vS. The following [NGC 421] is the largest." Dreyer notes there was no mention in the sweep of the separation between the objects and that only a single galaxy was observed by John Heschel, Bigourdan, and at Birr Castle. Perhaps William Herschel thought that NGC 420 was double? In any case, although the original description seems to imply that NGC 421 should be the number of the single galaxy here, everyone has assigned NGC 420 to the galaxy. See Corwin's notes for further discussion.
******************************
NGC 422 = NGC 411 = ESO 051-019 = Kron 60 = Lindsay 82
01 07 55.9 -71 46 01; Tuc
V = 12.2; Size 1.9'
See observing notes for NGC 411. The cluster previously assumed to be NGC 422 is
18" (7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): very faint, small, 30" diameter, low surface brightness and no hint of resolution. Follows NGC 411 by 7' and forms the eastern vertex of an equilateral triangle with NGC 411 and a mag 8 star 6' SW. Observation made through thin haze.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this faint SMC cluster is located 7' following NGC 411. At 228x it appeared as just a very faint knot, less than 1' diameter with a low surface brightness and no resolution. Located 5.5' NE of mag 8.6 HD 7031.
John Herschel discovered NGC 422 in 1836 with his 20-foot
(18") reflector and it was included as #162 in his catalogue of
"Stars, Nebulae, and Clusters in the Nubecula Minor". His position was 30 seconds of RA west
(very small offset at this declination) of
But Harold Corwin found that the entry #162 in "Stars, Nebulae, and Clusters in the Nubecula Minor" actually derives from Herschel's second observation of NGC 411 = h2384 ("eF; pL; R; gradually little brighter middle 2'.") on sweep 745 (5 Nov 1836) though he accidentally increased the RA by 1.0 tmin. So, NGC 411 has two entries in this table (both indicated as deriving from a sweep with his 18") -- #162, which is 1.0 minute of RA too large, and #157, which was copied correctly. Entry #162 later acquired the numbers GC 231 and NGC 422. So, NGC 422 = NGC 411 with NGC 411 the primary designation.
The cluster previously assumed to be NGC 422 was later discovered by DeLisle Stewart on plates taken in 1900 at Harvard's station in Arequipa, Peru and received the designation IC 1641. Instead, IC 1641 has been misidentified as a very faint cluster (Hodge-Wright 62) just following the real IC 1641. See Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
NGC 423 = ESO 412-011 = MCG -05-04-004 = PGC 4266
01 11 22.2 -29 14 04; Scl
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 114°
17.5" (11/6/93): very faint, fairly small, elongated
2:1 ~E-W, even surface brightness.
Located 7' S of mag 9.3
John Herschel discovered NGC 423 = h2388 on 14 Nov 1835 and recorded "vF, S, E, gradually little brighter middle." Two sweeps later he logged it as "eF, S, lE, 20", following of two [with NGC 418]." His position is accurate.
******************************
01 11 27.6 -38 05 01; Scl
V = 12.8; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60°
17.5" (10/4/97): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
2:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.6', brighter core.
John Herschel discovered NGC 424 = h2389 on 30 Nov 1837 and
logged "vF, S, R, gradually little brighter middle, 18 arcsec." His position matches
******************************
01 13 02.6 +38 46 06; And
V = 12.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5" (8/16/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.6', fairly even high surface brightness. A mag 11 star is just off NW edge [29" from center].
Truman Safford discovered NGC 425 = Sf. 62 = St. 10-4 on 29 Oct 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory and recorded "pS, pB, gar[?] bM." Édouard Stephan (X-4) discovered the galaxy again on 5 Oct 1869 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. He published an accurate micrometric position made 12 years later on 24 Oct 1881 (discovery list 10, #4) with the description "faint, small, round, weak condensation, tangent on the NW with a mag 11 star." Dreyer credited Stephan with the discovery in the NGC as Safford's discovery list was published in 1887, too late for Dreyer to see.
******************************
01 12 48.6 -00 17 25; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 140°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, small, slightly
elongated 4:3 NW-SE, prominent bright core. First of trio with
William Herschel discovered NGC 426 = H. III-592 = h91, along with NGC 429 and reobserved NGC 430, on 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655). The trio were recorded together as "Three, the place is that of the last [NGC 430], which is the largest and most north, faint, small. The next in size is about 2 or 3' sp [NGC 426], very faint, very small. The last [NGC 429] is about 5' south of the 1st; extremely faint, extremely small, not verified." NGC 430 had been discovered on 1 Oct 1785 using the Newtonian focus, but had failed to see the two companions, which were noticed using the front view (without a secondary).
John Herschel reobserved this galaxy on 20 Dec 1827 (sweep 113) as "very faint; round; suddenly brighter middle."
******************************
01 12 19.2 -32 03 41; Scl
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 0°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter (only core viewed?). Required averted vision and a finder chart to identify at 280x. Located in a sparse field. A couple of very faint nearby stars were not recorded.
John Herschel discovered NGC 427 = h2390 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "Rather doubtful, but I strongly incline to the suspicion of its
being a vF neb with 2 vS stars near it". On a second sweep (#635) he noted "I believe it only 3
vF st, but yet there remains a suspicion of nebulosity." His position is just 1.3' S of
******************************
01 12 55.6 +00 58 54; Cet
V = 11.5; Size 4.1'x3.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 120°
48" (11/4/21): at 488x; very large and unusual asymmetric knotty spiral. Contains a very patchy spiral arm and and an ill-defined irregular halo. The halo is elongated ~4:3 SW-NE and ~3' in diameter. The brighter central region has a very weak concentration with no core or nucleus. The halo is more extensive on the south side (so the central region is offset to the north), spreading within 0.8' of a 6" pair of mag 13/13.5 stars. A mag 12 star is 1.9' NW of center (outside the halo).
A faint, 10" HII knot ([HK83] #10/12 in the Hodge-Kennicutt Atlas of HII regions) is ~50" SE of center. A patchy, arcing train of knots (brightest part of the northern spiral arm), ~1' in length, is a similar distance on the NW side. The brightest individual knot ([HK83] #44) is ~8" diameter and situated at its south end [0.7' WNW of cneter]. A fainter patch is at the north end [0.7' N of center].
24" (12/22/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 4:3
~NW-SE, mottled irregular appearance, broad weak concentration. With averted vision the halo increased
in size to ~2.5'x2.0'. A
quasi-stellar HII region, catalogued [HK83] 44-46, occasionally popped as a very
small detached knot, ~6" diameter.
This is the brightest in a series of blue HII knots on the NW side of
the outer core [45" WNW of center].
NGC 428 forms the SE vertex of an isosceles triangle with mag 8.7 HD
7208 6' W and mag 8.6
13.1" (9/3/86): fairly bright, moderately large, oval
~N-S, weak concentration. A mag 13
star is at the NW edge 1.8' from center.
Forms the vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 8.5 stars SAO
109728 and
William Herschel discovered NGC 428 = H. II-622 on 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655) and noted "F, R, bM, easily resolvable." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate micrometric position on 30 and 31 Oct 1864.
******************************
NGC 429 = UGC 762 = MCG +00-04-037 = CGCG 385-027 = PGC 4368
01 12 57.4 -00 20 43; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 19°
17.5" (11/30/91): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core. A mag 14 star is 1' N. Faintest of three with NGC 430 6' N and NGC 426 4' NW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 429 = H. III-593 = h92, along with NGC 426 and reobserved NGC 430, on 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655). He recorded the trio together as "They were recorded together as "Three, the place is that of the last [NGC 430], which is the largest and most north, faint, small. The next in size is about 2 or 3' sp [NGC 426], very faint, very small. The last [NGC 429] is about 5' south of the 1st; extremely faint, extremely small, not verified."
******************************
NGC 430 = UGC 765 = MCG +00-04-039 = CGCG 385-029 = PGC 4376
01 13 00.0 -00 15 09; Cet
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 155°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, small, round, prominent small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is 1' SSW. Brightest in a group with NGC 429 6' S and NGC 426 3.5' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 430 = H. II-447 = h93 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448) and noted "extremely faint, very small, 240x confirmed it with difficulty but left no doubt." The discovery was made at the Newtonian focus. He made a second observation the following year using the front view (without a secondary) and discovered both NGC 426 and 429. John Herschel reported on 20 Dec 1827 (sweep 113), "F; R; very suddenly brighter in the middle to a star."
******************************
01 14 04.5 +33 42 15; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 2.5' SW of a mag 10.5 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 431 = h95 on 22 Nov 1827 and recorded "F; S; very suddenly brighter in the middle". His position is accurate.
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01 11 46.3 -61 31 40; Tuc
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 126°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; fairly faint, small, round, 25". Contains a small bright nucleus that gradually increases to a faint stellar peak. Located 35' NE of mag 5.35 Iota Tucanae. NGC 432 is the brightest member of the unstudied cluster ACO S137 (distance ~365 million l.y., richness class 0).
I didn't make a careful survey of possible cluster members
but picked up the following two galaxies:
John Herschel discovered NGC 432 = h2391 on 6 Oct 1834 and logged "F, S, R." No position was determined on that sweep. On a later sweep he noted "pF, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 15 arcseconds, has a star 12th mag following" and commented the "place is liable to some error".
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01 15 09 +60 07 36; Cas
Size 3'
24" (1/4/14): the most distinctive part of this cluster is a mag 9.3 star surrounded by a 2' cloud (mostly south) of ~15 mag 13-14 stars. A mag 11 star is at the NW corner, a 50" pair of mag 11 stars is at the SE end and a mag 11.5 star is at the SW corner. A small string of stars extends from the mag 9.3 star to the southwest.
17.5" (8/16/93): 30 stars mag 10-14 in a 6' triangular outline although very few stars are inside the triangle. The mag 10 star at the north vertex is surrounded (mostly on the south side) by a rich subgroup of faint stars, including at least three close multiple systems. Mag 8.7 SAO 22122 is just south of the triangle and 8' SSW of the mag 10 star in the cluster.
John Herschel discovered NGC 433 = h94 on 29 Sep 1829 and described a "star 8m the chief of a small loose cluster." The mag 9.3 star is on the north side of the cluster. Robert Ball observed the cluster using the 72" at Birr Castle and logged "Loose CL. consisting of 50 or 60 stars of various sizes from about 8 mag down."
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01 12 14.2 -58 14 51; Tuc
V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 6°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; bright, moderately
large, oval 4:3 or 3:2 N-S, ~1.25'x0.9'.
Sharply concentrated with a bright, elongated core enclosing a round,
intensely bright nucleus. The halo
has a subtle but definite uneven surface brightness. NGC 434 is the brightest in a trio (
NGC 434A appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 12", very low surface brightness. This galaxy is a thin edge-on with very faint curving arms similar to the Integral Sign galaxy, but only the core was noticed. NGC 434A is the faintest in the trio.
John Herschel discovered NGC 434 = h2392 on 28 Oct 1834. He logged "bright; round; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 40" dia." His position is accurate (2 sweeps). Joseph Turner observed the pair of the NGCs on 14 Jan 1879 with the Great Melbourne Telescope and commented that NGC 434 was "considerably elongated" and not round as Herschel described.
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01 13 59.9 +02 04 18; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20°
24" (1/1/19): at 260x and 375x; faint to fairly faint,
elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, ~30"x18", fairly low surface brightness,
weakly brighter core but no nucleus.
Situated midway between a mag 10.9 star 2.3' NNE and mag 8.8 HD
7375. The major axis of the galaxy
is nearly parallel to the line connecting these stars. A mag 14.9 star (very
blue on the SDSS) is 50" W.
In a group (WBL 034 = USGC U049) with
17.5" (12/23/92): very faint, very small, round, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is just off the WSW edge 20" from the center. Located midway between mag 8.5 SAO 109745 2.5' SSW and mag 10.5 2.5' N. NGC 445 lies 15' SE.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 435 = m 36 on 23 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "eF, S, E". His position is 2' N of
******************************
01 15 58 +58 49 00; Cas
V = 8.8; Size 6'
24" (1/4/14): at 200x, ~50 stars are resolved in a rich, 4' group that is well-detached and distinctive. The main group is confined within a triangular outline with a mag 10.9 star at the S end, a mag 12 star at the W end and a mag 11.5 star at the N end. Contains a very rich central region ~1.5' diameter and includes STI 1550, a close triple with components 11.2/11.3/11.8 at 9" and 12". Another uncatalogued pair is just 0.6' S of STI 1550. Two mag 9.5/10 stars are collinear to the east of the mag 10.9 star at the south end.
17.5" (8/16/93): 40 stars mag 10-15 in 4' diameter. Includes a rich 1.5' region with 15 stars with a nice triple star in a tight equilateral triangle. Other brighter stars in this grouping form a pentagon outline. Three equally spaced mag 9-10 stars oriented E-W begin just off the south side. Several sprays of stars emanate out in various directions from the central region.
17.5" (11/2/91): fairly bright and compact, ~30 stars mag 9-14 at 220x in a 4' diameter, distinctive group. Just north of center is a tight triple star with 4th star to E, also second trio of stars is close south. A mag 9 star near the south edge is collinear with two mag 9 stars 2' SE and 4' SE all equally spaced.
William Herschel discovered NGC 436 = H. VII-45 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774). His summary description is "a small pretty compressed cluster of stars, not rich, iF, like a forming one." The NGC position is accurate.
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01 14 22.3 +05 55 37; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 130°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 1.1' NW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 437 = Sw. 5-11 on 22 Oct 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is 8 seconds of time too far west but his description "F * nr np" applies to this galaxy. Hermann Kolbold measured an accurate positionin 1895 at the Strasbourg Observatory (not published until 1907).
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NGC 438 = ESO 296-007 = MCG -06-03-029 = PGC 4406
01 13 34.2 -37 54 06; Scl
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 126°
17.5" (10/4/97): faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, weak even concentration. Situated just following the midpoint of two mag 13 stars 3.1' SSE and 2.8' NNE. NGC 424 lies 27' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 438 = h2393 on 1 Sep 1834. On one sweep he called this nebula "vF" and another time "pB". His mean position matches ESO 296-007 = PGC 4406.
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01 13 47.2 -31 44 51; Scl
V = 11.5; Size 2.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 156°
24" (9/15/12): at 175x appeared fairly bright, moderately large, oval 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.5'x1.2', increases to a bright core.
NGC 439 is the brightest in the cluster ACO S141 = Klemola 1
with
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.5'x1.2', broad concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 2.3' SW and a mag 14
star is 2.2' SE of center.
Brighter of a pair with NGC 441 2.5' SSE. Located 11' NE of mag 8.2
8" (1/1/84): very faint, small, round. Can just hold steadily with averted vision. A mag 8 star is 10' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 439 = h2394 (along with NGC 441 = h2395) on 27 Sep 1834 and logged "pB, R, bM, 20 arcseconds." His mean position from 2 sweeps is accurate.
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NGC 440 = ESO 113-025 = AM 0110-583 = KTS 8C = LGG 019-002 =
01 12 48.5 -58 16 56; Tuc
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 45°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; moderately bright,
fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.3', well concentrated with a very
small bright core and much fainter extensions. Second brightest in a trio (
John Herschel discovered NGC 440 = h2396 on 27 Sep 1834 and
logged "F, S, R, 15" dia."
His position (typo corrected at the end of the Cape of Good Hope
catalog) matches
******************************
NGC 441 = ESO 412-019 = MCG -05-04-016 = PGC 4429
01 13 51.1 -31 47 19; Scl
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135°
24" (9/15/12): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:2 WSW-ENE, bright core, increases to the center. A mag 14 star lies 1.2' NE. Second brightest member of ACO S141 with NGC 439 2,6' NNW.
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is 1.3' NE. Forms a close pair with NGC 439 2.5' NNW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 441 = h2395 (along with NGC 439 = h2394) on 27 Sep 1834 and recorded "vF; S; R; gradually brighter in the middle." His position is accurate.
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01 14 38.7 -01 01 14; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 157°
13.1" (9/3/86): Located 3.9' SW of 38 Ceti (V =
5.7). Fairly faint, small, bright
core. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 442 = Sw. 5-12 on 21 Oct 1886
with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is 11 seconds of RA west
and 15" south of
******************************
01 15 07.5 +33 22 38; Psc
V = 13.0; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright
core, stellar nucleus. Located 20'
NNW of
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 443 = Au 10 = Big. 114 on 8
Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. There is nothing at his single
position, but he stated a mag 15 star was 8.3 seconds of time directly
west.
Stephane Javelle independently discovered NGC 443 on 17 Oct
1903 with the 30-inch refractor at the Nice Observatory, placed it accurately,
and Dreyer recatalogued J. 3-849 as
******************************
01 15 49.6 +31 04 50; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 1.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 157°
17.5" (12/23/89): extremely faint, fairly small, very
elongated 4:1 NNW-SSE. A mag 11
star is 3' ESE. Forms a pair with
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 444 on 26 Oct 1854 with Lord Rosse's 72" at Birr Castle while observing NGC 452. The first description reads "vvF ray, elongated NW-SE, without nucleus." The NGC RA is 28 sec too small but Mitchell's description and sketch clearly identifies NGC 444 = UGC 810 = 4561. Javelle independently discovered the galaxy on 17 Oct 1903 with the 30" refractor at Nice, assumed it was new and placed it correctly in paper 3-851 (later 1658). So, NGC 444 = IC 1658 with discovery priority to Mitchell.
******************************
NGC 445 = CGCG 385-047 = WBL 034-002 = PGC 4493
01 14 52.6 +01 55 03; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 135°
24" (1/1/19): at 375x; better than fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, ~25"x20", strongly concentrated with a fairly high surface brightness core and much fainter outer halo. An extremely faint star is superimposed at the northeast edge. The galaxy is bracketed by a mag 11.9 star 2.0' ESE and a mag 12.7 star 0.9' WNW. Brightest in a group (WBL 34 = USGC U049)
NGC 445 forms the northern vertex of a triangle with with
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, very small, round, broad concentration. On a line between a mag 12 star 0.9' WNW and a mag 11 star 1.9' ESE. NGC 435 lies 15' NW. UGC 791 6.3' SW not seen.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 445 = m 37 on 23 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta. His
position matches
******************************
01 16 03.6 +04 17 38; Psc
V = 12.7; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
4:3 NW-SE, prominent sharp bright core with a nearly stellar nucleus. This galaxy is identified as
Albert Marth discovered NGC 446 = m 38 on 23 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48-inch on Malta. There
is nothing at Marth's position but Corwin suggests NGC 446 is
******************************
NGC 447 = IC 1656 = UGC 804 = MCG +05-04-006 = CGCG 502-013 =
01 15 37.6 +33 04 04; Psc
V = 14.0; Size 2.2'x2.2'; Surf Br = 15.5
17.5" (9/19/87): at 222x; very faint, very small,
round. A mag 15 star is involved
at the southeast end. In a group
with
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 447 = Au 11 on 8 Oct 1861with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. His position (measured on 4 nights) is accurate. He noted the mag 11 star that follows by 9.2 seconds of RA and 110" north as well as an involved star about 18-19th magnitude (the star is closer to mag 15). Auwers included this discovery in his 1862 list of 50 new nebulae. Stephan observed it on 5 Oct 1869 at Marseilles. A week later on a second observation he apparently discovered NGC 449 and 451.
Barnard found this galaxy again, along with NGC 451, on 25
Oct 1888 using the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. He noted (in his logbook) the
"nebula is s.p. comparison star [mag 6
Based on the NGC positions, the RNGC has reversed the identifications of NGC 447 and NGC 449 whose correct orientations should be SW-NE. UGC and CGCG misidentify NGC 447 = PGC 4550 as NGC 449 = IC 1656 and NGC 449 is misidentified as IC 1661 in CGCG. MCG identifies these galaxies correctly. These errors were noted in my RNGC Corrections #3 and Corwin's notes.
******************************
01 15 16.5 -01 37 35; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 116°
17.5" (10/5/91): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, brighter along major axis, bright core, high surface brightness.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 448 = Sw. 4-5 on 2 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is just 5 tsec of RA east and 33" S of UGC 801 = PGC 4524.
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NGC 449 = MCG +05-04-009 = CGCG 502-018 = Mrk 1 = PGC 4587
01 16 07.2 +33 05 22; Psc
V = 14.2; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5" (9/19/87): at 222x; very faint, very small,
round, bright core. Forms a close
pair with NGC 451 1.9' SE. Located
2.9' SW of mag 6.0
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 449 = St. 12-11, as well as NGC 451, on 12 Oct 1869 while observing NGC 443. His published micrometric position was made 12 years later on 11 Nov 1881 with description "vF, vS, R, very little brighter middle, vF * involved".
The RNGC misidentifies NGC 447 as NGC 449 (reversing the identifications of NGC 447 and NGC 449). CGCG labels NGC 449 as IC 1661. Although it is possible that IC 1661 (discovered by Barnard) is a duplicate observation of NGC 449, Corwin feels it is more likely that IC 1661 applies to NGC 451. More in my RNGC Corrections #3 and Malcolm Thomson's "CGCG Corrections".
******************************
NGC 450 = UGC 806 = MCG +00-04-062 = CGCG 385-052 = PGC 4540
01 15 30.4 -00 51 40; Cet
V = 11.5; Size 3.1'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 72°
48" (10/22/11): at 610x this double system is dominated by NGC 450, which appeared bright, large, 2.3' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a relatively large 30" bright core, surrounded by a very large, low surface brightness halo. The halo is slightly asymmetric and more extensive on the west side.
Three faint "stars" are superimposed on the east side of the galaxy; two appeared stellar, but the faintest and most westerly object was clearly "soft" at 610x. These are apparently HII knots in the galaxy and the southeast object is listed in NED as UM 311 from the University of Michigan Emission Line Survey.
NGC 450 has a very close companion,
13.1" (9/3/86): very large, diffuse, broad concentration, slightly elongated. Located 12.5' NE of 38 Ceti.
William Herschel discovered NGC 450 = H. III-440 on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448). Just 35 seconds after recording 5.7-mag 38 Ceti, he logged III-440 as "very faint, very large, requires great attention." Heinrich d'Arrest later measured an accurate position used in the NGC. This system is a noninteracting spiral pair with the companion (UGC 807) over 6 times as distant.
******************************
NGC 451 = IC 1661 = MCG +05-04-011 = CGCG 502-019 = Mrk 976 = PGC 4594
01 16 12.4 +33 03 51; Psc
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5" (9/19/87): at 222x; very faint, very small, oval. Located 3.3' SSW of mag 6.0 SAO 54567! Forms a close pair with NGC 449 1.9' NW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 451 = St. 12-12, as well as NGC 449, on 12 Oct 1869 while observing NGC 443. His published micrometric position was made 12 years later on 10 Nov 1881 with description "vF, vS, R, very little brighter middle".
E.E. Barnard independently found this galaxy visually, along with NGC 447, on 25 Oct 1888 observing with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. He noted it was 6 seconds of time preceding his comparison star (mag 6 HD 7578) and called it "vvF, S, R." The rediscovery was sent directly to Dreyer who cataloged it again as IC 1661, though his declination was 1.2' too far north (similar error with IC 1656 = NGC 447). Barnard later wrote in pen in his notebook that "This is NGC 451". CGCG labels this galaxy IC 1661, though NGC 451 should be the primary designation.
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NGC 452 = VV 430 = UGC 820 = MCG +05-04-010 = CGCG 502-020 =
01 16 14.8 +31 02 02; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 2.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 43°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated SW-NE, bright core. Located 3.2' SE of a mag 10.5 star. Forms a pair with NGC 444 6' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 452 = h96 on 22 Nov 1827 and reported "vF; E; a * 9m np and a small * nf at the extremity of the nebula." His position is accurate and a star is superimposed at the NE end. The field was observed 7 times using Lord Rosse's 72". R.J. Mitchell's observation on 3 Nov 1855 reads "mE, pB nucleus and a star in north end; np. this neb. is a star of the 9th mag, and about the same distance preceding this star is another neb., vF, mE [NGC 444].
******************************
01 16 17.4 +33 00 51; Psc
= ***, Corwin.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 453 = St. 12-13, along with NGC 449 and 451, on 12 Oct 1869. At his position (reduced on 10 Nov 1881) is a collinear triple star 2.2' SSE of NGC 451. The triple is cleanly resolved on the DSS. It is very possible the two brighter (northern) stars were unresolved (nebulous) to Stephan.
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01 14 23.0 -55 23 54; Phe
V = 12.3; Size 1.8'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.5
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): NGC 454 was resolved into a
neat contact double system at 244x [28" separation between centers],
though better viewed at 397x. The
main component is on the east side and appeared moderately bright, fairly
small, elongated ~2:1 E-W, ~50"x25". At 397x it was sharply concentrated with an extremely high
surface brightness elongated core and stellar nucleus. The interacting
companion,
John Herschel discovered NGC 454 = h2397 on 5 Oct 1834 and logged "vF, S, R, bM, 15 arcsec." His position is accurate.
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01 15 57.6 +05 10 43; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 165°
17.5" (10/5/91): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, bright core. Located 2.5' NW of a mag 10.5 star.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 455 = m 39 on 27 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "F, vS, alm stell". His position is 1' N of
******************************
01 13 44.4 -73 17 26; Tuc
Size 5'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is
the first of an unusual chain of three nebulous clusters with
James Dunlop discovered NGC 456 = D 7 = D 10 = h2399 on 1
Aug 1826, along with NGC 460 and
John Herschel observed this object on at least 3 sweeps from the Cape. He noted it was the first of 3 nebulous clusters with NGC 460 (observed 4 times) and NGC 465 (recorded once). In addition, it appears that h2398, which did not enter the GC or NGC, is a 4th observation of NGC 456 but with a poor RA. Herschel equated D 7 with h2399.
NGC 456 was first photographed by Delisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described as "several cB stars, involved in nebulosity."
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01 19 35 +58 17 15; Cas
V = 6.4; Size 13'
17.5" (9/19/87): ~150 stars in a beautiful cluster including mag 5 Phi 1 (yellow supergiant possibly in the foreground) and mag 7 Phi 2 Cassiopeiae. Includes many mag 14-15 stars.
8" (1/1/84): ~75 stars in cluster at 100x.
6: striking bird-shape with two prominent "arms". One of my favorite objects in this scope at 36x.
15x50mm (7/26/06): the cluster was slightly resolved in IS binoculars.
William Herschel discovered NGC 457 = H. VII-42 = h97 on 18 Oct 1787 (sweep 769) and described "A star [Phi Cass]. About 50 seconds preceding is a cluster of small scattered stars, not very rich." John Herschel recorded "a double star 10m, pos 324.5°, dist 12", in the midst of a p rich L cl which fills the field. The stars are 10m; one of 7 and 1 of 8m in the sf part."
By analyzing William Herschel's early "reviews" of bright stars (before his systematic sweeps), Wolfgang Steinicke uncovered that Herschel first discovered the cluster on 8 Aug 1780 using his 6.2" reflector in his second review. He logged "a little north of this [Phi Cas] are several double, treble, quadrupole stars, very small, this is a very rich spot."
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NGC 458 = ESO 051-026 = Lindsay 96
01 14 54 -71 32 54; Tuc
V = 11.7
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this cluster is an outlying member of the SMC to the NE of the main body and 70' SE of NGC 362. At 228x, it appeared fairly bright, small, 1.5'-2' diameter, brighter core, slightly elongated. The surface brightness was irregular with some mottling but there was no apparent resolution. Three mag 10 stars are on the SW edge of the field, 10' from the cluster.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 458 = D 60 = h2401 on 6 Sep 1826. He described "a round well-defined nebula, gradually brighter to the centre, about 25" diameter." His position is 12' too far E, but correctly matching in declination with HD 6222 (close to NGC 361), the first object recorded in the drift.
John Herschel made 2 observations, recording on 12 Aug 1834 (sweep 482) "F, L, R, very gradually brighter middle, 4' dia." Herschel noted the equivalence with D 60.
NGC 458 was first photographed by Delisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described in a list of NGC corrections as "probably a cluster, extremely small, close, no neb. seen." NGC 458 was described as "probably globular" in the 1935 Harvard Observatory Bulletin 899 based on Bruce plates at Arequipa.
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01 18 08.1 +17 33 44; Psc
V = 14.6; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5" (8/16/93): extremely faint, very small, round, very low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is 1' SE. Located 5' WSW of two mag 10/11.5 stars.
William Herschel discovered NGC 459 = H. III-205 on 15 Oct
1784 (sweep 291) and described as "eF, 240 left a doubt, though it rather
confirmed it. I perceived it in counting a field, otherwise I should never have
suspected it." WH's position
for III-205 is 01 18.2 +17 39 which is 7' north of
******************************
NGC 460 = SMC-N84A = ESO 029-39 = Kron 66 = Lindsay 97
01 14 41 -73 17 50; Tuc
V = 12.5; Size 1.8'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the second of three SMC clusters with NGC 456 and NGC 465 in a chain. At 128x and UHC filter, two close nebulous patches roughly oriented NW-SE were visible, separated by a dusky lane oriented SW-NE. The total diameter is ~2.5'. The northwest component, which corresponds with John Herschel's position, has a very small knot or star (SMC-N84A) at the south end.
The fainter southeast section has some stars involved (Lindsay 97), including mag 12.5 Sk 155, a massive O9-type star and mag 14.2 SMC-N84B, an emission-line "star" [resolved by HST as a compact HII knot]. Located 4' ESE of NGC 456 with NGC 465 a similar distance southeast. A mag 10 star is close north.
James Dunlop probably discovered NGC 460 = D 8 = D 12? = h2402, along with nearby NGC 456 and NGC 465, on 1 Aug 1826. He described a "a small oval nebula, about 10" diameter" and his single position is just 2' NE. He apparently viewed in again during a short drift on 6 Sep 1826 that included NGC 456 and NGC 465, but his reduced positions were 20'-25' too far ENE.
John Herschel discovered this SMC cluster/nebula on 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 441) and recorded it 4 times. He noted it was the second of three nebulous clusters with NGC 456 (observed 3 times) and NGC 465 (observed once). Herschel placed h2402 at a mean position of 01 14 40 -73 18.2 (2000), which was used in the GC and NGC. Nevertheless, the declination given in RNGC, Deep Sky Field Guide (first edition only), NGC 2000.0 and Uranometria 2000 Atlas (first edition only) is one degree too far north. The declination given in ESO is correct.
NGC 460 was first photographed by Delisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described in a list of NGC corrections as "Several stars involved in nebulosity."
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01 17 20.4 -33 50 28; Scl
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 23°
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, small, round, 30" diameter, low surface brightness, no concentration. Lies in a barren field with a mag 13 star 3.3' SW. Incorrect position in RNGC and on U2000 atlas.
John Herschel discovered NGC 461 = h2400 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "pB, R, gradually little brighter middle, 20
arcseconds". There is nothing
at his position but 30' S is
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01 18 10.9 +04 13 34; Psc
V = 14.8; Size 0.4'x0.4'
17.5" (12/23/92): extremely faint and small, round,
visible continuously with averted vision.
A mag 13.5 star is 2.5' S.
The galaxy is almost collinear with mag 9.2
Albert Marth discovered NGC 462 = m 40 on 23 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "eF, vS, stellar". His position is accurate. This galaxy is not included in the CGCG, MCG, RC3 and UGC.
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01 18 58.2 +16 19 33; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 4°
17.5" (12/23/92): very faint, fairly small, elongated
5:2 SSW-NNE, very small brighter core, extremely faint extensions.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 463 = St. 3-1 on 13 Oct 1869. His published accurate position was made on 16 Dec 1871 with the description "eF, vS, R, little brighter middle."
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01 19 26.7 +34 57 20; And
= ** or asterism of 4*, Gottlieb. Unlikely identification in the RNGC.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 464 with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory, Italy, and recorded it in list V at 01 19 33 +34 57.7 (2000). According to Bigourdan who searched for NGC 464, Tempel's entry may refer to a small asterism of four stars close northeast. But just 1' W of his position is a 9" pair of mag 14 stars with a mean position of 01 19 26.7 +34 57 20 (2000). Interestingly, my observing notes with the 17.5" indicate that I thought the close faint double could possibly be a non-stellar object!
RNGC and PGC misidentify
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NGC 465 = ESO 029-040 = Kron 67 = Lindsay 99
01 15 42.7 -73 19 27; Tuc
V = 11.5; Size 4'
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the last in a chain of interesting knots and clusters including NGC 456, NGC 460nw and 460se. At 171x it appears as a 4' curving chain of stars (Hodge Association 63) with no central concentration situated 4' following NGC 460. There is possibly some faint haze involved or this is just dim stars (no significant nebulosity shows on the Red DSS 2 image). The entire complex of stars and nebulosity is ~10' in length and fascinating in a 171x field (29').
James Dunlop discovered NGC 465 = D 9 = D 13? = h2404, along with NGC 456 and NGC 460, on 1 Aug 1826. He described "a faint nebula, about 1 1/2' diameter, of an irregular round figure. His position was 6' too far E, but the description fits. He apparently viewed in again during a short drift on 6 Sep 1826 that included NGC 456 and NGC 460, but his reduced positions were 20'-25' too far ENE.
John Herschel observed the cluster on 4 Oct 1836 (sweep 738) and described it as the third of three "in an irregular line of loose stars and nebula." This object was only recorded on this one sweep, while NGC 456 and 460 were recorded 3 or 4 times.
NGC 465 was first photographed by Delisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described in a list of NGC corrections as "many stars, but no nebula, perhaps open cluster."
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01 17 13.4 -58 54 36; Tuc
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 103°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, 0.6' diameter. Gradually increases to a small brighter nucleus and a stellar peak. An extremely low surface brightness outer halo was not seen at higher power. Collinear with a mag 11.7 star 3.5' N and a mag 12.2 star 9' N.
John Herschel discovered NGC 466 = h2403 on 3 Oct 1836 and
logged "vF, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 30" dia." His position matches
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01 19 10.1 +03 18 02; Psc
V = 11.9; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.9
24" (1/12/13): bright, moderately large, round, 1.2'
diameter, sharply concentrated with a relatively large high surface brightness
core that increases to a very small, very bright nucleus. Located 3.5' WNW of mag 7.5 HD
7991. First in a trio with
13.1" (8/25/84): moderately bright, slightly brighter core.
13.1" (11/13/82): fairly faint, small, round, weak
concentration. Collinear with mag
8.1
William Herschel discovered NGC 467 = H. I-108 = h99 on 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) and logged "cB, vL, irregularly round, preceding a very bright star." He had missed Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate micrometric position.
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01 20 28.7 +32 42 32; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6
See observing notes for
Modern sources associate NGC 468 = IC 92 (below).
17.5" (12/23/89): extremely faint, small. A mag 15 star is 1' NW. Located 10' WNW of NGC 472 = NGC 468.
John Herschel discovered NGC 468 = h98 on 22 Nov 1827 and
recorded "vF; eS; stellar."
His position was 3.6' south of
In March 2015, Harold Corwin checked Herschel's observing
logs (in response to an inquiry from Courtney Seligman about the identity), and
found he made an error in reducing the position of NGC 468 by 37 seconds in RA
(recording the wrong wire). Once
corrected for an additional 37 seconds, the position of h98 = NGC 468 is a
close match with
******************************
01 19 32.9 +14 52 19; Psc
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.5'
17.5" (11/30/91): faint, small, round, weak
concentration. Located 5.1' NNE of
mag 8.6
Albert Marth discovered NGC 469 = m 41 (along with NGC 471
and
******************************
NGC 470 = Arp 227 NED1 = UGC 858 = MCG +00-04-084 = CGCG 385-070 = KTG 5B = PGC 4777
01 19 44.8 +03 24 36; Psc
V = 11.8; Size 2.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 155°
48" (10/25/14): very bright, large, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, ~1.8'x1.2'. The bright core contains an intense circular nucleus. Two spiral arms are visible with the brighter and better defined arm on the southwest side of the core. It extends ~40" SW-NE and is fairly narrow and straight. A second matching arm to the northeast of the core also stretches SW-NE, but has a lower contrast. Neither arm clearly connects to the nucleus, so they appear more as bright arcs.
24" (1/12/13): very bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.8'x0.9', high surface brightness. The halo gradually and weakly increases towards the center and then a sharp increase to a bright, quasi-stellar nucleus. Forms a 5.5' pair with NGC 474 to the east. NGC 467 lies 11' SW.
13.1" (8/25/84): fairly faint, moderately large, diffuse, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, weak concentration at center. Largest of three with NGC 467 11' SW and NGC 474 6' E.
8" (10/31/81): faint, small, round.
William Herschel discovered NGC 470 = H. III-250, along with NGC 474, on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338). He described both as "Two. vF, vS, R, almost stellar 4' or 5' from each other, nearly in a parallel [E-W]." On 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) he noted "pB, L, R, mbM." Just one minute earlier he discovered NGC 467, which was missed on 13 Dec 1784 probably due to the vertical sweep motion.
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NGC 471 = UGC 861 = MCG +02-04-024 = CGCG 436-029 = PGC 4793
01 19 59.6 +14 47 10; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 85°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, very small, round, very
small very bright core, sharp stellar nucleus. NGC 469 is 10' NW.
Superimposed on the distant cluster
Albert Marth discovered NGC 471 = m 42 (along with NGC 469
and NGC 475) on 3 Nov 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted as
"neb *12m". His dec is
1' N of
******************************
NGC 472 = NGC 468 = UGC 870 = MCG +05-04-022 = CGCG 502-034 = PGC 4833
01 20 28.7 +32 42 32; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, round, small bright core. Located 3.5' SE of a mag 10 star. IC 92 (generally misidentified as NGC 468) lies 10' WNW.
Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 472 on 29 Aug 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on 3 nights) and description (he measured the nearby mag 9.7 star as preceding by 14 seconds) corresponds with UGC 870 = PGC 4833. d'Arrest is credited with the discovery in the GC and NGC, but in Mar 2015 Harold Corwin found that h98 = NGC 468, which had previously been equated with IC 92, actually refers to this galaxy. So, NGC 472 = NGC 468, with discovery priority to John Herschel. See NGC 468.
******************************
NGC 473 = UGC 859 = MCG +03-04-022 = CGCG 459-030 = PGC 4785
01 19 55.1 +16 32 41; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 153°
17.5" (12/23/92): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.4'x0.7', broad concentration, bright core, stellar nucleus. Several bright stars are in the field including three mag 9 stars 5' SE, 10' SSW and 11' NW. NGC 463 lies 20' SW.
13.1" (10/20/84): moderately large, very diffuse, slightly elongated. Two very faint stars are off the east edge and a mag 9 star follows.
William Herschel discovered NGC 473 = H. III-206 on 15 Oct
1784 (sweep 291) and noted "eF, S." His position is 5' southeast of
******************************
NGC 474 = Arp 227 NED2 = UGC 864 = MCG +00-04-085 = CGCG 385-071 = KTG 5C = PGC 4801
01 20 06.7 +03 24 56; Psc
V = 11.9; Size 7.1'x6.3'; Surf Br = 15.7; PA = 75°
48" (10/25/14): the outer halo of NGC 474 was examined closely at 375x for evidence of the outer, concentric shells and circular streams that are visible on deep images. Immediately there was a strong sense of arcs from two or more different shells. The easiest arc to confirm was the outermost on the eastern side, which curves south from a mag 13.3 star situated 3.3' NE of center. The arc passes through a mag 16.3 star and extends 30°-40°. A second outer arc on the northeast side is half the distance (~1.6') to the center. This arc has a stronger curvature and measures roughly 60°. Only a single outer arc (slightly more difficult to confirm) was noted on the southwest side, 2'-2.5' from center. My rough sketch shows it also curving ~60°. Additional inner arcs or ripples were strongly sensed in the main halo of the galaxy, but were too subtle and fleeting to pinpoint locations. The center was sharply concentrated with a very prominent 1' core. The core itself was sharply concentrated to a small, blazing nucleus.
24" (1/12/13): bright, very large with a huge very low surface brightness halo, extending roughly 4'x3.5' NW-SE. Very sharply concentrated with a very bright, slightly oval core, ~1.0'x0.8', which increases to a small intense nucleus. Largest in a trio with NGC 470 5.5' W and NGC 467 16' SW.
13.1" (8/25/84): fairly bright, small, round, small
bright core. Forms a pair with NGC
470 6' W. NGC 467 lies 15' SW and
8" (10/31/81): faint, very small, round, bright core. Located 30' ESE of mag 5.2 89 Piscium.
William Herschel discovered NGC 474 = H. III-251, along with NGC 470, on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338). He logged them together as "Two. vF, vS, R, almost stellar 4' or 5' from each other, nearly in a parallel." On 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) he noted "pB, pL, mbM." Again on 3 Dec 1787 (sweep 788), he reported "pB, S, R, suddenly much brighter middle, the following of 2."
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01 20 02.0 +14 51 40; Psc
V = 15.0; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5" (10/4/97): threshold object that was barely glimpsed on a couple of occasions at 280x with averted vision using a GSC finder chart to pinpoint the location. Visible less than 10% of time and would not have detected at all without first knowing precise position. Appeared ~10" diameter but much too faint for any details. Located 4.5' N of NGC 471 and 7' E of NGC 469.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 475 = m 43 on 3 Nov 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "eF, S". His original position matches
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01 20 19.9 +16 01 13; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5" (12/4/93): very faint, very small, 20" diameter, weakly concentrated core. Located just east of distinctive 13' string of six mag 12-13 stars oriented NW-SE including a mag 13 star 3' NW and a mag 11.5 star 3.5' SW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 476 = m 44 on 3 Nov 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta. He
logged it as "eF, vS, stellar" and his position is a close match with
******************************
01 21 20.3 +40 29 17; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 135°
18" (7/11/10): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE,
0.6'x0.4', weak concentration with just a slightly brighter center but no core
or zones. A mag 13.5 star lies
0.8' SE. Brightest of three with
17.5" (8/16/93): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5', weakly concentrated but no core, larger halo with averted. A mag 13.5 star is at the SE edge. Forms a very close pair with MCG +07-03-031 2.3' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 477 = H. III-577 = h100 on 18 Oct 1786 (sweep 618) and noted "vF, pL, lE, little brighter in the middle." John Herschel reported on 1 Oct 1828 (sweep 183), "eF; S; R; very gradually little brighter middle; 15" [diameter]; moonlight."
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01 20 08.9 -22 22 40; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 128°
17.5" (12/20/95): very faint, very small, round,
30" diameter, low even surface brightness. Situated between two mag 13.5-14 stars ~1.5' S and a similar
star 1.2' NNW.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 478 = LM 2-302 in 1886
with the 26" refractor of the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is just 14 sec of RA east
of
******************************
NGC 479 = UGC 893 = MCG +01-04-031 = CGCG 411-031 = PGC 4905
01 21 15.7 +03 51 44; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (12/23/92): very faint, small, round, broad mild concentration. Forms the east vertex of a near equilateral triangle with a mag 11 star 6.6' WSW and a mag 12 star 7' NW. NGC 474 lies 30' SW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 479 = m 45 on 27 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "eF, S, R". His position is accurate.
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01 20 34.3 -09 52 50; Cet
V = 15.2; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 65°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint and small, round, ~10" diameter. This marginal object required averted vision and the GSC finder chart to glimpse at 280x. Located 8' E of mag 7 SAO 147742 and nearly at the midpoint of two mag 12 stars 3.7' SW and 3.3' NE. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC and this identification of a Leavenworth discovery is uncertain (see notes).
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 480 = LM 2-304 in 1886
with the 26" Clark refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 25 sec of RA following
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NGC 481 = MCG -02-04-030 = PGC 4899
01 21 12.4 -09 12 40; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 85°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, small bright core, fairly bright stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1' NW.
Lewis Swift independently discovered NGC 481 = Sw. 6-7 = LM
2-303 on 20 Nov 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory,
along with Francis Leavenworth sometime in 1886 or early 1887 with the 26"
refractor at Leander McCormick.
The discovery priority is unknown.
Swift's comment "F * nr np" applies to
******************************
01 20 20.5 -40 57 59; Phe
V = 13.7; Size 2.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 84°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x; very nice thin
edge-on, elongated at least 6:1 E-W, ~1.5'x0.25'. Contains a slightly bulging core and very narrow tips. Slightly brighter along a thin strip of
the major axis. Located 13' W of mag 8.6
The interacting pair
John Herschel discovered NGC 482 = h2405 on 23 Oct 1835 and
logged "eF, lE, 20". A difficult object but certain after long
attention with the left eye."
His position is 1' S of
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01 21 56.3 +33 31 17; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4
24" (10/4/13): fairly bright, fairly small, round,
30" diameter, high surface brightness, increases gradually to a small
bright nucleus. The halo is
slightly elongated with averted vision.
Two mag 10.2/11 stars lie ~3' E.
13.1" (8/8/86): faint, small, round, weak
concentration. There is a string
of three stars oriented SSW-NNE following including two mag 10 stars 2.6' ESE
and 3' ENE and a mag 13 star 3.8' NE.
Member of the
John Herschel discovered NGC 483 = h102 on 11 Nov 1827 and
reported "vF, so that had difficulty in finding it again when it had
quitted the field". His
declination is 5' S of
******************************
01 19 34.7 -58 31 28; Tuc
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 94°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 E-W, ~1.0'x0.7'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright nucleus that increases to a nearly stellar peak and a much fainter halo. A mag 15.1 star is barely off the southeast side and a mag 14.7 star is 1.7' WSW. Brightest in a group (LGG 019) with ESO 113-035 14' SW and NGC 466 30' SW (on a line).
John Herschel discovered NGC 484 = h2406 on 28 Oct 1834 and logged "vB, S, lE, pretty suddenly much brighter middle." His mean position from 2 observations is accurate.
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01 21 27.6 +07 01 07; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 3°
17.5" (11/30/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1
N-S, weak concentration. Located
3.7' NE of mag 8.6
John Herschel discovered NGC 485 = h101 on 8 Jan 1828 and
recorded "eF; pL; R; has a red * 7.8m 45 degrees south preceding." Herschel's description and the NGC
position (from Heinrich d'Arrest and Herman Schultz) matches
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01 21 43.1 +05 20 47; Psc
V = 16.5; Size 0.3'x0.25'
17.5" (10/4/97): A stellar object was glimpsed a few
times at the plotted position 5.5' NNW of
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 486, along with
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01 21 55.1 -16 22 14; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 112°
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, small, slightly elongated, 30" diameter, weak concentration.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 487 = LM 1-27 on 28 Nov
1885. His rough position (nearest
min of RA) is 0.6 tmin west of
******************************
NGC 488 = UGC 907 = MCG +01-04-033 = CGCG 411-033 = PGC 4946
01 21 46.8 +05 15 25; Psc
V = 10.3; Size 5.2'x3.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 15°
17.5" (11/1/86): bright, large, very bright core, oval
4:3 ~N-S. A mag 11 star is at the
south edge just 1.6' SSE of center and a mag 10 star lies 3' SW. Located 9' W of mag 8.3 SAO
109832. In a group with NGC 490 8'
NE (similar redshift), NGC 486 5.5' NNW and
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; bright, large, oval 4:3 N-S, 3.2' major axis. Contains a large prominent core that increases to a very small, very bright nucleus. Hint of mottling in uneven halo. A mag 11.6 star is at the SSE edge of the halo [1.6' from center].
William Herschel discovered NGC 488 = H. III-252 = h103 on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338) and recorded "vF, pL, irregularly round, little brighter in the middle." John Herschel gave a more detailed description on 24 Sep 1830 (sweep 300): "B; L; suddenly very much brighter in the middle, and losing itself imperceptibly; resolvable in centre with 320x; *7m in parallel 1 min following." The NGC position is accurate.
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01 21 53.9 +09 12 24; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 120°
18" (12/3/05): moderately bright, fairly small, edge-on
streak NW-SE, 0.9'x0.2', well concentrated with a very small bright core. Contains a faint quasi-stellar nucleus
with direct vision. Furthest west
of a large group of galaxies in the
17.5" (10/17/87): moderately bright, fairly small,
edge-on WNW-ESE, bright core.
Member of the NGC 524 group with
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 489 on 22 Dec 1862 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 3 nights) and description (he also noted the
double star that precedes by 22 seconds) matches
******************************
NGC 490 = MCG +01-04-035 = CGCG 411-035 = PGC 4973
01 22 02.9 +05 22 02; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (11/1/86): very faint, small, round, bright
core. Located 8' NE of NGC
488. Forms the northern vertex of
an equilateral triangle with NGC 488 and mag 8.3
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 490, along with NGC 486, 492 and 500, on 6 Dec 1850. Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was labeled Beta in the sketch and described as "vvF". The NGC position is accurate.
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01 21 20.2 -34 03 49; Scl
V = 12.5; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 93°
24" (11/21/19): at 322x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 E-W, 48"x35", strong concentration with a small very bright core. The surface brightness is irregular, suggesting a face-on spiral. A mag 13.5 star is less than 1' SW of center.
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, slightly brighter along major axis. A mag 13.5 star is off the west edge 50" WSW of core.
8" (1/1/84): extremely faint, round, very small, threshold object. A mag 13.5 star is off the west edge.
John Herschel discovered NGC 491 = h2407 on 25 Sep 1834 and
reported "B, vlE, pretty gradually much brighter middle, near a vS
star." His mean position (2
observations) and description matches
******************************
NGC 492 = MCG +01-04-038 = CGCG 411-036 = PGC 4976
01 22 13.6 +05 25 01; Psc
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint, small, round, 25" diameter, low surface brightness, no concentration. On line with a mag 12 star 3.7' NW and a faint pair of mag 14-14.5 stars [at 22" separation] 2' NW. Forms a close pair with MCG +01-04-037 1' SW (not seen). NGC 492 is located 12' NE of NGC 488 member with several other faint galaxies (NGC 486 8.5' SW, NGC 490 4' SW, NGC 500 7' ESE) in the field.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 492 on 6 Dec 1850 during an observation of the NGC 488 field. Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was labeled "Delta" in the diagram and called "vvF". The sketch and position clearly identifies NGC 492 = PGC 4976. The sketch appears to show a faint double star mentioned in my notes close NW but not the close companion to the SW, which was first mentioned in Heber Curtis' published descriptions of nebulae photographed with the Crossley reflector (1918) at Lick.
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01 22 09.1 +00 56 47; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 3.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 58°
17.5" (11/2/91): fairly faint, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 SW-NE, 3.5'x1.0', weakly concentrated.
William Herschel discovered NGC 493 = H. III-594 = h105 on 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655) and logged "vF, mE, bM, 3.5' long, 1.5' broad." John Herschel reported on 20 Dec 1827 (sweep 113), "vF; L; E pos by diag 60°±; little brighter middle; 90" length."
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01 22 55.4 +33 10 26; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 2.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100°
24" (10/4/13): moderately bright, moderately large,
elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 50"x20", large bright elongated core. A mag 15.5 star is at the south edge
[16" from center]. A wide
pair of mag 13.5 stars lie 1.4' SW and a similar star is 1.4' SE. Located near the center of the
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W,
bright core. A wide mag 13 double star at 30" separation is just 1'
SW. Forms the vertex of a right
triangle with mag 7.8
John Herschel discovered NGC 494 = h104 on 22 Nov 1827 and logged "vF; E; has a D* to south". His position and description is accurate.
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01 22 55.9 +33 28 18; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 170°
24" (10/4/13): fairly faint to moderately bright,
fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 30"x20", contains a small bright
core. Bracketed by two 14th
magnitude stars 1' SSW and 1' NNE.
Located in the core of the NGC 507 group (actually the NGC 499
subgroup), with NGC 499 3.3' ESE,
13.1" (8/8/86): faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located midway two mag 14 stars 1.1' SSW and 1.1' NNE. First of three with NGC 496 4.8' NE and NGC 499 3.3' ESE. Located in a rich galaxy group.
William Herschel discovered NGC 495 = H. III-156, along with NGC 496 and NGC 499, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). He recorded them together as "Three [along with NGC 496 and 499], eS and F, forming a triangle." Earlier in the sweep he discovered the trio NGC 379, 380 and 383 in the Pisces Group, as well as the pair NGC 407 and 410 and five members of the NGC 507 group (in two fields). He also observed the NGC 495/496/499 trio the next night (sweep 271) in more detail: "Three, forming a [right triangle]; the [right angle] to the south [NGC 499], the short leg preceding [NGC 495], the long towards the north [NGC 496]. Those in the legs [NGC 495 and 496] the faintest imaginable; that at the rectangle [NGC 499] a deal larger and brighter, but still vF." The NGC position (from Heinrich d'Arrest and Herman Schultz) is accurate.
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NGC 496 = UGC 927 = MCG +05-04-036 = CGCG 502-060 = WBL 038-010 = PGC 5061
01 23 11.6 +33 31 48; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 28°
24" (10/4/13): fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.9'x0.45', low fairly even surface brightness with a weak concentration. but no distinct core. Located in the NGC 499 subgroup of the NGC 507 Group with NGC 498 2.4' S, NGC 499 4.2' S, NGC 495 4.8' SW and NGC 501 6.3' SSE.
13.1" (8/8/86): faint, low even surface brightness. Second and largest of three with NGC 495 4.8' SW and NGC 499 4.2' S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 496 = H. III-157, along with NGC 495 and NGC 499, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). See description under NGC 495. He observed the trio again the next night (sweep 271).
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01 22 23.8 -00 52 30; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 132°
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2
NW-SE, weak concentration. A mag
13 star is 2.2' SE of center.
Located northwest of the core of
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 497 = St. 12-14 = Sw. 5-13 on 6 Nov 1882 (or earlier) with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. Lewis Swift found the galaxy again on 31 Oct 1886 and reported it in his 5th discovery list. Frank Muller equated the two discoveries in an Sidereal Messenger article (Feb 1887) listing nebulae from Swift's 5th catalogue that had been discovered previously.
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NGC 498 = MCG +05-04-037 = PGC 5059
01 23 11.3 +33 29 22; Psc
V = 15.0; Size 0.5'x0.5'
24" (10/4/13): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 15"x12", low surface brightness. Located 1.8' N of NGC 499 and 2.4' S of NGC 496, on a line between the two brighter galaxies. This is perhaps the faintest NGC galaxy in the NGC 507 Group.
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint and small, no details visible. This very difficult object was only detected after extended viewing at 220x, 280x and 420x. Finally started to glimpse a virtually stellar spot for moments at 280x using a detailed finder chart to pinpoint the location. Located 1.7' N of NGC 499 and 2.4' S of NGC 496 within the cluster.
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 498 on 23 Oct 1856 with Lord Rosse's 72" and placed on two sketches (object D in the original sketch) in the field of NGC 499. His description says "only suspected", but the object is placed correctly on the sketch between NGC 496 and 499.
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NGC 499 = IC 1686: = UGC 926 = MCG +05-04-038 = CGCG 502-059 = LGG 024-002 = WBL 038-009 = PGC 5060
01 23 11.5 +33 27 37; Psc
V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 82°
24" (10/4/13): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, 60"x45", well concentrated with a very bright core. Brightest member of a subgroup of the NGC 507 Group with NGC 498 1.8' N, NGC 501 2.8' SE, NGC 498 3.4' WNW, NGC 496 4.2' N.
13.1" (8/8/86): moderately bright, moderately large, very bright core with a much fainter halo! Third of three with NGC 495 3.3' WNW and NGC 496 4.2' N.
William Herschel discovered NGC 499 = H. III-158 = h106, along with NGC 495 and 496, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). See NGC 495 for his description. The trio was observed again the next night (sweep 271).
John Herschel made two observations. On 16 Dec 1827 (sweep 100) his description reads: "pB; R; bM. Nebulae numerous hereabouts."
Stephane Javelle independently found this galaxy on 1 Dec
1899 with the Nice Observatory 30" refractor and it was also catalogued as
******************************
NGC 500 = MCG +01-04-040 = CGCG 411-039 = PGC 5013
01 22 39.4 +05 23 14; Psc
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 95°
17.5" (12/23/92): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration, stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 1' NE. Located 10' NE of a mag 8 star. NGC 490 is 9' WSW and NGC 488 18' SW.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 500, along with NGC 486, 490 and 492, on 6 Dec 1850. Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was labeled Epsilon on the diagram in the 1861 and 1880 publications and noted as "vF."
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NGC 501 = CGCG 502-062 = WBL 038-012 = PGC 5082
01 23 22.4 +33 25 59; Psc
V = 14.5; Size 0.4'x0.4'
24" (10/4/13): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, 20"x15", very small brighter nucleus. Located 2.8' SE of NGC 499 and 1.8' SW of a mag 11.3 star in the NGC 507 Group.
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Can just hold continually with averted vision once identified. Located 2.8' SE of NGC 499 in a cluster. A mag 10.5 star lies 1.8' NE.
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 501 on 28 Oct 1856 using Lord Rosse's 72". It was sketched as object "E" and described as "vF, S."
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NGC 502 = UGC 922 = MCG +01-04-043 = CGCG 411-040 = LGG 023-002 = PGC 5034
01 22 55.6 +09 02 57; Psc
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, sharply concentrated with a very small, very bright core ~10" diameter.
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, small bright core, possible faint stellar nucleus. Member of the NGC 524 group.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 502 on 25 Sep 1862 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 4 nights) matches
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01 23 28.4 +33 19 55; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.4'x0.3'
24" (10/4/13): fairly faint, very small, slightly
elongated, 20"x15". Two
mag 13.4/13.8 stars 0.6' SE and 1.1' SE are collinear with the galaxy. Located 4' NE of mag 7.6
17.5" (10/4/97): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Collinear with two mag 13.5 stars 0.6' SE and 1.0' SE. Located 4' NE of mag 7.5 SAO 54647 within the NGC 507 Group (NGC 507/508 in the field).
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 503 on 13 Aug 1863 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single micrometric position is an exact match with
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NGC 504 = NGC 506: = UGC 935 = MCG +05-04-041 = CGCG 502-064 = WBL 038-013 = PGC 5084
01 23 27.9 +33 12 16; Psc
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 47°
24" (10/4/13): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated
5:2 SW-NE, ~40"x16", well-concentrated with a very bright elongated
nucleus and faint extensions.
Located 4' SW of NGC 507 in the core of the NGC 507 Group.
13.1" (8/8/86): faint, small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, small bright core. First of three with NGC 507 4' NNE and NGC 508 5.3' NNE. Also NGC 494 lies 7.2' WSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 504 = h107 = Au 12 on 22 Nov 1827. No visual description was published but he noted it "precedes III.159 [NGC 507] by about 10 sec, and is half a field to the south of it." Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered this object on 8 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. His discovery was included in Auwers 1862 catalogue of new nebulae with a total of 5 observations in d'Arrest's 1867 "Siderum Nebulosorum". Herschel catalogued the two observations separately as GC 291 and 292, but Dreyer combined them to NGC 504, assigning credit to d'Arrest.
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01 22 57.1 +09 28 08; Psc
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1
18" (12/3/05): faint, very small, round, 20"
diameter. Contains a faint stellar
nucleus with direct vision.
Located 7' WNW of
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, extremely small, round. NGC 509 lies 7' ESE.
13.1" (8/24/84): extremely faint, slightly elongated ~E-W? Located 7' WNW of NGC 509 in the NGC 524 group.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 505 = m 46 on 1 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS, stellar". His position is accurate.
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01 23 35.3 +33 14 41; Psc
V = 15.3
24" (10/4/13): this number probably applies to a mag 15.3 star 1.3' SW of the center of NGC 507, beyond the halo.
Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 506 on 7 Nov 1874 during the 8th and last observation of the NGC 499/507 Group. There is no description but a micrometric measure is given 223.1" in PA 153.7° from mag 7.6 HD 8347 at 01 23 12.1 +33 17 24 (J2000). There is no object at this offset but the NGC position is further southeast (perhaps Dreyer had additional information) and the NGC description adds "sp 507". Near this position is a single star given here that Corwin identifies as NGC 506. RNGC mistakenly equates NGC 506 with NGC 504.
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NGC 507 = Arp 229 NED1 = VV 207a = UGC 938 = MCG +05-04-044 = CGCG 502-067 = WBL 038-015 = PGC 5098
01 23 40.0 +33 15 22; Psc
V = 11.2; Size 3.1'x3.1'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (10/4/13): bright, moderately large, round, 1.5' diameter, sharply concentrated with a blazing core that increases to the center. The outer halo gradually fades out, so there is no distinct edge, but just beyond the halo on the north side is NGC 508 (1.5' between centers). Brightest in a large group with over 20 members that is part of the Pisces-Perseus Supercluster.
A number of galaxies are nearby including NGC 504 4' SW, IC
1687 4.6' WNW,
13.1" (8/8/86): moderately bright, moderately large, round, very bright core. Second of three with NGC 508 1.5' N and NGC 504 4' SSW in a large group. Located 6' ESE of mag 7.8 SAO 54647.
William Herschel discovered NGC 507 = H. III-159 = h108, along with NGC 508, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268). He recorded them together as "Two. Both extremely faint, small, but unequal." Just earlier in the sweep he discovered NGC 495, 496 and 499 in the galaxy group. During the same sweep he also found the trio NGC 379, 380 and 383 in the Pisces Group, as well as the pair NGC 407 and 410.
John Herschel made 2 observations. On 17 Nov 1827 (sweep 104) he noted "extremely faint" and 5 nights later, "pretty bright".
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NGC 508 = Arp 229 NED2 = VV 207b = UGC 939 = MCG +05-04-045 = CGCG 502-068 = WBL 038-016 = PGC 5099
01 23 40.6 +33 16 51; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6
24" (10/4/13): moderately bright to fairly bright,
moderately large, round, broad concentration with a brighter nucleus. Forms a close pair with NGC 507 1.5' S
in the central region of the NGC 507 Group. Also nearby is NGC 503 3.9' NW,
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, round. Forms a close pair with NGC 507 1.5' S. Third of three with NGC 504 5.3' SSW. Located 6' E of mag 7.8 SAO 54647.
William Herschel discovered NGC 508 = H. III-160 = h109, along with NGC 507, on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and recorded both as "Two. Both eF, S, but unequal." The NGC position is accurate.
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NGC 509 = UGC 932 = MCG +01-04-045 = CGCG 411-043 = LGG 023-011 = PGC 5080
01 23 24.1 +09 26 01; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 82°
18" (12/3/05): faint, fairly small, elongated nearly 2:1 ~E-W, 1.0'x0.5', broad weak concentration. Situated between two mag 13.8/14.3 stars less than 2' SW and NNE. NGC 505 lies 7' WNW. Member of the NGC 524 group.
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, small, elongated ~E-W. Located between a mag 14 star 1.9' SW and a mag 13.5 star 1.4' N. Forms a pair with NGC 505 7' WNW in the NGC 524 group.
13.1" (8/24/84): very faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W. Two faint stars are north and south.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 509 = m 47 on 1 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, S, E." His position is accurate.
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01 23 55.6 +33 29 49; Psc
17.5" (10/4/97): this is a faint and difficult double
star that was just resolved at 280x.
The fainter eastern component is difficult to cleanly resolve
[separation 8"] and it is easy to imagine that Schultz would mistake this
oibject as nonstellar. Located 7'
ESE of NGC 499 and 9' WNW of
Herman Schultz discovered NGC 510 = Nova V on 11 Nov 1866 with the 9.6-inch refractor at Uppsala Observatory. At Schultz's micrometric position (44 seconds following NGC 499) is a close, faint double star (also observed by Bigourdan) with a separation of 8" and mean position of 01 23 55.6 +33 29 49. The RNGC and PGC misidentify PGC 5102 as NGC 510. PGC 5102 is 32 sec east in RA and 3' S of NGC 499. Discussed in Malcolm Thomson's "Catalogue Corrections".
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01 23 30.7 +11 17 27; Psc
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, round. A mag 14 star is attached at the south edge 17" from center.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 511 = St. 8a-4 on 2 Nov
1875. His accurate published
position (list 8a, #4) was made on 26 Oct 1876 with description "eF,
diffuse, vS, faint star involved and touches a mag 14-15 star." His description and position matches
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01 23 59.8 +33 54 30; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 116°
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, fairly small, very
elongated WNW-ESE. A mag 14 star
is just off the SE edge 0.6' from center and a mag 12 star is 1.6' SSW. Located 6.5' NE of a mag 11 star.
13.1" (12/22/84): faint, small, edge-on streak NW-SE, requires averted.
John Herschel discovered NGC 512 = h110 on 17 Nov 1827 and
recorded "vF; vS." His
position (single observation) is just 23" S of
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NGC 513 = UGC 953 = MCG +06-04-016 = CGCG 521-020 = PGC 5174
01 24 26.8 +33 47 59; And
V = 12.9; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.1; PA = 75°
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Located at the NE end of a line of four mag 12-13 stars which extend to SW; the closest mag 13.5 star is 0.9' SW and is followed by a second parallel line of stars. NGC 512 lies 9' NW. Incorrect RA by 0.6 minutes west in the RNGC and plotted incorrectly on the U2000.
William Herschel discovered NGC 513 = H. III-169 = h111 on
13 Sep 1784 (sweep 271) and simply noted "stellar." This object is in a large group of
galaxies found on this sweep using Beta Andromedae as a reference star. Seven of these objects have varying
errors in RA except for NGC 404. In this case, Herschel's RA is off by ~30
seconds from
The RA in the RNGC is also 0.6 min too far west and the galaxy is misplotted on the first version of Uranometria 2000. The position is given correctly in UGC and RC3. See Corwin's notes.
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01 24 03.9 +12 55 03; Psc
V = 11.6; Size 3.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 110°
24" (10/12/20): Type Ia supernova SN 2020 uxv was discovered 46" ENE of center of NGC 514 on Oct 5, 2020. It was easily visible at mag ~14.0. A mag 9.5 star is 3' E of the galaxy with 3 stars nearby; a wide pair HJ 13 = 14.4/14.7 at 29" is 1' W (in direction of the galaxy) and a mag 14.8 star 1' S. The SN was about 1/2 mag brighter than the mag 14.4 star.
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly large, 2.5'x2.0', elongated ~E-W, broad weak concentration, edges fade into the background, low surface brightness but granular or mottled texture. Located 3.1' WNW of a mag 9.5 star. A mag 13.5 star is 3.4' SW. Several faint stars are close east and a a mag 15 star is just off the south edge 1.5' from center.
8" (1/1/84): faint, moderately large, very diffuse, even surface brightness. A mag 9 star off the east edge interferes with viewing.
William Herschel discovered NGC 514 = H. II-252 = h112 on 16 Oct 1784 (sweep 295). His description reads, "F, pL, oval, little brighter middle, preceding a pretty bright star." John Herschel reported on 17 Oct 1825 (sweep 15), "vL; irr R; very gradually little brighter middle; by diagram at least 3' in diameter; a remarkable object. Is closely followed by the double star h13; see fig. 38."
The galaxy was observed 6 times at Birr Castle. The earliest observation on 13 Dec 1848 noted "John Herschel's D* [referring to h 13] is triple and perhaps quadruple. 2 nuclei or nucleus and star in nebula." The NGC position is accurate.
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NGC 515 = UGC 956 = MCG +05-04-052 = CGCG 502-077 = WBL 038-021 = PGC 5201
01 24 38.6 +33 28 22; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.1'
24" (10/4/13): moderately bright, elongated 3:2 ~NW-SE,
~36"x24", fairly well concentrated with a bright core. A mag 15.7 star is superimposed on the
NW side. Forms a pair with
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, faint stellar nucleus. An extremely faint mag 16 star is suspected at the NW end (confirmed on the POSS). Forms a pair with NGC 517 3' SSE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 515 = H. III-167 = h113,
along with NGC 517, on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271 using Beta Andromedae
as the reference star). He simply
noted "Two, both stellar" and his single position (marked uncertain)
is about 35 sec of RA east of
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01 24 08.1 +09 33 06; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 44°
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, moderately large, appears as a thin streak, ~1.0'x0.25' oriented SW-NE, weak concentration, bulging core and tapering extensions. Member of the NGC 524 group.
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, fairly small, very elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. Located 10' W of NGC 524.
13.1" (8/24/84): faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, even surface brightness. Located about 10' W of NGC 524.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 516 on 25 Sep 1862 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His mean position and offset from NGC 524 (41 seconds preceding) is an
exact match with
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NGC 517 = VV 36a = UGC 960 = MCG +05-04-054 = CGCG 502-079 = WBL 038-022 = PGC 5214
01 24 43.8 +33 25 47; Psc
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 20°
24" (10/4/13): moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, ~45"x22", well concentrated with a bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 515 2.9' NNW. Member of the NGC 507 Group.
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE. Appears slightly brighter than NGC 515 3' NNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 517 = H. III-168 = h114, along with NGC 515, on on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271 using Beta Andromedae as the reference star). He simply noted "Two, both stellar" and his single position (marked uncertain) is about 35 sec of RA east of NGC 515 = UGC 956. John Herschel made the single observation "pB; R". Heinrich d'Arrest measured a pretty accurate position (3 nights). See Corwin's notes.
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01 24 17.7 +09 19 52; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 98°
18" (12/3/05): faint or fairly faint, very elongated E-W, 1.0'x0.3', weak concentration with a slightly brighter core, irregular surface brightness. A mag 14.5 star lies 1' SW. Located 2.5' SW of a mag 10.5 star.
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is off the SSW side 0.9' from center. Located 2.5' SW of a mag 10 star and 15' SSW of NGC 524 in a group.
13.1" (8/24/84): very faint, small, elongated ~E-W. A mag 10 star is NE.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 518 = m 48 on 17 Dec 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "F, vS, R." His position is 1' S of
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01 24 28.6 -01 38 29; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 140°
17.5" (9/19/87): extremely faint and small, round. A mag 14 star is 45" S. Member of the AGC 194 cluster.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 519 = Sw. 6-8 (along with NGC
530, 538, 557) on 20 Nov 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner
Observatory. His position is 7
seconds of RA west and 1.3' south of
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01 24 34.4 +03 47 42; Psc
V = 11.4; Size 4.5'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 130°
48" (10/22/11): the view of this very bright, highly
irregular, disrupted galaxy (merging pair) was fascinating at 488x. The most prominent feature is a very
high surface brightness curving "bar" oriented NW-SE (
On the south side is a fairly bright, elongated section
oriented WNW-ESE (
18" (10/19/06): bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 2'x0.6'. This disturbed galaxy has a very unusual appearance with a bright knot at the NNW end. The SSE end is wider and fainter and appears to feather out with a fainter, more delicate section that branches from the main body (VV 231b). The periphery at the SSE end is difficult to trace due to this chaotic structure.
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 3.0'x1.2'. Very unusual appearance; the NW portion is noticeably brighter with a bright knot at the NW tip and a mottled texture. Fades towards the SE where it merges into a fainter section which is tilted ~E-W with an irregular surface brightness and ill-defined edges.
14.5" (12/17/20): fascinating galaxy (mid-stage merger) at 226x. Appears very elongated 3:1 NW-SE with a brighter central region, ~2' length. A much more prominent knot is at the NW end (nucleus of the northern galaxy)! The SE end is more diffuse and feathers out. Appears brighter (bar) along the major axis. The galaxy almost mimics a comet in appearance.
8" (11/28/81): faint, diffuse, elongated N-S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 520 = H. III-253 = h116 on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338) and remarked "eF, cL, E." On 3 Dec 1787 (sweep 788), he reported "cL, E from sp to nf." John Herschel reported on 16 Oct 1827, "pB; E like a comet, pos 135°±; 60" length". Using LdR's 72", Bindon Stoney wrote on 18 Dec 1851, "South end is like a brush or broom with a split in it." His sketch was included in the 1861 publication (as well as 1880). A second observation on 9 Nov 1876 reads "Lord Rosse thought it had two points of condensation 3/4' apart. I (Dreyer) thought it spread out in the following end like a fan. Not well seen." This galaxy is in Arp's category of disturbed galaxies with interior absorption.
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01 24 33.8 +01 43 53; Cet
V = 11.7; Size 3.2'x2.9'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 20°
24" (9/23/17): at 375x; bright, large, round, at least
2' diameter, sharply concentrated with a large bright core that gradually
increases to the center (quasi-stellar nucleus), halo fades out at the
periphery.
13.1" (1/1/84): sharply concentrated with a very small bright core surrounded by a fairly large but very diffuse round envelope. Located 14' W of NGC 533.
William Herschel discovered NGC 521 = H. II-461 = h115 on 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) and recorded "F, pL, irr R, bM." On 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655) he noted "vF, R, very gradually brighter middle, 1 1/2' diam." John Herschel made two observations, calling it "B" and "vF" on the two sweeps. R.J. Mitchell, using Lord Rosse's 72" on 3 Oct 1856, logged "pB, S, disc enveloped in F outlying neby and looks like an unresolved cluster." The NGC position is accurate.
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01 24 45.9 +09 59 40; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 2.6'x0.35'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 33°
18" (12/3/05): faint to fairly faint edge-on streak
SW-NE, 1.2'x0.2'. This is a pretty
slash with a slightly brighter core.
Fades at the tips but uniformly narrow in width (does not bulge in the
center).
IC 101 is a faint hazy spot, irregularly round, ~20"-25" diameter. A mag 14.5 star lies 1' S. IC 102 is extremely faint, very small, 15" diameter, no details. This marginal object was just glimpsed as drifted through the field.
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, pretty edge-on steak SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Located 27' N of NGC 524 in a group.
13.1" (8/24/84): very faint, edge-on streak SSW-NNE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 522 on 25 Sep 1862 with the
11-inch Merz refractor at Copenhagen.
His mean position (2 observations) matches
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01 25 20.8 +34 01 30; And
V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 108°
48" (11/5/21): at 488x; very bright, very elongated 3:1 or 4:1 ~E-W, with an unusual misshapen structure. The brightest part extends ~40" E-W in a thin bright "bar", connecting a superimposed mag ~14.5 star (west side) and a bright 15" knot on the east side (the knot is possibly the nucleus of a merging galaxy) . A second slightly brighter "core" (of main galaxy) lies along the bar, midway between the star and knot.
The main body flares or widens on the east end and a very low surface brightness plume continues east. A brighter (but still faint) thin extension is west of the superimposed star for a total length of ~1.25'.
24" (11/24/14): fairly bright, moderately bright, very elongated 7:2 ~E-W, ~1.1'x0.3'. This disrupted galaxy (or merger) appeared very asymmetric, widening a bit at the east end and tapering slightly to the west. A small, relatively bright knot, ~10" diameter, is at the east end. An easily visible mag 14-14.5 star is embedded at the west end. The main body, which extends ~40" from the knot to the star, is fairly thin and only very weakly brighter in the center. With careful viewing, a very faint narrow plume extends west of the main glow.
13.1" (12/22/84): moderately bright, thin edge-on 4:1 ~E-W. Located north of the NGC 483-517 cluster.
Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 523 on 23 Aug 1862 and described this galaxy as a "Double Nebula, F, S, both very near. A *11 precedes by 11.65 seconds." As he noted this object as a "Nebula duplex", he apparently saw the knot at the east end (identified in NED as NGC 523 NED02). William Herschel probably made the first discovery on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271) and simply noted H. III-170 = NGC 537 as "stellar". His RA readings for objects in this sweep are poor (given to the nearest minute) and assuming H. III-170 has an error of about 55 sec in RA, then NGC 523 = NGC 537. The eastern knot was the site of SN 2001EN.
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NGC 524 = UGC 968 = MCG +01-04-053 = CGCG 411-051 = LGG 023-005 = PGC 5222
01 24 47.8 +09 32 19; Psc
V = 10.3; Size 2.8'x2.8'; Surf Br = 12.3
18" (12/3/05): very bright, large, round, well concentrated with a bright core increasing to a very bright small nucleus. The halo extends to 2.0' or 2.5'. A mag 11 star lies 2.3' S of center. Brightest in a large group of 8 NGC galaxies and a few IC galaxies.
17.5" (10/17/87): very bright, fairly large, very
bright core, large faint halo, bright stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2.5' S. Brightest in the NGC 524 group
including NGC 505, NGC 509, NGC 516, NGC 518, NGC 522, NGC 525,
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; bright, large, round, ~2.2' diameter. There are 3 distinct zones: a large round halo and a relatively large very bright core that increases to an intense nucleus. Surrounded by four stars including a mag 13.5 star right at the edge of the halo on the ESE side.
13.1" (8/24/84): bright, small very bright core surrounded by fainter round halo.
8" (11/8/80): fairly faint, round, bright core. Located just north of a mag 10 star.
br well concen gx among sev br *s @ 80x. 140x: circ, strong even concen to ill-def 20" core and *ar nuc just discernable over it. Halo rel f by comp to core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 524 = H. I-151 = h117 on 4 Sep 1786 (sweep 581). Described as "considerably bright, considerably large, round, cometic, very gradually much brighter middle to a nucleus, several small stars near." He included a sketch (fig. 26) in his 1811 publication as representative of "round nebulae increasing gradually in brightness up to a nucleus in the middle." On 8 Jan 1828 (sweep 118), John Herschel desribed this object as "vB; pL; R; pretty suddenly much brighter middle; 60"; 4 st near."
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NGC 525 = UGC 972 = MCG +01-04-054 = CGCG 411-053 = PGC 5232
01 24 52.9 +09 42 12; Psc
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5°
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, ~50"x40", symmetrical appearance and increases steadily to a brighter core and faint stellar nucleus. Member of the NGC 524 group. A mag 11 star lies 2' NW.
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, very small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Located 2' SE of a mag 10.5 star in the NGC 524 group.
13.1" (8/24/84): faint, small, almost round.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 525 on 25 Sep 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His mean position (2 observations) is fairly accurate and also noted the nearby mag 11-12 star (2' northwest) as 5 seconds preceding and 1.5' north.
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01 23 54.2 -35 03 56; Scl
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 112°
17.5" (11/1/97): initially NGC 526 appeared as a very
faint, small glow, slightly elongated WNW-ESE. After extended viewing, it resolved at times into a close
double system with
John Herschel discovered NGC 526 = h2408 (along with NGC 527
= h2409) on 1 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB, S, rather a doubtful object. The
preceding of two [with NGC 527]".
On a later sweep he noted "vF;; S; lE; this is the
"doubtful" neb of a former sweep." This double system consists of
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NGC 527 = ESO 352-068 = MCG -06-04-021 = PGC 5128
01 23 58.1 -35 06 54; Scl
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 14°
17.5" (11/1/97): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.4', weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. A mag 13 star lies 1' NE. The double system NGC 526 is 3.1'
N. NGC 527, itself, is a double
system with
John Herschel discovered NGC 527 = h2409 (along with NGC 526 = h2408) on 1 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB, S, E, bM, 20". The following of 2 [with NGC 526]".
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01 25 33.6 +33 40 18; And
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 55°
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, bright core. There is a string of mag 10 stars to the north including two mag 10.5 stars 3.6' NNW and 7.6' NE and a mag 9.5 star 5.6' NNE. Two bright stars lie SE including a mag 10 star 6' SSE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 528, which was missed by both Herschels, on 22 Aug 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is quite accurate.
In March 2020, Yann Pothier found that Bindon Blood Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant, made an earlier discovery on 7 Nov 1850. A diagram in the 1880 publication shows two nebulae with distances to nearby stars. Although the orientation for west is off (the arrow should be pointing down) the separations are a perfect match with NGC 513 (discovered by William Herschel) and NGC 528. A later observation on 27 Nov 1857 by R.J. Mitchell mentions a similar diagram was made, so NGC 528.was seen twice at Birr Castle before d'Arrest's observation. Dreyer questioned if the two nebulae were novae but he wasn't left with any positions, so d'Arrest was credited in the NGC.
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01 25 40.3 +34 42 47; And
V = 12.1; Size 2.4'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160°
17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright, fairly small,
bright core. Located 10' NW of mag
6.3
13.1" (12/22/84): faint, diffuse. Located among group of 4-5 mag 10-11 stars with a mag 6 star 10' ESE. Brightest in a group.
John Herschel discovered NGC 529 = h118 on 17 Nov 1827 and recorded "pB; vS; suddenly brighter middle. The preceding of two [with NGC 536]." Corwin suggests that William Herschel first catalogued this galaxy as H. III-171, but made an error in RA of over 1 minute of time. But Wolfgang Steinicke argues that H. III-171 refers to NGC 536, according to the sweep order. Lord Rosse's assistant R.J. Mitchell discovered the other two members of HCG 10 in 1855.
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01 24 41.7 -01 35 14; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 134°
24" (11/7/18): at 375x; moderately bright, moderately
large, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, well concentrated with a very bright elongated
core and sub-stellar nucleus. A
mag 13 star is just off the SE tip.
Several galaxies within AGC 194 are nearby including
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NW-SE, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is at the SE end 0.9' from center. Forms a pair with IC 1696 3' SE within AGC 194.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, edge-on NW-SE, bright core. A mag 12 star is off the SE end.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 530 = Sw. 6-9 on 20 Nov 1886 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is 15 sec of RA east of
******************************
01 26 18.8 +34 45 15; And
V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 34°
17.5" (8/31/86): faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, fairly small. A mag 12 star is just off the NE end 1.0' from center. Member of the NGC 529-536 group = HCG 10 with NGC 536 3.1' SSE.
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 531 (along with
******************************
NGC 532 = UGC 982 = MCG +01-04-056 = CGCG 411-055 = LGG 023-006 = PGC 5264
01 25 17.3 +09 15 51; Psc
V = 12.9; Size 2.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 28°
18" (12/3/05): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 7:2 SW-NE, ~2.0'x0.4', broad concentration, patchy appearance with an irregular surface brightness. Member of the NGC 524 group.
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, fairly large, edge-on 3:1 or 4:1 SSW-NNE, broad concentration. Member of the NGC 524 group with NGC 518 15' W and NGC 524 18' NW.
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly faint, thin streak elongated SSW-NNE, slightly brighter core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 532 = H. III-556 = h119 on 4 Sep 1786 (sweep 581) and noted "vF, mE, about 1 1/2' long; the extent about 15° from the meridian from sp to nf." On 8 Jan 1828 (sweep 118), John Herschel recorded "not vF, L, R, bM, 40" dia." He included both his father's and his own observations as separate entries in the General Catalog because "the description differ so materially, especially in the particular of extension." Nevertheless, GC 313 = GC 314. Dreyer combined both entries into NGC 532.
******************************
NGC 533 = UGC 992 = MCG +00-04-131 = CGCG 385-121 = PGC 5283
01 25 31.4 +01 45 33; Cet
V = 11.4; Size 3.8'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 50°
24" (9/23/17): at 375x; bright, large, oval 3:2 SW-NE,
~2.5'x1.6', sharply concentrated with a large bright core that is slightly
elongated, halo gradually fades into the background sky. NGC 521 lies 14' WSW and
13.1" (1/1/84): moderately bright, bright core, faint stellar nucleus suspected, elongated halo WSW-ENE. A mag 13.5 star is 3.4' WNW.
8" (1/1/84): very faint, very small, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 3.5' WNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 533 = H. II-462 = h121 on 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) and logged "pB, R, pL, mbM." On 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655) he noted "pB, R, very gradually brighter middle, about 1.5' dia." and on 3 Dec 1787 (sweep 788), "F, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle." John Herschel recorded on 16 Dec 1827 (sweep 110), "B; pL; R; bM."
******************************
01 24 44.6 -38 07 45; Scl
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 142°
17.5" (11/1/97): very faint, very small, round,
~25" diameter, weak concentration.
Slightly fainter than
John Herschel discovered NGC 534 = h2410 (along with nearby
NGC 544 and 546) on 23 Oct 1835 and logged "eeF, S, bM." His mean position from two sweeps
matches
******************************
01 25 31.1 -01 24 30; Cet
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 58°
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, small, oval SW-NE, weak
concentration. In the central core
of the AGC 194 cluster on line with
13.1" (9/22/84): extremely faint, elongated SW-NE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 535 on 31 Oct 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and recorded "eF, vS, 1st of 3 in a line [with NGC 541 and 545 (double)]".
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NGC 536 = HCG 10A = UGC 1013 = MCG +06-04-021 = CGCG 521-025 = PGC 5344
01 26 21.7 +34 42 12; And
V = 12.4; Size 3.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 62°
17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright, slightly elongated WSW-ENE. A mag 14 star is involved at the north edge. Located 8' NNE of mag 6.3 SAO 54695. Brightest along with NGC 529 in HCG 10 with NGC 529 8.5' W, NGC 542 2.6' SE and NGC 531 3.1' NNW.
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly faint, very small, elongated ~E-W, very small faint core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 536 = H. III-171 = h120 on
13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271) and simply noted "stellar". Objects that were discovered on this
sweep (NGC 513, 515, 517, 523, 536, 552, 553, 614) have various offset errors
in RA. His position for H. III-171
is 1.0 min of RA east of
Analyzing the sweep data, Harold Corwin suggests H. III-171
applies to NGC 529, which is 1 min 40 sec of RA west of Herschel's place, but
Wolfgang Steinicke argues that H. III-171 must apply to NGC 536 (coming from
the previous object
******************************
NGC 537 = NGC 523 = UGC 979 = MCG +06-04-018 = CGCG 521-022 = Arp 158 = IV Zw 45 = PGC 5268
01 25 20.8 +34 01 30; And
See observing notes for NGC 523.
William Herschel discovered NGC 537 = H. III-170 on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271) and simply noted "stellar". All the RA positions are off by varying amounts in this sweep, computed with respect to Beta Andromedae (except for NGC 404) in varying amounts. Dreyer questioned if this object was identical to Heinrich d'Arrest's NGC 523 and these numbers are equated in the RNGC. If Dreyer's suggestion is correct, WH's RA 1.0 tmin too large and Corwin came to the same conclusion. See his notes for more on the story.
******************************
01 25 26.1 -01 33 02; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40°
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, very small, elongated SSW-NNE,
weak concentration. A mag 12 star
is at the north edge 34" from center.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, star on NE tip.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 538 = Sw. 6-10 on 20 Nov 1886
with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and recorded "eF; S;
vE; pF * close N; Not 5180 [
******************************
01 25 21.7 -18 09 51; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 145°
17.5" (12/23/92): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, low even surface brightness. Followed by a line of three mag 13-14 stars oriented SSW-NNE located 3.2' SSE, 2.6' SE and 2.7' NE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 539 = LM 1-28 on 31 Oct
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is just 1' to 2' S
of
******************************
01 27 08.9 -20 02 12; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 179°
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint and small, round. Only glimpsed at moments at 280x using a Guide Star Catalog (GSC) finder chart but several times appeared virtually stellar. On two occasions a 20" halo was seen (too faint to determine elongation but extended 2:1 N-S on DSS). A mag 14 star lies 1.3' due north.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 540 = LM 1-29 on 15 Oct
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position by ~2
min of RA east and 5' south is
******************************
NGC 541 = Arp 133 = UGC 1004 = MCG +00-04-137 = CGCG 385-128 = PGC 5305
01 25 44.3 -01 22 46; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
48" (10/22/11): very bright, fairly large, round,
sharply concentrated with an intense core 30" core surrounded by a much
fainter halo, nearly 1.5' diameter.
Just off the east side of the halo are two faint galaxies:
Minkowski's object, experiencing a burst of star formation, was actually triggered by the jet from the nucleus of NGC 541 because the body of the jet can be traced all the way to the region where the new stars are forming.
17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, oval SSW-NNE. Slightly fainter than NGC 545/NGC 547 4.4' NE in the core of AGC 194. Also at midpoint with NGC 545/547 and NGC 535 3.7' SW. A bridge of stars and gas connects NGC 541 and the interacting pair NGC 545/547. Embedded in the bridge just NE of NGC 541 is "Minkowski's Object" (not seen) which has a very unusual optical spectrum.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, round.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 541 on 30 Oct 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and measured on 3 nights. I'm surprised that William Herschel missed this galaxy in his discovery observation of NGC 545/547.
A bridge of stars and gas connects NGC 541 and the interacting pair NGC 545/547. Embedded in the bridge just northeast of NGC 541 is "Minkowski's Object" which has a very unusual optical spectrum. See "Minkowski's object - A starburst triggered by a radio jet" at http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1985ApJ...293...83V. A brief summary and excellent image is at http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/Minkowskis_Object.html.
******************************
NGC 542 = HCG 10D = MCG +06-04-022 = CGCG 521-026 = PGC 5360
01 26 30.8 +34 40 32; And
V = 14.7; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (8/31/86): faint, diffuse, slightly elongated. Located 2.6' SE of NGC 536 in the HCG 10 = NGC 529-536 group.
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 542 on 16 Oct 1855 with Lord Rosse's 72" while observing NGC 529 and 536 (discovered earlier by the Herschels). This nebula was shown on the sketch as Delta and Dreyer measured a micrometric position.
******************************
01 25 50.0 -01 17 34; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 90°
48" (10/22/11): fairly bright/bright, fairly small,
elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.6'x0.2', contains a small bright core.
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, small, very elongated ~E-W. Located 4.5' NW of NGC 545/NGC 547 duo in the core of AGC 194.
13.1" (9/22/84): very faint, very small.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 543 on 31 Oct 1864, while
measuring positions for other members of AGC 194 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single micrometric
position is just off the south edge of
******************************
NGC 544 = ESO 296-024 = MCG -06-04-028 = AM 0122-381 NED01 =
01 25 12.0 -38 05 41; Scl
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 2°
17.5" (11/1/97): very faint, very small, round,
25" round, weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. Precedes a mag 14 star by 1.5' and
forms a close pair with NGC 546 1.5' N; the two galaxies and the star form a
nearly perfect equilateral triangle.
Located ~15' SW of the core of the distant
John Herschel discovered NGC 544 = h2411 (along with nearby
NGC 534 = h2410 and NGC 546 = h2412) on 23 Oct 1835. His description reads "eeF; the Sp of two [with NGC
546] which form an equilateral triangle with a star 13th mag" and matches
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NGC 545 = Arp 308 NED1 = UGC 1007 = MCG +00-04-142 = CGCG 385-132 = Holm 42a = 3C 40 = PGC 5323
01 25 59.1 -01 20 25; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 2.4'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 55°
48" (10/22/11): very bright, large, oval 2:1 SW-NE, 1.4'x0.7', well concentrated with a large bright core and fainter halo that merges with NGC 547 on the southeast side.
17.5" (9/19/87): NGC 545 is the brightest member of AGC 194. It appeared moderately bright, small, round, small bright core. Forms a double system with NGC 547 in a common envelope.
CGCG 385-129, located 2.5' NW of NGC 545, is extremely faint and small, round. It forms the eastern vertex of an equilateral triangle with a pair of mag 13 stars 45" SW and NW. RNGC and MCG misidentify CGCG 385-129 as NGC 545. CGCG 385-127, located 3' W of NGC 545 is extremely faint and small, almost round.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, round, bright core. Preceding of a double system with NGC 547 0.5' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 545 = H. II-448, along with
NGC 547, on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448).
He recorded them together as "Two, stellar of equal size and within
1' of each other. Their
nebulosities run together and at first sight seem to form only one extended
nebula." These galaxies are
the brightest members of AGC 194 and the closest pair (30" between
centers) that Herschel discovered.
The
RNGC misidentifies the double system NGC 545/547 as NGC
547/547A. MCG calls the double
galaxy
******************************
NGC 546 = ESO 296-025 = MCG -06-04-029 = AM 0122-381 NED02 =
01 25 12.7 -38 04 09; Scl
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35°
17.5" (11/1/97): extremely faint, very small, round, requires averted to view. Located 1.5' N of brighter NGC 544. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.5' SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 546 = h2412 (along with nearby NGC 534 = h2410 and NGC 544 = h2411) on 23 Oct 1835 and recorded "eeF. The on f of two." On a later sweep he logged "eeF; S; R; very gradually brighter middle." His mean position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 547 = Arp 308 NED2 = UGC 1009 = MCG +00-04-143 = CGCG 385-133 = Holm 42b = 3C 40 = PGC 5324
01 26 00.7 -01 20 43; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 85°
48" (10/22/11): very bright, round, moderately large, 1' diameter, very bright core. The halo merges with NGC 545, which is in contact on the NW side.
17.5" (9/19/87): moderately bright, small, round, small bright core. Forms a contact pair with NGC 545 0.5' NW and the brightest (pair) in AGC 194. NGC 541 is 4.6' SW and NGC 543 lies 4.1' NW.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, round, bright core, in contact with NGC 545 very close NW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 547 = H. II-449, along with NGC 545, on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448). He reported both as "Two, stellar of equal size and within 1' of each other. Their nebulosities run together and at first sight seem to form only one extended nebula." These galaxies are the brightest members of AGC 194 and the closest pair (30" between centers) that Herschel discovered.
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01 26 02.5 -01 13 32; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 135°
17.5" (9/19/87): faint, small, slightly elongated, broad concentration. Member of AGC 194.
George Searle discovered NGC 548 = HN 33 on 2 Nov 1867 using
the 15-inch Merz Refractor (Annal of Harvard Obs, Vol 13, #25) at Harvard
Observatory. His micrometric
position matches
******************************
NGC 549 = ESO 296-022 = PGC 5243
01 25 07.1 -38 00 29; Scl
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 100°
18" (12/17/11): extremely faint, fairly small, round, no structure, required averted vision. Located ~5' NNW of NGC 544/546 pair. Viewed at 11° elevation.
17.5" (11/1/97): not visible
John Herschel discovered NGC 549 = h2413 on 29 Nov 1837 and
recorded "eeeF, S, R, very gradually brighter middle. The 4th of a group
of four [with NGC 534, 544 and 546]." There is nothing at this position, but 15' N is
Instead, I suggested that NGC 549 = ESO 296-022 = PGC 5243.
This galaxy matches Herschel's position in declination but his RA would be off
by 18 tsec. Although
This identification was suggested by Pietro Baracchi, when he observed the group with the 48" Melbourne telescope on 19 Dec 1887. He noted "GC 324 [NGC 549] found but out of position...It is eeF; eS; R." It precedes [NGC 544] by 6s and is 5' 10" north of it. In this group [GC] 316, 320, 321 agree with Herschel in appearance, relative and absolute position, but 324 [NGC 549] is out altogether. It agrees very well in appearance but its relative position with regard to the other three objects is quite different. Herschel observed [NGC 549] only once and the other three were observed twice - it is probable that he made some mistake in placing or connecting the four objects together."
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01 26 42.5 +02 01 20; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 120°
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.5', bright core has a fairly high surface brightness, faint stellar nucleus, faint halo. Located 9' SW of a mag 9.5 star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 550 = H. II-463 = h122 on 8 Oct 1785 (sweep 462) and noted "F, S, lE." On 20 Dec 1786 (sweep 655) he logged "F, S, mbM, irr lE nearly in the parallel" and again on 3 Dec 1787 (sweep 788), "F, vS, irr R, little brighter in the middle."
John Herschel reported on 16 Dec 1827 (sweep 110), "pB;
S; E from p to f; BM; has a granulated (i.e. a resolvable)
appearance." Dreyer, as Lord
Rosse's assistant, observed NGC 550 on 23 Oct 1876 with description, "F,
pL, E npsf, 2 st 13-14m p & np
2.5'. Orange-red *9-10
(with a F companion 3/4' preceding) is 9.2' NE." The mag 9.0 star is the K2-type
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01 27 40.6 +37 10 59; And
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 140°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 13 star is at the NW end 1.1' from center. A close mag 14.5 double is just following the SE end.
William Herschel discovered NGC 551 = H. III-560 = h123 on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599) and noted "vF, S, E, among some stars." John Herschel reported "vF; E; very gradually little brighter middle; near a * 13m." (Oct. 1828). R.J. Mitchell observed this galaxy with the 72" on 18 Sep 1857 and recorded, "much elongated np-sf. Faint triple star following; at Alpha a vF * or neb. patch." Although the orientation of the sketch is not shown, at the position of Alpha there is just a very faint star.
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01 26 10.1 +33 24 22; Psc
17.5" (12/9/01): this number possibly applies to the
mag 15 star just 30" preceding
William Herschel discovered NGC 552 = H. III-172, along with NGC 553, on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271). He listed both together as "Two. Both very small, stellar; but a little doubtful."
There is nothing near his position and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 552 may apply to a star at 01 26 10.1 +33 24 21, which is just preceding CGCG 502-084 = NGC 553? Wolfgang Steinicke also identifies it as a star, but at 01 26 57.0 +33 33 29. See NGC 553.
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NGC 553 = CGCG 502-084 = Mrk 1155 = LGG 026-033 = PGC 5333
01 26 12.6 +33 24 19; Psc
V = 14.6; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 15°
17.5" (12/9/01): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter (viewed core only of this faint edge-on), requires averted. A slightly brighter mag 15 star (possibly NGC 552) is 30" preceding. Located 18' ESE of NGC 517, just following the NGC 507 Group.
This identification is very uncertain due to a poor position by William Herschel.
William Herschel discovered NGC 553 = H. III-173, along with NGC 552, on 13 Sep 1784 (problematic sweep 271). He recorded both as "Two [with NGC 552 = III-172]. Both vS. stellar, but a little doubtful." There is nothing near his position and RNGC classifies NGC 553 as nonexistent. Dreyer notes the observation by Sir Robert Ball at Birr Castle on 4 Jan 1867 ("Two, perhaps 3 neb, but I had not time to examine the field closely. Alpha is faint, very small; Beta extremely faint; Gamma is doubtful") may refer to other objects.
Harold Corwin suggests that NGC 553 is possibly CGCG 502-084 = PGC 5333. NGC 552 might apply to the faint star close preceding. This assumes Herschel's RA was 1.6 minutes too large, and his dec 3' too far north (his errors in RA were greater as the sweep progressed). But Wolfgang Steinicke disagrees. He argues that Herschel's sweep path from III-171 = NGC 536, the previous object in the sweep, is not consistent with CGCG 502-084, which is too far west and south to be seen. So, perhaps it is best to classify NGC 553 and 552 as lost (likely stars).
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01 27 09.6 -22 43 30; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 177°
24" (12/6/18): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small,
elongated 4:3 N-S, ~30"x24".
Contains a very small brighter core/nucleus. A mag 12.3 star is 1.8'
E. Brightest in a small triplet
with
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, irregular round, 40" diameter, weak concentration. Two mag 12 stars follow 1.8' E and 2.5' SE. Close pair with NGC 552 2.3' S.
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, small, round. Forms the SW vertex of an equilateral triangle with a mag 13.2 star 1.8' NE and a mag 12.8 star 1.8' E. Forms a close pair with NGC 555 2' S.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 554 = LM 2-305, along with NGC
555 and 556, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick
Observatory. His position is 0.4
min of RA too far west. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00
using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2
notes). This is an extremely close
double system (
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NGC 555 = ESO 476-012 = MCG -04-04-014 = PGC 5419
01 27 11.8 -22 45 44; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 13°
24" (12/6/18): at 260x; faint, very small, round,
20" diameter, low even surface brightness. In a triplet with NGC 554 2.3' NNW and NGC 556 4' N. Located 15' ENE of mag 7.1
18" (12/3/05): extremely faint, very small, round. Appears as a very low surface brightness hazy spot with averted vision. ~15" diameter. Visible at best 1/3 of the time with averted vision. Located 2.3' S of NGC 554.
17.5" (12/9/01): extremely faint, very small, round. In a small group with NGC 554 2' N and NGC 556 (not seen).
17.5" (11/6/93): extremely faint, very small, just glimpsed at moments though definitely visible. A mag 13 star is 1.5' ENE. Forms a close pair with NGC 554 2' N.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 555 = LM 2-306, along with NGC
554 and 556, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick
Observatory. His position is 0.4
tmin west of
******************************
NGC 556 = ESO 476-013 = PGC 5420
01 27 12.6 -22 41 52; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 136°
24" (12/6/18): at 260x; very faint, very small, round, 12"-15" diameter. Situated 1.8' NNE of NGC 554. A mag 12.3 star is 1.7' SE.
18" (12/3/05): marginal object, glimpsed a few times but confirmed off the NNE side of NGC 554 and faintest in a close trio with NGC 554 and NGC 555. Appeared quasi-stellar, ~6" in diameter. Situated just 1.8' NNE of NGC 554.
17.5" (11/6/93): not seen.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 556 = LM 2-307, along with NGC
554 and 555, in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick
Observatory. His position is 0.5
min of RA east of
******************************
01 26 25.1 -01 38 20; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 45°
17.5" (1/1/92): faint, small, round, broad
concentration, halo gradually fades into background. Located 4.5' WNW of mag 8.7
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 557 = Sw. 6-11 on 20 Nov 1886
with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and recorded "eF; S;
B * f 15 seconds and is on of it."
His position is poor; 46 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 558 = CGCG 385-143 = PGC 5425
01 27 16.1 -01 58 16; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.1; PA = 110°
24" (9/23/17): at 375x; fairly faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, ~20" diameter. Appears to have a brighter bar oriented WNW-ESE [confirmed on the SDSS]. A mag 12.0 star is 1.3' WNW. NGC 560 lies 4.2' NNE. In AGC 194.
17.5" (1/1/92): very faint, very small, very small bright core, faint stellar nucleus, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE in direction of a mag 12.5 star 1.3' WNW of core. Member of AGC 194 with NGC 560 4' NNE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 558 on 1 Feb 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen, while measuring nearby NGC 560 and NGC 564. He also accurately placed the nearby mag 12 star (called mag 10) as 5 seconds preceding.
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01 29 34 +63 18 12; Cas
V = 9.5; Size 4'
17.5" (11/2/91): about 50 stars mag 10-15 at 220x in a 6'x4' region. Fairly compact and rich with an irregular outline. Includes a thin isosceles triangle of three mag 10 stars with the base to the south. The southeast star in this base is a close unequal double. A number of the stars are arranged in strings including four mag 13-14 stars over haze trail from base to the north. Also four mag 8/9 stars precede the cluster to the northwest in a 10' string.
William Herschel discovered NGC 559 = H. VII-48 = h124 on 9 Nov 1787 (sweep 777) and noted "a compressed cluster of some pL and many vS stars, irregularly round, 6' or 7' diameter." John Herschel independently found this cluster on 5 Oct 1829 and described "A fine rich cluster 5' diameter, irregular." He made a clerical error in reducing the PD, which is 1° too far south (error caught by Auwers) and assumed this was a new discovery when compiling the Slough Catalogue. This error was corrected in the General Catalogue (h124 = H. VII-48).
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NGC 560 = IC 117 = UGC 1036 = MCG +00-04-151 = CGCG 385-145 = PGC 5430
01 27 25.4 -01 54 47; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 178°
24" (9/23/17): at 375x; fairly faint to moderately
bright, very elongated at least 3:1 N-S, ~50"x15", slightly brighter
core, small bright nucleus. Middle
of 3 with NGC 558 4' SW and
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, well-defined very small bright core, faint narrow extensions. In a trio with NGC 558 4' SSW and NGC 564 6' ENE within AGC 194.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, small, elongated ~N-S, bright core. Located 5' WSW of NGC 564.
William Herschel discovered NGC 560 = H. III-441, along with NGC 564, on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448). He logged "vF, vS, iE." Earlier in the sweep he discovered NGC 545 and 547, the two brightest members of AGC 194.
Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate postion on 5 Jan
1864. Édouard Stephan found the
galaxy on 4 Nov 1875 (already aware of it?). He reported it as new (list 8b, #1) with an accurate
position determined on 21 Nov 1878, but added a footnote that it was probably
equal to H. III-411 (similarly, St. 8b-2 = NGC 564). Both d'Arrest and Stephan are mentioned as "Other
Observers" in the NGC. Harold
Corwin found that Stephane Javelle's J. 1-58 (later
******************************
01 28 18.8 +34 18 30; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated NW-SE, weak concentration.
Located 15' ESE of mag 6.3
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 561 on 23 Aug 1862 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and logged "eF, 30" dia,
R". His single position
matches
******************************
01 28 29.3 +48 23 15; And
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 20°
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, fairly small, round, even surface brightness. A bright wide double star is located 4' S with components 8/10 at 21".
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 562 = Sw. 3-5 on 30 Nov 1885 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and noted "eF; pS; R; D *
near south". His position is
17 tsec following
******************************
NGC 563 = NGC 539 = ESO 542-010 = MCG -03-04-063 = PGC 5269
01 25 21.7 -18 09 51; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 539.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 563 = LM 1-30 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. The description mentions "sev
faint stars follow in a line n and s". Corwin identifies NGC 563 as a duplicate observation of NGC
539 = ESO 542-010 = PGC 5269 (discovered earlier by Leavenworth) with a 2 tmin
error in RA as the description of the line of faint stars matches NGC 539.
******************************
NGC 564 = UGC 1044 = MCG +00-04-154 = CGCG 385-148 = Holm 44a = PGC 5455
01 27 48.2 -01 52 46; Cet
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 145°
24" (9/23/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, small bright core, 30" diameter. A mag 14 star is 1.4' S and a mag 15 star is 40" NW of center.
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
3:2 NW-SE, very small bright core.
A mag 15 star is just off the west edge. Third of three and similar to NGC 560 6' WSW although
different position angles. Located
7' NNW of mag 8.6
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, bright core. Two bright stars are in the field to SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 564 = H. III-442, along with NGC 560, on 1 Oct 1785 (sweep 448). He logged "vF, vS, iE." d'Arrest measured an accurate postion on 5 Jan 1864.
Édouard Stephan found the galaxy on 4 Nov 1875 (already aware of it?). He reported it as new (list 8b, #2) with an accurate position determined on 21 Nov 1878, although he noted the probable equivalence with III-442 (similarly, St. 8b-1 = NGC 560).
******************************
01 28 10.1 -01 18 22; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 36°
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, bright core. Located just west of the midpoint of two mag 10 stars 3.9' NE and 4.7' S in the rich cluster AGC 194.
George Searle discovered NGC 565 = HN 34 on 2 Nov 1867 using the 15-inch Merz Refractor (Annal of Harvard Obs, Vol 13, #26) at the Harvard Observatory. His micrometric position is accurate.
******************************
01 29 03.0 +32 19 56; Psc
V = 13.5; Size 1.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 178°
17.5" (12/23/89): very faint, fairly small, elongated N-S, even surface brightness. NGC 571 lies 15' NE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 566 = h125 on 22 Nov 1827 and
noted "vF; S; R". His
position matches
******************************
01 27 02.3 -10 15 55; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 125°
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, very small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 11.5 star is 4.5' S.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 567 = LM 1-31 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and logged
"mag 15, vS, R". His
rough position (RA given as uncertain) is 1.0 tmin east of
******************************
01 27 57.0 -35 43 04; Scl
V = 12.6; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 137°
17.5" (11/1/97): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, 1.0' diameter, weak concentration to a small brighter core. Larger of pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 568 = h2414 on 29 Nov 1837 and
recorded "very faint, small, round." His position matches
******************************
01 29 07.2 +11 07 54; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.5'; PA = 163°
24" (10/1/16): fairly faint, but moderately large,
elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, ~40"x20", fairly low surface brightness, weak
concentration. Forms a disrupted
interacting pair with
17.5" (1/1/92): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.5', low surface brightness with weak concentration.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 569 = m 49 on 1 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta. He noted "eF, vS, R" and measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
01 28 58.6 -00 56 57; Cet
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175°
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 E-W, small bright core. Contains a faint stellar nucleus offset towards the west end or a very faint star is superimposed. A mag 13 star is 1.8' SSW. Member of AGC 194.
George Searle discovered NGC 570 = HN 32 on 31 Oct 1867 using the 15-inch Merz Refractor (Annal of Harvard Obs, Vol 13, #27) at Harvard Observatory. His micrometric position is accurate.
******************************
01 29 56.1 +32 30 04; Psc
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0
17.5" (12/23/89): extremely faint, small, round, very
diffuse. A close mag 14/15 double
star is close west. Located 5.6'
SSW of mag 9.0
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 571 on 1 Oct 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. As well as providing an accurate position he measured the mag 14 star that precedes by 6 seconds of RA (or 74" separation), though did not note it was double.
******************************
01 28 36.4 -39 18 26; Scl
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (10/3/13): although quite low from central California, viewed at 280x and 375x and appeared faint, very small, round, 18" diameter (core only). A mag 14.6 star is at the NW edge. A mag 10.3 star lies 6.2' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 572 = h2415 on 4 Sep 1834 and
reported "eF, S; attached to a minute star, and very near a bright
one.". His position and
description apply to
******************************
01 30 49.3 +41 15 26; And
V = 13.1; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 10.9
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, small, fairly strong smooth surface brightness, only a gradual concentration but no core or nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 30" SW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 573 = St. 12-15 on 21 Oct 1881 (or earlier) and recorded "vF, vS, R, gradually brighter to the center".
******************************
NGC 574 = ESO 353-006 = MCG -06-04-039 = PGC 5544
01 29 03.0 -35 35 57; Scl
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 2°
17.5" (11/1/97): faint, small, slightly elongated, weak even concentration to a brighter core. Follows an asterism of four mag 13 stars, the closest being 2.4' W. In same field with NGC 568 15' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 574 = h2416 on 1 Sep 1834 and described "A Double Star. The left eye leaves no doubt of its being involved in a vF neb. diffused over 15". An extremely delicate and difficult object. Pos. of the double star 225 degrees; dist. 4", 15 and 16 mag." On a later sweep he noted "vF, S, R." and the next sweep he recorded it again: "There is a nebula but I perceive no double star in it." This galaxy is a barred spiral, and possibly he detected a brightening in the bar at one end.
******************************
01 30 46.7 +21 26 25; Psc
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (11/30/91): faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, low almost even surface brightness, broad mild concentration, edges fade into background.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 575 = St. 8a-5 on 19 Oct
1873. His published observation
was made 3 years later on 17 Oct 1876 with description, "eF, almost
unobservable, irr R, dia 3/4 to 1'."
Dreyer made a transcription error and the declination in the GC
Supplement and NGC is two degrees too far north. Stephane Javelle found this galaxy again on 18 Jan 1896,
placed it correctly, and reported it in list 3-888 (later
******************************
01 28 57.7 -51 35 55; Phe
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 18°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; moderately
bright, fairly small, 30" diameter.
Sharply concentrated with an elongated bar oriented NW-SE containing a
faint stellar nucleus. The outer
halo has an extremely low surface brightness. Situated along the north side of a pentagon of mag 11.3-14
stars. Located 7.6' SE of mag 7.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 576 = h2417 on 3 Oct 1834 and
logged "F; S; R; bM; among 5 or 6 stars 11m." His position and description matches
******************************
01 30 40.7 -01 59 40; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 140°
24" (11/15/22): at 327x; fairly faint, elongated ~3:2 NW-SE, 45"x30", occasionally a brighter bar is visible running through the major axis. In moments of better seeing a sharp stellar nucleus was seen. Outlying member of AGC 194.
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 4:3 NW-SE, weak concentration, occasionally a very faint stellar nucleus is visible. Located near the east edge of AGC 194 and 5' WSW of a mag 10 star.
Aaron Skinner discovered NGC 577 = Sf. 100 = T I-7 = T. 4-5 on 23 Oct 1867 with the 18.5" Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. Truman Safford published the discovery list 20 years later (1887), so Dreyer didn't notice it in time for Skinner to be credited in the NGC.
Wilhelm Tempel independently found the galaxy on 14 Aug 1877
with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and recorded it in both
his first discovery paper (#7) and his 4th paper. Tempel claimed he found
two nebulae 2m 50s following NGC 560 and 564 (there is only a single galaxy at
this position), which Dreyer assigned to NGC 577 and
******************************
01 30 28.9 -22 40 00; Cet
V = 10.9; Size 4.9'x3.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 110°
48" (11/5/21): at 375x; fascinating structured 3-armed spiral extending nearly 4'x2.5' WNW-ESE. A very bright, well defined thin bar runs E-W through the center of the galaxy, ~40"x10", with a slightly brighter nucleus.
Two spiral arms were obvious - the northern spiral arm was detached from the bar and seemed to start just north of the eastern end of the bar. It swept roughly due west in the northern halo, with a brighter, patchy section to the NW of the bar. The southern arm was nearly attached to the west end of the bar and was easily seen shooting straight east. It was fairly thin and well defined, with a slightly brighter section to the SE of the bar. There was a strong suggestion of a third arm extending west, with an isolated section on the south side of the halo.
An easily visible, relatively large "knot", ~15" diameter, was noticed
immediately on the east side [1.0' ENE from center], though it's not embedded
in one of the arms. I assumed at
the time it was a giant HII region, but images revealed it's an overlapped
background galaxy (
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated
4:3 WNW-ESE, ~4'x3', slightly brighter middle is mottled, no distinct
core. A mag 14 star or knot is at
the east end 1.3' from the center.
Images reveals this is a galaxy, catalogued as
8" (9/25/81): faint, fairly large, elongated. Lies SE of a mag 8 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 578 = h2418 on 11 Nov 1835 and logged "B; L; pmE; gradually pretty much brighter middle; 3' long, 2' broad." His position is accurate.
******************************
01 31 46.6 +33 36 55; Tri
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, moderately large,
almost round, weakly concentrated but no core. Pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 579 = h127 on 22 Nov 1827 and
logged "vF; pL; gradually brighter in the middle." His position matches
******************************
NGC 580 = NGC 577 = UGC 1080 = MCG +00-04-165 = CGCG 385-165 = PGC 5628
01 30 40.7 -01 59 40; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 577.
Wilhelm Tempel found NGC 580 = T. 1-8 = Sw. 6-12 on 14 Aug
1877 with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory, claiming to see
two nebulae 2m 50s following NGC 560 and 564. The second object was
assigned NGC 580. But there is only the single galaxy
Lewis Swift found the galaxy again on 20 Nov 1886 and reported it as new in his 6th discovery list. Dreyer assigned Swift's position to NGC 580 with Swift and Tempel credited in the NGC. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory.
******************************
01 33 22 +60 39 30; Cas
V = 7.4; Size 6'
13.1" (10/20/84): 50-60 stars in cluster, fairly
rich. Includes several bright
stars in a distinctive triangular wedge shape. At the NW edge is STF 131, a triple consisting of mag 7.3 HD
9311 (background star), a 9.9-mag star at 14" and an 11.8-mag star at
28". Mag 8.4
Pierre Méchain discovered
William Herschel observed the cluster on 8 Aug 1783 and wrote, "14 or 16 pretty large stars with a great many extremely small ones. Two of the large ones are double, one of the 1st the other of the 2nd class. The compound eye glass shews a few more that may be taken into the cluster so as to make about 20. I exclude a good many straggling ones, otherwise there would be no knowing where to stop." On 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) he called it "a cluster of pretty large stars, 5 or 6' diam, pretty compressed, irregularly round."
John Herschel included M103 in his Slough Catalogue (h126) but only referenced STF 131, Wilhelm Struve's entry (1825) from his catalogue of double stars, so he was apparently unaware of the equivalence with M103. He reported it on 29 Sep 1829 (sweep 213) as "A fine cluster; round; rich; rather coarse; 6 or 8' diam; stars 10...11m. One of Struve's "acervi" [heap of stars].
******************************
NGC 582 = UGC 1094 = MCG +05-04-065 = CGCG 502-105 = PGC 5702
01 31 58.1 +33 28 35; Tri
V = 13.2; Size 2.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 58°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, weak concentration. Pair with NGC 579 8' NNW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 582 on 9 Aug 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He mentioned the mag 12-13 star that precedes by 4.5 seconds of time and measured an accurate position.
******************************
01 29 44.1 -18 20 22; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 40°
17.5" (10/21/95): very faint, very small, round, 30" diameter, very weak concentration with no distinct core. A mag 12 star is 1.5' NW of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 583 = LM 2-308 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His typical poor position is 1 min of
RA east of
******************************
01 31 20.7 -06 52 06; Cet
V = 10.5; Size 4.2'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 55°
24" (12/28/16): at 200x and 375x; very bright, large,
oval ~3:2 SW-NE, ~2.4'x1.6', sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core
that gradually increases to quasi-stellar nucleus. Brightest in a group (LGG
027) with
17.5" (8/2/86): very bright, moderately large, oval WSW-ENE, very bright large core. Forms a pair with NGC 586 4.5' SE.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; bright, fairly large, slightly elongated 4:3 SW-NE with a very low surface brightness halo increasing to 2'x1.5'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright round core containing a small intense nucleus. Pair (similar redshift) with NGC 586 4.4' ESE.
8" (9/25/81): bright, round, bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 584 = H. I-100 = h128, along with NGC 586, on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435). He recorded both as "two, the first [NGC 584] cB, pS, R, mbM. The second [NGC 586] eF, S, about 5 or 6' following the former, requires great attention to be seen. His position is fairly accurate. John Herschel made 3 observations, desribing it on 9 Oct 1826 (sweep 186) as "vB; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 25" [diameter]."
E.E. Barnard found this galaxy while observing his comet
discovery C/1888 RI with the comet nearly occulting the galaxy! He wrote, "The comet's nucleus
passed some 30" N of the nucleus of the nebula. The comet is probably 5 times as bright as the nebula and is
a great many times larger."
The discovery was reported directly to Dreyer, who catalogued it again
as
******************************
01 31 42.4 -00 55 55; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 2.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 86°
17.5" (1/1/92): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 1.2'x0.4', small bright core, faint thin extensions. This is an outlying member of AGC 194 cluster.
John Herschel discovered NGC 585 = h129 on 20 Dec 1827 and reported "vF; R; bM; 25" [diameter]." His position was off by 7 sec of RA west and 1' S.
******************************
NGC 586 = Holm 45a = MCG -01-05-001 = LGG 027-002 = PGC 5679
01 31 37.0 -06 53 38; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 10°
24" (12/28/16): at 200x and 375x; moderately bright and large, very elongated 5:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.4', small bright core. Forms a pair with much brighter NGC 584 4.3' NW.
17.5" (8/2/86): fairly faint, fairly small, diffuse, very weak concentration. Located 4.5' SE of NGC 584.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, ~45"x20", fairly low surface brightness, small brighter core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 586 = H. III-431 = h130 = Sw. 3-6 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435) along with NGC 584. See description under NGC 584. John Herschel made a single observation on 8 Jan 1831 (sweep 318), "vF; R; 15 arcsec".
R.J. Mitchell observed NGC 586 with the 72" on 28 and 29 Nov 1856. John Herschel catalogued the Birr Castle observations as a new discovery: GC 343 = R[osse]. nova. But in compiling the 1880 Rosse Catalogue Dreyer noted the equivalence with h130 = III 431.
Lewis Swift apparently thought he discovered this object on
30 Nov 1885, though his position for Sw. 3-6 was 19 seconds of time too far
east. His description stated
"south-following GC 363 [
******************************
01 32 33.4 +35 21 30; Tri
V = 12.8; Size 2.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 67°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WSW-ENE, even surface brightness.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 587 on 27 Aug 1862 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is 4.5' S of
The CGCG, UGC and PGC label this galaxy
******************************
01 32 45.9 +30 38 51; Tri
Size 0.5'
18" (12/8/07): moderately bright
17.5" (7/5/86): extremely faint nebulosity in M33,
requires averted vision to view.
Located 14' W of the center of M33 and forms the western vertex of a
very obtuse isosceles triangle with
13.1" (7/5/86): barely visible with averted. Almost collinear with NGC 592 and NGC 595.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 588 = Au 13 in M33, along with NGC 592, on 2 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. His micrometric position (measured on several nights) is accurate. Auwers included this HII region in his 1862 catalogue of 50 new nebulae.
******************************
01 32 39.9 -12 02 34; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, very small, round, small
brighter core, very faint stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 2.3' SW. In a trio with
Frank Muller discovered NGC 589 = LM 2-309 in 1886 with the
26" Clark refractor of the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is
50 sec of RA west of
******************************
01 33 40.9 +44 55 44; And
V = 12.9; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 150°
24" (11/7/18): at 200x; moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a bright elongated core and a much fainter halo. Situated in a rich star field with four mag 10 stars within 5'.
Forms a pair with
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, broad concentration, faint almost stellar nucleus, rich star field. There is a group of mag 10 stars in the field to the north including mag 10 stars 2.1' ENE, 3.2' N and 4.5' NNE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 590 on 22 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate.
******************************
01 33 31.2 +35 40 06; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5°
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, oval NW-SE, even
surface brightness. A mag 14.5
star is 0.8' N and a faint mag 15.5 star 1.5' WNW. Located 6.6' NW of 7.3
Truman Safford discovered NGC 591 = Sf. 61 = Sw. 3-7 on 10 Oct 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory and described as "pF, S, R, bM." Safford was not credited in the NGC as Dreyer missed his discovery list published in 1887, just prior to the NGC. Lewis Swift independently found the galaxy again on 30 Nov 1885 and reported it in his 3rd discovery paper. Dreyer credited Swift with the discovery in the NGC. Swift's position is 13 seconds off in RA.
******************************
01 33 12.5 +30 38 50; Tri
Size 0.8'x0.7'
18" (12/8/07): moderately bright HII/star complex, ~ 40"x30". There appears to be faint star involved. Located 8' W of the core of M33. NGC 588 lies an additional 6' W on the same line.
17.5" (7/5/86): faint nebulous patch in M33 9' WSW of the core. Forms the vertex of an obtuse isosceles triangle with NGC 588 6' W and NGC 595 6' NE.
13.1" (8/15/82 and 8/5/83): fairly easy HII/star-forming region with averted vision.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 592 = Au 14 in M33, along with NGC 588, on 2 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Copenhagen. His micrometric position (measured on 3 nights) is fairly accurate. Auwers included the discovery in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae.
In March 2020, Yann Pothier found an earlier discovery by R.J. Mitchell, the observer on Lord Rosse's 72" on 7 Dec 1858. His excellent sketch in the 1862 publication (plate 26, figure 10) includes NGC 592 at the right edge.
******************************
NGC 593 = MCG -02-05-003 = PGC 5733
01 32 20.7 -12 21 16; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 12°
17.5" (9/26/92): extremely faint, small, very elongated
3:1 ~N-S, low surface brightness.
In a small group with NGC 589 12' NE and
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 593 = St. 12-17 on 30 Oct 1869. He noted a rough offset from NGC 599; 40 seconds preceding and about 15' S. The actual offsets are 33 seconds preceding and 10' S. His published micrometric position was made 13 years later on 2 Nov 1882 with the somewhat odd description "very small group of stars, a little elongated SSW to NNE and appearing to be enveloped in a very slight nebulosity." There is a very faint star on the south end, though I didn't note it in my 17.5" observation.
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01 32 57.0 -16 32 08; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 32°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
2:1 SW-NE, bright core. Located in
a barren field 9' SSE of mag 8.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 594 = LM 1-32 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded
"mag 12.5, pS, E 225°." His rough position essentially matches MCG
-03-05-005 = PGC 5769 and the position angle is close (SW-NE). Harold Corwin suggests Lewis Swift may
have rediscovered this galaxy on 29 Sep 1897 and recorded it in list Sw. 12-7 (later
******************************
01 33 33.5 +30 41 31; Tri
18" (12/8/07): fairly bright knot near the core of M33,
just 4' NW of center and close west of the spiral arm that winds north from the
core on the west side. Appears
elongated SSW-NNE, ~40"x30", with a fairly well-defined outer
edge. This is the second most
luminous HII region in M33 after
17.5" (7/5/86): very faint nebulosity in M33, located 4' NW of the center. Situated just off the west edge of the beginning of the spiral arm that extends north and then northeast from the core on the west side. This is a combination star cluster and HII region.
13.1" (8/15/82 and 8/5/83): faintly visible with averted. Situated at the edge of a spiral arm.
Bindon Blood Stoney or George Johnstone Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistants, discovered NGC 595 = Sf. 63 on 27 Dec 1850 (Friday). An offset was measured from a star superimposed on M33. It was possibly first seen on Sept. 13, though the description on that date only mentions "full of knots"). The nebula was labeled as "1" on the diagram in the 1861 publication. No coordinates were ever measured at Birr Castle.
Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered this HII knot on 1 Oct 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and measured a fairly accurate position (4 seconds of RA too large). d'Arrest is credited with the discovery in the NGC. Truman Safford rediscovered it on 1 Nov 1866 with the 18.5" refractor at the Dearborn Observatory and recorded Sf. 63 as "pF, vS, probably a well-known outlier of M33."
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01 32 51.9 -07 01 54; Cet
V = 10.9; Size 3.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 40°
17.5" (8/2/86): fairly bright, fairly small, very
bright core, surrounded by a small faint halo. Located 12' W of mag 5.8
8" (9/25/81 and 11/28/81): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. Located 12' W of a mag 6 star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 596 = H. II-4 = h132 on 13 Dec 1783 (early sweep 44), the first night he switched to sweeping vertically in the meridian. On 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435) he logged "pB. Much like the brightest of the two preceding [NGC 584]; but rather smaller." His summary description from 6 observations reads "pB, pS, R, mbM, resembling a telescopic comet."
On 2 Jan 1827 (sweep 40), John Herschel reported "pB; R; a * 6m follows 47.5 seconds and is 40" north." On 31 Oct 1877, R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, noted "B, S, R, Nucl, a vF * preceding and another north." The 2 mentioned stars are mag 16-16.5.
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01 32 14.7 -33 29 44; Scl
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (12/26/00): very faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Located just 1.9' NNW of a mag 12.5 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 597 = h2419 on 25 Sep 1834 and
recorded "vF, R, 25"." On a later sweep he logged "F, S, R,
bM, 15"." His mean position matches
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01 33 50.9 +30 39 37; Tri
V = 5.7; Size 70.8'x41.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 23°
17.5" (11/1/86): bright, very large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, weakly concentrated irregular halo, rises suddenly to a small bright core. Two prominent spiral arms form an "S-pattern" with an irregular surface brightness. At least a dozen HII regions or clusters are resolved (see the numerous IC listings). Overall, the entire galaxy is very mottled and the outer extent is difficult to define.
13.1" (several dates from 8/16/82 to 8/23/84): two prominent spiral arms distinctly visible and three HII knots in arm leading to NGC 604.
8" (10/4/80): the bright central region was slightly grainy and the halo showed two main spiral arms indicated by their outer edges.
Naked-eye (several times): just glimpsed in very dark skies, perhaps visible 25% of the time in best conditions.
Gioivanni Hodierna possibly discovered M33 = NGC 598 = H. V-17 = h131 before 1654 and catalogued it as a cloud-like nebulosity or obscuration "near the Triangle". Charles Messier made a certain discovery of M33 on 25 Aug 1764. William Herschel first viewed the galaxy with his 6.2" on 2 Aug 1783 and again three weeks later (24 Aug) he wrote (57x), "There is a suspicion that the nebula consists of exceedingly small stars. With this low power it has a nebulous appearance; and it vanishes when I put on the higher magnifying powers of 278 and 460."
William Herschel first viewed M33 with his 18.7" on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) but didn't recognize it as M33, perhaps as it wasn't located at Messier's position. He wrote, "18' long, and about 8 or 10' broad, or near 12' in the middle, faint, brightest and broadest in the middle. To the [north] of it is a small round nebula [NGC 604], brightest in the middle, very faint. The ends lose themselves nearly in the meridian or from a little SW to NE. There is also a roundish places which seems brighter than the rest and is almost detached enough to form a different nebula but may perhaps belong to the same." Another observation was made the next night (sweep 267) and he measured the polar distance of the "small nebula" [NGC 604]. On 11 Jan 1787 (sweep 680) he noted "The large nebula [no identification]. The middle of it easily resolvable and some of the stars visible; it is impossible to say how far it may extend; the nebulosity losing itself so gradually, but goes undoubtedly a great way in every direction, but chiefly from sp to nf." Caroline added a memorandum in her sweep record that he "Looked for the 33rd of the Conoiss des Temps, but it is not in the place." So clearly there was still confusion about the identification of M33, which overfilled they eyepiece field. Again in 1785 PT paper, Herschel mentioned his two observations as an example of an extended "milky Ray", but didn't refer to it as M33, and included it as new nebula in his first catalogue (V. 17). In observations made after his sweeps had ended, Herschel seemed to treat M33 as a cluster. Using "Large 10 feet telescope" (24" f/5) in 1805 and 1810, he wrote "The condensation of the stars is very gradually towards the middle; but with the four powers 71, 108, 171, and 220, some nebulosity remains. The stars of the cluster are the smallest points imaginable."
John Herschel included only a single observation in the Slough Catalogue from 15 Sep 1828 (sweep 177): "Enormously L; very gradually brighter middle. The nucl taken; has a * 12m, nf the nucl. The diffused neb extends 15' s[outh] and as much nearly to n[orth]. It has irregularities of light, and even feeble subordinate nuclei [HII knots] and many small stars."
Lord Rosse and/or assistant George Johnstone Stoney observed spiral sturcture in M33 on 6 Sep 1849 and a drawing by Rosse on the 16th with four or more spiral arms was included in the 1850 PT paper (figure 5). The description reads, "New spiral, s(outh) branch the brightest, none F, nf one short but pB, p(receding) on pretty distinct, sf one but suspected; the whole involved in F neby which probably extends past several knots which lie about it in different directions. Faint nebulosity seems to extend very far following." R.J. Mitchell produced a more detailed drawing on 18 Dec 1857 (included in the 1861 publication). Isaac Roberts produced the first excellent photograph of M33 in 1895 with his 20" reflector, revealing more detail than seen visually.
Based on the discovery of three dozen Cepheids by 1926, Edwin Hubble found a distance of ~860,000 l.y. using the Period-Luminosity relation. This determination, along with M31, proved they were external galaxies and effectively ended the "Island Universe" debate. The actual distance is ~3x larger, due to mixing different types of Cepheids (Population I and II) .
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NGC 599 = MCG -02-05-005 = PGC 5778
01 32 53.7 -12 11 28; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 135°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration, in a poor star field. NGC 589 lies 10' NNW and NGC 593 12' SW. Forms a close pair with NGC 601 3.3' ESE (not seen but appears stellar on the POSS).
William Herschel discovered NGC 599 = H. II-473 = LM 2-310 on 27 Nov 1785 (sweep 478) and logged "F, S, iF, easily resolvable, some of the stars visible.". His position was fairly accurate. This is an S0 galaxy, so I wouldn't expect that Herschel would find it mottled or resolvable. Frank Muller found it again in 1886 at the Leander McCormick Observatory and he reportedit as new in the observatory's second discovery paper (#310) with description "mag 13.0, 0.8' dia, gradually brighter in the middle."
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01 33 05.3 -07 18 43; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 3.3'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 85°
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, fairly large, round, 2.5' diameter. Appears as a low surface brightness glow without core or structure.
William Herschel discovered NGC 600 = H. III-432 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435) and simply noted as "eF". John Herschel made no observations of this low surface brightness galaxy and it was probably missed at Birr Castle. The single observation on 29 Nov 1850 with Lord Rosse's 72" commented "searched for 20' sf [NGC 596], doubtful whether found, perhaps it was a vF stellar object 2.5' S of a *13m and about 6' S of a *10m." This appears to refer to a 15th mag star and not the galaxy.
Based on photographs taken at the Helwan Observatory between 1914-16, NGC 600 was described as "vF, 2' x 1', nucleus elongated 20°, giving this spiral an almost Phi-type [barred] appearance."
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NGC 601 = Mrk 1000 = PGC 73980
01 33 06.5 -12 12 32; Cet
Size 0.3'x0.3'
17.5" (10/4/97): extremely faint and small, round. Initially appeared as a mag 15.5 "star" but a very small 10" halo was visible after extended viewing. Located 3.3' ESE of NGC 599. Listed as nonexistent in the RNGC. Appears stellar on the POSS.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 601 = LM 2-311 (close southeast
of II-310 = NGC 599) in 1886 using the 16" Clark refractor at Leander
McCormick Observatory. His
position is just 5 sec of RA west of
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01 29 26 -73 33 36; Hyi
Size 3'
25" (10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; NGC 602 is a large nebulous cluster (SMC-N90) that was clearly brighter on the southeast end. The total size is ~3' with the southeast end fairly bright, fairly large, irregular shape. A tight knot of three stars is near the center. Additional stars are involved near the edges. A weak dust lane was on the west end oriented SW-NE, separating the roundish western section. A mag 13.8 star (O3-type Sk 183) is involved just west of the dust lane. This star is one of the massive O-type stars in the SMC and the dominant ionizing source of the nebula. The two portions are separated (barely) without a filter but tangent when I added a NPB filter. A mag 12.5 star is off the SW side (1.8' from center) and a mag 13 star is off the north side, 2.2' NNW of center. NGC 602, along with N89 and N88 to the northwest, is situated in the SMC "Wing", along the boundary of SMC-1 (also called SMC-SGS 1), the only supergiant shell (diameter ~1°) in the SMC.
SMC-N89, located 20' NW, is fairly faint, large, roundish, irregular glow, ~3.5' diameter. At the northeast end are four mag 11.5 to 13 stars (part of Hodge association 67) in a near equilateral triangle with a 4th star at the center and a 12th mag star is at the E or SE end of the nebulosity. Lindsay 104 is a very faint, unresolved patch (cluster) just southwest of the four distinctive stars. Situated at the western boundary of SMC-1.
SMC-N88, located 33' NW, is dominated by a Highly Ionized Blob (HEB) of only 3.5" diameter and mag ~12.5. At 244x + NPB filter it appeared as a bright "star" or quasi-stellar object surrounded by faint nebulosity on the east and south side. I assume there was a contrast gain with the filter as this dense, high-excitation object has a ratio of O III lines/H-beta > 10.5. The nebula is surrounded by Hodge Assoication 64 including a mag 14 star 2' E, two close mag 14 stars 1.8' SE and a mag 14.5 star 1' SSE. A mag 11.2 star (part of Hodge Associatin 65) lies 5.6' S. Situated at the NW edge of supershell SMC-1.
18" (7/6/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, a knot of stars is embedded in a 3' fairly bright oval nebula (Henize N90). On closer inspection the knot of stars is offset to the SE side of the nebula. At 171x and UHC filter, the nebulosity is fairly bright and clearly locally brighter on the SE end around the knot of stars. A weak dark rift, running SW-NE, separates the fainter portion of nebulosity to the NW. This nebulous cluster is an outlying member of the SMC.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 602 = D 17 = h2421 on 1 Aug 1826. He described "a faint round nebula, about 2' diameter, a very little brighter in the middle, with some minute stars in it." Dunlop's position is just 3' too far east.
On 11 Apr 1834 (sweep 411), John Herschel logged "pB, S, irregularly round, pretty suddenly brighter, but not to the middle, but rather to a point near the southern edge. Is decidedly resolved, and has scattered stars. (This is an outlier of the Nubecula Minor)". On 5 Nov 1836 (sweep 745), he called it "bright; round or little extended; pretty suddenly brighter middle, to a star; has also a star involved which looks like a second nucleus and several small stars about it."
Joseph Turner observed this object on 26 Jan 1879 with the 48" Melbourne Telescope and noted there was clearly a double star in the center.
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01 34 44.0 +30 13 58; Tri
17.5" (9/28/02): identified at 162x as a slightly fuzzy glow and cleanly resolved into a faint triple star at 325x (7.5mm Tak and Paracorr). Situated ~30' SE of the core of M33.
17.5" (8/11/96): this is a faint, close triple star within M33 described as a "A small neb. or Cl. with 3 st[ars] in it" by Lord Rosse. It appeared as a faint nebulous spot at low power and was barely resolved at 220x. The trio of mag 14/15 stars was cleanly resolved at 410x. The maximum separation is 15", the close pair at 9" separation and the other side 12" with the trio forming a 3-4-5 right triangle! Located 28' SE of the center of M33.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 603 on 29 Nov 1850
(Friday). Bindon's brother, George
Johnstone, may have participated in the discovery as he visited Birr Castle
several weekends in Fall 1850. It was recorded as "A S neb. or Cl. with 3
st in it. It is about 8' ssp a
[double star] whose components are of the 11 m. RA 1h 26m +/- NPD 60d 35' +/-. (I obs)."
This description pins down the identification as a triple star whose components
have a maximum separation of 15".
In the IC 2 notes, Dreyer mentioned he only saw an extremely faint star
on plates of M33. Karl Reinmuth,
in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, states "Cl of 3 st
14". This identification was
noted by Mayall and Aller (1942) in the article "The Rotation of the
Spiral Nebula
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01 34 31.9 +30 47 13; Tri
48" (11/5/21): at 488x (unfiltered): NGC 604 appeared very bright, highly structured, with several mag 16.5+ supergiant stars resolved in the HII region. The main section is roughly 50" in diameter and elongated NW-SE, but with a very irregular outline, particularly on the eastern side.
The brightest region has a dented triangular shape, ~15" on each side, with a very high surface brightness along the SW facing edge (W side of NGC 604). Just to the NNW of the triangle is a 15" patch that is nearly detached. Adding an NPB filter, the nearly detached patch is fully connected and the SW facing flank brightens significantly. Also the SSE end of the nebula has a small elongated patch that noticeably improved contrast.
Very close to the NE vertex of the triangle is a faint Wolf-Rayet star (WR 4, V = 17.4) and a slightly brighter star (WR 2) is close to the S vertex. Two or three additional very faint stars are within 15" to the east of the triangular region (one is 17.9-mag WR 6).
18" (12/10/07): bright, large HII knot in M33 at the end of the spiral arm that trails to the east on the north side of the core. A mag 10.5-11 star is located 1.5' SE and NGC 604 is elongated 3:2 in the direction of this star. The outline is oval, though a bit irregular, particularly on the east side. It appears brighter and mottled on the northwest side and with direct vision a slightly brighter stellaring is embedded near the northwest end.
13.1" (7/5/86): bright HII region located 12' NE of the core of M33. Situated at the end of the large spiral arm of M33 that extends north and then east of the core. Bright, fairly small, ~30" diameter, round.
8": fairly bright, round, knot in M33.
William Herschel discovered NGC 604 = H. III-150 = h133 on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) during his first observation of M33 with his 18.7". He noted it was "very faint, small, round nebula, brightest in the middle." The sighting was confirmed the next night and was logged again on 11 Jan 1787 (sweep 680) as "the small nebula; small, round" , although he still didn't recognize "the large nebula" as M33.
Lord Rosse or assistant reported on 13 Sep 1850: "large spiral full of knots, north following is a bright, small neb [NGC 604], which on a very good night might appear attached to the spiral, than which it is brighter." Bindon or George Stoney measured an offset from a star superimposed just north of the core of M33 on 2 Jan 1851 and the nebula was labeled as "3" on the diagram in the 1861 publication. Vogel first identified its gaseous spectrum in 1890.
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01 35 02.4 +41 14 53; And
V = 12.9; Size 2.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 145°
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core, stellar nucleus, very small halo surrounds core.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 605 = St. 12-18 on 3 Oct 1869 and recorded an unpublished position 1.4' E of center. He published an accurate micrometric position made on 21 Oct 1881 and recorded "very faint, extremely small, round, bright stellar nucleus."
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01 34 50.2 +21 25 05; Psc
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5" (11/30/91): faint, small, round, weak
concentration. Located 2.5' S of
mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 606 = St. 12-16 on 5 Oct 1869. He published an accurate micrometric position made 12 years later on 18 Oct 1881 and recorded "extremely faint, round, diameter about 45", very little central concentration, seems resolvable."
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01 34 16.3 -07 24 46; Cet
V = 11.7/13.9; Size 14"
= **, Spitaler. =***, Carlson.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 607 = Au 15 on 23 Aug 1855 with a 4.6-inch Fraunhofer refractor at Leibniz. At his micrometric position (measured on two nights) is a pair of mag 12/14 stars at 14" separation. He also measured a mag 9.2 star (called mag 11) that follows by 29.7 seconds and 2' north, so this identification is certain. Auwers included this object in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae. In the NGC notes, Dreyer mentioned "no nebulosity seen by Schönfeld, but Auwers saw it [with the Konigsberg heliometer and reported the observation in the notes section of the catalogue]." Rudolph Spitaler found a double star (mag 11 with a 14th magnitude companion), which was mentioned in the IC 1 Notes section.
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01 35 28.2 +33 39 24; Tri
V = 13.2; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 32°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, small, oval SSW-NNE,
gradually increases to small bright core.
Forms a pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 608 = h134 on 22 Nov 1827 and recorded "vF; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle. Stellar". His position in the Slough and General Catalogue is 7 seconds of RA too small. The NGC position is accurate.
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01 36 27 +64 32 12; Cas
V = 11.0; Size 3'
24" (1/4/14): at 200x, ~15 faint to very faint stars sparkle over an unresolved background glow ~2.5' diameter. Two brighter mag 12/13 stars are detached, just off the southwest end. The cluster is 2.5' NW of MLB 187, a 5" pair of mag 9/9.5 stars.
13.1" (12/7/85): faint, fairly small, diffuse, about
six very faint stars over unresolved haze. Located 10' SSW of mag 6.6
8" (1/1/84): not found.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 609 on 9 Aug 1863 (one of two open clusters he found, along with NGC 133) with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted it as "subtle and elegant group of stars mag 14-15; 4' dia; nearly round." His single RA measure is ~50 seconds too large and this error was carried over into the NGC, RNGC and Sky Catalogue 2000.
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01 34 18 -20 09; Cet
= Not found, RNGC and Corwin.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 610 = LM 2-312 (along with NGC 611 = LM 2-313) in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position and Corwin was unable to recover this object after an extensive search for a candidate. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
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01 34 18 -20 08; Cet
= Not found, RNGC and Corwin.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 611 = LM 2-313 (along with NGC 610 = LM 2-31) in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position and Corwin was unable to recover this object after an extensive search for a candidate. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
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01 33 57.7 -36 29 36; Scl
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 172°
17.5" (11/10/96): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2
N-S, ~1.2'x0.8', weak concentration.
Located 1.0' following a mag 11 star. First of three with
John Herschel discovered NGC 612 = h2423 on 29 Nov 1837 and
recorded "F, R, 12", follows a star 12th mag. This is possibly identical
with the next [h2424 = NGC 619] but one with a mistaken minute." His
position is 1' S of
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01 34 18.2 -29 25 07; Scl
V = 10.1; Size 5.5'x4.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 120°
30" (10/15/15 - OzSky): this very large barred spiral was a stunning showpiece at 303x! The bright central bar region is oriented NW-SE and extends ~2.5'x1' with the halo and arms stretching ~5'x3.6'. The central region was sharply concentrated with a very intense oval core that increased to a bright stellar nucleus. A prominent spiral arm was easily visible on the southeast end. It had a well defined edge and a high contrast as it emerged from the central region and unfurled east and north. The arm then dimmed significantly but could be followed as it bent backwards on the east side towards the northwest! The arm faded away before reaching a mag 9.6 star (SAO 167149) 2.2' NE of center. A second relatively bright, well-defined arm is attached on the northwest end of the bar and it curled south on the west end of the halo.
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1
WNW-ESE, 4.0'x1.3', prominent elongated core, almost stellar nucleus with
direct vision. The halo is broader with averted vision. There appeared to
be a very faint extension or large knot southeast of the core . The DSS reveals
this feature to be the bright spiral arm extending southeast from the central
bar. Located 2.4' SW of mag 9
8" (11/28/81): faint, moderately large, diffuse, small bright core. A mag 9 star lies 2.5' NE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 613 = H. I-281 = h139 = h2422 = D 621 on 9 Dec 1798 (sweep 1084). He recorded "considerably bright, elongated from north preceding to south following, 5 or 6' long, 1 1/2' broad, a nucleus in the middle. A pretty considerable star is about 3' north of it, and a little following." NGC 613 is the 10th southern-most galaxy he discovered.
James Dunlop independently found the galaxy on 5 Aug 1826, apparently unaware of Herschel's prior discovery (or he thought it was a different object). He described "a very small round nebula, about 15" diameter, pretty well defined, bright at the center." His position was over 1/2° too far E. Stephen O'Meara finds it curious that Dunlop failed to note any elongation and didn't mention its proximity to the 10th magnitude star just off its NE flank.
John Herschel observed the galaxy both at Slough and at the Cape of Good Hope. On 27 Sep 1834, his Cape observation reads "vB; vL; vmE; pos 118.3 ; 1st gradually then suddenly much brighter to the middle to a nucleus 4' long 1.5' broad, has a star 9th mag N.f." He also noted that the position assigned in his Slough Catalogue was incorrect. On a second sweep, he logged "pB; vmE; pretty suddenly little brighter middle, 2 1/2' length. No other near it within 3 fields in RA and 1 field's breadth in declination." Finally on a third sweep he logged "vB; L; vmE; pspmbM; has a *10; N.F."
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NGC 614 = NGC 627 = UGC 1140 = MCG +05-04-075 = CGCG 502-118 = PGC 5933
01 35 52.3 +33 40 55; Tri
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, round,
broadly concentrated, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 608 5' WSW. Located 9' S of mag 7
William Herschel discovered NGC 614 = H. III-174 = h135 on
13 Sep 1784 (last object using Beta And as the reference star in sweep 271) and
noted "Stellar, verified with 240 power." There is nothing at his position, but 78 seconds of RA
(time) to the west is
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NGC 615 = MCG -01-05-008 = LGG 027-005 = PGC 5897
01 35 05.6 -07 20 27; Cet
V = 11.6; Size 3.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 155°
17.5" (1/1/92): moderately bright, moderately large,
elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 2'x1', evenly concentrated halo, very small bright core,
bright stellar nucleus. Located
5.4' ENE of mag 8.5
8" (11/28/81): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located 5' E of an 8th magnitude star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 615 = H. II-282 = h137 on 10 Jan 1785 (sweep 355) and recorded "pF, cL, irregular brightest about the middle, r." His summary description (including an observation on 10 Sep 1785, sweep 435) reads "pB, cL, lE, mbM". John Herschel observed NGC 615 on 9 Oct 1828 (sweep 186): "pB; R; is sf a * 8m distant 10'." The galaxy is only 5' north-following the star. Rudolph Spitaler measured an accurate position with the 27" refractor at Vienna.
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01 36 04.3 +33 46 12; Tri
= **, Carlson and Corwin.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 616 on 14 Aug 1863 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and noted (single observation) a "double
star veiled in faint nebulosity."
He measured the offset to nearby mag 6.5
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01 34 02.5 -09 46 27; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5" (11/1/97): at 220x appeared extremely faint, very
small, round, 25" diameter, low even surface brightness. Requires averted to view and cannot
hold steadily. Slightly easier to
view at 280x. Located 30' NW of
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 617 = LM 2-314 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 1.2 tmin east of MCG -02-05-007 = PGC 5831, a common error with the observations there. MCG (-02-05-007) does not label this galaxy as NGC 617.
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01 36 18 +33 24; Tri
= NGC 614??, Corwin. = Not found, Dreyer and Carlson. = *?, IC 1 notes. = NGC 608?, Burnham.
John Herschel discovered NGC 618 = h136 on 16 Nov 1827 and reported "pB; pL; bM; precedes a * 2m 51.0s". There is nothing at his position and there is no fairly bright star at the required separation east of his position. In the NGC Notes section, Dreyer commented "never found at Birr [in 5 attempts], nor by d'Arrest [in several attempts]. Schönfeld (II) has two observations, vF, eS = *13, place agreeing with [John Herschel]. Query: only a faint star..." In the IC 1 Notes and Corrections entry for NGC 618 and 627, Dreyer adds "Not observed by John Herschel in the same sweep as [NGC 608 and 614]. Neither of them seen by Burnham."
Wolfgang Steinicke suggests NGC 618 may be a mag 10 star at 01 41 36.6 +33 17 40 (J2000) with a mag 12.7 star 30" southwest and a mag 15.7 star 30" south. Harold Corwin is skeptical that this combo would mimic a "pretty bright" nebula and suggests that NGC 618 is possibly a duplicate observation of NGC 614, although the brighter star following is not at the required separation, unless Herschel meant 51 seconds, instead of 2m 51s. Wolfgang Steinicke analyzed the sweep data and arrived at a different position, close to 01 42 +33° 23' (J2000), assuming the bright star precedes the object, but this "corrected" position has no "pB" objects nearby.
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NGC 619 = ESO 353-021 = MCG -06-04-051 = PGC 5878
01 34 51.7 -36 29 22; Scl
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 130°
17.5" (11/10/96): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 1.0'x0.8'. Difficult to determine orientation as requires averted to glimpse (probably affected by fairly low elevation). Preceding of pair with brighter NGC 623 2.9' E. In a group with NGC 612 11' W.
John Herschel discovered NGC 619 = h2424 on 30 Nov 1837 and noted "eeF, vS, R; the preceding of two [with NGC 623] in the field together." His position is accurate.
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01 36 59.8 +42 19 23; And
V = 13.1; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration, fairly high surface brightness. A mag 12 star is 45" WSW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 620 = St. 3-2 on 13 Oct 1869. His published accurate position was made on 14 Dec 1871 with the description "eF, vS, R, eF, vS, R, bM but no nucleus."
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01 36 49.0 +35 30 43; Tri
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.8'; Surf Br = 14.0
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, almost round, broad
concentration. Located 2' SW of a
mag 10.5 star and 7' S of mag 8.4
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 621 = St. 13-10 on 24 Nov 1883 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory and noted "vF, eS, R, bM and nucleus". His position is accurate.
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01 36 00.1 +00 39 49; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 45°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W. Even surface brightness except for a well-defined very small bright core and faint stellar nucleus or faint star superimposed.
William Herschel discovered NGC 622 = H. III-454 = h138 on 9
Oct 1785 (sweep 463) and logged "Suspected, eF, pL, 240 power left it
doubtful." The NGC position
matches
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NGC 623 = ESO 353-023 = MCG -06-04-052 = PGC 5898
01 35 06.4 -36 29 25; Scl
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 94°
17.5" (11/10/96): brighter of pair with NGC 619 2.9' preceding. Fairly faint, fairly small, 1.0' diameter, round. Collinear with NGC 619 and NGC 612 14' W.
John Herschel discovered NGC 623 = h2425 on 30 Nov 1837 and recorded "F, S, R; the following of two [with h2424 = NGC 619]." His position is accurate.
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NGC 624 = MCG -02-05-010 = PGC 5932
01 35 51.0 -10 00 10; Cet
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 E-W, 1.0'x0.5'. A mag 13 star is at the south edge 30" from center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 624 = H. III-471 = h140 on 30 Nov 1837 (sweep 479) and described "a few small stars mixed with seeming nebulosity. 240 showed the same." There is a star at the south edge and another 1.4' N. John Herschel noted on 6 Jan 1831 (sweep 315), "eF; S; among 2 or 3 vF st, very difficult".
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01 35 05 -41 26 12; Phe
V = 11.1; Size 5.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 92°
17.5" (11/1/86): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 E-W, brighter core. Viewed at a very low elevation (less than 10°).
James Dunlop discovered NGC 625 = D 479 = h2426 on 2 Sep 1826 with his 9" reflector and described "a very faint nebula, of a round figure, with two or three minute stars in it near the meridian". His single position is ~8' too far E. John Herschel logged on 5 Sep 1834, "B, pL, mE, nearly in the parallel; pretty much brighter middle." On a second sweep on 4 Dec 1836 he called it "B, mE, gradually brighter in the middle, 80"." The next night he logged the galaxy again as "B, L, mE, gradually brighter in the middle, 1.25' long."
Joseph Turner observed NGC 625 on 24 Jan 1879 with the 48" Melbourne Telescope and noted "it is at present much brighter at the following extremity, giving it the appearance of a tail. This extra brightness is caused by a small star being situated there as shown in the above sketch." His small star appears to be a bright HII region in the galaxy.
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01 35 12.0 -39 08 48; Scl
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 43°
18" (10/25/08): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8'
diameter, small bright core, very faint halo.
John Herschel discovered NGC 626 = h2427 on 4 Sep 1834 and recorded "pF, S, R, bM, 15"." His position is accurate.
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NGC 627 = NGC 614? = UGC 1140 = MCG +05-04-075 = CGCG 502-118 = PGC 5933
01 35 52.3 +33 40 55; Tri
= NGC 614?, Corwin. =**, Steinicke.
John Herschel discovered NGC 627 = h141 on 11 Nov 1827 and recorded "vF; R; another precedes; which must be III.174 [NGC 614]. The RA conjectural and PD liable to some error." Heinrich d'Arrest was unsuccessful in locating an object at Herschel's position and he commented "is not in the heavens. Anyway, the place assigned [by Herschel] as doubtful, is errant."
Sherburne Burnham (Publ of the Lick Observatory, Vol II) was also unable to find the object and Dreyer concluded "should be struck out" in the IC 1 notes section. Burnham suggested this might be a duplicate observation of NGC 614 in which case the object that preceded would be NGC 608 (misidentified as III 174). But Wolfgang Steinicke argues that NGC 614 is located 2.4° due north of ∑137, the previous object in the sweep, so he could not have arrived at the field of NGC 614 as the next object. See Corwin's identification notes for more.
******************************
01 36 41.6 +15 47 03; Psc
V = 9.4; Size 10.5'x9.5'; Surf Br = 14.2
48" (10/22/11): beautiful face-on spiral with long, graceful arms wrapping around an intense 1' core that increases towards the center, but there is no sharp nucleus. At first glance at 375x there appeared to be four arms, but with a more careful look there are two main arms that each wrap more than 360° around the core as well as a couple of side branches. Each arm is studded with a number of non-stellar HII regions that highlight the arms. In addition, a number of stars are superimposed, both in the inner region (two faint stars are within 25" of the center) and around the edge of the halo, which extends to 7'-8' diameter.
The more prominent arm "southern" arm is very regular - emerging from the core on the south side and wrapping counterclockwise around the core to the north, unwinding gradually as it curves to the east and then pulls away from the central region more suddenly on the south side. This arm is very patchy and delineated by a large number of HII knots with the two most prominent ones near the outer southern end. The "northern" arm begins to emerge from north of the core, tightly wraps counterclockwise around the core, passing near or through a few superimposed stars on the south side of the core, unwinding more as it stretches again to the north. The arm structure is a bit more complex on the north side due to side branches and the embedded HII knots are more scattered.
The HII regions were viewed more carefully at 610x. The following identifications are from Paul Hodge's 1976 "HII regions in NGC 628" (ApJ, 205, 728), which lists over 700 HII knots. The brightest is #627, near the end of the outer southern arm 2.7' SSW of center. It appeared fairly bright, fairly small, round, ~20" diameter. Moving clockwise along this arm towards the core, the next prominent knot is #598 situated 2.2' SSE of center. It was slightly fainter than #627, round, 15" diameter. Next in line is #552, a faint round knot of 10" situated 1.8' SE of center. East of the core by 1.5' is #406, a very faint, round 10" knot situated 36" S of a superimposed mag 14.5 star. Just 30" W of this star and 1.2' NE of center is #292, a fairly faint, very small knot, ~8" diameter. Continuing inward along this arm, the next knot is #196, a very faint hazy spot 1.3' N of center. Finally, less than 1' NW of center is another very faint patch with multiple Hodge numbers #260-268.
There were no notable knots on the inner southern portion of the northern arm, but a noticeable clump of knots is on the NW portion of this arm. First was #167/168, a faint 10" knot 1.6' NW of center. Continuing outward 2.0' NNW of center is a faint, elongated patch, ~25" diameter, consisting of #91-95 and #49 at the north end of the glow. I didn't search the outer region of the halo for additional HII knots, except noted #330, a 10" knot situated between two mag 12-13 stars at the eastern edge of halo, 3.9' from center.
24" (8/7/13): viewed type IIP SN 2013ej, discovered on July 25th, 92" E and 135" S of center. It appeared bright at mag 12.5.
17.5" (2/2/02): viewed type Ic SN 2002ap, discovered just 3 days earlier on Jan 29th. The supernova was easily visible as a mag 12.5 "star", situated 4.6' W and 1.5' S of center. This very energetic event is considered a hypernova, resulting from an extreme core-collapse scenario.
17.5" (8/31/86): bright, large, round, very bright core. A spiral arm is attached at the east side of core winding towards the west along the south side. A dark gap is visible between the arm and the main central portion. Several stars are superimposed in the halo.
13.1" (8/24/84): very prominent, fairly small bright core surrounded by a very large, diffuse glow. Visible in 16x80 finder.
8" (many dates from 10/4/80 to 8/24/84): very small bright core surrounded by a large faint halo. Fairly even surface brightness.
Pierre Méchain discovered
John Herschel called it "resolvable" and classified M74 as a globular cluster in the General Catalogue of 1864. On 13 Dec 1848, Lord Rosse and/or assistant George Johnstone Stoney detected spiral structure with the 72" and noted "Rough sketch made. Spiral?" The next night he "confirmed last night's observations; feel confident it is a spiral." LdR listed M74 as "Spiral or curvilinear" in his 1850 paper. Isaac Roberts photographed the spiral in September 1893.
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01 38 58.5 +72 52 01; Cas
17.5" (10/13/01): near Struve's position is a striking 1' chain of 5 stars mag 12.5-13.5 extended WSW-ENE. Two of the stars at the following end of the chain form a very close pair. There is also a wider trio of stars which follows by 6', but this is a courser, less interesting group in the field and less likely to fit Struve's description "3*+ neb".
Wilhelm Struve discovered NGC 629 = ∑ 2 = Au 16 in 1825 with the 9.6" Fraunhofer refractor at Dorpat. Struve included this object in a list of 9 "Nebulae detectae" in an appendix to his main catalogue of double stars, published in 1827. Auwers included "Struve 2" in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae with the description "irregular nebula with 3 *." Auwers was unable to find it, though, with the Königsberg Heliometer in February 1861. About 6' west of Struve's position is a tight string of 5 stars within 1' and Harold Corwin identifies this asterism as NGC 629. The brightest mag 12.2 star has companions at 11" and 13".
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NGC 630 = ESO 297-009 = MCG -07-04-020 = PGC 5924
01 35 36.5 -39 21 29; Scl
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 60°
18" (10/25/08): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.6'x0.45, small bright core increases to the center, fairly high surface brightness. Forms a close pair with slightly fainter ESO 297-008 1.8' SW, which was surprisingly missed by John Herschel. NGC 626 lies 13.5' NNW. The companion is just over the constellation border into Phoenix and appeared faint or fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.6', low even surface brightness.
John Herschel discovered NGC 630 = h2428 on 23 Oct 1835 and recorded "pF, S, R, bM, 15", precedes two stars 11th mag. The two stars are there and Herschel's position is accurate.
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01 36 47.0 +05 50 07; Psc
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.3
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, small, round, smoothly
increases to small bright core.
Forms a pair with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 631 = m 50 on 27 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta. He noted "vF, S, gradually brighter in the middle." Stephan independently discovered it on 30 Sep 1867, though only measured a rough position for NGC 632.
******************************
NGC 632 = UGC 1157 = MCG +01-05-010 = CGCG 412-008 = Mrk 1002 = PGC 6007
01 37 17.5 +05 52 39; Psc
V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 170°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, small, very small very bright core dominates, slightly elongated much fainter halo. A mag 14.5 star is embedded in the north side. Forms a pair with NGC 631 8' WSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 632 = h143 on 24 Sep 1830 and logged "pB; S; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 15" [diameter]."
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01 36 23.4 -37 19 18; Scl
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 177°
17.5" (11/10/96): faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated ~N-S, 0.8'x0.6', weak concentration (hampered by low elevation). Located 3' SE of a mag 9/10 double (HJ
3448) at 28" separation.
Forms a pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 633 = h2429 on 1 Sep 1834 and
logged "pB, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 15"; follows a
pretty bright double star." On a later sweep he noted, "Not vF, R,
30", has a double star N.p."
His mean position and description matches
Pietro Baracchi observed the galaxy on 11 Dec 1885 with the Great Melbourne Telescope and wrote, "Extraordinary - This is a double nebula. There are two distinct nebulae in the field pretty close to one another as shown in diagram - How is it that Herschel only has one?" The companion he discovered was ESO 297-012.
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01 38 18.5 +35 21 54; Tri
V = 13.0; Size 2.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 167°
24" (2/5/21): at 260x; nice edge-on 5:1 NNW-SSE,
moderately bright, 1.0'x0.2', brighter along the major axis. A mag 14.7 star is just off the W edge
[22" from center]. Located 2'
NE of mag 7.6
17.5" (12/23/89): faint, small, very elongated
~N-S. A mag 15 star is at the west
edge. Located 2' ENE of mag 7.7
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 634 = St. 8a-6 on 2 Nov 1875. His pubished position was made on 26 Oct 1876 with description "eF, eS, sev F* involved". He explored the region further in 1881 and made another observation on 19 Nov 1881.
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01 38 17.8 -22 55 44; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (12/9/01): very faint, small, round, 20"
diameter, weak concentration.
Forms the SW vertex of a triangle with a mag 10 star (
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 635 = LM 1-33 on 15 Oct 1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his rough position but based on the discovery sketch (which shows two or three stars to the NE and another to the SSE), Harold Corwin has identified NGC 635 = PGC 6062. In this case, Leavenworth's dec was 3° too far north. RNGC lists the number as nonexistent (not found). See Corwin's notes.
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01 39 06.5 -07 30 46; Cet
V = 11.5; Size 2.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 140°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly bright, fairly small, round, bright well-defined circular core, very small nucleus. The faint halo increases diameter to almost 2'. A mag 12 star is 3' ENE.
8" (11/28/81): faint, small, round, small bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 636 = H. II-283 = h144 on 10 Jan 1785 (sweep 355) and recorded "pB, S, of equal light, r, a star or two visible in it." On a second observation on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 435) he noted "pB, S, mbM." John Herschel made two observations and reported on 9 Oct 1828 (sweep 186), "pF; S; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 20" [diameter]."
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01 43 03 +64 02 12; Cas
V = 8.2; Size 4'
18" (10/25/08): very pretty cluster at 283x. The central 2.5' region is rich and contains roughly 3 dozen stars including a mag 10.2/11.4 double (STI 264 = ADS 1342) at 9.5" separation. A third mag 11 star forms a wide trio 46" to the south. An arc or "C" shaped curve of stars passes through the central double and opens to the north. A chain of brighter stars begins at the center of the open end of the arc (on north side) and zigzags to the north and NE. A wide bright double (23" separation) sits at the east end of the central region. Finally another fainter linear chain of stars heads to the west of the central region. Within a 5' region, 50-60 stars are resolved.
13.1" (12/7/85): rich cluster of two dozen stars arranged in an arc. There are five bright stars including a mag 10/11.2 double star at 9" separation.
8" (1/1/84): 10 stars in cluster includes four mag 10 stars and fainter, mottled, over haze.
William Herschel discovered NGC 637 = H. VII-49 on 9 Nov 1787 (sweep 777) and noted "a cluster of some cL stars and many eS, so as hardly to be visible. The large ones arranged in circular order 3' or 4' diameter."
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01 39 37.8 +07 14 15; Psc
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE, almost even surface brightness.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 638 = Sw. 5-14 on 22 Oct 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is accurate.
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01 38 59.1 -29 55 31; Scl
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 31°
17.5" (12/20/95): extremely faint, very small. Fainter of a close pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 639 = h2430 (along with NGC 642
= h2431) on 27 Sep 1834 and noted "vF, vS; the preceding of two [with NGC
642].". His mean position
from 3 observations matches
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01 39 24.8 -09 24 03; Cet
V = 14.9; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 147°
17.5" (10/29/94): very faint, small, round, 20" diameter, no concentration. Collinear with a mag 11-12 double star (30" separation) located 6' NNE. A mag 11.5 star lies 4.0' SSW of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 640 = LM 2-315 in 1886
and reported "mag 15.8; 0.6'; lE 170°; little brighter middle to a
nucleus; *10 s 4'.". His
position is only 9 sec of RA east of
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01 38 39.1 -42 31 40; Phe
V = 12.1; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7
24" (10/3/13): at 375x appeared fairly faint to
moderately bright, fairly small, round, 36", well-defined E-type
appearance, gradually increases to the center. A mag 10 star lies 4.2' SW and a mag 13 star is 1.9' NE, but
the field is quite barren of stars.
Forms a pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 641 = h2432 (along with NGC 644
= h2433) on 5 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB, S, R, gradually pretty much
brighter middle; the preceding of two [with NGC 644]." His mean position from 3 sweeps matches
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NGC 642 = ESO 413-014 = MCG -05-05-003 = VV 419 = PGC 6112
01 39 06.3 -29 54 56; Scl
V = 12.9; Size 2.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 31°
17.5" (12/20/95): brighter of a pair with NGC 639 1.7' SW. Faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, ~1.2'x0.8' (fades into background so difficult to estimate PA and size), broad weak concentration. A mag 13 star is just off the SE end 50" from center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 642 = h2431 (along with NGC 639
= h2430) on 27 Sep 1834 and recorded "F, S, R, gradually brighter in the
middle, 15", has a star near it, following.". His mean from 3 observations matches
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01 35 02 -75 33 24; Hyi
V = 13.5
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint,
moderately large, round, 1.2' diameter, broad weak concentration without a
distinct core, some mottling but no resolution. Located 8.5' NNE of mag 8
John Herschel discovered NGC 643 = h2435 on 18 Sep 1835 and logged "eF, R, very gradually little brighter middle, 40"."
In 1957, Gerard de Vaucouleurs concluded (based on Mt
Stromlo plates) that NGC 643 was an outlying cluster of the Small Magellanic
Cloud and not a galaxy as listed in the 1932 Shapley-Ames Catalogue. Eric Lindsay independently listed it as
a new cluster (not making the connection initially with NGC 643) in his 1958
paper on SMC clusters and described it from a 30 minute ADH plate (South
Africa) as "a conspicuous object, clearly recognizable as a cluster with
20-30 faint resolved stars. The
texture and distribution of the outlying stars suggest it is globular;
otherwise it would have been classified as certainly open." NGC 643 was deleted from de
Vaucouleur's 1964 Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies and Alan Sandage's
1981 revision of the S-A Catalogue.
RNGC gives the type as 28 (cluster in the LMC) instead of 29 (cluster in
the SMC). NGC 2000.0 classifies it
as a globular cluster.
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NGC 644 = ESO 244-043 = AM 0136-425 = MCG -07-04-027 = PGC 6097
01 38 53.1 -42 35 06; Phe
V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155°
24" (10/3/13): difficult due to low elevation (10°) and fairly poor seeing this far south. At 200x appeared very faint, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, ~24"x18", required averted. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 641 4.3' NW. A mag 10 star lies 6.8' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 644 = h2433 (along with
brighter NGC 641 = h2432) on 5 Sep 1834 and recorded "F, S, lE, gradually
little brighter middle. The following of two [with NGC 641].". His position and description matches
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01 40 08.7 +05 43 35; Psc
V = 12.6; Size 2.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 125°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, slight broad concentration. A line of three mag 9.5-10.5 stars aligned E-W are located just north including a mag 9.5 star 3' NW, a mag 10.5 star 2.2' N and a mag 10 star 4.7' ENE.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 645 = m 51 on 27 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "F, pL, mE." His position and description applies to
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01 37 21.2 -64 53 42; Hyi
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 107°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): this interacting double system
(NGC 646 +
The companion, PGC 6014, appeared faint, very small, round, 12" diameter. It was easily seen close east of NGC 646 [0.9' separation between centers]. The pair is located 8' NE of mag 9.5 HD 10080.
John Herschel discovered NGC 646 = h2434 on 2 Nov 1834 and logged "vF, irregularly round, very gradually little brighter middle." His position matches this double system.
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01 39 56.1 -09 14 33; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 45°
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, small, elongated 4:3, small
bright core. Forms a pair with NGC
649 3.3' SE. Located 5' W of mag
8.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 647 = LM 2-316 (along
with
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01 38 39.8 -17 49 53; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 114°
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, slightly elongated, 0.8'x0.6', weak concentration. A bright uneven double star h2067 = 7.6/11.6 at 34" lies 10' ENE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 648 = LM 1-34 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position (nearest min of RA)
is 1.6 min of RA east of
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NGC 649 = MCG -02-05-034 = PGC 6169
01 40 07.4 -09 16 18; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 20°
17.5" (9/26/92): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 3' SW of mag 8.8 SAO 129437, which hampers the observation. Forms a pair with NGC 647 3.3' NW.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 649 = LM 2-317 (along with NGC 647 = II-316) in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position angle (N-S) is off by 20° but it is clear that NGC 649 = MCG -02-05-034 = PGC 6169. MCG misidentifies NGC 649 as NGC 647.
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01 42 18.1 +51 34 16; Per
V = 10.1; Size 163"x107"
18" (10/19/06): superb view at 225x using a UHC filter. The main bi-polar body was very bright, elongated ~SW-NE and dominated by two large, irregular knots at either end. The SW knot is brighter and the brightest portion is more elongated in the direction of the minor axis. Both knots are somewhat irregular in shape and brightness. A faint star is just off the SW end. The two bright knots are attached with a fainter bridge of nebulosity. Extending off the north end is a large "arm" that sweeps around towards the west and a slightly less obvious counterpart is attached at the south end and sweeps towards the east. The overall effect mimics a photograph of a barred spiral galaxy or perhaps a rotating sprinkler head with jets of water curving away.
17.5" (8/2/86): bright, fairly large, consists of two prominent irregular lobes with a darker center; the SW lobe is brighter with straight edges while the NE lobe has a slightly curved edge. A mag 13.5 star is attached at the southern edge of the SW lobe. Extending from the main body of this striking bipolar planetary is a large halo that contains two large outer arms or wings similar to a spiral galaxy! The outer "arm" attached at the NE end is brighter and longer and curves to the west. The southern extension is short, fainter and less defined. The general features described above were clearly seen in my 13.1" at 166x using an OIII filter on 10/10/86.
13.1" (8/24/84): SW end is brighter while the NE end is slightly curved. Boxy appearance with a dark center.
80mm (1/20/07): at 12.5x appears as a very faint, very small low surface brightness spot that blinks well using an OIII filter and increases significantly in contrast. At 25x and OIII filter appears as a fairly faint, round knot with a fairly high surface brightness.
Pierre Méchain discovered
Observing on Lord Rosse's 72" on 5 Nov 1866, Sir Robert Ball described M76 in detail as a "new spiral": "remarkable object; a new spiral possessing details of interest. Previous observation as to form confirmed with some further particulars well seen in single lens. It consists principally of the two B knots which according to Herschel are the pair of double nebula, and third much fainter knot p the other two. Form compared to a reaping hook. Sketched by Lord Oxmantown. The nebulosity terminates very suddenly on the s edge where there is a star, probably distinct from, through very close to the nebulosity. A branch of nebulosity in the following direction was suspected by both observes preceding from between the two knots."
Sir William Huggins first observed a single emission line in the spectrum (a second was likely present) in 1865-66. It was first photographed by Issac Roberts in 1891 and he suggested the appearance was probably due to a broad ring seen edge-on. Based on a Crossley photograph, Curtis (1918) described, "central star of mag 16. Quite irregular, but evidently to be included as one of the larger members of the planetary class. The central and brighter portion of the nebula is an irregular, patchy oblong 87"x42" in pa 40° from the ends of which faint, irregular, ring-like wisps extend total length 157" in pa 128°. Brightest patch at southern end of central part."
T.W. Webb's "Celestial Objects for Common
Telescopes" (1881 or 1885 edition?) described it as a "Pearly white
nebula, double; curious miniature of
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NGC 651 = PK 130-10.1 = M76 = PN G130.9-10.5 = Little Dumbbell Nebula
01 42 21.9 +51 34 49; Per
V = 10.1
17.5": part of NGC 650 = M76, see description for NGC 650.
William Herschel discovered NGC 651 = H. I-193 on 12 Nov 1787 (sweep 780). He recorded "Two close together; both very bright, their nebulosities run into each other. Distance of their centers 1 1/2' or 2' from sp to nf." Although Herschel avoided cataloguing Messier objects, he assigned one new designation (H. I.193). Dreyer identified NGC 650 as M76 and NGC 651 as H. I.193 (following of the double nebula).
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01 40 43.2 +07 58 58; Psc
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 55°
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, very weak concentration.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 652 = Sw. 5-15 on 22 Oct 1886
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 14 tsec east of
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01 42 25.7 +35 38 18; And
V = 13.4; Size 1.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 39°
17.5" (12/23/89): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on SSW-NNE, small bright core. A mag 12.5 star is 1.3' ESE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 653 = St. 13-11 on 17 Nov 1881. His published position was reduced on 29 Nov 1883 with description "very faint spindle, elongated NE to SW, length ~1'; a little gradual condensation; several faint stars involved."
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01 43 59 +61 53 00; Cas
V = 6.5; Size 5'
24" (2/5/21): rich cluster immediately NW of mag 7.3 HD
10494. Includes a large number of
multiple stars. STI 277, a wide,
but very unequal pair of mag 11.4/14.5 stars, is 1.5' N of
13.1" (10/20/84): 35 stars, rich, includes several doubles. Located just northwest of mag 7.3 HD 10494, which is a likely member.
8": rich in faint stars including doubles. A mag 7 star is at the southeast edge.
William Herschel discovered NGC 654 = H. VII-46 = h145 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and noted "a small cluster of pretty large stars, pretty rich." John Herschel described on 5 Oct 1829 (sweep 216), "a fine rich cluster; stars 11...14m; 3' dia; irreg fig; place that of the most compressed part; one star 6.7 mag, south-following the center, is ruddy."
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01 41 55.1 -13 04 56; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 45°
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, small, round, weakly concentrated halo, rises quickly to small bright core. A mag 12/14 double star at 20" separation is 2' S. Located 10' NNW of a mag 9.5 star.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 655 = LM 1-35 on 12 Dec 1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 2' S of MCG -02-05-037037 = PGC 6262. Bigourdan was unable to find this galaxy. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
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01 42 27.3 +26 08 35; Psc
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 35°
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, small, round, 1.0'
diameter, bright core. A mag 11
star is 1.5' NW. Located 8' ESE of
mag 9
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 656 on 20 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He measured a very accurate position on 2 nights as well as the nearby mag 10 star (5 seconds preceding and 1 1/4' north).
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01 43 21 +55 50.2; Cas
17.5" (10/25/97): very unimpressive asterism near at the double star O∑ 35 = 7.2/10.4 at 13". Possibly John Herschel was attracted to a group of ~10 stars 4'-5' SW of the bright double. There are a few additional stars following this group which lead back to the double. This grouping includes a couple of close, faint doubles but appears to be a weak asterism at all powers as there is no evident clustering.
John Herschel discovered NGC 657 = h146 on 28 Nov 1831 and noted "A double star (h2070), the chief of a p rich loose cl; st 12m."
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01 42 09.7 +12 36 06; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 3.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 20°
17.5" (1/1/92): fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, broad concentration, fairly faint small core. Located 4' SSW of mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 658 = St. 11-1 = Sw. 2-13 on 3 Oct 1869 and recorded an unpublished position less than 1' NE of center. A second observation was made on 5 Nov 1875. He published an accurate micrometric position (list 9, #1) made on 27 Nov 1880 and recorded "very faint, very small, irregular, brighter in the middle."
Lewis Swift independently discovered the galaxy on 17 Sep 1885 and reported it as possibly new in his second discovery list (#13). His position and description are correct, though he criticized Stephan by writing "pB; pL; vE; nearly bet 2 pB st. If this is Stephan's No 1 of his catalogue of 60 nebulae, A.N. 2390, then his description is wrong in every particular." Dreyer credited both Stephan (1) and Swift (2) in the NGC.
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01 44 23 +60 40 12; Cas
V = 7.9; Size 5'
13.1" (10/20/84): ~20 stars in cluster, not impressive. Located 80' E of M103.
13.1" (11/5/83): 18 stars at 166x over haze. In field to NW of
Caroline Herschel possibly discovered NGC 659 = H VIII-65 on 27 Sep 1783 with her 4.2-inch comet-seeker reflector. According to Wolfgang Steinicke, she logged a "cluster of stars in the middle [of Delta and Epison Cas & Chi Per (Double Cluster)]." Additional observations were made on 30 Oct 1783 and 9 Apr 1785. William Herschel independently discovered the cluster on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and logged "a small cluster of small stars, not very rich." In his main catalogue, he noted "Caroline Herschel [discovered it in ] 1783." and Dreyer credited Caroline with the discovery in the NGC.
Michael Hoskin supports this identification, but Wolfgang argues that Caroline more likely discovered nearby NGC 663, which is both larger and richer.
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01 43 01.7 +13 38 35; Psc
V = 11.2; Size 8.3'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 170°
48" (10/23/11): this large, striking galaxy contains a very bright, elongated bar oriented SW-NE, ~2'x1'. The northeastern half of the bar is noticeably brighter with a very high surface brightness. The galaxy is fainter and wider on the southwest portion of the bar. The central region in mottled and dusty, but I didn't notice the X-shaped dust lanes visible on photos. At the southwest end, a broad low surface brightness spiral arm emerges and sweeps south, curving slightly east for a length of 2'. A second faint arm begins at the northeast end of the bar and extends north a similar distance, bending gradually to the west. The arms gave the galaxy a stretched "S" appearance and significantly increased the overall size to ~6.5'x2.5', roughly N-S.
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly bright, large, oval SW-NE,
broadly concentrated halo, mottled.
A mag 14 double star is 1.8' ESE of center. Located 10' SE of mag 8.1
William Herschel discovered NGC 660 = H. II-253 on 16 Oct 1784 (sweep 295) and noted "pB, pl, E, bM, r". Sir Robert Ball, an assistant with the 72" at Birr Castle, described "a fine neb of the character of the neb in Andromeda. cB, vL, E 37.1°, possibly curved and with details. E Nucl which was suspected to be in two parts or have some peculiarity." A later observation by Dreyer reads "pB, pL mE 41°. Looks like a brush, fades away gradually south-following, more sharply defined north-preceding. Condensation in nf end."
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01 44 14.6 +28 42 22; Tri
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 60°
17.5" (9/26/92): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, prominent core, bright stellar nucleus. Bracketed by two mag 14 stars 75" SW and 75" NE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 661 = H. II-610 = h147 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and noted "F, S, bM, resolvable". John Herschel described it on 15 Sep 1828 (sweep 177) as "pF; S; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle." E.E. Barnard found it on 11 Oct 1882 with his 5-inch refractor and described a "minute speck of a nebula...which I assume to be new."
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01 44 35.5 +37 41 46; And
V = 12.9; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 20°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, very small, fairly high
even surface brightness, elongated 3:2 ~N-S. Located 3' ENE of mag 6.9
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 662 = St. 13-12 on 17 Nov 1881 and recorded "F, S, R, rather marked central condensation." He reduced the position on 22 Nov 1884 and published it in his large 13th discovery list (#12).
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NGC 663 = Cr 20 = Mel 11 = OCL-333
01 46 16 +61 13 06; Cas
V = 7.1; Size 16'
13.1" (10/20/84): ~75 stars, fairly large, rich. Includes several doubles, the most prominent are STF 153 = 9.3/10.3 at 8" and STF 152 = 9.0/11.2 at 9" and STF 151 = 10.5/10.9 at 7".
Caroline Herschel possibly discovered NGC 663 = H. VII-31 on 27 Sep 1783 with her comet-seeker reflector. She found "a cluster of stars in the middle [of Delta and Epsilon Cass & Chi Per (Double Cluster)]." Additional observations were made on 30 Oct 1783 and 9 Apr 1785. In his main catalogue, though, William credited Caroline with the discovery of H. VIII-65 (later NGC 659). But Wolfgang Steinicke argues in his book "William Herschel - discoverer of the Deep Sky" that NGC 663 is brighter and larger, so more likely to have been seen by Caroline.
William Herschel independently discovered NGC 663 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and recorded "a beautiful cluster of pretty large stars near 15' diameter, considerably rich." Neither John Herschel nor Lord Rosse's assistants observed the cluster and Dreyer credited William with the discovery in the NGC.
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01 43 45.8 +04 13 23; Psc
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 65°
24" (11/15/22): at 327x; nearly moderately bright class,
slightly elongated SW-NE, ~0.7'x0.5', weakly brighter core. Four stars mag 13.5 to 15.1 are within
2' off the west side, with a mag 14.8 star 0.9' NW and a mag 15.1 star 1' SW.
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. Nearby are a mag 15 star 50" NW and two mag 14 stars 1.8' WSW and 2' SSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 664 = h148 on 24 Sep 1830 and noted "vF; R; 20" [diameter]." Birr Castle assistant R.J. Mitchell recorded it on 11 Dec 1854 as "small, round, bright middle to a nucleus. Forms a trapezium [eastern vertex] with 3 stars."
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01 44 56.1 +10 25 22; Psc
V = 12.1; Size 2.4'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 125°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval
WNW-ESE, prominent core, bright nucleus.
Brightest in a group of four with
William Herschel discovered NGC 665 = H. II-588 on 4 Sep 1786 (sweep 582) and logged "F, irr R, r."
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01 46 06.3 +34 22 28; Tri
V = 13.4; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, very small, round, stellar nucleus. Almost collinear with a mag 12.5 star 2' NNE and a mag 13 star 3' NNE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 666 = St. 13-13 on 22 Nov 1883 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. His position is accurate and his description "very small star in an extremely small and faint nebula" applies to the stellar nucleus and small halo.
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01 44 56.7 -22 55 09; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 82°
17.5" (10/25/97): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, low surface brightness. Not seen with certainty at 220x and verified at 280x. Located 1.4' SE of a mag 12 star.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 667 = LM 2-318 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.3'
west and 2' south of
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01 46 22.6 +36 27 37; And
V = 13.1; Size 1.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, slightly elongated
SW-NE, broadly concentrated halo, small bright core. Located 2.5' W of a mag 10.5 star at the NW edge of
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 668 = St. 11-2 on 3 Oct 1869 and recorded a unpublished position just 1' to the NE. He published an accurate micrometric position made on 4 Dec 1880 in his 11th discovery list with description "pretty faint, pretty small, gradually brighter middle." He made a later observation on 17 Nov 1881.
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01 47 16.2 +35 33 46; Tri
V = 12.3; Size 3.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 36°
17.5" (11/27/92): moderately bright, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, bright bulging core, thin tapering extensions, fairly striking appearance. A mag 13 star is just south of the SW tip 1.5' from the center. Three mag 12 stars form a shallow obtuse triangle close north with the nearest star 1.8' NW. Located at the SW edge of AGC 262 galaxy cluster.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 669 = St. 13-14 on 17 Nov 1881 and a second observation two nights later. His published position in list 13 was reduced on 28 Nov 1883 with description, "pF; mE NE to SW; 1.5' length; gradually brighter in the middle; mottled center or several small stars involved."
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01 47 24.9 +27 53 09; Tri
V = 12.7; Size 2.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 172°
13.1" (11/5/83): fairly faint, small, compact,
elongated 2:1 N-S, bright core.
Located 28' NNW of
William Herschel discovered NGC 670 = H. II-611 = h149 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and noted "F, S, lE". John Herschel logged on 15 Sep 1828 (sweep 177), "not vF; S; E nearly in Meridian [N-S]; 15" C; 10" br." R.J. Mitchell, using the 72" on 18 Sep 1857, recorded "S, pretty much E np sf, bM, is about 2' preceding a double star."
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01 46 59.1 +13 07 31; Ari
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 55°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, seems brighter at both ends. A double star with components mag 12.5/13.5 (oriented NW-SE with separation 20") lies 3' S. Located very close to the Pisces border.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 671 = Sw. 2-14 on 17 Sep 1885
with the 16" Clark refractor at Warner Observatory and logged "eF;
pS; R; "between a double star and a star with a distant
companion." Swift's position
is 18 sec of RA east of
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NGC 672 = VV 338b = UGC 1256 = MCG +04-05-011 = CGCG 482-016 = Holm 46a = KTG 8B = PGC 6595
01 47 53.9 +27 25 56; Tri
V = 10.9; Size 7.2'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 65°
24" (12/28/13): at 225x appeared very bright, very
large, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, mottled appearance. Contains a brighter, elongated "bar" that is
slightly angled (roughly 7:2 E-W) to the major axis of the halo. Slightly brighter "patches"
were visible just beyond the bar (on both the east and west side), probably
where spiral arms attach to the bar.
13.1" (11/5/83): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, even surface brightness. Bracketed by a mag 13.5 star 2.2' WNW and a mag 13 star 3.2' E. Brightest in a group with IC 1727 8' SW.
8" (11/13/82): fairly faint, low even surface brightness, fairly large, diffuse. Two mag 13.5 stars lie NW and at the east edge.
8" (11/28/81): faint, fairly large, very diffuse, elongated ~E-W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 672 = H. I-157 = h150 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626). He recorded it as "considerably bright, considerably large, extended in the parallel [E-W], much brighter middle, about 6 or 7' long, 3' broad."
The galaxy was observed 7 times at Birr Castle with the 72". On 26 Oct 1854, assistant R.J. Mitchell recorded "A tolerably B ray, bM. The B portion is narrow, but I think F neby extends laterally; * south of centre and another fainter one sp center? [this may refer to an HII region]." I'm surprised, though, that IC 1727 was missed during these observations.
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01 48 22.5 +11 31 18; Ari
V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 0°
17.5" (12/18/89): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Located 3.1' WSW of a mag 10 star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 673 = H. II-589 on 4 Sep 1786 (sweep 582) and logged "F, pL, E, brightest following the middle, 2' south-preceding a considerably bright star [10th mag]."
Birr Castle assistant J.L.E. Dreyer in 1875 accurately described the galaxy as "pB, pL, irr R, very little brighter middle, *10-11m Pos. 65.8°, Dist 195.6".
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01 51 17.4 +22 21 28; Ari
See observing notes for
Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 674 on 2 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and noted "pretty bright, elongated, *14 follows by 8 seconds." There is nothing at his position, but 2.0 min of RA east is NGC 697 and the description fits! John Herschel and Dreyer assumed this was a new discovery and catalogued d'Arrest's object as GC 398 = NGC 674. Curiously, he claims the object was found the same night (4th of 411) that he also observed NGC 697. Father Hagen and Bigourdan searched fruitlessly for NGC 674 and Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, says "not found, = NGC 697?" That conclusion is warranted. See Corwin's notes.
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01 49 08.6 +13 03 35; Ari
V = 14.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 99°
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, 30"x12". A mag 14.6 star is close northeast. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 675 1.3' E.
17.5" (12/18/89): extremely faint, small, elongated
E-W. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 675 = Sw. 5-16, along with NGC
677 = Sw. 5-17, on 25 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner
Observatory. His position is 5 sec
of RA west and 17" south of
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01 48 57.3 +05 54 24; Psc
V = 11.9; Size 4.0'x1.2'; PA = 172°
17.5" (12/18/89): very unusual appearance as a mag 10
star (BD +5 244) is superimposed on the core! Fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, almost even
surface brightness except for the bright star [5" SSW of the
nucleus].
William Herschel discovered NGC 676 = H. IV-42 = h151 on 30 Sep 1786 (sweep 607). He recorded this edge-on as "a star with very branches in the direction of the meridian [N-S], each branch about 1' in length; the star about 8 or 9 m; other stars of the same size are free from these branches". His sketch was included in the 1814 PT paper (fig. 7) and he used the description as evidence of not only of the association of a star [very near the center] and a nebula, but that the nebula was brighter near the star as nebulous matter was being drawn by gravity to the star.
John Herschel made two observations. On 24 Sep 1830 (sweep 300) he wrote, "a *9m with a vF narrow ray of nebulosity; a most curious object." The galaxy was observed four times at Birr Castle. On 8 Nov 1876, Dreyer recorded "*9m with pF neb elongated 168.4°, longer on the side of *, concave preceding, convex following."
The bright superposed star is included in the CGCG magnitude (10.5z). Steinicke notes that the separation from centre is only 9", the smallest value of all cases of bright superimposed stars in the NGC!
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NGC 677 = IC 152? = UGC 1275 = MCG +02-05-042 = CGCG 437-039 = PGC 6673
01 49 14.0 +13 03 19; Ari
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.7
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; moderately bright or fairly bright, moderately large, round, at least 1' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a small, intensely bright nucleus and a low surface brightness halo. A mag 15.3 star is close to the south edge of the halo. Brighter of a very close pair with NGC 675 1.3' W.
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core increases to a very small brighter nucleus. A mag 14 star lies 1' W and a mag 15 star is 1' S. Forms a close pair with NGC 675 1.4' WSW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 677 = Sw. 5-17, along with NGC
675 = Sw. 5-16, on 25 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is 10 sec of RA west and
14" north of
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01 49 24.8 +21 59 51; Ari
V = 12.2; Size 4.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 78°
24" (8/30/16): fairly bright, large, very elongated 4:1
WSW-ENE, 2.5'x0.6'. Sharply
concentrated with an unusually brighter core that is irregularly round, stellar
nucleus. The arms are long and low
surface brightness, but the warped dust lane was not seen. Forms a striking pair with
18" (11/22/03): fairly bright, moderately large, very
elongated 7:2 WSW-ENE, 3.0'x0.8'.
Sharply concentrated with a small bright core that increases to the
center. The extensions are much
fainter. Forms a pair with NGC 680
5' ESE in the NGC 697 group (also called the
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated 3:1 ~E-W. Forms a pair with NGC 680 5' ESE in the NGC 697 group.
William Herschel discovered NGC 678 = H. II-228, along with NGC 680, on 15 Sep 1784 (sweep 274) and described them together as "Two. Both F, pS, irregularly R." On 13 Nov 1786 (sweep 636) he logged "pB, S, mbM."
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01 49 43.7 +35 47 08; And
V = 12.3; Size 2.1'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5" (10/17/87): moderately bright, fairly small, round, broad concentration, in AGC 262.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, round, small bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 679 = H. III-175 on 13 Sep 1784 (sweep 271) and simply noted "stellar." His RA was 17 seconds of time too large. Édouard Stephan made observations on 2 and 5 Nov 1875, 1 Nov 1877 and 17 Nov 1881. He reduced a precise micrometric position on 23 Nov 1876 (perhaps to correct Herschel's error).
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NGC 680 = UGC 1286 = MCG +04-05-015 = CGCG 482-019 = WBL 052-002 = LGG 034-003 = PGC 6719
01 49 47.3 +21 58 16; Ari
V = 11.9; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 156°
24" (8/30/16): bright, moderately large, irregularly
round, 1.5'x1.2'. Sharply
concentrated with a bright 30" core that increases gradually to a stellar
nucleus. A mag 10.8 star is 3.5'
E. Forms a striking pair with NGC
678 5'.5 WNW.
18" (11/22/03): fairly bright, high surface brightness elliptical or lenticular, slightly elongated, 1.7'x1.5'. Contains a well-condensed 30" bright core surrounded by a fainter halo that fades gradually. Surrounded by three mag 10-11 stars 3'-4' S, E and NE. In a trio with NGC 678 5' WNW and IC 1730 3.5' NE.
13.1" (9/29/84): moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 678 5' WNW in the NGC 697 group (also called the NGC 691 group).
William Herschel discovered NGC 680 = H. II-229, along with NGC 678, on 15 Sep 1784 (sweep 274). On 13 Nov 1786 (sweep 636) he noted "pB, S, mbM." See NGC 678.
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01 49 10.7 -10 25 35; Cet
V = 12.0; Size 2.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 68°
17.5" (9/26/92): fairly faint, fairly small,
irregularly round, weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is at the NW edge of the
halo. Just SW is a perfect rhombus
asterism consisting of four mag 13 stars with sides 1.5' with an additional mag
14 star just east of the rhombus.
13.1" (12/22/84): moderately bright, elongated ~E-W, diffuse edges, weak concentration, small bright nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is at the west edge.
William Herschel discovered NGC 681 = H. II-481 = h2436 on
28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) and noted "pB, cL, R, about 1.5' following a small
star [mag 13]." His position
is 7' N of
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01 49 04.5 -14 58 29; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 95°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, moderately large, very
small bright core, stellar nucleus, slightly elongated fainter outer halo. Located 15' SE of mag 7.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 682 = H. II-501 = h154 on 30 Dec 1785 (sweep 499) and noted "F, S, R, very small pretty bright nucleus." On 15 Oct 1830 (sweep 307), John Herschel called it "vF; R; very gradually brighter middle; 15" [diameter]." The NGC position is accurate.
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01 49 46.7 +11 42 05; Ari
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, small, round. A pair of mag 14 stars are 2' W.
John Herschel discovered NGC 683 = h153 on 17 Oct 1825 and
noted "eF; AR may be a whole minute wrong [the transit was missed]."
Despite his uncertainly, Herschel's position matches
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01 50 14.0 +27 38 48; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 3.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 90°
24" (12/28/13): fairly bright, beautiful edge-on 7:1 E-W, 1.8'x0.25', sharply concentrated with a very small, very bright core and a faint stellar nucleus.
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 E-W, even concentration, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 32' NE of NGC 672 in a group.
William Herschel discovered NGC 684 = H. II-612 = h152 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and logged "pB, pL, lE nearly in the parallel, mbM."
Edward Swift, Lewis' son, found this galaxy again on 18 Jan
1890 while "searching for Swift's Comet" and it was reported as a new
object in list IX-6. In
Astronomische Nachrichten #3429, Isaac Roberts noted the equivalence of
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01 47 42.5 -52 45 47; Eri
V = 11.0; Size 3.7'x3.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 75°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, large, slightly elongated ~WNW-ESE, broad concentration with a large brighter core, 3' diameter. Just outside the core, the surface brightness is irregular or mottled and a couple of extremely faint quasi-stellar knots (HII regions) are just visible in the outer halo. There is an impression of spiral structure in the halo, but I couldn't trace the arms.
John Herschel discovered NGC 685 = h2438 on 3 Oct 1834 and
logged "F, vL, R, very gradually very little brighter middle, 3'.".
His position is 1.5' S of
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01 48 56.1 -23 47 54; For
V = 12.4; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 0°
17.5" (11/6/93): moderately bright, small, round,
bright core, fairly bright stellar nucleus. Forms the vertex of a right angle with mag 9.2
William Herschel discovered NGC 686 = H. III-459 = h155 = h2437 on 26 Oct 1785 (sweep 465) and noted "vF, vS, easily resolvable." John Herschel observed this galaxy both at Slough, England and at the Cape of Good Hope. He logged it from Slough on 14 Oct 1830 (sweep 306) as "vF; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 15"; a *8 m south-preceding."
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01 50 33.2 +36 22 15; And
V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (10/17/87): moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Member of AGC 262.
13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, small, round, bright core.
13.1" (12/11/82): fairly bright, small, round, bright core, ~1' diameter.
William Herschel discovered NGC 687 = H. III-561 on 21 Sep
1786 (sweep 599) and noted "vF, stellar." Stephan made observations on 5 Oct 1869, 17 Nov 1870, 30 Nov
1877, 17 Nov 1881 and 19 Nov 1881.
He discovered several unpublished discoveries in the cluster including
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01 50 44.2 +35 17 04; Tri
V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 145°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval
NNW-SSE, weak concentration. Forms
a pair with
13.1" (10/20/84): fairly faint, moderately large, diffuse, weak concentration.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 688 on 16 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position matches this starburst (nucleus) galaxy. Stephan made an observation on 13 Oct 1869 at Marseilles Observatory.
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01 49 51.7 -27 27 59; For
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 68°
17.5" (11/6/93): very faint, small, round, broad concentration. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.5' SW.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 689 = LM 1-89 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is 0.8 tmin west and
3' north of
******************************
01 47 48.1 -16 43 17; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 145°
17.5" (10/25/97): marginal object that required a GSC finder chart and averted vision just to glimpse. As the observation was extremely difficult, no details were visible, although it seemed round, perhaps 20" diameter. The correct position confirmed with respect to a couple of collinear mag 12 stars 5' SE and 10' SE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 690 = LM 1-37 on 9 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position is 1.5 tmin east of
******************************
NGC 691 = UGC 1305 = MCG +04-05-019 = CGCG 460-031 = CGCG 482-023 = LGG 034-004 = PGC 6793
01 50 41.7 +21 45 35; Ari
V = 11.4; Size 3.5'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 95°
18" (11/22/03): bright, large, slightly elongated E-W,
~2.0'x1.5'. Fairly sharp
concentration with a well-defined 45" core surrounded by an unconcentrated
halo. A close pair of mag 9-10
stars (uncatalogued) is just off the northeast edge! NGC 691 is the brightest in the NGC 691 group (also called
the NGC 697 group and LGG 034) that includes NGC 678, NGC 680, NGC 691, NGC
694,
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly faint, fairly large, almost round, very diffuse, weak concentration. A close double star is off the NE edge. Located 15' SSE of NGC 680 in the NGC 697 group.
William Herschel discovered NGC 691 = H. II-617 on 13 Nov
1786 (sweep 636) and noted "F, cL, very gradually little brighter
middle". The NGC position
matches
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01 48 42.0 -48 38 55; Phe
V = 12.3; Size 2.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.6
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x; fairly bright,
moderately large, roundish, 50"-60" diameter. Contains a bright, elongated core NW-SE
that appears to be a bar (verified later on the DSS) and a quasi-stellar
nucleus. Four stars curl south off
the southwest side including a mag 12 star 3.7' SSW. Mag 9.8
John Herschel discovered NGC 692 = h2439 on 2 Oct 1834 and noted "B, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 30"." On a later sweep (744) he described it as "vF, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 20"." His position (h2439) is accurate, although there was a 10 tsec error in RA on sweep 744.
******************************
NGC 693 = UGC 1304 = MCG +01-05-035 = CGCG 412-033 = PGC 6778
01 50 30.9 +06 08 42; Psc
V = 12.4; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 106°
17.5" (12/18/89): moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, broad concentration. A mag 10.5 star is 1.4' E of center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 693 = H. II-859 = h156 on 25 Dec 1790 (sweep 986). His log reads "pretty bright, small, extended nearly in parallel [E-W], south preceding a small star." John Herschel observed NGC 693 on 24 Sep 1830 (sweep 300): "pretty bright; extended; very gradually brighter middle; a * 10m, north-following." Five observation were made at Birr Castle. On 7 Oct 1850, assistant Bindon Blood Stoney recorded "Light rather equable, a minute star in the p part, resolvable?". Bindon Blood's sketch on 24 Nov 1851 was included in in Lord Rosse's 1861 publication (Plate XXV, fig 2).
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01 50 58.4 +21 59 50; Ari
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.5'; PA = 160°
18" (11/22/03): moderately bright, fairly small, 0.7'x0.5'. Fairly high surface brightness, which increases to an occasional faint stellar nucleus. A mag 10.5 star is 2.3' SE. IC 167, which lies 5.5' SSE, is very faint, elongated 4:3, 0.8'x0.6', low surface brightness.
13.1" (9/29/84): faint, small, round, diffuse, even surface brightness. Member of the NGC 697 group (also called the NGC 691 group) with IC 167 5.5' SSE.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 694 on 2 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted the nebula was collinear with two mag 15 stars [probably to the NW and SE].
******************************
NGC 695 = UGC 1315 = CGCG 482-026 = V Zw 123 = PGC 6844
01 51 14.2 +22 34 57; Ari
V = 12.8; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 40°
13.1" (9/29/84): faint, very small, round. A mag 13 star is at the west end, 0.5' from center. Located 14' N of NGC 697 in a group, though physically this galaxy lies far in the background.
William Herschel discovered NGC 695 = H. II-618 on 13 Nov 1786 (sweep 636). He noted it as "very small, stellar." The NGC position is 1' too far south.
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01 49 31.2 -34 54 19; For
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 25°
17.5" (11/1/97): faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3
SW-NE, 40"x30", weak concentration. A mag 12 star follows by 3.3'. Forms a pair with fainter
John Herschel discovered NGC 696 = h2440 (along with NGC 698
= h2441) on 29 Nov 1837 and noted "F, S, R, 15"." His position is 0.2 tmin east and 2.5'
south of
******************************
NGC 697 = NGC 674 = UGC 1317 = MCG +04-05-022 = CGCG 482-027 = LGG 034-006 = PGC 6848
01 51 17.4 +22 21 28; Ari
V = 12.0; Size 4.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 105°
18" (11/22/03): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, ~3.0'x1.3'. Contains a fairly well-defined bright elongated core and a fairly smooth halo. Located 16' ENE of the bright double star 1 Arietis. NGC 695 is located 13' N.
13.1" (9/29/84): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W, only a weak broad concentration. The striking double star 1 Arietis (6.2/7.4 at 3") lies 16' WSW. Brightest in the NGC 697 group (also called the NGC 691 group) with a number of members about 30' S.
8" (11/28/81): fairly faint, elongated. Located ~15' E of a close mag 6/7 double (1 Arietis).
William Herschel discovered NGC 697 = H. III-179 on 15 Sep 1784 (sweep 274) and recorded "vF, pL, lE." On 13 Nov 1786 (sweep 636) he noted "pB, cL, E, mbM." Heinrich d'Arrest found this galaxy on 2 Dec 1861 but his RA was 2 minutes too small. Dreyer assumed d'Arrest's object was new, and recatalogued it as NGC 674. So, NGC 697 = NGC 674, with NGC 697 the primary designation.
******************************
NGC 698 = ESO 353-051 = MCG -06-05-005 = SCG 9 = PGC 6710
01 49 43.7 -34 49 52; For
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 171°
17.5" (11/1/97): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter (probably viewed core only), low surface brightness, no concentration. Requires averted vision and cannot hold steadily. Forms the northern vertex of a right triangle with a mag 12 star 4.7' S and brighter NGC 696 5.1' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 698 = h2441 on 29 Nov 1837 and
noted "vvF; S." His
single position is 10 tsec of RA east and 2.5' south of
******************************
01 50 43.7 -12 02 09; Cet
V = 13.9; Size 1.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 130°
17.5" (12/23/92): extremely faint, fairly small,
edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, very low surface brightness, brighter core. Located 7' NNE of mag 8.5
Frank Muller discovered NGC 699 = LM 2-319 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and logged "mag 16.0,
1.0'x0.4', E 105°, bnp, curved; *9.5 p 22 sec". His position matches
******************************
01 52 16.9 +36 02 12; And
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (12/8/20): at 260x;
UGC 1336 appeared very faint, small,round, 18", low surface brightness (core region) with extremely low surface brightness extensions N-S. A mag 15.4 star is off the N end and a mag 14.5 star (with mag 15.5-16 companion) is off the S end.
17.5" (12/19/87): very faint, small, round. Two mag 14 stars are collinear 1.5' WSW
and 2.7' WSW. Located about 8' SW
of the central core of AGC 262 in a group of four galaxies with UGC 1336 3.7'
NW. This galaxy (
UGC 1336 (NGC 700 in most sources) appeared extremely faint, very small, irregularly round. Several faint stars near.
17.5" (10/17/87): extremely faint, small, round. A mag 14 star lies 1' W.
R.J. Mitchell, assistant to Lord Rosse, discovered NGC 700 on
12 Oct 1855. He noted "about
8' sp same group [
The RNGC, UGC and CGCG misidentify UGC 1336 as NGC 700. This latter galaxy is 6.5' WSW the center of the group, but is not as obvious at the eyepiece. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
01 51 03.7 -09 42 10; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40°
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1
WSW-ENE, broadly concentrated halo, faint stellar nucleus suspected. Forms a pair with
William Herschel discovered NGC 701 = H. I-62 = h160 = h2442 on 10 Jan 1785 (sweep 355) and noted "F, pS, irr R." On 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) he called this object "cB; pL; E; bM." It was placed in class I (Bright Nebulae). John Herschel observed the galaxy at both Slough and at the Cape, commenting on 9 Dec 1835 (sweep 650) from the Cape, "eF, pL; certainly not entitled to a place in the 1st class." In the GC notes, he added d'Arrest missed it with a 4.5-inch refractor at Leibzig. Stephan observed it at Marseilles on 22 Nov 1875.
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01 51 19.2 -04 03 21; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155°
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
3:2 NNW-SSE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 10' NNW of mag 7.3
Arp classified NGC 702 (
William Herschel discovered NGC 702 = H. III-192 = h158 on 20 Sep 1784 (sweep 280) and noted "eF, S, 240 verified it with difficulty." John Herschel observed the galaxy on 3 sweeps and logged on 18 Oct 1827 (sweep 97), "eF; lE in meridian; has a * 14m 90" south."
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NGC 703 = UGC 1346 = MCG +06-05-029 = CGCG 522-037 = Holm 49c = PGC 6957
01 52 39.6 +36 10 17; And
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 50°
24" (12/8/20): at 260x; fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 25"x20", contains a very small core and stellar nucleus. A mag 15.3 star is just off the SW end [27" from center].
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, small, oval, weak
concentration. A mag 15 star is at
the SW end. Located in the central
core of AGC 262 with
13.1" (10/22/84): faint, very small, third brightest of four in the core of AGC 262.
13.1" (12/11/82): very faint, round, difficult.
William Herschel discovered NGC 703 = H. III-562 = h157, along with NGC 704/05/08, on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599). He recorded the quartet together as "Four, unequal, 3 in a row [NGC 704, 705, 708], the 4th [NGC 703] making a rectangle with them. All in the space of 2 or 3'; the one at the angular part [NGC 708] is much larger than the others." The RA order of NGC 704 (west) and NGC 703 (east) is flipped in the NGC.
John Herschel logged on 17 Nov 1828 (sweep 105), "vF; the np of two [with NGC 708], dist 90" ±."
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NGC 704 = UGC 1343 = MCG +06-05-028 = CGCG 522-034 = Holm 49b = PGC 6953
01 52 37.8 +36 07 32; And
V = 13.1; Size 0.6'x0.5'
24" (12/8/20): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, brighter nucleus. At 375x the southern component (LEDA 197601) of this merged double system bulged out as a small "knot" at the south end.
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, oval ~N-S, weak concentration. Located in the dense core of AGC 262 with NGC 705 1.3' NE, NGC 703 2.7' N and NGC 708 2.7' NE. This double galaxy was unresolved, but was merged in the N-S direction.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, very small. Second brightest of four in the core of AGC 262.
13.1" (12/11/82): very faint. On a line with NGC 705 and NGC 708.
William Herschel discovered NGC 704 = H. III-563, along with NGC 703/05/08, on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599). He described the quartet as "Four, unequal, 3 in a row [NGC 704, 705, 708], the 4th [NGC 703] making a rectangle with them. All in the space of 2 or 3'; the one at the angular part [NGC 708] is much larger than the others."
Birr Castle assistant R.J. Mitchell observed the group on 7
Oct 1855, noting "[NGC 704] is seen with higher power (single lens) to be
double." So, he resolved this
double system. I suggested to
Harold Corwin (in Mar 2014) that the two components could justifiably be
labeled
******************************
NGC 705 = UGC 1345 = MCG +06-05-030 = CGCG 522-036 = Holm 49d = VI Zw 90 = PGC 6958
01 52 41.5 +36 08 39; And
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 117°
24" (12/8/20): faint, small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, ~25" in length, contains a small brighter core with small "wings". A mag 15 star is 40" S. Situated at the exact center of the small triangle formed by NGC 703, 704 and 708.
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Located in the core of AGC 262 with NGC 703 1.7' N, NGC 704 1.3' SW and NGC 708 1.1' NE. A mag 14 star is 40" south, midway to NGC 704.
13.1" (10/20/84): very faint, very small, star less than 1' SW between NGC 703 and NGC 704.
13.1" (12/11/82): extremely faint, very small.
William Herschel discovered NGC 705 = H. III-562, along with NGC 703/04/08, on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599). He described the quartet as "Four, unequal, 3 in a row [NGC 704, 705, 708], the 4th [NGC 703] making a rectangle with them. All in the space of 2 or 3'; the one at the angular part [NGC 708] is much larger than the others."
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NGC 706 = UGC 1334 = MCG +01-05-040 = CGCG 412-037 = PGC 6897
01 51 50.5 +06 17 48; Psc
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, almost even surface brightness but faint stellar nucleus seen at moments. A mag 13 star is 1.0' N of center. NGC 693 lies 22' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 706 = H. II-596 = h161 on 30 Sep 1786 (sweep 607). He noted "Faint, small, irregular figure, about 1' south of a very small star." John Herschel recorded it on 24 Sep 1830 (sweep 300): "pretty bright; 30"; a *13m 1 radius of neb distance from edge."
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01 51 27.1 -08 30 20; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 85°
24" (11/7/18): at 375x; small but fairly high surface brightness. Elongated ~2:1 (at least the brighter major axis), ~30"x15", faint stellar nucleus. A faint star (mag ~15.5) is superimposed on the southeast end.
Brightest in a group at z = .018 with
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, very small, round, very small bright core. A faint star is superimposed [only 12" SE of center] and it gave the appearance of a double nucleus.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 707 = T. 4-6 on 13 Nov 1879
with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and reported "III
class, with star in the middle."
His micrometric position matches
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NGC 708 = UGC 1348 = MCG +06-05-031 = CGCG 522-039 = Holm 49a = PGC 6962
01 52 46.4 +36 09 08; And
V = 12.7; Size 3.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 14.9; PA = 35°
24" (12/8/20): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, slightly brighter nucleus. A mag 15 star is attached at the north end [0.3' from center].
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is at the north end just 0.2' from center. NGC 708 is the brightest galaxy in the central core of AGC 262 with NGC 703 1.8' NW, NGC 705 1.1' SW and NGC 704 2.7' SW.
13.1" (9/22/84): very faint, small, round, largest in a group of four. A mag 15 star is off the north edge.
13.1" (12/11/82): brightest in the central group, small, round.
William Herschel discovered NGC 708 = H. III-565 = h159, along with NGC 703/04/05, on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599). He described the quartet together as "Four, unequal, 3 in a row [NGC 704, 705, 708], the 4th [NGC 703] making a rectangle with them. All in the space of 2 or 3'; the one at the angular part [NGC 708] is much larger than the others." John Herschel recorded on 17 Nov 1828 (sweep 105), "pB; pL; little brighter middle; 40" [diameter]."
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01 52 50.6 +36 13 25; And
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.2'; PA = 130°
24" (12/8/20): between faint and fairly faint, elongated 2:1 or 5:2 NW-SE, ~25"x12", brighter core/nucleus. Situated midway between a mag 9.8 star 2' NW and a mag 12 star 2' SE. The galaxy is elongated in the same orientation. Lies in the central region of galaxy cluster AGC 262.
17.5" (10/17/87): very faint, very small, elongated NW-SE. Located almost at midpoint of a mag 12 star 1.9' SE and a mag 10 star 2.0' NW. Located just north of the central core of AGC 262 with NGC 708 4.3' SSW and NGC 703 3.8' SW.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 709 on 28 Oct 1850. He recorded "4' or 5' nnf of group [NGC 703/704/705/708] is another nebula, perhaps two." Édouard Stephan made an observation at the Marseilles Observatory on 24 Nov 1875. Dreyer found it again on 18 Nov 1876 and recorded "Nova [=5195] nf h 157 [NGC 703]., Pos 35.1, Dist. 210.5", vF, pS, it has a *11 m in Pos 297, Dist 110.3", *12-13m about same distance sf, the 2 st and neb being almost in a line." Dreyer was credited with the discovery in the NGC, though Stephan was earlier.
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01 52 53.9 +36 03 12; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.0
24" (12/8/20): at 260x; fairly faint, moderately large, roundish, ~50" diameter, even surface brightness. Largest galaxy in the central core of AGC 262.
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval slightly elongated ~E-W. A mag 15 star is 40" SSW of center. Located about 6' SSE of the central four galaxies (NGC 703, NGC 704, NGC 705, NGC 708) in the core of AGC 262.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, slightly elongated, fairly small, largest in field.
13.1" (12/11/82): faint, round, visible with direct vision, second brightest in the central core.
Bindon Blood Stoney probably discovered NGC 710 on 28 Oct
1850. He recorded "ssf [a group of 5 or more nebula] about 12' is a F, pL
nebula with stars in it." It
was picked up again by assistant R.J. Mitchell on 12 Oct 1855 and noted as
"6' or 7' sf this group is a pB, R, neb, bM." Heinrich d'Arrest next found and
accurately measured NGC 710 on 12 Aug 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. Édouard Stephan observed
NGC 710 on 24 Nov 1875 from the Marseilles Observatory, along with a discovery
of
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01 52 27.7 +17 30 46; Ari
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 15°
17.5" (12/7/90): very faint, very small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE. A mag 14 star is 20" E.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 711 = St. 12-19 on 5 Nov 1875. His published observation (list 12, #19) was made 6 years later on 4 Nov 1881 with description "vF star [nucleus] surrounded by vF, vS nebulosity."
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01 53 08.5 +36 49 12; And
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 85°
17.5" (10/24/87): moderately bright, fairly small,
slightly elongated WSW-ENE, even concentration, small bright core. A mag 14 star is close SW 0.6' from
center and a mag 12 star is 1' N.
John Herschel discovered NGC 712 = h163 in October 1828 (sweep 188 between 11 and 27 Oct) and logged "vF; R; among several pB stars."
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01 55 21.5 -09 05 01; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 95°
17.5" (10/25/97): at 280x, appeared very faint, small,
elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.7'x0.2', low even surface brightness. Located 7.7' SE of brighter
17.5" (11/6/93): not found.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 713 = LM 2-320 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 3 min of RA west of MCG -02-05-075 although his PA of 90° matches this galaxy. There is also a mag 15 star 2.2' NNW in agreement with Leavenworth's note of "*14, np 2'." MCG does not label -02-05-075 as NGC 713. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, mentions a galaxy 8' SE of NGC 731 is much elongated in PA 90°, which fits Leavenworth's description for NGC 713.
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01 53 29.6 +36 13 17; And
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 112°
17.5" (10/17/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated WNW-ESE, bright core. Two mag 13.5 stars are 1.0' W and 1.4' NW of center. Member of AGC 262.
13.1" (9/22/84): fairly faint, bright core, edge-on WNW-ESE, two faint stars are close west.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 714 on 28 Oct 1850. He mentioned it in respect to NGC 709: "following this last [NGC 709] is one about 11' [east]." R.J. Mitchell found NGC 714 again on 12 Oct 1855 and noted "about 10' nf the group is a pB, 1L neb, with B Nucl, susp resolvable." Heinrich d'Arrest next found the nebula on 2 Dec 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and measured an accurate position. Stephan made observations on 24 Nov 1875, 3 Nov 1877 and 30 Nov 1877 at Marseilles. Finally, Lawrence Parsons observed it again on 18 Nov 1876, noting "forming a triangle with 2 stars 13m preceding and north-preceding (perhaps a 3rd star)." In the 1880 publication Dreyer indicated the observation was a duplicate of GC 5197 (d'Arrest). d'Arrest and LdR are attributed with the discovery in the NGC.
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01 53 12.5 -12 52 23; Cet
V = 15.0; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 175°
17.5" (10/25/97): extremely faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.8'x0.4'. Located 3.5' N of a mag 11 star. A mag 8 star is 11' NW edge at the edge of the 220x field. Best viewed at 280x.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 715 = O St I-38 on 12 Dec 1885
with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.5 min of RA east and 3' S is
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01 52 59.7 +12 42 30; Ari
V = 12.9; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 57°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 SW-NE,
1.5'x0.7', broad weak concentration but no nucleus. Located 8' WNW of mag 7.5
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 716 = Sw. 4-6 on 1 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. There is nothing at his position but Corwin identifies NGC 716 = UGC 1351. This implies Swift made a 40' error (copying?) in declination, though his description matches this galaxy, including the "bright * near foll".
Bigourdan found this galaxy again on 1 Jan 1892, placed it correctly as a nova, and Dreyer catalogued it again as IC 1743. The description for IC 1743 mentions "=NGC 716?" and in the IC 2 notes Dreyer comments that Bigourdan couldn't find NGC 716 but B.250 = IC 1743 may equal NGC 716. This galaxy is identified as IC 1743 in UGC, MCG and CGCG, although the earlier discovery by Swift implies that NGC 716 should be the primary designation.
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01 53 55.1 +36 13 46; And
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 117°
17.5" (10/17/87): faint, small, edge-on WNW-ESE, small bright core. Located 5.1' E of NGC 715 in the core of AGC 262.
13.1" (9/22/84): very faint, slightly elongated ~E-W, 6' E of NGC 714.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 717 on 12 Oct 1855 and noted "5' nf this nebula [NGC 714] is another fainter ray." Heinrich d'Arrest independently found the nebula on 16 Sep 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. Lawrence Parsons made another observation on 18 Nov 1876, recording "Foll last neb [NGC 714] is an eF, pL neb with a star 15m ~1' sf." In the 1880 publication Dreyer indicated that the Birr Castle observation was a duplicate of d'Arrest's GC 5198. LdR and d'A are mentioned as the discoverers in the NGC.
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01 53 13.2 +04 11 45; Psc
V = 11.7; Size 2.3'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 45°
17.5" (11/6/93): moderately bright, fairly small, round, increases to very small prominent core, stellar nucleus, very faint larger halo 1.5' diameter.
8" (10/31/81): faint, very small, round, bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 718 = H. II-270 = h164 on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338) and logged "pB, S, irregularly round, mbM". John Herschel made two observations and called it "B; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 25" [diameter]" (sweep 300 on 25 Sep 1830).
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01 53 38.8 +19 50 26; Ari
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150°
17.5" (12/7/90): very faint, very small, round, broad concentration. Two mag 14 and 15 star are close east. The bright double star Gamma Arietis (components 4.4/4.7) lies 30' S.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 719 on 24 Nov 1861 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is 13 sec of RA following
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01 53 00.4 -13 44 20; Cet
V = 10.2; Size 4.7'x2.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 135°
17.5" (9/26/92): bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 2.0'x1.0', well-defined very bright core with dimensions 40"x20". A very faint halo extends the major axis to almost 2' length.
William Herschel discovered NGC 720 = H. I-105 = h165 = h2443 on 3 Oct 1785 (sweep 451) and noted "cB, pL, irregularly round, mbM.". This galaxy was observed by John Herschel at both Slough and the Cape of Good Hope where he logged "pB, lE, pretty suddenly much brighter middle, 40"."
******************************
01 54 45.5 +39 23 00; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 135°
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, fairly small, 1' diameter, slightly elongated 4:3 NW-SE, very diffuse, low surface brightness, no central concentration. Located in fairly rich star field.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 721 on 27 Aug 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and recorded "eF, pL, no ncl". His RA is 8 seconds too large (single measure). MCG doesn't label their entry as NGC 721.
******************************
01 54 47.1 +20 41 54; Ari
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 138°
24" (12/1/16): at 225x; fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, ~30"x20", slightly brighter nucleus. This galaxy lies a mere 7' SSE from the glare of 2.7-magnitude Beta Arietis, but the galaxy was not difficult with the star placed off the edge of the field. A group of mag 11.5-13 stars is nearby, including a mag 12 star 2.7' ENE.
17.5" (12/7/90): very faint, very small, oval 3:2 NW-SE. Remarkable location as situated 7' SSE of Beta Arietis (V = 2.6) in the same 220x field. This is a similar situation as NGC 404 near Mirach, but NGC 722 is much fainter.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 722 on 2 Dec 1861 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and recorded "vF, vS, R, Beta Arietis 7'
north." His position
(measured on 3 nights) matches
******************************
01 53 45.6 -23 45 28; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, 1.0' diameter, just a slight central brightening. A mag 12.8 star is 2.5' S. Located very close to Cetus-Fornax border.
William Herschel discovered NGC 723 = H. III-460 = h166 =
h167 = h2444 on 26 Oct 1785 (sweep 465) and noted "vF, vS". The galaxy was observed by John
Herschel at both Slough and at the Cape of Good Hope where he logged "pF,
R, gradually brighter in the middle, 25". No other neb within 15' all
round." His first of two
observations from Slough on 14 Sep 1830 differed in North Polar Distance so he
catalogued it separately as h167 (later
******************************
NGC 724 = NGC 723 = ESO 477-013 = MCG -04-05-016 = PGC 7024
01 53 45.8 -23 45 28; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 723.
John Herschel found NGC 724 = h167 on 14 Sep 1830 and noted "vF; pL; R; gradually brighter in the middle; has a small * 75° sp. It is barely possible that this may be H III 460 [NGC 723] with a mistake in reading the polar distance." Herschel's suspicion was correct as he later reobserved the galaxy from the Cape (h2444) and noted there was only one nebula in the vicinity. Nevertheless, h167 became GC 436 and finally NGC 724. So, NGC 723 = NGC 724 with the two entries equated in ESO and RNGC. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
01 52 35.5 -16 31 04; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5" (10/29/94): very faint, small, elongated 3:2
SSW-NNE, 30"x20", low surface brightness, weak concentration. Located 6.4' WSW of mag 7.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 725 = LM 1-39 on 9 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.6 min of RA west is
******************************
01 55 31.8 -10 47 58; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 100°
17.5" (12/4/93): very faint, very small, slightly
elongated, low smooth surface brightness.
A mag 12 star is 2.8' E of center.
Located 6.5' SE of mag 8.9
Frank Muller discovered NGC 726 = LM 1-40 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position (given to the
nearest minute of RA) is 1.0 tmin west of
******************************
01 53 49.4 -35 51 23; For
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 76°
18" (12/3/05): extremely faint, very small, round, appears as a low surface brightness hazy spot with averted, no details.
18" (11/6/04): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, low surface brightness. Collinear with two mag 11 and 12 stars 5' NE and 10' NE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 727 = h2445 on 1 Sep 1834 and
logged "F, S, R, bM, 15 arcsec." His position is just 1.5' S of
******************************
01 55 01.4 +04 13 21; Psc
= ***, Carlson.
John Herschel discovered NGC 728 = h168 on 16 Oct 1827 and noted a "suspected nebula". There are three cleanly resolved stars on the DSS at Herschel's position. Heinrich d'Arrest and Guillaume Bigourdan were unable to find Herschel's object. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 729 = NGC 727? = ESO 354-010 = MCG -06-05-012 = PGC 7027
01 53 49.4 -35 51 23; For
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 76°
See observing notes for NGC 727.
John Herschel discovered NGC 729 = h2446 on 30 Nov 1837 and logged "eeeF, S, R. RA only rudely taken by a star, being out of the field." Harold Corwin feels this entry is most likely a duplicate observation of h2445 = NGC 727, found earlier on 1 Sep 1834. His position happens to be 12 tsec west of a double star located 5.4' NE of NGC 727 at 01 54 11.3 -35 48 17 and ESO equates NGC 729 with this close double. The RNGC classification is a galaxy, although the position and description "USB, CLOSE DB*?" applies to this double star!
******************************
01 55 18.0 +05 38 11; Psc
= *, Carlson and Corwin.
Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 730 = Big. 11 on 7 Nov 1885 with the 12" refractor at the Paris Observatory. At his position is just a 15th mag star, though he may have logged a different star on a separate observation. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 731 = NGC 757 = MCG -02-05-073 = PGC 7118
01 54 56.1 -09 00 38; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (11/6/93): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration. A mag 13 star is 2.5' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 731 = H. III-266 = h2447,
along with
******************************
01 56 27.7 +36 48 08; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 10°
17.5" (11/14/87): very faint, very small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE. A mag 13 star is 45" NW of center. Member of AGC 262.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 732 = St. 13-15 on 19 Nov 1881. His published position in his 13th and last discovery list was reduced on 5 Dec 1883 with description "vF* involved with a vF, vS, round neby".
******************************
01 56 33.9 +33 03 19; Tri
= *, Corwin.
Listed as a faint galaxy 3.6' NW of
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 733 on 11 Oct 1850 (Friday). Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. The "nebula" was labeled Epsilon in a field sketch and an offset was measured of 115" in PA 293.3 deg (NW) from Alpha [NGC 736]. There is nothing at this exact position, though a mag 15 star is 97" from NGC 736 in PA 296 deg and Harold Corwin identifies NGC 733 with this star.
RNGC and PGC probably misidentify
******************************
01 53 28.7 -16 59 44; Cet
Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 28°
24" (10/3/13): faint to fairly faint, small, round,
18" diameter, low even surface brightness. Can hold continuously at 375x. Located 10' SE of mag 5.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 734 = LM 1-41 on 9 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and reported
"mag 14.0, vS, R, brighter middle to a nucleus, *11 p[recedes] 11
sec." His rough position
(nearest minute of RA) happens to be just 3' N of PGC 7121, and this galaxy is
identified as NGC 734 in the RNGC and PGC. The 11th mag star in the description (also shown on his
discovery sketch) might refer to a star situated 4.3' WNW (the difference in RA
is 17 sec), though a brighter star even closer (3.2' SSE) is not shown on the
sketch. I proposed to Corwin and
Wolfgang Steinicke that a better candidate for NGC 734 is 2MASX
J01532872-1659442 = PGC 170023.
This galaxy is brighter than PGC 7121 and has a star 13 tsec due
west.
******************************
01 56 38.0 +34 10 37; Tri
V = 13.3; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 138°
24" (11/24/14): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 36"x15", contains a very small brighter core. A mag 14 star is superimposed on the NW tip. A mag 10.2 star is 1.5' SW and a mag 12 star is 1.4' NW.
Two faint companions are nearby, the trio forming V Zw
146.
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, small, very elongated 3:1
NW-SE. The apparent elongation may
be exaggerated due to a mag 14 star located at the NW edge 20" from
center. Several stars are nearby
including a mag 10 star 1.5' SW and a mag 11.5 star 1.3' NW. Located about 1° north of the
William Herschel discovered NGC 735 = H. III-176 on 13 Sep
1784 (sweep 271) and logged "Stellar, the faintest imaginable, even 240
left some little doubt." His
position is 7' north of
******************************
NGC 736 = UGC 1414 = MCG +05-05-028 = CGCG 503-055 = VI Zw 111 = PGC 7289
01 56 40.9 +33 02 37; Tri
V = 12.1; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (11/1/86): moderately bright, fairly small,
round, small bright core, small halo.
A mag 15 star is 30" N (this is
13.1" (12/11 82 and 10/20/84): moderately bright, small, a faint star is at the north edge. A nearly stellar galaxy (NGC 738?) is close NE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 736 = H. II-221 = h169 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and logged "faint, pretty large, much elongated, resolvable, 1 1/2' long." One minute later he discovered NGC 750 in the sweep.
John Herschel observed NGC 736 on 3 sweeps. He described it on 11 Nov 1827 as "pB; R; bM; has a *13m np". Both Herschel's positions are accurate and they missed the nearby edge-on NGC 740. John Herschel thought his father's description was irreconcileable ("much elongated" vs "round"), so they probably referred to different objects and he assigned separate designations in the General Catalogue. Bindon Stoney sketched the group using the 72" on 11 Oct 1850 and NGC 736 is labeled Alpha.
******************************
01 56 40.8 +33 03 00; Tri
17.5" (11/1/86): mag 15 star only located 30" N of NGC 736.
Bindon Blood Stoney, possibly accompanied by his brother George Johnstone, discovered NGC 737 on 11 Oct 1850 during an observation of the NGC 736 field. The galaxy was labeled "Beta" on a constructed diagram. He measured a distance of 30" in PA 12° from NGC 736. At this offset is a mag 15 star. The 9 Jan 1874 observation notes "[h169 = NGC 736] has a 12m star 11.9°, 35.1" distant, this must be beta of Oct 11 1850, when it was recorded as a nebula. [Sir J. Herschel records 3 observations of this companion object, all taken in Nov 1827. Nov 11 has *13 np, Nov 16 has a "* near it" and lastly, Nov 22 "has a S* or stellar neb to the n."
In "Publications of Lick Observatory (Vol II), Sherburne Burnham identified NGC 737 as a mag 15.5 star about 30" N of NGC 736. He accurately measured the offset from NGC 736 as PA = 10°, distance 32". Curtis concluded "Does not exist; is simply a faint star" based on Crossley reflector plates at Lick and Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, also writes "*14.7 0.7' N of N736, no neb...".
******************************
NGC 738 = CGCG 503-057 = VI Zw 113 = PGC 7303
01 56 45.7 +33 03 30; Tri
V = 14.9; Size 0.3'x0.2'
17.5" (11/1/86): very faint, extremely small, just non-stellar. Forms a pair with NGC 736 1.4' SW.
13.1" (10/20/84): possible observation as a very faint quasi-stellar object just 1.4' NE of bright NGC 736.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 738 on 11 Oct 1850
(Friday). Bindon may have been
observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle
several weekends in Fall 1850. It
was labeled "Gamma" on a field diagram with a measured offset of
79" in PA 46° from NGC 736, matching
******************************
01 56 54.7 +33 16 00; Tri
V = 13.9; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5" (11/27/92): very faint, very small, round. Forms the south vertex of a triangle with a mag 13.5 star 1.1' NW and a mag 14 star 40" NE. The galaxy pair NGC 750/NGC 751is in the field 9' SE. Incorrect declination in the NGC (SW of NGC 750 instead of NW) and not identified as NGC 739 in the CGCG.
Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 739 on 9 Jan 1874 with the 72" at Birr Castle in an observation of NGC 750/751 group. Described as "A cF, vS, R neb, bM (inside a triangle of st) is south-preceding the n[orth] component". The direction should have read north-preceding the north component but Copeland gave the correct orientation as PA 292° (WNW) and separation 524" (8.7'). Because of his error the derived position was in error and this was copied into the NGC. In 1913 Curtis noted there was nothing at the NGC position and suggested MCG +05-05-030 was NGC 739, based on Crossley photographs at Lick. CGCG (503-059) fails to label its entry as NGC 739. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 740 = UGC 1421 = MCG +05-05-031 = CGCG 503-058 = PGC 7316
01 56 54.9 +33 00 55; Tri
V = 14.0; Size 1.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 137°
17.5" (11/1/86): very faint, thin edge-on 4:1 WNW-ESE. Located midway between a mag 10 star 1.3' ESE and a mag 14 star 1.2' WNW. Last in a group with NGC 736 3' NW.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 740 on 11 Oct 1850
(Friday). Bindon's brother, George
Johnstone, may have participated in the observation as he visited Birr Castle
several weekends in Fall 1850. It was labeled "Delta" on the field
diagram with an offset of 197" in PA 115° from NGC 736. Close to this offset is
******************************
NGC 741 = IC 1751 = VV 175a = UGC 1413 = MCG +01-06-003 =
01 56 21.0 +05 37 44; Psc
V = 11.1; Size 3.0'x2.9'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (12/21/16): at 375x; bright, moderately large,
round, sharply concentrated with a small very bright core that increases to the
center. The halo increases with
averted to over 1'. A mag 11 star
is 2.4' NW. NGC 741 is the
brightest in a group (WBL 061) with
17.5" (11/6/93): moderately bright, round, prominent core, faint stellar nucleus at moments, larger halo with averted. A mag 11 star is 2.4' NW. In a common halo with NGC 742 attached at the east end at 0.8' separation in pa 100°. Brightest in a group and forms a close triple with CGCG 413-006 1.5' NNW. CGCG 413-006 (generally misidentified as IC 1751) appeared very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 10.5 star lies 1.3' WNW. CGCG 413-002, 3' SW, appeared very faint and small, round.
8" (1/1/84): faint, round, diffuse edges, small faint core. A mag 12 star is close NW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 741 = H. II-271 = h172 on 13 Dec 1784 (sweep 338). He recorded it as "considerably large, just following a pretty bright star; of an unequal light and scatteredly extended." He observed it again on 25 Oct 1785 (sweep 464) but this time resolved much smaller and fainter NGC 742: "Faint. I take it to be two very near each other. 240 strengthens the suspicision; not far from from the parallel [E-W]. The following [NGC 742] is the smallest, and most north, it is also the faintest." This is the one of the closest pairs that Herschel discovered and perhaps more impressive than NGC 545/547 at 30", which are much closer in magnitude.
R.J. Mitchell , Lord Rosse's assistant on 24 Nov 1854, described a "Double nebula, the preceding one is pB, R, bM, the following one is smaller and fainter and little brighter in the middle."
Lewis Swift found NGC 741 on 26 Nov 1897 and reported it new in his 11th list (#28) with description "pF; pS; R; 9m * near np." His position was 6' too far northwest and Dreyer catalogued it again as IC 1751. Herbert Howe corrected Swift's position though didn't make the connection with NGC 741. The CGCG (413-006) labels the galaxy as IC 1751, instead of NGC 741. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 742 = VV 175b = MCG +01-06-004 = CGCG 413-009 = III Zw 38a = WBL 061-005 = PGC 7264
01 56 24.2 +05 37 36; Psc
V = 14.3; Size 0.3x0.3'
24" (12/21/16): at 375x; fairly faint or moderately bright, small, round, 15" diameter, high surface brightness. NGC 742 is 0.8' E of center of NGC 741 (closest companion) and lies near the edge its halo.
17.5" (11/6/93): faint, extremely small, round. Located just off the east edge of NGC 741 in a common halo. Clearly visible, though just 10"-15" diameter.
William Herschel discovered NGC 742 = H. II-272 = h173 on 25 Oct 1785 ( (sweep 464)). He described the NGC 741/742 pair as "Faint. I take it to be two very near each other. 240 strengthens the suspicision; not far from from the parallel [E-W]. The following [NGC 742] is the smallest, and most north, it is also the faintest." This is one of the closer pairs that Herschel discovered and perhaps more impressive than NGC 545/547 at 30", which are much closer in magnitude.
John Herschel observed the pair on 16 Oct 1827 (sweep 95) and noted NGC 742 as "The f]ollowing] and fainter of a double neb [with NGC 741]; vF; R; suddenly brighter middle; 12" diameter."
On 24 Nov 1854, Lord Rosse assistant R.J. Mitchell logged a
"D neb, the preceding one is pB, R, bM, the following one is smaller and
fainter and little brighter in the middle."
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01 58 31 +60 10 00; Cas
Size 5'
17.5" (11/26/94): bright, distinctive but scattered
group in a triangular outline.
Consists of two dozen stars in a 6' diameter including 10 brighter mag
9-11.5 stars. The brightest star
is mag 9.1
John Herschel discovered NGC 743 = h170 on 29 Sep 1829 and recorded a "double star in the following part of a L, poor, triangular cluster of 15 or 20 stars 10...13m.".
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01 58 30 +55 28 30; Per
V = 7.9; Size 11'
13.1" (11/5/83): about two dozen stars in a 7' diameter
including several fairly bright stars.
The brightest is mag 7.8
John Herschel discovered NGC 744 = h171 on 28 Nov 1831 and logged, "p rich, irr fig cluster of *s 11...13m, 8' dia." Sir Robert Ball, observing on the 72" on 29 Oct 1866, recorded "about 100 stars, more or less, of various sizes, scattered about, two of the 7th and the rest from the 8th mag down".
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01 54 07.8 -56 41 37; Eri
V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 30°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.6', broad concentration to a brighter core. A mag 15.5 star is just off the east side, 27" from center. A group of 4 stars zigzag to the east including a mag 10 star 4.8' ENE. Located 2.3° NE of Achenar.
NGC 745 forms a close pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 745 = h2449 on 27 Oct 183 and
recorded "pB, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 30"." His position matches
******************************
01 57 51.0 +44 55 06; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 90°
17.5" (9/26/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is at the west tip. Several other faint stars are near and some nice star chains (both faint and fairly bright) lead off from the west side.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 746 = Sw. 2-15 on 12 Sep 1885
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is just 5 tsec west of
******************************
01 57 30.4 -09 27 45; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175°
17.5" (10/25/97): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, no concentration. Located 7' SW of a mag 10.5-11 star. Listed as nonexistent in the RNGC.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 747 = LM 2-321 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded a
slightly elongated nebula in PA 180°.
His position is 1.2 minutes of RA west of
******************************
01 56 21.7 -04 28 03; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 2.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 138°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.6', small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 1.9' SE of a mag 10.5 star and the galaxy is elongated in the direction of the star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 748 = H. III-193 = h176 on 20 Sep 1784 (sweep 280) and reported "eF, verified with 240 power with difficulty, near a small star". His position was well off in RA, but John Herschel measured an accurate position on two consecutive sweeps in October 1827.
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01 55 41.1 -29 55 21; For
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 111°
17.5" (10/29/94): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.5'x0.8'. Fairly sharp concentration with a prominent core and faint extensions. The core brightens to a very small but non-stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 3.9' W of center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 749 = h2448 on 27 Sep 1834 and
logged "B, S, E, pretty suddenly brighter in the middle." His mean position from 3 sweeps matches
******************************
NGC 750 = Arp 166 NED1 = VV 189a = UGC 1430 = MCG +05-05-034 = CGCG 503-062 = VI Zw 123 = LGG 042-001 = PGC 7369
01 57 32.4 +33 12 37; Tri
V = 11.9; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5" (11/1/86): moderately bright, small, round. Forms a contact double system with NGC 751 virtually attached at the south end. Resolved into two distinct galaxies at 220x.
13.1" (10/20/84): double galaxy with
8" (11/28/81): both components merged into a single elongated object.
William Herschel discovered NGC 750 = H. II-222 = h175 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and logged "just like the former." The "former" refers to NGC 736, which was discovered just 1 minute earlier in the sweep and recorded as "faint, pretty large, much elongated, resolvable, 1.5' long." Oddly, NGC 736 is basically round, though the NGC 750/751 pair is clearly elongated.
John Herschel described NGC 750/751 pair as "round" on one sweep and "elongated" on another, but neither Herschel was able to resolve the pair, perhaps as their magnification was too low. Lord Rosse's assistant Bindon Stoney first resolved the pair on 11 Oct 1850. Édouard Stephan also noted the two nuclei on 13 Oct 1869 at Marseilles Observatory.
******************************
NGC 751 = Arp 166 NED2 = VV 189b = UGC 1431 = MCG +05-05-035 = CGCG 503-062 = VI Zw 123 = LGG 042-002 = PGC 7370
01 57 32.9 +33 12 13; Tri
V = 12.5; Size 1.4'x1.4'
17.5" (11/1/86): this is the southern member of double system with NGC 750. Fairly faint, very small, round. Appears smaller and fainter than NGC 750 just off the north edge.
13.1" (10/20/84): double nebula with NGC 750 with two distinct nuclei and probably a common halo, oriented N-S.
8" (11/28/81): both components of NGC 750/751 merge into a single object.
Birr Castle assistant Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 751 on 11 Oct 1850 (Friday). Bindon's brother, George Johnstone, may have participated in the observation as he visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. It was described as a "D neb [with NGC 750], Pos 171°, Dist 25", nf is a third nebula [NGC 761]."
On 10 Dec 1873, Ralph Copeland gave a more detailed
description: "D neb; cB, pL, R, suddenly brighter in the middle and pF, S,
R, suddenly brighter middle."
John Herschel's entry for GC 456 is confused; his description "nf
h175 [NGC 750]" refers to
******************************
01 57 48 +37 51 00; And
V = 5.7; Size 50'
17.5" (11/1/97): easy naked-eye cluster and it overfills the 100x field (20mm Nagler). The brightest star is a yellowish mag 7 star just south of center. Two equal mag companions to the south form an isosceles triangle. There are no dense regions and the many brighter mag 9-10.5 stars are pretty evenly distributed throughout the field. Many of the stars appear to be arrange in long strings and arcs, though. There are perhaps 150 stars in the field (difficult to count) with a few nice pair and trios. Off the SW side just out of the field is a wide bright pair of mag 5.7/5.9 stars at 3.6' (56 And). The western of these two stars has a striking orange-red hue and the SE star has a mag 12 companion at 18" separation.
8": very large, bright, many doubles, overfills low power field. Easy naked-eye open cluster in dark sky.
According to Wolfgang Steinicke, William Herschel discovered NGC 752 = H. VII-32 = h174 on 24 Aug 1783 with his 6.2-inch reflector. He noted (a couple of months before starting his sweeps) "Cluster of stars near 56 Andromeda, very rich, Messier has it not." He recorded a naked-eye sighting, along with several other groups of stars, on 29/30 Oct 1783 (Steinicke).
He viewed it again with his 18.7" on sweep 599 (21 Sep 1786) and called it "a vL coarse scattered cluster of vL stars, irregularly round, very rich. I suppose it takes up half a degree." Later he noted "like a nebulous star to the naked eye."
Caroline Herschel independently discovered NGC 752 on 29 Sep 1783 with her 4.2-inch comet-seeker reflector and called it a "fine cluster of stars. Messier has it not." She added it to her discovery list as #13.
Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna perhaps made the original discovery around 1654, but his entry (Table 4, #4, "Near the Triangle") could refer to M33 instead.
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01 57 42.2 +35 54 58; And
V = 12.3; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 125°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, broad concentration. Bright member of AGC 262.
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round, small bright core.
8" (9/25/81): faint, small, round.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 753 on 16 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted a mag 13-14 star followed by 17 seconds of time and measured an accurate position (2 nights).
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NGC 754 = ESO 152-033 = PGC 7068
01 54 20.9 -56 45 40; Eri
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 40"x35", weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. Located 4.5' SSE of brighter NGC 745. Two mag 10 stars lie 5' E and NE and a third mag 11.3 star is 4' NNE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 754 = h2450 (along with NGC 745
= h2249) on 27 Oct 1834 and recorded "vF, S, R, bM.". His position matches
******************************
NGC 755 = NGC 763 = MCG -02-06-005 = PGC 7262
01 56 22.5 -09 03 42; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 3.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 50°
17.5" (12/23/92): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 2.5'x0.8', brighter along major axis, brighter core but no well-defined nucleus, appears mottled.
William Herschel discovered NGC 755 = H. III-265 = h177 = h2447 on 10 Jan 1785 (sweep 355) and logged "vF, lE, verified with 240 power." John Herschel's observations of h177 and h2447, which he assumed referred to H. III-265, may instead apply to NGC 731. Christian Peters measured an accurate position in 1881 that was given in the NGC.
Ormond Stone independently found this galaxy in 1886 and
reported it as #44 in the Leander McCormick Observatory's first discovery paper
(later
Based on photographs taken in 1919-20 with the 30-inch Reynolds reflector at the Helwan Observatory, NGC 755 was described as "bright irregular central portion 1.25' long with no distinct nucleus, but showing some indications of spiral structure; the outer portions are vF and also show spiral strucutre."
******************************
01 54 29.2 -16 42 27; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 50°
17.5" (10/25/97): very faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. Situated ~2' S of a small obtuse triangle of mag 13-14 stars.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 756 = LM 1-42 on 9 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick. His rough position is 1.7 min of RA
east of
******************************
NGC 757 = NGC 731 = MCG -02-05-073 = PGC 7118
01 54 56.1 -09 00 38; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 731.
Ormond Stone found NGC 757 = O St I-43 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick. There is nothing at his position, but 10' S is NGC 755. Harold Corwin originally equated NGC 757 with NGC 755 but now feels NGC 757 is a duplicate of NGC 731. Although there is no discovery sketch for NGC 757, the sketch for NGC 763 (#44 in the first list) shows that NGC 763 = NGC 755. Applying the same relative offsets suggests NGC 757 = NGC 731 assuming both galaxies were observed at Leander McCormick on the same night.
******************************
01 55 42.1 -03 04 00; Cet
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (10/29/94): very faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter, weak even concentration to a very small core. The RNGC position is 4.5' too far ESE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 758 = LM 2-322 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick. His position is about 0.6 tmin east of
******************************
01 57 50.3 +36 20 35; And
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, small, round,
bright core. Member of AGC 262
with
13.1" (8/8/86): fairly faint, small, round, small bright core, faint elongated halo.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 759 on 17 Sep 1865 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position matches
******************************
01 57 47.4 +33 21 20; Tri
= **, Carlson.
Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 760 on 19 Dec 1873, observing
with the 72" at Birr Castle.
With respected to GC 456 = NGC 761, he placed this nebula 80"
distant in PA 202.5° (close southwest) and described it as a "cF, R
neb". At this exact offset is
a close double star just resolved on the DSS. Corwin and Carlson also identify this double star as NGC
760. The MCG misidentifies
******************************
NGC 761 = UGC 1439 = MCG +05-05-036 = CGCG 503-064 = VV 425 = LGG 042-003 = PGC 7395
01 57 49.6 +33 22 37; Tri
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 143°
17.5" (11/1/86): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE. A faint triangle of stars is off the north edge. Follows a mag 8.5 star.
13.1" (10/20/84): extremely faint, small, elongated
NW-SE. Located close SW of three
mag 13-13.5 stars 1.5' NE, 2.1' NE and 1.0' ENE. Also 5' SE of mag 8.5
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 761 on 11 Oct 1850
(Friday). Bindon may have been
observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle
several weekends in Fall 1850. A
third nebula was noted NE of NGC 750/751.
On 10 Dec 1873, assistant Ralph Copeland described it as "pB, cL, 4
S near; it has a *11m in Pos 309°, Dist 314.1"." At this precise offset is
******************************
01 56 57.7 -05 24 11; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 25°
17.5" (12/7/90): faint, very small, round, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 762 = H. III-464 = h178 = h2451 on 22 Nov 1785 (sweep 474) and logged "eF, S, I found it in gauging [counting stars in a given region], otherwise it might have been overlooked." John Herschel observed this galaxy from both Slough and the Cape, where he described it as "vF, E, very little brighter middle, 30 arcseconds."
******************************
NGC 763 = NGC 755 = MCG -02-06-005 = PGC 7262
01 56 22.5 -09 03 42; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 755.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 763 = O St I-44 in 1886 with the 26" Clark refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded 1.6'x0.4' in PA = 65°. There is nothing at his position, but 1.0 tmin of RA west and 5' S is NGC 755, which matches his description. Corwin checked the discovery sketch and confirms NGC 763 is a duplicate of NGC 755 (discovered earlier by William Herschel). Corwin also notes that if NGC 757 was discovered by Stone on the same night, then the same offset leads to NGC 757 = NGC 731 (also discovered earlier by WH).
******************************
01 57 03.5 -16 03 51; Cet
= **, Carlson and Corwin. Not found, RNGC.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 764 = O St I-45 on 6 Jan 1886 with the 26" at Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing near his position and Dorothy Carlson and Harold Corwin identify this number with a double star. See Corwin's notes for further comments.
******************************
01 58 48.0 +24 53 33; Ari
V = 12.8; Size 2.8'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.9
17.5" (12/7/90): faint, fairly small, round, broad
concentration, very faint stellar nucleus. Located 8' WNW of mag 7.8
Albert Marth discovered NGC 765 = m 52 on 8 Oct 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "vF, vS". His position matches
******************************
01 58 42.0 +08 20 48; Psc
V = 12.7; Size 2.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.2
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1' diameter, low even concentration, very small brighter core. Forms the west vertex of isosceles triangle with a mag 11.5 star 2.4' NE and a mag 12 star 3.0' SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 766 = h180 on 8 Jan 1828 and
recorded "vF; S; R; 15...20"; a *10m 15° np; 2' dist." His position matches
******************************
01 58 50.7 -09 35 12; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 165°
17.5" (10/8/94): very faint, fairly small, very
elongated 3:1 ~N-S, very low surface brightness with no concentration. A mag 14 star is 2.0' N. Located 7' W of mag 8.4
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 767 = LM 2-323 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.6 tmin west of MCG -02-06-010 = PGC 7483 and his description 1.3'x0.3' in PA 160° matches this galaxy.
******************************
01 58 40.8 +00 31 46; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30°
24" (12/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright,
elongated at least 2:1 SSW-NNE, 40"x18", brighter along a the major
axis (elongated core or bar?). A
mag 15.7 star is 50" E of center and a mag 14.5 star is 2' NE.
17.5" (12/7/90): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 8' W of mag 8.2 SAO 110258.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 768 = Sw. 3-8 = Sw. 5-18? on 2
Dec 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position was 18 seconds east and 1'
S of
******************************
01 59 35.9 +30 54 35; Tri
V = 12.8; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 73°
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly faint, elongated WSW-ENE,
fairly even surface brightness. A
mag 13 star is on the east edge 30" from the center. Located about 30' SSW of
Truman Safford discovered NGC 769 = Sf. 68 = St. XII-20 on 9 Nov 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. He recorded "small, pretty faint, irregular figure, gradually brighter middle." Édouard Stephan found the galaxy on 22 Nov 1875 (already aware of Safford's prior discovery?), measured an accurate position on 5 Nov 1882, and included it in his 12th discovery list (XII-20). Dreyer credited Stephan in the NGC as Safford's list wasn't published until 1887, too late for inclusion in the NGC.
William Herschel may have made the earliest observation on 11 Jan 1787 (sweep 680). He noted "a patch of a few small stars. The place not very accurate." His position with respect to Alpha and Iota Tri, which bracket the "patch" in the log, is 1 minute of RA to the east and 3' to the south. Wolfgang Steinicke mentions this observation in his book on Herschel's sweeps.
******************************
01 59 13.6 +18 57 17; Ari
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 15°
48" (11/1/13): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, ~40"x32", very high surface brightness. Forms a double system 3.5' SSW of NGC 772, a showpiece spiral.
18" (12/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, increases to a small bright core. This is a companion to NGC 772 and may be the cause of its bright, disturbed spiral arm.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly faint, fairly small, roundish, ~25" diameter, contains a very small bright nucleus.
13.1" (11/5/83): faint, very small, round, small bright core. Located 3.5' SSW of NGC 772.
R.J. Mitchell (GC 464) discovered NGC 770 on 3 Nov 1855 while observing NGC 772. He noted, "has companion neb. 5' or 6' south." Dreyer later measured an accurate offset. Heinrich d'Arrest (GC 461) independently found NGC 770 in 1861 and it was listed twice in the GC. Both entries were combined in the NGC with an accurate position.
******************************
02 03 26.6 +72 25 16; Cas
V = 4.0
= *4.0 = 50 Cas
John Herschel found NGC 771 = h179 on 29 Oct 1831 and noted
"I suspect this star[50 Cas] to be nebulous." There are several other instances where
Herschel thought a bright star had a nebulous halo (e.g.
******************************
NGC 772 = Arp 78 = UGC 1466 = MCG +03-06-011 = CGCG 461-018 = LGG 040-002 = PGC 7525 = Fiddlehead Galaxy
01 59 19.8 +19 00 30; Ari
V = 10.3; Size 7.2'x4.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 130°
48" (11/1/13): very bright, very large, elongated at
least 5:3 WNW-ESE, ~5.4'x3', sharply concentrated with a blazing core that
increases to the center. Contains
two spiral arms, though dominated by a bright, long arm that attaches to the
core on the east side, wraps counterclockwise to the north of the core and then
extends in a fairly thin arch to the west. The arm extends over 3' in length and ends at the northwest
tip of the galaxy, ~2.5' from the center.
It contains 1 or 2 very faint HII knots. A second low contrast arm begins at the south end of the
core and spirals out clockwise to the east. This arm is broader and does not have a sharply defined edge
but was fairly easily visible. The
outer halo to the southeast of this arm has a very low surface brightness. Forms an interacting pair with NGC 770
3.5' SSW.
24" (9/7/13): bright, very large, elongated 5:3 WNW-ESE, 4'x2.5'. Strongly concentrated with a very bright oval core. The halo is clearly asymmetric and more extensive on the NW side. With careful viewing a long arm is visible at 200x extending from the central region towards the NW. The arm is better separated from the main body at 450x and ends near NGC 772:[HK83] 57, a slightly brighter HII knot that appears as an extremely faint, "soft" star.
18" (12/3/05): bright, very large, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, roughly 4'x3'. The halo is asymmetric and more extensive on the NW side with a very strong impression of a spiral arm attached on the north side and sweeping to the west (confirmed on image). Forms a pair with much fainter NGC 770 3.5' SSW.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly bright and large, oval ~4:3 WNW-ESE, at least 3' major axis. Strong concentration with a very bright core that increases to a stellar peak. There was an impression of an "enhancement" on the north side, but not a distinct arm. Pair with NGC 770 3' SSW.
13.1" (11/5/83): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, sharp concentration. Forms a close pair with NGC 770 3.5' SSW.
8" (10/4/80): fairly faint, fairly large, oval, bright core, two mag 11 stars to SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 772 = H. I-112 = h181 on 29 Nov 1785 (sweep 481). His description reads, "cB or vB, L, R, mbM, 3 or 4' dia, difficulty resolving. In the most resolvable part a faint red colour perceivable." Herschel described several globulars (and many double stars) as having a red colour, though a galaxy is unusual.
On 3 Nov 1855, Lord Rosse assistant R.J. Mitchell wrote "...One branch in particular strongly suspected as at A [in diagram] curved towards the * preceding." This description refers to the northern spiral arm and star preceding (indicated on the diagram) is the HII region NGC 772:[HK83] 57, from Hodge & Kennicutt's "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". Dreyer also noted this HII region on a 9 Jan 1875 observation: "An eeF neb point was by glimpses seen by both observers in Pos 315° +/, Dist. 2' +/- from [GC] 463."
******************************
01 58 52.0 -11 30 53; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 0°
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, fairly small, oval 2:1 N-S,
1.0'x0.5', very weak concentration.
Located 11' SE of mag 8.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 773 = H. III-468 = h2452 on 27 Nov 1785 (sweep 478) and recorded "vF; E; 1.5' long, 1' broad, nearly in the meridian [N-S]; little brighter in the middle." John Herschel reported from the Cape of Good Hope, "F, R, gradually little brighter middle, 30"." The NGC position is accurate.
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01 59 34.7 +14 00 29; Ari
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 165°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, small, almost round, 0.5' diameter, slight even concentration, no distinct core. Forms a triangle with two mag 12 stars 2.3' NNW and 3.5' NE. Located 12' ESE of a mag 9.5 star and 9' ENE of a mag 10 star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 774 = H. III-214 on 16 Oct
1784 (sweep 295) and logged "vF, stellar, verified with 240
power.". J.L.E. Dreyer, using
Lord Rosse's 72" on 7 Oct 1874, recorded "F, stellar, not quite R but
of somewhat irregular shape, probably vlE north-south or very nearly towards a
*11m in Pos 333°, Dist 143.7 arcsec". The NGC dec is 1' S of
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01 58 32.6 -26 17 36; For
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 167°
17.5" (10/29/94): fairly faint, moderately large,
slightly elongated ~N-S, 1.5'x1.2, broad concentration with no distinct
core. An elongated group of six
mag 13-14 stars (6' length oriented E-W) lies 5' S. Located 13' NW of mag 6.7
John Herschel discovered NGC 775 = h2453 on 14 Nov 1835 and
noted "pB, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 18 arcsec" His positions from two sweeps differed
by 10 tsec in RA, but clearly identifies
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01 59 54.5 +23 38 40; Ari
V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4
24" (12/12/17): at 375x; moderately bright and large,
round, very small bright core in a diffuse 1' halo. A mag 15.5-16 star is at the north edge. Two small companions are close;
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration, very faint stellar nucleus, halo fades into background. A mag 15 star is 30" N. Brightest of three with IC 180 2.6' SE and IC 181 2.0' NE. IC 180 appeared very faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE and IC 181 is extremely faint and small, round.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 776 on 2 Dec 1861 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and logged "vF, S, R". His single position matches
******************************
02 00 14.9 +31 25 46; Tri
V = 11.5; Size 2.5'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 155°
24" (11/24/14): at 375x; bright, moderately large,
elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, sharply concentrated with a very bright rounder core,
~0.9'x0.7'. Two fairly bright
stars are in the field to the south, mag 9.3
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly bright, small, almost round,
small bright core. Forms a pair
with NGC 778 7' SSE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 777 = H. II-223 = h182 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and recorded "pB, pS, R." John Herschel logged on 22 Nov 1827 (sweep 106), "B; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 40"; a considerable nebula." R.J. Mitchell, assistant to Lord Rosse on 18 Sep 1857, wrote "S, R, bM, several S st p and np the nucleus."
******************************
NGC 778 = UGC 1480 = MCG +05-05-039 = CGCG 503-069 = PGC 7597
02 00 19.4 +31 18 47; Tri
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 150°
24" (11/24/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, ~30"x20", weak concentration. A mag 8.7 star is 3' NE. Second brightest in a trio with brighter NGC 777 7' N and much fainter KUG 0156+310 = PGC 74060 6' W. The latter was an extremely faint 8" glow just north of a mag 13-13.5 star.
13.1" (8/24/84): faint, very small, slightly elongated. Located within a bright trapezoid formed by two mag 9 stars 7' N and 4.8' NW (SAO 55174), mag 8.5 SAO 55185 3.0' NE and a mag 10.5 star 2.8' WSW. Forms a pair with NGC 777 7' NNW.
Truman Safford discovered NGC 778 = Sf. 64 = St. 8a-7 on 5 Nov 1866 with the 18" refractor at Dearborn Observatory. Édouard Stephan found the galaxy on 2 Nov 1875 during an observation of NGC 777 or he was already aware of Safford's prior discovery. Stephan made another observation two nights later and reported it as new in list 8a, #7, with an accurate position measured on 17 Nov 1876. As Safford's discovery was not published until the fall of 1887 as the NGC was going to press, Stephan was credited with the discovery in the GC Supplement (5205) and NGC.
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01 59 42.3 -05 57 51; Cet
V = 11.2; Size 4.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 160°
48" (10/24/14): extremely bright, very large, nearly edge-on 7:2 NNW-SSE, 3.5'x1.0'. Contains an intensely bright, mottled core and nucleus. The core is within a brighter, elongated "bar". The outer halo appears to extend further to the south with averted vision and bend slightly with respect to the central region. The northern end of the halo has a similar effect as if the galaxy is very slightly warped.
17.5" (11/27/92): bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE in PA 160°, 3.0'x1.0', brighter core, substellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 4.6' SSW of center.
8" (10/31/81): fairly bright, bright core, edge-on N-S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 779 = H. I-101 = h183 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436). He logged "considerably bright, pretty large, much brighter middle, elongated a few degrees deviating from the meridian [N-S]; from np to sf." A sketch (fig. 19) was including in his 1811 publication as representative of "Nebulae that are gradually much brighter in the middle." Wolfgang Steinicke mentions in his comprehensive book on Herschel's observations that William observed NGC 779 with the 40-foot telescope on 20 Oct 1789 during a short sweep #1 that lasted 25 minutes.
John Herschel observed the galaxy on 3 sweeps, including 2 Jan 1827 (sweep 40): "pB; pL; E; pos about 160° by diag."
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02 00 35.2 +28 13 31; Tri
V = 13.4; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 170°
17.5" (11/27/92): very faint, very small, round. Two mag 15 stars nearby 0.7' S and 20" E. Lies within a 12' group of stars roughly forming a "Big Dipper" asterism.
William Herschel discovered NGC 780 = H. III-583 = h184 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and noted "vF, vS, E. Resembles 3 faint stars in a line, with vF nebulosity between them." John Herschel logged it on 15 Sep 1828 (sweep 177): "eF; 3 stars in Meridian precede it; the large 10m is 20° sp the nebula." Lord Rosse failed to find this object on one occasion with the 72", but it was confirmed and measured twice by d'Arrest with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen. He noted the 15th mag star off the south end and measured an accurate position used in the NGC.
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02 00 09.0 +12 39 22; Ari
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 13°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.3', dominated by a round small bright core, much fainter extensions.
William Herschel discovered NGC 781 = H. III-215 on 16 Oct
1784 (sweep 295) and logged "eF, stellar, found with 240 power." His position is 2' north of
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01 57 40.4 -57 47 26; Eri
V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 15°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, ~1.0' diameter. Contains a central "bar" oriented ~E-W within a brighter quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 14-14.5 star is superimposed at the northeast end of the galaxy with the nucleus WSW [by 28"]. A thin, low surface brightness spiral arm is attached at the east end of the galaxy. It was occasionally glimpsed, extending towards the southwest and separating from the central region.
John Herschel discovered NGC 782 = h2454 on 27 Oct 1834 and logged "pB, pL, lE, attached to a star 12th mag." His position is accurate.
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NGC 783 = IC 1765 = UGC 1497 = MCG +05-05-042 = CGCG 503-073 = Mrk 1171 = LGG 042-005 = PGC 7657
02 01 06.4 +31 52 57; Tri
V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 35°
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly faint, diffuse, slightly
elongated E-W, even surface brightness.
A mag 13 star is at the WNW edge of halo and a mag 12.5 star is off the
SE edge 1.1' from center. Forms a
pair with
13.1" (12/22/84): moderately bright.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 783 = St. 8a-8, along with
NGC 785, on 5 Oct 1869 with further observations on 22 Sep 1871, 28 Oct 1875,
and 1 Nov 1877. He described NGC
783 as "extremely faint, small, irr round, diffuse, very small brighter
nucleus, star attached." E.E.
Barnard later found this galaxy again at Lick (date unknown) and reported the
discovery directly to Dreyer, who cataloged again as
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02 01 16.9 +28 50 14; Tri
V = 11.7; Size 6.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 0°
17.5" (11/1/86): fairly bright, very large, very elongated 4:1 N-S, weak concentration.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 784 on 20 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He questioned if it was elongated or double and his single position is accurate. Édouard Stephan made an observation on 22 Nov 1875.
******************************
NGC 785 = IC 1766 = UGC 1509 = MCG +05-05-046 = CGCG 503-076 = LGG 042-006 = PGC 7694
02 01 40.0 +31 49 35; Tri
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80°
13.1" (8/24/84): faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 783 8' WNW.
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly faint.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 785 = St. 8a-9, along with
NGC 783, on 5 Oct 1869 at the Marseilles Observatory. He made additional observations on 22 Sep 1871 and 28 Oct
1875. He published an accurate
micrometric position (discovery list 8a, #9) made on 25 Oct 1876 with
description "extremely faint and small, a faint star is
involved." E.E. Barnard found
this galaxy again sometime in the early 1890's at Lick Observatory and
communicated the discovery directly to Dreyer. Barnard's position was about 30 seconds of RA west and 3' S
of NGC 785 (similar offset error with IC 1765 and NGC 783), so Dreyer thought
it was a different object and catalogued it again as
******************************
02 01 24.6 +15 38 48; Ari
V = 13.3; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, very small, round, even
surface brightness.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 786 on 20 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on 2 nights) is 1' too far south-southwest.
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02 00 48.5 -09 00 08; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 90°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 1.2'x0.8', broad concentration, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 3' W of center. Located 4' NW of a mag 9.5 star.
Christian Peters discovered NGC 787 = T. 4-7 = LM 1-46? on
27 Feb 1865, perhaps while asteroid hunting. He was observing with the 13.5-inch refractor at the
Hamilton College Observatory in New York. Wilhelm Tempel rediscovered the
galaxy on 9 Nov 1879 with the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and
reported it in his 4th discovery paper.
This galaxy was possibly "discovered" again by Ormond Stone at
Leander McCormick in 1885 or 1886 and included in the first discovery list
(#46). His position is 1.4 tmin W
and 6' N of
******************************
02 01 06.4 -06 48 57; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 115°
13.1" (12/22/84): moderately bright, elongated WNW-ESE,
weak concentration, stellar nucleus. (
William Herschel discovered NGC 788 = H. II-435 = h185 on 26 Sep 1865 (sweep 436) and noted "F, S, irregularly round, bM". John Herschel observed the galaxy on 30 Dec 1826 (sweep 39) and logged "B; pL; R; bM."
******************************
02 02 26.0 +32 04 20; Tri
V = 13.4; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 3°
13.1" (12/22/84): faint, small, round, faint stellar
nucleus? Forms a pair with
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 789 = St. 3-3 on 24 Aug
1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 22 Sep 1871 and 16
Nov 1871 and measured an accurate position on 10 Dec 1871 (probably aware of
d'Arrest's prior discovery.
Stephan listed NGC 789 as new in his third discovery list (#3), as well
as
******************************
02 01 21.6 -05 22 15; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, fairly small, round, small bright core, strong stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 790 = H. III-433 = h186 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436) and logged "vF, vS." John Herschel logged "F; pL; R; bM; 25" diameter." (8 Jan 1831).
******************************
02 01 44.3 +08 29 59; Psc
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, small, round, even concentration, very small bright core, very symmetrical appearance. Located 3.3' SW of a mag 10 star. A mag 12.5 star is 2.8' E of center.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 791 on 3 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted a mag 13-14 star that follows by 11.5 seconds and measured the position on 3 nights.
******************************
NGC 792 = UGC 1517 = MCG +02-06-015 = CGCG 438-014 = PGC 7744
02 02 15.3 +15 42 44; Ari
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 130°
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, small bright core. Three mag 11-12 stars in a E-W line of 2' length begins 3' SSW and extends to the west. NGC 786 lies 12' WSW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 792 = h187 on 7 Sep 1828 and
logged "eF; S; R; has a *11m 15° nf." His position and description matches
******************************
02 02 54.5 +31 58 51; Tri
= **?, Corwin.
Gerhard Lohse discovered NGC 793 in 1886 with the 15.5-inch Cooke refractor at the private Wigglesworth Observatory in Scarborough, England. It was placed southeast of NGC 789, but there are no galaxies in the vicinity, only several faint stars. Corwin tentatively identifies a very faint double as NGC 793. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
02 02 29.3 +18 22 23; Ari
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 45°
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 794 = H. III-207 = h188 on
15 Oct 1784 (sweep 291) and noted "eF, vS, stellar, 240 showed it very
plainly." John Herschel made
a single observation on 7 Sep 1828 and noted "F; S; R; gradually little
brighter middle; 12" [diameter]." Lewis Swift found this galaxy again on 20 Oct 1889 and
catalogued it as Sw. 9-9 (later
******************************
01 59 49.4 -55 49 27; Eri
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 141°
25" (10/15/17 - OzSky): at 397x; fairly faint or moderately bright, slightly elongated NW-SE, ~30" diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small, very bright core (also slightly elongated NW-SE) that increases to an intensely bright nucleus. 13th mag stars are just 0.9' NW and 1.5' ENE, and a 15th mag star is off the west side [30" from center].
John Herschel discovered NGC 795 = h2455 on 27 Oct 1834 and
logged "pF, S, R; makes an obtuse angled triangle with 2 stars 11th
mag." His position and description
of the nearby stars matches
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01 56 45 -74 13 12; Hyi
30" (11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright but
fairly small. The main knot is
round, ~30" in diameter with a single star that stands out at the SE
edge. Barely off the NW edge is a
10" knot that is possibly detached.
This knot increases the total size to nearly 45"x30",
elongated NW-SE. Located 8.5' SW
of mag 8.2
NGC 796 is a young, massive cluster and the most compact and dense cluster in the Magellanic tidal bridge structure.
John Herschel discovered NGC 796 = h2456 on 18 Sep 1835 and remarked "F, vS, R, has a *12m 25" distance at 45° np." On a second sweep he recorded "somewhat doubtful, but I believe it is a vF neb involving a vF star." His third observation was reported as "eF, S, R, 10" close to a vS star."
This object was first identified as an outlying open cluster of the SMC in 1935, based on long exposure Bruce plates taken at the Arequipa station in Peru.
******************************
02 03 28.0 +38 07 01; And
V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 65°
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, small, slightly
elongated, bright core, faint halo, stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is just 0.8' WNW of center and a brighter mag
13 star lies 1.7' ENE. Forms a
pair with
William Herschel discovered NGC 797 = H. III-566 = h189 on
21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599) and noted "vF, pL, iR." He apparently found it again on 18 Oct
1786 (sweep 618) and logged "pB, cL, lE, mbM.", though his position
is much closer to NGC 801. In Oct
1828 (sweep 188), John Herschel logged, "vF; R; suddenly brighter middle;
near a *." There are actually
a couple of stars very near and his position matches
******************************
NGC 798 = UGC 1539 = MCG +05-05-048 = CGCG 503-078 = PGC 7823
02 03 19.6 +32 04 39; Tri
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 137°
13.1" (12/22/84): very faint, very small, very elongated NW-SE, small bright core. Located 11' E of NGC 789.
Édouard Stephan possibly discovered NGC 798 = St. 3-4 on 22 Sep 1871. His single position was 2.5' E of NGC 789 but he mentioned "observations", implying two objects were seen. He measured an accurate position on 10 Dec 1871 that was reported in his third discovery list (along with NGC 789, discovered earlier by d'Arrest). A later observation was apparently made on 1 Nov 1877.
******************************
02 02 12.3 -00 06 04; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 100°
48" (11/5/21): at 610x; very bright, fairly large,
~1.5' diameter. Strong sharp
concentration with a very bright, central region that is slightly elongated and
increases modestly towards the center (no distinct nucleus). A mag 14.5-15 star is on the east end,
45" from center. Forms a pair
with
Contrasting the very high surface brightness central region is a very low surface brightness halo with definite spiral structure. The arms seem to form a weak ring around the central region with a darker gap in the interior!
17.5" (12/7/90): faint, very small, round, weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus at moments. A mag 14 star is just 45" E. Forms a close pair with NGC 800 1.8' S.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 799 = Sw. 2-16, along with NGC 800, on 9 Oct 1885. His RA was 30 seconds of time too large (same error as NGC 800) and his discription reads, "eeF pS; R; s[outh] of 2" should read "eeF pS; R; n[orth] of 2". Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
******************************
NGC 800 = UGC 1526 = MCG +00-06-024 = CGCG 387-028 = Holm 54b = PGC 7740
02 02 11.8 -00 07 49; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 10°
48" (11/5/21): at 610x; bright, moderately large, round central region with weak concentration. The slightly elongated halo showed weak spiral structure on the north and south side and spanned 0.9' in diameter. A mag 15.2 star is 1' SW. NGC 800 is the smaller of a pair with NGC 799 1.8' N.
17.5" (12/7/90): extremely faint, very small, round, very low even surface brightness. Forms a close pair with NGC 799 1.8' N.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 800 = Sw. 2-17, along with NGC 799, on 9 Oct 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His RA was 30 seconds of time (RA too large), which is the same offset as NGC 800. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
******************************
NGC 801 = UGC 1550 = MCG +06-05-079 = CGCG 522-106 = PGC 7847
02 03 44.9 +38 15 32; And
V = 13.1; Size 3.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 150°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, very elongated NNW-SSE, fairly small, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 797 9' SW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 801 = Sw. 2-18 on 20 Sep 1885 and
recorded "eF; pS; iR; D * close f; v difficult."
******************************
01 59 06.0 -67 52 13; Hyi
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 152°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright,
oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.6', broad concentration. Located 27' SE of mag 4.7 Eta-2 Hyi. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.5' W. Forms a
pair with
John Herschel discovered NGC 802 = h2457 on 15 Oct 1784 and
logged "eeF, vS, R; has a star 13th mag preceding, distance
100"." His position and
description matches
******************************
02 03 44.7 +16 01 52; Ari
V = 12.6; Size 3.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 8°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on
N-S. A mag 11 star is 1.0' WSW of
center. Located 49' SE of mag 7.6
William Herschel discovered NGC 803 = H. III-208 = h190 on
15 Oct 1784 (sweep 291) and logged "eF, vS, irregularly round, just
following a pB star." On 11
Jan 1831 (sweep 319), John Herschel reported, "vF; not vS; gradually
little brighter middle; follows *10m 3.5 sec." His description and position matches
******************************
02 04 02.1 +30 49 59; Tri
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 7°
17.5" (11/26/94): faint, small, very elongated 3:1 N-S,
very small brighter core with thin faint extensions. Two mag 11.5 stars are 1.9' WSW and 3.5' SW of center.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 804 = Sw. 2-19 on 7 Sep 1885 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and logged "eeF; vS; R;
little brighter middle; v difficult." His position is 22 seconds of RA east of
******************************
02 04 29.5 +28 48 44; Tri
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 115°
17.5" (12/7/90): faint, very small, oval 3:2 ~E-W, even
surface brightness. A mag 13.5
star is just off the SW edge 30" from center and a mag 14 star is 1'
WNW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 805 on 26 Sep 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted a mag 13-14 star preceded by 2 seconds and measured a fairly accurate position (2 nights).
******************************
02 03 31.4 -09 55 56; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60°
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, irregular surface brightness, probably brighter on the west end. A mag 11 star is 3.7' NNE of center.
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, even surface brightness, asymmetric appearance with a very faint stellar nucleus offset to the NE end or an extremely faint star may be superimposed near NE tip. A mag 11 star is 3.5' NE.
Distorted, patchy appearance on the SDSS that may be the
result of the post-collision merger.
HyperLeda catalogues the companion a
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 806 = Sw. 5-19 on 1 Nov 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and logged "eeF; S; R; pB * nr; extr difficult". His RA was 13 seconds too large but his comment of a "pB * nr" applies to this galaxy.
******************************
NGC 807 = UGC 1571 = MCG +05-06-001 = CGCG 504-006 = PGC 7934
02 04 55.7 +28 59 16; Tri
V = 12.5; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 145°
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, small, slightly
elongated, bright core, stellar nucleus.
A mag 13 star is 45" N.
Located 2' NE of a mag 10.5 star and 8.5' SW of mag 7.9
William Herschel discovered NGC 807 = H. III-151 = h191 on
11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) and wrote "vF, vS, stellar, between a pretty large
and small star, but nearer to the smallest." John Herschel recorded on 15 Sep 1828 (sweep 177), "vF;
vS; 6"; has a *12m 1' N, and another about 20° sp.". His description and position matches
******************************
02 03 56.6 -23 18 42; Cet
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 7°
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, very weakly concentrated along the major axis. A string of three mag 14 stars extending NW are collinear with the galaxy and equally spaced at 1.0' separation.
John Herschel discovered NGC 808 = h192 = h2458 on 14 Oct 1830 and logged "vF; R; very gradually brighter middle; 40" [diameter]." He observed it again from the Cape of Good Hope and noted, "vF, lE, gradually brighter in the middle, 25"." Joseph Turner sketched NGC 808 on 10 Nov 1876 using the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope (plate I, figure 5 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae...") and described it as small, faint, considerably elongated, brighter in the middle, no appearance of resolvability.
******************************
02 04 18.9 -08 44 07; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170°
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, very small, round, very small brighter core, stellar nucleus.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 809 = Sw. 5-20 on 1 Nov 1886 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is 22 sec of RA east of
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02 05 28.5 +13 15 05; Ari
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 25°
24" (11/30/21): at 260x; between fairly faint and
moderately bright, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, ~45"x35", relatively
large brighter core, low surface brightness halo. Mag 7.9
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, small, round, bright
core. Located on a line to the SW
of mag 7.8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 810 = St. 3-5 on 16 Nov 1871. His rough position was 3' too far ENE. His published micrometric position (list III, #5) was made a month later on 11 Dec 1871 with description "vF, vS, R, more condensed in the center but no bright nucleus." Corwin notes the RA in the NGC is 10 seconds too small (transcription error).
A companion (not seen) is superimposed 0.25' following the nucleus, which itself looks double on the SDSS.
******************************
02 04 00 -09 06 21; Cet
Size 0.6'x0.5'; PA = 33°
18" (10/25/08): very faint, very small, round, 20"
diameter. Once identified this
faint galaxy could be held continuously.
Located 5.7' ENE of a mag 10.9 star and 22' NNE of mag 7.3
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 811 = LM 2-324 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and commented
"neb?, *10 1' S." There
is nothing at his position but 50 sec of RA west is
******************************
02 06 51.5 +44 34 20; And
V = 11.2; Size 9.3'x2.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 160°
13.1" (8/24/84): faint, very elongated NNW-SSE, diffuse. A mag 11 star is 1.1' SW. Located 17' NE of mag 7.4 SAO 37787.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 812 = St. 8b-3 on 4 Nov 1875. His accurate published position (list 8b, #3) was made on 11 Dec 1876 with description: "eF, thin shape, E 45° with the meridian [135°], 1.5' length, bM, difficult observation."
******************************
NGC 813 = ESO 052-016 = PGC 7692
02 01 36.0 -68 26 21; Hyi
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 99°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly small, oval E-W, 40"x25", sharp concentration with a small bright core. A very faint star is superimposed on the east side of the halo and a second very faint star lies 30" S of center. NGC 802 lies 37' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 813 = h2459 on 24 Nov 1834 and
noted "pF, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 30"." His
position matches
******************************
02 10 37.6 -15 46 25; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 4°
17.5" (10/25/97): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1
SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.5', broad concentration.
Located close NE of a mag 12 star [0.9' from center]. At moments appears to have a faint
stellar nucleus. Forms a close
pair with extremely difficult
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 814 = LM 1-47 (along with NGC
815 = I-48) on 6 Jan 1886. There
is nothing near Stone's position but his discovery sketch was examined by
Corwin and it establishes NGC 814 = MCG -03-06-010 = PGC 8319 and NGC 815 = PGC
906183. In this case Stone's RA
was 4 min of RA too far west. RNGC
and PGC misidentify
******************************
02 10 39.4 -15 48 47; Cet
Size 0.4'x0.3'
17.5" (10/25/97): not seen initially at 220x. After extended viewing, just glimpsed for moments on a few occasions at 2.4' S of NGC 814. Appeared virtually stellar, ~5"-10", no details due to faintness.
See comments for NGC 814. RNGC and PGC (as well as Megastar, etc.) misidentify MCG -03-06-004 = PGC 7798 as NGC 815. NGC 815 appears to be a very close and small double system (virtually stellar).
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02 08 08.8 +29 15 21; Tri
V = 14.5; Size 0.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.7
17.5" (12/7/90): very faint, very small, round. A mag 15 star is involved at the south
edge just 0.2' from center. Forms
a pair with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 816 = St. 6-1 on 15 Sep 1871 during an observation of NGC 819. His recomputed position is a perfect match.
******************************
02 07 33.7 +17 12 09; Ari
V = 13.2; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 27°
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, low almost even surface brightness.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 817 = Sw. 4-7 on 2 Sep 1886 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and reported "eF; vS; R;
right angled with 2 stars".
His position is 24 tsec east of
******************************
02 08 44.5 +38 46 38; And
V = 12.5; Size 3.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 113°
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated WNW-ESE, broad concentration, no core. A mag 15 star is 30" E.
William Herschel discovered NGC 818 = H. II-604 = h194 on 18 Oct 1786 (sweep 618) and logged "pB, cL, lE, mbM". Bindon Blood Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant on 3 Oct 1850, recorded "bM, some stars seen in it; night hazy."
******************************
NGC 819 = UGC 1632 = CGCG 504-017 = PGC 8174
02 08 34.4 +29 14 02; Tri
V = 13.4; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 10°
17.5" (12/7/90): faint, small, round. A mag 13 star lies 1' N. Forms a pair with NGC 816 5.7' WNW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 819 = St. 6-2 on 20 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted the mag 13 star just 42" north and measured an accurate position. Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 15 Sep 1871, probably aware of d'Arrest's prior discovery (published in 1867), and also discovered NGC 816. He reported both NGC 816 and NGC 819 as new in his 6th discovery list (#1 and #2). Dreyer credited both d'Arrest (1) and Stephan (2) in the NGC.
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02 08 25.0 +14 20 58; Ari
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 72°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, bright core. A mag 15 star is just off the east edge 0.7' from the center. Located almost at the midpoint of two mag 14 stars 1.6' SW and 1.4' NNE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 820 = h195 on 7 Sep 1828 and logged "F; R; bM; 15 arc seconds." R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant on 30 Nov 1856, recorded "oval, major axis sp-nf, a F* follows closely. There is another F* in the on edge." His description is accurate and the star at the north edge is roughly mag 16.5.
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02 08 21.1 +10 59 41; Ari
V = 10.7; Size 2.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 25°
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly bright, fairly small, oval 3:2
SW-NE, very bright elongated core.
Located just 1.1' SE of mag 10
8" (11/8/80): fairly faint, small, compact. A mag 10 star is just 1' NW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 821 = H. I-152 = h193 on 4 Sep 1786 (sweep 582) and commented "pB, vS, R, bM, 1' sf a considerable star with a small one sf the nebula." Dreyer's 1912 notes to the Second Catalogue mentions "A second obs. (Sweep 591, Sept. 18, 1786) describes it as vB, vS, lE, vBN. But the neb. is in reality only pB, second class."
John Herschel also logged it on 19 Jan 1828 (sweep 121) as "Not vB; R; suddenly brighter in the middle to nucl; has a *1m sp, dist 55"." Birr Castle assistant R.J. Mitchell on 18 Dec 1856: "bright middle to a nucleus, E spnf, S * in s end." This star is around mag 15.5 and was not seen in my observation.
******************************
02 06 39.1 -41 09 24; Phe
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 77°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; fairly faint,
fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, ~35"x25", small bright nucleus
rises to a stellar peak. Located
10.7' ENE of mag 8.5
John Herschel discovered NGC 822 = h2461 on 5 Sep 1834 and
recorded "F, R, suddenly brighter in the middle, resolvable, 15", a
difficult object." His mean
position from two sweeps matches
******************************
02 07 20.1 -25 26 31; For
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 110°
17.5" (10/8/94): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, 0.3'x0.2' although with averted vision the outer halo doubles in diameter. Unusual appearance as a mag 13 star is attached at the east end and the galaxy appears a "fuzzy" component just west of the star. Located 4' N of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 823 = h196 on 14 Oct 1830 and recorded "A vF double star enclosed in a vF neb." Herschel also observed this nebula at the Cape (h2460) and gave the same description. Lewis Swift apparently independently found this object on 8 Oct 1896. Sw. 11-34 (later IC 1782) was described as "vF; D* of = mag in nebulosity. Curious object." He added the note "This appears like a nebulous double star, but I think it is simply a double star in a nebula. There is a vast difference between a nebulous star, and a star in a nebula." Dreyer must have missed the close match of Swift's and Herschel's position and their descriptions are virtually identical. So, NGC 823 = IC 1782. See Corwin's notes.
Joseph Turner sketched NGC 823 with the Great Melbourne Telescope on 11 Nov 1876 (plate I, figure 6 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae..."), showing a brighter star at the east edge and a stellar nucleus, though he interpreted these as a "very small double star involved".
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02 06 53.1 -36 27 13; For
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 21°
17.5" (10/25/97): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter (probably only viewed the core). Contains a sharp stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 4.7' NW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 824 = h2462 on 29 Nov 1837 and
commented "F, R, 40", very small & very much brighter middle to a
star 12th magnitude." He also
observed it on the next sweep and his position (typo in NPD was corrected at
the end of the CGH) matches
******************************
02 08 32.3 +06 19 26; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 2.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 53°
24" (1/25/14): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 5:1 SW-NE, ~0.7'x0.15', brighter elongated core. An extremely faint star (mag 16.3) is just north of center. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.7' NNE.
NGC 825 forms a pair with
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE. A mag 13.5 star is 1.7' N. Located 5.5' WNW of mag 9.3
Albert Marth discovered NGC 825 = m 53 on 18 Nov 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "F, S, mE.". His position is 1.5' S of
******************************
02 09 25.1 +30 44 23; Tri
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/7/90): very faint, very small, round. A mag 14 star is 40" NW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 826 = St. 6-3 on 18 Sep 1871
(also the date the position was reduced, according to Esmiol, an assistant at
Marseilles Observatory). This is a
double system (not known if a physical pair) with a very faint companion
overlapping on the north side. The
same night he discovered
an assistant at Marseilles Observatory
******************************
02 08 56.3 +07 58 17; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 2.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 85°
17.5" (12/18/89): faint, fairly small, oval E-W, weak concentration.
William Herschel discovered NGC 827 = H. III-227 = h198 = Sw. 1-2 on 7 Nov 1784 (sweep 308) and reported "suspected 2 or 3 small stars with seeming nebulosity between them, 240 rather confirmed it, but left a doubt." Dreyer commented in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that the "Place perfectly correct, no other nebula near, but it is not a nebulous cluster but a neb, vF, S, little brighter middle, difficult". Lewis Swift found the galaxy on 9 Oct 1884 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and reported it in his first discovery list. Although Swift insisted his observation "cannot be [NGC 827]", his position and description ("vF; pS; eE; spindle") clearly apply to this galaxy.
******************************
02 10 09.6 +39 11 26; And
V = 12.3; Size 2.9'x2.2'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 145°
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, bright core. A wide double star with components 10.5/11 (separation 25" in PA 0°) is 3' E. Located 15' NW of the bright double star 59 And = 6.1/6.8 at 17".
William Herschel discovered NGC 828 = H. II-605 = h197 on 18 Oct 1786 (sweep 618). He recorded "pretty bright; small; irregular figure." John Herschel observed it in Oct 1828 (sweep 188) as "pretty bright; round; gradually brighter middle; has a double star 15 seconds following."
Six observations were made at Birr Castle. The earliest (perhaps by Lord Rosse) on 4 Nov 1848 reads, "F, scarcely seen in finder, another S neb 60° np 1.5' dist, if it be not a F *." A later observation noted "Either a single R neb with * inv sf center or double." NGC 828 is a disrupted spiral with a dust lane on the south side of the core, so some structure was resolved.
******************************
02 08 42.2 -07 47 26; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
5:3 WSW-ENE. A mag 11 star is 0.9'
SE. First of three and similar
shape as
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 829, along with NGC 830, on 23 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted a mag 11 star was 0.7' distant and his position (measured on two nights) is accurate.
******************************
NGC 830 = MCG -01-06-050 = Mrk 1020 = PGC 8201
02 08 58.7 -07 46 01; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 110°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 WNW-ESE, very small bright core, stellar nucleus. Second of three and similar dimensions as NGC 829 4.5' WSW. NGC 842 lies 12' E.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 830, along with NGC 829, on 23 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position and offset from NGC 829 is accurate.
******************************
02 09 34.6 +06 05 47; Cet
V = 14.5; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, very small, round. Located just east of the midpoint of a
line connecting mag 7.1
Albert Marth discovered NGC 831 = m 54 on 18 Nov 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, pS". His position matches
******************************
03 11 05.4 +35 23 12; Per
See observing notes for
17.5" (11/1/97): faint double star mag 14/15 at 7" separation. Difficult to resolve cleanly at 220x in mediocre seeing due to faintness of the north-northeast component. Easier to resolve at 280x. Although the identification as NGC 832 is not certain, this close double star could easily be mistaken as a small nebulous object. Located 4.3' NE of a mag 9.5-10 star. Also 2' SW is a wider, brighter pair of mag 13.5-14 stars at 11" separation, which is much easier to resolve.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 832 on 17 Sep 1865 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and noted (single observation) that a mag 9-10
star was 5' southwest. There is
nothing at his position and there is not a bright star 5' SW. Corwin suggests this number may apply
to a close double star (7" separation) at 02 11 00.8 +35 32 29. This pair is 24 seconds following
d'Arrest's position (similar dec) and has a mag 9-10 star 4.3' southwest. RNGC misidentifies
In an email on 26 Jul 2016, Harold Corwin found that if
d'Arrest made a 1-hour transcription error in RA his position is a good match
(about 1' too far north) with NGC 1226.
Furthermore, there is a mag 10.4 star 4.3' SW, matching d'Arrest's
description. This identification
seems likely as d'Arrest made several similar 1-hour errors in RA:
******************************
02 09 20.8 -10 07 59; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 85°
18" (11/14/09): fairly bright, moderately large,
elongated ~2:1 E-W, 55"x25", contains a small bright core. Forms a close pair with
18" (10/21/06): moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 5:2 E-W, 0.8'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a very small bright
core. First of four in HCG 16 and
forms a close double with NGC 835 1' E.
17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright, small, edge-on ~E-W, bright core. Forms a very close pair with NGC 835 1.0' E of center in the HCG 16 with NGC 838 and NGC 839.
William Herschel discovered NGC 833 = H. II-482 = h199 =
h2463, along with NGC 835/38/39, on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). He recorded the quartet as "Two,
both faint, both extended and small within a minute of each other [NGC 833
& NGC 835], and not far from the parallel. About 4 or 5' south and about 2 seconds following are two
more [NGC 838 &
Joseph Turner made a nice sketch of the group in 1876 using the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope (plate I, figure 7 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae...").
******************************
02 11 01.4 +37 40 01; And
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 20°
17.5" (11/14/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, weak concentration.
William Herschel discovered NGC 834 = H. III-567 on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599) and logged as "vF, S, lE".
******************************
NGC 835 = HCG 16A = Arp 318 NED1 = MCG -02-06-031 = LGG 049-003 = PGC 8228
02 09 24.6 -10 08 10; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.3
18" (11/14/09): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~55"x35", sharply concentrated with a small intense core. Brightest in the striking HCG 16 group.
18" (10/21/06): moderately bright, fairly small, round, sharply concentrated with a very bright small core. This galaxy is the brightest member of HCG 16 (one of the best Hickson groups) and the eastern member of a close pair with NGC 833 1' W. A mag 9.7 star lies 2.7' S and NGC 838 lies 3.5' E, roughly on a line with NGC 833.
17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright, small, round, bright core. Brightest of four in the HCG 16 group and forms a close pair with NGC 833 1.0' W. NGC 838 lies 3.4' E and NGC 839 5.3' SE. A mag 10 star lies 2.7' S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 835 = H. II-482 = h200 = h2464, along with NGC 833/38/39, on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). See notes for NGC 833.
Joseph Turner sketched the quartet on 4 Nov 1876 with the Great Melbourne Telescope. (page 115 of his logbook and plate I, figure 7 in "Observations of the Southern Nebulae...")
******************************
02 10 24.9 -22 03 18; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 110°
17.5" (10/8/94): very faint, small, round, low even
surface brightness. A mag 14 star
is 2.3' ENE.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 836 = LM 2-325 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.3 min of RA east is
******************************
NGC 837 = ESO 478-010 = MCG -04-06-011 = PGC 8297
02 10 16.3 -22 25 52; Cet
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 12°
17.5" (10/8/94): very faint, small, elongated 5:3 N-S, 0.5'x0.3', no concentration. A mag 12 star is 1.1' N. Forms a pair with NGC 849 6.6' NNW. NGC 836 lies 23' N.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 837 = LM 2-326 in 1886
and reported "mag 15.5, 0.8' dia, vE 0°, *10 1' N." There is nothing at his position, but
1.1 min of RA east is
******************************
NGC 838 = HCG 16C = Arp 318 NED3 = Arp 318:C2 = MCG -02-06-033 = LGG 049-004 = PGC 8250
02 09 38.4 -10 08 47; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 85°
18" (11/14/09): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 40"x35", well concentrated with small high surface brightness nucleus.
18" (10/21/06): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, small bright core, high surface brightness. Located 3.5' ESE of NGC 835 with NGC 838 just 2.5' SE.
17.5" (8/31/86): fairly faint, slightly elongated, very small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. Third of four in HCG 16 and located 3.4' E of NGC 835.
William Herschel discovered NGC 838 = H. II-482 = h201 = h2465, along with NGC 833/35/39, on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). See NGC 833 for description.
John Herschel noted it was the "third in order and in size." Observing with the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope, Joseph Turner noted NGC 838 was "rather the brightest of the group", though the later observer Pietro Baracchi thought it was the faintest.
******************************
NGC 839 = HCG 16D = Arp 318 NED4 = Arp 318:C3 = MCG -02-06-034 = LGG 049-005 = PGC 8254
02 09 42.7 -10 11 01; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 85°
18" (11/14/09): moderately bright, elongated 3:1 E-W, 1.2'x0.4', small bright core. A faint star lies 1' NW. Last in the HCG 16 quartet of fairly bright NGC galaxies.
18" (10/21/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 7:2 E-W, 1.0'x0.3', fairly weak concentration. A mag 14 star lies 1' NW. Located 4' E of a mag 9.7 star and 5' SE of NGC 835 (brightest in HCG 16).
17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright, edge-on ~E-W, bright core. Last of four in HCG 16 and has a similar appearance to NGC 833. Located 2.5' SE of NGC 838. A mag 10 star lies 4.2' W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 839 = H. II-482 = h202 = h2466, along with NGC 833/35/38, on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479). See notes for NGC 833. John Herschel noted it was the largest in the quartet.
******************************
02 10 16.2 +07 50 43; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 73°
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, low almost even surface brightness.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 840 = m 55 on 2 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "eF, vS". His position matches
******************************
02 11 17.4 +37 29 50; And
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135°
17.5" (11/14/87): moderately bright, fairly small,
slightly elongated NW-SE, very bright core, stellar nucleus. NGC 834 lies 11' NNW and
William Herschel discovered NGC 841 = H. III-604 = St. 13-16 on 17 Jan 1787 (sweep 692) and commented "vF, stellar, confirmed 240x." His position (reduced by Caroline Herschel and Arthur Auwers) is just 4 seconds of RA west of UGC 1676. John Herschel mistakenly assumed his father's object was identical to his h204 (= NGC 845) and the end result was Dreyer equated NGC 845 = GC 501 = H. III-604 = h204. Heinrich d'Arrest observed the galaxy on 22 Sep 1865. His RA was 13 seconds too large but he commented there was an error in the Herschel's positions (Auwer's reductions).
Probably based on d'Arrest's comments, Édouard Stephan observed NGC 841 on 24 Nov 1883 (he observed all 3 NGC galaxies here), as well as 5 Dec 1877, and reported it in his 13th discovery list (#16) at the correct position. Dreyer assumed Stephan's object was new, so he was credited with the discovery of NGC 841 in the NGC instead of William Herschel. He also observed this galaxy among his last recorded observations on 22 Nov 1886. Malcolm Thomson discussed the identifications in Q. Jl R. astr. Soc. (1991), 32, 17-24. See Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
NGC 842 = MCG -01-06-055 = PGC 8258
02 09 50.8 -07 45 45; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 145°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE in direction of a mag 13 star 1.5' SE, very small bright core, stellar nucleus. Third of three with NGC 830 12' W and NGC 829 16' W.
John Herschel discovered NGC 842 = h203 on 8 Jan 1831 and
noted "vF; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 12"
[diameter]." His position was
2' N of
******************************
02 11 08.0 +32 05 52; Tri
= ***, Carlson.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 843 on 16 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. There are three mag 14.6-15.0 stars at his position with separations of 9"/9". In his first observation he states it is possibly a planetary nebula, but on the second he resolved it at 226x. MCG misidentifies +06-05-098 as NGC 843 although this galaxy is over 5 degrees north of d'Arrest's position.
******************************
NGC 844 = CGCG 413-052 = PGC 8291
02 10 14.3 +06 02 59; Cet
V = 15.0; Size 0.4'x0.4'
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, extremely small,
round. Located 5.3' WSW of mag 7.4
Albert Marth discovered NGC 844 = m 56 on 18 Nov 1863 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "F, S". Marth's position is a good match with
******************************
NGC 845 = UGC 1695 = MCG +06-05-104 = CGCG 522-135 = PGC 8438
02 12 19.8 +37 28 38; And
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 149°
17.5" (11/14/87): very faint, small, thin edge-on NW-SE, weak concentration. Located 12' E of NGC 841. This identification of this galaxy with NGC 845 is uncertain.
John Herschel discovered NGC 845 = h204 in Oct 1828 and logged "vF; irregular figure." His position corresponds with UGC 1695 = PGC 8438. Herschel and Heinrich d'Arrest equated H. III-604 with h204, but Harold Corwin concludes H. III-604 applies to NGC 841 and William missed NGC 845. On the other hand, Malcolm Thomson concluded NGC 845 = NGC 841 (see Q.J. R. astr. Soc.(1991) 32,17-24).
Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 1 Dec 1877 with the 31" silvered-glass reflector at Marseilles Observatory (added as an "anonymous" nebula in Esmiol's 1916 re-reduction of Stephan's positions), though didn't report it as new in any list. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
02 12 12.3 +44 34 07; And
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 140°
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly faint, weak concentration,
almost round, in rich field.
Located 4' NW of mag 9.2
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 846 = St. 8b-4 on 2 Nov
1875. His published accurate position
was measured on 22 Nov 1876 with description "eF, eS, R, gradually
brighter in the middle."
Lewis Swift found the galaxy again on 30 Nov 1885 and reported as new in
his 3rd list, #9 (later
******************************
NGC 847 = NGC 846 = UGC 1688 = MCG +07-05-024 = CGCG 538-032 = PGC 8430
02 12 12.3 +44 34 07; And
See observing notes for NGC 846.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 847 = Sw. 3-9 on 30 Nov 1885 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position and description "nearly between a pB star
and 3 vF equal mag stars" matches
******************************
02 10 17.5 -10 19 16; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 135°
18" (10/21/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.4', weak concentration. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.2' NE. Located 17' SE of NGC 835 (HCG 16)
17.5" (8/31/86): fairly faint, elongated NW-SE, bright
core. A mag 11 star is just off
the north edge 1.2' from center.
Member of the
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 848 = LM 1-49 = Sw. 5-21 on 11 Dec 1885 and reported "mag 15.5, eS, E 325°, gradually brighter in the middle, *10 north 1.0'." His position is 1 min of RA east of MCG -02-06-036 = PGC 8299, and the description of the nearby bright star applies. Lewis Swift independently found the galaxy on 1 Nov 1886 and reported Sw. 5-21 as "eeeF; pL; ee diff.; * nr nf; 495-7-8-9 in field." Swift's position was 16 seconds of RA too far east. Frank Muller noted the equivalence with Stone's object in a Sidereal Messenger article in Feb 1887 that listed nebulae from Swift's 5th catalogue which had been discovered previously.
******************************
NGC 849 = ESO 478-009 = PGC 8286
02 10 11.2 -22 19 23; Cet
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 117°
17.5" (10/8/94): extremely faint, small, round, 15" diameter, very low even surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 837 6.6' SSE. NGC 836 lies 16' NNE.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 849 = LM 2-327 in 1886
with the 26" Clark refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and reported
"mag 14.8, 0.5', R, neb?".
His position is 1.5' S of
******************************
02 11 13.6 -01 29 08; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 85°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, small round, 0.8' diameter, evenly concentrated, faint stellar nucleus. Collinear with a mag 14 star 1.7' SE and a mag 13 star 3.4' SE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 850 = H. III-259 on 6 Jan
1785 (sweep 351) and logged "eF, eS, irr figure." His derived RA was 22 seconds too
large.
******************************
02 11 12.1 +03 46 46; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135°
24" (1/25/14): at 375x appeared fairly faint, fairly
small, elongated 5:3 or 2:1 NW-SE, ~30"x15", contains a small
brighter core. A mag 14.7 star is
at the NE edge [23" from center].
Located 20' E of mag 6.8
NGC 851 forms a pair with
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, very small, round, weak
concentration. A mag 14.5 star is
at the NE edge just 22" from center.
Located 20' E of mag 6.9
Edward Swift, Lewis' 14 year-old son, discovered NGC 851 =
Sw. 3-10 on 30 Nov 1885 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. The Swifts' published position is 12
sec of RA following
******************************
02 08 55.5 -56 44 13; Eri
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 83°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x; fairly faint, fairly small, round, 35"-40" diameter. A star is superimposed at the northwest edge of the galaxy [measured 18" from center]. At 397x contains a slight brighter nucleus and the halo has a slightly irregular surface brightness. A mag 10.5 str lies 9' NE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 852 = h2467 on 27 Oct 1834 and
reported "pF, R, gradually little brighter middle, 40",
resolvable." His position
corresponds with
******************************
02 11 41.2 -09 18 22; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 2.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 70°
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 1.5'x0.8'. Located midway between two mag 12 and 13 stars 1.8' NE and 1.7' SW. Forms the vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 9.5 and 10.5 stars in the field 7' NW and 5' WSW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 853 = H. II-486 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) and logged "F, S, E". John Herschel didn't observe this galaxy, though Stephan made an observation on 16 Nov 1871.
******************************
02 11 30.7 -35 50 06; For
V = 13.1; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0°
17.5" (10/25/97): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated (PA uncertain), 0.8' diameter. A mag 13.5-14 star follows by 2.0'.
John Herschel discovered NGC 854 = h2468 on 1 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB; lE in meridian; 50" l; gradually brighter in the middle." On later sweeps it was called "vF".
******************************
02 14 03.7 +27 52 38; Tri
V = 12.6; Size 2.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 67°
17.5" (11/27/92): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, 2.0'x0.8', bright middle, fainter extensions. A mag 14.5 star is just 30" S. Located just north of the Aries border.
William Herschel discovered NGC 855 = H. II-613 on 26 Oct 1786 (sweep 626) and logged "F, S, lE in parallel, bM." His position is 0.2 tmin west of UGC 1718 = PGC 8557.
******************************
02 13 38.4 -00 43 02; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, round, 0.8' diameter, no concentration except for faint stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is just off the east edge 1.0' from center. NGC 863 lies 14' ESE.
Lewis Swift found NGC 856 = Sw. 5-22 on 31 Oct 1886 and
recorded "eF; S; lE; F * close.". His position was 6 seconds of RA west and 1' north of UGC
1713 and the faint star is 1' ENE.
He had discovered this galaxy 4 weeks earlier (3 Oct), listing it as
V-23 and logging "pF; pS; little brighter middle; np of 2 [with NGC 863=
******************************
02 12 37.0 -31 56 42; For
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 92°
17.5" (12/28/94): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter. Sharp concentration with a very small bright core surrounded by a very faint halo. A mag 13.5 star is 2.8' NNW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 857 = h2469 on 18 Nov 1835 and
logged "B, S, E, pretty suddenly much brighter middle, 18"." His position (also measured on the next
sweep) matches
******************************
02 12 30.2 -22 28 17; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 79°
17.5" (10/29/94): extremely faint, moderately large, round, 1.2' diameter, very low surface brightness. Weak concentration at the center. Located 8.5' W of a mag 10 star. A faint companion off the east side was not seen.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 858 = LM 2-328 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.7 min of RA east and
1.7' south of
******************************
NGC 859 = NGC 856 = UGC 1713 = MCG +00-06-054 = CGCG 387-058 = PGC 8526
02 13 38.4 -00 43 02; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 856.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 859 = Sw. 5-23 on 3 Oct 1886 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and found again by Swift on 31 Oct
1886 and listed as V-22 = NGC 856.
Herbert Howe reported he was unable to find NGC 859 on a night he
measured NGC 856. That's not
unexpected as there is only a single galaxy here and Swift's comment of
"F* close" for NGC 856 applies to
******************************
NGC 860 = CGCG 504-037 = V Zw 204 = PGC 8606
02 15 00.2 +30 46 44; Tri
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.3'
17.5" (11/26/94): very faint, extremely small, round,
10"-15" diameter. With
direct vision the small halo disappears and a tiny core with a stellar nucleus
is visible. A mag 15 star lies
1.9' SSE. Located 9' ENE of mag
7.4
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 860 = St. 6-4 on 18 Sep 1871 with description "*13 in F nebulosity" Esmiol, an assistant at Marseilles Observatory, reported that Stephan reduced the position on the same date.
******************************
02 15 51.2 +35 54 48; Tri
V = 13.8; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 38°
13.1" (11/14/87): faint, very small, edge-on SW-NE. A mag 13 star is attached at the SW end 0.5' from center.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 861 on 18 Sep 1865 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
He noted a mag 12 star (double) was joined to the south and his single
position is just off the southwest side of
******************************
02 13 03.0 -42 02 02; Phe
V = 12.8; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; fairly faint to moderately bright, round, 0.5'-0.6' diameter, sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. A mag 16 star is just off the west side [30" W of center]. Located 8' WNW of a mag 10.3 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 862 = h2470 on 5 Sep 1834 and
logged "pF, vS, suddenly very much brighter middle, like a blurred
star." On a second sweep he
noted "F, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 30"." His mean
position matches
******************************
NGC 863 = NGC 866 = NGC 885 = UGC 1727 = MCG +00-06-056 =
02 14 33.6 -00 46 00; Cet
V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, very small, round,
fairly concentrated, very small bright core, stellar nucleus. NGC 856 is 14' WNW and
William Herschel discovered NGC 863 = H. III-260 = h205 on 6 Jan 1785 (sweep 351) and noted "vF or eF, vS, stellar, not so faint as the last [NGC 850]". There is nothing at his position, but 30 seconds of RA west and 3' north is UGC 1727. John Herschel measured an accurate position on 24 Nov 1827 (sweep 108) and described it as "vF; R; bM."
On 3 Oct 1856, Lewis Swift recorded 3 galaxies: NGC 859, NGC
866 and NGC 868. The second entry,
which reads "pF; pS; R; little brighter middle; sf of 2", also fits
******************************
02 15 27.8 +06 00 09; Cet
V = 10.9; Size 4.7'x3.5'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 20°
48" (10/29/16): this striking two-armed barred spiral
appeared bright, fairly large, overall elongated 3:2 SW-NE, well concentrated
with a bright core. The core
extends into a weakly defined bar WNW-ESE. A long thin spiral arm is attached to the west end of the
bar and it curled gradually counter-clockwise to the south for nearly 90°,
ending due south of the core [separation 1.2']. A bright mag 10.7 star is superimposed on the east side
[44" ESE of center]. The
second spiral arm was not as easily seen as it begins just inside (west) of the
bright star, which detracted from the view. This thin arm extended straight north, roughly at a right
angle to the bar and merged into the halo on the northeast side.
24" (12/6/18): at 260x; fairly bright interesting galaxy with a mag 10.7 star superimposed on the east side that detracts from viewing structure. Overall the galaxy is fairly large with an irregular halo roughly SW-NE, ~2.5'x1.8'. Contains a very bright, round nucleus and the brighter central region appeared extended WNW-ESE. A spiral arm on the west and south side appeared as a slightly enhanced "wing", mostly seen as an enhanced curving edge. The opposing arm was only a short and weak arc enhancement that extended north of the bright star.
13.1" (9/3/86): fairly faint, oval SSW-NNE, even surface brightness. A fairly bright mag 11 star is at the following edge 43" ESE of the center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 864 = H. III-457 = h206 on 25 Oct 1785 (sweep 464) and noted "vF, cL, very little brighter middle, milky, preceding a bright star and the nebulosity joining to it, but probably unconnected." John Herschel logged on 25 Sep 1830 (sweep 300), "eF; R; attached to and np a * 11.12 mag. Clouded before it could be fully verified." Despite the clouds, his position and description match.
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02 16 15.2 +28 35 59; Tri
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 158°
17.5" (12/7/90): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on NNW-SSE, bright middle. Located between a mag 11 star of the SSE end and a mag 13.5 star off the north end.
STF 239, a fairly wide 14" pair with some color contrast (fainter companion is a very light blue), lies 17' NE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 865 = St. 5-1 on 9 Sep 1871 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory and recorded "eF; eS; irregular." His position (reduced on the same date, according to Esmiol) was accurate.
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NGC 866 = NGC 863 = UGC 1727 = MCG +00-06-056 = Mrk 590 =
02 14 33.6 -00 46 00; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 863.
Lewis Swift found NGC 866 = Sw. 5-24 on 3 Oct 1886 and again on 31 Oct 1886 (NGC 885 = Sw. 5-27) with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. There is nothing at his position, and Herbert Howe reported he could not find NGC 866 in 1899-00. Swift's discovery positions for NGC 866 and 885 are similar in declination but differ by 4 minutes in RA.
In the case of NGC 866, Swift's RA was 1 min of RA east of NGC 863 = UGC 1727, and NGC 885 is 5 min of RA east of NGC 863. William Herschel (III-260) discovered this galaxy 100 years earlier and it was catalogued as NGC 863. So, NGC 863 = NGC 866 = NGC 885. There are several cases where Swift recorded two observations of the same galaxy in two different lists, including Sw. 5-23 = NGC 859 (3 Oct 1886) and Sw. 5-22 = NGC 856 (31 Oct 1886), which were found on the same two nights!
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02 17 04.8 +01 14 39; Cet
See observing notes for
William Herschel discovered NGC 867 = H. III-2 on 21 Dec 1783 (the only nebula in his short sweep #61). His complete description (in Dreyer's 1912 revision of Herschel's catalogues) reads "An almost invisible faint neb, it is R and about 8 or 10" diameter, being brighter in the centre than outwards. It can only be seen when the glass if perfectly clean and the attention confined to the object." Dreyer noted "By two diagrams it is about 1.5° nf a star which was taken to be 69 Ceti, but obs[ervation] was interrupted by clouds." There is nothing at Herschel's rough position and Bigourdan was unable to recover H. III-2 on two attempts.
Heinrich d'Arrest suggested NGC 867 might be a duplicate of NGC 875 and Dreyer noted this in the NGC entry for 875, although Herschel's position is a poor match. Corwin also suggests IC 225 as another possibility. See his identification notes for more.
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NGC 868 = UGC 1748 = CGCG 387-063 = PGC 8659
02 15 58.5 -00 42 49; Cet
V = 14.4; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 95°
17.5" (12/4/93): very faint, very small, round, low smooth surface brightness. A mag 14.5 star is 1.0' NE and a mag 11.5 star 3' NE. NGC 863 lies 21' WSW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 868 = Sw. 5-25 on 3 Oct 1886 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is a good match with
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02 19 04 +57 08 06; Per
V = 4.6; Size 30'
17.5" (10/25/97): this is the brighter and richer western member of the famous "double cluster". Includes a mag 6.6 star near the center and a mag 6.7 star 2.5' NNE. Close following the mag 6.6 star is a neat parabolic group of five stars opening towards the star. On the west side of this star is a rich group of ~20 stars mostly arranged in an incomplete ring. A faint curving string of stars from the mag 6.7 star leads to the parabolic quintet. The 20' field at 220x has too many stars to count, but probably has ~200 stars.
8": this is the western component of the "double
cluster". Very bright, large,
about 30' diameter. Very rich with
about 100 stars resolved, includes several bright mag 6.5-7.0 stars in the center. Forms a pair with
Naked-eye (11/13/07): I noticed that the Double Cluster was clearly resolved into two "clumps" naked-eye.
Hipparchus catalogued the Double Cluster about 130 BC and Ptolemy copied it into his Almagest: "At the tip of the right hand [of Perseus] and nebulous [or misty]." Giovanni Battista Hodierna first resolved the Double Cluster into stars by 1654. He described "The third nebulous star, which is the first of all that Ptolemy invokes, [lies] in the constellation Perseus, at the tip of his right hand, below Cassiopeia. [It is] very prominent amid the Milky Way, on account of a large profusion of stars, which are grouped in two places."
William Herschel viewed NGC 869 = H. VI-33 on 1 Nov 1788 (sweep 877). He recorded "A very beautiful brilliant cluster of large stars, very rich. The place taken is the most compressed part of it, which is not in the middle; the middle of it contains a vacancy". This was his first observation with the 18.7-inch, although he had observed it earlier through his 6.2-inch in August 1780.
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02 17 09.2 +14 31 23; Ari
V = 15.5; Size 0.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7
18" (1/15/07): extremely faint and small, round,
12" diameter. Only glimpsed
with averted as an extremely faint spot but the detection was repeated several
times with concentration and patience.
Located 1.5' SSW of
18" (11/22/03): not found
17.5" (12/18/89): not found
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 870 (along with
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NGC 871 = UGC 1759 = MCG +02-06-053 = CGCG 438-046 = LGG 053-002 = PGC 8722
02 17 10.7 +14 32 52; Ari
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 4°
18" (11/22/03): at 300x appears fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S. Irregular surface brightness and a slightly asymmetric shape with the impression of a very faint star or knot at the east edge. NGC 870, located just 1.5' S, was not seen (but detected on 1/15/07).
17.5" (12/18/89): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 N-S,
weak concentration. A wide pair of
mag 13.5 stars at 30" separation lies 2.5' SSW. Located 5' NNW of mag 9
8" (1/1/84): very faint, small, even surface brightness. A mag 10 star is 4' SE and two mag 13.5 stars lie south. Located 12' W of NGC 877.
William Herschel discovered NGC 871 = H. III-201 = h208, along with NGC 877, on 14 Oct 1784 (sweep 289) and noted "vF, vS, E. South [the galaxy is 5' north] of pretty considerable star." George Johnstone Stoney, using the 72" on 22 Nov 1854, recorded "E nearly n-s; a S but conspicuous star closely follow centre, but not involved." This star is probably 16th mag. NGC 870 to the south was missed but confirmed in later observations.
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02 15 25.2 -17 46 51; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 174°
17.5" (10/8/94): extremely faint but moderately large and almost requires averted vision, low surface brightness, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.2'x0.8'. A mag 11 star is 3.1' NW of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 872 = LM 1-50 on 15 Oct
1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position (nearest tmin of RA)
is 0.8 tmin following
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02 16 32.4 -11 20 56; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 145°
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.2' diameter, broad concentration with no distinct core. A mag 11 star is 3.6' SW of center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 873 = H. II-474 = h209 = h2471 on 27 Nov 1785 (sweep 478) and logged "pB, pL, lE, brightest in the middle." John Herschel observed this galaxy twice at Slough and three times at the Cape of Good Hope.
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02 16 02.0 -23 18 22; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 173°
17.5" (10/25/97): threshold object barely glimpsed on a couple of occasions. Could not verify the observation with certainty although the exact spot was examined using a GSC chart. Located 3' SSW of a mag 11 star. This galaxy is incorrectly listed as nonexistent in RNGC and is not plotted on U2000.
Frank Muller discovered NGC 874 = LM 2-329 in 1886 with the
26" Leander McCormick refractor and reported "mag 15.5 (nucleus),
0.3'x0.1' in PA 170° and possibly a double star." Additionally, he noted a mag 10 star is
2.8' in PA 320° (NW). His position
is 8' N of
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NGC 875 = UGC 1760 = MCG +00-06-060 = CGCG 387-065 = NGC 867? = PGC 8718
02 17 04.8 +01 14 39; Cet
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 105°
24" (1/25/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, well concentrated with a small bright core that increases to a nearly stellar nucleus.
NGC 875 forms a pair with
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, small, round, even symmetrical concentration down to small bright core. Forms a pair with IC 218 2.4' NNE, though the companion was not seen with certainty.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 875 = Sw. 5-26 on 26 Sep
1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. Lewis Swift independently found it again on 7 Oct 1886 and
recorded "eF; vS; R."
Both of their positions match
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NGC 876 = UGC 1766 = MCG +02-06-057 = LGG 053-004 = PGC 8770
02 17 53.4 +14 31 16; Ari
V = 14.7; Size 2.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/18/89): extremely faint, visible for moments
with averted, very small, almost round.
A pair of mag 14.5 stars lie 1.5' S. Located just 2' SW of NGC 877 and 4' NW of mag 8
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 876 on 22 Nov 1854 with Lord Rosse's 72", during his observation of h210 = NGC 877. He noted this nebula as "sp [h210 = NGC 877] I suspect a vvF patch" and labeled it on the sketch as Delta. Copeland computed a micrometric position on 15 Nov 1873. The field of NGC 870, 871, 876 and 877 was observed at Birr Castle 14 times from 1850 to 1875.
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NGC 877 = UGC 1768 = MCG +02-06-058 = CGCG 438-052 = LGG 053 -005 = PGC 8775
02 17 59.4 +14 32 40; Ari
V = 11.9; Size 2.4'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 140°
17.5" (12/18/89): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, broadly concentrated halo. A mag 13.5 star is at the SE end 1.1' from center. Located 5' NNW of mag 8.0 HD 14192. Brightest in a group with NGC 876 2' SW and NGC 871 12' W.
8" (1/1/84): faint, fairly small, even surface brightness. An extremely faint star is at the SSE edge. A mag 9 star is 4' SE. NGC 871 lies 12' W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 877 = H. II-246 = h210, along with NGC 871, on 14 Oct 1784 (sweep 289). He recorded "faint, pretty large, elongated, south of a considerable star [the galaxy is 5' north of the star]; the situation of these two is very similar with regard to the star, and rather remarkable; the distance from the star about 4 or 5'."
John Herschel made an observation on 7 Sep 1828 (sweep 173): "pB; R: pretty gradually brighter middle; a small * sf; dist 1' and a * 9m 5' dist nearly s[outh], a little foll." R.J. Mitchell, LdR's assistant on 3 Nov 1855, recorded "[NGC 877] has a * or knot in p end, centre suspected resolvable; dark space running along southern side of nucleus?" The "dark space" is a gap between the core and a spiral arm and the "* or knot in p end" appears to be an HII region.
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02 17 54.3 -23 23 03; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 112°
17.5" (12/28/94): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, low even surface brightness. A mag 12.5 star is 3.0' ENE of center.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 878 = LM 2-330 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 40 sec of RA west of
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02 16 51.2 -08 57 50; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6
18" (1/15/07): extremely faint, fairly small, round, 0.4' diameter. Very low surface brightness and only glimpsed at 220x. Once identified I could repeatedly detect this dim galaxy with concentrated averted vision but it was a difficult object.
18" (11/6/04): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Required averted and concentration in fairly poor seeing and just barely visible as a very low surface brightness spot.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 879 = LM 2-331 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.0 tmin west is
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02 18 27.2 -04 12 20; Cet
V = 15.0; Size 0.55'x0.35'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 26°
17.5" (11/17/01): extremely faint, very small, round,
0.2' diameter. Located 7' SSE mag
8.5
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 880 = LM 2-332 in 1886
and reported "mag 15.8, 0.2' dia, R, suddenly brighter in the middle to a
nucleus." His position matches
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02 18 45.2 -06 38 20; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 2.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 140°
24" (1/1/22): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly large,
elongated ~4:3 NW-SE. Appears to
be a spiral with a relatively large bright core enveloping a small bright
nucleus. The halo increases in
size with averted and has an uneven surface brightness. A mag 12 star is 1' NNE
and mag 8.4
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.4'x1.0', broadly brighter middle but no distinct core. A mag 12 star is 1.4' NNE. Located 5.3' ESE of mag 8 SAO 129814. NGC 883 lies 11' SSE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 881 = H. II-436 = h211, along with NGC 883, on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436) and reported "F, pS, lE, south of 2 or 3 unequal stars." The RNGC position is 3' too far north.
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02 19 39.8 +15 48 51; Ari
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 82°
17.5" (12/18/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is 0.9' SW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 882 = h213 on 11 Jan 1831 and
logged "eF; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 12"; near a *
16m.". His position is 1' N
of
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NGC 883 = MCG -01-06-090 = PGC 8841
02 19 05.2 -06 47 29; Cet
V = 12.3; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 100°
24" (1/1/22): at 375x; bright, moderately large, sharply concentrated with a very bright well defined core and an intensely bright quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 9.2 star (very wide, unequal pair) is 3.4' S. IC 219 lies 9' SW and NGC 881 is 10' NW.
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, fairly small, round, fairly high surface brightness, increases to small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 1.3' W and an uneven mag 10/12 double star at 30" separation is located 3' S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 883 = H. II-436 = h215, along with NGC 881, on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436) and logged "F, pS, lE." On 8 Jan 1831 (sweep 318), John Herschel wrote "pB; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 15"; a coarse D* in field."
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NGC 884 = Chi Per = Cr 25 = Double cluster
02 22 32 +57 08 36; Per
V = 4.6; Size 30'
18" (8/11/10): NGC 884 includes three rare M-type red supergiants including two mag 8/8.5 colored stars separated by 1.9' on the NE side of the cluster appearing red and warm yellow (V403 and V439). On the east side of the core of the cluster is the orange M-supergiant RS Per.
17.5" (10/25/97): the following group of the remarkable field of the "double cluster" is not as large or bright as NGC 869, but is centered around two wide triple stars. The central 5' has up to 50 stars including a number of faint mag 14-15 stars forming a rich background. Off the west end of the central region is a long string of stars which heads NE for 10' towards 3 brighter stars and then turning south and heading back past mag 8 orange-red RS Persei. The 20' field includes ~200 stars, although the cluster includes fewer bright stars as NGC 869 and is less compressed.
8": this is the eastern component of the "double cluster". Very bright, large, very rich, ~20' diameter, ~60 stars, includes bright colored stars, many doubles.
Hipparchus catalogued the Double Cluster about 130 BC and Ptolemy copied it into his Almagest: "At the tip of the right hand [of Perseus] and nebulous [or misty]." Giovanni Battista Hodierna first resolved the Double Cluster into stars by 1654. He described (No. 3 of his 2nd table) "The third nebulous star, which is the first of all that Ptolemy invokes, [lies] in the constellation Perseus, at the tip of his right hand, below Cassiopeia. [It is] very prominent amid the Milky Way, on account of a large profusion of stars, which are grouped in two places."
William Herschel logged NGC 884 = H. VI-34 on 1 Nov 1788 (sweep 877) as "A very beautiful, brilliant cluster of large stars irregularly round, very rich, near one-half degree in diameter." John Herschel noted on 9 Dec 1831 (sweep 387) that "a fine ruby star in the centre". The cluster was examined at Birr Castle looking for colored stars and five red stars were reported and one with a bluish tinge.
In William Denning's "Telescopic Work for Starlight Evenings", he noted it "In a telescope it forms a double cluster, and is one of the richest and most beautiful objects that the sky affords." The earliest use may be in George Chamber's 1867 edition of Descriptive Astronomy"
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NGC 885 = NGC 863 = NGC 866 = UGC 1727 = MCG +00-06-056 = Mrk 590 = PGC 8586
02 14 33.6 -00 46 00; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 863.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 885 = Sw. 5-27 on 31 Oct 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. There is nothing near his position and Herbert Howe "searched for it on three nights without success [using the 20" refractor at the Chamberlin Observatory]." Corwin suggests Swift made a 5 minute error (too far east) in RA, finding NGC 863 again -- he also recorded this galaxy (discovered 100 years previously by William Herschel ) 4 weeks earlier and reported it as Sw. 5-24 (later NGC 866). So, likely NGC 885 = NGC 866 = NGC 863, with NGC 863 the primary designation.
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02 23 12 +63 46 42; Cas
Size 14'
17.5" (8/5/97): the most noticeable grouping in this
area is a 6' scattered group which is arranged into a rough pentagon with a
broad triangular "roof" forming the west side. Nearly all of the stars here form the
border of this figure and it visually appears to be an asterism. The brightest
member is mag 8.5
John Herschel discovered NGC 886 = h214 on 30 Oct 1829 and described "a coarse straggling cl; not v rich; 10 or 12' dia. Stars 9...13". The NGC position is only 5' off from this scattered cluster (Stock 6). RNGC labels this cluster as "nonexistent" (Type 7).
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02 19 32.6 -16 04 12; Cet
V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 5°
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, fairly small, round. Unusual appearance as a mag 14 star is embedded in the NE end. Located between a mag 11 star 3.5' SE and a mag 12 star 3.9' NW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 887 = H. III-486 = h216 on 30 Dec 1785 (sweep 499) and noted "vF, vS, iF, better with 240 power". On 15 Oct 1830 (sweep 307), John Herschel logged "pB; R; pretty gradually brighter middle; 25" [diameter]." George Stoney, using the 72" on 17 Sep 1852, recorded a "* in the edge, perhaps cometary or like a snowdrop."
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02 17 27.3 -59 51 40; Hor
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 72°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): moderately bright,
small, round, 30" diameter, broad concentration to center but no defined
zones. A star is just off the NW
edge, 25" from center. One
the east side are two very faint stars.
The closest is at the edge of the halo, just 16" from center while
the second star is 35" NE of center.
A wide pair of mag 13 stars is centered 3.5' NNE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 888 = h2473 on 6 Oct 1834 and
logged "eF, S, R, has two small stars very near it.". His position
and description matches
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02 19 07.0 -41 44 58; Phe
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): moderately bright,
fairly small, round, 45" diameter, gradually increases to a small bright
core and stellar nucleus. Located
7' NW of mag 6.4
John Herschel discovered NGC 889 = h2472 on 6 Oct 1834 and
logged "eF, vS, R, pretty suddenly brighter middle, has a star 7th mag Sf
and 6 other small stars intermediate". His position and description matches
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02 22 01.0 +33 15 58; Tri
V = 11.2; Size 2.5'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 55°
17.5" (10/29/94): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2.0'x1.0'. Sharply concentrated with a prominent core containing a stellar nucleus. Using averted vision the faint extensions increase to 2' length. A group of stars is off the west side.
8" (11/8/80): faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, wide double star mag 12/13 lies 3' W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 890 = H. II-225 = h217 on 13 Sep 1784 (sweep 271) and noted "F, vS, R." John Herschel made 4 observations and first logged it on 11 Nov 1827 (sweep 100) as "pB; R; gradually brighter in the middle; has 3 or 4 S st p[receding] in a chain". The galaxy was also observed 6 times at Birr Castle. On 12 Oct 1855, R.J. Mitchell remarked "pL, oval major axis sp to nf, suddenly brighter in the middle, probably a distant globular cluster." There are a couple of very faint stars around the periphery and this may have given the impression of a distant globular.
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02 22 33.4 +42 21 03; And
V = 9.9; Size 13.5'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 22°
48" (10/25/11): at 375x, the stunning edge-on NGC 891 was one of the top highlights of the observing week with the 48". The galaxy nearly filled the 16' field, stretching nearly 12' by 2' SSW-NNE. A 17th magnitude star is superimposed close to the NNE tip and a mag 16.5 star is near the SSW end. The brighter, bulging central region extends 2.5' with a mag 12 star just north of the core on the west side. A similar star is superimposed on the southern extension along with a few fainter stars. A very high contrast dust lane slices through most of the galaxy except at the tips, where the galaxy fades out. I was surprised how broad the dust lane appeared, particularly through the central section. Although the dust lane perfectly bisects the galaxy into two symmetric halves, the edge of the lane was ragged and uneven.
A very small, dim galaxy was visible just off the east edge, 2.3' NNE of center and collinear with two mag 12 and 13.3 stars off the west edge of the galaxy. It appeared as a very faint, elongated glow, ~15"x6". Once identified I could hold this galaxy nearly continuously with averted vision. In addition, an extremely compact anonymous galaxy is just 50" NW the center of NGC 891 and 40" SE of the mag 13.3 star. It was visible continuously at 375x and 488x as a faint glow, roughly 6" diameter. Surprisingly this object is not listed in NED, HyperLeda or SIMBAD, though it's probably no fainter than mag 16.5.
18" (8/26/06 and 11/13/07): the long, remarkable dust lane that bisects this galaxy was quite contrasty with a scalloped appearance along the edges. Member of the NGC 891/1023 Group.
17.5" (8/31/86): bright, extremely large, edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE, 10'x2'. A striking dust lane bisects the galaxy and is most prominent through the bulging central region.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; bright, extremely large edge-on ~10'x1.5'. Brighter central region ~2.5'x1.5', but no nucleus. Subtle dust lane evident and pretty obvious in the central region. A mag 12.8 star is superposed near the SSW end, 4.4' from center, and a mag 11.8 star is 1.4' N of center, at the west edge.
13.1" (7/16/82 and 9/11/82): at 140x; dust lane visible with averted. Fairly easy using 166x.
8" (11/28/81): fairly bright, large, edge-on, central bulge.
80mm (11/13/07): I was surprised how evident the galaxy appeared at 25x in the 80mm finder.
William Herschel discovered NGC 891 = H. V-19 = h218 on 6 Oct 1783 (sweep 283) when the telescope was pointing off the meridian in the east so accurate positions could not be fixed. He observed it again on 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 614) and logged "cB, about 15' long and 2 or 3' broad, bM, nearly in the meridian, a little from sp to nf." A week later (sweep 621), he apparently had a better view and commented on the dark lane: "considerably bright, gradually brighter in the middle, about 15' l and 3' br, a black division in the middle in the direction of the length; at least 3 or 4' long." He published a sketch with a distinct "black division" in his 1811 paper (Fig. 12) as an illustration of "nebulae that are remarkable for some particularity in figure or brightness."
In the notes section of his first catalogue, William
mentioned that Caroline discovered this object on 27 Aug 1783, but this was a
transcription error in the handwritten copy sent to the printer as she found
V-18 (later NGC 205 = M110) on that date, though Messier had sketched it
earlier. Admiral William Smyth
repeated this error in his Cycle of Celestial Objects (1844). Herschel also found two members of nearby
Abell Galaxy Cluster 347 (
John Herschel remarked on 18 Sep 1828 (sweep 182): "has a chink or dark division in the middle and two stars." He sketched the galaxy and remarked "An extraordinary object. Perhaps the figure is too nicely symmetrical as it certainly is too sharply defined. It is of the last degree of faintness and may very well be though full in the field of view. There can hardly be a doubt a thin flat ring of enormous dimensions seen very obliquely." The galaxy was also sketched at Birr Castle in 1850-51 and Dreyer noted, "I think the split is broader at one end, and that the nebula is a little more sharply defined on the following [Eastern] branch. The central part is longer, but perhaps not so bright as on the preceding branch. A bifurcation suspected at south end by Lord Rosse."
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02 20 52.0 -23 06 49; Cet
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5°
17.5" (12/9/01): extremely faint, fairly small, low surface brightness, slightly elongated, 0.6'x0.4'.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 892 = LM 2-333 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.2 tmin west of ESO 478-026 = PGC 8926.
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NGC 893 = ESO 298-029 = MCG -07-05-017 = PGC 8888
02 19 58.5 -41 24 11; Phe
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 115°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): fairly bright,
fairly large, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.9', broad concentration to a small,
brighter core. Located 3.2' WSW of
mag 8.6
John Herschel discovered NGC 893 = h2474 on 23 Oct 1835 and
logged "Not vF, R, pretty gradually brighter middle, 35", has a star
9th mag following 4' distance." His position (two sweeps) and description
matches
******************************
02 21 33.7 -05 30 46; Cet
See observing notes for
R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 894 on 28 Nov 1856 using Lord Rosse's 72" and described a "D neb, components unite a preceding end. The south one [NGC 895] is L, oval gradually brighter in the middle, the n one [NGC 894] is more elongated and fainter, also bM." But the observation by J.L.E. Dreyer on 14 Oct 1876 revealed a single spiral with GC 530 = NGC 894 the brightest portion of a spiral arm: "pF, L, seemed first to have 2 Nuclei preceding-following, the foll one being the brighter, but it was soon seen that the preceding one is no Nucl, but only the brightest part of a curved arm, convex sp, very soft. Sometimes I thought there was also some condensed part f the Nucl; Lord Rosse thought there was some patch or neby s of the nucleus [this probably refers to the southeastern spiral arm]. So, NGC 894 is the brightest part of the northwestern spiral arm of NGC 895. This was recognized by Curtis after being photographed with the Crossley reflector at Lick Observatory (see 1918 Lick publication).
******************************
NGC 895 = MCG -01-07-002 = PGC 8974
02 21 36.2 -05 31 14; Cet
V = 11.7; Size 3.6'x2.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 65°
17.5" (8/31/86): fairly bright, large, broadly concentrated halo, diffuse halo. A mag 14 star is off the following edge, 2.0' ENE from the center and a mag 12 star is 4.7' S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 895 = H. II-438 = h219 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436) and commented "pB, pL, irr figure, mbM." On 5 Oct 1785 (sweep 456), he noted "F, vL, irr figure, r, unequally bright." The northwest spiral arm (discovered at Birr Castle) was catalogued separately as NGC 894. See historical notes on NGC 894.
******************************
02 25 31 +62 00 54; Cas
Size 27'x13'
18" (10/13/07): NGC 896 and
17.5" (11/27/92): at 100x with OIII filter this is a fairly bright emission nebula, very large, about 20' diameter. Elongated roughly E-W but consists of two distinct sections (NGC 896 and IC 1795) which merge together. The bright western portion = NGC 896 has a high surface brightness, round, ~7' diameter and a star is off the NW edge. A weak dark lane separates NGC 896 from faint IC 1795. The region is weakly nebulous without filter.
William Herschel discovered NGC 896 = H. III-695 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and recorded "eF, pL, iF. Mem. The PD must be reckoned inaccurate, the string having been touched since the last cluster was taken."
NGC 896 is generally taken as the brightest portion of the IC 1795 complex on the southwest end (IC 1795/NGC 895 being the northwest portion of the huge "Heart Nebula"). John Herschel did not make an observation to confirm the position. Corwin suggests that IC 1795 (found by Barnard) is a separate knot in the same HII complex, though Wolfgang Steinicke equates NGC 896 with IC 1795.
******************************
02 21 06.5 -33 43 15; For
V = 11.8; Size 2.1'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 17°
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, fairly small, 0.8' diameter, small bright core. A mag 11 star is 44" E of center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 897 = h2475 on 19 Oct 1835 and
logged "pB, S, R, pretty suddenly brighter in the middle. Has a star 10th
mag exactly following in the parallel just at the edge or 35" distant from
centre." His position and
description is a perfect match with
******************************
NGC 898 = UGC 1842 = MCG +07-06-004 = CGCG 539-004 = PGC 9073
02 23 20.43 +41 57 05; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 170°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; very pretty edge-on ~6:1 N-S, ~1.2'x0.2'. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. Situated in a rich star field with a group of 4 stars mag 11-13 that nearly form a rhombus ~3' SE (sides ~1').
13.1" (11/13/82): fairly faint, very elongated
~N-S. Located 10' SSW of mag 6.7
William Herschel discovered NGC 898 = H. III-570 on 17 Oct
1786 (sweep 614) and logged "eF, vS, lE.". His RA was 40 seconds too large. Immediately afterwards he discovered cluster member
Édouard Stephan observed NGC 898 on 1 Dec 1875 and also
discovered the cluster members
******************************
02 21 53.1 -20 49 24; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 116°
24" (10/3/13): brightest (or highest surface
brightness) in a trio (
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE, 1.2'x1.0', only a weak concentration. An easy pair of mag 13 stars at 25" separation oriented WSW-ENE is located 1.5' WSW. Forms a pair with IC 223 5' NNE with NGC 907 17' NE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 899 = h2476 on 13 Nov 1835 and reported "pB, lE, gradually brighter in the middle, resolvable, 30", has a coarse double star preceding." His position and description (the coarse double is southwest) matches UGCA 26 = PGC 8990.
******************************
02 23 32.2 +26 30 41; Ari
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30°
17.5" (10/29/94): faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter,
even concentration to a small bright core and stellar nucleus. Brighter of a close pair with
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, small, round, weak even concentration, small brighter core. A mag 9.5 star is 7.5' S.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 900 = m 57 (along with NGC 901)
on 5 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and logged "vF, vS,
stellar". Marth's position
matches
******************************
02 23 34.1 +26 33 25; Ari
V = 14.7; Size 0.4'x0.4'
17.5" (10/29/94): very faint, very small, round, 0.3' diameter, no concentration. Can view with direct view and hold continuously with averted vision. Located 2.8' NNE of NGC 900. Incorrectly listed as identical to NGC 900 in RNGC. Not listed in any of the major catalogues!
Albert Marth discovered NGC 901 = m 58 (along with NGC 900)
on 5 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "eF,
vS". His position is 3 sec of
RA east and 3' N of NGC 900 (which was placed accurately) and at this offset is
******************************
02 22 21.8 -16 40 45; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5" (12/28/94): extremely faint, very small, round,
0.4' diameter, low surface brightness, no concentration. A mag 13 star is 3.2' SSE of
center. Located 10' S of mag 7.8
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 902 = LM 2-334 on 28 Nov 1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is just 1' S of MCG -03-07-005 = PGC 9021.
******************************
02 24 00.9 +27 21 23; Ari
Size 0.7'x0.4'; PA = 175°
17.5" (1/20/90): extremely faint, very small, glimpsed
for moments. Located 1.5' NW of
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 903 = St. 13-17, along with
NGC 904, on 13 Dec 1884 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles
Observatory. His position matches
******************************
NGC 904 = UGC 1852 = MCG +04-06-024 = CGCG 483-028 = PGC 9112
02 24 05.6 +27 20 33; Ari
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 130°
17.5" (1/20/90): very faint, very small, elongated NW-SE, smooth surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 903 1.5' NW. Second of six in a group.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 904 = St. 13-18, along with NGC
903, on 13 Dec 1884 (or earlier) with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles
Observatory and reported "vF, vS, R, little brighter middle." His position matches
******************************
02 22 43.5 -08 43 08; Cet
V = 15.7; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (10/13/01): extremely faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. Requires averted and concentration to glimpse (in fairly poor seeing). Located 4.4' S of a mag 10 star.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 905 = LM 2-334 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.7 tmin of RA east of
******************************
02 25 16.2 +42 05 24; And
V = 12.9; Size 1.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 15°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; fairly faint, round,
relatively large, 50" diameter, diffuse halo, slightly brighter
core/nucleus. Located in the core
of AGC 347 with
13.1" (10/20/84): fairly faint, small, round. Located in the core of AGC 347 with NGC 909 3.5' S.
13.1" (11/13/82): faint, furthest north in the string of galaxies.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 906 = St. 10-5 on 30 Oct 1878
(date position reduced) and recorded "eeF, irregular oval; dia = 45
arcsec." Except for NGC 898
and
******************************
NGC 907 = UGCA 28 = ESO 545-010 = MCG -04-06-034 = KTS 16C =
02 23 01.9 -20 42 43; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 81°
24" (10/3/13): moderately to fairly bright, fairly
large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 1.5'x0.5'.
Irregular surface brightness and clearly brighter on the east side. Third in the
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 1.8'x0.6', broad weak concentration. IC 223 lies 14' WSW and NGC 899 16' SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 907 = H. III-224 = h2477 on 20 Oct 1784 (sweep 303) and noted "vF, S, irr R". John Herschel described the galaxy from the Cape as "F, E in parallel; gradually little brighter middle, 20" long."
******************************
02 23 04.6 -21 14 02; Cet
V = 10.2; Size 6.0'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 77°
48" (10/27/19): at 375x; Showpiece two-armed spiral extending 5'x2' WSW-ESE and displaying a great deal of structure. Contains a bright oval core with a very small, very bright nucleus. A knotty spiral arm is rooted at the northeast end of the core. It bends sharply to the west on the north side of the core and displays a blotchy surface. As this arm extended west it separated from an inner arm by a dark lane, spread out and faded at the west end.
A longer spiral arm emerges from the west side of the core. It wraps tightly to the east in a bright arc to the south of the core. This arm has a fairly well defined outer edge, but was not as splotchy as the northern arm. At the east end, it splits into two arms with a slightly darker gap between and passes north of a mag 14.4 star. The northern split arm has a brighter 15" patch at its tip [1.0' NNW of the mag 14.4 star].
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly bright, large, elongated 4.5'x2.0' WSW-ENE. The brighter middle has an irregular surface brightness and a faint star or knot is just west of the geometric center [this is probably the nucleus]. A mag 14 star is just south of the following end. Four mag 11-12.5 stars lie 3' to 5' N and form a trapezoid with parallel bases oriented E-W.
8": fairly bright, large, elongated E-W.
William Herschel discovered NGC 908 = H. I-153 on 20 Sep 1786 (sweep 596) and noted "cB, vL, E from sp to nf, I believe above 15' long; but the ends are very faint." His position (Caroline's reduction) is accurate. John Herschel made no observations of this galaxy either from Slough or the Cape. The NGC position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 909 = UGC 1872 = MCG +07-06-013 = CGCG 539-016 = PGC 9197
02 25 22.8 +42 02 08; And
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; between fairly faint and moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, gradually increases to a brighter core and nucleus. A mag 9.8 star is 2.4' SW and a mag 9.2 star is 4' W. In the core of the cluster AGC 347 with NGC 906 3.5' NNW.
13.1" (10/20/84): fairly faint, very small, round, compact. Located 4' ENE of a mag 9.5 star. Forms a pair with NGC 906 in the core of AGC 347.
13.1" (11/13/82): faint, just south of NGC 906.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 909 = St. 10-6 on 30 Oct 1878
(or earlier) and reported "eF, vS, stellar nucl". His position matches
******************************
NGC 910 = UGC 1875 = MCG +07-06-014 = CGCG 539-017 = PGC 9201
02 25 26.8 +41 49 26; And
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.7
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; fairly bright, relatively
large, round, 1.0'-1.2' diameter, strong concentration with a very bright core
that increases to an intense nucleus.
The halo is low surface brightness and fades out at the periphery,
making it difficult to gauge the exact size. Located at the core of AGC 347 with several other members
near including
13.1" (10/20/84): fairly bright, small, round. Located in the core of AGC 347 with NGC
911 8.5' NNE and
13.1" (11/13/82): fairly faint, similar brightness to NGC 911 in the core of AGC 347.
William Herschel discovered NGC 910 = H. III-571 on 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 614). He recorded "extremely faint, stellar, not verified." His position was accurate despite the uncertainty. Two minutes earlier he discovered NGC 898.
******************************
NGC 911 = UGC 1878 = MCG +07-06-016 = CGCG 539-021 = PGC 9221
02 25 42.3 +41 57 23; And
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 115°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 40"x20", contains a bright core that
increases to a stellar nucleus. A
mag 9.3 star (
13.1" (10/20/84): fairly faint, small, slightly
elongated. Located 2.1' S of mag
9.2
13.1" (11/13/82): fairly faint, just south of a 9th magnitude star.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 911 = St. 10-7 on 30 Oct 1878 (or earlier) and recorded "vF, vS, R, gradually brighter in the middle." Except for NGC 898 and 923 (discovered by William Herschel), Stephan discovered all the NGC galaxies in the cluster.
******************************
NGC 912 = MCG +07-06-015 = CGCG 539-020 = PGC 9222
02 25 42.7 +41 46 38; And
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; faint, fairly small, round, 24", gradually increases to the center. Located in the core of AGC 347 with NGC 913 1.4' N and brighter NGC 910 4' NW.
13.1" (10/20/84): extremely faint and small, round. Forms a close pair with NGC 913 1.3' N. Located 4' ESE of NGC 910 in the core of AGC 347.
13.1" (11/13/82): extremely faint, very small, round.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 912 = St. 10-8 on 1 Dec 1875 during an observation of NGC 910. He note "+ two other nebulae new." Almost certainly one of these was NGC 912. His published accurate position (list 10, #8) was made on 30 Oct 1878 with description "F, vS, R, bM." Except for NGC 898 and NGC 923 (discovered by William Herschel), Stephan discovered all other NGC galaxies in the cluster.
******************************
02 25 44.6 +41 47 58; And
Size 0.6'x0.3'; PA = 22°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 30"x15", low even surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 912 1.4' S. Situated 3.7' SE of NGC 910 in the core of AGC 347.
13.1" (10/20/84): extremely faint and small, round. Located 3.5' ESE of NGC 910 in the core of AGC 347. Forms a close pair with NGC 912 1.3' S.
13.1" (11/13/82): extremely faint and requires averted to glimpse, nonstellar knot.
Édouard Stephan possibly discovered NGC 913 = St. 10-9 on 1 Dec 1875 during an observation of NGC 910. He noted that two other new nebulae were seen. His published position (list 10, #9) was made on 30 Oct 1878 with description"eeF, eS, little brighter in the middle."
******************************
NGC 914 = UGC 1887 = MCG +07-06-017 = CGCG 539-023 = PGC 9253
02 26 05.1 +42 08 39; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 117°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; fairly faint, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, ~0.8'x0.6', low surface brightness, weak concentration. Three mag 13.5-14.5 stars are equidistant (1.6') SSW, W and NW. This relatively large member of AGC 347 is 10' ENE of similar NGC 906.
13.1" (11/5/83): very faint, fairly small, diffuse, almost round. Located at the NE corner of the core of AGC 347.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 914 = St. 10-10 on 1 Dec 1875. His rough position was 3' to the E, nearly identical as other galaxies he logged in the cluster that night. His published accurate position (list 10, #10) was made on 30 Oct 1878 with description "eF, diffuse, 1' dia."
******************************
02 25 45.6 +27 13 16; Ari
V = 13.9; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6
24" (11/21/19): between faint and fairly faint, fairly
small, round, 20" diameter, small brighter nucleus. Forms a very close, fairly similar pair
with
17.5" (1/20/90): very faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 916 1.4' NNE and first of three with NGC 919 7' E. Member of the larger group WBL 073.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 915 = m 59, along with NGC 916 and NGC 919, on 5 Sep 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta. He called it "eF, vS, stellar".
******************************
NGC 916 = MCG +04-06-034 = CGCG 483-043 = PGC 9245
02 25 47.6 +27 14 33; Ari
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 5°
24" (11/21/19): between faint and fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.6'x0.3', small brighter nucleus. Forms a close pair with NGC 915 1' SSW.
UGC 1885, located 10' N, was quite faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, low surface brightness.
17.5" (1/20/90): very faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Appears similar to NGC 915 just 1' SW amd second of three along with NGC 919 6.7' ESE. Member of the WBL 073 group.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 916 = m 60, along with NGC 915 and 919, on 5 Sep 1864 from Malta with Lassell's 48".
******************************
02 26 07.7 +31 54 44; Tri
V = 13.3; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 55°
24" (2/5/13): at 375x appeared moderately bright,
moderately large, oval 5:3 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.6', weak concentration to a bright
oval core. Just north of a group of mag 12-13 stars and 2' N of mag 8.2 SAO
55553.
17.5" (10/5/02): fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.5', broad concentration to a brighter core. Located 2.0' N of a mag 8 star and 18'
NW of mag 5.6 11 Trianguli.
Several mag 13/14 stars in a curving chain are just south. This galaxy is identified as
17.5" (8/5/97): fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated SW-NE, 1.5'x0.8', broad concentration with large slightly brighter
core. Located close north of a
semi-circular group of stars and just 2.0' NNW of mag 8.2
John Herschel discovered NGC 917 = h220 on 22 Nov 1827 and recorded "vF, S, R, forms a semicircle with 4 st." There is nothing at Herschel's single position. Dreyer looked for h220 on 5 Nov 1874 at Birr Castle and noted "no nebulosity seen, only 3 st about 18-20 mag close together nearly in a line pf" (these stars are visible on the DSS). In the NGC notes, Dreyer adds: "h220. No neb, only a vs, Cl with 4 st nr np (2 Birr obs, 1874-76, not found by d'Arrest)." Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
Harold Corwin identifies NGC 917 = UGC 1890. This galaxy is situated exactly 20' S of Herschel's position and there are several stars just south that form a slightly curving arc. Corwin also checked the sweep and found a diagram matching the nearby stars UGC 1890 nearly perfectly. So, Herschel must have made a clerical error in recording or transfering the position or simply misread the NPD on his telescope. Archinal and Hynes (Star Clusters) misidentify an asterism near Herschel's original position as NGC 917. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
02 25 50.6 +18 29 49; Ari
V = 12.2; Size 3.5'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 158°
17.5" (1/20/90): faint, fairly large, almost round, very low surface brightness, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is involved near the northwest edge. Located 3' NNW of a mag 10.5 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 918 = h221 on 11 Jan 1831 and logged "pF; L; R; 60"; np a *10 m, dist 3'." This galaxy was observed 4 times at Birr Castle. On 30 Nov 1856, R.J. Mitchell recorded "vvF, pL, R. A * easily see in or near the centre, 2 others not so certain involved north of center."
******************************
NGC 919 = UGC 1894 = MCG +04-06-039 = CGCG 483-049 = WBL 073-005 = PGC 9267
02 26 16.7 +27 12 43; Ari
V = 14.5; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 138°
24" (11/21/19): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, ~40"x15", irregular surface brightness [perhaps due to a dust lane]. A very faint star appears to be superimposed [a 16th mag star is ~8" S of center]. In a group (WBL 73) with NGC 915 and 916 ~7' W.
17.5" (1/20/90): very faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE. Third of three with the NGC 915/NGC 916 pair 7' W and fifth of six in a group (WBL 073)..
Albert Marth discovered NGC 919 = m 61, along with NGC 915 and 916, on 5 Sep 1864 from Malta with Lassell's 48".
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02 28 45.9 +45 58 14; And
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 34°
17.5" (8/5/97): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
5:2 SW-NE, broad concentration to a brighter core. A mag 14 star is at the west edge . Viewed after glimpsing
UGC 1920 (listed as NGC 920 in all modern sources) appeared
extremely faint, moderately large, ~1.5' diameter, very low surface brightness,
required averted vision to glimpse.
This roundish unconcentrated glow is situated within a group of stars
including a mag 11 star 1.6' WSW and mag 13 stars 1' NW and 1' SE. I would not have noticed this object without
averted vision and knowing the exact location using a printed finder
chart. Located 9.5' W of much
brighter NGC 920 = IC 1799 and 15' WNW of
17.5" (11/26/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.4', broad concentration to a fairly bright core and
occasional stellar nucleus. A mag
14 star is very close west and a mag 12 star (unequal double) is 1.4' NNW. Located in a rich star field 11' WSW of
a mag 7
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 920 = Sw. 2-20, along with NGC
933, on 11 Sep 1885. His description reads "eF, eS, R;
1 or 2 eF * close; e diff." and his position is 16 seconds of RA west and
1.5' north of UGC 1920 = PGC 9377, the galaxy which has always been taken as NGC
920. I wrote the following note in
Jan 2014 to Harold Corwin and Wolfgang Steinicke after I realized that NGC 920
probably refers to
"Swift's position in list II-20 is also 70 tsec due west of IC 1799 = UGC 1943, and an excellent match in declination (given Swift's general accuracy). So, IC 1799 is only off in RA from Swift's position. His description mentions "1 or 2 eF* nr", which could apply to either galaxy, but UGC 1920 also has brighter nearby stars that to me would be mentioned. More importantly, though, IC 1799 is a more prominent galaxy than UGC 1920. In fact I probably would have missed UGC 1920 (the halo is very low surface brightness) in my 18-inch if I wasn't looking in the right place. IC 1799, on the other hand, was immediately noticed in the field, and has a much higher surface brightness. So, I'm suggesting NGC 920 = IC 1799 = UGC 1943."
Wolfgang Steinicke responded that his copy of Swift's paper came from Max Wolf's library in Heidelberg and "The '0' (of 20) is struck through and a '1' is noted to the right of the digit." Therefore Wolf also suspected a 1 minute error in Swift's RA. Corwin notes that once 1 tmin of RA is added to Swift's RA, this leaves only a "difference in RA of only -10 seconds in RA and just -7 arcseconds in Dec -- negligible, in the face of Swift's usual errors."
Guillaume Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 28 Jan 1891, measured an accurate position, and it was catalogued as Big. 251 (later IC 1799). All major catalogues, as well as NED, HyperLeda and SIMBAD, identify this galaxy as IC 1799. This leaves UGC 1920, the galaxy always assumed to be NGC 920, without a NGC or IC designation.
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02 26 33.5 -15 50 51; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 81°
17.5" (12/20/95): extremely faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, 1.0'x0.6'. A mag 13 star is 1.2' SE of center.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 921 = LM 1-51 on 6 Jan 1886 with
the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.3 min of RA east is
******************************
02 25 04.7 -24 47 17; For
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, slightly elongated N-S, 1.2'x1.0', weak concentration, stellar nucleus with direct vision. A mag 12 star is 2' NNW.
8" (1/1/84): fairly faint, even surface brightness, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 12.5 star is 2' NNW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 922 = H. III-239 = h2478 on 17 Nov 1784 (sweep 321) and logged "vF, S, near 1' diameter or more". John Herschel reported on on 20 Nov 1835 (sweep 646), "pB; R; gradually pretty much brighter middle; 60" [diameter]".
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NGC 923 = UGC 1915 = MCG +07-06-022 = CGCG 539-030 = PGC 9355
02 27 34.6 +41 58 40; And
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 95°
24" (11/23/19): at 375x; fairly faint (relatively
bright member of AGC 347), fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, brighter core,
0.6'x0.4'. Collinear with CGCG
539-029 3' SSW and
18" (11/26/03): faint or fairly faint, small, round,
25" diameter, weak concentration.
Located 2.4' SSW of a mag 9 star.
Second of three on a line with fainter
13.1" (11/5/83): very faint, very small. Located just 2.4' SSW of mag 9 SAO 38041, which interferes with viewing. Member of AGC 347.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 923 = St. 10-11 on 30 Oct 1878 (or earlier) and recorded "vF, S, R, weak concentration."
In March of 2020, Yann Pothier suggested the original discovery was made by Dreyer on 6 Nov 1874, though he assumed his observation applied to H. III-570 = NGC 898. His description, which reads "pB (at least not vF), S, lE npp sff. A * in Pos. 27.3°, Dist. 145.5".", does not apply to NGC 898, but NGC 923 instead, which is located 4.2 minutes of time following NGC 898.
Wolfgang Steinicke added the following comments: "The
reason why Dreyer missed III 570 (NGC 898) on 6 Nov. 1874 is not due to an
incorrect setting of the 72-inch. This is shown by correct data given for the
other objects in that night (all observed before GC 533 [NGC 898]): GC 5036
(
******************************
02 26 46.8 +20 29 51; Ari
V = 12.7; Size 2.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 53°
24" (1/1/16): at 375x; moderately bright, oval SW-NE,
45"x30", sharply concentrated with a small bright core and
quasi-stellar nucleus. The outer
halo has a low surface brightness.
Forms a close pair with
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, broadly concentrated halo, distinct stellar nucleus.
William Herschel discovered NGC 924 = H. III-474 on 29 Nov
1785 (sweep 481) and logged "eF, vS, irregularly round, confirmed at 240
power." His position (Auwer's reduction) is a close match with
******************************
02 27 17.0 +33 34 43; Tri
V = 10.1; Size 10.5'x5.9'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 102°
24" (1/25/14): on this observation I used 375x and focused on the HII regions in the spiral arms of NGC 925. [HK83] 120/121 was seen as an extremely faint, very small HII knot on the west end of NGC 925, 3.2' from center. This HII complex is near the western tip of the southern spiral arm, though I couldn't trace the arm itself as far this knot but a mag 14 star was identified 0.9' SSE.
[HK83] 44, a very faint 6" knot, was barely detached off the east end of the central bar. A second fainter and even smaller knot, [HK83] 46/49, was occasionally seen ~20" WNW, right at the tip of the bar. [HK83] 42, a faint 6" knot, was seen along the weak southern arm, 1.5' SE of center. The location was pinpointed just north of the midpoint of two mag 13.5/14.5 stars oriented E-W at 1.6' separation.
17.5" (11/26/94): fairly bright, large, about 5'
diameter although the halo is irregular.
The core appears as a bright bar running through the center and elongated
WNW-ESE with a fainter halo north and south of the bar. The bar is moderately
concentrated and has a mottled texture.
There is a strong impression of very faint extensions or arms that begin
to hook north on the WNW end and south on the ESE ends of the bar. An extremely faint knot is just visible
off the west side 3.3' from the center. This knot is an HII complex and
association near the edge of a spiral arm and is catalogued as #120 in
Hodge-Kennicutt's 1983 "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". Several stars are near; a mag 10.5 star
lies 3.4' S of center, two mag 12 stars are just north of the core 1.0' and
1.5' from the center and a wide pair of mag 12.5 star are 5' W. Member of the
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly bright, large, elongated WNW-ESE with a very low surface brightness halo making it a wider oval, ~4.5' diameter. A prominent bar runs through the major axis WNW-ESE, with a slightly brighter ncl at the center. There was a strong suggestion of arm structure in the halo, particularly on the south side. Several stars are superposed; the brightest three are mag 13-13.5.
8" (11/8/80): faint, fairly large, diffuse, irregular, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 10 star is 3.5' S.
William Herschel discovered NGC 925 = H. III-177 = h222 on 13 Sep 1784 (sweep 271) and reported "vF, cL, irregularly round, r, 2 or 3' diameter." On 11 Nov 1827 (sweep 100), John Herschel logged "pB; L; E; very gradually brighter middle; among stars." Bindon Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant on 14 Sep 1850, called it "3' by 50", rather F dash of light; a conspicuous star nf the middle outside edge."
******************************
02 26 06.6 -00 19 57; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 36°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE,
1.2'x0.6, diffuse unconcentrated glow.
A mag 13 star is 2.5' SSW.
Located 7' N of a mag 9.5 star.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 926 = T. 1-9 = Sw. 5-28 in
1876 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and noted a 1'
diameter. Tempel's position is 3' S of
******************************
02 26 37.3 +12 09 19; Ari
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, small, round, pretty smooth
low surface brightness. Located
10' NW of mag 9.1
Johann Palisa discovered NGC 927 = Sw. 3-11 on 18 Jan 1885
with the 27-inch Grubb refractor at the Vienna University Observatory and
reported it in AN 2732. This is
the only NGC object to be discovered with the Great refractor. Lewis Swift independently discovered
the galaxy later that year on 2 Dec 1885 with the 16" refractor at the
Warner Observatory. Swift's
position is just 6 tsec east of
******************************
02 27 41.0 +27 13 15; Ari
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 35°
17.5" (1/20/90): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Sixth in a group including NGC 903, NGC 904, NGC 915, NGC 916, NGC 919.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 928 = m 62 on 5 Sep 1864 with
Lassell's 48" on Malta and noted "eF, vS, stellar". His position matches
******************************
02 27 18.3 -12 05 12; Cet
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 170°
17.5" (10/8/94): very faint, fairly small, low surface
brightness, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE.
Located 3.3' SW of mag 8.5
Frank Muller discovered NGC 929 = LM 2-335 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and reported "mag
15.3, 0.6'x0.2' in PA 170°, precedes *8.5 3.8' PA 15°." There is nothing at his position but
0.8 min of RA east is
******************************
02 27 54 +20 21; Ari
= Not found, Gottlieb and Corwin.
Ralph Copeland, assitant to the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 930 on 26 October 1872. While observing NGC 932 (GC 543) he noted a second object close nearby, which he described as "F, S, irregularly round, very gradually brighter middle" and offset from NGC 930 by 60" in PA 314.3 deg (NW) or 3.1" p and 42" N. This nova was not mentioned in the subsequent three observations of NGC 930 in 1872, 1873 and 1876 but Dreyer added it to the GC Supplement (5238), repeating Copeland's description.
I carefully examined the POSS print of the field and the only object near the offset is a mag 12.4 star (GSC 1221-478). There is a small reddish condensation with dimensions about 10" diameter at the northeast edge of the galaxy and Karl Reinmuth took this as NGC 930 ("eF, vS, R, very gradually very little brighter middle; 0.6' nf att NGC 932."). But neither the separation nor the direction is a good match. So, NGC 930 is nonexistent.
The RNGC mixes up the identifications and lists the main galaxy as NGC 930 and calls NGC 932 non-existent. Since Herschel was definitely the first to observe this galaxy, H. II-489 = GC 543 = NGC 932 should apply and the data listed in the RNGC under NGC 930 should be transferred to NGC 932. UGC and CGCG equate the numbers NGC 930 = NGC 932, but the galaxy should be identified as NGC 932 only, since Copeland was clearly referring to something different. Listed in RNGC Corrections #4.
******************************
02 28 14.5 +31 18 41; Tri
V = 12.8; Size 3.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 73°
24" (11/24/14): at 200x and 375x; moderately bright and
large, thin edge-on 5:1 WSW-ENE, 1.5'x0.3', brighter core, sharp stellar
nucleus.
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, moderately large, very
elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, 1.5'x0.5', broad concentration, faint stellar
nucleus. Several brighter stars
are in the field including a pair of mag 10 stars 6' NW and 10' N.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 931 on 26 Sep 1865 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen. His position (mean of 2 observations) is on the east edge of the galaxy.
******************************
NGC 932 = UGC 1931 = MCG +03-07-014 = CGCG 462-014 = LGG 061-001 = PGC 9379
02 27 54.7 +20 19 57; Ari
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5
24" (1/1/16): fairly faint/moderately bright, round, 40" diameter, small bright core. A mag 14 star is 50" SE and a mag 12.4 star is 1.7' NW. Member of a large group (LGG 061), inlcuding NGC 924, 935, 938 and 976.
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, small, round, bright
core. A very faint 15th magnitude
"star" (emission knot) is involved at the NE end. A mag 14 star is 1' ESE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 932 = H. II-489 on 29 Nov 1785 (sweep 481) and noted "F, S, lE, 3 stars visible in it, but they seem not to belong to it." His position was 2' too far north. This galaxy is misidentified as NGC 930 in RNGC, MCG and RC3 (as well as secondary sources such as Megastar). UGC and CGCG equate the numbers NGC 930 = NGC 932, but only NGC 932 should apply. See notes for NGC 930.
******************************
NGC 933 = UGC 1956 = MCG +08-05-013 = CGCG 553-016 = PGC 9465
02 29 17.5 +45 54 41; And
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 35°
17.5" (11/26/94): faint, small, round, 0.8' diameter, weak concentration but no well-defined core. A mag 15 star is 30" N. Located 8.8' SW of mag 7 SAO 38067. Forms a pair with IC 1799 6.6' NW. This galaxy makes a right angle with IC 1799 to the NW and the bright star NE.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 933 = Sw. 2-21 on 11 Sep 1885
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory, on the same night he found
Sw. 2-20 = NGC 920. His position
is accurate (as opposed to NGC 920) and matches
******************************
NGC 934 = UGC 1926 = MCG +00-07-016 = CGCG 388-017 = PGC 9352
02 27 32.9 -00 14 41; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, very small, round, small
concentrated core 15" diameter, stellar nucleus. Located 13' W of mag 8.5
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 934 = T. 1-10 in 1876 with the
11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory and described as "very small
and faint. 5" dia = tiny
planetary nebula". His
position matches
Based on a photograph taken by Perrine with the Crossley reflector, Heber Curtis noted "A small, faint, nearly round nebula is near this place, but it is not a planetary." In 1915, Harold Knox-Shaw also noted it was not a planetary based on a visual observation at the Helwan Observatory south of Cairo.
******************************
02 28 11.2 +19 35 56; Ari
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 155°
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
2:1 NW-SE. A mag 14 star is
superimposed. Located 1.2' NE of a
mag 10 star. Forms a double system
with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 935 = Sw. 2-22 on 18 Sep 1885
with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His position is just 4 sec of RA east of
******************************
02 27 37.5 -01 09 19; Cet
V = 10.1; Size 4.7'x4.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 135°
17.5" (12/4/93): bright, fairly large, very bright core
30"x20" elongated E-W (bar), core increases to almost stellar
nucleus. The much larger fainter
halo extends up to 3.0'x1.5'.
Three mag 9 stars lie N; mag 8.7
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly bright and large, slightly elongated NW-SE, ~2.5'x2.0'. Strong, fairly sharp concentration with an impresssive core than increased to an intense nucleus. Extending through the core is a brighter "bar" oriented E-W. NGC 941 is in the field 12' E.
8" (1/1/84): bright, moderately large, very bright core, oval NW-SE. Forms a pair with NGC 941 12' E.
William Herschel discovered NGC 936 = H. IV-23 = h223, along with NGC 941, on 6 Jan 1785 (sweep 351). His description reads, "considerably bright, a very bright nucleus with a chevelure of 3 or 4' diameter." He placed this nebula in the fourth class, which included planetary nebulae as well as stars with burs, with milky chevelure, with short rays, remarkable shapes, etc. He published a sketch (fig. 31) in his 1811 PT paper as one example of "round nebulae that show the progression of condensation."
On 24 Nov 1827 (sweep 108), John Herschel described it as "vB; vL; R; pretty suddenly much brighter middle; 2' diameter; fades away insensibly."
Based on photographs taken at the Helwan Observatory in Egypt, it was described in 1921 as "4'x3', E145°, vB almost stellar nucleus; a Phi-type spiral with pB cross-arms in p.a. 80° and 1.5' long, surrounded by a vF oval haze showing no structure.
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02 29 28.1 +42 15 00; And
V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 117°
17.5" (11/26/94): very faint, very small glow either
surrounding a bright stellar nucleus or a mag 13 star is superimposed at the
center. Located within a group of
about a dozen faint stars in a 4' diameter with a single brighter mag 11 star
at the SW side 2.3' from NGC 937.
Unusual appearance as the galaxy appears set in a very faint
cluster. Located on the east side
of AGC 347 with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 937 = St. 13-19, along with NGC 946, on 1 Nov 1877 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. The position was reduced on 12 Dec 1884 with description "vF* with slight nebulosity."
******************************
NGC 938 = UGC 1947 = MCG +03-07-017 = CGCG 462-017 = LGG 061-002 = PGC 9423
02 28 33.5 +20 17 01; Ari
V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100°
24" (1/1/16): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 35"x27", small bright core. A mag 15 star is at or just off the southeast edge [35" from center]. NGC 930 is 10' WNW.
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 E-W, broad concentration, small faint halo. NGC 932 lies 10' WNW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 938 on 30 Dec 1863 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 2 nights) matches
******************************
02 26 21.3 -44 26 46; Eri
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x; fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 35"-40" diameter. Well concentrated with a relatively large bright core. A mag 10.5 star lies 5.4' N.
John Herschel discovered NGC 939 = h2479 on 18 Oct 1835 and
noted "eF, S, very little brighter middle, 20 arcsec." His position
matches
******************************
NGC 940 = NGC 952 = UGC 1964 = MCG +05-06-050 = CGCG 504-095 = PGC 9478
02 29 27.5 +31 38 27; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 20°
17.5" (12/23/92): moderately bright, fairly small, round, prominent small bright core, stellar nucleus, high surface brightness. NGC 931 lies 25' SW.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 940 = Sw. 3-12 on 26 Sep
1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He called it round, small, mag 13 stellar nucleus. His position (3 measures) was accurate. Lewis Swift found the galaxy again on 7
Nov 1885 and reported it as new in his 3rd discovery list (#12) with
description "vF; eS; R; BM; 5239 [NGC 931] nr; v diff."
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NGC 941 = UGC 1954 = MCG +00-07-022 = CGCG 388-023 = PGC 9414
02 28 27.8 -01 09 05; Cet
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 170°
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, elongated 4:3 N-S, 2.0'x1.5'. Appears to have a slightly brighter bar within a diffuse halo. Forms a pair with NGC 936 12.5' W.
14.5" (12/17/20): at 182x; fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated N-S, nearly 1.5' major axis, mild concentration to a slightly brighter core/bar that occasionally seems elongated.
8" (1/1/84): extremely faint, very small. Located 12' E of NGC 936.
William Herschel discovered NGC 941 = H. III-261 = h224, along with NGC 936, on 6 Jan 1785 (sweep 351) and noted, "vF, cL. It will just go into the field with the last [NGC 936]." Dreyer, Lord Rosse's assistant on 22 Oct 1876, recorded "vF, vL, irregularly round, or perhaps lE ns? No stars near it".
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02 29 10.3 -10 50 10; Cet
V = 11.4; Size 3.4'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 35°
24" (12/22/14): NGC 942 is the slightly brighter and
southern component of a close double system with
17.5" (12/4/93): this is the slightly brighter southern
member of a double system with NGC 943.
Appears faint, very small, round.
Increases to a small brighter core and faint stellar nucleus. NGC 943 is just 30" N and both
galaxies appear immersed in a common halo.
Ralph Copeland, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 942 =
LM 1-53, along with NGC 943 on 31 Oct 1872. He recorded a "Double in position 159.0°, distance of
nuclei = 40".4; both are R; pretty suddenly brighter middle but the north
preceding is slightly larger than the other. Position of a 12m * from the brighter of the nebulae =
286.4°, distance = 139.3".
But he mistakenly assumed he was observing
Frank Muller rediscovered the pair in 1886 at the Leander McCormick Observatory and described both as a "nebulous double star?". They were included in the observatory's first discovery paper (#53 and #54) with #53 (later NGC 942) placed 1' N of #54 (later NGC 943). Herbert Howe measured accurate positions for the pair in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory, as well as Sherburne Burnham (Publ of Lick Observatory, II). Muller was credited with the discovery in the NGC. RC 2 reverses the identifications (identifying NGC 942 as the northwestern galaxy), so the NGC designations go in RA order.
******************************
NGC 943 = Arp 309 NED1 = VV 217a = MCG -02-07-019 = Holm 59b = PGC 9457
02 29 09.6 -10 49 40; Cet
V = 11.4; Size 3.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 15°
24" (12/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 18"x15", very small brighter nucleus. NGC 943 is the southern component of a 30" double system with NGC 942. The halos of the two galaxies are merged. IC 230 lies 5.5' W.
17.5" (12/4/93): this is the northern member of a contact pair with NGC 942. Faint, very small, weak concentration. The center of NGC 942 is just 30" S within a common halo. NGC 950 lies 12' S.
Ralph Copeland, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 943 = LM 1-54 and NGC 942 on 31 Oct 1872. But he mistakenly assumed he was observing NGC 945. As a result, Copeland's discovery went unnoticed until recovered by Yann Pothier in March 2020. See NGC 942 for more.
Frank Muller rediscovered the pair in 1886 at the Leander McCormick Observatory and described both as a "nebulous double star?". They were included in the observatory's first discovery paper (#53 and #54) with #53 (later NGC 942) placed 1' N of #54 (later NGC 943). Herbert Howe measured accurate positions for the pair in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory, as well as Sherburne Burnham (Publ of Lick Observatory, II). Muller was credited with the discovery in the NGC. Édouard Stephan also found the pair (only a single position) on 29 Oct 1875. RC 2 reverses the identifications (identifying NGC 942 as the northwestern galaxy), so the NGC designations go in RA order.
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02 26 41.6 -14 30 57; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15°
17.5" (10/8/94): faint small streak, elongated 3:1 N-S,
0.7'x0.2'. A mag 14 star is 2.3' E
of center. Two bright stars are
following: mag 9
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 944 = LM 1-55 on 1 Jan
1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded
"mag 15.0, 0.4', vE 0°, sbN like a double star." There is nothing at his rough position
but 1.5 min of RA west is
******************************
NGC 945 = MCG -02-07-013 = Holm 58a = LGG 063-001 = PGC 9426
02 28 37.3 -10 32 21; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 2.4'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, weak concentration to a small core. A mag 14 star is off the SE side 1.4'
from center. Located 5' N of mag
8.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 945 = H. II-487 = h225 = h2480 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) and recorded "F, cL, iF, little brighter middle." Herschel missed the companion NGC 948. John Herschel observed NGC 945 from Slough on 6 Jan 1831 and at the Cape, though he also missed NGC 948. His Cape observation from 9 Dec 1835 reads "eF, L, R, gradually little brighter middle, 2'." Francis Leavenworth (list I-56) probably independently found the galaxy again in 1886 at the Leander McCormick Observatory.
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NGC 946 = UGC 1979 = MCG +07-06-026 = CGCG 539-034 = PGC 9556
02 30 38.5 +42 13 57; And
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 65°
17.5" (11/26/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.6', sharp concentration with a small, round bright core and stellar nucleus. Forms the southern vertex of a quadrilateral with three mag 11 stars between 2.5' and 3' separation NNW, NNE and NE. NGC 937 lies 15' W. Located at the east edge of galaxy cluster AGC 347.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 946 = St. 13-20 on 1 Nov 1877 and recorded a rough position 6' too far east. His published micrometric position (list 13, #20) was reduced (along with NGC 937) on 12 Dec 1884 with description "F, S, R, gradually little brighter middle".
Wolfgang Steinicke states that William Herschel made the original discovery on 6 Oct 1784 (sweep 283), while observing off the meridian towards the east. During the same sweep he discovered NGC 891. But due to the orientation, he wasn't able to fix determine accurate positions and this discovery was never catalogued.
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02 28 33.2 -19 02 32; Cet
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 50°
17.5" (10/8/94): faint, moderately large, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 1.6'x0.8', broad weak concentration. A mag 11 star is 3.1' NW of center.
John Herschel discovered NGC 947 = h2481 on 10 Nov 1835 and
reported "pB, E, gradually brighter in the middle, 50" long, 35"
broad." His position is a good match with
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NGC 948 = MCG -02-07-015 = Holm 58b = LGG 063-002 = PGC 9431
02 28 45.4 -10 30 49; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 170°
17.5" (12/4/93): very faint, very small, slightly elongated halo has a very low surface brightness. Forms a pair with much brighter and larger NGC 945 2.5' SW.
Lewis Swift found NGC 948 = Sw. 5-29 on 1 Nov 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and logged a "D neb with GC 547 [NGC 945]...". Swift's position is about 15 tsec of RA east of MCG -02-07-015.
Ormond Stone perhaps discovered this galaxy a month earlier on 12 Oct 1886. The nebula in Leander McCormick list I-56 is a close match with NGC 948, though there is no mention of brighter NGC 945, so I'm not certain of the identification. NGC 945 and 948 were observed and measured by Sherburne Burnham (Publ of Lick Observatory, II) but his RA is too far west. Herbert Howe measured accurate positions for the pair in 1897 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory.
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02 30 48.8 +37 08 12; Tri
V = 11.8; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 145°
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, fainter outer halo extends dimensions to 2.0'x0.8', broad concentration, no distinct core but brighter along major axis. A mag 14 star is at the SE tip. Located in a fairly rich star field. Member of the NGC 1023 Group.
8" (11/28/81): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration. Located 30' E of a mag 7 star.
William Herschel discovered NGC 949 = H. I-154 = h226 on 21 Sep 1786 (sweep 599). He logged (summary description) "cB, pL, E np to sf, very gradually much brighter middle, 3' long, 2' broad." On 17 Jan 1787 (sweep 692) he recorded "cB, very gradually brighter middle, lE, about 3' long and 3' broad."
The galaxy was observed 5 times at Birr Castle. On 16 Oct 1855, assistant R.J. Mitchell recorded "Oval, no Nucl, light pretty equable, major axis np-sf, clearly resolvable. I can at moments see some of its stars. B* at the south edge".
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NGC 950 = MCG -02-07-021 = LGG 063-003 = PGC 9461
02 29 11.7 -11 01 30; Cet
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40°
24" (12/22/14): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small,
round, 0.4' diameter, fairly low even surface brightness. Collinear with two mag 13/14.5 stars to
the southwest. Forms a pair with
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, small, round, unconcentrated with a low surface brightness. A wide pair of mag 13/14 stars with separation 37" are 2' SW. Located 5.1' NNW of mag 8.3 SAO 148415. The double system NGC 942/NGC 943 lies 12' N.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 950 = LM 1-57 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His (rough) position matches
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02 28 56.9 -22 20 55; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 48°
17.5" (11/17/01): extremely faint, small, round,
0.4'. The faint glow requires
averted and has a low surface
brightness with no noticeable core.
Situated at midpoint between two mag 11.5 stars 3' NW and 3' SE. Forms a close pair with
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 951 = LM 2-336 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded "mag 16.3, 0.4' dia, E 0° [N-S], double star?"." His position is just 1.5' S of ESO 479-008 = MCG -04-07-001 = PGC 9442 and his PA = 0° matches the central bar.
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NGC 952 = NGC 940 = UGC 1964 = MCG +05-06-050 = CGCG 504-095 = PGC 9478
02 29 27.5 +31 38 27; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 20°
See observing notes for NGC 940.
Édouard Stephan found NGC 952 = St. 3-6 on on 13 Oct 1869 and recorded a rough position 2' to the SE of NGC 940, discovered by d'Arrest in 1865. Another observation on 24 Nov 1870 was 4' to the W. He reported it as new in his third discovery list (#6) based on a micrometric position made on 14 Dec 1871, but there is nothing nearby and Bigourdan was unable to recover it.
Corwin concluded that Stephan must have misidentified his
offset star (given as 4713 Lalande), though wasn't able to identify another
candidate. Emmanuel Esmiol, an
assistant at Marseilles Observatory, reported in his 1916 re-reduction of
Stephan's positions that the offset star was
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NGC 953 = UGC 1991 = MCG +05-07-001 = CGCG 505-001 = PGC 9586
02 31 09.8 +29 35 19; Tri
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x1.5'
17.5" (12/23/92): faint, small, round, gradually increases to small brighter core. A mag 12-13 star is 1.3' W of center.
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 953 = St. 3-7 on 26 Sep 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted the star 5.5 seconds preceding (1.3' W) and measured an accurate position (3 measures). Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy on 16 Nov 1871. His published micrometric position (list III, #7) was made the following month on 7 Dec 1871. Dreyer credited both d'Arrest (1) and Stephan (2) in the NGC. Nine galaxies discovered by d'Arrest were reported as new by Stephan, suggestng in several cases he probably knew their positions beforehand.
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02 28 51.6 -41 24 10; Eri
V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 19°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x; moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 or 5:3 SSW-NNE, ~1.25'x0.8'. Broadly concentrated with slightly brighter core region. Mag 9.4 HD 15612 lies 7.6' ENE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 954 = h2482 on 5 Sep 1834 and
logged "F, pL, lE, has a star 8th mag 3' distant S.f." His position (measured on 4 sweeps) and
description (the star is 3.5' SE) matches
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02 30 33.3 -01 06 31; Cet
V = 12.0; Size 2.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 19°
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, 1.5'x0.4', fairly bright elongated core. A mag 12 star is 2.5' SE. Located 25' W of 75 Ceti (V = 5.4).
8" (11/28/81): very faint, small, elongated SW-NE.
William Herschel discovered NGC 955 = H. II-278 = h229 on 6
Jan 1785 (sweep 351) and noted "pB, S, E." John Herschel also observed this galaxy on 2 sweeps and gave
a similar description. Both of the
Herschels' positions match
In the NGC notes, Dreyer mentioned this object was a possible "variable nebula" because it was easily seen by Schönfeld in 1863, 1864 and 1868, Friedrich August Winnecke and Heinrich d'Arrest, but was not found by Vogel in 1865 nor Schönfeld in 1861. Sherburne Burnham (Publ of Lick Observatory, II) observed and measured the object without difficulty. Winnecke wrote a paper in 1878 that claimed NGC 955 showed a "periodic variability". It was also compared for variability on plates taken with the 60" at Mt Wilson in 1913 and 1917 and at the Helwan Observatory around 1920. Wolfgang Steinicke covers the story in his book on the NGC (p519).
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02 32 31 +44 35 36; And
V = 8.9; Size 8'
17.5" (11/26/94): 15 stars mag 12-14 and two mag 9
stars in a 5'x2' group, very elongated N-S. The two mag 9 stars bracket the group at the north (mag 8.9
John Herschel discovered NGC 956 = h228 on 23 Dec 1831 and described a "p rich cl; 2 or 3 B and about 20 st 13...15m; a star 9th mag taken" His position is 1' SW of the mag 9.3 star in Herschel's description.
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02 33 19 +57 34 12; Per
V = 7.6; Size 11'
17.5" (10/25/97): moderately rich cluster, ~9'x4' in
size and oriented ~E-W. Includes a
mag 8 star (
8": 30 stars in cluster, fairly large, moderately rich, elongated ~E-W, unresolved haze. A bright wide double star mag 8/10 at 23" is on the SE edge. Bracketed by fairly bright stars to the east and west. Located 1° NE of the Double Cluster.
John Herschel discovered NGC 957 = h227 on 9 Dec 1831 and noted "a p rich, pL, cl; st 13...15; not compressed at the centre. Figure an irregular parallelogram."
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02 30 42.7 -02 56 22; Cet
V = 12.1; Size 2.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 10°
17.5" (11/17/01): fairly bright, fairly large,
elongated 5:2 ~N-S, 2.5'x1.0'.
Contains a brighter, bulging core and appears brighter along a thinner
"bar" (the major axis).
A similar comment was made in the 12/4/93 observation.
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.6'x0.8'. Appears brighter along the major axis. The brighter core has an occasional sparkle or bright spot. A mag 13.5 star lies 2.0' N of center.
8": faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, slightly brighter along the major axis.
William Herschel discovered NGC 958 = H. II-237 = h230 on 20 Sep 1784 (sweep 280) and recorded "faint, extended about 2' long in the direction of the meridian". On 16 Oct 1827 (sweep 96), John Herschel logged "pB; R; or irreg figure; bM." Bindon Stoney, using the 72" on 24 Nov 1851, commented the "brightest part near preceding edge; E nnf-ssp; double star north, to which nebula does not reach."
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02 32 24.0 +35 29 41; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 65°
17.5" (11/1/86): moderately bright, fairly large, weak
concentration, slightly elongated WSW-ENE. Located 13' S of mag 7.6
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 959 = St. 8b-5 on 29 Oct 1875. His published position (list 8b, #5) was made on 9 Nov 1876 with an estimated major axis of 1.25'. He made a later observation on 1 Nov 1877.
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02 31 41.2 -09 18 01; Cet
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 125°
17.5" (10/8/94): faint, very small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, only 25"x10", very small bright core. Located 5.6' ENE of a mag 10.5 star.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 960 = LM 2-337 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and logged "mag 15.5, 0.2' dia, R, neb?; *9 south-preceding 30 sec." His position is 30 sec west of MCG -02-07-028 = PGC 9621. I'm surprised he listed this galaxy as round, though a mag 12 star is 5.7' SW (Leavenworth calls it mag 9) or 22 sec preceding in RA.
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02 41 02.4 -06 56 09; Cet
See observing notes for
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 961 = LM 2-338 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and reported "1.5'x1.0', E 230°, *10 at end." There is nothing at Stone's position but Harold Corwin found that if Stone made a 10 min (transcription?) error in RA, then NGC 961 is a duplicate of NGC 1051 = PGC 10172 (discovered by Édouard Stephan). The declinations are similar and Stone's description applies perfectly to NGC 1051. So NGC 961 = NGC 1051 = IC 249 (another duplicate observation by Javelle), with NGC 1051 the primary designation. NGC 961 is classified as nonexistent in RNGC and NGC 961 is not included in the aliases of NGC 1051 in HyperLeda.
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02 32 39.9 +28 04 12; Ari
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.2'; PA = 170°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 4:3 N-S, broad concentration, faint stellar nucleus. Located 6' W of a mag 9 star.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 962 = St. 3-8 on 13 Oct 1869 with a rough position 2' to the SE. A second observation was on 16 Nov 1871. His published micrometric position was reduced on 13 Dec 1871 with description "eF, S, grad incr to the center."
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02 30 31.0 -04 12 59; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, small, round, weak concentration but no distinct core. Located just north of the midpoint of the line connecting two mag 13/14 stars 2' SE and 2' WNW. Incorrect identification in the RNGC.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 963 = LM 2-339 in 1886
with the 26-inch refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. There is nothing at his position but
1.3 min of RA east (a common error) is
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02 31 05.8 -36 02 06; For
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 31°
17.5" (10/25/97): fairly faint, moderately large, nearly edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, 1.4'x0.4', brighter core.
John Herschel discovered NGC 964 = h2483 on 1 Sep 1834 and
recorded "B, pmE, pretty suddenly brighter middle, 30" long; position
215.7°." His position
(measured on 4 observations) and description matches
Lewis Swift found this galaxy again on 22 Dec 1897 while
observing from Echo Mountain in southern California, and recorded Sw. 11-40 as
"pB; pS; vE." His RA was
40 seconds too small and Swift and Dreyer didn't connect Sw. 11-40 with NGC
964, so it was catalogued again as
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02 32 24.9 -18 38 24; Cet
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 10°
17.5" (12/28/94): extremely faint, small, round, 0.6'
diameter, no concentration, requires averted vision. A mag 12 star is 3.4' SSE of center. Located 11' SSE of mag 9.5
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 965 = LM 1-58 in 1886 with the
26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His (rough) position is a fairly good match with
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02 31 46.7 -19 53 05; Cet
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 112°
17.5" (10/8/94): faint, very small, round, 0.7' diameter, weak even concentration. Located 40" NNE of a mag 9.5 star.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 966 = LM 2-340 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is
0.3 tmin east of
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02 32 12.7 -17 13 01; Cet
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 33°
17.5" (10/29/94): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.5' diameter, gradually brightens but no distinct core. An occasional stellar nucleus is visible. Located 6.0' E of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel discovered NGC 967 = h2484 on 10 Nov 1835 and
noted "pF, S, R, pretty gradually much brighter middle, 25"."
The following October he called it "eF, irregularly round, little brighter
in the middle." His position
matches
William Herschel made an unpublished observation on 6 Oct 1785 (sweep 459) and recorded "a patch apparently nebulous; but may be only a few stars." His re-reduced position is 4.5' due south of this galaxy. He never returned to this field on a later sweep to verify the observation and due to his uncertainly it wasn't included in his catalogues.
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02 34 06.2 +34 28 48; Tri
V = 12.2; Size 3.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 60°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, fairly small, round,
broad concentration, stellar nucleus.
Located 10' NE of mag 7.6
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 968 = St. 10-12 on 1 Dec 1875 and recorded a rough position 2' to the ESE. He made additional observations on 1 Nov 1877 and 5 Dec 1877. His accurate reduced position (list 10, #12) was made on 5 Dec 1879 with description "pF, pS, R, incr to a bright core."
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02 34 08.0 +32 56 50; Tri
V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5°
24" (2/18/20): at 375x; between moderately and fairly bright, oval 2:1 N-S,
1.0'x0.5'. There are three
distinct zone; the oval halo, a bright roundish core and a prominent stellar or
quasi-stellar nucleus. Brightest
in the small trio with
18" (1/26/11): at 285x appeared moderately bright,
moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.5', sharp concentration with a
small, very bright core. In a
tight trio with NGC 970 2' NNE and NGC 974 3.8' E. Also nearby is
17.5" (12/4/93): first of four in the NGC 978 group. Fairly faint, small, round, sharp concentration. A mag 14 star is just 0.9' S. Located 3.4' SSW of a mag 9.5 star in a rich star field. NGC 974 lies 3.8' E, NGC 970 2' NNE and NGC 978 10' SE, all in the same field.
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly faint, small, small bright nucleus, slightly elongated N-S. In a trio with NGC 974 3.9' E and NGC 978 11' SE. NGC 970 2' NE not seen.
John Herschel discovered NGC 969 = h231, along with NGC 974 = h233 and NGC 978 = h234, on 22 Nov 1827 and reported "S; R; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle. The first of 3."
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NGC 970 = MCG +05-07-009 = PGC 9786
02 34 11.8 +32 58 38; Tri
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 55°
24" (2/18/20): at 375x; faint, small, slightly
elongated SW-NE, with averted vision often extends to 18"x12" but the
two components of this double system were merged. A mag 10 star is 1.5' N. In a close trio with much brighter NGC 969 and NGC 974.
18" (1/26/11): faintest in a trio with NGC 969 2' SSW and NGC 974 3.3' SE. At 285x appeared extremely faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 15"x10". Located 1.5' S of a mag 10 star. Two mag 14 stars lie 1.3' NW and 1.7' NE. NGC 971 is a 15.5 magnitude star 0.9' E.
17.5" (12/4/93): extremely faint, very small, round. Located near the midpoint and just east of the line connecting a mag 9.5 star 1.5' N and NGC 969 2' SSW. A mag 14.5 star is 1.3' WNW. This is a double system (unresolved). Member of the NGC 978 group with NGC 974 3.3' ESE and NGC 978 10' SE.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 970 on 14 Sep 1850 (Saturday) while observing the NGC 978 group. Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. This galaxy is labeled "Gamma" on the sketch of 11 Oct 1850 and the micrometric offset from NGC 969 is accurate, though it was seen as single.
The RNGC misidentifies the northeast component of NGC 970 as NGC 971. This error is included in my RNGC Corrections #7.
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02 34 16.0 +32 58 47; Tri
V = 15.8
24" (2/18/20): at 375x; NGC 971 is a mag 15.8 star situated 0.9' E of NGC 970. It was very faint, but easily visible.
18" (1/26/11): at 285x an extremely faint mag 15.5 star (mistaken as a nebula at Birr Castle) situated 0.9' due east of NGC 970. It's sandwiched between NGC 970 and a mag 14 star 0.9' NE. Also lies 1.6' SE of a mag 10 star.
Bindon Blood Stoney discovered NGC 971, along with NGC 970, on 14 Sep 1850 (Saturday) while observing NGC 969 and 974. Bindon may have been observing with his brother George Johnstone Stoney, who visited Birr Castle several weekends in Fall 1850. Offsets measured on 11 Oct 1850 (Friday) point precisely to a mag 15-15.5 star situated 56" east of NGC 970.
The RNGC misidentifies the northeast component of NGC 970 as NGC 971. This error is included in my RNGC Corrections #7.
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02 34 13.4 +29 18 43; Ari
V = 11.4; Size 3.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 152°
17.5" (12/23/92): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 2.0'x1.0', large bright core dominates, much fainter outer halo, appears brighter on the southeast side. Three stars (including two mag 9 stars at 45" separation) are in a line off the southwest flank and equally spaced.
8" (11/8/80): fairly faint, round, bright core, bright double star to SW.
William Herschel discovered NGC 972 = H. II-211 = h232 = St. 3-9 on 11 Sep 1784 (sweep 266) and logged "F, pL, lE, bM, just north of 2 stars." On 11 Jan 1787 (sweep 680) he recorded "pB, cL, E from sp to nf [should be np to sf] but nearer the meridian, mbM, about 1' north of 3 stars in a row." On 16 Sep 1828 (sweep 178), John Herschel wrote "pB, lE, pgmB". Stephan found the galaxy again on 11 Dec 1871 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory and this observation led to the entry 5247 in the GC Supplement. Dreyer combined the two GC entries (560 = 5247) in the NGC. NGC 972 was observed 15 times at Birr Castle. On 7 Oct 1855, R.J. Mitchell recorded "has a knot in p edge [probably an HII region]; neb spreads out and fades away gradually sf." A sketched made on 12 Oct 1855 was included in the 1861 publication (Plate 25, Fig. 3)
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02 34 20.2 +32 30 19; Tri
V = 12.8; Size 3.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 48°
18" (1/26/11): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.25', sharply concentrated with a bright elongated core and very faint thin extensions. A faint star is very close preceding the SW extension. Located 4.5' NE of mag 7.5 HD 15896. The major axis of the galaxy is collinear with this star.
17.5" (11/30/91): fairly faint, moderately large, very
elongated 3:1 SW-NE. Located 4.5'
NE of mag 7.5
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 973 = Sw. 4-8 on 30 Oct 1885 with
the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory and recorded "eeF; S; vE; pB
* nr sp". His position and
description matches
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NGC 974 = UGC 2049 = MCG +05-07-012 = PGC 9802
02 34 25.8 +32 57 16; Tri
V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.2
24" (2/18/20): at 375x; fairly faint, moderately large, roundish, ~50"x40", broad weak concentration to a small brighter core. Two mag 14.5 stars are close off the S side and N side. Brighter NGC 969 is 3.8' W.
18" (1/26/11): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly
elongated SW-NE, 1.0'x0.8', broad concentration in the halo, then sharply
concentrated with a small bright core.
Bracketed by a mag 14 star 0.8' S, and a mag 14.5 star 0.9' N. Forms the eastern vertex of a small
triangle with brighter NGC 969 3.8' W and NGC 970 3.3' NW. NGC 978 lies 8' SE. Located 4' SE of a mag 10 star and 11'
NW of mag 8.1
17.5" (12/4/93): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, small brighter core. Situated between two mag 14 stars 56" NNW and 45" SSE. Located in the NGC 978 group with NGC 969 3.8' W, NGC 970 3.3' NW, NGC 978 8' SSE.
13.1" (12/22/84): fairly faint, slightly elongated, moderately large, broadly concentrated, diffuse halo, two faint stars on opposite ends. Forms a pair with NGC 969 3.9' W. NGC 970 not seen.
John Herschel discovered NGC 974 = h233, along with NGC 969
and NGC 978 on 22 Nov 1827 and logged
"vF; R; bM. The second
of 3". His position matches
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02 33 22.8 +09 36 06; Cet
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 0°
17.5" (10/8/94): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Symmetrical appearance with an even concentration to a small bright core and a stellar nucleus. A mag 10 star is 2.3' NNW of center.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 975 = Sw. 1-3 on 9 Nov 1884 with
the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and recorded "vF;
cE." His position is 8' north
of
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02 34 00.0 +20 58 36; Ari
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (1/20/90): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, large bright core, very small bright nucleus.
13.1" (9/3/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core. Situated between two faint stars oriented N-S. Located about 30' SE of a mag 7 star.
Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 976 = T. 1-11 in 1876 with an 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory. His description (published in 1878) reads, "Class III, small and faint; on one side of a trapezoid of 4 stars." The trapezoid of stars is just to the north of the galaxy. Édouard Stephan made another discovery on 31 Oct 1877.
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02 33 03.4 -10 45 35; Cet
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 65°
48" (10/26/11): at 488x this galaxy is sharply concentrated with a very intense oval core oriented WSW-ENE, ~36"x27", The core increases to a bright quasi-stellar nucleus and sometimes a stellar point. The core is surrounded by a much fainter outer halo, 1.6'x1.3', that is only slightly elongated SSW-NNE. PGC 175239 was picked up 5' NNE.
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, small, round, weak
concentration, occasional stellar nucleus. Just NW are three equally spaced stars mag 11 and 12 which
form a line NW-SE of length 6'.
Located 7.7' SSE of mag 8.9
William Herschel discovered NGC 977 = H. III-472 = h2485 on 28 Nov 1785 (sweep 479) and recorded "vF, pL, very little brighter middle, near some scattered stars.". Both William and John Herschel measured accurate positions.
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NGC 978 = UGC 2057 = MCG +05-07-016 = CGCG 505-018 = PGC 9821
02 34 47.0 +32 50 46; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 80°
24" (2/18/20): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, slightly elongated, ~35"x30", gradually increases to a bright
core but no distinct nucleus. NGC
978 is a contact pair with
18" (1/26/11): at 285x appears moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 40"x32". Sharply concentrated with a high surface brightness core and a thin faint halo. Forms a contact pair with NGC 978B at the SE end. The companion appeared as an elongated brightening, ~15"x10" N-S, within the SSE portion of the outer halo. Located 6' WSW of mag 8.1 HD 16015. A trio consisting of NGC 969, NGC 970 and NGC 974 lies 10' NW.
17.5" (12/4/93): moderately bright, fairly small,
round, prominent core within a small halo. A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' ESE. Located 6' WSW of mag 7.9
13.1" (12/22/84): moderately bright, small, round, small bright core. Brightest of three with NGC 969 10' NW and NGC 974 8' NNW.
John Herschel discovered NGC 978 = h234, along with NGC 969
and NGC 974, on 22 Nov 1827. His
position is a good match with
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02 31 38.8 -44 31 28; Eri
V = 12.8; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 115°
25" (10/16/17 - OzSky): at 244x; fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, ~35" diameter, faint but sharp stellar nucleus. Situated within a string of 3 stars ~E-W with a mag 11.5 star 1.8' W.
Forms a pair (similar redshift) with
John Herschel discovered NGC 979 = h2486 on 22 Nov 1827 and logged "Not vF, S, R; almost stellar; between 2 stars nearly in the parallel." His two observations differ by 7 sec in RA.
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02 35 18.6 +40 55 35; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 110°
17.5" (11/27/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2
WNW-ESE, small bright core, similar appearance but slightly fainter by 0.5 mag
than
See notes for NGC 982.
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NGC 981 = MCG -02-07-030 = PGC 9710
02 32 59.9 -10 58 25; Cet
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5°
17.5" (12/4/93): faint, small, unconcentrated round spot with a low surface brightness. Two mag 13 stars are 2.1' SW and 3.3' SW. NGC 977 lies 13' NNE.
Ormond Stone discovered NGC 981 = LM 1-59 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory and recorded "mag 15.0, 0.4' dia, gradually brighter in the middle." His (rough) position falls close to MCG -02-07-030 = PGC 9710. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1898-99 using the 20" refractor at Chamberlin Observatory (repeated in the IC 2 notes).
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NGC 982 = UGC 2066 = MCG +07-06-039 = CGCG 539-056 = PGC 9838
02 35 24.9 +40 52 11; And
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 132°
17.5" (11/27/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 2' NE of a mag 10 star. Brighter of a striking pair with NGC 980 3.5' NNW. Identifications of NGC 980 and NGC 982 are reversed in the RNGC, UGC, CGCG.
William Herschel discovered NGC 982 = H. III-573 = h236, along with NGC 980, on 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 614). He described them together as "Two. Both very faint, very small, easily resolvable, easily resolvable, distance 4', the place between them." Since Herschel didn't measure individual offsets, Dreyer used John Herschel's positions for h235 and h236. Unfortunately, JH measured the position of h236 accurately, but reversed the sign of the declination offset to NGC 982, placing it 5.5' too far south. This resulted in h235 (later NGC 980) being placed SW of h236 (later NGC 982). Dreyer copied these positions into the NGC, and noted the orientation as SW-NE, instead of NW-SE as they appear on the sky.
Because of this error, several catalogues (RNGC, CGCG, UGC and RC3) reverse the identifications of NGC 980 and 982, which should be NGC 980 = UGC 2063 = PGC 9831 and NGC 982 = UGC 2066 = PGC 9838. MCG has the correct identifications. This summary is based on Malcolm Thomson's Catalogue Corrections and Harold Corwin's NGC identification notes.
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02 38 55.7 +34 37 21; Tri
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140°
See observing notes for
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 983 = St. 3-11 on 13 Dec 1871 with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles Observatory. His 6th magnitude reference star was misidentified, so the position in list 3, #11 (published in 1872) is incorrect. The error was caught and mentioned in a footnote in MN XXXII, although there was still a typo of 10 tmin in RA in the corrected position. Using Stephan's offsets (3 minutes 8 seconds and 3' 38") from 15 Triangulum, his position corresponds with UGC 2133 = PGC 10034. Stephan found the galaxy again 10 years later on 14 Dec 1881, measured an accurate position in St. 12-21, and Dreyer catalogued it as NGC 1002. Karl Reinmuth missed the footnote in MN and in his 1926 survey based on Heidelberg plates, couldn't find NGC 983. In any case, NGC 983 = NGC 1002. Although NGC 983 should be the primary designation due to the earlier discovery, the galaxy is usually identified as NGC 1002. RNGC misclassifies NGC 983 as nonexistent. See Corwin's notes
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02 34 43.1 +23 24 47; Ari
V = 12.8; Size 3.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 120°
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, very small, slightly
elongated WNW-ESE, small very bright core. A mag 12.5 star is 1.2' S. Located 6' SE of mag 8.4
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 984 = St. 3-10 on 16 Nov 1871. His position was 3' too far E. His published micrometric position (list 3, #10) was made a month later on 13 Dec 1871 with description "vF, eS, R, bM."
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02 34 37.4 -08 47 10; Cet
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
48" (10/26/11): at 488x and 610x this disrupted galaxy (possible collisional ring) revealed its structure. A very bright, sharp stellar nucleus is offset to the southwest side of the halo. The moderately large halo appears as a 0.9'x0.7' oval or a circle that was squashed along the south and southeast edge, near the nucleus. With averted vision, the brighter rim was noticeable and the galaxy appeared as a ring with a darker center and a "diamond" (the Seyfert nucleus) attached on the southeast side. The ring appeared similar to a faint annular planetary. An extremely faint mag 18 star is at the north edge of the rim.
2MASX J02343785-0853042, an easily visible galaxy, lies 6' S. It appeared faint to fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE, 20"x15", broad concentration, brighter core. A mag 12.5 star lies 45" NW.
17.5" (10/29/94): fairly faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, sharp stellar nucleus with a small very faint halo! A triangle of mag 10/11 stars with sides 1.7', 2.5' and 3.0' is about 5' WNW and the galaxy forms the bottom of a "cross" asterism with these stars. This is a Seyfert galaxy, accounting for the dominant nucleus.
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 985 = LM 2-341 in 1886
with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is only 1' S of
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02 33 34.2 -39 02 43; For
V = 10.9; Size 3.9'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 150°
30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran): at 264x, this beautiful, barred S-shaped spiral appeared very bright, large, with a very bright elongated central region that increased to a small, very bright core and bright stellar nucleus. Within the central region it was brighter along the central axis (bar) oriented SW to NE. At the southwest end of the central bar a relatively thin arm emerged and swept ~1.3' SE (clockwise). From the NE end of the central region another thin arm shot north for 1.5' and contained a very small, brighter knot or HII region.
17.5" (12/28/94): fairly bright, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 2.5'x1.2'. Dominated by a 20" rounder core.
A nice evenly matched mag 10.5 pair at 12" separation is 9' NNE with
another similar star 1' S. Located 8' due north of mag 9
8" (1/1/84): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, bright core, diffuse edges.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 986 = D 519 = h2487 on 5 Aug 1826 with his 9" reflector at Parramatta (near Sydney) and described "a faint nebula, of an irregular round figure, about 30" diameter, north of a bright small star." His single position is 9' SE of NGC 986 (typical error) and there are no other nearby brighter galaxies that he might have been picked up instead.
John Herschel described the galaxy on 23 Oct 1835 as "pB, L, pretty suddenly brighter middle, 3' long 2' broad, either binuclear or more elongated on the n.f. side than on the opposite." On a later sweep he logged "B, L, pmE, very suddenly much brighter middle, 100" long 60" broad, unequally bright, and exhibiting an approach to binuclear form." See Plate VI, figure 14 of the CGH Observations. Herschel's secondary nucleus appears to be the brighter southwest end of the central bar.
Joseph Turner sketched the galaxy on 29 Nov 1875 with the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope. He resolved it as a stretched S-shaped barred spiral (Plate I, figure 8 in "Observations of Southern Nebulae made with the Great Melbourne Telescope 1869 - 1885". Albert Le Sueur earlier made a sketch (unpublished plate VII, figure 80).
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02 36 49.6 +33 19 38; Tri
V = 12.4; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 30°
13.1" (11/29/86): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
SW-NE, small bright core. Located
26' N of mag 6.3
William Herschel discovered NGC 987 = H. III-161 = h237 on 12 Sep 1784 (sweep 268) and logged "vF, S, irregularly extended, resolvable". John Herschel observed this galaxy on two sweeps, recording on 11 Nov 1827 (sweep 100):"vF; R; S; bM; 2 st 14m np point to it."
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02 35 29.7 -09 21 35; Cet
V = 11.0; Size 3.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 112°
17.5" (11/1/86): faint, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE,
wider on ESE edge. Unusual
appearance as mag 7.2
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 988 = St. 10-13 on 29 Nov 1875 and called it a 6th magnitude star (4811 Lalande) surrounded by a faint round nebulosity, a bit extended to the southeast." Stephan's RA was about 20 seconds too small as he misidentified the superimposed 7th magnitude star (79 Ceti). Dreyer corrected the position in the NGC, commenting in the IC 2 notes section: "No nebulosity seen by Burnham [Publ of Lick Observatory, II) and Barnard. Stephan's position is wrong, being taken from Baily's Lalande, where the places of two stars (with an 18 second difference in right ascension) are mixed up. I took the northeastern star, as I was not certain that it was not nebulous, while the southwestern one was certainly free from haze". Emmanuel Esmiol deleted NGC 988 in his 1916 re-reduction of Stephan's measurements.
William Herschel logged the bright star on sweep 355 (10 Jan 1788), but missed the galaxy.
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02 33 46.0 -16 30 41; Cet
V = 12.2; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 11.4
17.5" (10/29/94): faint, very small, round, 20"
diameter, very small brighter core.
Located off the SE end of a string of four mag 12-13 stars oriented
NW-SE and 6.0' NNE of mag 9.0
Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 989 = LM 1-60 on 9 Nov
1885 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His (rough) position is 1.4 tmin east
of
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02 36 18.2 +11 38 32; Ari
V = 12.5; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (12/23/92): fairly faint, small, round, small
bright core, stellar nucleus, even symmetrical concentration from halo to
nucleus. Located 6' W of a mag 9.5
star and 4' N of a mag 10.5 star.
Part of the
William Herschel discovered NGC 990 = H. III-557 = h238 = Sw. 4-9 on 18 Sep 1786 (sweep 591). His description reads, "vF, vS, lE, resolvable, 240 power the same.". On 19 Jan 1828 (sweep 121) John Herschel logged "pB; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; 25"; moonlight."
George Johnstone Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant, observed NGC 990 on 12 Dec 1848. Lewis Swift independently found the galaxy on 1 Sep 1886 and catalogued it as new in his fourth discovery paper (#9).
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02 35 32.2 -07 09 16; Cet
V = 11.7; Size 2.9'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 60°
24" (11/21/19): at 322x; large, slightly elongated, broad and fairly weak concentration with only a slightly brighter core. Overall, low surface brightness but the halo seems slightly mottled as if a face-on spiral (it is). Member of the NGC 1052 group (LGG 071).
17.5" (8/31/86): large, diffuse, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is 1.5' S of center. Located 40' N of mag 5.5 80 Ceti (V = 5.5).
William Herschel discovered NGC 991 = H. III-434 = h239 on 10 Sep 1785 (sweep 436) and recorded "vF, cL, irr figure, little brighter middle, 4' or 5' long, 2 or 3' broad". His reduced position is accurate. John Herschel simply noted "eF" on 8 Jan 1831 (sweep 318), and his position is 9 seconds of RA too large.
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02 37 25.5 +21 06 02; Ari
V = 12.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 10°
18" (1/26/11): at 285x appeared moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 45"x22", well concentrated to a small bright core increasing to a stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 1.5' SSE. Located 4.3' SW of mag 9 SAO 75477.
Forms a pair with
17.5" (1/20/90): fairly faint, small, elongated N-S, very faint extensions. Located 4.3' SSW of mag 8.5 SAO 75477. A mag 12.5 star is 1.4' SE of center.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 992 = Sw. 4-10 on 31 Oct 1877. His rough notebook position was 2.5' to the SE. He never reduced and published the discovery.
Lewis Swift rediscovered NGC 992 on 6 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His RA was 8 seconds too small but his description ("cE, * nr S") in his 4th discovery list (#10) matches. Bigourdan noted "it passes 7 seconds before the NGC position" in the correction list in his 1891 Comptes Rendus paper. But his comment should read "7 seconds after". Kobold measured an accurate position in 1902 with the 18" refractor at the Strasbourg Observatory (published in 1907). Swift received discovery credit in the NGC.
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02 36 46.0 +02 03 01; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 110°
18" (10/21/06): faint, small, round, 25" diameter,
even surface brightness. A mag 14
star lies 30" N. Located
between two mag 10 stars 6.7' SW and 4.3' NE at the west edge of the
17.5" (12/28/94): fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter, moderate concentration with a very small brighter core. A mag 13.5 star is just 34" NNW of center. Located 4.4' SW of a mag 9.5 star. An unequal double star (mag 12/14 at 19" separation) lies 3' E. Located at the west end of the NGC 1016 cluster.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 993 = m 63 on 15 Jan 1865 and
noted "eF, vS". Édouard
Stephan made an observation on 1 Dec 1875 and noted it as "Lassell
63". Lewis Swift found the
galaxy again on 17 Oct 1885. He
claimed it was not NGC 993 and listed it as new in his 3rd discovery list
(#13). As a result, it also
carries the designation
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NGC 994 = NGC 993 = UGC 2095 = MCG +00-07-052 = CGCG 388-063 = PGC 9910
02 36 46.0 +02 03 01; Cet
See observing notes for NGC 993.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 994 = Sw. 3-13 on 17 Oct 1885
with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. He described this nebula as "vF *
close; between a pB* and a F D*; np of 2 [with
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02 38 32.0 +41 31 46; And
V = 13.4; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 35°
18" (12/18/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
3:2 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.4', weak concentration with a slightly brighter core except
for a stellar or quasi-stellar nucleus with direct vision. A mag 14.5 star is at the east
edge. Member of the NGC 995-1005
cluster (~40' N of
17.5" (11/1/86): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, bright core. A mag 15 star is just off the east edge. Located at the west edge of the NGC 995-1005 group with NGC 996 7' NNE and NGC 1000 5' SE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 995 = St. 3-12 on 8 Dec 1871
(date position was reduced) with the 31" reflector at the Marseilles
Observatory. His position matches
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NGC 996 = UGC 2123 = MCG +07-06-045 = CGCG 539-064 = PGC 10015
02 38 39.9 +41 38 51; And
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5
18" (12/18/06): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.9', gradually increases to a small, brighter core. This galaxy is the brightest, along with NGC 995 7.2' SSW, of a group of 8 galaxies (6 NGC's) generally arranged in a ring (part of the NGC 1023 group). Forms a close pair with NGC 999 2' NE and also forms the southern vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 10.5-11 stars 3' NE and 3' NW.
17.5" (11/1/86): faint, small, round, small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 999 2' NE in the NGC 995-1005 group.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 996 = St. 3-13, along with
NGC 999, NGC 1001 and
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02 37 14.5 +07 18 21; Cet
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8
24" (12/28/16): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, round, 30" diameter, small bright core, stellar nucleus, high
surface brightness. Mag 9.5 HD
16303 is 1.4' SW. Forms a pair
with
CGCG 414-028 appeared faint, very small, round, 12" diameter. I was surprised the visibility is comparable to NGC 998.
UGC 2092: extremely faint, fairly small, elongated ~5:2 SW-NE, ~20"x8", very low surface brightness! As the axial ratio of this bulgeless superthin is ~12:1, I only picked up the slightly brighter central section.
17.5" (10/8/94): faint, small, round, 40"
diameter, weak concentration, small ill-defined core. Located 1.4' NE of mag 9
Albert Marth discovered NGC 997 = m 64, along with NGC 998, on 10 Nov 1863 and noted "F, S". His position was accurate. Brightest in a group of faint galaxies -- one of which (NGC 997 NED01) is in the halo on the north side. Stephan made an observation on 13 Oct 1869 at the Marseilles observatory.
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NGC 998 = MCG +01-07-016 = PGC 9934
02 37 16.5 +07 20 09; Cet
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
24" (12/28/16): at 375x; very faint to faint, small, round, 18" diameter, very low surface brightness. Forms a close pair with NGC 997 1.8' SSW.
17.5" (10/8/94): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Very low even surface brightness and requires averted vision. Forms a close pair with brighter NGC 997 1.8' SSW.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 998 = m 65 (along with NGC 997)
on 10 Nov 1863 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and simply noted
"vF". NGC 998 was placed
2 sec of RA following and 1' N of NGC 997, and at this position is
CGCG misidentifies NGC 997 with CGCG 414-028 = PGC 2802440, a small, very faint galaxy situated 8.2' NNE of NGC 997. The UGC notes to NGC 997 and the RNGC follow the CGCG error and also misidentify CGCG 414-028 as NGC 998. NGC 998 is mentioned as an anonymous companion to NGC 997 in the UGC notes. PGC has the correct identification, though is incorrect to use CGCG 414-028 as an alias. MCG reverses the identifications as well as the declinations. The identification of NGC 997 is included in my RNGC Corrections #7.
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NGC 999 = UGC 2127 = MCG +07-06-047 = CGCG 539-066 = PGC 10026
02 38 47.4 +41 40 14; And
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 61°
18" (12/18/06): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. Sandwiched between a mag 11 star 1' NE and a mag 14 star just off the SW edge [28" from the center]. Located just 2' NE of NGC 996 in the NGC 995-1005 group with NGC 1001 4.5' E.
17.5" (11/1/86): very faint, very small, round. A mag 12 star is 1.0' NE. Member of the NGC 995-1005 group with NGC 1001 4.7' E.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 999 = St. 3-14, along with NGC 996, NGC 1001 and UGC 2111, on 10 Nov 1871. His published micrometric position was made the following month on 8 Dec 1871. NGC 999 is the third in a group of 6 NGC galaxies discovered by Stephan.
CGCG, UGC, PGC and HyperLEDA incorrectly equate NGC 999 and
8 Dec 1871
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NGC 1000 = MCG +07-06-048 = CGCG 539-067 = PGC 10028
02 38 49.7 +41 27 35; And
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
18" (12/18/06): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, weak concentration. Located 5.3' SE of NGC 995 at the south end of the NGC 995-1005 cluster (35' N of NGC 1003). Appears very compact on the DSS.
17.5" (11/1/86): very faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE. Member of the NGC 995-1005 group.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 1000 = St. 3-15, along with
NGC 1005, on 9 Dec 1871 (according to Yann Pothier) with the 31" reflector
at the Marseilles Observatory. His
position matches
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