11 57 57.0 +25
08 39
V = 14.5; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 3d
24"
(3/22/14): faint, fairly small, very thin edge-on, 0.5'x0.1', even surface
brightness. Situated 1.7' WNW of
mag 8
17.5"
(3/19/88): very faint, fairly small, very elongated N-S. Located 1.6' WNW of mag 7.8 SAO
82077. Located in the center of
the
Lawrence Parsons
discovered NGC 4000 on 25 Apr 1878 during one of the six Birr Castle
observations of the cluster.
Parsons placed this nebula at 100.5" separation in PA 283.9° (WNW)
with respect to mag 8 star HD 103913 and described it as "vF, vS, lE ns,
gbM." The micrometric offset points directly to
******************************
11 58 06.8 +47
20 05
V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 160d
17.5"
(4/7/89): extremely faint, very small but elongation visible NNW-SSE, weak
concentration. A mag 12 star is
2.1' N and a mag 11.5 star 4.2' NE of center. Located 6' NW of
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4001 on 13 Apr 1852.
While observing NGC 4010 with LdR's 72", he noted "A S, R neb
about 7' np [of NGC 4010]."
******************************
11 57 59.3 +23
12 07
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 75d
17.5"
(2/20/88): fairly faint, small, elongated ~E-W, small bright core. A mag 13.5 star is 0.8' SE of
center. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4002 = H III-344 = h1034, along with NGC 4003, on 10 Apr 1785
(sweep 394) and recorded "Two, both eF and vS. 240x verified them, 5 or 6' from each other." JH measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4003 = UGC
6948 = MCG +04-28-105 = CGCG 127-115 = PGC 37646
11 57 59.0 +23
07 29
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 10d
17.5"
(2/20/88): faint, small, oval, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4002 4.6' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4003 = H III-345 = h1035, along with NGC 4002, on 10 Apr 1785
(sweep 394). WH provided a single
position for both objects, but JH measured fairly accurate positions.
CGCG, UGC and
MCG equate NGC 4003 with NGC 4007, but the correct equivalence is NGC 4005 =
NGC 4007.
******************************
11 58 05.2 +27
52 43
V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 8d
17.5"
(4/9/99): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.4', no
concentration. A mag 13.5 star is
close following [57" SE of center].
Last and brightest of a trio with
On the DSS, NGC
4004 appears to be an interacting, distorted galaxy (or the result) with a long
tidal tail to the south.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4004 = H III-354 = h1036 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"vF, vS. It was in the field
I was gaging otherwise it would probably have been overlooked." CH's reduction is 6.5' NNE of
******************************
NGC 4005 = NGC
4007 = UGC 6952 = MCG +04-28-107 = CGCG 127-120 = WBL 368-007 = LGG 261-002 =
11 58 10.1 +25
07 19
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 92d
24"
(3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W,
30"x20", bright core.
Situated 1.6' SE of mag 8.2 HD 103913.
17.5"
(3/19/88): fairly faint, small, oval slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Located 1.8' SE of mag 7.8 SAO
82077. This is one of the
brightest members in the cluster.
Otto Struve
found NGC 4005 on 16 Mar 1869 with the 15-inch refractor at Pulkovo Observatory
while searching for Comet Winnecke (7P/Pons-Winnecke) in Mar-Apr 1869.
WH discovered
this galaxy and catalogued it as H III-325 (later NGC 4007), but the
declination in the GC and NGC is 2 degrees too far south due to a copying or
reduction error (Auwer's reduction has the correct position). This correction was noted by Dreyer in
his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH." Because of Struve's unambiguous position, this galaxy is
identified as NGC 4005 in UGC, CGCG, MCG, RNGC, RC3 but by historical
precedence, NGC 4007 should be the primary designation.
******************************
11 58 05.8 -02
07 12
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20d
17.5"
(5/11/02): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, 0.7'x0.5', very
small brighter core, faint stellar nucleus with direct vision. Near the middle of a 13' N-S string of
stars concave outwards towards the east.
A mag 12 star lies 1.6' NE.
Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4006 = h1037 on 15 Apr 1828 and noted "F; S; R; bM; sp a *
11m." His position and
description matches
******************************
NGC 4007 = NGC
4005 = UGC 6952 = MCG +04-28-107 = CGCG 127-120 = WBL 368-007 = LGG 261-002 =
PGC 37661
11 58 10.1 +25
07 19
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 92d
See observing
notes for NGC 4005
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4007 = H III-325 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "eF,
vS." His position (Auwer's
reduction) is just 1' east of
All major
catalogues identify this galaxy as NGC 4005 although you could argue that by
prior discovery, H III-325 = NGC 4007 should take historical precedence. In any case, it is clear that NGC 4005
= NGC 4007. Unfortunately, as a
result of the two degree error, the NGC position falls close to NGC 4003. So, Karl Reinmuth in his 1926 survey
"Die Herschel-Nebel", Dorothy Carlson's NGC/IC Correction list, CGCG,
UGC, MCG all misidentify NGC 4007 = NGC 4003, ignoring Dreyer's
correction. See Malcolm Thomson's
Catalogue Corrections and Corwin's notes.
******************************
11 58 17.0 +28
11 33
V = 12.0; Size 2.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 167d
17.5"
(4/9/99): moderately bright, very elongated ~N-S with a prominent core.,
1.4'x0.5'. The extensions nearly
reach an extremely faint mag 15.5 star at the north edge. Initially I thought this galaxy was NGC
4004 which is located 20' SSW.
8"
(4/24/82): faint, round, bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4008 = H II-368 = h1038 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"pF, bM." JH made 4
observations and measured an accurate position. A total of 7 observations were made at Birr Castle.
******************************
11 58 15.1 +25
11 24
=*, Corwin.
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4009 with the 72" on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of
the cluster at Birr Castle. He
placed it 238" in PA 41.5° from mag 8 HD 103913 and at this exact offset
(labeled "Iota" on the final compiled sketch) is a mag 15 star (GSC
1985-1944). RNGC and PGC
misidentify
******************************
NGC 4010 = UGC
6964 = MCG +08-22-049 = CGCG 243-034 = Holm 314a = PGC 37697
11 58 37.0 +47
15 37
V = 12.6; Size 4.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 66d
17.5"
(4/7/89): faint, large, edge-on WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4001 6' NW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4010 = h1040 on 26 Apr 1830 and noted "F; mE; vglbM;
100" l, 25" br."
His position is 2' southwest of center of
******************************
NGC 4011 = CGCG
127-121 = WBL 368-008 = PGC 37674
11 58 25.4 +25
05 51
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 35d
24"
(3/22/14): very faint or faint, small, round, 15" diameter, very weak
concentration. Located 3.7' SE of
NGC 4005 and 5.4' NW of
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4011 on 24 Apr 1878 in one of the later observations of the
cluster with the 72" and labeled as "Epsilon" on the published
sketch (constructed from all observations). His notes read "vF, vS, *12m 2.5' np." The nebula was placed +/- 4' in
approximately PA 112° from mag 8.3
HD 103913. The actual offsets to
******************************
11 58 27.6 +10
01 17
V = 13.4; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 153d
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, low even surface brightness.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4012 = m 225 = Sf 108 on 15 Jan 1865 and recorded "vF, S,
lE". His position matches
******************************
11 58 31.7 +43
56 48
V = 11.2; Size 5.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 66d
17.5"
(3/8/97): moderately bright, fairly large edge-on 5:1 WSW-ENE, 3.5'x0.7'. A mag 12 star is superimposed very
close to the actual center masquerading as a bright stellar nucleus (similar to
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4013 = H II-733 = h1041 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and recorded
"pB, mE, about 4' long and 3/4' br.
A pBSN and vF branches near the meridian." JH made two observations
and logged on sweep 248 "B; mE; vsvmbM to a * = 10-11m; pos of extension =
62.3° by measure."
George Stoney,
LdR's assistant, recorded it on 17 Mar 1849 as "E with a split or opening
in the direction of major axis and a star a little following the
center." The dark lane was
confirmed on 12 Apr 1861: "Brightest part preceding the star and certainly
a narrow split going towards preceding end from the star."
******************************
11 58 35.8 +16
10 38
V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 120d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.5', weakly
concentrated halo, rises suddenly to a very small brighter core. Forms the eastern vertex of an
equilateral triangle with a mag 10.8 star 6.5' NW and a mag 12 star 6.4' SW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4014 = h1042 on 26 Apr 1832 and logged "Not vF; R; pgbM;
35". The next sweep is
observed it again as"pB; psbM; 25"." His position matches
******************************
NGC 4015 = Arp
138 NED1 = VV 216a = UGC 6965 = MCG +04-28-109/110 = CGCG 127-122 = WBL 368-010
= LGG 260-006 = KPG 314 = PGC 37703
11 58 42.6 +25
02 12
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.4'
24"
(3/22/14): moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, sharply concentrated
with a very bright blazing core and a faint halo. The superimposed or interacting companion (
17.5"
(3/19/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated bright core. First of three with
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4015 (along with NGC 4021 and 4023) on 24 Apr 1878 and described
it as "F, vS, E pf, mbM."
With respect to NGC 4005, he placed it at a separation of 545.1" in
PA 124.9° and it was labeled "Beta" on the constructed sketch of the
cluster. At this exact separation
is
******************************
11 58 29.0 +27
31 44
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d
48"
(4/20/17): at 488x; moderately bright and large, slightly elongated but
irregular shape. Contains a
brighter elongated bar through the center oriented ~E-W with a slightly
brighter, very small nucleus. The
halo changed shape and size with averted version so I was probably picking up
part of the spiral arms that extend north on the west side and south on the
east side. The "bowtie"
structure visible around the bar on the SDSS was not seen. A mag 17.3 star is superimposed just
15" N of center and a mag 16.2 star is at the southeast edge of the
galaxy. Forms a pair (
17.5"
(4/9/99): faint, fairly small, elongated ~ E-W, 0.8'x0.5', no noticeable
concentration. A mag 12 star lies
1.3' S of center. First and
fainter of pair with NGC 4017 6' SE.
R.J. Mitchell,
LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4016 at Birr Castle on 30 Mar 1854 and noted
"another vF neb about 5' np or nearly north [of NGC 4017]." At this offset is
******************************
NGC 4017 = Arp
305 NED2 = VV 424 = UGC 6967 = MCG +05-28-065 = CGCG 157-069 = PGC 37705
11 58 45.8 +27
27 10
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0
48"
(4/20/17): at 488x; beautiful 2-armed spiral with a very distinctive
"S" shape. Contains a bright,
elongated core or bar oriented E-W, though it is not as narrow as a typical
bar. It brighter somewhat in the
center to a rounder nucleus. Two
very easy, graceful spiral arms are visible; the eastern arm is a bit brighter
and knotty (HII regions) near its root on the southeast side of the core. It curls clockwise, bending north on
the east side of the galaxy and then curling towards to the west, ending nearly
due north of the core. The western
arm is also easily seen extension south-southeast, while tapering and fading to
the south of the core. Forms a
striking pair with NGC 4016 6' NW.
17.5"
(4/9/99): fairly faint, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.8', weak concentration
[face-on SBc spiral]. Forms a pair
with NGC 4016 6' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4017 = H II-369 = h1043 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, E, pL. The following part
the brightest." CH's
reduction matches this barred spiral.
JH made three observations, although all positions are rough.
Six observations
were made at Birr Castle. On 30
Mar 1854, R.J. Mitchell noted "F, spiral? Another vF neb [NGC 4016] about 5' np or nearly
north." The following spring
he commented "Query, shaped like an "S"? Its light is certainly patchy and the
neb is lE nearly pf. np this object
is another F, R neb with stellar centre." Finally on 16 Apr 1855, he wrote "my previous
conjectoure as to shape is rather confirmed by Mr. J. Stoney, who saw the p
branch turned off sharply to the south, while the f bend is not so sharp, but
this latter branch reacher farther round and is rather fainter."
CGCG mislabels
NGC 4017 as NGC 4016.
******************************
11 58 40.7 +25
18 59
V = 13.8; Size 1.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 163d
24"
(3/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated
3:1 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.4', broad weak concentration.
17.5"
(3/19/88): faint, fairly small, edge-on NW-SE. A pair of mag 13 stars at 25" separation is located 3'
SSE. Member of the NGC 4007 group
with NGC 4022 7' SE.
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4018 on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of the cluster from
Birr Castle. He placed it roughly
12' in PA 37° from NGC 4009 and it is labeled "Kappa" on the
constructed diagram. The actual
separation is 10' in PA 37°, although NGC 4009 is a star. The note"mE np sf, 2 st S"
pins down the identification as
******************************
12 01 10.3 +14
06 16
V = 13.2; Size 2.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 145d
18"
(4/9/05): fairly faint, edge-on NW-SE, 1.0'x0.2', low even surface
brightness. A mag 10 star is 5.5'
SE and 2' following this star is
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4019 = h1044 on 23 Apr 1832 (the last night he discovered any
objects at Slough) and logged, "eF; has a *9m 5' sf". There is nothing near his
position. A mag 15 star is 3.5'
northwest of his position and a mag 10 star lies 6' southeast of this faint
star (a good match with his description), so the faint star is one possible
candidate for NGC 4019.
Harold Corwin
identifies NGC 4019 as IC 755, an edge-on galaxy 2 min 16 sec of RA east and 6'
south of JH's position. It has a
mag 10 star 5.5' southeast that matches his description, but it unusually off
in both RA and Dec. So, this
identification is uncertain.
******************************
11 58 56.6 +30
24 42
V = 12.7; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 15d
17.5"
(5/4/02): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.8'x0.9',
broad concentration but no well-defined core. A mag 10.5 star lies 3.1' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4020 = H II-725 = h1045 on 3 Feb 1788 (sweep 805) and recorded
"pB, E, mbM, about 2' long from sp to nf, but nearer to the
meridian." JH recorded
"Not vF; bicentral or elongated; vgbM to a central axis pos = 199.5°, or
pos of the two centres = 19.5°; 14" long and 25" br." Bindon Stoney, observing on LdR's
72" on 26 Apr 1851, not "Bicentral appearance very indistinct. Light mottled, E ssp-nnf."
******************************
NGC 4021 = MCG
+04-28-112 = CGCG 127-124 = WBL 368-011 = PGC 37730
11 59 02.6 +25
04 59
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.5'; PA = 85d
24"
(3/22/14): faint, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, slightly brighter
core. Located 5.2' NE of NGC 4015
in the NGC 4005 cluster.
17.5"
(3/19/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.4'x0.3'. Forms the northern vertex of an
equilateral triangle with NGC 4015 5' SW and NGC 4023 6' SSE. Member of the NGC 4007 group.
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4021 on 26 Apr 1878, the last session "nebulae" were
discovered at Birr Castle. He recorded, "F, S, R or lE and placed
this object 58.2" in PA 312.1° with respect to NGC 4015. It was
labeled "Delta" on the final compiled sketch of the cluster. At
Dreyer's micrometric offset is
******************************
NGC 4022 = UGC
6975 = MCG +04-28-111 = CGCG 127-125 = WBL 368-012 = LGG 261-004 = PGC 37729
11 59 01.0 +25
13 21
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, small very bright core
increases to the center. Two mag
13 stars lies 2.2' WSW and 2.4' WNW.
17.5" (3/19/88):
faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core. Contains a stellar nucleus or a star is superimposed. Member of the NGC 4007 group with NGC
4018 7.3' NW.
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4022 on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of the cluster from
Birr Castle. He placed it
approximately 6' in PA 144° from NGC 4018 (Kappa) and noted "pF, vS,
stellar". On the final
constructed diagram NGC 4022 is labeled "Lambda". The actual separation is 7' in PA 140°.
******************************
NGC 4023 = UGC
6977 = MCG +04-28-113 = CGCG 127-127 = WBL 368-013 = PGC 37732
11 59 05.5 +24
59 20
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 25d
24"
(3/22/14): fairly faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration, slightly
irregular surface brightness.
Situated 5.9' SE of NGC 4015.
17.5"
(3/19/88): faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, weak concentration. Member of the NGC 4007 group with NGC 4015
7' WNW.
J.L.E. Dreyer
discovered NGC 4023 on 24 Apr 1878 on a late observation of the NGC 4005 group
at Birr Castle. He described the
nebula as "pF, pL, diffuse" and placed it at 358.1" in PA 117.8°
with respect to NGC 4015. It was
labeled "Gamma" on the final compiled sketch of the cluster. At this offset is
******************************
11 58 31.2 -18
20 50
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 70d
18"
(3/19/04): moderately bright, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated with a
bright 25" core which increases to the center. The fainter, outer halo measures ~1.4'x1.1'. An isosceles triangle of mag 10-11.5
stars (sides 2', 2', 4.8') lies 6' W.
Located 1 degree NW of the Antennae (
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4024 = H II-295 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded "F,
vS, iF, bM." His position is
30 sec of RA east of
******************************
11 59 10.2 +37
47 37
V = 13.6; Size 2.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 15.0; PA = 40d
18"
(3/30/05): picked up at 165x as a moderately large but very low surface
brightness glow. At 225x, it
appears ~1.5' diameter with very little concentration. The DSS images reveals a face-on
irregular barred spiral with very low surface brightness arms.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4025 = H III-617 = h1046 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted
"eF, iR, about 1' in diameter."
JH's position is 1' too far north.
******************************
11 59 25.0 +50
57 42
V = 10.8; Size 5.2'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 178d
17.5"
(3/8/97): bright, large, excellent lens-shape edge-on 5:1 N-S, 4.0'x0.8'. Sharply concentrated with a striking
bulging core and non-stellar nucleus.
Extensions tapers at ends.
Located 7.2' SSW of mag 9.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4026 = H I-223 = h1047 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded
"cB, E in the direction of the meridian, BN with vF branches, 3'
long." His RA is 20 sec too
large, but the NGC position (probably from JH) is accurate.
******************************
11 59 30.5 -19
15 44
V = 11.1; Size 3.2'x2.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 167d
24"
(4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a strange looking
one-armed spiral. Overall it
appeared quite bright and large with a very irregular shape, 3'x2', and sharply
concentrated with a fairly small, round core. The core gradually increases to the center. Emerging from the core on the NW end is
a fairly well-defined arm that initially extends north in the direction of a
mag 11.8 star located 3.7' NNW of the center of the galaxy. This arm then sharply curves back
counter-clockwise ~135°, bending around to the SW and ends just on the outside
of a mag 13.5-14 star situated close NE of the core. On the SE end of the core, a second arm begins to emerge but
it suddenly terminates, creating a very asymmetric appearance with the other
long, wrapping arm.
A faint
companion,
13.1"
(2/16/85): fairly bright, round, moderately large, broad concentration,
possible stellar nucleus. A mag 14
star is off the ENE edge 1.0' from center. NGC 4027 is an unusual interacting one-armed barred spiral.
13.1"
(9/22/84): a spiral arm is suspected north of the nucleus trailing to the
east.
8"
(3/28/81): faint, moderately large, no details.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4027 = H II-296 = h3371 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 386) and logged
"pB, pL." His RA is 1.0
min too large. JH has an
interesting description from the Cape of Good Hope: "Globular; F; pL; R;
2'; resolved; stars barely seen; but in a better night for definition would no
doubt be clearly resolved into st 16m." His position is accurate.
******************************
11 58 35.8 +16
10 38
See observing
notes for NGC 4014.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4028 = H III-3 on 30 Dec 178 (sweep 72) and recorded "vF,
not cometic tho' almost round. It
forms an isosceles triangle with 2 small stars [by a diagram these are about 6'
sp]. It is probably of the
resolvable kind but eF; it may be a very distant compressed cl of stars, but
would require a great quantity of light to resolve." There is nothing at his position (an
early sweep prone to large errors) and III-3 was not found visually by
Bigourdan or photographically by Reinmuth.
Harold Corwin
equates NGC 4028 with NGC 4014, which matches WH's description of forming an
isosceles triangle with two stars (6' sp and 6' np). He notes this would require WH made offset errors on two
different sweeps landing roughly at the same erroneous position.
******************************
12 00 03.1 +08
10 54
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 150d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' NE of center.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4029 = m 226 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, lE, with
stellar N." His position is
accurate.
******************************
12 00 23.5 -01
06 01
V = 10.6; Size 4.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 27d
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, moderately large, oval SW-NE, halo increases to a small
bright core, mottled halo with structure suspected. Bracketed by a mag 10.5 star 2.2' SSW and a mag 11 star just
off the NNW edge 1.6' from the center.
Visible in 16x80 finder.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4030 = H I-121 = h1048 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and recorded
"vB, cL, mbM. Between, but a
little following two pB stars." JH made two observations and logged (sweep
145) "B; R; pL; psbM; r; 70"; has 3 or 4 large stars near."
******************************
12 00 31.3 +31
56 51
V = 14.3; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5"
(2/24/90): very faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE. A mag 15.5 star is at the SW end and a
second mag 15 star is 0.7' N of center.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4031 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
an exact match with
******************************
12 00 32.9 +20
04 27
V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, round, fairly small, even surface
brightness. A mag 12 star is 3.4'
NNE. Located west of the
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4032 = H II-404 = h1049 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded
"pB, pL, mbM, R, cometic." His position (CH's reduction) is 2'
southeast of
******************************
12 00 34.8 -17
50 34
V = 11.7; Size 2.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 47d
13.1"
(4/29/84): fairly bright, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, small bright
nucleus. Located 1° north of the
"Ringtail" galaxies NGC 4038/
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4033 = H II-508 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and logged "pB,
S, lE, bM." Engelhardt measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 01 29.6 +69
19 26
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 5d
17.5"
(3/29/89): extremely faint, small, very low surface brightness. A mag 14 star is 30" off the NW
edge. Located 9.5' NE of mag 7.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4034 = H III-903 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "eF,
S, iF, vlbM." CGCG
misidentifies this galaxy (
******************************
12 00 29.3 -15
56 53
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0d
18"
(4/9/05): very faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, very low surface
brightness with little or no concentration. Located 5.8' SSW of mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4035 = H III-279 = h3372 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded
"eF, pL. Requires much
attention to be seen. I saw it
also with 240, but its light was much lessened and the difficulty of seeing
increasing." CH's reduction
is less than 2' northeast of
******************************
12 01 26.7 +61
53 45
V = 10.7; Size 4.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 85d
24"
(5/27/17): at 200x beautiful large spindle 4:1 ~E-W, 3'x0.8'. Sharply concentrated with a small, very
bright core/nucleus and tapered extensions. Forms a bright pair with
17.5"
(5/2/92): very bright striking galaxy!
Fairly large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 3.0'x1.0', halo increases to a
bright core, very bright nucleus.
The eastern extension appears slightly brighter. NGC 4041 lies 16' NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4036 = H I-253 = h1050 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and logged
"vB, vL, E." CH's
reduced position is 15 sec of RA east of
******************************
12 01 23.7 +13
24 03
V = 11.9; Size 2.5'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(5/19/01): very faint, moderately large, low surface brightness, ill-defined,
~2' diameter, slightly elongated N-S, very weak concentration. Located 5' W of mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4037 = H III-77 = h1051 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded
"eF, pL, R, r." JH made
two observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4038 = The
Antennae Galaxy = Ring-Tail Galaxy = Arp 244 NED1 = VV 245b = ESO 572-047 = MCG
-03-31-014 = UGCA 264 = PGC 37967
12 01 53.0 -18
52 05
V = 10.3; Size 3.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 80d
48"
(4/1/11): I took a quick look at the Antennae Galaxy to see the faint tidal
tails that shoot north and south from the east end of NGC 4038/4039. The tidal tail heading south from NGC
4038 (the northern component) was easily visible, sweeping 2' S but then
quickly dimming. The streamer
heading north was also visible but appeared detached from the galaxies. It was picked up ~2.5' NE of NGC 4038
and extended 2' N, terminating at a faint star.
24"
(4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this was an amazing object in the
24" at 350x. The main, bright
northern component (NGC 4038) was partially annular, with a very bright knotty
rim and a darker center giving a truly unique appearance for a galaxy. At least 3 knots were visible embedded
along its rim. On the SE side is
the brightest knot (the nucleus of the galaxy) which appeared faint, small,
~12" diameter. A second
fainter knot is on the west side and was only ~6" in size. Finally, a third very faint 6"
knot is on the north side. The
three knots were roughly spaced out 120° apart along the outer portion of this
tortured galaxy. An elongated
"arm" (the interacting companion NGC 4039) is attached on the east
end and curves around on the south side towards the southwest. Another very faint, but slightly larger
20" knot is embedded along the main portion of NGC 4039, roughly halfway
along its length. At the southwest
tip of the brighter portion of NGC 4039 was a relatively large, brighter knot
(its nucleus) that at times appeared double. Surrounding the southwest portion of NGC 4039 is a much
fainter outer halo extended SW-NE.
This fainter halo extends further southwest for a few arc minutes and
widens to a bulbous shape at the end. This was by far the most detailed view
I've seen of the Antennae galaxy.
NGC 4027, another disturbed galaxy, lies SW.
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly bright, moderately large. Forms a striking "shrimp-like" or
"comma" shape with the tail attached at the east end and extending to
the south. Appears clearly darker
between the two objects on the west side.
13"
(5/21/82): appears as two irregular galaxies connected at the east end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4038 = H IV-28.1 = h1052 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded
"pB, L. Two joined together
[with NGC 4039], the smallest south; or one opening with a branch very faintly
joined." WH gave a single
entry in class IV (planetary), though JH separated these into IV 28.1 and IV
28.2 in the Slough catalogue.
Bindon Stoney sketched the galaxy pair on 14 Apr 1852 and included it in
LdR's 1861 publication. It appears
to show one of the long tidal tails.
The long
"Antennae" tidal tails were first photographed by Lampland with the
40-inch Lowell reflector in 1917.
J.C. Duncan remarked "Most remarkable of all, two faint extensions,
like antennae" in the 1923 "Photographic studies of
nebulae.III." Bill Keel
referred to the system as the "Antennae" in his 1993 article in
Mercury magazine "The real astrophysical zoo - Colliding galaxies".
******************************
NGC 4039 =
Antennae Galaxy = Arp 244 NED2 = VV 245a = Ring-Tail Galaxy = ESO 572-048 = MCG
-03-31-015 = UGCA 265 = PGC 37969
12 01 53.6 -18
53 11
V = 10.6; Size 3.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 130d
24"
(4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): Attached on the east end of NGC
4038 (see detailed notes) is a long "tail" or arm (this is the
interacting companion NGC 4039) that curves around on the south side towards
the southwest. Another very faint,
but slightly larger 20" knot is embedded along the main portion of the
tail roughly halfway. At the tip
of the main tail was a relatively large, brighter knot that at times appeared
double. Surrounding the SW portion
of the tail is a much fainter outer halo extended SW-NE. This fainter halo extends beyond the tail
for a few arc minutes and widens to a bulbous shape at the end. This was by far the most detailed view
I've seen of the Ring-tail galaxy.
17.5"
(5/14/88): this is the southern member of the striking "Ring-Tail
galaxy". Attached at the east
side of NGC 4038 and forms a "tail" elongated NW-SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4039 = H IV-28.2 = h1053, along with NGC 4038, on 7 Feb 1785
(sweep 368) and assigned a single H-designation (IV-28). See that number for more.
******************************
12 02 05.4 +17
49 23
V = 13.3; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 145d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 0.8'x0.7', broad weak
concentration. An isosceles
triangle with sides 2'/2'/1' consisting of mag 12.5 stars is 2' SE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4040 = Sw VI-41 on 30 Mar 1887 and noted "forms nearly a
square with 3 stars". His
position and description is a good match with
******************************
NGC 4041 = UGC
7014 = MCG +10-17-129 = CGCG 292-061 = PGC 37999
12 02 12.2 +62
08 14
V = 11.3; Size 2.7'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.2
24"
(5/27/17): at 200x; bright, large, roundish, nearly 2' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a large, low
surface brightness halo and an intensely bright core. The core brightness towards the center but there was no
distinct nucleus. Forms a bright
pair with NGC 4036 15' SSW.
17.5"
(5/2/92): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 2'
diameter, broad concentration with an overall fairly high surface
brightness. Two mag 11 and 12
stars at 1.0' separation are 3.5' SSE.
NGC 4036 lies 16' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4041 = H I-252 = h1054 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and recorded
"vB, cL, R." CH's
reduced position is 2' north of
******************************
12 02 46.8 +20
09 49
V = 15.7; Size 0.3'x0.2'
24"
(3/22/14): very faint, very small, round, 12" diameter. Cannot hold steadily at 375x but not
difficult to see knowing the position.
The identification of this number is uncertain.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4042 = m 227, along with
Karl Reinmuth,
in his 1926 photographic survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", suggests the
possible equivalent with NGC 4032, but this galaxy is 1.8 tmin of RA west
and 4' south of Marth's position.
Carlson and RNGC also give this possible equivalence.
******************************
NGC 4043 = UGC
7015 = MCG +01-31-012 = CGCG 041-026 = PGC 38010
12 02 22.9 +04
19 47
V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 135d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, very small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4043 = h1055 on 9 Apr 1828 and recorded "S; R; preceds a
double star about 30 sec, and is 3' south of it. RA is a rough estimate only from the double star. On the next sweep he logged "Not
B; S; R; psbM; 15"." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 02 29.5 -00
12 45
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, almost even surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4044 = H III-491 = h1056 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted
"vF, S". His position
matches
******************************
12 02 42.3 +01
58 38
V = 12.0; Size 2.7'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 95d
17.5"
(5/10/86): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, stellar
nucleus offset to the SW of faint superimposed star. Forms a close pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4045 = H II-276 = h1057 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted
"pF, S, R, lbM." JH made
the single observation "F; R: sbM; 25"; a star sf." and measured
an accurate position.
Heinrich
d'Arrest found this galaxy on 10 Apr 1863, but his declination was 15' too far
south. Although he questioned if
it was equal to h1057, Dreyer assumed it was new and catalogued it as GCS 5602
= NGC 4046. This galaxy was found
a 3rd time by David Todd (#13a) on 2 Jan 1878 in his search for a
trans-Neptunian planet, along with NGC 4045A and
******************************
12 02 42.3 +01
58 38
See observing
notes for NGC 4045.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4046 on 10 Apr 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single observation
(Latin translation copied from Harold Corwin's notes) reads "round; not
small. Class II. It makes a triangle with 2 stars mag 13 and mag 16 to the
south and following 6.6 sec.
However, the question remains if it is h1057 [NGC 4045] with a 15' error
in declination." In
fact there is nothing at his position, but 15' north is NGC 4045, which matches
his description. The mag 16
"star" is likely NGC 4045A.
So, NGC 4046 = NGC 4045.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.
******************************
12 02 50.6 +48
38 10
V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d
17.5"
(4/25/98): moderately bright and large, ~1.3'x1.1', halo slightly elongated
~E-W. Fairly well concentrated
with a fainter halo surrounding a bright core and nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 3.6' WSW. Sky hazy with smoke.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4047 = H II-741 = h1058 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted
"pF, S, R, gbM." CH's
reduction is 1.6' northeast of
******************************
12 02 50.0 +18
00 56
V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 92d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.5'x0.35', even surface
brightness. A mag 11.5 star lies
3.0' NW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4048 = h1059 on 23 Mar 1827 and on a second sweep noted
"vF; S; R psbM; almost stellar." His position is accurate.
******************************
12 02 54.7 +18
45 09
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 52d
17.5"
(5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7', weak
broad concentration. A mag 11 star
is 2.6' SE and another mag 11.5 star is 5' following.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4049 = H III-390 = h1060 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and simply
noted "suspected." His
position (CH"s reduction) is 28 sec of RA followoing
******************************
12 02 54.0 -16
22 25
V = 12.2; Size 3.1'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 85d
18"
(3/19/04): faint, fairly large, oval 4:3 E-W, 2.0'x1.5'. Broad, weak concentration with a
15" brighter nucleus using direct vision. Located 5.8' NE of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4050 = H II-509 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and logged "F,
cL, iR, lbM." His re-reduced
position matches
******************************
12 03 09.6 +44
31 53
V = 10.2; Size 5.2'x3.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 135d
17.5"
(3/8/97): fairly bright, large, ~4.0'x2.5' NW-SE. Nearly extends to a mag 11 star 2.2' W. Very bright, very small core increasing
to a bright stellar nucleus (original Seyfert galaxy list). The galaxy shows signs of spiral
structure and there appears to be a short outer spiral arm attached at the SE
end hooking north separated by a slightly darker region between the main body (verified
on photo).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4051 = H IV-56 = h1061 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and recorded
"cB, iR, cBN with extensive chevelure about 5' dia." His position matches
Bindon Stoney
sketched the galaxy on 3 May 1851 as an "S" shaped barred spiral (in
LdR's 1861 publication), very accurately capturing the structure. He noted "Spiral. I suspect the f branch extends to
[star] alpha [on the northeast end]." On 19 Apr 1857, R.J. Mitchell logged "The p branch
seems to me the brighter rather of the two, and more suddenly curved than the f
one, both of them look not quite so sharp as given in the drawing."
NGC 4051 is one
of the original 6 galaxies studied by Seyfert in his seminal 1943 paper
"Nuclear Emission in Spiral Nebulae".
******************************
12 02 05 -63 13
24
Size 8'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): this cluster is located in the field, just 10' NW of
mag 4.3 Theta 1 and 15' W of mag 4.7 Theta 2 Crucis in the SW portion of the
constellation! At 105x, ~60 stars
mag 10 and fainter are mostly scattered in a 9' diameter. More striking, though, is a dense 3'
subgroup of mostly mag 12-13 stars on the SE end of the cluster over a
background of haze from unresolved stars.
A neat string of six stars oriented WNW-ESE is located on the south end
with a brighter mag 9.5 star about 2.5' further west.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4052 = h3373 on 8 Mar 1837 and logged "Cluster VII class;
loose and scattered but pretty rich." There is nothing at his position, but 1 min of RA west is a
scattered cluster.
******************************
12 03 11.6 +19
43 44
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 109d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 0.7'x0.3'. Brighter along the major axis and the
very small core contains a stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 1.6' W of center. Located 33' SSW of NGC 4065 (brightest in a large group of
NGC galaxies).
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4053 = m228 on 9 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on 3 nights, matches
******************************
12 03 12.4 +57
53 36
V = 14.2; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 90d
48"
(4/20/17): at 488x; NGC 4054 is a close triple (
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; the western and largest component (VV 136a) of the triple
system NGC 4054 appeared faint, small, slightly elongated 20"x15",
low surface brightness. The
southeast component (VV 136b) is smaller but significantly higher surface
brightness and was noted as fairly faint, very small, elongated
12"x9" E-W. The centers
of these small galaxies are separated by just 15". VV 136c, the northeast component, was
not seen.
16" LX200
(4/14/07): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 20"x15"
diameter. This is a triple system,
though it initially appeared single.
After careful viewing an extremely faint "star" occasionally
popped out on the southeast edge.
This virtually stellar object is VV 136b = LEDA 3547623.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4054 = H III-794 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "eF,
S, verified by 300." His position is 1.5' north of
******************************
12 04 01.5 +20
13 57
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4055 = h1062 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1063 =
******************************
NGC 4056 = PGC
38140
12 03 57.7 +20
18 45
V = 15.8; Size 0.3'x0.3'
24"
(3/22/14): extremely faint and small, round, 6"-8" diameter. At 375x, I could repeatedly glimpse
this galaxy, though would not have picked it up without knowing the exact
location. Located 3.5' SW of NGC
4066 in the NGC 4065 cluster.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4056 = m 229, along with NGC 4042 and 4046, on 18 Mar 1865. All of these objects have uncertain
identifications because of imprecise positions and several faint nearby
galaxies. His description
"eF, vS" adds no new information. RNGC identifies
******************************
NGC 4057 = NGC
4065? = UGC 7050 = MCG +04-29-007 = CGCG 098-042 = CGCG 128-007 = VV 179 = PGC
38156
12 04 06.2 +20
14 07
See observing
notes for NGC 4065.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4057 = h1063 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1062 =
NGC 4055 and h1064 = NGC 4059. His
coordinates were very uncertain ("PD very doubtful") and given to the
nearest degree, although all three objects were described as
"B[right]". The
description for h1064 also mentions "On meridian with two more". It seems very likely that these three
entries are duplicates of brighter galaxies and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4055
= NGC 4061, NGC 4057 = NGC 4065, and NGC 4059 = NGC 4070. RNGC and PGC misidentify
******************************
12 03 49.1 +03
32 53
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 165d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, elongated NW-SE, small bright core. Located 15' W of mag 7.2
George Searle
discovered NGC 4058 = HN 37 on 24 Mar 1868 with the 15-inch refractor at
Harvard College Observatory (Annals of Harvard Observatory, Vol 13, #257). His position matches
******************************
NGC 4059 = NGC
4070? = UGC 7052 = MCG +04-29-009 = CGCG 128-009 = WBL 374-008 = PGC 38169
12 04 11.3 +20
24 36
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4059 = h1064 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1063 =
NGC 4057 and h1062 = NGC 4055. His
coordinates were very uncertain ("PD very doubtful") and given to the
nearest degree, although all three objects were described as
"B[right]". The
description for h1064 also mentions "On meridian with two more". It seems very likely these three
entries are duplicates of brighter galaxies and Harold Corwin suggests (in
response to my email about the identifications) NGC 4055 = NGC 4061, NGC 4057 =
NGC 4065, and NGC 4059 = NGC 4070.
Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic survey based on Heidelberg
plates, misidentifes
******************************
NGC 4060 = CGCG
128-006 = WBL 374-004 = PGC 38151
12 04 01.0 +20
20 15
V = 14.6; Size 0.4'x0.3'; PA = 85d
24"
(3/22/14): faint, small, round, 15" diameter. Located 2.1' WSW of
17.5" (3/28/87):
extremely faint, very small, round.
Located 2' WSW of NGC 4066 in the NGC 4065 cluster.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4060 = m 230 on 18 Mar 1865 (same night he found NGC 4042, NGC
4053 and NGC 4056). Due to his
poor positions, and density of galaxies in the cluster, only NGC 4053 has a
secure identification. Marth's
position is 3 tsec of RA west and 2.3' south of
It is also
possible that NGC 4060 = PGC 38140.
This is the galaxy identified as NGC 4056 in the RNGC. PGC 38140 is only 0.6' N of Marth's
position, though it is noticeably fainter visually and that would leave no
candidate for Marth's NGC 4056.
Finally, it is possible that NGC 4060 = PGC 38166.
******************************
NGC 4061 = NGC
4055: = VV 179b = UGC 7044 = MCG +04-29-006 = CGCG 128-005 = CGCG 098-040 = WBL
374-003 = PGC 38146
12 04 01.5 +20
13 57
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 0d
24"
(3/22/14): fairly faint or moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25"
diameter, brighter core but not as strongly concentrated as NGC 4065 just 1.1'
ENE. These form a striking pair
with NGC 4065. Nearby lies NGC
4072 ~3' SE and
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, almost round, brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4065 1' ENE
within the NGC 4065 cluster.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4061 = H III-394 = h1065 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded
"Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first [III-391,
III-392 and III-393]; but I saw three more [10 or 12'] south of them. They were are all vF, vS." I suspected many more
besides." The three nebulae
which he did not measure positions, are likely NGC 4061, NGC 4065, and NGC 4076
(the three brightest). JH observed
NGC 4061 on 3 sweeps and noted on sweep 244 "vF; a double neb by diag, pos
20° sp, nearly equal. They run together."
NGC 4055 =
h1062, recorded by JH on 29 Apr 1832 (the same night he logged NGC 4057 = h1063
and NGC 4059 = h1064) is very likely a duplicate observation. See that number for more.
******************************
12 04 03.8 +31
53 44
V = 11.1; Size 4.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 100d
17.5"
(2/24/90): fairly bright, large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 4.0'x1.6', broadly
concentrated.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4062 = H I-174 = h1066 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and noted
"cB, E, about 5' l and 1.5' broad." His position matches
******************************
12 04 05.9 +01
50 49
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 10d
17.5"
(5/10/86): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. In a group with
David Todd
discovered NGC 4063 = Todd 12b on 2 Jan 1878 during his search of a trans-Neptunian
planet using the 26-inch Clark refractor at the USNO. Édouard Stephan found the galaxy again on 3 May 1881 and
reported the discovery in list XI-15.
Stephan's position is accurate (he mentioned it was distinct from
[N4073] and [N4077]) and Dreyer credited him with the discovery in the NGC.
******************************
12 04 11.2 +18
26 36
V = 11.4; Size 4.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 150d
17.5"
(4/6/91): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 3'x1.5', large
bright core but no nucleus, sharper light cut-off on the SW side due to
dust. Two mag 14 stars are 1.6'
SSW and 2.7' E of center.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4064 on 29 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position
matches
******************************
NGC 4065 = NGC
4057: = VV 179a = UGC 7050 = MCG +04-29-007 = CGCG 098-042 = CGCG 128-007 = WBL
374-006 = PGC 38156
12 04 06.2 +20
14 07
V = 12.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7
24"
(3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, well concentrated
with a small bright core. Forms a
close pair with NGC 4061 just 1' W.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter core. Brightest in the NGC 4065 cluster (a
large group of NGC galaxies) with NGC 4061 1.1' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4065 = H III-395 on 18 Mar 1865 (sweep 403) and recorded
"Six nebulae. The places belong to the three first [III-391, III-392 and
III-393]..." The three
galaxies to the south, which he did not measure positions, are likely NGC 4061,
NGC 4065, and NGC 4076 (the three brightest). JH recorded this nebula twice as h1067 and noted
"pB" on one sweep and "vF; R; the second of 5" on
another. His position on sweep 409
is at the southeast edge of the halo.
NGC 4057 =
h1063, recorded on 29 Apr 1832 (the same night he logged h1062 = NGC 4055 and
h1064 = NGC 4059), is very likely a duplicate observation. See notes for that number.
******************************
NGC 4066 = UGC
7051 = MCG +04-29-008 = CGCG 128-008 = WBL 374-007 = PGC 38161
12 04 09.4 +20
20 53
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2
24"
(3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, high surface brightness,
strong concentration with a very bright nucleus that increases to the
center. NGC 4070 is 3.7' NNE and a
trio of galaxies are close southwest: NGC 4060 2.1' WSW, NGC 4069 1.7' SSW and
NGC 4056? 3.4' SW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, small, round, strong bright core. In a tight trio with NGC 4060 2' WSW and NGC 4069 1.7'
SSW. Also in the field are NGC
4065 7' S and NGC 4070 3.8' NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4066 = H III-392 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and "Six
nebulae. The times and numbers
belong to the three first (III-391, III-392 and III-393)..." His position is 2.6' SE of
******************************
12 04 11.5 +10
51 16
V = 12.5; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d
17.5"
(1/23/88): fairly bright, fairly small, round, bright core. Brightest in a group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4067 = H III-37 = h1069 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded
"eF, vS, in a line with 2 small stars and followed by one that is
larger. I had some doubt with the
sweeping power, but 240x showed it very plainly and of considerable
extent." There is nothing at
his position but 1 min of RA west (similar error with several other nebulae
discovered that night) and 3' south is
******************************
12 04 00.8 +52
35 18
V = 12.5; Size 3.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 30d
48"
(4/20/17): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated SW-NE. The surface brightness of this galaxy
is fairly low but very irregular/patchy with a ragged outline and there is no
core or zones. A mag 12 star is
superimposed near the center, which is not well defined, and a second mag 14
star is at the southwest end. The
brightest section is near the mag 12 star and to the NE. The outline is irregular and spreads
out more on the northeast half.
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE. A mag 12 star is superimposed and a mag
14 star is at the SW end 40" from the center. A string of four mag 11-13.5 stars is just NW. In a low power field with NGC 4102 24'
ENE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4068 = H II-781 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded
"pF, Stellar." On 26 Apr
1789 (sweep 929), a second observation reads "A pS star involved in
nebulosity of no great extent; the star does not seem to belong to
it." His position is about 15
sec of RA east and 2' south of
According to
Harold Corwin, Bigourdan misidentified a star as NGC 4068 on two nights and
"rediscovered" it on 11 Mar 1886, though made an error in his
position, and it was catalogued by Dreyer as
******************************
NGC 4069 = PGC
38166
12 04 06.0 +20
19 26
V = 15.5; Size 0.3'x0.2'
24"
(3/22/14): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Located 1.7' SSE of NGC 4066. NGC 4060 lies 1.5' NW and an extremely
faint galaxy (possibly NGC 4056) lies 2.0' SW. Either I missed the mag 16 star just off the southeast edge
(~10" from center) or the galaxy and star were merged together
17.5"
(5/14/88): extremely faint and small, round. Located 1.7' SSW of NGC 4066. Forms an equilateral triangle with NGC 4060 and NGC 4066
within the NGC 4065 cluster. The
NGC identification of this number is not certain.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4069 = h1070 on 24 Feb 1827 and described as "vF, R, 4th of
5; has another on same meridian, north". This is one of the very faint galaxies near NGC 4066 and was
not seen by WH, although JH equated h1070 with his father's H. III 392. His position (single sweep) is 6 tsec
east of PGC 38166 and the nebula "on the same meridian, north" would
refer to NGC 4066. But if he
picked up this faint galaxy, it's surprising he didn't also see NGC 4060 = CGCG
128-006, which is is just 1.5'
NW. See Harold Corwin's discussion
in his identification notes.
******************************
NGC 4070 = NGC
4059? = UGC 7052 = MCG +04-29-009 = CGCG 128-009 = WBL 374-008 = PGC 38169
12 04 11.3 +20
24 36
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1
24"
(3/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, high surface
brightness, very small bright nucleus.
NGC 4066 lies 3.7' S.
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 3.8' NNE of NGC 4066 within the NGC 4065 cluster.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4070 = H III-391 = h1071, along with 5 other nebulae, on 27 Apr
1785 (sweep 403) and noted together as "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the
three first (III-391, III-392 and III-393)..." His position (Auwer's reduction) is 2.4' southeast of UGC
7052, the same offset he made with NGC 4066 = H III-392. JH recorded it as a nova and measured
an accurate position on one sweep.
Harold Corwin
concludes that NGC 4059 = h1064 may be a duplicate observation of NGC 4070.
******************************
12 04 15.3 -67
18 35
V = 13.0; Size 80"x51"
18" (7/6/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): I had a difficult time ferreting out this
faint PN that is buried within a very rich Milky Way field. It was finally picked up at 76x (27
Panoptic) and OIII filter as a faint, round disc at least 40" in
diameter. Removing the filter, a
faint star is superimposed on the SW side of a low surface brightness
glow. Also viewed unfiltered at
228x which showed the faint star and the disc more easily, though this is quite
a faint NGC planetary. The best
view was at 128x using an OIII filter, although this is a low-excitation planetary. The disc appeared fairly faint with subtle
irregularities in surface brightness and was likely brighter along portions of
the rim.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4071 = h3374 on 4 Mar 1835 and recorded "vF; R; 40";
has a vS star in centre; in a field of at least 80 or 90 stars." His position is accurate. The "vS star" he mentions
might be the one on the southwest side.
******************************
NGC 4072 = CGCG
098-045 = CGCG 128-010 = WBL 374-009 = PGC 38176
12 04 13.8 +20
12 35
V = 14.8; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 30d
24"
(3/22/14): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Not difficult to pick up 2.4' SE of NGC
4065. A mag 13.6 star is 1' NE.
17.5"
(3/28/87): extremely faint and small, round, at visual threshold. A mag 13 star is 1.1' NE of
center. Located 2.6' SE of NGC
4065. Member of the NGC 4065
cluster.
Ralph Copeland
discovered NGC 4072 on 3 Apr 1872 using the 72" during an observation of
GC 2686 = NGC 4061 and GC 2689 = NGC 4065. He described "a third and much fainter neb
south-following the second [NGC 4065], in pos 128.4°, dist 144.1" At precisely Copeland's offset is CGCG
098-045 = PGC 38176.
******************************
12 04 27.0 +01
53 45
V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 105d
17.5"
(5/10/86): moderately bright, elongated WNW-ESE, moderately large, bright core,
stellar nucleus. Brightest of a
poor cluster (MKW 4) with NGC 4063 6.0' SW,
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4073 = H II-277 = h1072 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted
"F, S". David Todd
independently found this galaxy (#12a) on 2 Jan 1878 during his his search for
a trans-Neptunian planet.
******************************
12 04 29.6 +20
18 59
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 105d
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Located within the NGC 4065 cluster
with NGC 4076 7' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4074 = H III-393 = h1073, along with 5 other nebulae, on 27 Apr
1785 (sweep 403) and noted together as "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the
three first [NGC 4072 = III-391, NGC 4070 = III-392 and NGC 4074 = III-393]
which are vF, vS." His
position (Auwer's reduction) is 3.1' too far southwest (given the same RA as
NGC 4072 = H III-391). JH made a
single observation, measured an accurate position, and noted "eF".
******************************
NGC 4075 = MCG
+00-31-032 = CGCG 013-064 = PGC 38216 = Todd 11
12 04 37.8 +02
04 22
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60d
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, stellar nucleus. Located 11' NNE of NGC 4073 within a
group.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4075 = h1074 on 14 Apr 1828 and noted "F; S; R." His position is 6 sec of RA west of
******************************
NGC 4076 = UGC
7061 = MCG +03-31-034 = CGCG 098-046 = CGCG 128-012 = WBL 374-010 = PGC 38209
12 04 32.5 +20
12 18
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9
24"
(3/22/14): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, small slightly
brighter core. Located 6.5' ESE of
NGC 4065 (close pair with NGC 4061).
NGC 4072 lies 4.4' W.
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, diffuse. Located within the NGC 4065 cluster and
the eighth galaxy in the field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4076 = H III-396 = h1075 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded
"Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first [III-391,
III-392 and III-393]..." The
three nebulae [10 to 12'] to the south, which he did not measure positions, are
likely NGC 4061, NGC 4065, and NGC 4076 (three brightest). JH recorded this nebula on a single
sweep (24 Feb 1827) and simply noted "the last of 5." and equated it
with H III-396. His position is 2.7'
too far south-southeast.
Ralph Copeland,
observing with LdR's 72" on 3 Apr 1872, notes "south following these
nebulae [NGC 4061, 4065 and 4072] are two others, F, L, R, glbM and eF, L, R,
lbM, pos 47.6°, Dist 133.6".
The last pair refers to NGC 4076 and
******************************
NGC 4077 = NGC
4140 = UGC 7063 = MCG +00-31-031 = CGCG 013-063 = PGC 38218
12 04 38.0 +01
47 16
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly faint, oval ~N-S.
A mag 14 star is attached at the north end. Forms a pair with NGC 4139 = IC 2989 1.3' NW. Located 7.5' NNE of NGC 4073 in a
group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4077 = H III-258 = h1076 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted
"vF, vS." CH added the
noted "goes in the same field with preceding [NGC 4073]
conveniently." JH made a single observation, logging "F; R; bM;
20"; the sf of two {with NGC 4073]."
Heinrich
d'Arrest independently found this galaxy, as well as NGC 4139, on 10 Apr 1863,
but his RA was exactly 5 min too large, and Dreyer recatalogued it as NGC
4140. So, NGC 4077 = NGC 4140. NGC 4077 was found again by David Todd
15 years later (5 Jan 1878) during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and
reported as object #16a and #14a .
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 04 47.6 +10
35 44
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 18d
17.5"
(1/23/88): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core. Located in a group with
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4078 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on two nights, matches
The UGC notes
misidentifies NGC 4083 as NGC 4078.
******************************
12 04 49.9 -02
22 57
V = 12.4; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 125d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, fairly small, diffuse, slightly elongated NW-SE, even surface
brightness. A mag 13 star is off
the NW end 1.7' from center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4079 = h1077 on 15 Apr 1828 and recorded "not vF; L; R;
40"; has a * 10m, 60" north." His position is accurate.
******************************
12 04 51.8 +26
59 33
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 122d
18"
(3/30/05): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.4'. The core appears to be offset SE of
center as the galaxy appears to extend to the NW of this spot.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4080 = H III-355 = h1078 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"vF, pmE, S." His
position matches
******************************
12 04 33.7 +64
26 13
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 135d
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.5'. A nice evenly matched mag 10 double
star (STI 739) is 4.7' NW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4081 = Sw I-20 on 18 Jun 1884 and recorded "F; S; vE; D *
nr; preceding nearest bright star east 20 sec." His position is 18 tsec E and 1' N of
******************************
NGC 4082 = MCG
+02-31-026 = CGCG 069-046 = Holm 324b = WBL 375-004 = PGC 38274
12 05 11.4 +10
40 14
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 80d
17.5"
(1/23/88): extremely faint, very small, round. Forms a faint pair with NGC 4083 3.7' SSE within the NGC
4067 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4082 = m 232 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, lE,
lbM."
******************************
NGC 4083 = MCG
+02-31-024 = CGCG 069-044 = Holm 324c = WBL 375-002 = PGC 38275
12 05 14.0 +10
36 47
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.7'; PA = 45d
17.5"
(1/23/88): very faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Located 2.2' NNW of a mag 10.5
star. Forms a faint pair with NGC
4082 3.7' NNW. Located within the
NGC 4067 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4083 = m 233 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS."
******************************
12 05 15.3 +21
12 52
V = 14.4; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, very small, round, bright core, faint stellar
nucleus. Located less than 1°
north of the NGC 4065 cluster.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4084 on 26 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on two nights, matches
******************************
12 05 22.9 +50
21 12
V = 12.4; Size 2.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 78d
17.5"
(4/13/91): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 WSW-ENE,
2.5'x0.6', weak concentration.
Forms an isosceles triangle with mag 7.6
8"
(3/28/81): faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE. Two mag 8 stars are in the field to the SE and SW. Located 11' SSW of NGC 4088.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4085 = H I-224 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded "pB,
mE, the brightness confined to a small point." His position is poor - about 6' too far southeast. d'Arrest found it on 4 Dec 1861 but his
position was nearly 3' too far south (he suspected it was identical to H
I-224. JH still assigned two
numbers in the GC, but Dreyer combined the two GC designations in the NGC. d'Arrest later made two accurate
measurements of NGC 4085
******************************
12 05 29.3 +20
14 49
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 85d
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located 13' E of NGC 4076. Forms a pair with NGC 4090 3.9' N
within the NGC 4065 cluster.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4086, along with NGC 4090, on 2 May 1864 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is a fairly good match with
******************************
12 05 35.3 -26
31 21
V = 12.1; Size 2.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 39d
18"
(4/29/06): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, small bright
core. A mag 10 star 5' SSW has two
faint companions (RST 2777); a close mag 13 star at 1.8" and a wider
12" companion. I'm surprised
that neither Herschels mentioned this interesting unequal triple. Several brighter stars are scattered in
the field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4087 = H III-754 = h3375 on 24 Feb 1789 (sweep 911) and logged
"Suspected, eF, too low to be verified, but I have not much doubt."
JH made a single observation from the Cape of Good Hope and recorded "pB;
R; gbM." Lewis Swift found it
on 11 Apr 1898 and reported it as new in his list XI-132. His position and description matches,
though he didn't notice the earlier discovery. Howe reported on Sw XI-132, "this must be identical
with 4087, since both are pretty bright, and their places agree within three
seconds in right ascension and 1' in declination."
******************************
NGC 4088 = Arp
18 = VV 357 = UGC 7081 = MCG +09-20-089 = CGCG 269-033 = Holm 326a = LGG
258-010 = PGC 38302
12 05 34.1 +50
32 23
V = 10.6; Size 5.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 43d
48"
(4/4/11): this is a showpiece spiral in the 48-inch with the startling eyepiece
view matching the detail in the DSS image. The galaxy extended 5.5'x2.0' SW-NE. Near the center is an elongated,
extremely bright core. The very
bright central portion extends from the core in a roughly 2'x0.5' region
towards the southwest but is concave a bit, bending slightly towards the
south. This feature appears
similar to a slightly distorted central bar. Just south of this central bar is a dust lane extending SW
to NE that parallels the bar, though it is more contrasty to the northeast of
the core.
The dust lane
separates the bright bar feature from a very long arm that extends the entire
length of the galaxy along the south side and vaguely emerges from the
southwest end of the bar. This arm
is clumpy with a couple of large, bright knots to the south of the core and another
prominent knot towards the east end of the galaxy (1.7' NE of the core). Beyond this knot the arm quickly dims,
fans out a bit and bends to the north towards a mag 13.5 star.
Emerging from
the northeast end of the core is a second prominent arm that immediately
doubles back towards the southwest on the north side. This arm nearly parallels the central bar to the north and
is separated by a less contrasty darker strip or lane. This clumpy arm contains a fairly
prominent knot only 0.6' NW of the core.
After this point the arm dims dramatically continuing a bit further
southwest. The two main arms,
along with the central bar create a squashed irregular "Z"
appearance.
18"
(3/13/10): using 280x this striking, irregular spiral extends 5:2 SW-NE, rougly
5'x2'. The surface is noticeably
mottled and clumpy with a dark patch or dust lane that extends to the south of
the core with a weaker darkening to the north of the core. At the northeast end of the galaxy, a
portion of what appears to be a spiral arm emerges from the main body and bends
to the north. A corresponding
feature on the SW end of the galaxy, bending south, is much more subtle.
18"
(5/3/08): at 280x appeared very bright, large, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 4.5'x1.8',
contains a bright elongated core.
The galaxy is very asymmetric, with an unusually mottled or clumpy
appearance and an irregular outline.
At the NE end is a faint extension (this is a disrupted arm on the DSS)
that juts out or dangles from the NE end of the main body and hooks slightly
towards a mag 13.5 star located 3.7' NE of center. A more subtle irregular
extension is at the SW end. Just
east of the north side of the core the surface brightness drops, either due to
a dust lane or large dust patch on the east side of the core and then brightens
a bit again just following the dust patch. NGC 4085 lies 11' SSW.
17.5"
(4/13/91): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 5.0'x2.0', mottled patchy
appearance, small elongated brighter core but no nucleus. A mag 15 star is 2' off the NW side. Faint spiral structure is visible with
concentration. An extremely faint
arm is off the NE end curving towards a mag 14.5 star to the NE 3.7' from
center and a second extremely faint arm is just visible off the SW end curving
to the south. Forms a pair with
NGC 4085 11' SSW.
8"
(3/28/81): fairly bright, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration,
cigar-shaped. Forms a pair with
NGC 4085 11' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4088 = H I-206 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged "cF, E,
about 4' long." His summary
description from 3 observations reads "cB, E, 45° np sf, 6' long, 4' br,
almost equally bright."
Sir Robert Ball,
observing assistant at Birr Castle on 28 Mar 1867, recorded "vB, vL, E
53.5°. A new spiral with probably
many details of interest, of an S shape.
THere is certainly a brighter portion sf the nucleus with a dark lane
between them. Likewise, a similar
brightness np the nucleus. I
thought the darkness did not extend all round the centre. There can be little doubt of the curved
branch following, it seems to proceed in the direction of a star nf."
******************************
12 05 37.5 +20
33 21
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core, faint stellar
nucleus. Forms a very close pair with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4089, along with
******************************
NGC 4090 = UGC
7077 = MCG +04-29-015 = CGCG 128-019 = IC 2997 = PGC 38288
12 05 27.9 +20
18 32
V = 13.9; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 38d
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, almost round, diffuse, fairly small. A mag 14 star is 1.1' SE of
center. Located 3.7' N of NGC 4086
within the NGC 4065 cluster.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4090, along with NGC 4086, on 2 May 1864. He mentioned this galaxy in his
description for NGC 4086 as 3' to the north but his position is 10 sec of RA
too large and 1.3' too far south.
He notes a mag 13 star 1.1' southeast, as mag 15-16 at 60"
distance, so the identification is certain despite the poor position.
******************************
NGC 4091 = UGC
7083 = MCG +04-29-019 = CGCG 128-022 = PGC 38308
12 05 40.1 +20
33 21
V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 43d
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, elongated SW-NE. A mag 13.5 star is 1.0' S. Forms a very close pair with NGC 4089 37" W of center
and the second of six in the field within the NGC 4065 cluster.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4091, along with NGC 4089, on 2 May 1864 and described
a double nebula separated by 3 sec in RA.
His mean position from 4 nights matches
******************************
12 05 50.2 +20
28 38
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 11.5 star is close NW 0.9' from
center. This galaxy is the third
of six in the field with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4092 = H III-382, along with
Heinrich
d'Arrest measured an accurate position for
******************************
NGC 4093 = MCG
+04-29-021 = CGCG 128-024= PGC 38323
12 05 51.4 +20
31 18
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.7'
17.5"
(5/14/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is close off the NW edge
1.1' from center. Fourth of six in
the field within the NGC 4065 cluster.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4093 on 4 May 1864. Two nights earlier he discovered the pair NGC 4089 and
4091. His position, measured on 3
nights,
In his 1912
revision of WH's catalogues, Dreyer suggests H III-382 is NGC 4093. But more likely WH picked up NGC 4092,
which is brighter.
******************************
12 05 54.0 -14
31 35
V = 11.8; Size 4.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 63d
18"
(3/19/04): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated at least 5:2 SW-NE, 2.2'x0.8,
fairly low even surface brightness.
The NE end of the galaxy points between a mag 10.5 star just following
(2.2' E of center) and a mag 11 star close north (1.7' from center).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4094 = h3376 on 7 May 1836 and recorded "eF; L; pmE;
vgbM. The direction of elongation
points between two stars 11m; very near, and nf the centre." His position and description matches MCG
-02-31-016 = PGC 38346.
******************************
NGC 4095 = MCG
+04-29-022 = CGCG 128-025 = PGC 38324
12 05 54.3 +20
34 22
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 14 star is 1.0' E. Fifth of six in the field within the
NGC 4065 cluster with NGC 4098 3.1' NE.
Located between NGC 4093 and NGC 4098.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4095 = H III-383 = h1079, along with NGC 4092 and 4098, on 26
Apr 1785 (sweep 402) and recorded "Three, the time is that of the last
[NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The
other two which are south-preceding are much fainter and smaller." His position is 11 tsec east and 2.5'
north of NGC 4098 = UGC 7093. The
"other two" are likely NGC 4095 = CGCG 128-025 and NGC 4092 = UGC
7087, the next two brighter galaxies in the group. JH's position is less than 1' too far north and d'Arrest
measured a very accurate position.
******************************
12 06 01.0 +47
28 41
V = 10.8; Size 6.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 20d
17.5"
(4/7/89): bright, very large, almost edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, sharp concentration
with a very small bright core embedded within the long extensions. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest
member
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4096 = H I-207 = h1081 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and reported
"cF, mE about 4' long from sp to nf but nearer the meridian." On 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) he recorded "cB;
mE; 6 or 7' long, from sp to nf, about 70°." In his 1811 PT paper, WH commented "it seems to join to
imperceptible nebulosity on the south preceding side." The galaxy does
extend further out and more gradually fade on the southwest side. JH called it "B; vL; mE in pos
32°; seen through much fog."
His position is accurate.
******************************
12 06 02.5 +36
51 49
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 98d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, small, round, 0.5' diameter, very small brighter core,
occasional faint stellar nucleus.
Located 1.6' NNE of a mag 11.4 star, close to the UMa/CVn border.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4097 = H III-400 = h1080 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded
"eF, vS, suspected, stellar; about 1 1/2' north of a small
star." His position and
description of the nearby star points to
******************************
NGC 4098 = NGC
4099: = VV 61 = UGC 7093 = MCG +04-29-023/24 = CGCG 128-026 = PGC 38365
12 06 03.6 +20
36 28
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core. Last and brightest of six in the field
within the NGC 4065 cluster.
Appears slightly brighter than NGC 4092 8.4' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4098 = H III-384 = h1082, along with NGC 4092 and 4095, on 26
Apr 1785 and recorded "Three, the time is that of the last [NGC 4098],
which is vF and S. The other two
which are south-preceding are much fainter and smaller." His position is poor, 11 tsec east and
2.5' north of NGC 4098 = UGC 7093.
On 27 Dec 1786 (sweep 671) he recorded "Two, the place is that of
the most north [NGC 4098], which is the largest. Both vF."
This time his position was just 6 sec of RA west of NGC 4098. The second object was either NGC 4095
or NGC 4092. JH measured an
accurate position for h1082 = NGC 4098, though mistakenly called this object
III-383.
******************************
12 06 03.6 +20
36 28
See observing
notes for NGC 4098.
William Herschel
found NGC 4099 on 26 Apr 1785 (sweep 402), recording three nebulae described as
"Three, time is that of the last [NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The other two [probably NGC 4092 and
4095] which are south preceding are much fainter and smaller." JH was confused trying to match his
father's three objects with the two he observed and those discovered by
d'Arrest. He attributed the
discovery of NGC 4092 to d'Arrest (instead of WH) and assigned III-384
separately to GC 2714 (later NGC 4099).
But III-384 applies to NGC 4098 = h1082 and Dreyer suggests in his 1912
update of WH's catalogues that NGC 4099 "is probably
superfluous". Since this
number is a duplicate of one of WH's discovered, I've arbitrarily equated it
with NGC 4098 here.
******************************
12 06 08.4 +49
34 59
V = 11.2; Size 5.4'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 167d
17.5"
(5/2/92): bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 4.0'x1.5', large
brighter core, faint stellar nucleus.
The northern extension appears slightly brighter. Mag 8.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4100 = H III-717 = h1084 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged
cF, mE about 5' long near the meridian [N-S], about a little sf." CH's reduction is 1.3' northeast of
center. JH made two observations,
recording on sweep 329 "pB; vL; mE in pos 166.5°; 3' long, 1' broad,
vgvlbM. This cannot be either [NGC
4088] nor [NGC 4096], as neither of these agrees in its angles of
position."
******************************
12 06 10.6 +25
33 25
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', weak even concentration
to the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4101 = H III-326 = h1083 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded
"eF, vS. 240 verified it with
great difficulty. It was in the
field I gaged, otherwise I should certainly have overlooked it." JH made two observations and his mean
position is a good match with
******************************
NGC 4102 = UGC
7096 = MCG +09-20-094 = CGCG 269-036 = LGG 258-041 = PGC 38392
12 06 23.0 +52
42 40
V = 11.2; Size 3.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 38d
48"
(4/20/17): at 488x; fascinating galaxy with unusual structure. Overall, NGC 4102 is very bright,
large, elongated at least 2:1 SSW-NNE, ~2.5'x1.1', very sharply concentrated
with a small, intensely bright nucleus surrounded by a bright oval core SW-NE
with a bar-like enhancement. Just
outside the core the surface brightness drops significantly forming a darker
[dusty] annulus. Surrounding
this is a bright, thick, mottled ring oriented NNW-SSE (slightly offset in
orientation from the core). A
brighter knot (
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 SW-NE, small very bright
core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5
star is at the west end 48" from the center!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4102 = H I-225 = h1085 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and noted
"pB, pL." JH recorded
"B; R; psbM; has a * 12m 35" sp, very near the edge." and
measured an accurate position.
George Stoney or
Ld R, observing on 13 Apr 1852, noted "I suspect a dark curved passage
south of center, probably a new spiral." Four years later R.J. Mitchell confirmed "I have little
doubt this is a spiral" and he made two diagrams of the arm arrangement.
******************************
12 06 40 -61 15
00
Size 7'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~60 stars mag 9.5-13 are resolved in a 8'
region including roughly ten mag 10 stars. The cluster has a very interesting asymmetric arrangement
with a perfect 5' string of five stars extending out of the cluster to the
WSW. Two other short strings on
the following end meet up and make a perfect arrow asterism. Located 12' ESE of mag 6.6
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4103 = D 291 = h3377 on 30 Apr 1826 and recorded "a cluster
of small stars of mixt magnitudes, irregular figure, about 6' long and 4'
broad." His position was 12'
too far west.
JH observed the
cluster on 3 sweeps. On 14 Mar
1834 he logged "middle of a rich, large, irregularly round cluster; poor
VI or rich VII, stars 10..14 mag; diam 5' with stragglers." His second observation was made under
poor conditions: "cluster of stars class VII, pretty rich and compact,
stars 10..12 mag, and nearly equal; diameter 5'; the whole field is in a state
of wavy fluctuation, owing to the SE wind, and so bad that each star is dilated
into a large puff ball." The final sweep was recorded as "A 10th mag
star in centre of a pretty rich close cluster; 5' diameter; irregularly round;
stars 10..13 mag."
******************************
12 06 38.9 +28
10 26
V = 12.1; Size 2.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 35d
17.5"
(3/20/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.8'x1.2',
broad concentration. Forms a close
pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4104 = H II-370 = h1086 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"pB, cL, mb towards the nf side." His position (CH's reduction) is 20 sec of time too far
west. JH made a total of 6
observations, so pinned down the position.
******************************
12 06 40.7 -29
45 38
V = 10.7; Size 2.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 151d
18"
(5/28/06): western member of a close, moderately bright pair with
8"
(5/21/82): elongated glow resolves into NGC 4105 and NGC 4106 just
following. NGC 4105 is slightly
brighter and larger but appears faint, small and round.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4105 = H II-865 = h3378, along with NGC 4106, on 7 Mar 1791
(sweep 998) and logged "Two, within a minute of two of each other. Both F, S, R, bM. Nearly in the same parallel." JH made two observations, recording on
sweep 452 "The first of a double nebula (pos 111.2° by means of 2
measures), B; R; pL; psbM; r; 25"."
******************************
NGC 4106 = ESO
440-056 = MCG -05-29-014 = PGC 38417
12 06 45.3 -29
46 06
V = 11.4; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 77d
18"
(5/28/06): eastern member of a close, striking pair with slightly brighter NGC
4106 just 1.1' west. Appears
moderately bright, round, ~40" diameter, well concentrated with a bright,
prominent core. The halo is fairly
faint and increases in size with averted vision to ~55" diameter. This galaxy is slightly smaller with a
less condensed core than NGC 4106.
8"
(5/21/82): faint, small, round.
This is a close companion to NGC 4105 and is the slightly fainter and
smaller of the pair.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4106 = H II-866 = h3379, along with NGC 4105, on 7 Mar 1791
(sweep 998). JH made two
observations, recording on sweep 452 "The 2nd of a double nebula, B; R;
pL; psbM; r; 25"."
******************************
12 04 47.6 +10
35 44
See observing
notes for NGC 4078.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4107 on 17 Apr 1863 and described (loosely translated)
a "very small, slightly elongated planetary, a mag 10-11 star follows by
30.2 seconds of time and 1' south."
There is nothing at his position but Harold Corwin found that exactly
two min of RA west is NGC 4078, which has a star at his required offset. d'Arrest recorded the galaxy again on
23 Mar 1865 (and just two days later by Albert Marth) at the correct position
and it was also catalogued NGC 4078. So, NGC 4107 = NGC 4078.
In the
******************************
12 06 44.6 +67
09 47
V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 105d
17.5"
(3/29/89): brightest in a quartet with
NGC 4108A
appeared very faint, small, elongated N-S and
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4108 = h1087 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "B; R; gbM;
20"; first class". His
single position matches
******************************
12 06 51.1 +42
59 44
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'
24"
(5/30/16): fairly faint, fairly small, roundish, 20" diameter, broad weak
concentration. Forms a close pair
with
LEDA 2210701
appeared extremely faint and small, ~6" diameter. Once acquired, I could hold it nearly
50% of the time, despite a very low SDSS magnitude (V ~16.0). The redshift of z = .086 implies a
light-travel time of 1.1 billion years!
UGC 7094 is very
faint, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.25', very low surface brightness with no
noticeable concentration.
13.1"
(4/12/86): very faint, small, round.
Forms a pair with
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4109 on 21 Apr 1851 with LdR's 72" and simply noted,
"the first [NGC 4109] is vF and 6' ssp the second [NGC 4111], which is vB
and mE. A double star is 5' nf,
whose smaller component is blue."
Although mentioned in the 1861 publication, JH did not include this
galaxy in the GC, but Dreyer added it to the GC Supplement (GCS 5618).
******************************
12 07 03.5 +18
31 54
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 128d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.5', low fairly even
surface brightness. A nice mag
12/13 double lies 5.5' S [separation 14"]. Globular cluster
William Rambaut
(Lord Rosse's first observing assistant) discovered NGC 4110 on 1 April 1848
while observing globular cluster NGC 4147. It was described as "a
small nebula, RA 3 min less than that of [NGC 4147]." Nearly 30
years later it was observed again and placed 3 min, 3.5 sec preceding and
35" south of NGC 4147. This is the first galaxy discovered at Birr
Castle and one of only three discoveries by Lord Rosse!
******************************
NGC 4111 = UGC
7103 = MCG +07-25-026 = CGCG 215-028 = Holm 333a = WBL 380-003 = PGC 38440
12 07 02.6 +43
04 01
V = 10.7; Size 4.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 150d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; very bright, beautiful edge-on ~7:1 NNW-SSE,
3.5'x0.5'. Sharply concentrated
with a small very bright elongated core, with an unusually bright quasi-stellar
nucleus. An extremely faint star
or stellar knot was suspected near the southeast end. A very wide unequal pair (HJ 2596) with a orange mag 8.1
primary lies 3.7' NE.
NGC 4111 is the
brightest in a group containing NGC 4109 4.8' SSW, NGC 4117 8.6' NE,
18"
(5/14/07): this striking edge-on is extends 6:1 NNW-SSE, ~3.5'x0.6'. Dominated by a small, sharply
concentrated, intense core. The
core is only 24"x15" and brightens somewhat to the center. The eastern flank possibly has a
sharper edge, but no dust lane was visible. Located 4' SW of a wide double star (8.2/10.7 at 34").
18"
(6/4/05): fairly bright, fairly large, excellent edge-on at least 6:1
NW-SE. Sharply concentrated with a
very bright 20" core that increases to the center. The extensions are very thin, ~3'x0.4',
with a slightly bulging core. A
wide double star (8.2/10.7 at 34") to the northeast is collinear with the
core.
17.5":
fairly bright, fairly large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, small very bright core, long
thin extensions. A double star
with components mag 8.2/10.7 at 34" separation lies 3.8' NE. Brightest in a group with NGC 4109 4.8'
SW and NGC 4117 8.7' WSW.
13"
(4/12/86): fairly bright, pretty edge-on, small very bright core, faint thin
arms. Located 5' SW of a mag 8
star. In a group with NGC 4109 5'
SSW and NGC 4117 8.5' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4111 = H I-195 = h1088 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded
"E sp nf, vBN with faint branches.
His position and description matches
******************************
12 07 09 -40 12
24
V = 12.0; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 5d
18"
(5/15/10): at 175x, this southern galaxy appeared fairly faint (view diminished
by low elevation), fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~45"x30", broad
concentration. Located just north
of a group of 3 stars with the closer two (1' S and 1.5' S) collinear with the
major axis of the galaxy and mag 9.25
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4112 = h3380 on 2 Mar 1835 and recorded "F; S; R; at the
end (or forming the continuation of an arc of 3 stars respectively, in order 8,
9 and 10m."
******************************
12 07 08.5 +32
59 46
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4113 = h1089 on 3 Apr 1831 and simply noted as
"eF". There is nothing
at his position but Harold Corwin found that exactly one degree north is NGC
4122, which JH found earlier on 29 Apr 1827, but also with a poor
position! So, likely NGC 4113 =
NGC 4122.
******************************
NGC 4114 = MCG
-02-31-018 = PGC 38460
12 07 12.3 -14
11 08
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 135d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a small,
prominent core which increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus. The low surface
brightness halo requires averted to view.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4114 = H III-533 = h3381 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded
"vF, S, iF. Time uncertain to
5 or 6 seconds." JH noted
"F; S; R: gbM; 15"." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 07 09.6 +14
24 24
=*?, Gottlieb.
Not found, RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4115 = h1090 on 3 Apr 1826 and simply noted "a suspected
neb. Extremely faint." There are no galaxies near his
position, though a mag 14.8 star is 30" away. So, either this number is lost or perhaps refers to this
faint star. See Harold Corwin's
notes.
******************************
12 07 37.2 +02
41 29
V = 12.0; Size 3.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 155d
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated NNW-SSE. Appears brighter along the major axis.
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4116 on 6 Mar 1851 using LdR's 72" and noted "another
also E and vF, about 18' south-preceding [NGC 4123]." The actual separation is 14', but the
identification NGC 4116 = UGC 7111 is certain. On 18 Apr 1855, NGC 4116 was sketched "U" shaped
(open at one end) with the comment "a wedge-shaped division running
downwards?" Christian Peters
measured an accurate position and noted "RA and NPD in the GC [JH's
estimated position] not good."
******************************
NGC 4117 = UGC
7112 = MCG +07-25-027 = CGCG 215-029 = Holm 334a = LGG 269-018 = PGC 38503
12 07 46.1 +43
07 35
V = 13.0; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 18d
24"
(5/30/16): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1
SSW-NNE, 0.9'x0.3', well concentrated with a small bright elongated core with
faint extensions. Forms a pair
with NGC 4118 1.8' SE. NGC 4111,
the brightest member in a group, lies 8.6' SW and orange mag 8.1
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Forms a close pair with faint NGC 4118
1.6' SE and NGC 4111 lies 8.5' WSW.
The double star h2596 = 8.2/10.7 at 34" is 5' WSW.
13"
(4/12/86): fairly faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, broadly concentrated. Located on the opposite side of a mag 8
star from NGC 4111.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4117 = H III-708 = h1091 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and logged
vF, vS. The foregoing nebula [NGC
4111], 2 stars [HJ 2598] and this are in a line from sp to nf."
******************************
NGC 4118 = MCG
+07-25-028 = CGCG 215-030 = Holm 334b = PGC 38507
12 07 52.8 +43
06 41
V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; very faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE,
~14"x10". Located just
1.5' SE of NGC 4117. Member of the
NGC 4111 group.
17.5":
extremely faint, very small, requires averted to glimpse. Forms a close pair with much brighter
NGC 4117 1.6' NW.
13": not
seen.
R.J. Mitchell discovered
NGC 4118 on 20 Apr 1857 using LdR's 72". He noted "about 60" or 70" sff [of NGC 4117]
is an eF nebulous knot which I at first took for a star." The 1880 publication includes a sketch
and this object is labeled "delta". Dreyer credited Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse,
with the discovery.
******************************
12 08 09.7 +10
22 43
See observing
notes for
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4119 = H II-14 on 18 Jan 1784 (only object in short sweep 85)
and recorded "a nebula of a longish figure, not cometic; probably it
consists of stars." There is nothing at his position (using 59 Vir as the
reference star) and the galaxy could not be recovered by Bigourdan, Reinmuth or
Frost (Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1).
According to
Harold Corwin, NGC 4119 is likely another observation of NGC 4124 as originally
suggested by Dreyer in his 1912 revision of Herschel's catalogues: "WH's
final position is just 50 arcmin south of NGC 4124, and there are no other
bright galaxies nearby that he might have picked up."
******************************
12 08 31.4 +69
32 35
V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 166d
17.5"
(3/29/89): very faint, thin, very elongated NNW-SSE. A mag 15 star is at the south end 0.5' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4120 = H III-904 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "eF,
vS, E from north to south."
CH's reduced position is 33 sec of RA west and 2.5' north of
******************************
12 07 56.5 +65
06 50
V = 13.5; Size 0.5'x0.45'
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint but very small, round, stellar nucleus surrounded by a
small round halo. Forms a pair
with bright galaxy
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4121 on 9 Sep 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on 3 nights, matches
******************************
NGC 4122 = NGC
4113 = MCG +06-27-011 = CGCG 187-009 = PGC 38451
12 07 08.5 +32
59 46
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 55d
17.5"
(2/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located at the NW edge of Coma
Berenices border.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4122 = h1093 on 29 Apr 1827 and recorded "eF; vS; R;
mbM." There is nothing near
his position, though 1.1 min of RA west is
******************************
NGC 4123 = UGC
7116 = MCG +01-31-023 = CGCG 041-042 = Mrk 1466 = PGC 38531
12 08 11.2 +02
52 41
V = 11.4; Size 4.4'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 135d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 3'x2', small
bright core. NGC 4116 lies 14.1'
SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4123 = H V-4 = h1092 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded
"vF, of a considerable extent, being about 5 or 6' diameter. To the north of the nebula at a
distance of about 15' or more is a bright triangle of stars, the base where of
is towards the nebula." His
position and description matches
R.J. Mitchell,
observing on 29 Mar 1856 at Birr Castle, noted "the n one [NGC 4123] is
however a spiral like an "S", the arms being faint."
******************************
NGC 4124 = NGC
4119: = UGC 7117 = MCG +02-31-036 = CGCG 069-058 = IC 3011 = PGC 38527
12 08 09.7 +10
22 43
V = 11.3; Size 4.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 114d
17.5"
(5/14/88): bright, fairly large, elongated WNW-ESE, bright elongated core.
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly bright, moderately large, attractive system, very elongated
3:1 WNW-ESE, elongated large bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4124 = H I-33 = H II-60 = h1094 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and
logged II-60 as "F, S, r."
CH's reduced position is 2' northeast of
William Herschel
probably first discovered this galaxy on 18 Jan 1784 and listed as II-14 = NGC
4119. See notes on this number.
Finally Schwassmann's Sn. 124 = IC 3011, found on a Heidelberg plate on 23 Feb
1900 is an exact match. So, NGC
3124 = NGC 4119 = IC 3011.
******************************
NGC 4125 = UGC
7118 = MCG +11-15-027 = CGCG 315-019 = Holm 335a = PGC 38524
12 08 05.7 +65
10 24
V = 9.7; Size 5.8'x3.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 95d
17.5"
(3/20/93): bright, moderately large, very elongated almost 4:1 E-W,
2.5'x0.7'. A very bright elongated
core and nearly stellar nucleus dominates the galaxy with much fainter
extensions but overall the surface brightness is high. A mag 10 star is 2.4' ESE of
center. Forms a pair with NGC 4121
3.6' SW.
John Russell
Hind discovered NGC 4125 = Au 28 on 5 Jan 1850 with a 7-inch Dolland refractor
at George Bishop's private observatory in London and noted "tolerably
bright, but small." This was
the second deep sky object he discovered after
******************************
12 08 37.4 +16
08 34
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d
17.5"
(5/11/02): faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.6'x0.5', weak even
concentration to a faint, stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star lies 2' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4126 = H III-68 = h1095 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"Two vS stars very near each other with suspected nebulosity between them. 240x left it doubtful." CH's reduced position is 23 sec of RA
east of
******************************
12 08 26.3 +76
48 15
V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140d
17.5"
(5/2/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, broad mild
concentration. A mag 14.5 star is
at the east end and second mag 14 star is close east. Forms the east vertex of an isosceles triangle with mag 5.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4127 = H I-279 = h1096 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted
"pB, cL, irr E, bM." His
RA is either 45 sec too large, or perhaps he reversed the polar distance of
this object and
******************************
12 08 32.4 +68
46 04
V = 12.0; Size 2.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 58d
17.5"
(3/20/93): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 WSW-ENE,
1.5'x0.4'. Contains a very bright
core and almost stellar nucleus that dominates the much fainter extensions.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4128 = H I-263 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "cB,
lE." CH's reduced position is
2' north of
******************************
12 08 53.3 -09
02 12
V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 95d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, weakly
concentrated. A mag 13 star is
3.0' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4129 = H II-548 = h1097 = h3382 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and
recorded "F, pL, mE from np to sf, not far from the parallel." JH made two observations at Slough and
once at the Cape of Good Hope. On sweep 136 he noted "F; vgbM; E in
parallel; 30" l, 20" br."
******************************
NGC 4130 = NGC
4129 = MCG -01-31-006 = PGC 38580
12 08 53.3 -09
02 12
See observing
notes for NGC 4129.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4130 on 15 Mar 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His description
mentions a mag 13 star precedes by 21.7 seconds of time, but there is nothing
at his position. Harold Corwin
found his description fits NGC 4129, which is located exactly 5° south of
d'Arrest's position, and a mag 13 star is exactly 21 sec of time west! So, NGC 4130 = NGC 4129.
******************************
12 08 47.3 +29
18 17
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 73d
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, small, fairly high surface brightness, elongated 2:1
~E-W, small prominent core, stellar nucleus. Located 4.0' NE of a mag 10.5 star. First of three on a line and second
brightest with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4131 = H III-356 = h1098, along with NGC 4132 and 4134 on 11 Apr
1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number
belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay
to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure.
The other two are vF, S, mE."
******************************
NGC 4132 = MCG
+05-29-020 = CGCG 158-030 = Holm 339a = WBL 382-002 = PGC 38593
12 09 01.4 +29
15 01
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 20d
17.5"
(3/20/93): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, small brighter
core. Second and faintest of three
with NGC 4134 4.5' SSE and NGC 4131 4' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4132 = H III-357 = h1099, along with NGC 4131 and 4134, on 11
Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number
belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay
to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure.
The other two [NGC 4131 and NGC 4132] are vF, S, mE." JH made three observations and his mean
position is a good match with this galaxy.
******************************
NGC 4133 = UGC
7127 = MCG +13-09-013 = CGCG 352-020 = PGC 38578
12 08 49.9 +74
54 15
V = 12.3; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 125d
17.5"
(5/2/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, irregular surface
brightness with one or two bright knots possibly including a substellar
nucleus. Forms the vertex of a
right angle with a mag 12 star 2.5' N and a mag 13 star 2.2' E of center. Located 18' NNW of mag 6.4
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4133 = H I-278 = h1100 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted
"cB, cL, iR, mbM." His
position matches
******************************
NGC 4134 = UGC
7130 = MCG +05-29-023 = CGCG 158-031 = Holm 339b = WBL 382-003 = PGC 38605
12 09 10.0 +29
10 37
V = 12.8; Size 2.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 150d
17.5"
(3/20/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, broad
concentration, NGC 4132 5' NNW.
Brightest and third of three spiral galaxies almost collinear in a NW-SE
direction!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4134 = H II-371 = h1101, along with NGC 4131 and 4132, on 11 Apr
1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number
belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay
to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure.
The other two [NGC 4131 and NGC 4132] are vF, S, mE." JH made three observations and measured
a fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 09 08.9 +44
00 12
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
17.5": very
faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Brighter of a pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 4135 = St XI-16, along with NGC 4137, on 4 May 1881. His
position is accurate.
******************************
12 09 17.7 +29
55 39
V = 11.0; Size 4.0'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.8
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, round, brighter core, stellar nucleus. NGC 4131/NGC 4132 pair lies 38' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4136 = H II-321 = h1108 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded
"pB, L, gbM." His
position matches
******************************
NGC 4137 = UGC
7135 = VV 454 = MCG +07-25-033 = CGCG 215-036 = PGC 38619
12 09 17.6 +44
05 26
V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 100d
17.5": very
faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, even surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4135 5.5' SSW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 4137 = St XI-17, along with NGC 4135, on 4 May 1881. His position is accurate.
******************************
12 09 29.9 +43
41 07
V = 11.3; Size 2.6'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, rises quickly
to a small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2.0' NNW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4138 = H I-196 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded "cB,
cL, vgbM, iF."
******************************
NGC 4139 = IC
2989 = MCG +00-31-030 = CGCG 013-061 = WBL 372-013 = PGC 38213
12 04 34.0 +01
48 05
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 30d
17.5"
(5/10/86): faint, very small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4077 just
1.3' NW in a group. Located 6.0'
SSE of NGC 4073. Listed as
"not found" in RNGC and identified as
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4139 = IC 2989 = PGC 38213, along with
David Todd
independently found this galaxy on 6 Jan 1878 during his search for a
trans-Neptunian planet and reported it as objects #16b and #14b. Finally Guilllaume Bigourdan found this
galaxy a third time on 29 Mar 1895, placed it correctly and Big. 287 became IC
2989. Both Dorothy Carlson and the
RNGC misclassify NGC 4139 as nonexistent.
CGCG labels this galaxy as IC 2989, though RC3 gives NGC 4139 as an
identity.
******************************
NGC 4140 = NGC
4077 = UGC 7063 = MCG +00-31-031 = CGCG 013-063 = PGC 38218
12 04 38.0 +01
47 16
See observing
notes for NGC 4077
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4140 on 10 Apr 1863, along with NGC 4139, which was
mentioned as 5 seconds of time preceding and somewhat north. There is nothing near his usually
accurate ring-micrometer position.
But Harold Corwin notes that exactly 5 minutes of RA west of d'Arrest's
position is the pair NGC 4077 and IC 2989, matching his description. So, NGC 4140 = NGC 4077 and NGC 4139 =
IC 2989. Dorothy Carlson classifies
NGC 4140 as nonexistent in her NGC corrections list and this is repeated in the
RNGC. Listed in my RNGC
Corrections #6.
******************************
12 09 47.3 +58
50 57
V = 14.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; PA = 75d
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, small, round, even surface brightness. Two mag 15 stars are 1' W and 1' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4141 = H III-795 = h1102 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted
"vF, S, r, iF." His RA
is 20 tsec too small. JH made a
single observation, logging "F; pL; lE; gbM; 40"." and his RA is
15 sec too small.
******************************
12 09 30.2 +53
06 18
V = 13.3; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 175d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.6', weak
concentration. Nearly collinear
with a wide pair of mag 11/13 stars ~4' SW.
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, moderately large, diffuse, weak concentration, oval ~N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4142 = H III-814 = h1103 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and logged
"vF, S, easily resolvable."
His position is accurate. JH made a single observation, noting
""vF; irreg fig; vglbM; twilight."
******************************
12 09 36.1 +42
32 03
V = 10.7; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 144d
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, very bright
core, stellar nucleus. Located
5.0' NE of mag 7.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4143 = H IV-54 = h1104 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and noted
"cB, Nucleus with faint chevelure (halo)." His position is just off the east side of this galaxy. JH logged "R; sbM to
nucleus."
******************************
12 09 58.5 +46
27 28
V = 11.6; Size 6.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 104d
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly bright, very large, edge-on 5:1 WNW-ESE, 5'x1', bright
core. Double star mag 13.5/13.5 at
8" separation is off the SE end 2.3' from center. Located between two mag 9 stars 8' N
(double) and
8": faint,
edge-on WNW-ESE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4144 = H II-747 = h1107 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded
"pB, E, about 3' long, from np to sf about 15 or 20°." JH made two observation, logging on
sweep 255 "F; vmE in pos 109° by meaure; vgvbM; 4' long, 30 or 40"
br."
******************************
12 10 01.6 +39
52 58
V = 11.3; Size 5.9'x4.3'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 100d
24"
(5/30/16): at 200x; fairly bright, very large, roughly oval 4:3 ~E-W, 4'x3', contains
a large brighter core and a noticeably patchy or irregular halo with a strong
impression of spiral structure.
Two arms were fairly confident; one extending east of the core on its
south side and another extending west of the core on its north side. Otherwise, it seemed like slightly
brighter HII patches in the low surface brightness halo were just resolving in
the outer halo. Located 9' due
west of mag 6.8
13.1"
(3/17/86): fairly faint, fairly large, very diffuse, weak broad concentration,
slightly elongated E-W. Located 9'
W of mag 6.9 SAO 44055, a distraction for the low surface brightness
galaxy.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4145 = H I-169 = h1105 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 717) and noted
"cB, cL." His position
is within the halo on the northwest side.
JH called it "pB; vL; dilute; vglbM."
******************************
12 10 18.3 +26
25 51
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(5/4/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Weak concentration in halo but direct
vision revealed a very small brighter core of ~10" (this is a Seyfert
galaxy). Located 22' ESE of mag
7.1
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4146 = H III-327 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "vF,
pS." CH's reduction is 13 sec
of time preceding
******************************
NGC 4147 = NGC
4153?
12 10 06.2 +18
32 32
V = 10.4; Size 4.4'; Surf Br = 0.1
48"
(4/22/17): NGC 4147, a class IX globular, was well resolved and impressive at
488x. It appeared very bright,
fairly large, large bright core.
Over 100 stars were resolved including a number of relatively bright
14.5-15.5 stars. The stellar
density increases significantly towards the center where a large number of
resolved stars are packed over a hazy, mottled background. The loose halo was well resolved and a
bit scraggly around the edges, which extended to ~5' diameter. The superthin galaxy
17.5"
(4/13/96): moderately bright, fairly small, irregular 2'-2.5' diameter, very
small bright core. A few faint
stars are resolved at 220x including one brighter star at the south edge. Appears on the verge of more extensive
resolution. At 280x, the halo
clearly has an irregular outline and several stars are resolved in extensions
or star lanes. The core is mottled
and intense but not resolved.
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 2.5' diameter. Approximately six faint stars are just
resolved around the edges of the halo including a single easy mag 14 star at
the SSW edge. The compact core is
mottled and clumpy but has no clean resolution. There is an impression of several star lanes in the halo
just below the limit of resolution.
A 2010 journal
article on the capture of globular clusters, mentions NGC 4147 may be
associated with SagDEG (in addition to Terzan 7, Terzan 8,
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4147 = H I-19 = h1106 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded
"a very brilliant nebula. Not
cometic. Brightest in the middle
but the brightness extends a good way towards the extremes; pS." His position is 20 sec of time too
large. The NGC position is
accurate (Engelhardt measured a micrometric position).
WH probably
discovered this globular a month earlier on 15 Feb 1784 (sweep 146) and
recorded it as I-11 = NGC 4153, but his position was poor (not unusual in his early
sweeps). See that number and
Harold Corwin's NGC identification notes.
******************************
12 10 08.0 +35
52 39
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165d
17.5":
faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1.4' SE and a mag 12
star 4' W.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4148 on 7 Feb 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
twice, matches
******************************
12 10 32.9 +58
18 14
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 87d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, small, thin edge-on WNW-ESE, weak concentration. This is a pretty system.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4149 = H II-802 = h1109 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted
"F, S, E." His position
is 3' northwest of
******************************
12 10 33.7 +30
24 06
V = 11.6; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 147d
17.5"
(4/15/93): fairly bright, moderately large, small very bright core, stellar
nucleus, faint halo extends NW-SE to 2.0'x1.3'. Located 6' E of mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4150 = H I-73 = h1110 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"vB, S." His position is
close off the southwest side of
******************************
NGC 4151 = UGC
7166 = MCG +07-25-044 = CGCG 215-045 = Holm 345a = WBL 383-001 = PGC 38739
12 10 31.4 +39
23 19
V = 10.8; Size 6.3'x4.5'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 50d
13.1"
(3/17/86): very bright, very small or stellar nucleus, fainter halo. A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' N and a closer
mag 13 star is 1.3' N of center.
Forms a optical pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4151 = H I-165 = h1111, along with NGC 4156, on 17 Mar 1787
(sweep 714) and recorded "vB, A bright nucleus, but the nucleus not in the
middle, or perhaps two joined together, the northern on having the
nucleus." CH's reduction is
on the northwest side of the halo.
On 26 April 1851
at Birr Castle, Bindon Stoney logged "Has a B, R centre with nucleus, then
two dark spaces concentric with the nucleus and outside these faint nebulosity
as in figure." Two night laters
he noted "Previous observation rather confirmed. The dark spaces certainly
exist, but I cannot be sure that appendages are not parts of spiral
branches." The following year
he wrote "Last year's observation confirmed as to dark curved spaces
preceding and following centre and faint nebulosity outside them again." A sketch was included in the 1861
publication (Plate XXVII, Fig. 20).
NGC 4151 is one
of the 6 galaxies studied by Seyfert in his seminal 1943 paper "Nuclear
Emission in Spiral Nebulae".
******************************
12 10 37.5 +16
01 59
V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 115d
17.5"
(4/25/98): moderately bright, round, ~1' diameter, moderately concentrated with
a brighter core ~20" in diameter.
Halo increases to nearly 1.5' diameter with averted vision. Transparency poor due to smoke.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4152 = H II-83 = h1112 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"F, pL, r." JH and
d'Arrest both observed and measured this galaxy four times.
******************************
12 10 06.2 +18
32 32
See observing
notes for NGC 4147. Identification
uncertain.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4153 = H I-11 on 15 Feb 1784 (sweep 146) and recorded "a B
nebula, not very large, however of some extent, it not R; the greatest
brightness lies towards the middle but is not circular. The whitishness of this nebula is of
the milky kind of the unresolveable nebula such as that of [
Harold Corwin
notes that Walter Scott Houston may have suggested in one his Deep Sky Wonders
columns that NGC 4133 might have been a comet, although offered no proof. See Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
NGC 4154 = NGC
4149 = UGC 7167 = MCG +10-17-155 = CGCG 292-076 = PGC 38741
12 10 32.9 +58
18 14
See observing
notes for NGC 4149.
William Herschel
rediscovered NGC 4154 = H III-845 on 18 Mar 1790 (sweep 951) and recorded
"vF, S, E in the parallel."
His offset from Delta UMa and description (elongated E-W) points to
within 1' of UGC 7167. He first
discovered this galaxy on 17 Apr 1789 and recorded it as II-802 (and later
became NGC 4149), but his position was 3' too far northwest. So, NGC 4154 = NGC 4149.
Interestingly,
Bigourdan was not able to recover this galaxy and using Heidelberg plates,
Reinmuth apparently was confused and noted "*12?; no neb seen; BD +59 1426
nff 3.7'." Because of
Reinmuth's description, Dorothy Carlson identifies NGC 4154 as a star in her
1940 NGC correction list and RNGC classifies NGC 4154 nonexistent. NGC 4154 is not equated with NGC 4149
in any major catalogue. See Harold
Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 10 45.7 +19
02 27
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 81d
17.5"
(5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, moderate
concentration to a small bright core.
Two mag 10 stars are 9'-10' SW near the edge of the 20' field. Located 31' NNE of gc NGC 4147.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4155 = Sw I-21 on 6 Apr 1885. Although his description
"vvF, vS" is not very helpful, his position is just 6 sec of RA east
and 1' south of
******************************
NGC 4156 =
"The Eye of Sauron" = UGC 7173 = MCG +07-25-045 = CGCG 215-047 = Holm
345b = WBL 383-003 = PGC 38773
12 10 49.5 +39
28 22
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5
13.1"
(3/17/86): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, possible faint stellar
nucleus. Forms a pair with
brighter NGC 4151 5.1' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4156 = H II-642 = h1113, along with NGC 4151, on 17 Mar 1787
(sweep 714) and noted "pB, S."
JH logged "vF; lE; vgbM."
******************************
12 11 04.9 +50
29 07
V = 11.3; Size 6.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 66d
17.5"
(5/2/92): bright, moderately large, edge-on 7:1 WSW-ENE, 5.0'x0.7', elongated
bright core, extensions taper at ends.
Located 4.3' SE of mag 8.0
8"
(3/28/81): faint, very elongated WSW-ENE, bright core. A mag 8 star is close NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4157 = H I-208 = h1114 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded
"F, mE from sp to nf, nearer the parallel, about 3' l and 3/4'
broad." JH made the single
observation "B; vmE; vglbM; 4' long." and d'Arrest measured the
position twice.
******************************
12 11 10.2 +20
10 32
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(5/14/88): moderately bright, fairly small, broad concentration, slightly
elongated ~E-W. A mag 11 star is
1.7' SE of center. Located 25' SW
of 5 Comae Berenices (V = 5.6).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4158 = H II-405 = h1115 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted
"F, S, lE. Preceding a pB
star." His position is 2'
south of
******************************
12 10 53.6 +76
07 34
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d
17.5"
(5/2/92): faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, low almost even surface
brightness. Two mag 13 stars are
1.4' ESE and 1.0' NE of center.
The galaxy is elongated in the direction of the star to the NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4159 = H III-941 = h1116 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and
recorded "vF, pS. It has two
stars nf making a triangle with it."
CH's reduced position is 1.7' southeast of
******************************
12 11 36 +43 45
=Not found,
RNGC.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4160 = Big 51 on 27 May 1886 and described "a
star 13.3m accompanied by a little nebulosty." There is nothing at his position (roughly midway between NGC
4138 and
******************************
12 11 33.3 +57
44 14
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 50d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, elongated SW-NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4161 = H II-803 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "F,
S." His re-reduced position with respect to Delta UMa on 18 Mar 1790
(sweep 951) matches
******************************
12 11 52.5 +24
07 25
V = 12.2; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 174d
17.5"
(5/11/02): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S,
~2'x1.3'. Weak concentration
except for a faint but distinct stellar nucleus (this is probably a
superimposed star). Located nearly
midway between a mag 10.5 star 2.6' SW and a mag 12 star 2.2' NE. A mag 14.5 star is 1' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4162 = H II-353 = h1117 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and recorded
"pB, cL, bM, irr." His
position matches
******************************
12 12 09.1 +36
10 09
V = 14.0; Size 1.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 15.1
17.5":
faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, very diffuse, weak concentration,
low surface brightness. Located
between mag 8.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4163 = H III-399 on 28 Apr 1785 (sweep 404) and noted "vF,
pL, R, r." His position is 10
sec of RA west of
******************************
12 12 05.4 +13
12 20
V = 14.7; Size 0.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.9
17.5"
(1/23/88): extremely faint, very small, round, only visible with averted
vision. Faintest in a trio and
located 3' SSW of
Willhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4164 = T I-37 (as well as paper V) and placed it 2.5' south of
d'Arrest's "nova" [NGC 4165]. He commented "but it is strange that he has not
seen the second companion", though I'm not surprised as this galaxy is
quite faint. Interesting, the LdR
observation of NGC 4168 on 17 Feb 1855 reads "vB, R, bM, 2 stars preceding." One of the "stars" preceding
must be NGC 4164, but it was seen as stellar.
This galaxy is
mentioned in the UGC notes for NGC 4168, but not identified as NGC 4164.
******************************
NGC 4165 = IC
3035 = UGC 7201 = MCG +02-31-045 = CGCG 069-078 = WBL 386-002 = PGC 38885
12 12 11.8 +13
14 47
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 160d
17.5"
(1/23/88): very faint, fairly small, round, slightly elongated, diffuse. Located 2.6' NW of NGC 4168 in a trio
with NGC 4164.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4165 on 8 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
1.4' too far southwest, unusually poor for his micrometric positions. He mentions that LdR (or assistant)
missed this nebula when he observed NGC 4168 in 1855.
Arnold
Schwassmann found this galaxy again on 16 Nov 1900 on a plate taken by Wolf
with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. He
measured an accurate position and reported Sn. 222 (later
******************************
12 12 09.6 +17
45 26
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 20d
17.5"
(5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, moderate
concentration to a very small brighter core. Very symmetrical appearance.
Willhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4166 = T IX-10 on 15 Mar 1885 with the 11-inch refractor at
Arcetri while searching for the periodic Comet 1867 II. Tempel's position is just 1' S of
******************************
NGC 4167 = NGC
4163 = UGC 7199 = MCG +06-27-026 = CGCG 187-020 = PGC 38881
12 12 09.1 +36
10 09
See observing
notes for NGC 4163
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4167 = h1118 on 11 Mar 1831 and recorded "F; pL; R; vgbM; a
double star south-preceding dist 10'.
The MS observation makes the polar distance decidedly 33'; but should it
be a mistake for 52', this nebula would be identical to [NGC 4163]." There is nothing at his position, but
30' south is NGC 4163, as he suspected, and 8.5' southwest of this galaxy is a
double star. So, NGC 4167 = NGC
4163. Reinmuth writes "no pL
neb with ** sp 10' found; NGC 4167 = NGC 4163? and Dorothy Carlson repeated
this equivalence in her 1940 monograph on NGC corrections.
******************************
NGC 4168 = UGC
7203 = MCG +02-31-046 = CGCG 069-081 = PGC 38890
12 12 17.2 +13
12 18
V = 11.2; Size 2.8'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(1/23/88): brightest of a trio with NGC 4164 2.9' W and NGC 4165 2.6' NW. Fairly bright, moderately large, bright
core, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4168 = H II-105 = h1119 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted
"pS but pB, roundish, resolvable, containing some stars
visible." CH's reduction is
4.7' southeast of
In the IC 2
Notes section, Dreyer mentioned "not found by Frost on plates of 4 hr
exposure", although this is a bright galaxy and the NGC position is
accurate.
******************************
12 12 18.8 +29
10 46
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 153d
48"
(4/20/17): extremely bright, moderately large, very elongated 5:2 NW-SE,
1.5'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated
with a relatively large bright core that increases to an intensely bright
nucleus.
24"
(5/22/17): at 282x; bright, moderately large, oval 2:1 NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.6',
highly concentrated with an intense, elongated core that increases to a
quasi-stellar nucleus.
18"
(6/17/06): brightest member of
13.1"
(4/12/86): brightest in a small group of four galaxies = HCG 61. Moderately bright, fairly small,
slightly elongated NNW-SSE, very small bright core. Forms the west vertex of a nearly perfect rectangle with NGC
4173 1.7' NNE,
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4169 = H III-358 = h1120, along with
******************************
NGC 4170
12 12 18 +29 12
= Not found,
Thomson. =*?, Corwin.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4170 and 4171 on 10 May 1864, while observing the NGC 4169
quartet = HCG 61. Under his
description for H. II-372 = NGC 4173, he noted "In addition, I think I see
two other nearby nebulae; clearer skies would help." There was no position or offset given
for these possible two nebulae and most likely he glimpsed a couple nearby eF
stars. The galaxy identified as
NGC 4170 in the RNGC is NGC 4173.
Other sources apply the designations NGC 4170 = NGC 4171 to NGC 4173.
******************************
12 12 18 +29 11
= Not found and
≠ NGC 4173, Thomson.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4170 and 4171 on 10 May 1864, while observing the NGC
4169 quartet = HCG 61. He did not
provide a position or offset, so it is impossible to assign these numbers to a
nearby faint star with any confidence. See notes for NGC 4170.
******************************
12 12 15.0 +56
10 38
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4172 = H II-792 = h1123 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted
"F, S, R, bM." His RA is
45 sec too small. JH recorded
"pF; S; E; gbM; 15" l, 12" br." and measured an accurate
position (in the NGC).
******************************
NGC 4173 = HCG
61B = KTG 42B = Holm 346a = NGC 4171 = UGC 7204 = MCG +05-29-033 = CGCG 158-043
= FGC 1382 = The Box = Rose 10 = PGC 38897
12 12 21.4 +29
12 25
V = 13.0; Size 5.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 134d
48" (4/20/17):
fairly faint to moderately bright, very large, edge-on 6:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x0.4',
fairly low surface brightness with only a modest central brightening and no
distinct core or nucleus.
24"
(5/22/17): at 282x; fairly faint, very large, very elongated ~6:1 NW-SE with
averted, 2.0'x0.35', low surface brightness. Only a broad weak concentration with no distinct
core/nucleus.
18"
(6/17/06): faint, fairly large, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, 1.5'x0.4'. Overall, low surface brightness with a
very weak central brightening.
Faintest of the HCG 61 quartet and apparently in the foreground as its
recessional velocity is only 1/3 of the other three galaxies.
13.1"
(4/12/86): very faint, very elongated NW-SE, low even surface brightness. Faintest in the NGC 4169 group = HCG 61
and located just 1.7' NNE of NGC 4169.
Forms the north vertex of a rectangle with NGC 4174, and NGC 4175.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4173 = H II-372 = h1121 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See description under NGC 4169. The RNGC misidentifies this galaxy as
NGC 4170, which is nonexistent (possibly a star).
Although NGC
4173 appears perfectly lined up with NGC 4175, it is apparently in the
foreground with a redshift only 1/3 of the other three galaxies.
******************************
NGC 4174 = HCG
61D = UGC 7206 = MCG +05-29-034 = CGCG 158-044 = Mrk 761 = The Box = Rose 10 =
12 12 26.9 +29
08 57
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.35'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 50d
48"
(4/20/17): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.3'. Sharply
concentrated with a very small, very bright core that increases to an intensely
bright stellar nucleus!
24"
(5/22/17): at 282x; moderately bright, fairly small, oval 2:1 SW-NE,
0.6'x0.3'. Contains a very small
and very bright core with a sharp stellar nucleus (brighter than the nucleus of
NGC 4169).
18"
(6/17/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.3', sharply
concentrated with a bright 15"-20" rounder core with the extentions
much fainter. Smallest member of
the striking HCG 61 quartet.
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly faint, prominent very small bright core. Slightly elongated halo is faint and
small. This galaxy is the smallest
in NGC 4169 group = HCG 61. Forms a small rectangle with NGC 4175 1.5' NE, NGC
4175 2.5' NW and NGC 4173 3.6'
NNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4174 = H III-359 = h1122 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See notes under NGC 4169.
******************************
NGC 4175 = HCG
61C = KTG 42C = Holm 346b = UGC 7211 = MCG +05-29-036 = CGCG 158-045 = The Box
= Rose 10 = PGC 38912
12 12 31.0 +29
10 06
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 130d
48"
(4/20/17): fairly bright, fairly large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, ~1.5'x0.3', contains
a large, brighter bulging core.
The extensions taper at the ends giving a spindle appearance. This galaxy is parallel to NGC 4173 and
perpendicular to NGC 4174 to the southwest.
24"
(5/22/17): at 282x; moderately bright, fairly large, thin edge-on 5:1
NW-SE. 1.25'x0.25'. Contains a
brighter elongated core but not strongly concentrated and no nucleus. NGC 4174, 1.5' SW, is orientated
exactly perpendiculat to NGC 4175.
18"
(6/17/06): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, 1.3'x0.25', broad
weak concentration to a slightly brighter bulging core. Fades at the tips. Second of two edge-ons in HCG 61 =
"The Box" with NGC 4173 3' NW.
13.1"
(4/12/86): faint, edge-on NW-SE, bright core, similar in size to NGC 4173 but
fainter. Last of four in the NGC
4169 group = HCG 61 with NGC 4169 2.9' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4175 = H III-360 = h1124 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See notes under NGC 4169.
******************************
12 12 36.8 -09
09 37
V = 14.8; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70d
18"
(5/12/07): extremely faint, very small, round, 0.3' diameter, low even surface
brightness. A small group of stars
follows in the field. Located 12'
SW of mag 8.7
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4176 = LM II-454 in 1886 and recorded "mag
16.0, 0.3' dia, R, slbMN, *10 follows 15 sec." His position matches
******************************
12 12 41.2 -14
00 52
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 69d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.7',
broad concentration. With averted
vision a very faint larger halo increases the size to perhaps 1.4'x1.0'.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4177 = H III-534 = h3383 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and logged
"vF, pL, of unequal light."
His position is 12 sec of time too far west. JH recorded "vF; pL; R; vgbM; 60"." and
measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 12 46.4 +10
51 57
V = 11.4; Size 5.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 30d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly bright, large, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE. Gradually increases to a small bright
core and faint stellar nucleus.
17.5" (5/10/86):
very large but diffuse, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, very little central
concentration but a brighter knot appears along the SW edge. Located 7.0' WNW of mag 7.6
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4178 = h1125 on 11 Apr 1825 and recorded "vF; E nf to sp;
40"." On a later sweep
he noted "vF; vL; E; a * 7m follows 7' +/- distance." His position matches
Arnold
Schwassmann found it again on 6 Sep 1900 on a plate taken with the 6"
astrograph at Heidelberg. Neither
he nor Dreyer noticed the equivalence in position with NGC 4178 and it was
recatalogued as
******************************
12 12 52.1 +01
17 57
V = 11.0; Size 4.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 143d
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, fairly small, very distinctive edge-on system oriented
NW-SE, very bright core, sharp light cut-off along the SW flank. A string of mag 11 stars trail off to
the NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4179 = H I-9 = h1126 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 118) and recorded
"F, vS, E." JH logged
"pB; S; mE; a ray with a nucleus pos 45° np to sf." The NGC position (from JH) matches UGC
7215.
David Todd found
this galaxy on 5 Jan 1878 during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and
recorded it as object 15 in his list of suspected objects.
******************************
12 13 03.0 +07
02 20
V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 22d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, pretty edge-on SSW-NNE, small
bright nuclear bulge, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4180 = H II-133 = h1127 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"not vF, S, E, r." His
position matches
******************************
NGC 4181 = MCG
+09-20-111 = CGCG 269-041 = PGC 38938
12 12 48.9 +52
54 11
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 11 star lies 1.5' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4181 = H III-777 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted "eF,
S, stellar neb." His
re-reduced position is 1' south of
******************************
12 13 24 +04 03
=NGC 4180?, HC.
Not found, JS. =* or *'s, SG.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4182 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton
College Observatory. At his exact
position is a mag 12 star. Harold
Corwin comments "NGC 4182 may be NGC 4180, or it may simply be a star at
Peters's position".
******************************
NGC 4183 = UGC
7222 = MCG +07-25-051 = CGCG 215-053 = FGC 1386 = PGC 38988
12 13 17.0 +43
41 53
V = 12.3; Size 5.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 166d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on about 7:1 NNW-SSE, 3.5'x0.5', broad
concentration without a nucleus. A
mag 13.5 star is superimposed at the SE edge of the core 0.8' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4183 = H III-697 = h1128 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and noted
"cF, mE from np to sf, 3 or 4' long, 3/4' broad." In his 1814 PT paper, he mentions
"several small stars are contained in faint nebulosity about 3 or 4' long
and 3/4' broad." His sketch
shows several stars, although only one star is evident on the DSS.
R.J. Mitchell,
observing with LdR's 72" on 6 Apr 1856, noted "F, bM, a bright star
in sf edge and a patch in np end which is the brighter. Neb is fully 4' long."
******************************
12 13 32 -62 43
18
Size 4'
14" (4/4/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x and 318x): about two dozen faint stars resolved in a 4'
circle. Flanked by a mag 10 star
~4' SW and a mag 10 star ~4' NE.
The richest part is a 30" clump on the east side with a half-dozen
stars resolved at 318x. Located
16' NNE of mag 6.0
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4184 = h3384 on 8 Mar 1837 and noted "Cluster class VI; vf,
almost nebulous". There is no
obvious clustering at his position on the DSS1.
Brian Skiff
comments "Looks like an absorption hole, and no more ridiculous than the
typical Ruprecht cluster. I make
it just 0'.8 diameter at: 12 13 37
-62 43.2." Ruprecht
gives a diameter of 5' to include a larger scattered group. RNGC classifies the number as
nonexistent.
******************************
12 13 22.1 +28
30 40
V = 12.1; Size 2.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 165d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, 1.5'x1.1', broad
concentration. Forms the southern
vertex of a triangle with mag 7.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4185 = H II-373 = h1129 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, L, bM." CH's
reduction is 18 sec of time preceding
******************************
12 14 06.5 +14
43 33
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d
17.5"
(5/10/86): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located 11.0' SSE of
13"
(4/29/84): faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 11' SSE of M98.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4186 = T I-38 in 1887.
His position in this paper is 10 seconds of RA preceding and 10' south
of M98. But in list V (AN 2439) he
states it is located 20 seconds of time east and 9.5' south of M98. Dreyer used the latter position, but
confused the direction of RA offset and placed NGC 4186 20 sec of RA preceding
of M98, instead of following. His
offset in list V establishes NGC 4186 = UGC 7240, but the RA in the NGC is 40
seconds of RA too small. The
correct position was measured by Kobold in 1901 (Strassburg Annales, Vol 3,
1907).
Because of
erroneous NGC position, UGC and MCG misidentify
It's possible
NGC 4186 was first observed at Birr Castle on 10 Feb 1861. Samuel Hunter
noticed a "F, R neb with a * or Nucl in centre", which he described
as 1/2 field of finder [13'] north of M98. If he confused the direction, then the comment probably
applies to NGC 4186.
******************************
NGC 4187 = UGC
7229 = MCG +09-20-117 = CGCG 269-042 = Holm 347a = PGC 39004
12 13 29.2 +50
44 29
V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 145d
17.5":
faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core. A mag 13 star is 1.0' WNW of
center. A mag 15.5 is superimposed
on the south edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4187 = H II-813 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and logged "pB,
S, lE." His position is just 1' south of
RNGC
misidentifies a faint companion just north of NGC 4187 as NGC 4181. There are several faint companions with
a couple of arcminutes of NGC 4187.
******************************
12 14 07.4 -12
35 10
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8
18"
(5/8/04): faint, very small, round, 0.4' diameter. A mag 14 star lies 30" N of center, barely off the
north edge of the galaxy. The star
masks the galaxy a bit and it was not noticed initially.
Ormond Stone
discovered NGC 4188 = LM I-193 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander
McCormick Observatory. His rough
position (nearest min of RA) is just 0.5 tmin W of
******************************
12 13 47.5 +13
25 33
V = 11.7; Size 2.7'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 85d
17.5"
(1/23/88): fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, broad
concentration. Located northeast
of the NGC 4164, NGC 4165, NGC 4168 group in Virgo.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4189 = H II-106 = h1131 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted
"vF, pL, r." JH recorded
"pB; L; lE; vgvlbM; 2' diam" and measured an accurate position. Harold Corwin notes that WH's
Schwassmann
found NGC 4189 again on 16 Nov 1900 on a Heidelberg plate of the Virgo/Coma
cluster. His position for Sn. 227
(later
******************************
12 13 44.5 +36
38 05
V = 13.3; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.2
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, broad weak concentration, pretty diffuse,
slightly elongated N-S. Located 7'
S of mag 8.5
13" (4/12/86):
fairly faint, moderately large, round, diffuse. A mag 8 star lies 6' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4190 = H II-409 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged "vF,
S, r." His summary description (including a later sweep) reads "pB,
pL, vgbM, r."
******************************
NGC 4191 = UGC
7233 = MCG +01-31-026 = CGCG 041-049 = PGC 39034
12 13 50.4 +07
12 03
V = 12.8; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 5d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.9' NW. Forms a pair with NGC 4180 15' SW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4191 = h1130 on 19 Apr 1830 (sweep 251). On the next night he logged "F; R;
near a small star." and measured positions on four consecutive sweeps.
******************************
12 13 48.2 +14
54 01
V = 10.1; Size 9.9'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155d
17.5"
(5/10/86): bright, very large, very elongated 4:1 NNW-SSE, 6'x1.5', small
bright core, stellar nucleus. A
faint knot is highly suspected near the south tip. NGC 4186 lies 11' SSE.
Located 32' W of 6 Comae Berenices (V = 5.1).
13"
(4/29/84): bright, large, very elongated, small bright nucleus, impressive.
Pierre Méchain
discovered M98 = NGC 4192 = h1132 on 15 Mar 1781. Messier made a confirmation a month later. WH observed M98 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep
73) and recorded "A large, extended, fine nebula. It seems to be M98, but from the
description in Connoissance des Temps it appears that Mechain has not seen the
whole of it, for its feeble branches extend about 1/4°, of which no notice is
taken. Near the middle of it a few
stars are visible and more suspected; my field will not quite take it
in." JH described M98 on 3
Apr 1826 as " vmE; a ray pos 70° sf to np; mbM almost to nucleus; 10'
long."
******************************
NGC 4193 = IC
3051 = UGC 7234 = MCG +02-31-053 = CGCG 069-091 = LGG 285-009 = PGC 39040
12 13 53.6 +13
10 22
V = 12.3; Size 2.3'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 93d
17.5"
(1/23/88): moderately bright, fairly large, oval E-W, brighter core. NGC 4189 lies 15' N over the border in
Coma Berenices.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4193 = H II-163 = h1134 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted
"pS". JH made the single
observation "vF; pL; E; vgbM" and measured an accurate position.
Schwassmann
found this galaxy again on 16 Nov 1900 on plate taken of the Virgo/Coma cluster
with a 6" astrograph at Heidelberg.
His position for
******************************
12 14 09.6 +54
31 35
V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170d
48"
(4/20/17): at 697x; bright, fairly large, elongated ~2:1 NNW-SSE. Sharply concentrated with a very bright
elongated core enclosing an intensely bright nucleus. The main halo is roughly oval with a weak, elongated brightening
oriented SW-NW at the south end.
This low contrast feature is possibly the remnant of a past merger. A very low surface brightness tidal
plume was seen as an ill-defined haze spreading out to the north from the NNW
side of the main halo and increasing the N-S dimension to over 1.5'.
17.5"
(5/13/88): moderately bright, small, elongated NW-SE, very small bright core,
stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4194 = H II-867 = h1135 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) amd noted
"pB, vS, stellar." JH
called it "F; vsmbM to a * 12m; 20"." His position is at the northwest edge of the galaxy.
The nickname
Medusa Galaxy was coined by V-V in his Atlas of Interacting Galaxies, Part II:
"Of this 'Medusa', the structure of the "head" is as yet
unresolved. In this case, three galaxies apparently are coalescent.
"Behind", the dwarfs begin to separate." William Keel repeats the nickname
"Medusa" in his April 1993 article "The real astrophysical zoo -
Colliding galaxies" in Mercury (ASP). Professional journal papers refer to
it as "Medusa" since 2000.
******************************
12 14 18.1 +59
36 55
V = 14.2; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.9
17.5"
(5/13/88): extremely faint, fairly small, very diffuse, round, averted
only. Collinear with two mag 14
stars to the NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4195 = H III-796 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and simply noted
"eF". His position is
2.7' northwest of
******************************
NGC 4196 = UGC
7245 = MCG +05-29-040 = CGCG 158-050 = LGG 276-007 = PGC 39098
12 14 29.7 +28
25 23
V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 60d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.5'x0.35', fairly
well concentrated. Higher surface
brightness than larger NGC 4185 16' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4196 = H II-374 = h1136 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." His position is
20 sec of time too far west and 3' too far north but JH made 4 observations and
d'Arrest provided a micrometric position, so the NGC is accurate.
******************************
12 14 38.6 +05
48 21
V = 12.8; Size 3.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 36d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 SW-NE, low even surface
brightness. A mag 14 star is south
of the SW end 1.5' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4197 = H II-134 = h1137 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"F, mE." JH recorded
"pB; E; vgbM; 20"; like II. 133 [NGC 4180]." and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
12 14 22.0 +56
00 42
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, small, elongated NW-SE. Situated between two mag 12 and 13 stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4198 = H II-793 = h1139 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted
"pF, pS, bM." JH logged
"pF; S; lE; gbM; like II. 792 [NGC 4172]." and measured an accurate
position.
Swift probably
found this galaxy again nearly a 100 years later, but his RA for Sw. VII-19
(later
******************************
NGC 4199 = VV
183a/b = UGC 7253 = MCG +10-18-011 = CGCG 292-084 = CGCG 293-005 = PGC 39135
12 14 48.6 +59
54 22
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small.
A mag 15 star is involved at the north end just 16" from center and
a mag 16 star is involved at the east end 24" from the center. NGC 4195 lies 18' SSW. On the POSS, the mag 16 star I recorded
is actually an extremely faint and small companion (
This is the
brightest galaxy in
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4199 = H III-797 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "eF,
S." His position is 17 tsec
west and 4' north of
******************************
12 14 44.2 +12
10 51
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 98d
17.5"
(1/23/88): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 E-W, brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4200 = H II-164 = h1138 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted
"pS, vmE." On 6 Apr
1831, JH logged "pB; R; pslbM; 40"."
******************************
12 14 41.9 -11
34 58
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 80d
18"
(5/8/04): faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.5'x0.4', weak concentration
to a very small brighter core. An
extremely faint halo was suspected.
A mag 13.5 star lies 0.8' S of center.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4201 = LM II-455 in 1886. His position is 0.5 min of RA east of
******************************
12 18 08.6 -01
03 52
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 127d
17.5"
(3/20/93): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ENE, low even surface
brightness. A mag 13.5 star is
2.0' NNE of center.
David Todd
discovered NGC 4202 = Todd 18 on 6 Feb 1878 during his search for a
trans-Neptunian planet (AN 2698).
Dreyer only included eight of the 30 objects which Todd sketched as many
were considered doubtful or near nebulae already catalogued. Todd's sketch of #18, which includes
several nearby field stars, clearly identifies NGC 4202 = UGC 7337 at 12 18
08.6 -01 03 52 (2000). This means
that Todd's rough position was 3 tmin too far west although a number of his
entries have large errors in RA.
The RNGC
misidentifies
******************************
12 15 05.0 +33
11 50
V = 10.9; Size 3.4'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10d
17.5":
bright, moderately large, round, sharp concentration with a prominent very
bright core (LINER nucleus) a much fainter halo, possible stellar nucleus. Located 3.7' SSE of mag 7.8
8": fairly
bright, small, small bright nucleus.
A mag 5 star (
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4203 = H I-175 = h1140 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and recorded
"vB, S, R, mbM." His
position is on the southwest side of the galaxy. On 6 Apr 1855, R.J. Mitchell, observing with LdR's 72",
logged "very like a distant Cl, vB Nucl with neby gradually fading
off. Star involved preceding Nucl
and other stellar points suspected in the outlying faint neby."
******************************
12 15 14.3 +20
39 31
V = 12.4; Size 3.6'x2.9'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 130d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE. Brighter along the major axis but no
distinct core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4204 = H III-397 = h1141 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded
"vF; vL, irr, about 5 or 6' from np to sf and 4 or 5' broad, unequally
bright but brightest towards the middle." JH noted "eF; L; vglbM; 45"." and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
12 14 55.3 +63
46 55
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 28d
17.5"
(4/15/93): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.4'x0.5',
brighter along major axis. A mag
13 star is just 20" west of the NNE tip.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4205 = Au 29 on 4 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor
at Copenhagen. His position,
measured on 3 nights, matches
******************************
12 15 16.7 +13
01 26
V = 12.2; Size 6.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 0d
17.5"
(1/23/88): fairly faint, edge-on 6:1 exactly N-S, 4'x0.7', fairly large, weak
concentration. A mag 12 star lies
2.9' SE of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4206 = H II-165 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "F,
vmE." His position is poor --
30 tsec west and 9' N of
Arnold
Schwassmann found the galaxy again on two Heidelberg plates taken with a
6" astrograph (measured on 16 Nov 1900) of the Virgo/Coma cluster and
reported Sn. 230 (later
******************************
12 15 30.4 +09
35 07
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 124d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, bright core. A mag 13.5 star at the WNW end 1.2'
from center.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4207 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on 3 nights. matches
******************************
12 15 39.3 +13
54 05
See observing
notes for
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4208 = H II-107 = h1142 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and simply
noted as "pL". CH's
reduced position is 5' north of NGC 4212 = UGC 7275. Dreyer, in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, commented
for II-107 and II-108, "there is only one nebula here (NGC 4212)...We may
assume that H, after observing the star [6 Comae], again moved the telescope 1°
south and took the nebula a second time without noticing it was the same
object."
Strangely, JH
also recorded this galaxy twice (h1142 and h1144) on different nights and
thought they were different objects because of his different positions and
descriptions! So, II-107 = II-108
= h1142 = h1144 = NGC 4208 = NGC 4212.
See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 4209
12 15 30 +28 31
=Not found,
Carlson. =NGC 4185?, Corwin. =*, WS
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4209 = H II-375 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F,
pS." Dreyer notes in his 1912
revision of WH's catalogues that this object was not found by JH, d'Arrest or
Bigourdan. With respect to NGC
4196, the previous object in the sweep, WH placed II-375 1 min 18 sec foll and
2' N, but there is no object at that position. This sweep was WH's most productive -- with 74
discoveries -- and this is the only object that cannot be identified with a
galaxy.
In an email
correspondence (Jul 15 1998) Harold Corwin commented: I've been unable to find
NGC 4209. I thought it might be a reobservation of NGC 4185, but both were
found by WH on the same night. It is still not a completely impossible identity
(e.g. N4208 = N4212, another nebula seen twice within a single sweep), but the
chances are against it. I don't see any object aside from N4185 (just over 2
arcmin west) at any reasonable systematic offset (e.g. +- 1 deg, +-10 min, etc)
from WH's position.
Wolfgang assigns
the number to a star 2 arcmin south-southwest of WH's position. That is certainly
possible, but I'd be happier with it if WH had left us a description more
complete than "F, pS".
******************************
12 15 15.9 +65
59 07
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105d
17.5"
(4/15/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE,
1.8'x1.4'. A mag 13.5 star is 1.0'
off the WNW edge. Located 11' SE
of mag 6.7 SAO 62870.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4210 = H III-850 = h1143 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and noted
"vF, pS." JH recorded
(single observation) "Not vF; pL; R; vgbM; 30"." and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
12 15 35.8 +28
10 39
V = 14.1; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 105d
24"
(5/30/16): NGC 4211 is an interacting system (
18"
(4/5/03): faint, very small, round, 25" diameter. This is a double, interacting system
(Arp 106) with a small, faint companion 0.55' SE. At 300x, the companion (
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 4211 = St XI-18 on 30 Apr 1881. His position matches
******************************
NGC 4212 = NGC
4208 = UGC 7275 = MCG +02-31-070 = CGCG 069-110 = PGC 39224
12 15 39.3 +13
54 05
V = 11.2; Size 3.2'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d
17.5"
(4/25/98): fairly bright, fairly large, 2.2'x1.4' oriented WSW-ENE. Moderate concentration to a large
bright core which appears mottled.
The nucleus is not well defined although the core is broadly
concentrated and at times a stellar center was glimpsed. A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4212 = H II-108 = h1144 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "mE, resolvable." His position (CH's reduction) is 6.5'
too far northeast. He apparently
also recorded it as the previous object "pL" in the sweep. JH also recorded this galaxy twice
(h1142 = h1144) on different nights.
See notes for NGC 4208.
The LdR
observation on 8 Mar 1856 (by R.J. Mitchell) reads "Irregular shaped neb
with ncl excentric and some sort of knot or appendage following. Possibly another knot in preceding
end. The former one is likely
connected with the neb forming a sprial arm." The same month he logged "Much better seen. There are 4 knots or stars in the neb
besides the bright patch south-following."
******************************
12 15 37.6 +23
58 55
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(4/17/88): faint, fairly small, round, gradually brighter halo, small bright
core. Located 9.9' WNW of 7 Comae
Berenices (V = 4.9) which detracts from viewing.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4213 = H II-354 = h1145 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and noted
"F, vS." His position
matches
******************************
12 15 38.9 +36
19 50
V = 09.8; Size 8.5'x6.6'; Surf Br = 14.0
13.1"
(4/12/86): bright, large, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright core. There is a strong impression of
curvature at the ends of the major axis.
A mag 11 star lies 4.3' SE of center. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4214 = H I-95 = h1146 on 28 Apr 1785 (sweep 404) and recorded
"cB, cL. A blunt
parallelogram, faintest towards the edges; from np to sf about 4'; the other
way about 3'. Position not above
15 or 20° from the meridian."
His position is on the northwest side of this Irregular-type
galaxy. The next sweep (1 May) he
noted "Can hardly be called a parallelogram for want of corners; but
rather irregularly elongated."
JH reported it
as new on 27 Apr 1827 and logged h1157 as "vF, L, R, gbM,
90"." His RA, though,
was 1 minute too large and he didn't make the connection with his father's H. I
95, so Dreyer later catalogued this entry as
******************************
12 15 54.5 +06
24 04
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 174d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, pretty system very elongated
NNW-SSE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4215 = H II-135 = h1147 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"S, E, pBM." JH made
three observations, recording on sweep 250 "vB; mE; vsbM to a * 11m."
******************************
NGC 4216 = UGC
7284 = MCG +02-31-072 = CGCG 069-112 = Holm 353a = PGC 39246
12 15 54.2 +13
08 59
V = 10.0; Size 8.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 19d
18"
(6/17/06): very bright, very large, extremely thin edge-on 8:1 SSW-NNE,
7'x0.9'. Sharply concentrated with
a striking high surface brightness core, ~0.9'x0.3', that dominates the
extensions with a mag 14 star just following the core. A dust lane appears to run along the
eastern edge of the galaxy, mostly evident by a sharp light cut off along this
edge. Brightest of three edge-ons
in the field with NGC 4206 and NGC 4222!
17.5"
(1/23/88): very bright, very large, edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE, small very bright
core. A mag 14 star is close east
of the core. This is a striking
galaxy and is the second of three edge-on galaxies in the same field with NGC
4206 11' SW and NGC 4222 12' NE in Coma Berenices!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4216 = H I-35 = h1148 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded
"vmE, vbM and the brightness also elongated. The whole not less than 9 or 10' long." JH made 4 observations and recorded
(sweep 3) "A very remarkable long ray extended 70° nf to sp, 7 1/2' long,
smbM. It has a star nf the
nucleus."
Samuel Hunter,
LdR's assistant on 23 Apr 1860, recorded "a fine E neb, vBM like a
globular cluster (I think too it is resolvable?), small star following nucl,
where I also think there is very dilute nebulosity, parallel to neb [beyond the
dust lane]. The neb is either
twisted at n end in p direction or it has a faint companion there? Dark space around centre? perhaps only the contrast of the bright
centre. 15' long." The possible nebula Hunter mentions to
the north is likely
******************************
12 15 50.9 +47
05 30
V = 11.2; Size 5.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 50d
48"
(4/23/17): bright, very large, striking edge-on ~4.5'x1.0' SW-NE, large bright
core that bulges near the center but no distinct nucleus. The galaxy is bisected by a beautiful,
relatively wide dust lane that slices through the entire length of the galaxy,
only losing contrast at the very tips!
The brightest portion, including the core, is on the north side
(northwest facing) of the dust lane.
The cut off section of the galaxy on the south side (southeast facing)
of the the dust lane is fairly thin and low surface brightness, though slightly
brighter at the center/core. A mag
14.8 star is at the southwest tip of the galaxy. A mag 11.6 star is at the edge
of the halo on the north side [50" from center] and a 9th magnitude star
is 2.3' NNE of center. The galaxy
is situated 6' E of mag 7.2
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, pretty edge-on 4:1 SW-NE. A mag 9 star is off the NE edge 2.2'
from the center and a mag 11.5 star is just north of the core 0.8' from center. Located 6.2' E of mag 7.3 SAO
44092. Forms a pair with NGC 4226
7' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4217 = H II-748 = h1149 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded
"pB, pL, sp and in a line with two stars." JH made 5 observations and logged (sweep 255) "pB, vmE in
pos = 225° by measure; 5' long, 1' br; 2 stars near and a large star
preceding." on 15 Mar 1849,
LdR or observing assistant George Stoney described it as a "Ray with split
[dark lane] in the direction of the major axis".
******************************
12 15 46.3 +48
07 53
V = 12.5; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 142d
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE. Located 2.6' NW of mag 8.3 SAO
44096.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4218 = H III-718 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "vF,
vS." d'Arrest measured an
accurate position as well as noting the mag 9-10 star that follows by 15 sec
and 55" south.
******************************
12 16 27.3 -43
19 26
V = 11.9; Size 4.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 36d
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 220x appeared bright, large,
elongated 5:2 SW-NE, broad concentration but no distinct core, ~2.5'x1'. Direct vision revealed a very faint
stellar nucleus. The arms
(extensions) dim towards the ends and seem irregular in surface brightness (DSS
shows an irregular, knotty appearance).
At 220x, NGC
4219A appeared moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE,
0.6'x0.35', weak concentration, irregular surface brightness. Situated in a group of stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4219 = h3385 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "pF; pL; pmE; vgbM;
2' l, 45" br. His position
(measured on 4 nights) and description matches
******************************
NGC 4220 = UGC
7290 = MCG +08-22-089 = CGCG 243-055 = PGC 39285
12 16 11.7 +47
53 00
V = 11.4; Size 3.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 141d
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, edge-on 7:2 NW-SE, brighter core, stellar
nucleus. Located 12' S of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4220 = H I-209 = h1151 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted
"cB, cL." JH made the
single observation "pB; pmE in pos 314.4°; psbM. (Foggy)" His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4221 = UGC
7288 = MCG +11-15-040 = CGCG 315-029 = PGC 39266
12 15 59.9 +66
13 51
V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 25d
17.5"
(4/15/93): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, prominent core,
stellar nucleus at moments, very faint larger halo slightly elongated SSW-NNE
extends with averted to 1.5'-2.0'.
NGC 4210 lies 16' SSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4221 = h1150 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "pB; S; R; psbM;
15"." His single position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4222 = UGC
7291 = MCG +02-31-075 = CGCG 069-119 = FGC 1396 = Holm 353c = PGC 39308
12 16 23.0 +13
18 34
V = 13.3; Size 3.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 56d
17.5"
(1/23/88): faint, moderately large, very thin edge-on SW-NE. A mag 15 star is at the east end. Located 5' W of mag 8.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4222 = H II-109 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and simply noted
"resolvable". Dreyer
commented in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH" that the observation
was probably rushed as the polar distance is 20' too far south, though my
reduction is 10' south. Wilhelm Tempel corrected the position in his first list
(T I-40) and in paper V providing an offset from NGC 4216.
CGCG, UGC, MCG
and PGC incorrectly equate
******************************
12 17 25.8 +06
41 24
V = 11.9; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated WNW-ESE, bright core,
larger faint extensions with averted.
Located 5' N of mag 7.9
The galaxy
described above is misidentified as
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4223 = H II-137 = h1152 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and simply
noted "r[esolvable]."
Although he was probably rushed (the nearby entries in the sweep were
rapidly found), his position is just 2' north of
John Herschel
made two observations of H II-137 and one of H III-480. On 4 Apr 1830 (sweep 250) he recorded
"vF; vgbM; a *7m to south".
The description and position clearly points to II-137 = NGC 4223, but he
calls it III-480. JH made a second
observation on 24 Apr 1830 (sweep 254), recording both II-137 and III-480, and
here's where the problem occurs.
He catalogued the preceding object as h1152 = II-137, but the position
is about 1 tmin too far west. He
noted, though, that the position was only estimated from III-480. Unfortunately, his position for the
eastern galaxy (III-480) happens to be a close match (1.4' south) with
II-137. The result is that JH's
entry in the Slough catalogue for NGC 4241 = h1165 = III-480 contains two
observations -- one for II-137 and one for III-480, with a position matching
II-137. Furthermore, his entry for
h1152 = NGC 4223 = II-137 points to a blank part of the sky, 1 tmin of RA west
of II-137. In the NGC notes, Dreyer
mentions NGC 4223 was not found by d'Arrest, obviously because of the poor
position.
The two galaxies
were later picked up by Arnold Schwassmann in 1899 on a Heidelberg plate,
placed accurately, and catalogued as
But, Harold
Corwin argues that since WH and JH observed both galaxies, the correct
assignment should be NGC 4223 = H II-137 = h1152 = h1165 (sweep 250) = IC 3102
and NGC 4241 = H III-480 = h1165 (sweep 254) = IC 3115. This changes, though, the long-standing
identification of NGC 4241 as the brighter western galaxy. See Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 16 33.8 +07
27 42
V = 11.8; Size 2.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 57d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated SW-NE, small bright
core, stellar nucleus. Forms a
pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4224 = H II-136 = h1153 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and logged
"F, S, iF, r." His
position matches
******************************
12 16 38.4 -12
19 40
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60d
18"
(5/28/06): faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. Located 1.6' N of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4225 = h1154 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded "F; eS; R; 5";
has a * 8m 80° sf, dist 60"."
His position is 1' too far north and the bright star is 1.6' distant.
******************************
NGC 4226 = UGC
7297 = MCG +08-22-090 = CGCG 243-057 = Holm 354b = PGC 39312
12 16 26.3 +47
01 31
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 127d
13.1":
faint, small, elongated NW-SE.
Forms a pair with NGC 4217 7' WNW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4226 = h1155 on 19 Mar 1828 and recorded "F; S; lE; the
second of 2 in field [with NGC 4217]."
******************************
12 16 33.7 +33
31 19
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d
17.5":
fairly faint, small, strong bright core.
A mag 15 star is 0.9' NE of center. Forms the brighter of a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4227 = H II-518 = h1156, along with NGC 4229, on 2 Jan 1786
(sweep 508) and recorded "Two, both eF, vS. The preceding [NGC 4227] is the largest, about 3 or 4'
distance from each other." His
position is accurate. JH made two observations, recording on sweep 131,
"pF; R; psbM; the sp of 2."
******************************
NGC 4228 = NGC
4214 = UGC 7278 = MCG +06-27-042 = CGCG 187-032 = PGC 39225
12 15 38.9 +36
19 50
See observing
notes for NGC 4214
John Herschel
found NGC 4228 = h1157 on 27 Apr 1827 and recorded "vF; L; R; gbM;
90"." There is nothing
at his position and d'Arrest could not find this object. Karl Reinmuth questioned if NGC 4228 =
NGC 4214 and this is probably the case as JH's position is exactly 1.0 min of
RA east and the description applies.
The primary designation should be NGC 4214.
******************************
NGC 4229 = UGC
7299 = MCG +06-27-044 = CGCG 187-034 = Holm 355b = PGC 39341
12 16 38.8 +33
33 39
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 3d
17.5":
fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core, fairly faint
stellar nucleus. Fainter of a pair
with NGC 4227 2.6' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4229 = H II-519 = h1158, along with NGC 4227, on 2 Jan 1786
(sweep 508) and recorded "Two, both eF, vS. The preceding [NGC 4227] is the largest, about 3 or 4'
distance from each other." JH
made two observations, recording on sweep 131, "F; R; psbM; 65° nf the neb
[NGC 4227]."
******************************
12 17 09 -55 17
12
Size 6'
14" (4/4/16
- Coonabarabran, 71x and 184x): roughly 40 stars are resolved in a 7'x5' region
(the outline is pretty arbitrary), roughly elongated SW-NE. Appears as an unimpressive asterism
with no rich subgroups. A mag
11.5/13 pair at 13" separation is southwest of center with several mag
13-14.5 stars to its northeast. A
mag 12 star 2' SW and a mag 11 star 4' SW of the central pair are all
collinear. Located 18' SW of mag 5
Delta Crucis.
Note the group
of stars described here is 12' S of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4230 = h3386 on 5 Apr 1837 and described a "Cluster class
VI. F; pL; irreg; 6'; resolved
into stars 13, 14, 15m. Place of a
* 12m, chief and near the middle of cluster." At his position is an unimpressive 5' group of star that is
likely an asterism, with the brightest star 12th magnitude. This is the "cluster"
identified by Harold Corwin as NGC 4230.
Corwin notes that ESO (and SIMBAD) misidentify ESO 171-SC14 as NGC 4230. This group of stars is scattered southeast of a mag 8 star
-- too bright not to have been mentioned by JH. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more on this
number.
******************************
12 16 48.9 +47
27 27
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4
13.1"
(4/12/86): faint, small, round.
Forms a very similar close pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4231 = H III-719, along with NGC 4232, on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816)
and recorded both as "Two both vF, vS, from north to south about 1'
distance." CH's reduction is
20 sec of time following this pair.
******************************
NGC 4232 = UGC
7303 = MCG +08-22-093 = CGCG 243-059 = Holm 356b = PGC 39353
12 16 49.0 +47
26 20
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 155d
13.1"
(4/12/86): faint, small, almost round.
This galaxy is a close twin in brightness and size to NGC 4231 located
just 1.2' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4232 = H III-720, along with NGC 4231, on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816)
and recorded both as "Two both vF, vS, from north to south about 1'
distance."
******************************
NGC 4233 = UGC
7311 = MCG +01-31-037 = CGCG 041-063 = PGC 39384
12 17 07.6 +07
37 26
V = 11.9; Size 2.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 174d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, bright core, high
surface brightness. Forms a pair
with NGC 4224 13' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4233 = H II-496 = h1161 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply
noted "F". Despite the
sparce description, his position falls on the north side of the galaxy. JH made the single observation
"pB; R; vsbM to a small nucleus; 20"."
******************************
12 17 09.0 +03
40 58
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, round, even surface brightness.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4234 = h1160 on 7 Apr 1828 and recorded "pB; L; R; gbM;
60"." His single
position matches
******************************
12 17 09.8 +07
11 28
V = 11.6; Size 4.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 48d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, fairly large, almost edge-on SW-NE, broadly
concentrated halo. Cradled along
the north side by three mag 12-13 stars 2.2' NW, 1.8' N and 3.0' ENE of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4235 = H II-17 = h1159 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 104) and recorded a
"longish nebula, not cometic."
JH called it (sweep 253) "vB; pmE; vsbM; among small stars." Schwassmann found it again on a plate
taken with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory on 30 Oct 1899
and listed it as new (Sn. 5), missing the earlier NGC identity, so it also
carries the designation
******************************
12 16 43.5 +69
27 34
V = 9.6; Size 21.9'x7.2'; Surf Br = 15.0; PA = 162d
18"
(4/26/08): this huge, low surface brightness galaxy extends roughly 12'x3',
oriented NNW-SSE. There is only a
very weak central brightening with no obvious core. A very faint star appears to be superimposed near the
geometric center and just to the south is a slightly elongated brightening
(possibly the core).
Another brighter
region is near the north end of the galaxy. This patch seems elongated at 45° to the major axis,
appearing to extend out to the west of the main glow on the north end. Images reveal this is a gigantic HII
complex and is catalogued in the Hodge-Kennicutt Atlas of HII regions (1983AJ,
88, 296) as NGC 4236:[HK83] 15, 16 and 17.
The south end is
also splotchy and at the very south tip are two very faint "stars"
that seemed slightly fuzzy. These
are also two small HII knots, listed as NGC 4236:[HK83] 02 and 03. One or both of the knots also carry the
designation
17.5"
(3/29/89): faint, extremely large, edge-on 5:1 NNW-SSE. Appears as a ghostly streak about 20'
length with only a broad, weak concentration! Best at low power due to size and low surface brightness.
13.1"
(5/27/84): faint, very large, very elongated NNW-SSE, weak concentration. In a field with five mag 8-9 stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4236 = H V-51 = h1163 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and recorded
"vF, mE, lbM, about 25' long, and losing itself imperceptibly, about 6 or
7' broad, from about 70° np to sf."
His position, measured again on the next sweep, is accurate. JH reported "immensely large; vF;
mE; vgbM; it fills more than a field, but is hardly distinguishable. Hazy."
******************************
12 17 11.4 +15
19 26
V = 11.6; Size 2.1'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 108d
17.5"
(4/25/98): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.5'x1.0'. Moderate concentration to a 30"
irregular core which appears mottled.
Located 15' NE of mag 6.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4237 = H II-11 = h1162 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep 73) and recorded
"another nebula about full 1/2° nf 6 Coma Ber. pL, very feeble, almost round, but not cometic. It is not a Messier, for being too
feeble it could not be seen by an achromatic of 3 1/2 ft, which I suppose is
the maximum of his light." No
offsets in time and PD were measured, but the offset from 6 Com matches this
galaxy. JH logged "B; L; lE;
vgbM" and measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 16 55.8 +63
24 37
V = 13.6; Size 1.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 36d
17.5"
(4/15/93): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.5'x0.5', low
even surface brightness, no central concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4238 = H III-851 = h1164 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged
"eF, S, iF." His
position is 3.6' too far north. JH
recorded "vF; not vS; R; vglbM; 15"-20"." and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
12 17 14.9 +16
31 53
V = 12.8; Size 1.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 120d
17.5"
(5/23/98): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.9'x0.6', weak
concentration. Easy to locate as
situated between two mag 10.5 stars 2.9' WSW and 2.1' NE.
Carl Frederick
Pechüle discovered NGC 4239 in 1884 with an 11-inch refractor at the Copenhagen
Observatory. His position is 1.6' south of
******************************
12 17 24.4 -09
57 06
V = 12.4; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7
18"
(5/28/06): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter. Contains a very small bright core
~10" diameter which increases to a bright substellar nucleus. Located just
east of a mag 13 star (24" from the center).
18"
(3/13/04): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, strongly concentrated with a
very small bright core and stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is barely off the west edge. Observation made through thin clouds.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4240 on 20 May 1875.
His micrometric position and description (mag 12 star 1/2' southwest)
matches
Andrew Ainslie
Common found the galaxy again in 1880, assumed it was new and recorded it as
#25 in his Copernicus discovery list.
He noted "Like a pair of stars 90°; the f one is a nebulous
star." His RA is 11 sec too
large (estimated positions using setting circles) and his description is a
perfect match. Dreyer, who edited
the journal Copernicus, added a footnote that Common's #25 was identical to
Tempel's nebula.
Finally, Lewis
Swift probably found this galaxy again on 27 Apr 1886 and described it in list
III-62 as "pB; eS; pB * nr p; Looks a first like a double star. Curious object." There is nothing at his position but
1.4 degrees due north is the same galaxy found by Tempel and Common, and his
description fits (very similar to Common's!). Dreyer assumed Swift's object was new and catalogued it as
******************************
NGC 4241 = IC
3115 = UGC 7333 = VV 431 = MCG +01-31-040 = CGCG 041-069 = PGC 39483
12 17 59.8 +06
39 16
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5"
(3/24/90): extremely faint, oval, very low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4223 8' WNW. This galaxy is identified as IC 3115 in
modern catalogues and the brighter, western galaxy is usually catalogued as NGC
4241. My identification (NGC 4241
= IC 3115 = UGC 7333) follows the historical record.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4241 = H III-480 = h1165 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and recorded
"vF, L. Would not have been seen if it had not been for the preceding [H
II-137 = UGC 7319]. His position
is just 1' from
Arnold Schwassmann
found both galaxies on a Heidelberg plate of the Virgo region in 1899 and
measured accurate positions.
Schwassmann assumed they were new and Dreyer recatalogued the pair as IC
3102 and IC 3115. So, NGC 4241 =
IC 3115 = UGC 7333 and NGC 4223 = IC 3102 = UGC 7319. Modern catalogues, though, identify UGC 7319 as NGC 4241 and
UGC 7333 as IC 3115. See Harold
Corwin's identification notes on NGC 4223 for the full story.
******************************
12 17 30.1 +45
37 08
V = 10.8; Size 5.0'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 25d
13.1"
(4/12/86): very large but very diffuse, 4' diameter, broad weak concentration,
large core appears offset to the west, almost round. A mag 11.5 star lies 3.2' E of center and a faint mag 14
star is at the south edge 2.0' from center. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member
M106).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4242 = H III-725 = h1166 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded
"eF, cL, bM, iR." JH
made two observations and logged (sweep 256), "F; vL; R: vgbM; diam in RA
= 15s of time."
******************************
NGC 4243 = NGC
4240 = MCG -02-31-029 = PGC 39411
12 17 24.4 -09
57 06
See observing
notes for NGC 4240.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 4243 = Sw III-62 on 27 Apr 1886 and described "pB; eS; pB * near
preceding; Looks at first like a double star. Curious object."
There is nothing near his position, although the description implies a
relatively bright galaxy.
Harold Corwin
identifies NGC 4240, located 1° 21" due north of Swift's position, as his
intended object. Swift's "pB*
close p" applies to a mag 13 star 25" southwest of center. NGC 4240 was discovered earlier by
Wilhelm Tempel in 1875.
******************************
12 17 29.4 +37
48 24
V = 10.4; Size 16.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 48d
18"
(6/4/05): beautiful, extremely large ray extends at least 3/4 across the 20'
field, ~15'x1' SW-NE. The galaxy
is broadly concentrated without a well-defined core or nucleus and bulges only
very slightly at the center. The
surface brightness is fairly low and only varies gradually over the entire
length, though it has a grainy texture.
A mag 13.5 star is near the NE end. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly bright, extremely large edge-on about 10:1 SW-NE. Extends to 15' diameter (fades at the
ends of the extensions). Appears
as a narrow ray with only a weakly concentrated core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4244 = H V-41 = h1167 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and recorded
"cB or vB, vgbM, 18 or 20' l, about 2' broad, from about 60 degrees sp to
nf." Member of the CVn I
cloud (distance ~15 million light years)
******************************
12 17 36.8 +29
36 29
V = 11.4; Size 2.9'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 145d
17.5"
(4/25/98): fairly bright, elongated ~4:3 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.1', strong concentration
with a prominent roundish core.
The core steadily increases to a stellar nucleus with direct vision. A string of mag 11 stars from the SW
leads to the galaxy. Located 29' W
of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4245 = H I-74 = h1168 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"cB, R, mbM." JH made 3
observations and first logged "vB; R; sbM; 60"."
******************************
NGC 4246 = IC
3113 = UGC 7334 = MCG +01-31-041 = CGCG 041-070 = Holm 359b = PGC 39479
12 17 58.1 +07
11 08
V = 12.7; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 83d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, very low surface
brightness. A mag 14 star is off
the east edge 2.0' NE of center.
Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4246 = H III-91 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Two, the first [NGC 4235] mE.
The second [NGC 4246] eF."
His position is 4' south of
Arnold
Schwassmann found the galaxy again on 30 Oct 1899 using the 6-inch astrographic
refractor at Heidelberg and measured an accurate position. Schwassmann and Dreyer assumed it was
new and it was catalogued again as
******************************
NGC 4247 = MCG
+01-31-042 = CGCG 041-071 = Holm 359c = PGC 39480
12 17 58.0 +07
16 26
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, very small, round, weak concentration, low surface
brightness. Forms a pair with NGC
4246 5.4' S.
George Searle
discovered NGC 4247 = HN 35 on 25 Feb 1868 using the 15-inch Merz Refractor at
the Harvard Observatory (Annals of Harvard Observatory, Vol 13, #265). His offset from GC 2821 = NGC 4235 is
just 4 sec of time preceding and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 4248 = UGC
7335 = MCG +08-22-099 = CGCG 243-064 = CGCG 244-001 = Holm 363b = LGG 290-020 =
12 17 50.4 +47
24 31
V = 12.5; Size 3.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 108d
13.1"
(3/17/86): faint, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, moderately large, 1.5'x0.5'. A mag 14.5 is at the NW edge. Located 10' W of NGC 4231 and NGC 4232
and 13' NW of M106. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4248 = H II-742 = h1169 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded
"F, S, E." CH's
reduction is 17 sec of RA following
******************************
12 17 59.4 +05
35 55
V = 13.8; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.2
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, small, round, 24" diameter, weak concentration to
the center.
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, low surface
brightness. Forms a pair with NGC
4252 7' ESE. Located at the west
edge of the large
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4249 = m 234 on 26 May 1864, along with NGCs 4252, 4266, 4282
and 4287. His position is an exact
match with
******************************
12 17 26.2 +70
48 09
V = 11.8; Size 2.7'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 168d
17.5"
(5/2/92): moderately bright, small, round, broad concentration with overall
high surface brightness. The halo
appears to extend further on the north side of the core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4250 = H I-264 = h1170 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted
"cB, S, bM." His
position is 1.0 tmin west of
******************************
12 18 08.4 +28
10 31
V = 10.7; Size 3.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 100d
17.5"
(5/23/98): bright, moderately large, elongated ~5:2 WNW-ESE, 2.2'x0.8'. Well concentrated with a roundish
prominent core within fainter extensions which dim towards the tips. At 280x the core contains a substellar
nucleus. A mag 13-13.5 star is
2.9' ESE of center and 9 Com (V = 6.3) follows by 18'.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4251 = H I-89 = h1171 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"vB, S, lE." His
position is just off the north side of the galaxy. JH made 3 observations and
noted on sweep 417 "vB; vsvsbM; has a *6.7 1.5 min (of time)
following."
******************************
NGC 4252 = UGC
7343 = MCG +01-31-045 = CGCG 041-076 = PGC 39537
12 18 30.9 +05
33 34
V = 14.1; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 48d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE,
42"x14". even surface brightness. NGC 4249 lies 8' WNW,
17.5"
(3/24/90): extremely faint, small, edge-on SW-NE, low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4249 7' WNW. Located at the west side of the large
NGC 4261 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4252 on 26 May 1864, along with NGCs 4249, 4266, 4282 and
4287. He noted "F, E."
and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 18 26.5 +29
48 46
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(4/25/98): fairly faint, very small, irregularly round, 20" diameter. Fairly high surface brightness,
quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 14
star lies 1' N. Located 22' NW of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4253 = H III-702 = h1172 on 3 Feb 1788 (sweep 805) and noted
"vF, vS." CH's reduction
is 5 sec of time preceding and 2.5' north of
******************************
12 18 49.6 +14
24 59
V = 9.9; Size 5.4'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
48"
(4/1/11): stunning view of this beautiful, asymmetric two-armed spiral at
375x. The brighter, more open arm
is attached on the east side of the very bright core. It unwinds beautifully and expands counterclockwise for
~225° where it ends to the NW of center.
As the arm passes south of the core there is a bright, well defined knot
(sketched and later measured 0.9' S of the nucleus) with two additional diffuse
knots in this arm 1.2' SW of center and 1.9' W of center. The arm continues to sweep north on the
west side, where it is well separated from the main body. A second long sweeping fainter arm is
attached on the west side of the core and unfolds counterclockwise towards the
NE. It contains a diffuse knot
~1.2' NNW of center and terminates near an ill-defined knot 2' NE of
center. The halo of the galaxy is
more extensive on this side and contains a prominent knot 1.8' E of
center. This knot is at the end of
another more ill-defined arm on the north side of the core heading east that
contains additional mottled clumps.
The galaxy is sharply concentrated with a brilliant 1' core that
increases to a sharp stellar nucleus.
18"
(4/10/04): a fairly prominent arm is attached at the southeast end of the
large, bright core and winds along the south side towards the southwest. This arm is clearly detached from the
core with a dark gap between the arm and the core. The northern arm is ill-defined and appears more like a
couple of short "brush-strokes" close north of the core.
17.5"
(5/10/86): very bright, large, bright core, stellar nucleus. There is an obvious spiral arm attached
at the SE side of the core and winding along the south side towards the
west. There is a dark gap between
the spiral arm and the core along the south and west side. A second shorter, diffuse arm is
visible on the north side.
13"
(4/29/84): bright nuclear region.
A spiral arm is easily visible attached at the SE side of core and
winding almost 180° to the west.
Located 10' SW of mag 6.5
Pierre Méchain
discovered
William Parsons,
the third Earl of Rosse, discovered spiral structure in April of 1846 using the
72" Leviathan of Parsonstown. The observation was made a full year
after the spiral nature of
******************************
12 18 56.1 +04
47 11
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 115d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated WNW-ESE, small bright core,
stellar nucleus.
Auguste Voigt
discovered NGC 4255 in 1865 with the 31-inch silver-on-glass Marseille
reflector. C.H.F. Peters
independently found it with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College
Observatory (discovery date unknown) and listed it as a "nova" in his
1881 Copenicus article. Peters'
position matches
******************************
12 18 42.9 +65
53 54
V = 11.9; Size 4.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 42d
17.5"
(3/20/93): bright striking galaxy, large, very thin edge-on 4.0'x0.5' SW-NE,
elongated bright core, almost stellar nucleus, thin tapering extensions. NGC 4210 lies 21' WNW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4256 = H II-846 = h1174 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged
"pB, mE, BN, 5' long and 1/2' broad from sp to nf." JH recorded "pB; vmE in pos
218.2°; 90" l." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4257 = MCG
+01-31-049 = CGCG 042-006 = PGC 39624
12 19 06.5 +05
43 33
V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated nearly 3:1 WSW-ENE,
32"x12", pretty smooth surface brightness. Two mag 14/15 stars 1.2' S and 1.8' S are collinear with the
galaxy. Located 7' SW of NGC 4261
and 10' SW of
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, small, edge-on WSW-ENE, low even surface
brightness. Located in a large
group with NGC 4261 7' NNE.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4257 on 21 Apr 1862 with the 11" refractor at
Copenhagen Observator while observing nearby NGC 4261. His description mentions a mag 18 star
2' south, though the star is closer to mag 14-14.5.
******************************
12 18 57.5 +47
18 15
V = 8.4; Size 18.6'x7.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d
18"
(6/4/05): two spiral arms are evident emerging from the large, very bright
core. On the west side of the
core, a thin, gently sweeping arm defines the western edge of the galaxy. At the southern end of this arm is a
brighter knot or HII region (identified as
17.5"
(4/7/89): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 14'x4', large
bright core concentrated to a very small brighter central region. A thin bright spiral arm attached at
the core extends towards the NNW on the following side of the galaxy. There is a sharp edge along the west
side of this arm.
13"
(4/12/86): bright, very large, bright core, substellar nucleus, mottling near
core. A large bright knot is at
end of the southern arm.
13"
(3/17/86): very bright, very large, impressive! Contains a nearly stellar core in a high surface brightness
oval disk.
8": bright,
very large, elongated, bright core.
Pierre Méchain
discovered M106 = NGC 4258 = H V-43 = h1175 in July 1781. William Herschel found this galaxy on 9
Mar 1788 and recorded V 43 as "v brilliant. BN with much fainter branches from np to sf, about 15' long,
and the sf running out into vF nebulosity extending a great way." On 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) he logged
"vB, mE directly in the meridian [N-S] with faint branches 10 or 12' long,
BNM with the nucleus not ground."
JH made 4 observations and recorded (sweep 330) "vB; vL; vsvmbM to
an oval nucl; 8 or 9' long; 4 or 5' broad." The 20 Apr 1857 observation at Birr Castle (by R.J.
Mitchell) reads "a vL, B, E neb np sf, much mottled. The f edge is comparatively sharp and
well defined, but in the p and n edge there is a great inequality of
light. Nucleus elongated, vB part
to north of nucleus."
******************************
12 19 22.2 +05
22 35
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 143d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated nearly 5:2 NW-SE,
28"x12", fairly high surface brightness. A mag 15 star is off the NE flank, 0.4' from center. A number of galaxies are in the field
to the east, including
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, almost round, bright core. A mag 15 star is at the NE edge 0.5' from
center. First of seven in the NGC
4273 group and forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4259 = h1178 on 27 Dec 1827 and noted as "precedes four
more, nearly in parallel."
His position is 2.3' south of
******************************
12 19 22.2 +06
05 55
V = 11.8; Size 2.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 58d
24"
(4/28/14): bright or very bright, large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2'x1', sharply
concentrated with a very bright round nucleus. A mag 14.7 star is just off the NE edge of the halo.
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated SW-NE, broadly
concentrated halo. A mag 14.5 star
is off the NE end 1.4' from center.
Located 7' NW of mag 7.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4260 = H II-138 = h1177 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and simply
noted "F". His position
is 3.8' northwest of
******************************
NGC 4261 = UGC
7360 = MCG +01-31-052 = CGCG 042-015 = 3C 270 = PGC 39659
12 19 23.2 +05
49 29
V = 10.4; Size 4.1'x3.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 160d
24"
(4/28/14): very bright, very large, oval 4:3 NNW-SSE, 2.4'x1.8'. Sharply concentrated with a large,
intensely bright core that brightens to a quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is near the edge of the
halo on the ENE side. VCC 344 is
1.8' S, just outside the halo, and was logged as "faint, very small,
round, 12" diameter, high surface brightness." Forms a pair with NGC 4264 3.3' NE and
brightest of 30 galaxies viewed within 35'!
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, fairly large, slightly elongated NW-SE, very bright core
with stellar nucleus embedded.
Brightest in a large group of 13 NGC galaxies. In a field with NGC 4264 3.4' ENE, NGC 4257 7' SSW and CGCG
042-014 5' N. NGC 4260 lies 17' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4261 = H II-139 = h1176 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Two. The first [NGC 4261] is the largest. The 2nd [NGC 4264] very
faint." JH called the galaxy
"vB; pL; R; psmbM; 40"."
His single position is 10 sec of RA too far west, but Schönfeld and
d'Arrest both measured accurate positions.
******************************
12 19 30.6 +14
52 39
V = 11.6; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, strong bright core,
faint stellar nucleus. Forms a
pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4262 = H II-110 = h1179 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted
"S, r." In his 1811 PT
paper, he commented "this star with a bur is probably one that formerly a
planetary nebula with a pretty strong haziness on the borders." JH also called it "B; S; R; like a
* 11m with a burr."
******************************
12 19 42.2 -12
13 32
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 125d
18"
(5/28/06): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, roughly
1.2'x0.9', only a weak broad concentration. The halo is irregular with averted vision and appears
elongated 3:2, though at other times appears rounder. On the DSS there is a faint extension to the west and
perhaps I was picking up this section with averted.
18"
(3/13/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 0.6'x0.3', low even
surface brightness. Observation
made through thin clouds.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4263 = H III-535 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded
"vF, pS, iF." His position (CH's reduction) is 1.5' southwest
of
Lewis Swift
independently discovered the galaxy on 6 May 1886 and reported it in list
III-63, close to WH's position. Dreyer assumed it was new and catalogued NGC
4263 again as
******************************
NGC 4264 = UGC
7364 = MCG +01-32-001 = CGCG 042-020 = PGC 39687
12 19 35.8 +05
50 48
V = 12.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, broad
weak concentration. Forms a pair
with much brighter NGC 4261 3.5' WSW.
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration. Located at the north edge of a large
galaxy group and 3.4' NE of NGC 4261.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4264 = H II-140 = h1180 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Two. The first [NGC 4261] is the largest. The 2nd [NGC 4264] very
faint." JH called the galaxy
"pF; R; gbM; 30"." Henrich d'Arrest measured the position 6
times and noted the separation with NGC 4261 was 13 sec of time.
******************************
NGC 4265 = NGC
4263 = MCG -02-32-001 = PGC 39698
12 19 42.2 -12
13 30
See observing
notes for NGC 4263.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 4265 = Sw III-63 on 6 May 1886.
His position is only 2' south of NGC 4263 = H III-535 so I'm not sure
why Dreyer assumed it was a different object. In any case, he noted that NGC 4265 was identical to NGC
4263 in the IC 2 Notes section as "Howe saw only one." The primary designation should be NGC
4263.
******************************
NGC 4266 = UGC
7368 = MCG +01-32-002 = CGCG 042-021 = WBL 397-003 = PGC 39699
12 19 42.3 +05
32 18
V = 13.7; Size 2.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 76d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, thin edge-on 6:1 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.2', even surface
brightness. Although this is a
nice streak, the galaxy is partially masked by mag 9.1
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, small, edge-on WSW-ENE. The view is hampered by mag 8.5
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4266, along with NGCs 4249, 4252, 4282 and 4287, on 26 May
1864. His position matches UGC
7368.
******************************
12 19 45.2 +12
47 54
V = 10.9; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(5/29/14): very bright, moderately large, round, 1.3' diameter, sharply
concentrated with an intense core that gradually increases to a stellar
nucleus. Contains a much fainter outer halo.
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, fairly small, very diffuse round halo. Sharp concentration as increases
suddenly to a small very bright core and stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4267 = H II-166 = h1181 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted
"pB; vS." His position
at the north edge of the halo of
******************************
NGC 4268 = UGC
7371 = MCG +01-32-004 = CGCG 042-023 = Holm 368d = WBL 397-004 = PGC 39712
12 19 47.2 +05
17 01
V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 48d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.4',
contains a small bright core. A
mag 14.5-15 star lies 0.8' NW of center.
NGC 4273 lies 4.2' NE,
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, brighter
core. A mag 14.5 star is 0.8' NW
of center. Third of seven in a
group with NGC 4273 4.3' NE.
Eduard Schönfeld
discovered NGC 4268 on 1 Apr 1862 with the 6" Steinheil refractor at
Mannheim Observatory while observing the NGC 4273 group. JH must have missed the discovery
announcement in 1862 as he didn't include this nebula in the GC, but Dreyer added
to the GC Supplement. The NGC position is accurate (attributed to Schönfeld,
d'Arrest and Engelhardt).
******************************
NGC 4269 = UGC
7372 = MCG +01-32-005 = CGCG 042-024 = Holm 365a = WBL 392-012 = PGC 39719
12 19 49.2 +06
00 54
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 137d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, small, round, 12" (core) surounded by a much
fainter elongated halo 20"x14" NW-SE. The core has a very high surface brightness and contains a
very bright stellar nucleus. Located 1.6' SE of mag 7.7
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, very small and bright core, slightly
elongated. Located 1.7' SSE of mag
7.7
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4269 on 4 Mar 1862 with an 11" refractor. His position, measured on 2 nights,
matches
******************************
NGC 4270 = UGC
7376 = MCG +01-32-007 = CGCG 042-026 = Holm 368c = WBL 397-005 = PGC 39718
12 19 49.5 +05
27 48
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d
24" (4/28/14):
fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.2'x0.6', sharply
concentrated with a very bright core increasing to a bright stellar
nucleus. Eight additional NGC
galaxies lie within 10'! NGC
4266 is 3.8' NNW, NGC 4273 7.3' SSE, NGC 4281 is 9' SE.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, elongated WNW-ESE, bright core, fainter arms,
moderately large. Located 5.4' SSE
of mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4270 = H II-568 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded
"Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the
last. They are scattered
about." There is nothing near
his position (10 min 14 sec following and 34' north of 11 Virginis), but
exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last of the 4 bright galaxies. According to Wolfgang Steinicke, Eduard
Schönfeld resolved the discrepancy and also discovered nearby NGC 4268, which was
missed by WH and JH.
******************************
12 19 32.7 +56
44 12
V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 55d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, sharp bright core, stellar
nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is off
the west edge 1.1' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4271 = H II-804 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"pB, pL, iF." His
position matches
******************************
12 19 47.6 +30
20 20
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(4/25/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, weak concentration. A nice wide pair of mag 11 stars
(47" separation) lie 5' SSE.
Observation in hazy conditions.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4272 = H III-299 = h1182 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and simply
noted "eF". JH made the
single observation "eF; vS; R; 10"." and measured an accurate
position. The UGC declination is
10' too far south.
******************************
NGC 4273 = UGC
7380 = MCG +01-32-008 = CGCG 042-028 = Holm 368a = WBL 397-006 = PGC 39738
12 19 56.0 +05
20 35
V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d
24"
(4/28/14): bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.6'x0.8', well
concentrated, brighter along the major axis (bar?). Among numerous NGC galaxies including NGC 4277 2' E, NGC
4268 4' SW, NGC 4281 7' NE, NGC 4270 7.5' N and NGC 4259 9' WNW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, bright
core. Forms a close pair with NGC
4277 2' ESE. Brightest in a group
of 7 galaxies with NGC 4281 6' ENE, NGC 4268 3.8' SW and NGC 4270 7.5' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4273 = H II-569 = h1183 = h1189 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and
recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is
that of the last [NGC 4281]. They
are scattered about." There
is nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the
last of the 4 bright galaxies.
Because of WH's error, JH recorded the nebula as a "nova"
(h1189) on 27 Dec 1827, but his RA was ~40 sec too large. On a later sweep, he recorded it as a
nova again (h1183) and measured an accurate position. Dreyer combined these identities together in the NGC.
******************************
12 19 50.6 +29
36 51
V = 10.4; Size 6.8'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 102d
17.5"
(4/25/98): bright, very large, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, ~5'x2' though difficult to
trace the full extent as the outer halo fades into background. Well concentrated with a bright
roundish core ~1' diameter which increases to a very small or stellar nucleus. NGC 4253 lies 22' NW, NGC 4245 29' W
and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4274 = H I-75 = h1185 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and simply
noted "vB". JH made the
single observation "vB; vL; E in parallel (E-W); 2' l, 1.5' br." On 24 Apr 1849, LdR or assistant George
Stoney suspected a "faint tail following". This probably refers to part of the ring surrounding the
core.
******************************
12 19 52.6 +27
37 16
V = 13.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3
18"
(5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, brighter core,
fairly high surface brightness. A
mag 13 star lies 1.1' E.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4275 = H II-376 = h1184 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"pF, S, almost R, bM."
JH made two observations and noted on sweep 417, "F; lE; near a *
15m."
******************************
12 20 07.4 +07
41 30
V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, fairly small, round, even surface brightness, no noticeable
core.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4276 around 1881 (Copenicus paper, 1881) with the 13.5-inch refractor
at Hamilton College Observatory.
His position matches
******************************
NGC 4277 = MCG
+01-32-009 = CGCG 042-029 = Holm 368f = WBL 397-007 = PGC 39759
12 20 03.7 +05
20 28
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
24" (4/28/14):
fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter,
broad concentration. A mag 14-14.5
star lies 1.2' S of center. Forms
a close pair with NGC 4273 2' W and nearly at the midpoint of NGC 4281 5' NE
and NGC 4268 5' SW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, small, diffuse.
A mag 14 star is 1.2' S of center.
Located just 2.1' E of NGC 4273.
Second faintest of 7 in the NGC 4273 group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4277 = H II-570 = h1190 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded
"Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the
last [NGC 4281]. They are
scattered about." There is
nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last
of these four galaxies. Because of
WH's error, JH recorded the nebula as a "nova" (h1190) on 27 Dec
1827, but his RA was 47 sec too large.
In addition, his descriptions for h1189 and h1190 are reversed.
******************************
NGC 4278 = UGC
7386 = MCG +05-29-062 = CGCG 158-077 = Holm 369a = WBL 399-001 = PGC 39764
12 20 06.8 +29
16 50
V = 10.2; Size 4.1'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(4/25/98): bright, roundish, fairly large, the outer halo increasing to ~3.5'
diameter with averted vision. The
halo surrounds a well-defined very prominent core which increases to a
quasi-stellar nucleus. Forms a
pair with NGC 4283 3.5' NE. Poor
transparency.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4278 = H I-90 = H II-322 = h1186 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and
recorded II-322 as "Three [with NGC 4283 and 4286], all in a row, but of
unequal size and brightness. The
most following [NGC 4286] vF."
His single position is 14 sec of time following NGC 4278. He found NGC 4278 again a month later
(11 Apr), assumed it was new and recorded I-90 as "Two [with NGC 4283],
the time is that of the brightest and preceding [NGC 4278], which is cB, pL,
nearly R. The other is sf, pB, S,
about 6' distance." JH made
two observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 20 25.0 -11
40 00
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 35d
18"
(5/8/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, very small brighter
core. Brighter of a close pair
with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4279 = Sw III-64, along with NGC 4280 and 4285, on 6 May
1886. His description reads
"eeF; vS; R; 1st of 3."
There are only two galaxies near his positions for these three objects
and only his position for NGC 4285 = Sw III-66 lands directly on a galaxy. His first two positions are both to the
south of
******************************
NGC 4280
12 20 31 -11 39
06
18"
(5/8/04): this number may apply to a trio of mag 15 stars situated between NGC
4279 and NGC 4285. The two
brighter stars were noted, although I was not looking for the fainter third
star. This identification is
uncertain and listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4280 = Sw III-65, along with NGC 4279 and 4285, on 6 May
1886. There are only two galaxies
here and either NGC 4279 or 4280 is nonexistent or refers to a faint star(s). Assuming NGC 4279 = PGC 39812 , then
Swift's offsert to NGC 4280 falls close to a 45" string of 3 mag
14.5/15.5/16.5 stars. His
description "eeeF; vS; R; 2nd of 3" is not helpful in pinning down
the identification. So, this
number is lost or might apply to one of more of these stars.
******************************
NGC 4281 = UGC
7389 = MCG +01-32-012 = CGCG 042-034 = Holm 368b = WBL 397-008 = PGC 39801
12 20 21.5 +05
23 11
V = 11.3; Size 3.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 88d
24"
(4/28/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 E-W, 1.8'x0.9', sharply
concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to quasi-stellar
nucleus. NGC 4268, 4273 and 4277
in a 10' string to the SW and NGC 4270 and 4266 lie to the NW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated 2:1
E-W. This galaxy is the last of 7
in a 15' circle and the brightest in the group along with NGC 4273 6.9' ESE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4281 = H II-571 = H II-573 = h1187 = h1194 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep
553) and recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and
number is that of the last [NGC 4281].
They are scattered about."
There is nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC
4281, the last of these four galaxies.
He swept the field again 6 days later and measured an accurate position
for NGC 4281, and simply noted (for II-573) "a nebula, but cloudy."
JH recorded the
nebula as a "nova" on 27 Dec 1827 with the description "vB; E;
bM; 60"." His RA was 47
sec too large (same error he made with NGC 4277 and 4273), so he didn't realize
the equivalence with II-573. On a
later sweep he observed H II-573 again, measured an accurate position and
reported "vB, vL, R, pgbM, 3', 3 more seen." So, errors were made by
both WH and JH, though Dreyer sorted things out pretty well in his 1912 publication
of WH's catalogues.
******************************
NGC 4282 = MCG
+01-32-013 = CGCG 042-035 = WBL 397-009 = PGC 39809
12 20 24.3 +05
34 22
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 100d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 ~E-W, 0.7'x0.3',
gradually increases to a slightly brighter core, brighter along the major
axis. On a line between NGC 4270
11' SW and
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, low even surface
brightness. A mag 13 star is 1.8'
S of center. Located in the large
NGC 4261 group with NGC 4287 6' NE and NGC 4270 10' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4282 = m 237, along with NGC 4249, 4252, 4266 and 4287 on 26 May
1864. His position is 2' north of
******************************
NGC 4283 = UGC
7390 = MCG +05-29-063 = CGCG 158-080 = Holm 369b = WBL 399-002 = PGC 39800
12 20 20.8 +29
18 39
V = 12.1; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(4/25/98): moderately bright, round, 1' diameter. Fairly well concentrated with a small, bright core and
stellar nucleus. Second of three
in trio with brighter NGC 4278 3.5' SW and NGC 4286 5' NE. Poor transparency due to smoke.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4283 = H II-377 = H II-323 = h1188 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387)
and recorded II-323 as "Three [with NGC 4278 and 4286], all in a row, but
of unequal size and brightness.
The most following [NGC 4286] vF." His single position is 14 sec of time following NGC
4278. He found NGC 4283 again a
month later (11 Apr), assumed it was new and recorded II-377 as "Two [with
NGC 4283], the time is that of the brightest and preceding [NGC 4278], which is
cB, pL, nearly R. The other [NGC
4283] is sf [error: should read nf], pB, S, about 6' distance." JH made two observations and measured
an accurate position.
******************************
12 20 12.6 +58
05 34
V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 102d
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, bright core, elongated NW-SE. Forms a right angle with two mag 13
stars 1.3' S and 1.1' E of center.
Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4284 = H III-798 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"cF, lE, iF. The preceding of
two [with II-805 = NGC 4290]. His
re-reduced position is 2' northwest of
******************************
NGC 4285 = MCG
-02-32-004 = PGC 39842
12 20 39.8 -11
38 31
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 50d
18"
(5/8/04): very faint, small, elongated ~3:2 SW-NE, 35"x20", weak
concentration. Forms a pair with
slightly brighter NGC 4279 4' SW.
Between the galaxies are a couple of faint stars (possibly NGC 4280).
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4285 = Sw III-66, along with NGC 4279 and 4280, on 6 May 1886
and recorded "eF; pS; R; 3rd of 3." There are only two galaxies here, but his position clearly
establishes NGC 4285 = MCG -02-32-004 = PGC 39842. See NGC 4280.
******************************
NGC 4286 = UGC
7398 = MCG +05-29-065 = CGCG 158-083 = IC 3181 = WBL 399-003 = PGC 39846
12 20 42 +29 20
48
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 150d
17.5"
(4/25/98): very faint, very low surface brightness. No details visible but appears as an elongated haze ~N-S,
located just north of a mag 15.5 star.
On a line with NGC 4283 5' SW and NGC 4278 8.5' SW. Transparency poor.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4286 = H III-300 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded
"Three [with NGC 4283 and 4286], all in a row, but of unequal size and
brightness. The most following
[NGC 4286] vF.
On 24 Apr 1849,
LdR (or observing assistant George Stoney), noted "a third nebula about
8.5' nf [NGC 4278]." Assuming
it was new, JH (who missed this galaxy) assigned it GC 2863, although Dreyer
realized the equivalence with NGC 4286 and combined the two GC designations in
the NGC. Henrich d'Arrest measured
an accurate micrometric position.
Max Wolf found
this galaxy again on a Heidelberg plate on 23 Mar 1903 and reported it in list
IV-28 (later
******************************
NGC 4287 = MCG
+01-32-014 = CGCG 042-037 = PGC 39860
12 20 48.5 +05
38 23
V = 14.5; Size 1.1'x0.2'; PA = 75d
24"
(4/28/14): faint to fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 or 5:1 WSW-ENE,
35"x8", fairly low even surface brightness. A mag 14.3 star is attached on the northwest side and
detracts from viewing. NGC 4282
lies 7' SW and
17.5"
(3/24/90): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, low surface
brightness. A mag 14.5 star on the
west edge slightly hampers the view.
NGC 4282 lies 6' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4287 = m 238, along with NGC 4249, 4252, 4266 and 4282 on 26 May
1864. His position is 1' south of
******************************
12 20 38.1 +46
17 31
V = 12.9; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 130d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, gradually brighter halo. Located almost at the midpoint of a mag
13 star 3.3' NNW and a mag 13.5 star 3.7' SSE of center. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4288 = H III-726 = h1191 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and noted
"eF, pS." JH made 3
observations and reported on sweep 138 "pF; R; vgbM; 60"."
******************************
12 21 02.3 +03
43 20
V = 13.8; Size 3.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 1d
18"
(5/8/04): very faint, thin edge-on 5:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.2', very weak
concentration. This delicate
sliver required some care in first acquiring. A mag 8.4 star (
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4289 = T I-42 in 1877.
His position and description (BD +4°2606 follows by 12 sec of time)
matches
******************************
NGC 4290 = UGC
7402 = MCG +10-18-029 = CGCG 293-012 = Holm 373a = PGC 39859
12 20 47.5 +58
05 33
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 90d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated WSW-ENE, bright core,
faint stellar nucleus. Forms a
pair with NGC 4284 4.6' W. A wide
double star = M40 lies 15' E.
Located 15' N of 70 Ursa Majoris (V = 5.6).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4290 = H II-805 = h1193 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"pB, pL, mbM. The following
of two [with H III-798 = NGC 4284]."
His offset from NGC 4284 is an exact match with
******************************
12 20 17.7 +75
22 15
V = 11.5; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d
13.1"
(2/23/85): fairly bright, small, round, small bright nucleus, possible stellar
nucleus at 312x. A mag 14 star is
at the west edge 25" from the center. Form a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4291 = H I-275 = h1192, along with NGC 4319, on 10 Dec 1797
(sweep 1066) and noted "cB, S, R." JH made four observations and logged on sweep 349 "pF;
R; gbM; 20"; followed and almost surrounded by 3 stars 10m, one of which
is double; has also a vS * sp dist 30"."
******************************
12 21 16.4 +04
35 44
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 7d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, bright core, slightly elongated halo. Located 1.3' SSE of a mag 10 star. Forms a close pair with
13"
(2/23/85): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, brighter core. A mag 9 star is 1' NW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4292 = h1196 on 7 Apr 1828 and logged "F; S; near a bright
star; precedes M61 about half a field." A few nights later he logged "F; R; vglbM; has a star
70° np; 1' dist. Taken for H
I-139, but this nebula does not exist, or is identical with M61." The latter is the case.
On 1 Mar 1851,
Bindon Stoney (LdR's assistant) recorded "bM and has a vF
companion". While compiling
the 1880 publication, Dreyer added the note "2' north by
diagram." At this offset from
NGC 4292 is NGC 4292A = PGC 213977, another pre-NGC discovery which should have
recieved a NGC designation.
******************************
12 21 13.0 +18
23 00
V = 10.4; Size 5.6'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 72d
17.5"
(5/23/98): fairly bright, large, elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, ~4.5'x1.5'. The core is more oval, ~1.2'
diameter. The galaxy has an
irregular surface brightness and there appears to be a dark band following the
core. A mag 13.5 star is just off
the following end 2.7' from center and a trio of mag 12-13 stars are off the NE
end as well as another mag 13 star 2' N of center. Located 36' N of 11 Comae Berenices (V = 4.7).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4293 = H V-5 = h1195 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded
"L, E, r, 6 or 7' in length."
JH made two observations and logged (sweep 61) "F; vL; E; bM; 5' l,
1.5' br." Bindon Stoney,
LdR's assistant on 10 Apr 1852, noted a "faint knot at end of the
preceding branch."
******************************
12 21 17.8 +11
30 37
V = 12.1; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 155d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE,
2.0'x0.7', fairly weak concentration.
A mag 14.5 star is at the north end 1.1' from center. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4294 = H II-61 = h1197 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded
"Two [with NGC 4299] considerable, E, F nebula; their situation is in the
same parallel; and they are near fixed pB stars." CH's reduced position is about a min of
RA following
******************************
12 21 09.8 +28
09 54
V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'
18"
(6/23/09): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 30"x25",
increases gradually to a very small brighter core.
17.5"
(4/25/98): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, weak
concentration. A mag 13 star lies
3.3' NNE. Poor transparency due to
smoke.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4295 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
just off the east side of
******************************
12 21 28.4 +06
39 12
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, bright core, very faint elongated halo N-S
mostly visible to the south of the core.
Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4296 = H III-92, along with NGC 4297, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191)
and recorded both as "vF, vS; and one still smaller and fainter suspected
just by." His single offset is
just 5 sec of RA following
******************************
NGC 4297 = MCG
+01-32-018 = CGCG 042-041 NED1 = PGC 39940
12 21 27.4 +06
40 16
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 175d
17.5"
(3/24/90): extremely faint and small, round, requires averted. Located 1.1' N of NGC 4296.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4297 = H III-93, along with NGC 4296, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191)
and recorded both as "vF, vS; and one still smaller and fainter suspected
just by." His single offset is
just 5 sec of RA following UGC 7409 (taken as III-92 = NGC 4296) with fainter
But III-93 was
not seen by Heinrich d'Arrest or Guillaume Bigourdan and Frost missed it on a
Harvard plate, so he classified it as nonexistent (Annals of Harvard College
Observatory, Vol 88, No. 1). The
CGCG has a single entry and calls this a double system.
******************************
12 21 32.8 +14
36 24
V = 11.3; Size 3.2'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140d
48"
(4/7/13): very bright, large, oval 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.5'. Contains a very bright core, which
increases to a small bright nucleus.
The core is offset a bit to the NW side. The halo extends further to the southeast side and a weakly
defined spiral arm is evident in the outer halo on the west side, extending to
the southeast end. A mag 13.5 star
is at the east side, 0.8' from the core.
Forms a striking pair with
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, broadly brighter
center. A mag 13 star is at the
east end 0.8' from center. Forms a
close pair with edge-on NGC 4302 2' E.
13"
(3/24/84): fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE. A mag 13 star is at the east end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4298 = H II-111 = h1198, along with NGC 4302, on 8 Apr 1784
(sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula. The first [NGC 4298] R. The second [NGC 4302] E. About 2' from each other. JH noted "F; L; E; vgbM; a star follows; the p of
2."
******************************
NGC 4299 = UGC
7414 = MCG +02-32-010 = CGCG 070-025 = Holm 376b = PGC 39968
12 21 40.8 +11
30 03
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 26d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, overall fairly diffuse with a
broad concentration, slightly elongated.
A group of mag 12-13 stars is SE.
Forms a pair with NGC 4294 5.6' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4299 = H II-62 = h1200 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded "Two [with NGC 4294]
considerable, E, F nebula; their situation is in the same parallel; and they
are near fixed pB stars." JH
made 3 observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 21 41.5 +05
23 05
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 42d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.4', fairly well
concentrated with a bright, elongated core. At the southern vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag
9.2 stars 8.4' NNE and 9.2' NW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. Located 20' E of NGC 4281 and 11' WNW
of 17 Virginis (∑1636 = 6.6/9.4 at 21").
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4300 = H II-572 = h1201 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and only
noted "a nebula, [position] very badly taken." Despite WH's comment just previously in
the sweep that "a slop occasioned by the same blundering person", his
position is just off the southwest end of the galaxy.
******************************
12 22 27.2 +04
33 58
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, fairly even surface
brightness. Located 10' NE of
M61. NGC 4292 lies 11' NW.
13.1"
(2/23/85): faint, fairly small, diffuse, roundish.
13.1"
(5/26/84): very faint, small, diffuse, slightly elongated, no concentration.
Here are my
notes on
UGC 7411 = MCG
+01-32-019 = CGCG 042-042 = PGC 39951
12 21 34.1 +04
46 47
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 132d
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4301 on 21 Apr 1851, while observing the field of M61 with LdR's
72". The short description in
the 1880 Monograph reads "Another neb 10' nf.", but there is no
reference object given to identify the object. A more complete description is given in his 1861
publication: "1202 [M61] is a
spiral, B. centre, and 2 knots.
There is another neb. 10' nf." This strongly suggests NGC 4301 is 10' northeast of M61,
which points to NGC 4301 = NGC 4303A = UGC 7439.
Heinrich
d'Arrest and Herman Schultz were unable to find NGC 4301 at the GC
position. Because of this, Dreyer
assumed the LdR discovery was 10' northeast of NGC 4292 (the other object
grouped together in the LdR publications) and modified the position of NGC 4301
in the NGC. As a result, UGC 7411
(located 12' NNE of NGC 4292) is misidentified as NGC 4301 in the MCG, PGC,
RC3,
******************************
NGC 4302 = UGC
7418 = MCG +03-32-009 = CGCG 099-027 = Holm 377b = PGC 39974
12 21 42.3 +14
35 59
V = 11.6; Size 5.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 178d
48"
(4/7/13): at 610x; beautiful, thin edge-on stretches at least 8:1 N-S,
~5.0'x0.5'. Contains a brighter,
elongated, mottled core. A very
thin dust lane extends along the major axis! The core is slightly brighter on the east side of the dust
lane. The northern tip extends
beyond a mag 14.2 star off the northwest end. A mag 14.3 star is just west of the southern tip. Forms a superb pair with NGC 4298 just
2' W.
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, large edge-on 7:1 N-S, 4.5'x0.6', low surface
brightness, weak concentration. A
mag 14 star is off the north edge 2.0' from center. Forms a close pair with NGC 4298 2.4' W.
13"
(3/24/84): faint edge-on streak N-S close following NGC 4298.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4302 = H II-112 = h1199, along with NGC 4298, on 8 Apr 1784
(sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula. The first [NGC 4298] R. The second [NGC 4302] E. About 2' from each other." On 26 Apr 1832, JH noted "L; vmE nearly in the meridian
[N-S]; the f of 2."
******************************
12 21 54.9 +04
28 25
V = 9.7; Size 6.5'x5.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
48"
(4/5/13): at 375x and 488x, the visible structure was similar to photographic
detail! A bright bar extends
north-south and is sharply concentrated with a very small, round, intense
nucleus. A bright arm is attached
right at the north side of the bar and sweeps counterclockwise 180° to the
south end, along the east side. A
brighter region was visible in the arm east of the nucleus, which include HII
regions NGC 4303:[HK83] #35/39/41/45/49, from the Hodge-Kennicutt "Atlas
of H II regions in 125 galaxies".
The western arm
is attached at the southern end of the bar and sweeps north on the west
side. A bright, elongated patch is
on the southern end of this arm, which includes #155, ~45" SSW of the
nucleus. The arm extends inside a
mag 14 star in the west side of the halo [1.2' WSW of center] and then sharply dims
but extends towards #242, a nearly detached faint knot 1.2' WNW of center.
A partial outer
arm, not attached to the core, was easily visible on the north side, angling
southwest to northeast. This short
arms contains HII region #135, a very bright, 15" knot, 1.2' NNE of
center.
18"
(5/12/07): spiral structure is easily visible. One arm is attached at the north end and sweeps towards the
northeast and then hooks to the south along the east side. A bright knot ([HK83] 135) is within
the arm at the northeast end. A
second broader arm is attached at the south end and sweeps towards the
southwest and then hooks towards the north on the west side. The central region contains a bright,
stellar nucleus.
13.1"
(5/26/84): very bright, large, bright stellar nucleus. Two spiral arms are faintly visible; one
arm is attached south of the nucleus and winds towards the west and then
north. A slightly brighter arm is
attached north of the nucleus and winds along the east side towards the south. In the field with NGC 4292 11' NW and
NGC 4301 10' NE.
Barnaba Oriani
discovered M61 = NGC 4303 = H I-139 = h1202 on 5 May 1779 while observing the
Comet of 1779. It was
independently found by Messier six days later, on 11 May 1779. WH found M61 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep
553), assumed it was new, and catalogued it as I-139 with the summary
description (2 observations) "eB; vBN; r, 6 or 7' dia."
Bindon Stoney
discovered spiral structure on 1 Mar 1851 and noted "spiral, 2 knots,
centre bright. There is another
neb. 10' nf." A sketch made
of M61 on 14 Apr 1852 was included in the 1861 publication, though
misidentified as h1196 [NGC 4292].
The neb 10' nf probably refers to NGC 4301 = NGC 4303A = UGC 7439. See that number.
******************************
12 22 12.7 -33
29 04
V = 11.6; Size 2.6'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
18"
(5/28/06): very faint, fairly large, round, 2' diameter, broad weak
concentration. Appears as a
diffuse glow of low surface brightness though seems mottled or one or more very
faint stars is superimposed. Located 6.9' NW of mag 8.2
On the DSS, this
galaxy is a face-on barred spiral similar to
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4304 = h3387 on 28 Apr 1834 and logged "vF; pL; R; vgvlbM;
90"; r." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4305 = UGC
7432 = MCG +02-32-013 = CGCG 070-031 = Holm 381a = PGC 40030
12 22 03.6 +12
44 27
V = 12.6; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 32d
24"
(5/29/14): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 5:3 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.6'. Contains a brighter, elongated
core. Brighter of a pair with NGC
4306 2.8' N.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, diffuse arms, weak
concentration. Forms a pair with
NGC 4306 2.8' N. NGC 4267 lies 33'
W.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4305 = h1203 on 2 May 1829 and simply noted "vF;
R." His position is just
45" south of center, though he missed nearby NGC 4306.
******************************
NGC 4306 = UGC
7433 = MCG +02-32-014 = CGCG 070-032 = Holm 381b = PGC 40032
12 22 04.1 +12
47 15
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x1.3'; PA = 140d
24"
(5/29/14): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE,
40"x32", weak concentration.
Fainter of a pair with NGC 4305 2.8' S.
17.5"
(4/25/87): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, diffuse, no
concentration. Forms a pair with
NGC 4305 2.8' S.
George Johnstone
Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4306 on 13 Apr 1849, while viewing the
central region of the Virgo cluster.
He labeled the galaxy Beta on the diagram and recorded "Alpha [NGC
4305] and Beta [NGC 4306] nearly in merdian [N-S], both F, Alpha the
larger." Henrich d'Arrest
independently discovered NGC 4306 on 16 Apr 1865 and measured an accurate
position. d'Arrest is credited
with the discovery in the NGC as no positions or offsets were determined at
Birr Castle.
******************************
12 22 05.6 +09
02 38
V = 12.0; Size 3.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 24d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, large, edge-on SSW-NNE, broad moderate
concentration. Forms a pair with
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4307 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton
College Observatory. He noted
"pL, not vF" and his position is 2.5' south of
******************************
12 21 56.8 +30
04 27
V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(4/25/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, very weak
concentration. Located 13' NW of
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 4308 = Sf 107 on 11 Jun 1868 with the 18.5" refractor at
the Dearborn Observatory. The
discovery was not published until 1887, too late to be credited in the NGC. Wilhelm Tempel independently discovered
the galaxy on 17 Feb 1882, recorded it in list V-16, and was credited with the
discovery in the main NGC listing. Tempel's and Safford's position matches UGC
7426.
******************************
12 22 12.4 +07
08 39
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 85d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, elongated E-W, diffuse, gradually increases to a small bright
core. A mag 13 star is 2.9'
E. Located 20' W of the
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4309 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton
College Observatory in New York.
Peters' position matches
******************************
12 22 26.3 +29
12 31
V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165d
17.5"
(5/23/98): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.6', weak
concentration. A wide pair of mag
12 stars [1.3' separation] lies 4' S.
The nearer star has a mag 14 companion at 24".
17.5"
(4/25/98): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.4'x0.7', broad
concentration. The trio of NGC
4278, NGC 4283 and NGC 4286 lies ~30' NW.
Observation affected by hazy skies.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4310 = H II-378 = h1205 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"F, cL, lE." CH's
reduction is 2' northwest of
d'Arrest made 3
accurate measurements of the positions, with a 4th exactly 1.0 min of time too
large. Dreyer assumed it was new
and catalogued it as
******************************
12 22 26 +29 12
24
=Not found,
Corwin.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4311 = h1206 on 19 Apr 1827 and recorded "F; the sf of two
[with NGC 4310]." There is
only a single galaxy here, so it is not clear what JH was referring to. Curiously, his position is a very close
match with NGC 4310. Harold Corwin
was unsuccessful in searching for other pairs that JH might have
misidentified. UGC, RNGC and MCG
label the single galaxy as NGC 4310 = NGC 4311.
******************************
12 22 31.4 +15
32 16
V = 11.7; Size 4.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright and large, very elongated N-S, 2.5'x0.6', brighter
the along major axis. A pair of
mag 12.5/13 stars at 21" separation lies 2.5' ESE. Located 18' SSW of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4312 = H II-628 = h1209 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and logged
"pB, cL, E." CH's
reduced position is 6 sec of RA east of
******************************
12 22 38.6 +11
48 04
V = 11.6; Size 4.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 143d
24"
(5/29/14): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, 2.1'x0.6',
bright, elongated core increases to a faint stellar nucleus, mottled
surface. The northwest extension
seems slightly brighter and longer and in addition is slightly tilted with
respect to the major axis of the core.
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated NW-SE, very
small bright core. Located 22' NE
of the NGC 4294/NGC 4299 pair in the same low power field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4313 = H II-63 = h1207 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"E, resembling the former two [NGC 4294 and 4299]. His position on this sweep is 1.0 tmin
too large. A similar error was made on several nebulae discovered on that night
including NGCs 3810, 4067, 4294, 4313, 4352, 4371, and 4429. JH made two observations, recording on
his 3rd sweep "eF; E 45° np, r in middle." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4314 = UGC
7443 = MCG +05-29-075 = CGCG 158-093 = PGC 40097
12 22 32.0 +29
53 44
V = 10.6; Size 4.2'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(4/25/98): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated ~3:1 NNW-SSE, ~3'x1'. The halo fades at the tips and rises
fairly abruptly to an oval core. A
mag 13 star is at the northwest tip and a mag 14/15 star is embedded on the
southeast side. The observation
was hampered by poor transparency and the faint outer halo of this barred
spiral was not seen.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4314 = H I-76 = h1204 = Sf 20 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and
recorded "cB, L, E." His
position matches
******************************
12 22 39.5 +09
17 10
=*, Corwin. "Not found", Carlson.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4315, along with NGC 4316, on 17 Mar 1882. He mentioned a fainter nebula to the
south 1.5' and 2 sec of RA west.
There is nothing at this offset, except a mag 15 star which is 2.8'
south and 3 sec of RA west or perhaps a mag 14 star 1.6' south and 2.5 sec of
RA east. Tempel apparently
confused one of these stars as being nebulous.
******************************
NGC 4316 = UGC
7447 = MCG +02-32-017 = CGCG 070-035 = PGC 40119
12 22 42.3 +09
19 56
V = 12.9; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 113d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, weak
concentration. A double star is
off the WNW end with components 13.2/13.5 at 19". NGC 4307 is 21' SW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4316, along with NGC 4315, on 17 Mar 1882. He noted the 20" pair of stars off
the northwest end so the identification with
******************************
12 22 36 +31 02
=Not found,
Corwin. =*, Reinmuth and Carlson.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4317 = H II-324 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and logged "F,
S." There is nothing at his
position and Corwin was not able to find a likely candidate.
Karl Renimuth
identifies NGC 4317 with a mag 13.7 star and this is repeated by Dorothy
Carlson. But Corwin feels II-324
probably does not refer to a star as the description would more likely be vS or
eS. So, he calls it
"lost".
******************************
12 22 43.3 +08
11 54
V = 13.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 65d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated SW-NE, bright
core. Located 4.4' S of mag 8.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4318 = h1208 on 18 Jan 1828 and noted "eF; a star 8m 5'
dist, on meridian to north."
His position is within 30" of the center of
******************************
NGC 4319 = NGC
4345 =UGC 7429 = MCG +03-09-025 = CGCG 352-029 =
12 21 43.9 +75
19 20
V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160d
13.1"
(2/23/85): fairly faint, small, bright core, stellar nucleus. The quasar Markarian 205 (controversial
quasar with an apparent discordant redshift) appears as a faint mag 14.5
stellar object 0.7' south of center.
Forms a pair with NGC 4291 6' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4319 = H I-276 = h1210, along with NGC 4291, on 10 Dec 1797
(sweep 1066) and recorded "cB, cL, mbM, iF." JH made three observations and recorded
(sweep 413) "pB; pL; bM.
Follows [NGC 4291]."
******************************
12 22 57.8 +10
32 55
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170d
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, very small, round, bright core. Forms a pair with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4320 on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on 4 nights, matches
******************************
12 22 55.0 +15
49 21
V = 9.3; Size 7.4'x6.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30d
48"
(4/18/15): stunning view of this gorgeous spiral at 375x and 488x. M100 is sharply concentrated with an
intensely bright circular nucleus.
Two prominent, high contrast arms (fairly narrow) each rotate ~270° and
can be clearly traced to within 1' of the center. The south and north outer tips of the arms are between
5.5'-6' apart with the overall size ~6'x5'.
One arm begins
off the WNW side of the core with a bright mottled section angling nearly
north-south for ~25". This
section contains multiple HII sites NGC 4321:[HK83]220/223/229/230 from Hodge and
Kennicutt's 1983 "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". The arm curls clockwise around the
south side. A small (~8"
dia.) HII knot (#160/171/172) is within this arm, 1.0' S of center. Just to the east [1.5' SE of center] is
a brighter, mottled section that contains a close pair [18" separation] of
compact HII knots (#110 and #69/87).
The surface brightness of the arm abruptly drops as it shoots due north
on the east side of the halo for ~3'.
The arm dims further as it curves west on the northeast side of the
outer halo and ends just southeast of mag 15 star situated 2.9' NNW of center.
The second arms
begins ~1' SE of center with a thicker, much brighter region. The Hodge-Kennicutt Atlas catalogues
numerous HII designations in this region, but none stood out individually. The arm sharply abruptly narrows and
rotates clockwise around the north side of the core towards the west. It passes just south of two mag 15.5
stars, where there is a slightly brighter mottled section containing HII
regions #252/253. The arm dims
significantly as it heads south on the west side of the halo. Finally, it weakens further and spreads
out at the end on the southwest side of the galaxy [2.6' from center].
18"
(5/15/10): very bright, large, ~4.0-4.5' diameter, sharply concentrated with a
very bright round core. Spiral
structure was evident at 220x with a spiral arm attached on the southwest side
of the core region. This arm
sweeps east on the south side, heading in the direction of a mag 14 star just
off the southeast end of the galaxy, but bending north. On the north side off of the core, a
portion of the inner spiral arm is visible oriented E-W and extending to the
northwest of the core region.
17.5" (5/23/87):
bright, very large, almost round, well-defined bright core surrounded by a
large, fainter halo. Two faint
galaxies
Pierre Méchain
discovered M100 = NGC 4321 = h1211, along with M98 and M99, on 15 Mar 1781 and
Messier verified it a month later.
WH described "a vL nebula of about 10' in diameter, with a small
bright cluster of supposed stars in the middle. It is followed at the distance of 6 or 8' by another
distinct F, S, R, r nebula [NGC 4328] which is nearly in the same parallel with
the great one." His
description obviously refers to the sharply concentrated core, though he gave
this as an example in his 1814 publication of a nebula probably consisting of a
cluster of stars. LdR discovered
spiral structure in M100 on 9 Mar 1850 (or earlier) and included it in his list
of "Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in the 1850 PT paper.
This is one of
the largest and brightest spirals in the Virgo cluster. M100 was the fist Virgo cluster member
that the HST observed Cepheid variables (1993) and derived a distance of 55
million light years (since revised to ~50 million light years).
******************************
12 22 42.0 +15
54 13
24"
(5/22/17): this number *possibly* applies to a 13th magnitude star 5.7' NW of
the center of M100 and 4.8' due west of NGC 4323 (
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4322, along with NGC 4323 and
******************************
NGC 4323 = MCG
+03-32-016 = CGCG 099-031 = Holm 387f = WBL 401-002 = PGC 40171
12 23 01.6 +15
54 20
V = 14.7; Size 1.1'x0.8'
24"
(5/22/17): at 375x; very faint, fairly small, roundish, ~0.4' diameter, very
low surface brightness with no structure.
Could often hold with averted but required concentration to pick up. Located 5.3' NNE of the center of
M100. A mag 13 star is 4.8' due
W. This galaxy was marginal in
Carter Scholz's 16", which makes me question if Wilhelm Tempel would have
picked it up in an 11" refractor.
18"
(5/15/10): this faint galaxy is located just 5.2' NNE of the center of the
face-on spiral M100. At 220x it
appeared very faint, fairly small, ~0.5'x0.4' (difficult to determine the
orientation), very low surface brightness with no central brightening. This galaxy is the fainter of two
companions of M100 with NGC 4328 6' E of center.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4323, along with NGC 4322 and NGC 4327, in 1882, during an
observation of M100. He mentions
"on my drawing are three other very faint nebula in the vicinity, two
north and close to M100 and the third south of [NGC 4328]." But there is only a single galaxy north
of M100, namely CGCG 099-031 = PGC 40171.
RNGC and MCG equate NGC 4322 = NGC 4333 although Harold Corwin argues
that NGC 4322 is probably a star 4.8' west of the galaxy, which implies only
NGC 4323 should be used for the galaxy (placing the numbers in order of
RA). See Corwin's identification
notes.
V = 14.7, B =
15.4
******************************
12 23 06.2 +05
15 01
V = 11.6; Size 2.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 53d
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, small bright core, elongated WSW-ENE, fainter
extensions. Located 9' ESE of
double star 17 Virginis (∑1636 = 6.6/9.4 at 21").
Heinrich d'Arrest
discovered NGC 4324 on 4 Mar 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
on 4 nights) is accurate. Eduard
Schönfeld independently found the galaxy less than a month later on 1 Apr 1862
with a 6-inch refractor at the Mannheim Observatory.
******************************
NGC 4325 = NGC
4368? = MCG +02-32-019 = CGCG 070-037 = PGC 40183
12 23 06.6 +10
37 16
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 5d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, small, irregularly round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4320 4.9' SSW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4325 on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He made 4 observations
and noted the mag 14.5 star (he called it mag 16) that follows by 7.6 seconds
of time.
WH's III-38 =
******************************
12 23 11.6 +06
04 19
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 145d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3, 0.6'x0.45', small bright
core. Bracketed by a mag 10.5 star
3' N and a mag 11.5 star 2' S.
Located 5.8' W of
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. First of three and forms a right angle with NGC 4333 3.3' SE
and NGC 4339 5.7' E. A mag 11 star
is 3.0' N. Located within the NGC
4339 group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4326 = H II-141 = h1213 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Three [with NGC 4333 and 4339], the last [NGC 4339] is the
largest." JH logged "vF;
S; R; bM; 10"; the first of 3 in a triangle." and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4327
12 23 07.5 +15
44 11
= NF, Gottlieb
and Carlson. =*, Corwin.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4327, along with NGC 4322 and 4323, in 1882, during an
observation of M100. In the notes
section of paper V (AN 2439) Tempel commented, "There are three other,
very subtle nebulae in the vicinity [of M100], two to the north, near to M100,
and the third to the south of
******************************
NGC 4328 = MCG
+03-32-019 = CGCG 099-034 = Holm 387d = WBL 401-003 = PGC 40209
12 23 20.0 +15
49 13
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 90d
18"
(5/15/10): faint, fairly small, very diffuse with just a weak concentration,
~0.8' diameter, no distinct core or zones. Located just 6' due east of the center of M100 and the
brighter of two companions in the field with NGC 4323.
18"
(4/5/03): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.8'x0.6', very
low surface brightness (although catalogued surface brightness is 13.1), very
weak concentration. A mag 14.5
star lies 1.4' NE. Located 6.0' E
of M100.
17.5"
(5/23/87): extremely faint, small, round.
A mag 14.5 star is 1.4' NE of center. Located 6' due east of M100!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4328 = H II-84 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "It
[M100] is followed at the distance of 6 or 8' by another distinct F, S, R, r
nebula which is nearly in the same parallel with the great one." The NGC RA is 9 seconds too small, but
the identification is certain.
******************************
12 23 20.7 -12
33 31
V = 11.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 45d
17.5"
(5/19/01): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, moderate surface
brightness, 25" diameter.
Seems fainter than listed blue magnitude of 12.5.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4329 = h1214 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded (single observation)
"F; sB; R; bM to nucleus. His position is 1.4' north of
******************************
12 23 16.6 +11
22 07
V = 12.4; Size 4.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 59d
17.5"
(4/18/87): faint, fairly large, edge-on SW-NE, even surface brightness.
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4330 on 14 Apr 1852 during an observation of NGC 4294 and 4299
with the 72" at Birr Castle.
He mentioned "another vF and thin ray about 30' following." JH
catalogued this object as GC 2909 ("R. nova"). Heinrich d'Arrest independently found
this galaxy on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen and
measured an accurate position (3 nights).
Dreyer catalogued this observation as GC 5639 with the note
""Probably = [GC] 2909."
The two GC entries were combined in the NGC.
******************************
12 22 35.9 +76
10 21
V = 14.1; Size 2.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 2d
18"
(3/5/05): extremely faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 N-S. A mag 14-14.5 star is at the north tip
and the galaxy appears as a ghostly dagger hanging to the south.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4331 = H III-942 = h1220 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted
"eF, E near the meridian.
Verified with 320x."
CH's reduced position is 1.8' southeast of
******************************
NGC 4332 = UGC
7453 = MCG +11-15-048 = CGCG 315-033 = PGC 40133
12 22 46.8 +65
50 37
V = 12.2; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, weak
concentration. A mag 11.5 star is
2.1' ENE of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4332 = H II-847 = h1216 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged
"pB; S; lE." JH recorded
(single observation) 'F; R; vgbM; 20"." and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
NGC 4333 = MCG
+01-32-034 = CGCG 042-065 = PGC 40217
12 23 22.2 +06
02 26
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, small, round, faint stellar nucleus, 20"
diameter. Located 4' SW of NGC
4339 in a trio with NGC 4326 3.3' NW.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4339 4' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4333 = H II-142 = h1215, along with NGC 4326 and 4329, on 13 Apr
1784 (sweep 191). JH logged
"F; pS; R; bM; 15"; the second of 3 in a triangle." and measured
an accurate position.
******************************
12 23 24.0 +07
28 23
V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 135d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, very small, small bright core, faint extensions NW-SE. A mag 11.5 star is just 0.7' SSE of
center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4334 = h1218 on 24 Apr 1830. His single observation reads "pF; R; S; close to a star
[on the south side]" and his position is very accurate.
******************************
12 23 01.9 +58
26 40
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 145d
17.5"
(5/13/88): first of four and brightest in the group. Moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright
core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4335 = H II-806 = h1217 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and simply
noted "pB". His
re-reduced position is 2.5' northwest of
******************************
12 23 29.8 +19
25 36
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 162d
17.5"
(5/23/98): fairly faint, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE (PA 160°) in the direction of a
mag 10 star 3.5' SSE, 60"x45".
Weak concentration to center but the surface brightness appears
irregular.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4336 = H II-406 = h1219 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded
"pF, pL, mbM. It either has a
small one almost joined to it to the north, or else the light of it is a little
brighter in that place, but not nearly so bright as the other part." No such structure was noted by JH or is
apparent on the DSS. JH measured a
fairly accurate position on sweep 61.
Royal Frost
found the galaxy on 7 May 1904 at Arequipa on a Bruce 24-inch plate (taken on
the night of 9 May 1904) and reported as number 884 in Harvard Annals 60. His position is 2' north of NGC 4336. So, NGC 4336 = IC 3254. See Harold Corwin's IC identification
notes for the full story.
******************************
12 24 03.3 -58
07 26
V = 8.9; Size 4'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~15 stars are arranged in a striking 4.5'
diameter partial oval for ~270 degrees and open on the west side. A few stars are situated both in the
interior and outside of this three-fourth completed ring. In the center of the loop are a few mag
13-14 stars and a fairly bright background glow from a dense group of
unresolved stars in the core of the cluster. A gorgeous, equal mag double star Brs 8 = 7.6/7.9 at 5"
is located 6' E. The cluster is
located midway between Delta and Gamma Crucis along one side of the Southern
Cross. This group may be an
asterism an not a physical cluster.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4337 = h3388 on 1 Apr 1834 and reported "a p rich cl; not
much compressed in the middle; stars 12...14m, in curved branches. A fine double star follows [Brs
8]." His position is just
west of center of this cluster.
******************************
NGC 4338 = NGC
4310 = UGC 7440 = MCG +05-29-074 = CGCG 158-092 = PGC 40205
12 22 26.3 +29
12 31
See observing
notes for NGC 4310. Here are my
notes on
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; extremely faint, thin edge-on ~5:1 N-S, very low surface
brightness, very slightly brighter elongated core, ~45"x9". Only visible part of the time, though
pops clearly and can hold for a few seconds.
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4338 on 19 May 1863 and described "vF, E, cometary,
quite difficult to see because of dusk. The place has not yet been
verified." There is nothing
at his position, but exactly 1.0 min of time west is NGC 4310, discovered by
WH. d'Arrest measured NGC 4310 on
3 other nights, but not the one he recorded NGC 4338. Harold Corwin equates NGC 4338 = NGC 4310.
RNGC, RC3,
SIMBAD and secondary sources such as WikiSky, Uranometria 2000. Atlas and
Megastar misidentify IC 3247 as NGC 4338.
IC 3247 is located 20' south of d'Arrest's position. Reinmuth also questioned if NGC 4338 =
IC 3247 but Malcolm Thomson feels this galaxy is too faint and would not have
been visible in d'Arrest's 11-inch refractor in twilight -- I agree.
******************************
NGC 4339 = UGC
7461 = MCG +01-32-036 = CGCG 042-068 = LGG 289-026 = PGC 40240
12 23 35.0 +06
04 54
V = 11.3; Size 2.4'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1' diameter, bright core
increases evenly to center. A mag
11 star lies 1.5' S of center.
Brightest of three with NGC 4326 and NGC 4333. This Virgo cluster member harbors an active galactic
nucleus.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly small, round, small very bright core. Forms a trio with NGC 4333 4' SW and
NGC 4326 6' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4339 = H II-143 = h1222, along with NGC 4326 and 4333, on 13 Apr
1784 (sweep 191). JH logged (sweep
254) "B; R; pL; psbM; 30"; the third in a triangle."
******************************
12 23 35.2 +16
43 21
V = 11.2; Size 3.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 102d
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, almost round, fairly small, small well defined
core. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4340 = H II-85 = h1212, along with NGC 4350, on 21 Mar 1784
(sweep 182) and described both as "Two nebula, the following [NGC 4350] is
the brightest, both S and the last pB." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 23 53.5 +07
06 25
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 96d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, even surface
brightness. Member of the NGC 4343
group and midway between
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4341 = H III-95 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Three [along with H. III 94 = NGC 4343 and H. III 96 = NGC 4342], all eF
and vS, R nebula." His single
position is between NGC 4343 and 4342. H III-95 = UGC 7472 is the faintest of
the three brightest galaxies (out of five) that WH likely viewed.
Bigourdan
observed the group on 23 Apr 1895 and measured the position of this galaxy (UGC
7472). Likewise, Arnold
Schwassmann measured a very accurate position (Sn. 17) on a Heidelberg plate on
27 Nov 1900. Dreyer assumed they
found a new object, but IC 3260 = NGC 4341.
Because of the
ambiguity with the identification of NGC 4341, the CGCG and MCG label this
galaxy IC 3260. UGC and RNGC use
both designations. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for the full story.
******************************
12 23 39.1 +07
03 14
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 168d
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, very small, elongated NNW-SSE, bright core,
stellar nucleus. This galaxy has
the highest surface brightness of the members in the NGC 4343 group. NGC 4343 lies 6.0' S, NGC 4341 = IC
3260 4.8' NE, IC 3267 6.6' E, IC 3259 8.3' NNE. See notes on the identification.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4342 = H III-96 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Three [along with III-94 = NGC 4343 and III-96 = NGC 4342], all eF and
vS, R nebula." His single
position is between NGC 4343 and 4342. As there are 5 galaxies in this group,
there has been considerable confusion on the correct identifications. Harold Corwin assumed WH observed the
three brightest galaxies here and suggests the identifications NGC 4341 = IC 3260
= UGC 7472, NGC 4342 = IC 3256 = UGC 7466 and NGC 4343 = UGC 7465, though the
CGCG (Herzog) argues the NGC designations should be dropped and the unambiguous
IC designations used.
Bigourdan found
this galaxy on 23 Apr 1895, measured an accurate position matching
******************************
NGC 4343 = UGC
7465 = MCG +01-32-038 = CGCG 042-070 = PGC 40251
12 23 38.8 +06
57 15
V = 12.1; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 133d
17.5"
(3/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, brighter core, elongated
NW-SE. Brightest member of a group
of five along with NGC 4342 = IC 3256 6.0' N. Nearby are IC 3259 14' NNE, IC 3267 8' NE and NGC 4341 = IC
3260 10' NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4343 = H III-94 = h1223 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Three [along with III-95 = NGC 4341 and III-96 = NGC 4342], all eF and
vS, R nebul." His single
position is between NGC 4343 and 4342.
JH catalogued only a single nebula in the group that he called III-94,
noting "pB; E; or has a F neb on the s f side." His position matches
******************************
12 23 37.5 +17
32 28
V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(5/23/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Appears as a diffuse glow with weak concentration forming an
isosceles triangle with two mag 13 and 14 stars 2.0' SE and 2.0' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4344 = H III-31 = h1224 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and noted
"eF. It forms a triangle with
2 small stars." JH logged
"F; not vS; R; vglbM; 25"." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 21 43.9 +75
19 20
See observing
notes for NGC 4319.
Gerhard Lohse
found NGC 4345 in 1886 with the 15.5-inch refractor at Wigglesworth's
observatory near Scarborough, England.
There is nothing at his position, but 1.0 min of RA west is NGC 4319 = H
I-276. So, likely NGC 4345 = NGC
4319 with a 1 tmin error in RA.
Dorothy Carlson identifies NGC 4345 as a star near Lohse's position, but
since the description mentions "pL" this is very unlikely.
******************************
12 23 27.9 +46
59 38
V = 11.1; Size 3.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 99d
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1 E-W, rises sharply to a small very
bright core, stellar nucleus highly suspected. Located roughly 50' SE of M106.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4346 = H I-210 = h1225 on 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) and recorded
"cB, S, BN with irregular chevelure, lE near the parallel". CH's reduction is 8' north of
******************************
12 23 54 -03 14
=*?, SG and
HC. = NGC 4348??, HC. Not found, JS.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4347 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton
College Observatory. The only
objects close to his position are faint stars. Perhaps coincidentally, 13' south of his position is NGC
4348 (discovered by WH). He
expressly mentions in his description "this can hardly be GC 2911 [NGC
4348]", due to the discrepany in position. Assuming that's the case, this object is probably lost,
though may refer to one or more faint stars.
******************************
12 23 53.9 -03
26 36
V = 12.5; Size 3.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 40d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, edge-on SW-NE, increases to a
brighter core. A mag 14 star is
located 1.2' W of center and a brighter mag 12 star lies 3.2' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4348 = H II-625 = h1226 on 29 Dec 1786 (sweep 674) and recorded
"F, E from sp to nf, about 2' long." His position is off the east side of
******************************
12 24 06 -61 52
12
V = 7.4; Size 16'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~150 stars are resolved in a 15' field. This cluster is rich and uniform in
magnitudes except for a single mag 8.4 star (
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4349 = D292 on 30 Apr 1826 and described "a pretty cluster
of extremely small stars, resembling a pretty large faint nebula, about 6' or
7' diameter: the compression is very gradual to the centre; a pretty bright
star is in the following side of the cluster, round figure." His position was quite accurate (about
4' SE of the center of the cluster near the brightest member). The position here corresponds with the
densest portion of the cluster.
JH observed the
cluster on three sweeps. On 14 Mar
1834 he logged "chief star 10m of a fine rich cluster which fills
field." Two weeks later (31
Mar 1834) he noted "a large loose cluster of small stars 12..14th mag;
irregularly round; not very rich; little compressed in the middle; diam. 10'."
His final sweep three years later described a "cluster class VI. Very
large, very bright, A star about 8..9 mag taken but the brightest part of the
cluster is about 4' N.p. Fills field; not much compressed in the middle; stars
12..13th mag; This cluster was found by Mr Maclear in this sweep made with him,
not being aware at the time of its having been seen in Sweep 432."
******************************
NGC 4350 = UGC
7473 = MCG +03-32-023 = CGCG 099-038 = Holm 391a = PGC 40295
12 23 57.8 +16
41 36
V = 11.0; Size 3.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 28d
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly bright, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, fairly small, very small bright
core. Forms a pair with NGC 4340
5.6' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4350 = H II-86 = h1221, along with NGC 4340, on 21 Mar 1784
(sweep 182) and described both as "Two nebula, the following [NGC 4350] is
the brightest, both S and the last pB." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 24 01.6 +12
12 16
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 80d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, diffuse, fairly even surface brightness with only a
slight broad concentration, slightly elongated ~E-W.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4351 on 19 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He measured the
position on 5 different nights and estimated the size as 40"-45" in
diameter.
Lewis Swift
independently found the galaxy on 17 Apr 1887 and reported it as new in list
VI-42. His position is nearly
identical to d'Arrest's, so it's surprising that Dreyer recatalogued it as NGC
4354. In any case, NGC 4351 = NGC 4354.
See Corwin's identification notes for more.
******************************
12 24 05.0 +11
13 05
V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 102d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, small, oval ~E-W, small brighter core. NGC 4330 lies 14' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4352 = H II-64 = h1227 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged
"F, vS." His RA was 1
min too large (roughly the same error was made on this sweep with several
others objects). JH measured an
accurate RA and logged "vF; S; lE.", though he used his father's
erroneous RA in the GC. Heinrich
d'Arrest independently found the nebula on 23 Mar 1865, measured an accurate RA
again and Dreyer catalogued it again as GC 5642. Bigourdan noted the equivalence and Dreyer combined the two
GC and GCS entries (2929 and 5642) into NGC 4352.
******************************
NGC 4353 = IC
3266 = MCG +01-32-043 = CGCG 042-077 = PGC 40303
12 24 00.2 +07
47 05
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 67d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, oval SW-NE. A
mag 13 star is 1.2' NNW.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4353 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton
College Observatory. His position
in Copernicus (1861) is 0.1 min of RA east and 2' north of
Arnold
Schwassmann found the galaxy again on 20 Nov 1899 using a Heidelberg plate
taken with the 6" astrograph and assumed Sn. 49 was new. In addition his Sn. 48 (later
******************************
12 24 01.6 +12
12 16
See observing
notes for NGC 4351.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 4354 = Sw VI-42 on 17 Apr 1887 and described as "eeF; pL; in
vacancy; v diff." His
position is 1' from NGC 4351 = UGC 7476 (discovered by d'Arrest on 19 May
1863). It's surprising that Dreyer
didn't equate the two discoveries.
Dorothy Carlson states NGC 4354 = NGC 4351. See Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
12 26 54.6 -00
52 40
See observing
notes for
David Todd found
NGC 4355 = Todd 17 on 5 Feb 1878 with the 26" refractor at the U.S. Naval
Observatory during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet. This is one of the 8 galaxies in his
list that Dreyer credited to Todd.
His rough RA is 4.0 tmin too far west but his field sketch and offsets
match
******************************
12 24 14.9 +08
32 16
V = 13.3; Size 2.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 40d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, edge-on SW-NE, low surface brightness. A mag 13 star is involved at the east
edge of the core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4356 = H III-481 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted
"vF". CH's reduction is
at the southwest tip of
UGC, CGCG and
MCG label this galaxy as IC 3273 and ignore the NGC designation.
******************************
12 23 58.9 +48
46 47
V = 12.4; Size 3.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 77d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, increases to a small
brighter core. Located 10' ESE of
mag 7.7
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4357 = Big 52 on 8 Mar 1886. His position matches
******************************
12 24 02.1 +58
23 07
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Brightest of a triple group with stellar
This galaxy
described above is identified as NGC 4364 in all modern catalogues.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4358 = H III-799 = h1230 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and logged
"vF, vS." His re-reduced
position is just 11 sec of RA preceding
JH, Bigourdan
and d'Arrest only found two galaxies (h1230 and h1231) with his first position
matching III-799 = UGC 7479 and his second position clearly referring to CGCG
293-018 = PGC 40350. CGCG
identifies the two components to UGC 7479 as NGC 4358 + 4364 and MCG and RNGC
both identify the stellar western component as NGC 4358 and the main eastern
component as NGC 4364.
Corwin concludes
only the two brighter galaxies should receive NGC designations (and WH was
mistaken on the third nebula he reported). In which case, NGC 4358 = UGC 7479 and NGC 4362 = NGC 4364 =
******************************
12 24 11.7 +31
31 20
V = 12.7; Size 3.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 108d
17.5"
(4/25/98): very faint, elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, appears as large as 3'x1' at
times, low surface brightness with weak central brightening, fades at
tips. Located 34' NW of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4359 = H III-648 = h1229 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and logged
"vF, E, about 1' length in the direction of the parallel." JH made a single observation, noting
"F; pmE; nearly in parallel; vlbM; 25"." His position is just 25" south of
center.
******************************
12 24 21.7 +09
17 34
V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 145d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright
core. Located 1.3' SE of a mag 10
star. Forms a pair with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4360 = T I-43 on 22 Mar 1878. His micrometric position in discovery list V places it +4.87
sec of RA and -47" dec from
******************************
12 24 30.8 -18
47 05
V = 11.0; Size 93"x37"
48"
(2/20/12): the unusual structure in this planetary shocked me at 488x as
previous views in my 17.5" and 18" had only showed a hint of
detail. The two main components
are large bulbous lobes or wings with an irregular surface brightness that jut
out of the central region in a WNW and ESE direction, with the WNW lobe
slightly brighter. More surprising
were two arms and loops, similar to spiral arms in a galaxy, that extend out to
the NE and SW and curve clockwise.
The arm to the southwest is very thin where it emerges from the central
portion, so it appeared partially detached! The arm on the NE side clearly bends south but is not as
sharply defined. Between the lobes
(WNW and ESE) and arms (SW and NE) are darker gaps or regions creating a
unique, basically symmetric shape that is elongated SW-NE (arms are longer),
~1.8'x1.4'. At the center is a
very bright mag 13 central star. A
fainter, more roundish halo envelops the brighter components.
17.5"
(5/15/99): 100x easily reveals the bright central star surrounded by a
moderately high surface brightness halo ~1' in size. At 220x, the central star
appears 13th magnitude and the halo gradually brightens towards the center. With averted vision, the halo increases
to roughly 90"x60", extended SW-NE, with an ill-defined edge. I had the strong impression of an
extension or hook on the southwest end of the PN, which was confirmed on the
DSS image (a similar extension is also on the NE end).
13":
moderately bright, fairly large, slightly elongated. The mag 13 central star is fairly easy at 165x.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4361 = H I-65 = h1231 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded
"vB, pL, mb<. The central
brightness not round but as if it had two nucleuses pretty closely joined; the
chevelure [halo] iR." John
Herschel described "vB, L, R, vsmbM to nucl = *11, 90" diameter. R[esolved] with power 320, and is no
doubt a globular cluster; fades away to nothing. So, JH was convinced it was a globular and surprisingly it
was misidentified as a galaxy in RC1!
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis described NGC 4361 as "central star
about mag 10; this is surrounded by an irregular oval mass whose brighter parts
are about 44"x39" in pa 103°.
From this central portion tow arms (spiral whorls?) go out in pa 20° and
portions of a very faint ring 81" can just be made out." 1918PLicO..13...55C
******************************
NGC 4362 = NGC
4364? = MCG +10-18-039 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350
12 24 11.3 +58
21 38
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5" (5/13/88):
very faint, small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 0.8' S. Located 1.9' SE of NGC 4364. Possible identification mix-up.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4362 = H III-800 = h1233 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"Two [with III-801 = NGC 4364], both cF, vS, R." His position is 3 sec of RA following
and 1' north of III-799 = NGC 4358.
But there is only a single galaxy (CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350), which is 9
sec of RA following and 1.5' south of NGC 4358. So, there was clearly some confusion with the orientation
and/or description. JH reported
"eF, the last of 2 [with h2914 = NGC 4358]."
Notes on the
identifications of NGC 4358, 4362 and 4364 are under NGC 4358.
******************************
12 23 28.4 +74
57 08
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.1
18"
(3/5/05): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness. Appears as a hazy disc with with no
evident concentration. Located 23'
SE of NGC 4319 and Markarian 205.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4363 = H III-938 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and noted "eF,
pL, iF." Dreyer
mentions an error in WH's reduction of the position though CH's position is
less than 1' from the center.
******************************
NGC 4364 = NGC
4362? = MCG +10-18-039 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350
12 24 11.3 +58
21 38
See observing
notes for NGC 4362. Uncertain
identification.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4364 = H III-801 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"Two [with III-800 = NGC 4362], both cF, vS, R." There is only a single galaxy (h1233 =
CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350) situated 2' southeast of III-799 = NGC 4358, so WH's
observation is clearly in error.
Dreyer suggest that perhaps "Two" should be interpreted as
"Two with III-799", as there are only two galaxies that were likely
seen.
See discussion
under NGC 4358 and Corwin's notes for the identifications of NGC 4358, 4362 and
4364. CGCG 293-018 is labeled NGC
4364 in all modern catalogues.
******************************
NGC 4365 = UGC
7488 = MCG +01-32-048 = CGCG 042-083 = PGC 40375
12 24 28.3 +07
19 03
V = 9.6; Size 6.9'x5.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 40d
17.5" (3/28/87):
very bright, large, elongated SW-NE, bright core, very small or stellar
nucleus. The NGC 4343 group is
close SW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4365 = H I-30 = h1232 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"pB, pL, or an iR form, mbM, r." His position is within 1' east of
******************************
12 24 47.0 +07
21 11
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.6'; PA = 51d
17.5"
(3/28/87): very faint, small, diffuse, even surface brightness. Located 5' NE of NGC 4365.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4366 = H III-97 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Two unequal nebula [the other is II-144 = NGC 4370]; one of them [III-97
= NGC 4366] eF." Dreyer notes
that III-97 was observed one only 1 sweep and not seen again when nearby II-144
= NGC 4370 was reobserved on 28 Dec 1785.
It was also not seen by JH, d'Arrest, or by Samuel Hunter with the
72". So, Dreyer suggested NGC
4366 = NGC 4370 and this was repeated by Dorothy Carlson in her 1940 list of
NGC errata.
But 5' northeast
of NGC 4365 is
******************************
12 24 35.1 +12
10 56
=**, Corwin. Not
found, Dreyer.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4367 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and also measured 3 nights later. There is nothing at his position except a mag 15 star with a
mag 17.5 companion at 13" separation (likely too faint to have been seen
by d'Arrest). On the second
observation, he mentions this object follows NGC 4351 by 35 seconds of time, so
the identification with this star is nearly certain.
Royal Frost
reported NGC 4367 was not found on a 4-hour Bruce plate (Annals of Harvard
College Observatory, Vol 88, No. 1) .
Karl Reimuth equates NGC 4367 with
******************************
NGC 4368 = NGC
4325 = MCG +02-32-019 = CGCG 070-037 = PGC 40183
12 23 06.6 +10
37 16
See observing
notes for NGC 4325.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4368 = H III-38 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vF,
vS." There is nothing at his
position and Bigourdan was unsuccessful in locating NGC 4368, and neither was
Frost photographically (Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1, Virgo-Coma
survey). Dreyer notes in the 1912
"Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that the RA is possibly 1
tmin too great. Several nebulae
discovered by WH that night (including NGCs 3810, 4067, 4294, 4313, 4352, 4371,
and 4429) have comparable errors.
So, it's reasonable that NGC 4368 is a duplicate of NGC 4325 (located
1.5 min of RA west of WH's position) . See Corwin's identification notes for
more.
******************************
12 24 36.2 +39
22 58
V = 11.7; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core with a distinct
stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4369 = H I-166 = h1234 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted
"vB, S, R." CH's reduced
position is 1.4' north of this galaxy.
JH made two observations, calling it "pB; R; smbM almost to a
*."
******************************
NGC 4370 = NGC
4366: = UGC 7492 = MCG +01-32-051 = CGCG 042-089 = PGC 40439
12 24 55.0 +07
26 40
V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 83d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak
concentration. NGC 4365 lies 10.1'
SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4370 = H II-144 = h1236 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"Two unequal nebula; one of them [III-97 = NGC 4366] eF." His position is 14 sec of RA west of
******************************
12 24 55.4 +11
42 15
V = 10.8; Size 4.0'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, small, sharp concentration with a very small very bright
core, stellar nucleus, diffuse outer halo elongated E-W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4371 = H I-22 = h1235 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"pB, not vL." There is
nothing at CH's reduced position, but 45 sec of RA west is
******************************
12 25 45.4 -72
39 32
V = 7.5; Size 18.6'; Surf Br = 1.2
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, this is a
highly-resolved, low-concentration class globular. A mag 6.6 star just 5.5' NW of center is a bit distracting
but scores of stars are resolved over the 4' core, appearing to crisscross the
center in numerous lanes. The
outer halo is very large, nearly 15' in diameter, and resolved into a couple of
hundred stars. Except for the
brighter and denser core, this globular appears similar to a very large, fully
resolved open cluster.
18" (7/6/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x, this large, bright globular was an
impressive object and beautifully resolved into 150-200 stars mag 13 and
fainter within a 13'-14' diameter.
The unresolved background glow was relatively faint for such a
well-resolved globular. The large
4' core is only slightly brighter and there is no nucleus (class 12
concentration) although a close pair of brighter mag 12.5 stars is near the
center. Scores of stars appear
linked in chains and loops, particularly in the outer halo, which is quite
irregular and ragged. Mag 6.6 HD
107947 lies 5.5' NW of center at the edge of the halo and provides a striking
contrast although it detracts somewhat from viewing. A dust lane appears to pierce the cluster on the north side
for a few arc minutes (east of the bright star) and this dark intrusion may be
an extension of the "Dark Doodad" (see notes).
18" (7/7/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this large, loose globular was
well-resolved into ~100 stars mag 12-15 with a 12' diameter. The roundish core is ~4' in size with
many faint stars sprinkled across the core. The halo is elongated and irregular in shape. A starless
dark lane appears to wind into the cluster towards the core from the NW side
angling roughly NW-SE (later verified on the DSS). A mag 6.8 star lies 5' NW of the core and interferes with
viewing! Located 44' SW of mag 3.8
Gamma Muscae.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4372 = D 67 = h3390 on 30 Apr 1826 using his 9-inch f/12
speculum reflector from Parramatta, NSW.
He described "a star of the 6th magnitude, with a beautiful
well-defined milky ray proceeding from it south following; the ray is conical,
and the star appears in the point of the cone, and the broad or south following
extremity is circular, or rounded off. The ray is about 7' in length, and
nearly 2' in breadth at the broadest part, near the southern extremity. With
the sweeping power this appears like a star with a very faint milky ray south
following, the ray gradually spreading in breadth from the star, and rounded
off at the broader end. But with a higher power it is not a star with a ray,
but a very faint nebula, and the star is not involved or connected with it: I
should call it a very faint nebula of a long oval shape, the smaller end
towards the star; this is easily resolvable into extremely minute points or
stars, but I cannot discover the slightest indications of attraction or
condensation towards any part of it. I certainly had not the least suspicion of
this object being resolvable when I discovered it with the sweeping power, nor
even when I examined it a second time; it is a beautiful object, of a uniform
faint light." Dunlop's
position is 24' too far WNW, but the bright star is off the northwest side as
described by Dunlop, so the identification is certain.
JH described it
on 1 Apr 1835 as "a globular cluster, very faint; large; very gradually
brighter in the middle; 6' diameter; resolved into stars of 15th magnitude;
rich in stars; a delicate and faint object; has a star 45 N.p., distance 5'
from centre. Almost perfectly insulated in a very large space almost entirely
devoid of stars, being the smaller and southern lacuna below the great 'coal
sack'."
******************************
12 25 17.8 -39
45 35
V = 10.9; Size 3.4'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 43d
18"
(3/28/09): fairly bright and large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 1.5'x1.0'. Contains a large bright center that
increases to a small, bright core.
A number of stars surround the galaxy.
NGC 4373 is the
brightest in a subgroup of at least 7 galaxies on the northwest side of the
Centaurus Cluster (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4373 = h3391 on 8 Jun 1834 and logged "pB; S; R;
pgvmbM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
12 25 03.8 +12
53 13
V = 9.1; Size 6.5'x5.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 135d
24"
(4/28/14): extremely bright, large, slightly elongated, ~4'x3.5', sharply
concentrated with a very intense core that increases gradually to a nonstellar
nucleus. The large halo gradually
fades out. A mag 14.5 star is
superimposed on the SW side of the halo, 1.2' from center. In the 23' field (at 260x) is
18"
(6/12/10): at 175x, very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated, ~2.8'x2.4'
NW-SE. The halo gradually
brightens from the edge and then suddenly increases dramatically to a very
bright 45" core that increases to a sharp stellar nucleus. A faint star is just off the SW edge,
1.3' from center. At 280x the halo
appears slightly mottled.
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, moderately large, almost round, very bright core, very
small bright nucleus, halo gradually fades into background sky so there is no
sharp edge. Nearly an identical
twin of M86 17' ENE but rounder.
13"
(5/14/83): very bright, very bright core.
Located in the core of the Virgo cluster.
Charles Messier
is credited with the discovery of
******************************
12 25 00.4 +28
33 31
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5d
17.5"
(4/13/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.6'. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.2' NE of
center. Located 30' NW of a mag
4.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4375 = H II-379 = h1238 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." JH made two
observations and logged (sweep 66) "F; R: has a small star 35° nf,
90" dist."
******************************
12 25 18.2 +05
44 29
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 157d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.5',
broad, weak concentration with no noticeable core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4376 = H II-530 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "F,
S." CH's reduction is 2'
southwest of
The RNGC
misidentifies
******************************
12 25 12.4 +14
45 44
V = 11.9; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 177d
17.5" (5/23/87):
moderately bright, fairly small, almost round or slightly elongated N-S, small
very bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4377 = H I-12 = h1239 on 19 Feb 1784 (sweep 149) and recorded
"pB, but not vL; I saw it only through a very strong haziness and only a
single moment." JH made the
single observation "B; S; vsmbM" and measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4378 = UGC
7497 = MCG +01-32-052 = CGCG 042-092 = PGC 40490
12 25 18.1 +04
55 30
V = 11.7; Size 2.9'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 167d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly small, very bright core, very slightly
elongated. Forms an obtuse angle
with mag 9 stars
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4378 = H I-123 = h1228 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted
"F, S". CH's reduction
is at the south edge of the halo.
JH made the single observation "B; visible in strong twilight; has
a * 8-9 mag 20° sf dist 3'."
Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position (single observation) and
noted the error in RA in the GC.
******************************
12 25 14.7 +15
36 27
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, small, round, strong bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4379 = H II-87 = h1240 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"S, resolvable, brightest in the middle." There is nothing at his position, though
******************************
12 25 22.1 +10
00 59
V = 11.7; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 153d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly large, fairly diffuse but gradually
increases to a very small brighter core.
A mag 14 star is off the south end 2.4' from center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4380 = h1241 on 10 Mar 1826 and logged "vF; pL; R;
lbM." His position matches
******************************
12 23 58.9 +48
46 47
See observing
notes for NGC 4357.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4381 = H II-743 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged "F,
S." There is nothing at his position, but 70 sec of RA west is NGC 4357 =
UGC 7478 and the equivalence was suggested by Dreyer in his 1912 revision of
WH's catalogues. NGC 4357 was
found again by Bigourdan (II-52) on 8 Mar 1886 and placed accurately. NGC 4381 should be the primary
designation by historical precedence.
******************************
12 25 24.0 +18
11 28
V = 9.1; Size 7.1'x5.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 5d
17.5"
(5/23/87): very bright, moderately large, small very bright core. A mag 13 star is superimposed near the
NNE edge and a mag 10 star is off the SE side 2.7' from center. Forms a pair with
Pierre Méchain
discovered
******************************
12 25 25.4 +16
28 12
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 28d
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, very small, bright stellar nucleus, small faint
extensions SW-NE. A mag 12 star is
1.8' SW of center.
Eduard Schönfeld
discovered NGC 4383 on 23 May 1862 with a 6" Steinheil refractor. This galaxy is not listed in the GC (JH
missed the discovery announcement in Schönfeld's "Beobachtungen von
Nebelflecken und Sternhaufen") but Dreyer added it to the GSC (5644). Engelhardt measured an accurate
micrometric position.
******************************
12 25 12.0 +54
30 22
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
18"
(3/30/05): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.8'x0.7'. Fairly well concentrated to a small,
brighter core and a quasi-stellar nucleus with direct vision. Located 11' SW of mag 7.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4384 = H III-879 = h1243 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and logged
"cF, S, iF." His
position is 1' north of
******************************
12 25 42.8 +00
34 21
V = 12.5; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 82d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, small bright core. Located 4' N of mag 9
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4385 = m 239 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, alm
stell." His position is 1'
south of
******************************
NGC 4386 = UGC
7491 = MCG +13-09-027 = CGCG 352-033 = LGG 284-006 = PGC 40378
12 24 28.3 +75
31 44
V = 11.7; Size 2.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 135d
18"
(3/5/05): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE. Contains a small bright core which
increases to the center, surrounded by an oval halo 1.2'x0.8'. Third in an impressive trio with NGC
4291 and NGC 4319.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4386 = H I-277 = h1247 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and recorded
"cB, cL, mbM." JH made
two observations and logged (sweep 348) "pB; lE; psmbM;
25"." His position
matches
******************************
NGC 4387 = UGC
7517 = MCG +02-32-039 = CGCG 070-065 = PGC 40562
12 25 41.7 +12
48 38
V = 12.1; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:4 NNW-SSE,
25"x20", gradually increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5' NNW and a mag
15.5 star is 50" S of center.
At the center of M84, M86 and
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, brighter
core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.4'
NNW. This member of the Virgo
cluster is located in the center of the triangle formed by M84, M86 and NGC
4388 with NGC 4388 9' S, M84 10' NW and M86 11' NE.
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, slightly elongated N-S. A faint star is close north.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4387 = H II-167 = h1250, along with NGC 4388, 4413 and 4425, on
17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two nebulae [NGC 4388 and 4387]. The
most southern [NGC 4388] extended."
His position is between the two galaxies. Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position on 4
different nights (#255 in AN 1537).
******************************
NGC 4388 = UGC
7520 = MCG +02-32-041 = CGCG 070-068 = Holm 403c = PGC 40581
12 25 46.7 +12
39 41
V = 11.0; Size 5.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 92d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly bright, large, edge-on 4:1 E-W, well concentrated with a
mottled, very bright core. Fairly
sharp light cutoff on the south side (dust lane) of the core. Faint, stellar knots are at the west
and east ends of the core.
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, edge-on streak E-W, fairly large, brighter core,
thin extensions. A faint mag 14.5
star lies 1.3' NE of center.
Located 16' SE of M84 in the core of the Virgo cluster. On a line between IC 3303 8.4' WNW and
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, very elongated E-W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4388 = H II-168 = h1244, along with NGC 4387, 4413 and 4425, on
17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two nebulae [NGC 4388 and 4387]. The
most southern [NGC 4388] extended."
His position is between the two galaxies. JH noted "vF; E; the p of 2 [with NGC 4413], dist about
30s in RA." He didn't realize
this was the same as his father's II-168, so listed it as a "nova"
and included separate listings in the GC for II-168 and h1244. Dreyer combined the listings in the
NGC.
******************************
12 25 35.4 +45
41 03
V = 11.7; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
13.1"
(3/17/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, brighter
along the major axis. A mag 13.5
star is off the SE edge 1.1' from center and a mag 12.5 star lies 2.1'
NNW. Similar view on 4/12/86.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4389 = H II-749 = h1245 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded
"pB, S, iF." JH made 3
observations, noting on sweep 255 "F; vL; E; vglbM; 2' l, 1.5' br."
On 30 Mar 1856,
R.J. Mitchell logged at Birr Castle "pB, E, Nucl, a bright streak runs
through the nucleus, growing broader at the preceding end, on either side of
this I suspect dark spaces and outside them again faint nebulosity, especially
to south side of the nucleus."
His sketch was included in LdR's 1861 publication.
******************************
12 25 50.7 +10
27 33
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/20/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse, even or
almost even surface brightness.
Located 26' NNE of NGC 4380.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4390 = H III-39 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vF;
near some bright stars." His
re-reduced position is 5' northeast of
Schwassmann
"rediscovered" this galaxy on a Heidelberg plate in 1900 and it was
catalogued again as Sn. 155 (later
******************************
12 25 18.8 +64
56 00
V = 12.7; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(4/15/93): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A fairly bright triple star is 2' WSW
consisting of three mag 10.5-12 stars with separations 34", 50" and
68".
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4391 = H III-852 = h1248 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged
"vF, stellar, north following a small triangle of B stars." JH made two observations, first
recording on sweep 411 "pB; S; bM; 12". Near a pB triple star." His position is accurate.
******************************
12 25 18.8 +45
50 51
V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6
13.1"
(3/17/86): fairly faint, small, elongated, bright core. Located 10' NNW of NGC 4389.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4392 = H III-729 = h1249 on 27 Apr 1788 (sweep 833) and noted
"vF, S." CH's reduction
is within 1' of
******************************
12 25 51.6 +27
33 43
V = 12.1; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 0d
18"
(5/30/03): faint, large, diffuse glow, approximately 2.5'x2.0' in diameter,
extended N-S, very low surface brightness with just a broad, weak
concentration. A neat string of 6
mag 11-12.5 stars running NNW-SSE passes 6'-7' W. Located 19' NNW of mag 4.9 14 Comae Berenices.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4393 = H III-361 = h1246 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"vF, vL." CH's reduced
position is on the west edge of the galaxy. JH called it "F; irreg fig; has a line of bright stars
preceding."
Harold Corwin
notes that
******************************
NGC 4394 = UGC
7523 = MCG +03-32-035 = CGCG 099-047 = Holm 397b = PGC 40614
12 25 55.6 +18
12 50
V = 10.9; Size 3.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, slightly elongated
NNW-SSE. Forms a pair with M85
7.6' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4394 = H II-55 = h1251 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and noted
"Two resolvable nebula. The
preceding [M85] is the largest and with 157 seems to have another small nebula
joining to it, but with 240 it appears to be a star." He only measured a single position
(matching M85). JH made two
observations and his mean position matches
******************************
12 25 48.9 +33
32 51
V = 10.2; Size 13.2'x11.0'; Surf Br = 15.4; PA = 147d
17.5"
(5/15/99): this chaotic galaxy is dominated by several bright HII regions. At
100x, the large low surface brightness glow is clearly clumpy with a couple of
faint knots evident on the east side of the haze. At 220x, the glow of the
galaxy is more difficult to view and several nonstellar knots and a couple of
very faint superimposed stars are more prominent. The brightest HII region is
17.5":
faint, very large, extremely low surface brightness, must use low magnification
to view. Three knots are involved
(one of these observed "knots" may be the core) within a very diffuse
glow. The brightest knot (NGC
4401) is at the SE end about 2' SE of center with NGC 4400 close SSW of NGC
4401. A mag 14.5 star is at the
north end. Also see description
for NGC 4399.
13"
(4/12/86): at 62x appears very large, diffuse, slightly elongated glow, broad
very weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4395 = H V-29.1 = h1252 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded
"eF, vL, vlbM, resolvable, about 10' long and 8 or 9' broad." JH made two observations, logging on 29
Apr 1827, "two nebulae running into one another; both eF, vL, the f rather
the brighter. Place that of the preceding." Dreyer catalogued the two components as NGC 4395 = V 29.1
and NGC 4401 = V 29.2. On a second
observation, JH wrote "vL; extremely ill defined, may perhaps be 10' l, 3'
br; pslbM to an irregular centre.
On closer inspection bicentral; pos of the nuclei 30° np; dist 2'."
This galaxy was
viewed on three occasions at Birr Castle by Bindon Stoney, who recorded "a
cluster of nebulae found" on 13 Apr 1850 and "there are 4
nebulae. The 3 f ones seem to be
inv in a mass of F neby."
Based on these observations, Dreyer included two additional entries: NGC
4399 and NGC 4400. The sketch of these condensations match up well with my own
observations with a 17.5" and can be identified on the POSS.
******************************
NGC 4396 = UGC
7526 = MCG +03-32-034 = CGCG 099-049 = Holm 400a = PGC 40622
12 25 58.9 +15
40 19
V = 12.6; Size 3.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 125d
17.5"
(5/23/87): faint, fairly small, edge-on NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is at the NW end
[probably
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4396 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and measured the position on 2 nights. He also observed NGC 4379 and
was uncertain which was H II-87 (likely NGC 4379, see that number).
******************************
12 25 58.1 +18
18 04
=***, Carlson.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4397 = T I-44 and placed "5 sec following, 6 arcmin north
of II 55 [NGC 4394]". Very
close to this offset is a triple star, including a 4"-5" close pair,
with the third component at 18".
Dorothy Carlson also identifies NGC 4397 as this triple star.
******************************
12 26 07.5 +10
41 10
=*14.5,
Reinmuith and Corwin. =*, Carlson.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4398 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position
corresponds with a mag 13.8 star and his description of two mag 11/13 stars
(closer to mag 10/11.5) that precede by 11.6 sec and 16.35 sec of time is a
perfect match. d'Arrest was uncertain
if his object was the same as WH's III-39, and noted the descrepancy in
declination. Neither Bigourdan
(visually) nor Frost (on photographic plate) found NGC 4398, but Karl Reinmuth
identified it as a mag 14.5 star using a Heidelberg plate.
******************************
NGC 4399
12 25 42.8 +33
30 57
17.5"
(5/15/99): faintest of three HII knots observed in NGC 4395. Appeared extremely faint and small,
10"-15" in size and situated 2.3' SW of the ill-defined core on a
line with a mag 14.5 star to the NE of the core. Required averted vision to confirm.
George Johnstone
Stoney discovered NGC 4399, along with NGC 4400 and 4401, on 13 Apr 1850, while
observing NGC 4395 and recorded "a cluster of nebulae found". On 14 Apr 1855, R.J. Mitchell noted "there
are 4 nebulae. The 3 following
ones seem to be involved in a mass of faint nebulosity. A sketch shows 4 "nebulae"
along with a couple of stars. One
of these (furthest north on the sketch) is the core of NGC 4395 and the other
three (NGC 4399, NGC 4400 and NGC 4401) are HII knots in the galaxy. NGC 4401, the brightest of the knots,
was recorded by JH. Corwin lists
the position as 12 25 42.8 +33 30 57, which is just following a mag 15
star. RNGC classifies the number
as nonexistent with the description "Part of NGC 4395."
******************************
NGC 4400
12 25 55.9 +33
30 54
17.5"
(5/15/99): very small HII knot in NGC 4395 situated 0.9' SSW of brighter NGC
4401. Shows up well at 220x,
although only 15" in size and no other details.
17.5": one
of a pair of knots in the SE end of galaxy NGC 4395. The smaller and fainter of the pair (probably NGC 4400) is
very faint, fairly small and is close SSW of NGC 4401.
George Johnstone
Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4400, along with NGC 4399 and 4401, on
13 Apr 1850. See notes on NGC
4399.
******************************
NGC 4401
12 25 57.5 +33
31 42
17.5"
(5/15/99): this number refers to the brightest HII region in NGC 4395, located
~2' SE of the ill-defined core.
Fairly easy at 220x (the galaxy loses its identity at this power!),
appearing as an irregular 25" knot.
Off the south side is a second fainter knot (NGC 4400).
17.5":
brightest of three knots in the galaxy NGC 4395 along with NGC 4399 and NGC
4400. Appears fairly faint and
fairly small. Forms a close pair
with knot NGC 4400 just SSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4401 = h1252 on 29 Apr 1827, while observing NGC 4395
(discovered by WH). He described
"Two nebulae running into one another; both eF, vL, the following rather
the brighter." JH's
description applies to the core of NGC 4395 and the brightest of the HII knots
in this galaxy. Two additional
knots (NGC 4399 and NGC 4400) were sketched at Birr Castle.
******************************
12 26 07.7 +13
06 48
V = 11.8; Size 3.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 E-W,
2.1'x0.6'. Very mottled, patchy
appearance implying a dusty equatorial plane and HII regions, though individual
knots were not resolved. M86 is
10' N.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, fairly even
surface brightness. Located 10' N of M86 in core of the Virgo cluster.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, fairly large, even surface brightness.
George Johnstone
Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4402 = Au 30 on 13 Apr 1849 and labeled
it Eta on the diagram of the central core of the Virgo cluster. He also noted "Eta hollow in the
middle [dust lane], probably a ring seen obliquely, faint star north of its
middle, seen best with the single lens."
Arthur Auwers
independently discovered NGC 4402 on 5 Mar 1862 with the 6.2-inch Fraunhofer
heliometer at the Königsberg Observatory and recorded "faint, gradually
brighter in the middle, much elongated in the parallel [east-west], 3' long and
1.5' broad." Auwers is credited
with the discovery in the GC and NGC as no positions or offsets were measured
at Birr Castle.
******************************
12 26 12.8 -07
41 05
V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 30d
17.5"
(5/19/01): NGC 4403 is the preceding and fainter member of close pair with NGC
4404 just 0.9' NE. Appears fairly
faint, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.4' with a brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4403 = H III-75, along with
******************************
NGC 4404 = MCG
-01-32-009 = Holm 402b = PGC 40666
12 26 16.2 -07
40 51
V = 11.2; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 11.7
17.5"
(5/19/01): this is the following member of a close pair with NGC 4404 just 0.9'
SW. Moderately bright, round,
fairly small, 0.8'x0.6' SW-NE.
Contains a sharp, brighter core.
Although smaller than NGC 4403 this galaxy is the brighter of the pair
with a higher surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4404 = H III-756, along with NGC 4403, on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep
913) and recorded both as "Two, both vF, vS, E, within 1 1/2' of each
other." His single position
is less than 1' from NGC 4404.
******************************
12 26 07.1 +16
10 52
V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 20d
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4405 = H II-88 = h1254 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"S, resolvable, brightest in the middle." CH's reduced position is 11 sec of RA east of
Stephane Javelle
independently discovered this galaxy on 19 May 1893 with the 30-inch refractor
at the Nice Observatory, measured an accurate position and included it in his
second discovery list, #748 (later
******************************
12 26 11.7 +12
56 46
V = 8.9; Size 8.9'x5.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130d
24"
(4/28/14): at 260x appeared extremely bright, very large, oval 3:2 NW-SE,
4.5'x3.0'. Sharply concentrated
with a very intensely bright core that increases down to the center. The halo increases in size with averted
and gradually fades out at the periphery.
Brightest galaxy in the central core of the Virgo cluster.
18"
(6/12/10): at 175x appears very bright, very large, elongated 4:3 or 5:3 NW-SE,
~4.3'x3.0'. The outer halo
gradually brightens then dramatically increases to a very intense 45" core
that increases down to a stellar nucleus.
The nucleus is fairly well defined as a 20" brighter inner
zone. A mag 14.6 star is at the
ENE edge of the halo, 2.0' from center.
Brighter of a 17' pair with M84 in the core of the Virgo cluster.
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 4'x3',
intense core, substellar nucleus, large diffuse halo. One of the two brightest galaxies in the core of the Virgo
cluster along with M84 17' W. NGC
4402 lies 10' N.
13"
(5/14/83): very bright, larger and more elongated than M84.
Charles Messier
is credited with the discovery of M86 = NGC 4406 = h1253 on 18 Mar 1781, along
with M84, and described a "Nebula without star, in Virgo, on the parallel
and very near to the nebula above, No. 84: their appearances are the same,
& both appear together in the same field of the telescope." But Wolfgang Steinicke recently found
(email Oct '16) that Johann Gottfried Koehler made the original discovery on 5
May 1779. WH only recorded it on
17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and simply noted "B. Is No. 74 of the Connoissance des Temps." JH listed M86
as a "Nova", probably due to the poor positions of his father. On sweep 22 he logged "vB; R; gbM
to nearly a star" and on sweep 243 "vB; L; pgmbM; r."
******************************
12 26 32.2 +12
36 39
See observing
notes for NGC 4413.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4407 = h1255 on 4 May 1829 and simply noted "the following
of 2" with h1244 = NGC 4388.
There is nothing at his approximate position, but the description for
NGC 4388 mentions the second nebula follows by roughly 30 sec in RA. NGC 4413 follows by 47 sec in RA and is
the only reasonable candidate nearby.
This identification was suggested by Frost, based on Harvard plates and
Harold Corwin concurs NGC 4407 = NGC 4413. See Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
NGC 4408 = CGCG
158-107 = PGC 40668
12 26 17.2 +27
52 16
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d
18"
(5/30/03): faint, small, elongated 4:3, 0.4'x0.25', brighter along the major
axis. There appears to be a faint
star at the SE edge. Located 19'
NNE of NGC 4393.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4408 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate.
******************************
12 26 58.5 +02
29 39
See observing
notes for
William Herschel
found NGC 4409 = H III-17 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and noted "vF, pS, it
seems to be resolveable."
There is nothing at his position, but 25 sec of RA east is NGC 4420 =
******************************
12 26 28.9 +09
01 11
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.8'; PA = 110d
24"
(6/4/16): at 225x; NGC 4410 is a merged, interacting pair at 20"
separation in a common halo. NGC
4410B, the brighter eastern component, appeared moderately bright, small,
round, 20"-25" diameter (the halos overlap), very small bright
core.
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, weak concentration. This double system (NGC 4410A and
4410B) was not resolved. NGC 4410A
is the brightest in a quartet with IC 790 1.9' NE and CGCG 070-079 4' ENE (not
seen).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4410 = h1256 on 18 Jan 1828 and recorded "eF; vL; R; gbM;
2.5' diameter." His position
is 7 sec if RA too far west.
******************************
12 26 30.0 +08
52 20
V = 12.7; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.1
24"
(6/4/16): at 225x; faint or fairly faint, moderately large, round, low surface
brightness, ~1.2' diameter. The
view is confused by a superimposed mag 13.5 star, slightly west of center. A diffuse but uneven glow encompasses
the star, with the very weak core just east of the star. The halo has a very low surface
brightness and it was difficult to estimate the diameter.
Forms a pair
with (similar) low surface brightness
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, round, fairly small, very diffuse glow. Unusual appearance as a mag 13 star is
superimposed on the core and the galaxy appears as a low surface brightness
halo surrounds this star. Forms a
close pair with NGC 4411B 4' ENE.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4411 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton
College Observatory. His position
matches
When Bigourdan
observed the field, he found B. 298, which was described as "very large
and diffuse, about 2.5' dia, slbM.
Could be NGC 4411 with an error of 17 sec in RA." In the IC 2 notes Dreyer mentions this
is probably the same as NGC 4411, but B. 298 refers to NGC 4411B = UGC 7546,
situated 4.5' east-northeast.
Because of Dreyer's error, this galaxy did not receive an IC
designation. See Corwin's notes
for more on the story.
******************************
12 26 36.1 +03
57 52
V = 12.4; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated N-S, weak
concentration at center to a small brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4412 = H II-34 = h1257 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and noted
"vF, pS. Seems to be
resolveable and resembles the former [NGC 4409 = NGC 4420]." His position is 30 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 4413 = NGC
4407 = UGC 7538 = MCG +02-32-049 = CGCG 070-076 = PGC 40705
12 26 32.2 +12
36 39
V = 12.3; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d
24"
(4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE,
0.9'x0.6'. Unusual appearance with
a brighter bar and a small, bright rounder nucleus. The bar and halo are not aligned along the same axis.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, slightly
brighter along major axis. A mag
12 star is off the north edge 1.4' from center and a mag 11 star is 2.9'
N. Located 12' ESE of NGC 4388 in
the core of Virgo cluster with
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, slightly elongated, diffuse.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4413 = H II-169 = h1259, along with NGC 4387, 4388 and 4425, on
17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199). He noted
"S. It may be taken into the field
with other [NGC 4387 and 4388].
CH's reduction is 17 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 4414 = UGC
7539 = MCG +05-29-085 = CGCG 158-108 = PGC 40692
12 26 27.0 +31
13 23
V = 10.1; Size 3.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 155d
17.5"
(4/25/98): bright, elongated NNW-SSE, ~3'x2'. Sharp concentration with a prominent rounder core which
increases to a stellar nucleus.
There appears to be a sharper light cutoff along the preceding edge and
an hint of spiral structure in the outer halo. Observation hampered by hazy skies.
8": fairly
bright, elongated NW-SE, small bright nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4414 = H I-77 = h1258 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded
"vB, L, E, broadly [concentrated] to a mbM." JH made two observations and logged
(sweep 342) "vB; L; pmE; first gb and the vsvmbM to a nucleus = 11m; 3' l,
90" br."
Spiral structure
was not described at Birr Castle, though on 12 Apr 1849, LdR or assistant
George Stoney recorded "uncertain whether double nucleus or nucleus and
star; neby decidely darker in middle, following the nucleus and rather brighter
outside this." The 7 Mar 1856
observation by R.J. Mitchell also mentions "Has a double nucl or a nucl
and a star which are excentric, being nearer the sp side; light uneven and
patchy. I suspect especially a
darkness north of the main nucleus."
******************************
12 26 40.5 +08
26 08
V = 12.1; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 0d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, weak
concentration. A mag 13.5 star is
2.4' NNW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4415 = H III-482 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted
"eF". His position (CH's
reduction) is just 3 sec of RA too small.
******************************
12 26 46.7 +07
55 08
V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, gradually increases
to small bright core. Located 4'
NE of mag 8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4416 = h1260 on 11 Apr 1825 and recorded "vF; L; R;
60"; has a * 7m, 5' sp."
His position and description matches this galaxy.
******************************
12 26 50.6 +09
35 03
V = 11.1; Size 3.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 49d
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, moderately large, elongated lens-shape SW-NE, bright bulging
core containing a bright stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4417 = H II-155 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged "F,
pL, lE and lb towards the preceding side, r." CH's reduction is 3' northeast of
******************************
NGC 4418 = NGC
4355 = UGC 7545 = MCG +00-32-012 = CGCG 014-039 = PGC 40762
12 26 54.6 -00
52 40
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 59d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, small, oval SW-NE, broad concentration. A mag 15 star is just off the SW end
0.9' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4418 = H III-492 = h1261 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and recorded
"vF, mE, cL, r." His
position is 3' south of UGC 7545 = PGC 40762. JH made two observations, noting on sweep 146 "F; S; R;
near a star" and measured an accurate position.
David Todd
independently discovered this galaxy on 5 Feb 1878 and recorded it as object
#17 in his search for a trans-Neptunian planet. Todd's rough RA is 4.0 tmin too far west but his field
sketch and offsets to nearby stars clearly match this galaxy.
******************************
12 26 56.3 +15
02 51
V = 11.2; Size 3.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 133d
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE,
2.4'x0.8', bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4419 = H II-113 = h1262 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted
"E, resolvable." JH
called this galaxy "B; E; np to sf; sbM" and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
NGC 4420 = NGC
4409 = UGC 7549 = MCG +01-32-064 = CGCG 042-106 =
12 26 58.5 +02
29 39
V = 12.1; Size 2.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 8d
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated N-S, almost even
surface brightness, nuclear bulge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4420 = H II-23 = h1263 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 119) and logged
"F, E." His position is
30 sec of RA east and 5' south (positions in his early sweeps often have larger
errors) of UGC 7549. He recorded
the galaxy again a month later as III-17 and it later received the designation
NGC 4409, although JH, who measured an accurate position, suspected it was a
duplicate observation. So, NGC
4420 = NGC 4409.
******************************
12 27 02.6 +15
27 41
V = 11.6; Size 2.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20d
17.5"
(5/19/01): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. The 1.5' diameter halo is punctuated by
a 30" prominent core. Located
2.4' SE of mag 9.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4421 = H II-89 = h1264 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"S, resolvable, brightest in the middle, near a bright star." There is nothing at CH's reduced
position but 10' northwest (similar error as NGC 4379) is
******************************
12 27 12.1 -05
49 52
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Symmetric appearance as this round galaxy
increases steadily to a small brighter core and stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4422 = H III-114 = h1265 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded
"Two very small stars with nebulosity. 240 rather confirmed it, but there is too much moonlight to
see it perfectly. It makes a vS
nebula." On a later sweep
(706) he logged "vF, vS, stellar" and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 27 08.9 +05
52 47
V = 13.5; Size 2.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 18d
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SSW-NNE, low even
surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4423 = H II-145 = h1266 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"eF, E." His position is
28 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 4424 = UGC
7561 = MCG +02-32-058 = CGCG 070-090 = LGG 288-008 = PGC 40809
12 27 11.7 +09
25 13
V = 11.7; Size 3.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated E-W, bright core. NGC 4417 is at the edge of the 220x
field 11' NNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4424 on 27 Feb 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position,
measured on 4 nights, matches
******************************
NGC 4425 = UGC
7562 = MCG +02-32-059 = CGCG 070-091 = Holm 403e = LGG 286-003 = PGC 40816
12 27 13.4 +12
44 05
V = 11.8; Size 3.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 27d
24"
(4/28/14): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 SSW-NNE,
~1.4'x0.4', small bright core. A
mag 13.8 star is 1.2' W of center and a mag 15.3 is 1.3' SE.
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, small brighter
core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.2' W
and a mag 11 star 4.4' ENE of center.
Located in the core of the Virgo cluster with NGC 4413 12.7' SW.
13"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, very elongated, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1' W and a mag 11
star to the east.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4425 = H II-170 = h1267, along with NGC 4387, 4388 and 4413, on
17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199). He simply
noted "F" and his position is ~18 sec of RA too far east (similar
offsets with the others nearby).
JH recorded "pB; S; R; bM" and measured an accurate position
(on a second sweep).
******************************
12 27 10.5 +27
50 17
=**, Corwin and
Dreyer
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4426 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. At his position is a
14" pair of mag 14.5/15 stars.
Interestingly, Bigourdan independently found this pair again 21 years
later and also thought it was mixed with some nebulosity. Both measured nearly identical
positions and Dreyer realized the equivalence NGC 4426 = NGC 4427 = **, after
compiling the NGC.
******************************
12 27 10.5 +27
50 17
=**, Corwin and
Dreyer
Guillaume
Bigourdan found NGC 4427 = Big 53 on 22 Apr 1886 and described "vF, 2 or 3
stars mixed with nebulosity."
At his position is pair of stars separated by ~14". The same pair was discovered earlier by
Heinrich d'Arrest on 21 Apr 1865 and both positions are nearly identical in the
NGC. Dreyer must have realized the
equivalence before publication of the NGC, as he added the note "These are
evidently identical (note added in press)."
******************************
12 27 28.3 -08
10 04
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, broad
concentration. Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4428 = h1269 on 16 Mar 1828 and logged "pL; vF; very ill
defined." His position is
close off the south side of
******************************
12 27 26.4 +11
06 29
V = 10.0; Size 5.6'x2.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 99d
17.5"
(4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, very bright core, stellar nucleus, faint
extensions E-W. Located 2.0' SSW
of a mag 9.5 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4429 = H II-65 = h1271 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged
"pB, not vS." His
position is 40 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 4430 = UGC
7566 = MCG +01-32-067 = CGCG 042-111 = Holm 406a = LGG 289-033 = PGC 40851
12 27 26.2 +06
15 45
V = 12.0; Size 2.3'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 80d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly large, diffuse, elongated 3:2 E-W. There is a sharp light cut-off on the
east end. The surface brightness
is asymmetric with the brightest portion offset to the east of center with a
more extensive faint halo towards the north and west. Forms a close pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4430 = H II-146 = h1270 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and logged
"F, pL." He also logged
this galaxy just two objects
earlier in the sweep, though suspected they were the same object, so assigned a
single discovery number. JH noted
(sweep 253) "vF; L; R; gbM; 90"." Both missed nearby NGC 4432, which was discovered by Albert
Marth.
******************************
12 27 27.4 +12
17 24
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 177d
24"
(5/29/14): fairly faint to moderately bright fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S,
40"x25", broad concentration with a slightly brighter core. A mag 14.4 star is 1.2' E. First of three with fainter
13.1"
(5/14/83): faint, very diffuse, slightly elongated. This galaxy is slightly brighter and larger than NGC 4436
4.0' ENE. NGC 4440 lies 6.5' E.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4431 = H II-171 = h1268 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded
"Three F nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC
4440] S." His single position
is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "vF; oval gbM;
50"."
******************************
NGC 4432 = UGC
7570 = MCG +01-32-068 = CGCG 042-114 = Holm 406b = PGC 40875
12 27 33.0 +06
14 00
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(4/21/90): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 15 star is 0.7' NW of center. Forms a close pair with NGC 4430 2.5'
NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4432 = m 240 on 22 Mar 1865 with Lassell's 48-inch on Malta and
noted "2* in a F nebulosity."
His position matches NGC 4432 = UGC 7570, just 2.5' southeast of NGC
4430, though the brighter galaxy is not mentioned.
******************************
NGC 4433 = MCG
-01-32-013 = Holm 407a = PGC 40894
12 27 38.7 -08
16 45
V = 12.7; Size 2.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 5d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~N-S, broad
concentration. Bracketed by two mag 14 stars at the north edge and 1.0' SW of
center. Forms a pair with NGC 4428
7' N.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4433 = h1273 on 16 Mar 1828 and noted "not vF; pL; lE; very
ill-defined." His position is
at the south edge of
******************************
NGC 4434 = UGC
7571 = MCG +01-32-069 = CGCG 042-115 = LGG 292-014 = PGC 40886
12 27 36.6 +08
09 15
V = 12.2; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(4/21/90): moderately bright, small, round, small very bright core dominates
small round halo, sharp stellar nucleus.
Located 35' WNW of M49. NGC
4416 lies 20' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4434 = H II-497 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted "pF,
vS." Heinrich d'Arrest
measured an accurate micrometric position on two nights (used in the NGC).
******************************
12 27 40.5 +13
04 44
V = 10.8; Size 2.8'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 13d
24"
(4/28/14): very bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 N-S, ~1.5'x1.0', sharply
concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to the center. Forms a prominent pair ("The
Eyes") with NGC 4438 4.4' SSE.
18"
(6/12/10): at 175x appears bright, moderately large oval, elongated at least
2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.6'x0.8'. Sharply
concentrated with a very bright, 20"x10" core and stellar
nucleus. This galaxy is the NW
member of the "Eyes" with highly disrupted NGC 4438 4.3' SSE.
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, bright core, stellar
nucleus. Forms a striking pair
called the "Eyes" with slightly fainter NGC 4438 4.5' SSE. Located 20' E of M86 in the central
core of the Virgo cluster.
13.1"
(5/14/83): bright, prominent small bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4435 = H I-28.1 = h1274, along with NGC 4438, on 17 Apr 1784
(sweep 199) and recorded "two bright, considerably large nebula. One is 86
of the Connois des Temps."
His single position matches the pair NGC 4435/4438 and was confused
about the position of M86. He made
the same mistake on 8 Apr 1784, though it that case his positions fall close to
NGC 4435 and
4438 was nicknamed "The Eyes" by Leyland S. Copeland (first author of
the Deep Sky Wonders column) in a February 1955 article titled "Adventures
in the Virgo Cloud."; the likeness to a pair of eyes is emphasized by the
fact that NGC 4435 and 4438 are both elongated in a SSW-NNE direction.
******************************
NGC 4436 = UGC
7573 = MCG +02-32-066 = CGCG 070-096 = Holm 408a = LGG 289-010 = PGC 40903
12 27 41.2 +12
18 57
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 116d
24"
(5/29/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE,
30"x20", weak concentration.
A mag 12.5 star is off the NW side, 0.9' from center. Faintest of three with NGC 4440 3.4'
ESE and NGC 4431 3.8' SW.
13.1"
(5/14/83): very faint, diffuse, low even surface brightness. A mag 11.5 star is just off the NW edge
1.0' from center. Forms a pair
with NGC 4440 3' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4436 = H II-172 = h1272 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded
"Three faint nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC
4440] S." His single position
is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "vF; gbM; 40"."
******************************
12 32 45.6 +00
06 59
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
found NGC 4437 = h1277 on 14 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; vmE; pos 15° nf to
sp; a long ray; it is south preceding a * 10m. The place is that of the star." There is nothing near
his position, but 5 min of RA east is NGC 4517 and his description is a perfect
match with this galaxy. Karl
Reinmuth may have first suggested the equivalence in his 1926 photographic
Heidelberg survey "Die Herschel Nebel". Various sources (including the RNGC) mistakenly equate NGC
4437 with NGC 4417, instead of NGC 4517.
******************************
NGC 4438 =
"The Eyes" = Arp 120 NED2 = VV 188 = UGC 7574 = MCG +02-32-065 = CGCG
070-097 = Holm 409a = PGC 40914
12 27 45.5 +13
00 32
V = 10.2; Size 8.5'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 27d
24"
(4/28/14 and 5/29/14): very bright, very large, very elongated 5:2 or 3:1
SSW-NNE, 3.0'x1.0'. Contains a
large, bright elongated core that increases to a very small, very bright
nucleus. With averted vision, much
fainter irregular extensions (with an uneven surface brightness) significantly
increase the outer diameter. The
southwest "plume" is not aligned with the major axis of the galaxy
and spreads further towards the west.
18"
(6/12/10): bright, large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 2.4'x1.0'. Contains a bright, elongated core that
increases to a small, very brighter, rounder nucleus. The outer halo appears warped with very faint extensions
that increase the overall size to nearly 5'x1.5'. The southwest extension is more noticeable and appears to
bend or curve to the southwest (counterclockwise). The NNE extension is extremely faint and slightly offset to
the axis of the core. This highly
disrupted galaxy forms an excellent pair with NGC 4435 4.3' NNW along
Markarian's Chain.
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, small bright core. Forms a striking pair with NGC 4435
4.5' NNW. The core is not as large
or bright as NGC 4435. Located in
the center of the Virgo cluster 23' E of M86.
13.1"
(5/14/83): bright, bright core, larger but more diffuse than NGC 4435.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4438 = H I-28.2 = h1275, along with NGC 4435, on 17 Apr 1784
(sweep 199) and recorded "two B, cL nebula." His single position matches the pair
NGC 4435 and 4438. See NGC 4435
for more on the confusion with the identifications. JH made 3 observations and
recorded (sweep 242) "pB; L; lE; 60".", along with an accurate
position.
******************************
12 28 26 -60 06
12
V = 8.4; Size 4'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, 20 stars mag 10-13 are arranged in a perfect
semi-circle (180 degree arc) open towards the west, with the endpoints directly
N-S. A string of three collinear
stars, oriented WNW-ESE, sits right in the middle of the semicircle! A wide bright double (HJ 4524 = 8/9.5
at 30") situated less than 5' NW is aligned directly with the center of
the cluster! Situated in the
middle of the Southern Cross, 55' ENE of mag 3.6 Epsilon Crucis.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4439 = D 300 on 30 Apr 1826 and described "a triangular group
of very small stars, about 3' long, resembling faint nebulae. A star of the 9th
magnitude near the north following extremity [the bright star is NW of the
cluster]." His position is 7'
too far east, but the identification is certain.
JH observed the
cluster on 31 Mar 1834 and noted "Cluster taken for Dunlop 300; a
semi-elliptic group of stars 11..12th mag, diameter 2'."
******************************
NGC 4440 = UGC
7581 = MCG +02-32-067 = CGCG 070-099 = Holm 408b = LGG 292-007 = PGC 40927
12 27 53.6 +12
17 36
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.7
24"
(5/29/14): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.8'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a small, very
bright core containing a bright stellar nucleus. Brightest in trio with NGC 4436 3.4' NW and NGC 4431 6.4'
W. Nearly at the midpoint of mag
9.2
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, small, small bright core, diffuse fainter halo. Third of three with NGC 4436 3.2' NW
and NGC 4431 6.5' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4440 = H II-173 = h1276 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded
"Three faint nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC
4440] S." His single position
is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "B; R; bM; 50";
resolvable."
******************************
NGC 4441 = UGC
7572 = MCG +11-15-056 = CGCG 315-039 = PGC 40836
12 27 20.3 +64
48 06
V = 12.7; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 14.8
17.5"
(4/15/93): fairly faint, fairly small, round, broad concentration, faint
stellar nucleus. NGC 4391 lies 14'
NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4441 = H II-848 = h1278 = h1291 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and
logged "F, bM, iF, stellar."
JH recorded h1278 "pF; R; vgbM; 25"." and measured an
accurate position. The next
night he viewed this galaxy again, but placed h1291 1 min of RA too far east
and was unsure if it was new. His
two h and GC designations were combined int he GC.
******************************
12 28 03.8 +09
48 13
V = 10.4; Size 4.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 87d
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, bright core,
stellar nucleus. Two mag 14.5 star
are at the east end and just south of the core 1.5' E and 0.9' SSW of
center. Located in the core of the
Virgo cluster with NGC 4417/NGC 4424 pair roughly 30' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4442 = H II-156 = h1279 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged
"F, pL, lE, r." CH's
reduction is 28 sec of RA east of
******************************
12 29 03.0 +13
11 02
See observing
notes for
George Johnstone
Stoney discovered NGC 4443 on 13 Apr 1840 while observing the central region of
the Virgo cluster. He simply noted
"F, S" and labeled this object "Kappa" and on the diagram
of the field. No positions were
measured, but the sketch places this object close to the NGC 4458/4461 pair.
Frost reported
NGC 4443 not found in the Virgo-Coma survey (Harvard College Observatory, Vol
88, No 1) and Reinmuth also reported a negative result. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4443 may be
a duplicate discovery of NGC 4461 (despite missing fainter NGC 4458), and I
agree. See Corwin's notes for
story.
******************************
12 28 36.4 -43
15 43
V = 12.3; Size 2.5'x2.3'; Surf Br = 14.0
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint, moderately large, round, ~1.4' diameter,
weak concentration with a very small brighter nucleus. A mag 13.2 star is just off the NE edge
[1.0' from center]. NGC 4444 forms
the northeast vertex of a triangle with a mag 8 star 4.8' ENE and a mag 10 star
4.6' S. In addition two mag 9.6
stars are 7' SW and 8' SSW!
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4444 = h3393 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "eF; L; R; vgbM;
3' diam." His single position
is very accurate.
******************************
12 28 16.0 +09
26 11
V = 12.8; Size 2.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 106d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint but pretty edge-on WNW-ESE, moderately large, weak
concentration.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4445 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
on 2 nights that he also observed NGC 4424, is accurate.
Lewis Swift
probably found this galaxy again on 6 May 1888 and reported it as new in this
8th list, #63 (later
******************************
12 28 06.8 +13
54 43
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 82d
24"
(5/29/14): faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.5'x0.4', low even
surface brightness. Fainter of a
pair(lower surface brightness) with
18"
(4/5/03): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.6'x0.4'. Forms a similar pair with NGC 4447 1.6'
ESE. Two mag 12.5/13 stars are 2'
and 3' N of the pair. Located 7'
WSW of a mag 9.6 star and 13' WSW of NGC 4459.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4446 = Sw VI-43, along with NGC 4447 close southeast, on 17 Apr
1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; ee difficult; Double; triplicity suspected;
2 = mag stars range with it n and s; [NGC 4459] in field following." His position is 10 sec of RA following
and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 4447 = MCG
+02-32-073 = PGC 40979
12 28 12.5 +13
53 57
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(5/29/14): faint to fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak
concentration. Forms a pair with
NGC 4446 1.6' WNW. Located 12' WSW
of NGC 4459.
18"
(4/5/03): very faint, very small, round, 0.4'. Slightly smaller of a close pair with NGC 4446 1.6'
WNW. In a galaxy-rich area 12.5'
WSW of NGC 4459 and 6' SW of a mag 9.6 star.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4447 = Sw VI-44, along with NGC 4446 close northwest, on 17 Apr
1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; ee difficult." His position is 7 sec of RA following
and 2' north of
******************************
12 28 15.4 +28
37 13
V = 11.1; Size 3.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 94d
18"
(4/5/03): bright, large, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, 2.8'x1.2'. Sharply concentrated with a very
bright, well-defined 35"x25" oval core. Located 27' NE of mag 4.3 15 Gamma Comae Berenices.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4448 = H I-91 = h1280 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"vB, E in the direction of the parallel [east-west]. It has a B, pL nucleus sending forth a
ray to each side." JH made 4
observations, describing it on sweep 343 "B; L; mE exactly in parallel;
smbM."
******************************
12 28 11.2 +44
05 36
V = 9.6; Size 6.2'x4.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 45d
48"
(2/20/12): NGC 4449 is a boxy-shaped Magellanic-type Irregular containing
several bright, giant HII regions that are sites of active star formation. The galaxy has been intensively studies
as one of the strongest galaxy-wide starbursts in the nearby universe. The overall surface brightness of the
galaxy was unusually high at 375x.
The very bright central region is elongated SW-NE, irregular in surface
brightness and contains a small, intense "nucleus" described as a ~10
Myr old super star cluster in the 2001 study "The Star Clusters in the
Irregular Galaxy NGC 4449".
To the southwest is a fairly large, bright patch that mimics a second
core. This region is catalogued as
#27/28/30 in Hodge-Kennicutt's 1983 "Atlas of HII regions in 125
galaxies" [HK83]. Several
patches are on the north end of the galaxy. The largest and brightest is #15, a high surface brightness
irregular glow at the north end of the galaxy, 20"x12", with a
mottled surface and a stellar knot (#11) at the north tip. Roughly 35" SW is #25, a
moderately bright roundish knot of ~12" diameter. At the northeast tip of the galaxy is
#2, nearly 1' SE of #15. It
appeared as a moderately bright knot, ~15"-20" in size. A small knot (#16) was noted on the
southeast side of the galaxy. A mag 14 star is superimposed [44" ENE of
the nucleus]. Member
of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).
18"
(5/14/07): very mottled, irregular appearance, elongated ~2:1 SW-NE,
~5'x2.5'. The core is quite
splotchy in appearance with a couple of bright knots; the most prominent is
attached to the southwest of the core.
The main body is roughly rectangular with an extension at the northwest
"corner" that ends with a bright knot or knots ([HK83] #15). Another extension or knot ([HK83] #2)
is off the northeast corner. A mag
13 star lies 2.4' E of the core and 1 or 2 additional very faint stars or knots
are superimposed in the central region.
18"
(5/8/04): fascinating view of this "Magellanic" system at 323x! The galaxy is very irregular in
appearance and surface brightness with a large, bright, elongated core oriented
SW-NE. The core appears offset to the
south side of the galaxy.
Several knots
(giant HII regions) are visible outside the core. The brightest is a well-defined obvious patch on the north
edge of the galaxy, 1.5' from the center.
This object is #15 in Hodge-Kennicutt's 1983 "Atlas of HII regions
in 125 galaxies" ([HK83]) and it is nearly comparable in surface
brightness to the core. Roughly 1'
SE is #2, a smaller, faint knot that is collinear with #15 and a mag 13.5 star
2.4' E of the core. #25, a third
difficult knot, can sometimes be glimpsed about 40" SW of #15. Finally, attached on the south end of
the core is a larger, bright knot, although initially I thought this was just
part of the core.
13.1"
(4/12/86): very bright, very large, elongated SW-NE, bright core, stellar
nucleus. A knot is involved at the
north end and the galaxy generally appears brighter to the north of the
core. A star is superimposed close
east of the core.
8": bright,
moderately large, elongated, bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4449 = H I-213 = h1281 on 27 Apr 1788 (sweep 833) and recorded
"very brilliant, cL, E from sp to nf, difficulty r, seems to have 3 or 4 B
nuclei." His sketch at the
end of 1811 PT paper (reproduced in Stenicke's book) clearly shows 4
condensations or HII knots within the glow, though one of these may be the
nucleus. He published a sketch in
his 1811 paper (Fig. 5) as an illustration of "Nebulae which are brighter
in more the one Place."
According to Wolfgang Steinicke, Caroline Herschel was next to find the
object on 8 Jul 1793 in her 4.2-inch reflector, "and assumed it to be a
comet!"
On sweep 150,
John Herschel recorded "B; L; gbM; E in pos 75° nf to sp, a fine cluster;
well resolved; I see several of the stars; 3' l, 2' br." On sweep 248 (last of 4 observations),
JH wrote "vF; vL; vmE; it is either a double nebula or the nf end is
bifid. If double the companion is
F; R; bM; nearly north 1.5' or 2'.
A fine object." So,
clearly WH and JH resolved several HII regions in this galaxy. Lord Rosse or assistant Johnston Stoney
noted on 17 Mar 1849, "3 nuclei or 2 nuclei and star, and faint neb
outlying."
Based on
photographs taken with the 60-inch reflector at Mt Wilson, Francis Pease (1917)
described NGC 4449 as "..an irregular nebulous mass in which many nebulous
stars [HII regions] are distributed unevenly. The greater part of the nebula is roughly rectangular, about
4.5'x2.5', p.a. = 40°, there being an assemblage of some dozen nebulous stars W
of the SW corner. On the original
negative there are 230 nebulous stars or patches...Two-thirds of them are in
the N half. The nebulosity proper
is weak toward the edge, gradually increases inward, and culminates along a
central ridge, where it is as strong as the stars themselves. A number of dark irregular rifts appear
here and there in it."
******************************
12 28 29.6 +17
05 06
V = 10.1; Size 5.2'x3.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 175d
17.5"
(5/23/87): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 4'x2', diffuse halo,
increases suddenly to a high surface brightness core. Located 3.9' NE of mag 8.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4450 = H II-56 = H II-90 = h1282 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and
recorded "A resolvable nebula of an irreg shape of about 2 or 3'
diam. It is near a pB star." CH's reduced position is 30 sec of RA
preceding and 2.4' north of
******************************
NGC 4451 = UGC
7600 = MCG +02-32-079 = PGC 41050
12 28 40.5 +09
15 33
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 162d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is 1.5' S of center. NGC 4445 lies 12' NW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4451 on 19 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He measured the
position on 4 nights and noted the mag 13 star, measured at 83" south.
******************************
12 28 43.3 +11
45 18
V = 12.0; Size 2.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 32d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, thin pretty edge-on SW-NE, brighter
core. Located 8' SE of mag 7.7 SAO
100114.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4452 = H I-23 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded a "B,
S, much E nebula, or bright dash."
CH's reduced position is 10 sec of RA east of
******************************
12 28 46.7 +06
30 42
V = 14.8; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Unusual appearance with mag 14 star nvolved near the south
edge and also an extremely faint 16th magnitude star or companion
superimposed. NGC 4430/NGC 4432
lie 25' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4453 = H II-26 = h1283? on 28 Jan 1784 (the only nebula
discovered on sweep 131) and recorded "pB, not vS. It is not cometic. The brightest part of it lies towards
the following side. I suppose it
to be resolveable." Dreyer
noted this sweep was problematic ("unsatisfactory") with possible
confusion with the offset star.
There is no object at WH's position and it was not found visually by
Bigourdan or photographically by Wolf.
Dreyer suggested that if WH made an error of 20' in PD, that II-26 might
be II-146 (NGC 4430).
JH, though,
found h1283 = PGC 41072 44 sec of RA east of II-26 and this may be the intended
object. However, Harold Corwin
argues that H II-26 cannot be h1283 due to the significant difference in
description (h1283 was called "eF"). He concludes "I'm leaning toward adopting NGC 4430 as
II 26, though with considerable uncertainty."
******************************
12 28 51.0 -01
56 27
V = 11.9; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 100d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, the large
diffuse halo has a gradual concentration down to a small bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4454 = H II-180 = h1284 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 204) and recorded
"pB, L, R, er, near some stars." On 6 Jan 1785 (sweep 353) he noted "F, pL, lE." JH made the single observation "F;
R; gbM; 20"; a stellar point 18m in the centre; 2 B stars precede,
distant." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 28 44.1 +22
49 21
V = 12.3; Size 2.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 16d
18"
(4/5/03): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 SSW-NNE,
2.5'x0.7', broad concentration, bulging core, fades at the tips of the
extensions. A wide pair of mag 11
stars are 3' and 4' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4455 = H II-355 = h1285 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and recorded
"pF, L, broadly elongated."
CH's reduction is 25 sec of RA following
******************************
12 27 52.4 -30
05 52
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. A mag 13-13.5 star is attached on the
west side, 22" from the center.
Located 5.1' E of mag 8.2
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4456 = h3394 on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded "eeF; vS; attached
to a * 13m. (no doubt of the
nebulous character of the object)."
There is nothing at this position, but 1.2 min of RA west is
******************************
12 28 59.0 +03
34 14
V = 10.9; Size 2.7'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(2/28/87): bright, small, almost round, very bright core. A mag 13 star lies 2.6' W of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4457 = H II-35 = h1286 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded
"pB; mbM than towards the ends." JH made three observations, logging on sweep 143, "B;
R; psbM; 30"."
******************************
NGC 4458 = UGC
7610 = MCG +02-32-082 = Holm 411b = PGC 41095
12 28 57.6 +13
14 31
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2
24"
(4/28/14): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, well
concentrated with a bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2' ENE. Fainter of a
pair with NGC 4461 3.7' SSE.
18"
(6/12/10): at 175x and 280x appeared fairly faint, moderately large, round,
0.9' diameter. Contains a small,
bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 2.2' ENE of center. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4461 3.7'
SE.
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, small bright
core, faint stellar nucleus. A mag
11.5 star lies 2.1' E. Forms a
pair with NGC 4461 3.7' SSE.
Located in the core of the Virgo cluster.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, almost round, small faint nucleus. A mag 11 star is close east.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4458 = H II-121 = h1287 on 8 Apr 1784 and recorded (sweep 187)
"Two resolvable nebula at 4 or 5' dist." He assumed one of these was M86, so only added one new
discovery number. His position was
~5' west of NGC 4458 and 4461, the most likely pair. On 12 Apr 1784 he swept the field again (sweep 189) and
recorded "Two [NGC 4461 and 4458]. Both pF, S, bM." His single position on this sweep was
22 sec of RA following NGC 4458 and the identification is unambiguous. JH
logged "pB; R; psbM; the p of 2 [with NGC 4461] and measured an accurate
position.
On 17 Apr 1784
(sweep 199), WH recorded "two B, cL nebula" and assumed they were
pair from sweep 187 (one being M86), but his position matches NGC 4435 and NGC
4438!
******************************
NGC 4459 = UGC
7614 = MCG +02-32-083 = PGC 41104
12 29 00.0 +13
58 43
V = 10.4; Size 3.5'x2.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d
24"
(5/29/14): very bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 5:4 ~E-W,
~1.5'x1.2', sharply concentrated with a small intensely bright core, stellar
nucleus, appears mottled near the core.
The halo increases in size with averted. Mag 8.7
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, bright intense
compact core, stellar nucleus.
Located 2.2' NW of mag 8.1
13"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, small, slightly elongated, small bright nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4459 = H I-161 = h1288 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded
"vB, pL, iR." His
position is accurate. JH logged
(sweep 23) "pB; R; bM; r; has a *8m 2' dist; 45° sf."
******************************
12 28 45.6 +44
51 52
V = 11.3; Size 4.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, pretty edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, moderately large,
brighter core. A pretty double
star ∑1645 = 7.5/8.1 at 10" is in the field 8.5' SW. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest
member M106).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4460 = H I-212 = H II-750 = h1289 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and
noted for I-212 "cB, pL, E."
His position is poor -- CH's reduction places it 8.6' too far northwest
(all the preceding objects in the sweep are too far north). He found it again 17 days later (sweep
833) and logged II-750 as "pF, pL, E sp nf." His position was just 2' northeast of
center. JH realized the equivalence
and combined the two H-designations in the GC.
******************************
NGC 4461 = NGC
4443? = UGC 7613 = MCG +02-32-084 = Holm 411a = PGC 41111
12 29 03.0 +13
11 02
V = 11.2; Size 3.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 9d
24"
(4/28/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 N-S, 2.0'x0.8', sharply
concentrated with a very bright core that gradually increases towards the
center. A mag 11 star lies 4'
NNE. Forms a pair with NGC 4458
3.7' NNW.
18"
(6/12/10): bright, fairly large, elongated nearly 3:1 N-S, 2.0'x0.7', extending
nearly on a line with a mag 11 star 4' NNE. Sharply concentrated with a small, intense core that
increases to a very bright, stellar nucleus. Brighter of a pair with NGC 4458 3.7' NW.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 ~N-S, very small bright
core possibly stellar. Form a pair
with NGC 4458 3.7' NW. The
striking NGC 4435/NGC 4438 pair lies 21' SW. Located in core of the Virgo cluster.
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly small, elongated N-S, small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4458.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4461 = H II-122 = H II-174 = h1290 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and
recorded "Two resolvable nebula at 4 or 5' dist." He assumed one of these was M86, so
only added one new discovery number.
On 12 April he swept the field again and recorded "Two [NGC 4461
and 4458]. Both pF, S, bM."
His single position on this sweep was 22 sec of RA following NGC
4458. On 17 April he swept through
the field a third time and logged NGC 4461 again as II-174 (apparently not
measuring NGC 4458). JH recorded
"pB; R; psbM; the f of 2 [with NGC 4458] and measured an accurate
position. See notes for NGC 4458.
NGC 4443 may be
a duplicate observation. See that
number.
******************************
12 29 21.2 -23
10 01
V = 11.9; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 124d
13.1"
(3/17/86): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 streak WNW-ESE. Contains a bright core with fainter
extensions.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4462 = H III-764 = h3396 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and recorded
"cF, R, pS, stellar." JH
made two observations from the Cape of Good Hope and logged (sweep 690) "pB;
E; sbM; pos of elongation 130° [NW-SE]."
******************************
12 29 55 -64 47
24
V = 7.2; Size 5'
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a fairly small but
fairly rich group with two bright mag 8.5 stars (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4463 = h3395 on 2 May 1835 and noted "cl VIII. class; poor;
scattered. The northern of 2 stars
8m taken." His single
position is good.
******************************
12 29 21.3 +08
09 23
V = 12.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 0d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright but very small, irregularly round, high surface
brightness, small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. M49 is at the edge of the 220x field
11.5' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4464 = H III-483 = h1292 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply
noted "vF". JH made the
single observation "pB; vS; pgbM; R; 10"." Julius Schmidt found the galaxy again
in June 1861, along with
******************************
12 29 23.5 +08
01 34
V = 14.6; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.0; PA = 108d
48"
(5/15/12): At 488x appeared fairly faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE,
20"x15", weak concentration.
A mag 16.8 star is just off the NE side [12" from center]. This is one of several faint galaxies
outside the halo of M49 (situated 5.9' WNW of center) with brighter
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4465 = Big 54 on 31 Mar 1886. The NGC position is just 3 sec of RA
too large, although it was not found by Arnold Schwassmann on a Heidelberg
plate (probably appeared stellar).
******************************
12 29 30.6 +07
41 47
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 101d
17.5"
(4/18/87): faint, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W. Located 7.8' SSW of NGC 4470 and 18' SSW of M49.
Bindon Stoney
discovered NGC 4466 on 26 Feb 1851, while observing the M49 field at Birr
Castle. He noted "a 3rd about
12' south of 2nd [NGC 4470] is elongated." The actual separation between NGC 4470 and NGC 4466 is 8',
but there are no other possible candidates. In the GC, JH added three numbers for what he assumed were
three new objects found at Birr Castle, although only a single very rough
position was given. Heinrich
d'Arrest independently discovered this galaxy on 24 Apr 1865 and measured an
accurate position. Dreyer assumed
it was new, adding it as GC(S) 5653.
The two GC designations were combined in the NGC and d'Arrest is
credited with the discovery.
But Wolfgang
Steinicke attributes WH with the discovery on 28 Dec 1787 (sweep 498, #44 =
II-18). On the sweep he apparently
found both NGC 4470 (seen earlier on 23 Jan 1784) and NGC 4466, although the
polar distances are only 2' apart.
******************************
NGC 4467 = MCG
+01-32-080 = CGCG 042-130 = Holm 413c = LGG 289-078 = PGC 41169
12 29 30.2 +07
59 34
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'
48"
(5/15/12): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, 24"x20",
small bright core. A mag 12.8 star
is 35" W. Located 5.2' W of
the center of M49. NGC 4465 lies
2.6' NW.
17.5"
(4/18/87): very faint, very small, almost round. Located 6' W of M49!
A mag 12.5 star is just off the west edge 34" from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4467 on 23 Jan 1784 (early sweep 105) and noted
"Nebula. Preceding [M49], and
not far from its parallel is a nebulous star or small nebula. His position is very uncertain and only
roughly given, but the description clearly applies to NGC 4467 and the nearby
star. On 28 Dec 1785, he assumed
he observed this nebula again (internal discovery #44), but the second
observation probably refers to H. II 18 = NGC 4466. As a result, NGC 4467 did not receive a H-designation.
Otto Struve
independently discovered NGC 4467 on 28 Apr 1851 with the 15-inch Merz
refractor at the Pulkovo Observatory while observing M49. He described "Near this last star
[preceding M49 by 17 seconds of time] , there is still another smaller nebula
at a distance of 2 to 3 seconds, located on the straight line joining the star
with the main nebula." Struve
is credited with the discovery in the NGC. d'Arrest measured an accurate position (3 nights) and
credited Struve with the discovery. The
******************************
NGC 4468 = UGC
7628 = MCG +02-32-090 = PGC 41171
12 29 30.9 +14
02 56
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 73d
17.5"
(4/25/87): faintest of three with NGC 4474 5.5' ENE and NGC 4459 8.7' SW. Faint, fairly small, slightly elongated
~E-W, small weak concentration.
13.1"
(5/14/83): faint, small, diffuse, slightly elongated, no noticeable
concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4468 = H II-630 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and simply noted
"cL". His position is 5'
south and 14 tsec west of
******************************
12 29 28.0 +08
45 00
V = 11.2; Size 3.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 89d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 E-W, fairly large, 3.0'x1.2', faint
stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4469 = H II-157 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and recorded "F,
pL, mE, r." His position is
4.5' north of
******************************
NGC 4470 = NGC
4610 = UGC 7627 = MCG +01-32-082 = CGCG 042-132 = PGC 41189
12 29 37.9 +07
49 25
V = 12.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 0d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval N-S, pretty even surface
brightness. Located 14' SSW of
M49.
William Herschel
found NGC 4470 = H II-498 = h1293 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and logged
"F, pL". He assumed it
was new and assigned the H-designation II-498. His position is a good match with
In the NGC,
Dreyer equated II-18 = II-498 = NGC 4470 and assigned II-19 = NGC 4610. But in his 1912 Scientific Paper of WH,
Dreyer correctly sorts out the identification based on WH's description and
sketch and concludes II-19 = II-498 = NGC 4470. So, NGC 4470 = NGC 4610.
******************************
12 29 42.0 +07
53 45
V = 13.9
48"
(5/15/12): this number applies to one of two 14th magnitude stars at 1'
separation oriented NNW-SSE, situated ~6' SSW of M49. VCC 1203, a fairly faint galaxy (too faint to have been seen
by Schmidt), lies 1.5' NW of the NNW star.
Julius Schmidt
discovered NGC 4471 on 29 Jun 1861 near M49 with the 6.2" refractor at the
Athens Observatory. He also found
NGC 4470, 4492 and 4464, which had all been discovered earlier by WH. There is nothing at his position in AN
1513 (1866) except a 14th magnitude star and neither Heinrich d'Arrest nor
Guillaume Bigourdan could recover Schmidt's object.
Karl Reinmuth
refers to a possible candidate as "vS, R, = neb *13.5; eF vs iR neb np
1.7', *13.5 ssf 1.0'." His
description applies to a faint star at 12 29 40.6 +07 54 40. Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 paper on
Corrections to the NGC, identified NGC 4471 as a star (from Ames in Harvard
College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1 (Virgo-Coma survey) and this is repeated in
the RNGC. Corwin identifies NGC
4471 with one of two 14th magnitude stars near the NGC position. SIMBAD (and others) misidentify VCC
1203 = PGC 41185 as NGC 4471.
******************************
12 29 46.8 +08
00 01
V = 8.4; Size 10.2'x8.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 155d
48"
(5/15/12): at 488x, M49 appeared extremely bright and large, slightly elongated
N-S, ~6'x5', fades gradually so the outer extent may be larger. Well concentrated with an intense core
that is sharply concentrated with a brilliant nucleus. A mag 12 star is superimposed 45"
E of center. A number of galaxies
(see below) surround the halo, including NGC 4467 4' W and NGC 4465 5.9'
WNW. A mag 13 star is 4.6' W of
center (close to NGC 4467).
VCC 1199, 4.5'
NW of center, appeared faint, very small, round, 10" diameter.
VCC 1203, 4.6'
SSW of center, is fairly faint, fairly small, round, 12" diameter,
slightly brighter core. VCC 1203
is misidentified as NGC 4471 in SIMBAD.
The NGC number probably applies to one of the two faint stars ~2' SE.
17.5"
(4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, sharp concentration to a compact very
bright nucleus, large halo slightly elongated ~N-S fades at the edges. A mag 12 star is superimposed at the
east edge 0.8' from center. A
faint galaxy NGC 4467 lies 5' W.
Charles Messier
discovered M49 = NGC 4472 = H I-7 = h1294 on 19 Feb 1771 (first Virgo cluster
member discovered). Oriani
Independently found it on 22 Apr 1779 while following a comet that passed
through the Virgo cluster. Admiral
Smyth confused these discovery dates, causing later confusion on the primary
discoverer.
WH first
recorded M49 on 23 Jan 1784 (early sweep 105) and described I-7 as "A
beautiful nebula. Not
cometic. It is visible in the
finder and vB in the telescope", but his RA was 11 min too large. On 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) he called
M49 "vB, cL, gmbM, extended with F branches." JH made 5 observations, recording on
sweep 253, "eB; L; R psmbM; insensibly fading away, has a * 13m following;
by diag the star is just beyone the nebula." Heinrich d'Arrest claimed he
resolved the cluster and saw "countless groups of stars; at 147x, the
nebula periphery can be resolved into stars of the 13th and 14th
magnitudes."
******************************
12 29 48.8 +13
25 46
V = 10.2; Size 4.5'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 100d
24"
(5/29/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 E-W, 2.0'x1.0', sharply
concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to a quasi-stellar
nucleus.
18"
(6/12/10): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 E-W, 2.4'x1.0'. Sharply concentrated with a small,
intense core, ~30"x15" that increases smoothly to the center.
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W, small but intense core,
stellar nucleus.
13"
(5/14/83): bright, elongated E-W, small very bright nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4473 = H II-114, along with NGC 4477 and
Heinrich
d'Arrest independently found NGC 4473 and 4477 on 29 Mar 1856, unaware of WH's
prior discovery. JH responded in
an open letter to Hind that both of d'Arrest's "novae" were seen
earlier and that he was surprised d'Arrest missed NGC 4479. This caused some controversy whether
NGC 4479 was a "variable" nebula.
******************************
NGC 4474 = UGC
7634 = MCG +02-32-094 = PGC 41241
12 29 53.6 +14
04 07
V = 11.5; Size 2.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 80d
17.5"
(4/25/87): second brightest of three in the field with NGC 4468 6' WSWand NGC
4459 14' WSW. Moderately bright,
fairly small, very small bright core, faint stellar nucleus, elongated WSW-ENE.
13"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, small, very elongated E-W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4474 = H II-117 = H II-629 = h1295 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and
noted "r[esolvable]."
His position (CH's reduction) is 35 sec of RA too large. He observed this galaxy again on 14 Jan
1787 (sweep 691) and simply noted "F". His position is 12 sec of RA too far west, and assuming it
was new, catalogued it again as II-629.
JH realized the equivalence when he compiled the GC.
******************************
12 29 47.6 +27
14 36
V = 13.6; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 5d
18"
(5/30/03): faint, elongated 3:2 N-S, 0.9'x0.6', fairly low surface
brightness. Appears brighter along
a bar extending along the major axis.
Faint halo or extensions which are difficult to pin down the
orientation.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4475 = H III-362 = h1297 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"eF, cL, the whole about 4 or 5' long and 2' broad." His size estimate is much too large and
JH, who only picked up the nucleus, called it "eF; R; 15"." JH's position is accurate.
******************************
12 29 59.1 +12
20 55
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 25d
24"
(5/29/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE,
28"x14", bright core gradually increases to the center. Fainter of pair with
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, small brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4478 4.7'
ESE. Located 12' W of M87 in the
Virgo cluster.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, elongated, weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4476 = H II-123 = h1296 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and described
"Two [along with NGC 4478] F, S and one B, L nebula [
******************************
NGC 4477 = UGC
7638 = MCG +02-32-097 = PGC 41260
12 30 02.0 +13
38 12
V = 10.4; Size 3.8'x3.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d
24"
(5/29/14): very bright, fairly large, round, 2.0' diameter, sharply
concentrated with an intensely bright core and stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4479 5.3' SE.
18"
(6/12/10): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated SSW-NNE,
2.5'x2.0'. The outer halo is very
weakly concentrated and then suddenly increases to an intense 40"x20"
core. At 275x the core appears
lively or mottled and increases to a stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4479 5.3' SE.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated ~N-S, bright
core, stellar nucleus. Forms a
pair with NGC 4479 5.5' SE and NGC 4473 lies 12' SSW.
13"
(5/14/83): bright, slightly elongated N-S, small bright nucleus, NGC 4479 5.5'
SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4477 = H II-115 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two
resolvable nebula [NGC 4477 and 4479]." His single position matches NGC 4477. Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered
this galaxy along with NGC 4473 on 29 Mar 1856, apparently unaware of WH's
prior observation. See notes for
NGC 4473.
******************************
NGC 4478 = UGC
7645 = MCG +02-32-099 = PGC 41297
12 30 17.4 +12
19 43
V = 11.4; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140d
24"
(5/29/14): bright, fairly small, elongated 5:4 NW-SE, 35"x28", high
surface brightness, contains a very small, very bright nucleus. A star is involved on the north side,
just 10" N of center.
Brighter of a pair with NGC 4476 4.6' WNW. Located 8.7' SW of M87.
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, brighter
core. Forms a pair with NGC 4476
4.7' WNW. Located 9' WSW of M87.
13"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4478 = H II-124 = h1298 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and described
"Two [along with NGC 4476] F, S and one B, L nebula [M 87]. His single position matches NGC 4478. On sweep 245, JH recorded "B; S;
R; psbM; 30"; the f of 2 [with NGC 4476]." Kolbold measured the position for both the nucleus and the
superimposed star in 1893.
******************************
NGC 4479 = UGC
7646 = MCG +02-32-100 = PGC 41302
12 30 18.4 +13
34 39
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1
24"
(5/29/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 N-S,
45"x35", broad weak concentration with a slightly brighter core. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 4477
5.3' NW.
18"
(6/12/10): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.6',
weak concentration to an ill defined, slightly brighter core and an occasional
faint stellar nucleus. Fainter of
a pair with NGC 4477 5.3' NW.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, weak
concentration. Located 6' SE of
NGC 4477.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, round, diffuse, even surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4479 = H II-116 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two
resolvable nebula [NGC 4477 and 4479] at 4' or 5' distance." His single position matches NGC
4477.
Heinrich
d'Arrest independently found NGC 4473 and 4477 on 29 Mar 1856, but missed NGC
4479. Wolfgang Steinicke states
these observations initiated an exchange of letters between John Herschel, who
was particularly surprised that d'Arrest missed NGC 4479 (possibly a variable
nebula). Jean Chacornac, Schönfeld
and Lassell, reading about the supposed missing nebula, also confirmed the
visibility of NGC 4479. Eventually
d'Arrest observed this galaxy on 5 May 1862 using the 11-inch Copenhagen
refractor.
******************************
12 30 26.7 +04
14 48
V = 12.4; Size 2.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d
17.5" (3/24/90):
fairly faint, fairly small, oval NNW-SSE, weakly concentrated. A mag 13 star is 1.9' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4480 = H II-531 = h1299 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and recorded
"pB, E, about 3' long, brighter towards the southern side." CH's reduction is 2' south of
******************************
12 29 48.8 +64
01 59
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5"
(4/15/93): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, 0.6'x0.15'. Appears as a thin sliver 40" W of a
mag 13 star.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4481 on 7 Oct 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His measured an
accurate position on 2 nights and accurately placed the mag 13 star that
follows by 7 or 8 seconds of time.
******************************
12 30 10.4 +10
46 46
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 145d
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, almost even surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4482 = H III-40 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged "eF,
pL, I was near overlooking it."
There is nothing at his position, but 28 sec of RA west and 2' north is
Arnold
Schwassmann found this galaxy again on a Heidelberg plate in 1900 and reported
Sn. 158 (later
******************************
12 30 40.6 +09
00 56
V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 65d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, small, oval SW-NE, small bright core, stellar
nucleus.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4483 on 19 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He measured the
position on 2 nights and noted the nearby mag 10 star preceded by 26 seconds of
time.
******************************
12 28 52.7 -11
39 08
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.3
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, broad concentration
to a slightly brighter core. With
direct vision a small slightly brighter 10" nucleus is sometimes visible.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4484 = h1300 on 9 Mar 1828 and logged "Not vF; R; gbM;
20"." There is nothing
at his position, but exactly 2.0 min of RA west is
******************************
12 30 31.4 +41
42 01
V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 15d
24"
(5/27/17): at 200x; moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated
5:4 N-S, ~1.5'x1.2'. Contains a
very small brighter core/nucleus but not strongly concentrated. The surface brightness is fairly high
and patchy, but I didn't use high power to look for HII regions.
18"
(6/13/07): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, ~1.6'x1.2',
broad mild concentration. Extended
in the direction of the northwest arm structure in
13.1"
(2/16/85): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, elongated
SSW-NNE. Forms a fascinating
interacting pair with NGC 4490 3.6' SSE of center. Located 40' NW of Beta Canum Venaticorum (V = 4.3). Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member
M106).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4485 = H I-197 = h1306 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded
"Two, the most south [NGC 4490] vB, vL, iE. That to the north B, pS, iF, about 1 1/2' distance." JH logged "S; R; is 70° np and 3'
n of I. 198 [NGC 4490]."
R.J. Mitchell's
sketch with the 72" on 27 Mar 1856 shows a bright nucleus and a well
defined outer ring. The following
year, though, he could not see any sign of spirality. In addition, a small patch (HII region) is sketched on the
south side as well as a faint star, that's probably also a compact HII region.
******************************
12 30 49.7 +12
23 28
V = 8.6; Size 7.2'x6.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
48"
(5/4/16): at 488x, 610x and 697x; M87's jet was almost continuously visible as
a small, very thin spike extending to the west-northwest of the core, perhaps
20"x2". When the seeing was sharp, there was a brighter, knot
(stellar) at the outer tip that sometimes appeared detached. There was a strong impression of a
second stellar knot within the spike.
48"
(4/1/11): at 488x, the jet in M87 was immediately noticed as a short, faint
spike poking out of the central core to the WNW and the position angle
[290-300°] was accurately sketched without prior knowledge. The narrow jet brightened or there was
a knot at the outer tip.
In addition to
looking for the jet, I sketched three companions at the edge of the outer halo
on the southwest side. About 2' SW of the center of M87 is a pair of very
faint, roundish galaxies, both ~15" diameter. The pair forms
Virgo UCD 3 is
either one of the brightest globular clusters in M87 or a nucleated dwarf
galaxy, called a Ultra-Compact Dwarf (UCD). It is situated just 3.0' NE of the center of M87, directly
opposite the two small galaxies at the southwest edge of the halo of M87. A mag 14.5 star, just 20" SSW, is
a perfect reference to focus on the cluster. On 4/16/13 using 488x it was suspected as an 18th magnitude
"star", but I didn't feel confident of the observation. At 813x, though, it was confirmed as an
extremely faint, stellar object, glimpsed several times at the same position.
24"
(5/29/14): extremely bright, large, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, ~4'x3.5', well
concentrated with a large, intense core.
The core brightens but there was no distinct nucleus. The halo gradually fades and increases
in size with averted vision.
Several galaxies are nearby including
17.5"
(5/23/87): very bright, fairly large, gradually increases to a very bright
core, no sharp nucleus. A very
compact galaxy NGC 4486A = UGC 7658 lies 7' S.
13"
(5/14/83): very bright, intense core, fairly smooth halo.
Charles Messier
is credited with the discovery of M87 = NGC 4486 = h1301 on 18 Mar 1781. But Wolfgang Steinicke recently found
(email Oct '16) that Johann Gottfried Koehler made the original discovery on 5
May 1779. On 17 Apr 1784 (sweep
199), WH logged "Three nebulae, the two first [NGC 4476 and 4478] vF, S,
the third [M87], B, L, mbM but diminishing very gradually in
brightness." JH made at least
5 observations, recording on sweep 245, "vB; vL; R; psmbM; r; 3'
diam."
M87 is one of
the most distant galaxies (~52 million light years) visible in binoculars. It contains a 6.4-billion-solar-mass
black hole (1,000 times more massive than Sgr A). The 20" jet was discovered by Curtis at Lick Observatory
in 1918 as a "curious straight ray lies in a gap in the nebulosity in pa
20°, apparently connected with the nucleus by a thin line of matter. The ray is
brightest at the inner end, which is 11" from the nucleus."
******************************
12 31 04.4 -08
03 15
V = 10.9; Size 4.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, diffuse, brighter core, slightly
elongated. A mag 13 star is off
the north end 1.1' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4487 = H II-776 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and logged "F, vL,
er." His position (CH's
reduction) is 7 sec of RA west and 1.5' south of
******************************
12 30 51.4 +08
21 36
V = 12.2; Size 3.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 5d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, elongated NW-SE, small brighter core. A mag 13 star lies 1.3' SW of
center. Located 16' NNW of NGC
4492.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4488 = H III-484 = h1302 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted
"vF". His position
matches
******************************
12 30 52.3 +16
45 32
V = 12.0; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, stellar
nucleus. A group of four stars mag
11-13 is about 4' NE. Forms a pair
with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4489 = H II-91 = h1303 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and simply
noted "vS". He was
discovering new object very rapidly, so this and several following objects in
the sweep have very brief descriptions.
JH made three observations and measured an accurate RA.
******************************
NGC 4490 =
Cocoon Galaxy = Arp 269 NED2 = VV 30a = UGC 7651 = MCG +07-26-014 = CGCG
216-008 = Holm 414a = PGC 41333
12 30 36.1 +41
38 34
V = 9.8; Size 6.3'x3.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 125d
24"
(5/27/17): very bright, large, elongated ~5:2 WNW-ESE, ~5'x2.2', fairly high
but irregular surface brightness, brighter core, but seems offset from
center. A long arm (somewhat
detached from the brighter central region), sweeps WNW and curls north near the
end (bending towards companion NGC 4485).
Fascinating unusual structure.
18"
(6/7/08): I viewed this interesting pair in my 15x50 IS binoculars (just a
faint blur), 18" Starmaster (disturbed arm on the WNW end extending
towards NGC 4490 easily visible) and the 33.4" f/5 (internal structure
visible).
18"
(6/13/07): very bright, large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, ~5'x2', with a very
bright oval core, ~45"x30".
The surface brightness is irregular or mottled but most interesting is a
small extension or arm that juts out of the WNW end and appears to bend or hook
north towards the companion NGC 4485.
There appears to be a smaller counterpart at the ESE end that slightly
protrudes from the main body. With
averted vision, the galaxy grows wider and appears ~5'x2.5'. Located 39' NW of mag 4.3 Beta
CVn. Member of the CVn II Group
(brightest member M106).
18"
(6/4/05): very bright, large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, contains a large, bright
core. At the northwest end a faint
arm appears to emerge hooking sharply to the north for 1' towards NGC 4485. At the southeast end, there appears to
be slight extension without much curvature near a 16th magnitude star. The central region is weakly
concentrated to the center.
Overall, the galaxy has a mottled, slightly splotchy appearance as if
was dusty or knotty with HII regions.
Located 40' NW of 4.2-magnitude Beta Canum Venaticorum.
13.1"
(2/16/85): very bright, large, striking, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 6'x3', large
bright core is elongated and grainy.
A very faint arm extends from the NW end in the direction of NGC 4485
3.6' NNW. A small extension (arm)
at the SE end is suspected.
Similar view and sketch made on 2/23/85. On 4/12/86, just a hint of curvature was noted towards NGC
4485.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4490 = H I-198 = h1308, along with NGC 4485, on 14 Jan 1788
(sweep 798) and recorded "Two, the most south [NGC 4490] vB, vL, iE. That to the north B, pS, iF, about 1
1/2' distance." JH logged
"vB; vL; mE; 40° np to sf; easily resolvable."
An accurate
sketch was made of NGC 4485 and 4490 at Birr Castle on 27 Mar 1856 (figure 23,
Plate XXVII in the 1861 publication).
It showed the northwest tip curling towards NGC 4485 and a faint streak,
corresponding to a string of HII regions, along the north edge of the galaxy.
******************************
12 30 57.1 +11
29 00
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 148d
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, elongated NW-SE, fairly small, brighter core. A mag 13.5 star lies 2.2' NE. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4491 = H III-41 = h1304 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"vF". CH's reduced
position is 4' southeast of
******************************
12 30 59.7 +08
04 40
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. A mag 12.5 star is very close NE 45" from center and a
brighter mag 11.5 star is 1.8' SE.
Located 19' ENE of M49.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4492 = H II-499 = h1305 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply
noted "F". His position
is within 1' of
Julius Schmidt
independently found NGC 4492 in June 1861 with the 6" refractor at the
Athens Observatory and announced it (along with both NGC 4464 and NGC 4470) in
AN 1513 (1866). All three of these
objects, though, were found previously by Herschel. In addition, Arnold Schwassmann found this galaxy again in
1900 on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory
in Heidelberg. He assumed Sn. 65
was new (on a different plate he correctly identified Sn. 64 as NGC 4492) and
Dreyer recatalogued Sn. 65 as
******************************
12 31 08.3 +00
36 49
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 133d
24"
(5/20/17): at 200x and 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated
NW-SE, 30"x25". Contains
a small slightly brighter core and brighter nucleus with direct vision. Located 4.7' SE of mag 8.5
At 200x an
extremely faint "knot" (companion) was suspected off the southeast
side [50" between centers].
The companion was definitely glimpsed at 260x and appeared extremely
faint, very small, round, 10" diameter, stellar nucleus. At 375x it was just visible
continuously with averted (V = 15.2, B = 16.1) and was round, 12"
diameter, possible stellar nucleus.
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, small, oval NW-SE, even surface brightness. Located 4.7' SE of mag 8.6
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4493 = m 241 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS,
iR." His position is
accurate, though he didn't notice the faint companion off the southeast end.
******************************
12 31 24.1 +25
46 30
V = 9.8; Size 4.8'x3.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
18"
(4/5/03): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated ~N-S, ~3'x2.4', sharply
concentrated with a very bright 20" core which increases to center. The halo gradually fades and increases
in size with averted vision.
Located 6' SSW of mag 7.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4494 = H I-83 = h1307 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded
"cB, pL, mbM, iR." JH
noted "vB; R; vsmbM to a nucl; 40-50" dia."
******************************
12 31 22.9 +29
08 10
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d
18"
(4/5/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 0.7'x0.4', weak
concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4495 = H III-301 = h1310 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"vF, vS, R." JH made two
observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 31 39.3 +03
56 23
V = 11.4; Size 4.0'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 70d
17.5"
(2/28/87): NGC 4496A is moderately bright, large, elongated WSW-ENE, low even
surface brightness. Forms a double
system with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4496 = H II-36 = h1309 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded
"a faintish pL nebula. It
seems to be resolveable." JH
made three observations and resolved this double system on the 7 Apr 1828:
"A double nebula; vF; pL; both R; pos 45° sf by diag; the two are in
contact; unequal." The three
editions of the Reference Catalouge of Bright Galaxies label the two components
as NGC 4496A and 4496B.
R.J. Mitchell
sketched and described this system on 18 Apr 1855 at Birr Castle, "A
double neb, alpha [NGC 4496B] is vF, and its light flickering, the other [NGC
4496A] has F neby extending a good way downwards [north], and is much the
larger and brighter of the two."
Neither JH in the GC or Dreyer in the NGC assigned two designations for
the components, although the NGC description reads "bi-nuclear or double
nebula".
******************************
NGC 4497 = IC
3452 = UGC 7665 = MCG +02-32-113 = PGC 41457
12 31 32.5 +11
37 29
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 65d
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated WSW-ENE, broad
concentration. A mag 12.5 star is
2.4' E of center. Forms a pair
with NGC 4497 12' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4497 = H III-42 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply noted
"vF" (he was recording objects very quickly on the sweep). CH's reduced position is 2.5' southeast
of
Schwassmann
"rediscovered" the galaxy on 8 Sep 1900 using a Heidelberg plate
taken by Wolf, measured an accurate position and recorded Sn. 199 (later IC
3452) as new. Both Schwassmann and
Dreyer missed the earlier NGC discovery, but
******************************
NGC 4498 = UGC
7669 = MCG +03-32-056 = PGC 41472
12 31 39.7 +16
51 10
V = 12.2; Size 3.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 133d
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint streak NW-SE, diffuse, brighter core. Forms a trio with NGC 4489 12' SW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4498 = H III-69 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and simply noted
"S". His position is 30
sec of RA east and 6' south of NGC 4489, but the position should be 6' north. Heinrich d'Arrest measured the position
twice, and questioned if it was same object as III-69. He noted "F, L, oval, 70"
mininum dia. The nucleus is very
faint. After repeated observation,
it was seen as 90" long. Question is whether this is a Herschel object or
not as differs in AR 22 sec and in Dec by
is Herscheliana, or not, the former is to stop. Differs from ours in AR
22s, on in Dec by 3 1/2'.
******************************
12 32 05.0 -39
58 57
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 93d
18"
(5/15/10): at 220x appeared very faint, slightly elongated E-W,
0.8'x0.65'. Low even surface
brightrness with no core or zones, although view compromised by low
elevation. Probable outlying
member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4499 = h3397 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L; R; vglbM;
90"." His position
(measured on 2 sweep) is a close match with
******************************
12 31 22.1 +57
57 53
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130d
18"
(5/8/04): moderately bright, small lens, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE. Sharply concentrated with a very small
bright core and faint extensions.
Located 1' W of a mag 10.5 star!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4500 = H I-234 = h1311 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded
"cB, vS, lE. Just preceding a
pL star." JH logged "pB;
E; pgbM; a * 9m foll 30" dist in parallel." His position is 1' southwest of
******************************
12 31 59.0 +14
25 10
V = 9.6; Size 6.9'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 140d
48"
(4/5/13): a thin spiral arm was clearly visible extending along the entire
western flank of the halo and stretching 4.5' from NW to SE. This arm separates more cleanly from
the central region as it extends south, reaching a wide double star (13.7/14.3
that is superimposed on the southeast end. A fainter, very thin, straight arm was also visible along
the east side of the galaxy, extending towards the northwest. This arm hugs pretty close to the east
side of the core, and separates a bit on the north side.
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, very large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, brighter core, intense
very small or stellar nucleus (Seyfert 2 galaxy). A faint double star is embedded at the SE end (mag 13.5/14.5
at 20"). A brighter double
star mag 11/12 at 30" is 5' S of center. Located at the NE end of "Markarian's chain" in
the core of Virgo cluster.
Charles Messier
discovered
At Birr Castle,
R.J. Mitchell recorded on 9 Mar 1855 "Another spiral? dark spaces p Nucl, others also,
especially one sf Nucl. Six nights
later he logged "Thought I could trace a dark passage from south end down
past the Nucl. Saw but the one
branch f neby outside this passage."
******************************
12 32 03.3 +16
41 16
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40d
18"
(4/5/03): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.4', low surface
brightness. NGC 4498 lies 11' NNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4502 = H II-92 = h1314 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"vF, S." CH's reduced
position is 6' north of
******************************
12 32 06.2 +11
10 35
V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 12d
24"
(5/20/17): bright, fairly large, oval 2:1 or 5:2 N-S, the halo increases to ~2'x0.8' with averted. Sharply concentrated with an extremely
bright core that increases to an intense stellar nucleus!
24"
(6/4/16): bright, large, elongated nearly 5:2 N-S, ~1.8'x0.7'. Sharply concentrated with a very large,
very bright elonagated core that increases to an even brighter nucleus and
stellar peak at the center. The
halo gradually fades out but the ratio of major to minor axis is higher in the
halo than the core.
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, very bright core,
stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4503 = H II-66 = h1313 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"pB". His descriptions
are very brief in this portion of the sweep as he was recording new nebulae
rapidly. CH's reduced position is
18 sec of RA too far east. JH made
two observations and measured an accurate position. Dreyer made an observation on 24 Mar 1878, though mistakenly
assumed he was observing GC 3077 = NGC 4528. He wrote, "pB, lE N-S, irr
figure, fades away more gradually on f[ollowing] side..."
******************************
12 32 17.3 -07
33 50
V = 11.2; Size 4.4'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 150d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly large, almost even surface brightness, slightly elongated,
very weakly concentrated core. Two
mag 14.5-15 stars are off following end 1.4' NE and 2.1' ESE of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4504 = H II-771 = h1398 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and noted
"pB, iF, mbM, easily resolvable." JH made a single observation from the Cape of Good Hope and
logged "vF; Lp lEp gvlbM; 90"."
******************************
12 31 39.3 +03
56 23
See observing
notes for NGC 4496.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4505 = H III-18 = h1315 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded
"vF of a considerable size; it seems to be resolvable, is more faint than
the foregoing [II-36 = NGC 4496] and rather larger. There is nothing at his position, exactly 1.0 min of time
following II-36 = NGC 4496, and the description applies to this galaxy! It appears he likely recorded the same
object twice.
JH has a single
observation on sweep 142: "eF, the following of 2 [with NGC 4496] in
fld." His position is roughly
the same as his father's (perhaps using his working list). Karl Reinmuth, in his photographic
survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", questions if it is a mag 14 star, and
this is very possible.
******************************
12 32 10.5 +13
25 10
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110d
17.5"
(4/25/87): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse, very weakly
concentrated core. A mag 11 star
is 2.1' W. Located 34' E of NGC
4473 near the Virgo border.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4506 = H II-631 = h1316 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and noted
"F". His position is
2.5' south and 8 sec of time west of
******************************
NGC 4507 = ESO
322-029 = MCG -07-26-011 = Shapley-Ames 2 = LGG 298-008 = PGC 41960
12 35 36.7 -39
54 34
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 56d
18"
(4/25/09): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, increases to a
small brighter core. Situated
within an oval group of ~8 stars (~9'x6') and 5' SW of mag 5.8
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, oval, weak concentration. Located 5.2' SW of mag 5.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4507 = h3399 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; R: psmbM to
a * 16m." His position
(measured on two sweeps) is at the east edge of
******************************
12 32 17.4 +05
49 08
=**?, Gottlieb.
"Not found", Carlson.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4508 = h1317 on 19 Apr 1830 and noted "vF; R; a * 13m with
a burr." His position
corresponds with a close, faint double star. The stars are cleanly resolved on the SDSS. Karl Reinmuth also identifies a double
star at the NGC position, although he also mentions a possible nearby
candidate. This is object #1450 in
the Ames "Catalogue of 2778 Nebulae including the Coma-Virgo
Group". Ames felt this object
was too far from the NGC position and too faint.
******************************
12 33 06.8 +32
05 32
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 155d
17.5":
faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, almost even surface brightness. Located 4.5' NW of a bright double star
∑1653 = 8.7/9.2 at 8".
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4509 = h1318 on 11 Mar 1828 and noted "vF; S; R;
lbM." There is nothing at his
position but 1.0 min of RA east is
******************************
NGC 4510 = UGC
7679 = MCG +11-15-058 = CGCG 315-041 = PGC 41489
12 31 47.2 +64
14 01
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 153d
17.5"
(4/15/93): faint, very small, very small bright core, stellar nucleus, very
small halo. NGC 4441 lies 17' SW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4510 on 9 Sep 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
an excellent match with
******************************
12 32 08.1 +56
28 16
V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 9d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 ~N-S. A mag 14 star is close south, in the
direction of elongation.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4511 = H III-834 = h1319 on 17 Mar 1790 (sweep 947) and noted
"eF, S, iF." His
position matches
******************************
12 32 47.6 +63
56 21
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 167d
See observing
notes for NGC 4521. Identification
uncertain; this number may be identical to NGC 4510.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4512 = h1321 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "pB; R: psbM;
20"." There is nothing
at his single position, though 10' north-northeast is
Bigourdan was
unable to recover NGC 4512 and Reinmuth states "no pB neb found, =NGC
4521?" Corwin suggests
that NGC 4512 may be identical to NGC 4510 as this would require a 30' error in
declination. Furthermore this galaxy
is more likely than NGC 4521 to be called "round" and "20"
in diameter. So, the
identification with NGC 4521 is uncertain, but likely applies to either NGC
4521 or NGC 4510. See Corwin's
identification notes.
******************************
12 32 01.5 +66
19 57
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE,
0.6'x0.4', small bright core.
The triple
system
48"
(4/4/13): at 488x; VII Zw 466 appeared fairly faint, small, round with a
slightly brighter rim and darker center.
The ring was irregular lit and brighter on the west side with a couple
of slightly brighter knots north and south.
17.5"
(4/15/93): faint, small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, very small bright core, stellar
nucleus.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4513 on 16 Oct 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
an excellent match with
******************************
12 32 43.0 +29
42 45
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3
18"
(5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, weak concentration
with no noticeable core. A mag 14
star lies 1.5' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4514 = H III-302 = h1320 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"eF, vS". JH made two
observations and called this galaxy (sweep 342) "vF; R; bM;
15"."
******************************
12 33 05.0 +16
15 56
V = 12.3; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, very small, almost round, weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4515 = H II-93 = h1324 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"F, vS." JH called it
"F; an extremely dilute nebulosity, with a centre almost stellar. His single position is 1' north of UGC
7701.
******************************
12 33 07.6 +14
34 30
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d
17.5"
(5/23/87): faint, small, very elongated N-S, small well defined core. Located 18' NE of M88.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4516 = H III-78 = h1323 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded
"A B, pL, r nebula [M88] with a small one [NGC 4516] after it. Moonlight so strong that I had nearly
overlooked the latter. JH logged
"F; R: vgbM; 40"." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4517 = NGC
4437 = UGC 7694 = MCG +00-32-020 = CGCG 014-063 = FGC 1455 = PGC 41618
12 32 45.6 +00
06 59
V = 10.4; Size 10.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 83d
48"
(5/4/16): beautiful edge-on spiral, nearly 8:1 WSW-ENE, ~11'x1.5'. A mag 10.9 star is attached on the
north edge, just east of center.
The galaxy is broadly concentrated with a larger, brighter core region
and small brighter nucleus. A
fairly prominent, irregular dust lane extends ~5', unevenly slicing the galaxy
along the north edge of the core region.
The absorption lane is wides and most prominent near the core. A fairly thin strip of the galaxy is
visible to the north of the dust lane, passing through the bright star at the
north edge. The dust gives the
galaxy an irregular patchy appearance and along with some mottling, the view is
reminiscent of
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, very large edge-on 8:1 WSW-ENE, almost
10'x1.2'. This galaxy is an
impressive large narrow streak with fairly low surface brightness and fills 1/2
of the 21' field. There is no
well-define nucleus but central region slightly bulges. Appears brighter along the western
extension. A mag 9 star is
attached at the northeast edge of the core.
NGC 4517A,
located 17' NNW, appeared very faint, large, small brighter core. Appears as a very diffuse hazy region
elongated SSW-NNE with no distinct boundaries. Located 3.5' SE of a mag 10.5 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4517 = H IV-5 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "A
pretty bright star with a milky ray on the south side of it, extending from
east to west, or rather from np to sf.
It does not seem to touch the star, and is about 10 or 12' in
length." On a second
observation (1 Jan 1786, sweep 507), he added "a pB star with a milky ray
to the south of it, and partly including it." WH commented this might suggest that the nebula had a
considerable proper motion, though differences in observing conditions might
account for the difference. The GC
and NGC position (from 3 observations) is 0.5 min of RA too far east and 2'
south.
JH found h1277 =
NGC 4437 on 14 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; vmE; pos 15° nf to sp; a long
ray; it is south preceding a * 10m.
The place is that of the star." There is nothing near his position, but 5 min of RA east is
NGC 4517 and his description is a perfect match with this galaxy. The equivalence may have first been
suggest by Karl Reinmuth in his 1926 photographic Heidelberg survey "Die
Herschel Nebel". Various
sources (including the RNGC) mistakenly equate NGC 4437 with NGC 4417, instead
of NGC 4517. So, NGC 4517 = NGC
4437.
******************************
12 33 11.7 +07
51 06
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 0d
24"
(5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S,
~25"x18", gradually increases to a small bright core and stellar
nucleus. Located 16' NW of NGC
4526 and 6.6' SSW of mag 7.6
Forms a close
pair with
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated NW-SE, bright core. Located to the west of a N-S line
joining mag 6.9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4518 = h1322 on 27 Dec 1827 and recorded "F; S; R; bM;
20"." His position
corresponds with
******************************
12 33 30.3 +08
39 16
V = 11.8; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 145d
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; bright, large, slightly elongated 5:4 SW-NE, at least
1.5'x1.2'. Contains a relatively
large brighter core. The halo is noticeably mottled with an uneven surface
brightness (probably due to HII knots in the arms).
Forms a pair
with
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly bright, moderately large, brighter core, slightly
elongated. A knot is superimposed
on the SW end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4519 = H II-158 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and recorded,
"F, pL, almost R, r."
His position (CH's reduction) is 3' northeast of
******************************
12 33 49.9 -07
22 32
V = 14.0; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 101d
18"
(4/9/05): faint, small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W. A very faint star is at the western tip. The galaxy appears
to have a very faint stellar nucleus or a second star is involved. A mag 11.2 star is 3' NW. NGC 4504 lies 20' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4520 = H III-757 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and logged "2
vF stars involved in nebulosity, vF, S." He made another observation with a similar description a few
nights later (sweep 916). The GC
and NGC has a typo, calling this galaxy II-757.
Lewis Swift
found this galaxy again on 21 Apr 1889 and assumed it was new. His description for #64 in his 8th
discovery list (later
******************************
NGC 4521 = NGC
4512? = UGC 7706 = MCG +11-15-061 = CGCG 315-046 = PGC 41621
12 32 47.6 +63
56 21
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 167d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; moderately bright and large, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE,
1.2'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a very small bright core. A mag 11 star is 2' NNW and a mag 15.2
star is 1.4' SSE. Forms a pair
with much fainter UGC 7700 4' SSW.
Brightest in a group including NGC 4510 19' NNW and
UGC 7700
(misidentified in all modern catalogues and most online sources as NGC 4512)
appeared very faint, fairly small, 24" diameter (only the central region
seen), very low even surface brightness.
17.5"
(4/15/93): moderately bright and large, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, very bright core,
faint stellar nucleus, very thin tapering extensions. Located 2.0' SSE of a mag 10 star. A mag 15 star is just 30" E of the southern
extension. NGC 4481 lies 20' WNW. UGC 7700 = (R)NGC 4512 located 4' SW
was not seen.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4521 = H II-849 = h1326 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged
"pB, vS, lE, SN."
JH recorded "pB; pmE; pgbM; 20" long, 12" broad; a * 9m
near. His description matches NGC
4521, but his position is 20' too far south. Because of the discrepancy with his father's position, JH
listed it as a "Nova".
In the NGC notes, Dreyer notes that "h1326 = II 848, but h's P.D.
Is wrong; d'Arrest's adopted".
See notes for
NGC 4512 = h1321, which may be identical to NGC 4521.
******************************
12 33 39.5 +09
10 25
V = 12.3; Size 3.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 33d
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, fairly large, thin edge-on streak oriented SSW-NNE,
weak concentration.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4522 = h1325 on 18 Jan 1828 and recorded "eF; pL; lE;
vlbM." His single position is accurate.
******************************
12 33 47.8 +15
10 02
V = 14.1; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 15.4
17.5"
(5/23/87): extremely faint, difficult, very diffuse, moderately large. Located 10' S of
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4523 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His published position
is 10 sec of RA west of
******************************
12 33 54.4 -12
01 39
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 80d
17.5"
(3/29/89): faint, small, oval WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. Three mag 15 stars are just west.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4524 = h1327 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded "vF; irreg R;
bM." His single position is
1' north of
******************************
12 33 51.2 +30
16 39
V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 47d
18"
(4/10/04): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broadly
concentrated to an ill-defined 0.8' core.
A low surface brightness halo increases the size to at least 2.0'x.1.0'. The halo is irregular or patchy and
fades into the background so is difficult to trace, though it is a little
brighter on the SW extension.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4525 = H II-325 = h1328 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"F, pL, E, bM." JH made
the single observation "pF; L; R; 60"." and did not measure a
position.
******************************
NGC 4526 = NGC
4560? = UGC 7718 = MCG +01-32-100 = CGCG 042-155 = PGC 41772
12 34 03.1 +07
41 59
V = 9.7; Size 7.2'x2.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 113d
24" (5/20/17):
very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, ~3.75'x1.25'. Contains a large, rounder core with a
small intense nucleus that seems slightly offset south of center. The extensions gradually fade out
towards the tips. Situated at the
midpoint of mag 7.0
17.5"
(4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, very elongated WNW-ESE, bright core,
strong stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5
star is 1.3' S of center. Located
midway between mag 6.9 SAO 119466 7.6' W and mag 6.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4526 = H I-31 = H I-38 = h1329 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and
recorded I-31 as "vB, E, mbM, r." It is situated between two brilliant stars at a considerable
distance." There is nothing
at his position, but 17' north is
WH probably
found this galaxy a third time on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and recorded it as H
I-119 = NGC 4560, with another bad position. So, NGC 4526 = NGC 4560.
******************************
12 34 08.4 +02
39 11
V = 10.5; Size 6.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 67d
24"
(5/20/17): at 200x; bright; very large; very elongated ~4:1 WSW-ENE,
~4'x1',well concentrated with a very bright elongated core that contains a
fairly intense nucleus. Appears to
brighten slightly and curl south on the western end and spread out and curl a
bit north on the eastern ends, like the beginning of spiral arms (verified
later on the DSS).
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, very large, very elongated WSW-ENE, prominent core,
small bright nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4527 = H II-37 = h1330 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded
"pB, of an extended shape, from np to sf and mbM than at the
ends." His orientation should
read "sp to nf". On sweep
143, JH logged "pB; pL; gmbM; E in pos 30° nf to sp."
******************************
12 34 06.1 +11
19 16
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 5d
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright but small, oval ~N-S, nucleus bulge, small bright
core, stellar nucleus. Located 35'
WNW of the
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4528 = H II-67 = h1331 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"vS but pB." His RA is
42 sec too small (several objects on this sweep have a poor RA). JH made four observations with the
brightness description varying from "F" to "pB".
******************************
12 34 12 +20 32
=Not found,
Corwin. Very uncertain ID's UGC
7697 or
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4529 = H III-26 on 12 Mar 1784 (sweep 167) and logged "I
suspected a L, eF nebula; but though I looked at it a good while I could not
verify the suspicion, nor could I convince myself that it was a
deception." The RA was only
taken approximately. He reported
it again on 16 Mar 1790 (sweep 944), and measured offsets from 26 Com (the
reduced position by CH was used in the GC and NGC). Dreyer discussed the difference between CH's reduction vs.
Auwers' reduction in the NGC Notes/Corrections section (based on the sweep
used). In any case, there is
nothing at either position.
RNGC
misidentifies MCG +04-30-003 = CGCG 129-006 as NGC 4529, although neither CGCG
or MCG uses this identification.
PGC lists the RNGC entry and the MCG/CGCG entry separately, so
I send an e-mail
to Harold Corwin back in October 1999 about the identification and no
satisfactory candidate could be identified. See his identification notes.
******************************
12 33 44.5 +41
21 27
V = 4.3
=*4.3 = Beta
CVn, Gottlieb. Not found, RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4530 = h1332 in May 1828 (sweep 150) and described "8
[Beta] CVn. Involved in a
considerable nebula 3' in diam, exactly R; vgbM." He made a total of four
observation and described the star as nebulous on each occasion. There is no nebulosity surrounding this
star. JH realized the observation
was uncertain. In the appendix of
the Slough catalogue, he noted "With regard to nebulous stars generally, I
ought to mention that it has frequently occurred to me to notice a peculiar
state of atmosphere in which all large stars (above the 7th magnitude) have
appeared surrounded with photospheres of 2' or 3' or more diameter, precisely
resembling that about some of the finer specimens of nebulous stars."
This is the
second brightest star (after
******************************
12 34 15.9 +13
04 31
V = 11.4; Size 3.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 155d
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated NW-SE,
diffuse, broad concentration.
Located 37' W of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4531 = H II-175 = h1333 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199)and noted
"pF, L." JH made two
observations and recorded (sweep 339) "pF; pL; R; vgbM; 80"."
******************************
12 34 19.3 +06
28 07
V = 11.9; Size 2.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 160d
24"
(5/20/17): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 or 7:2
NNW-SSE. The surface brightness is
irregular; brighter and mottled on the NNW end and fainter on the SSE end,
giving an asymmetric appearance. A
mag 14.5 star is off the east side [0.6' from center]. Mag 8.0
Holmberg VII
lies 12' SE of NGC 4532. At 200x
this dwarf was just visible as a very faint patch with averted vision,
roundish, ~40" diameter (no distinct edge), very low even surface
brightness, no core or nucleus.
17.5"
(3/24/90): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, no central
condensation. Asymmetric
appearance as fainter at the SE end (dust?). Located 5.4' N of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4532 = H II-147 = h1334 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"pB, pL, mE, r." His
position and description matches
******************************
NGC 4533 = UGC
7725 = MCG +01-32-102 = CGCG 042-157 = PGC 41816
12 34 22.0 +02
19 31
V = 13.8; Size 2.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 161d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, moderately large, edge-on NNW-SSE, low surface brightness
narrow streak. Collinear with mag
8.6 SAO 119474 4.1' N and mag 8.8 SAO 119473 7.2' N. All of these are on line with bright galaxy NGC 4536 8.3'
SSE.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4533 = T 1-45 and described a class III nebula, 7 sec of RA west
and 9' north of H V-2 = NGC 4536.
The exact offsets to this galaxy are -5 sec RA and +8' dec.
******************************
12 34 05.4 +35
31 06
V = 12.3; Size 2.6'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 125d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.0' diameter, low almost even surface
brightness, very small region of central brightening. A mag 15 star is 30" SW of the halo and 1.5' from
center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4534 = H II-410 = h1336 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and noted
"F, cL, r." His position
is just off the north side of
******************************
12 34 20.3 +08
11 52
V = 10.0; Size 7.1'x5.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 0d
48"
(4/4/13): NGC 4535 is a gorgeous face-on Sc spiral with two, long, very
prominent arms extending from a small, very bright central region. The small, very bright core is
elongated SSW-NNE and punctuated by an intense, stellar nucleus. The two main arms are clearly attached
right at opposite ends of the core.
At the northeast end, a beautiful thin arm winds clockwise to the west
with a mag 13.5 star pinned on the outer north edge. The arm contains NGC 4535:[HK83] #157 (several additional
entries including #141/145 are in Hodge & Kennicutt's "Atlas of HII
regions in 125 galaxies"), a small, bright, 15" knot and then dims as
it wraps to the south. A mag 14.5
star is situated midway between the nucleus and southern end of this arm
[47" SW of the nucleus].
The second main
arm is attached at the southwest end of the core and curves clockwise to the
southeast, where the arm brightens in an elongated 30" patch
(#51/52/72/78), which is symmetrically positioned opposite #157. A fainter arm segment, extending WNW to
ESE is visible on the south side, containing #84/90, a small, fairly faint
12" patch, located 1.5' SSE of center. This knot forms the vertex of a flat isosceles triangle with
a mag 15 star 0.5' NW and a mag 14 star 0.7' S. The arms are etched on the slightly fainter and larger
background glow of the disc, which extends 5.5'x4.0' N-S.
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, fairly large, very small bright core, elongated SSW-NNE,
about 5.5'x4.0'. Appears slightly
darker on both sides of core (this is a gap between the spiral arms). A mag 13.5 star is superimposed on the
north side 1.0' from the center and a similar star is at the south end of the
halo 2.2' from center. A faint mag
14.5 star is just 48" SW of the core. NGC 4526 lies 30' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4535 = H II-500 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and described
"very large, easily resolvable.
I see a few of the largest stars in it." In his 1814 PT paper, WH hypothesized this object may be a
cluster of stars mixed with nebulosity or a cluster seen at great distance
which contains no nebulosity. JH
did not make any observations, though d'Arrest made four observations and
described it as up to 5 or 6' in size.
He also noted the mag 15 star (called mag 17) just 48" preceding
the nucleus.
The nickname
"Lost Galaxy" is from Leland S. Copeland's February 1955 S&T
article "Adventuring in the Virgo Cloud". In his article, Copeland
described a star hop through the Virgo Cluster using his 8" Cave
reflector. He states, "North of the Diamond is a very dim spiral, here
called the Lost Galaxy, NGC 4535." Leland was probably referring to
******************************
NGC 4536 = UGC
7732 = MCG +00-32-023 = CGCG 014-068 = PGC 41823
12 34 27.1 +02
11 16
V = 10.6; Size 7.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 130d
48"
(4/4/13): very bright, gorgeous showpiece spiral with two very stretched arms
extending northwest and southeast ~7'x2.5'. Contains a very bright, slightly elongated core that
increases to an intense stellar nucleus.
One long arm emanates from the west side of the core and shoots to the
northwest, extending over 3' from the nucleus. Close west of the core is a brighter, knotty region
identified as [HK 83] 66/67 in the Hodge-Kennicutt "Atlas of H II regions
in 125 galaxies". The second
arm is connected at the northeast side of the core and stretches to the
southeast. A small brightening (#53) is just north of the core where the arm is
attached. This arm contains a
brighter, elongated section which includes [HK 83] 23/33/35/36, opposite the
brighter region on the western arm.
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, very large, very elongated NW-SE, weak concentration,
stellar nucleus. Spiral structure
is suspected at the ends of the major axis. Forms a pair with NGC 4533 8' N. Located 12' WSW of mag 7.0
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4536 = H V-2 = h1337 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 120) and noted
"F, L, cE. It is bright in
the middle in two or three places."
He recorded the galaxy on 4 different sweeps. JH reported "pB; vL; mE in pos 20° np; sbM."
R.J. Mitchell
sketched the galaxy on 29 May 1856 with LdR's 72" and clearly showed the
central bar and long arms forming an stretched "Z" shape. The sketch was included (Fig 24) in
LdR's 1861 publication.
******************************
12 34 48.9 +50
48 18
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 21d
See observing
notes for
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4537 = Sw I-22 on 16 Mar 1884 and recorded "eeF; S; R;
nearly between 2 stars."
There is nothing at his position, but 49 sec of RA due east is NGC 4542
(discovered previously by JH), the brightest nearby candidate. Also in the vicinity is
The RNGC and PGC
(and secondary sources such as Megastar) identify MCG +09-21-022 as NGC
4537. Both Malcolm Thomson and
Harold Corwin concur that NGC 4537 is more likely a duplicate of NGC 4542. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes for more.
******************************
12 34 40.9 +03
19 25
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 80d
17.5"
(3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, low even surface
brightness.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4538 = m 242 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS, nearly
R." His position matches CGCG
042-161 = PGC 41850.
******************************
12 34 34.8 +18
12 09
V = 12.0; Size 3.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/13/02): fairly faint but fairly large, elongated 5:2 E-W, 2.4'x0.9'. Fairly uniform low surface brightness
but bulges slightly at the core.
Two mag 14 stars are 1.5' SE of center. Located 13' SW of the beautiful double 24 Comae (5.0/6.6 at
20").
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4539 = h1338 on 17 Mar 1831and logged "pB; pmE." His position and description matches
******************************
12 34 50.8 +15
33 05
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d
17.5"
(5/23/87): moderately bright, fairly small, even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 1.2' W of
center. Forms a close pair with IC
3528 1.6' NE. The IC galaxy
(missed by the Herschels) appeared extremely faint and small, round.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4540 = H II-94 = H II-119 = h1335 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and
noted H II-94 as "F, S."
CH's reduced position is 5' southeast of
******************************
12 35 10.6 -00
13 17
V = 13.0; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 91d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4541 = H III-493 = h1342 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted
"eF, S, irregular." His
position (CH's reduction) is 3' too far south. JH made a single observation but did measure an accurate
position. The NGC dec is 1.5'
south (apparently this position is from Holden) of
******************************
NGC 4542 = NGC
4537: = UGC 7746 = MCG +09-21-021 = CGCG 270-011 = PGC 41864
12 34 48.9 +50
48 18
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 21d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.4', very
small slightly brighter core. A
near equilateral triangle of mag 11 stars lies to the NE (closest vertex 4'
NE).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4542 = h1341 on 17 Feb 1831 and noted "eF; pL; R;
30"." His position
matches
******************************
NGC 4543 = MCG
+01-32-109 = CGCG 042-167 = PGC 41923
12 35 20.3 +06
06 54
V = 13.5; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 0d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, very small bright core. NGC 4532 lies 25' NW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4543 = h1340 on 27 Dec 1827 and recorded "pF; R; bM;
40"." His position
matches
******************************
NGC 4544 = UGC
7756 = MCG +01-32-110 = CGCG 042-168 = PGC 41958
12 35 36.6 +03
02 04
V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 161d
17.5"
(3/24/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5' ENE of
center. NGC 4538 lies 22' NW and
NGC 4527 30' SW.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 16 year-old son, discovered NGC 4544 = Sw VI-45 on 27 Apr 1887 and
recorded "eF; S; R; bet 2 stars." The Swifts' position is 14 sec of time preceding
******************************
NGC 4545 = UGC
7747 = MCG +11-15-064 = CGCG 315-047 = PGC 41838
12 34 34.2 +63
31 30
V = 12.3; Size 2.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 8d
17.5"
(4/15/93): fairly faint, moderately large, round, about 2' diameter, broad weak
concentration. A mag 14.5 star is
just off the NNE edge of the halo 1.0' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4545 = H II-850 = h1346 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and recorded
"pB, pL, iR, vgbM, r."
His position is 2' too far north.
JH made a single interesting description, "vF; L; wedge shaped, or
has a vF * nf, which gives it a distorted appearance."
******************************
12 35 29.5 -03
47 38
V = 10.3; Size 3.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 80d
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, very bright core,
bright stellar nucleus. A mag 11
star is 2.0' SE of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4546 = H I-160 = h1339 on 29 Dec 1786 (sweep 674) and recorded
"vB, cL, E from sp to nf but nearer the parallel [E-W] than the meridian,
a BN with faint branches, the nucleus very gradually diminishing." JH made four observations and recorded
(sweep 147) "vB; mE; vsmbM to a r nucleus; 2' long, 90" br."
******************************
12 34 51.8 +58
55 00
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.5'
18"
(5/12/07): this is a very small and close double system oriented NW-SE. The slightly brighter and larger NW
component is very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter while the SE
component is extremely faint and small, round, 10" diameter. The pair is cleanly resolved, though
the centers are just 27" apart.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4547 = H III-802 = h1344 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and logged
"vF, lE." His re-reduced
position is just 1.3' northeast of
RNGC and CGCG
misidentify the double system as NGC 4547 + NGC 4549. MCG misidentifies
******************************
12 35 26.4 +14
29 47
V = 10.2; Size 5.4'x4.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 150d
24"
(5/22/17): at 282x; very bright, large, strongly concentrated with a very
bright round core that elongates into a bar oriented WSW-ENE. The initial portions of spiral arms are
attached at both ends of the bar.
On the WSW end, a weak arm extends north, curving slightly
counter-clockwise and on the east end, a subtle arm starts to curl south. Both arms blend into a low surface
brightness outer halo that extends ~3.5'x2.5'.
17.5"
(5/23/87): bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 3'x2', gradually
increases to a bright core and a very small nucleus. M88 is 50' WSW.
Charles Messier
discovered M91 = NGC 4548 = H II-120 = h1345 on 18 Mar 1781. For a long time M91 was a missing
Messier object. In Owen
Gingerich's article "The Missing Messier Objects" in Sky & Tel
Oct 1960, he concludes that M91 is likely a duplicate observation of
WH independently
found M91 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "L, resolvable, but
moonlight [end of a long night]."
JH made 3 observations, first logging this galaxy as "pB; R; bM;
60"."
******************************
NGC 4549 = MCG
+10-18-072 = PGC 41954
12 35 21.2 +58
56 59
V = 15.2; Size 0.45'x0.2'
18"
(5/12/07): extremely faint and small, round, 10" diameter, required
averted vision to glimpse, though transparency was very mediocre. Located near the midpoint of a mag 14
star 2.3' N and a mag 11 star 2.7' S.
This galaxy is not identified as NGC 4549 in the RNGC or CGCG. Located 4.3' ENE of the double system
NGC 4547.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4549 = H III-807 = h1347 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 926) and recorded
"Two [with III-802 = NGC 4547], both eF, S, E different ways. The place is that of the first [NGC
4547], the 2nd [NGC 4549] is about 4' following and 3' more north, and still
fainter than the 1st." His
offset pretty clearly identifies NGC 4549 = MCG +10-18-072 = PGC 41954, and
this galaxy is certainly one of the faintest he discovered!
RNGC and CGCG
misidentify
******************************
12 35 30.6 +12
13 14
V = 11.7; Size 3.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 178d
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, pretty edge-on N-S, small bright core,
faint stellar nucleus. A mag 12
star lies 2.9' SE. Forms a pair
with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4550 = H I-36 = h1343, along with NGC 4551, on 17 Apr 1784
(sweep 199) and recorded "Two small but bright nebula; both lE." JH made 3 observations and recorded
(sweep 245) "pB; R; bM; 20"; the sp of 2; pos of the other from this
by micrometer = 33.5°."
******************************
NGC 4551 = UGC
7759 = MCG +02-32-148 = CGCG 070-183 = Holm 422b = PGC 41963
12 35 37.9 +12
15 50
V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 ~E-W, small bright core,
faint stellar nucleus. A mag 13
star lies 2.1' NW of center. Forms
a pair with NGC 4550 3.2' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4551 = H I-37 = h1349 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded
"Two small but bright nebula; both lE." JH made 2 observations and recorded (sweep 245) "pB; R;
bM; 25"; the nf of 2; place by comparison with the preceding."
******************************
12 35 39.9 +12
33 20
V = 9.8; Size 5.1'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, irregularly round, fairly small but high surface
brightness with an intense, very small bright core and substellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4550/NGC 4551
pair 20' S.
Charles Messier
discovered M89 = NGC 4552 = h1348 on 18 Mar 1781. WH made an observation on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted
"B, pS." JH made four
observations and recorded on 10 Apr 1825 (sweep 2) "F; R; gbM; 25";
has a * nf." On 4 May 1829
(sweep 192) he called M89 "B; R; gbM; 40...50" [diameter]."
******************************
12 36 07.5 -39
26 20
V = 12.2; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 176d
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, oval NNW-SSE.
A mag 11.5/12.5 double star at 22" separation lies 3.6' NNE. This possible member of the Centaurus
galaxy cluster (AGC 3526) is located 10' SW of mag 6.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4553 = h3400 on 22 Apr 1835 and recorded "F; R; or lE;
glbM." His single position is
accurate.
******************************
12 35 42 +11 11
=Not found,
Dreyer and Corwin.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4554 in 1882 while observing NGC 4567/4568 (the "Siamese
Twins"). He noted in the text
portion of paper V "The double nebula is preceded by a very faint nebula,
about -50 sec in RA and -2 1/2' in dec, according to my drawing." There is
nothing at Tempel's offset and neither Bigourdan (visually) nor Royal Frost
(photographically at the Harvard College Observatory) could locate Tempel's
object. Both Dorothy Carlson, in
her 1940 list of NGC Corrections and RNGC classify the number nonexistent and
Harold Corwin was unsuccessful searching for a good candidate.
******************************
12 35 41.2 +26
31 23
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 125d
17.5"
(4/13/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.7', very
small bright core. With averted
vision the major axis increases a little and the core seems irregular with a
fleeting impression of a knot on the preceding side of the core. Located 33' NNW of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4555 = H II-343 = h1350 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted
"a nebula, not large."
CH's reduction is 7 sec of time preceding and 1.5' south of
Max Wolf
mistakenly catalogued NGC 4555 in list IV-211 and labeled a much fainter nearby
galaxy as NGC 4555. As a result IC
3545 = NGC 4555. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 35 45.6 +26
54 32
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d
18"
(5/12/07): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.6'x0.5',
bright core, very small brighter nucleus. A mag 14 star is just off the south
side. First in a group with NGC
4558,
IC 3556, located
4.4' northeast of NGC 4556, appeared very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S,
20"x15". This galaxy is misidentified in CGCG, MCG, UGC, and PGC as
either NGC 4563 or
IC 3561, located
4.2' east-southeast of NGC 4456, appeared very faint, very small, round,
20" diameter.
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.6'. A mag 13.5 star is just off the south
edge 0.7' from center. Forms a
pair with NGC 4558 5.2' NNE.
Several other faint galaxies are nearby but the sky conditions were
deteriorating and I wasn't able to search for these.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4556 = H II-380 = h1351 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, pL." His position
(CH's reduction) is 14 sec of time too large. JH made two observations and
measured a more accurate RA. There
are several identifications problems within this group. See NGC 4558 for more.
******************************
12 35 49.8 +27
03 14
=***?, Corwin
and Thomson. Incorrect
identification in the RNGC.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4557 = Big 55 on 22 Apr 1886 and simply noted a
"star accompanied by nebulosity." His position in Comptes Rendus (5 Dec 1887) is 1.5'
south of a faint triple star (mag 14.5/15/15.5) in a 30" line, and Harold
Corwin confirms his offset from nearby NGC 4558 points to this triple.
RNGC appears to
misidentify IC 3559 as NGC 4557, although the rectangular coordinates would
then be in error. MCG and PGC
misidentify NGC 4558 as NGC 4557 and IC 3556 as NGC 4558. Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin
sorted out the correct identifications.
******************************
NGC 4558 = MCG
+05-30-028 = CGCG 159-023 = PGC 41996
12 35 52.6 +26
59 31
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8
18"
(5/12/07): faint, very small, round, 20"-24" diameter, slightly
brighter core. Symmetrically
placed on the opposite side of a mag 13 located at the midpoint of NGC 4556 and
NGC 4558. Located 5.2' NNE of NGC
4556 in a small group. IC 3556
lies 2' SE and appeared very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S,
20"x15". IC 3559 is 2.4'
E, but with mag(B) = 16.6, it was only glimpsed knowing the exact location.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4558 = h1354 on 19 Apr 1827 and logged "vF; the nf of 2
(the p is II 380); a third suspected.
His offset is 10 sec of RA east and 3' north of NGC 4556 (measured the
same sweep). Unfortunately, his
position falls very close to IC 3556, though d'Arrest measured two good
positions so the NGC position is less than 1' off.
MCG and PGC
misidentify this galaxy as NGC 4557 and misidentify IC 3556 as NGC 4558. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes for more.
******************************
12 35 57.7 +27
57 36
V = 10.0; Size 10.7'x4.4'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 150d
48"
(4/7/13): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 9'x3', large
bright core that gradually increases to the center. The core is irregular, mottled and dusty. The inner portion of the disc shows
weak spiral structure. At 488x,
the outer halo is very patchy with several knots. Superimposed on the southeast side are three mag 12/12.5/13
stars between 1.5'-2' from center and the galaxy fades out rapidly beyond these
stars to the southeast. Near the
southeast end is
The outer halo
fades out gradually and extends much further on the northwest side, extending
up to 5' NW of center.
17.5"
(4/9/99): bright, large, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, ~7'x3'. Exhibits a striking, unusual appearance with a broad, weak
concentration to a large, elongated core.
The overall surface brightness is noticeably irregular with hints of
brighter and darker spots. The
outer halo has a low surface brightness, particularly on the SE end which is
wider than the NW side and shows no tapering. A trio of mag 12-12.5 stars cradle the galaxy at this end
and there appears to be mottling near the superimposed stars. NGC 4559 is located exactly 2.0° N of
NGC 4565.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4559 = H I-92 = h1352 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"eB, vL, beautiful. Four
stars are scattered over it. pmE
from np to sf. The greatest
brightness is not in the middle but more towards the following part, where 3 of
the 4 stars are placed; the whole extent may be 10 or 12'. JH made 3 observations and logged
"vL; gbM, but not to a nucleus; mE; has 3 stars south following. By a diagram, the southern end is
broader than the norther, giving it a clubbed appeared."
IC 3550-52, IC
3555, and IC 3563 are HII regions and/or star clouds within NGC 4559 that were
discovered photographically by Max Wolf on a Heidelberg plate.
******************************
12 34 03.1 +07
41 59
See observing
notes for NGC 4526.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4560 = H I-119 = h1353 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted
"vB, pS." There is
nothing near his position although his description implies a prominent
nebula. But 2 min of RA
preceding his position is NGC 4526, which fits the description. JH made the single observation "B,
L, R, gbM", although the RA is marked +/-.
Bigourdan and
Winnecke (visually), and later Arnold Schwassmann and Karl Reinmuth
(photographically) were all unable to locate an object near WH's position. See Corwin's identification notes for
more.
******************************
12 36 08.2 +19
19 20
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, weak
concentration in halo, but suddenly contains a very small brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4561 = H II-407 = h1355 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted
"pB, pL, lE." His RA was
15 sec too large. JH made a total
of 4 observations and d'Arrest measured the position twice, so the NGC position
is an excellent match with
Royal Frost
found the galaxy at Arequipa on a Bruce 24-inch plate (taken on the night of 9
May 1904) and reported as number 978 in Harvard Annals 60. His position is 11 sec of RA too far
east. Dreyer apparently thought it
was new, but NGC 4561 = IC 3569.
NGC 4336 = IC 3254 is another similar situation.
******************************
12 35 34.8 +25
51 00
V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 48d
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, even surface brightness.
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, small, elongated SW-NE, low even surface brightness, visible
with direct vision. Elongated at a
right angle to NGC 4565 13' NE.
Located just south of a string of five mag 10-12.5 stars of length 11'
oriented N-S.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4562 in 1882 while observing NGC 4565. In the text portion of paper V (AN 2439) he simply mentions
another nebula found south preceding NGC 4565, with no offset mentioned. Dreyer gives a very rough position in
the NGC. The only galaxy in this
location that Tempel might have picked up is
******************************
NGC 4563 =
(R)NGC 4557 = MCG +05-30-033 = PGC 42030
12 36 12.8 +26
56 28
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 104d
18"
(5/12/07): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, stellar nucleus. A very faint star appears to be at the
west edge. Comparable in
brightness to NGC 4558 located 5.4' NW.
Located in a small knot of galaxies with NGC 4556 6' WSW.
18"
(4/5/03): faint, extremely small, round, 10"-15" diameter. Appears to have a mag 14.5 star
superimposed on the west edge or a fairly bright offset stellar nucleus.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4563 on 13 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His two micrometric positions match MCG
+05-30-033 = PGC 42030, so there is no question on the identification.
RNGC
misidentifies this galaxy as NGC 4557.
Furthermore, CGCG and RNGC misidentify IC 3556 (located 3.5'
west-northwest of NGC 4563) as NGC 4563.
Finally, in the UGC notes for NGC 4556, IC 3556 is misidentified as NGC
4536.
******************************
12 36 27.0 +11
26 21
V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 47d
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, sharp concentration;
increases suddenly to a small bright core with a stellar nucleus, fainter
extensions. The NGC 4567/NGC 4568
pair lies 11'S at the edge of the 220x field.
13.1" (5/14/83):
moderately bright, small, edge-on streak, fairly high surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4564 = H II-68 = h1356 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"pB". JH made two
observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4565 =
Needle Galaxy = Berenice's Hairclip = UGC 7772 = MCG +04-30-006 = CGCG 129-010
= FGC 1471 = Holm 426a = PGC 42038
12 36 20.8 +25
59 16
V = 9.6; Size 15.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 136d
48"
(2/19/12): the view of the dust lane and structure along its edge was
remarkable at 287x and 375x. But
we spent time exploring the distant galaxy cluster (2.2 billion light years)
that resides just off the SE tip and detected 3-4 mag 17.7-18 (V) members. Also two nights later, we revisited the
cluster and I picked up
17.5"
(3/28/87): bright, very large, edge-on 12:1 NW-SE, dimensions approximately
16'x1.5'. A beautiful dark lane is
visible continuously with direct vision along most of major axis although more
prominent in the center. The
galaxy is split asymmetrically by the dust lane with the southern half both
larger and brighter. Subtle scalloped
structure is visible along the dust lane.
Contains a small bright core with a stellar nucleus at the south edge of
the lane. A mag 13.5 star is 1.6'
NE of the center.
13.1"
(5/26/84): the absorption lane is prominent at 100x and portion of the galaxy
beyond fairly easy. A stellar
nucleus is visible within the bright central bulge.
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, very large thin streak, bright core. The dust lane is clearly visible to the
north of the bright nucleus.
13.1"
(4/24/82): a faint dark lane splits central bulge into two unequal parts. The nucleus is brightest to the south
of the lane. The northern section
beyond the lane is fainter.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4565 = H V-24 = h1357 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded
"a lucid ray with a vB spot in the middle. The ray about 20' long and about 3 or 4' broad; extended
from np to sf, making an angle of about 35° with the meridian. The nebula makes a beautiful
appearance." JH made 4
observations are noted the fainter strip on the northeast side of the dust
lane. On sweep 407 he recorded
"vL; an immensely long ray; pos = 134.5° by micrometer. Both Lord Adare and Mr Hamilton, who
viewed it with me, agreed that a feeble parallel band extends below (north) of
the nucleus."
R.J. Mitchell,
observing on 17 Apr 1855 at Birr Castle, remarked "a beautiful object,
very well seen in finding eyepiece.
The whole neb is much broader (taking into account the appendage) at
Nucl than elsewhere, narrowing off suddenly and very symmetrically towards both
ends, and the Nucl projects forward into the dark space; and immediately
opposide this the faint appendage is broadest and brightest. The ray is 12' or 14' long."
******************************
12 36 00.1 +54
13 15
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 80d
18"
(5/8/04): faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. Increases to a very small brighter core
and faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4566 = H III-880 = h1360 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and noted
"eF, S." His position is
poor - 4.5' north and 15 sec of RA west of
******************************
NGC 4567 =
Siamese Twins = VV 219b = UGC 7777 = MCG +02-32-151 = CGCG 070-189 = Holm 427b
= PGC 42064
12 36 32.7 +11
15 29
V = 11.3; Size 3.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 85d
17.5"
(4/25/87): northern member of a double system with NGC 4568. Moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 3:2 ~E-W. Slightly
smaller than NGC 4568 attached at the east end but NGC 4567 has a slightly
higher surface brightness.
13"
(4/16/83): fairly faint, elongated E-W.
NGC 4568 is attached at the NE end.
8": faint,
moderately large, appears as a double nebula at moderately large to high power.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4567 = H IV-8 = h1358 = h1363 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and
recorded a "double nebula [with NGC 4568], or two p. considerable nebula
apparently running into one another.
The foregoing nebula [NGC 4564] may be taken into the field of view
these two." CH's reduced
position is ~6' southeast of the Siamese Twins.
Because of his
father's poor position, JH recorded the pair as a Nova (h1358 and 1359) at the
correct position. He also made an
observation with a poor position (h1363) that he associated with IV-8 and IV-9. The error was noted by d'Arrest in a
1863 paper.
The nickname
"Siamese Twins" is from Leland S. Copeland and was mentioned in the
Feb. 1955 article "Adventuring in the Virgo Cloud".
******************************
NGC 4568 =
Siamese Twins = VV 219a = UGC 7776 = MCG +02-32-152 = CGCG 070-189 = Holm 427a
= PGC 42069
12 36 34.2 +11
14 25
V = 10.8; Size 4.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d
17.5"
(4/25/87): this is the southern member of a double system with NGC 4567. The NE end of this galaxy is nearly
attached to the east end of NGC 4567.
Moderately bright and large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, large brighter
core. Two mag 11/12 stars lie 3.5'
E.
13": fairly
faint, elongated SW-NE, two stars following.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4568 = H IV-9 = h1359 = 1363 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and
recorded a "double nebula [with NGC 4567], or two p. considerable nebula
apparently running into one another.
The foregoing nebula [NGC 4564] may be taken into the field of view
these two." See NGC 4567 for
more.
******************************
12 36 49.9 +13
09 44
V = 9.5; Size 9.5'x4.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 23d
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, large, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, sharply concentrated,
suddenly increases to a bright stellar nucleus (possibly a superimposed star),
fairly even surface brightness to halo.
Charles Messier
discovered M90 = NGC 4569 on 18 Mar 1781.
WH observed M90 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and logged "pL, with a
nucleus, perhaps cometic, but moonlight permits not to give a proper
description." JH did not make
an observation.
******************************
12 36 53.4 +07
14 47
V = 10.9; Size 3.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 159d
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 3:1x1.0', very
bright core, stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4570 = H I-32 = h1361 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"pB, not L, E, mbM." His
position matches
******************************
12 36 56.4 +14
13 02
V = 11.3; Size 3.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 55d
17.5"
(5/23/87): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.5' diameter, diffuse, weak
concentration. Located 2.8' SE of
mag 8.5
48"
(2/18/12): Malin 1, a giant low surface brightness galaxy, lies 6.8' NNE of the
center of NGC 4571. At 287x, it
was immediately picked up as an extremely faint, non-stellar glow. At 488x, it was visible ~75% of the
time with averted vision as a very small, round, low surface brightness,
~10" diameter. With direct
vision, a faint stellar nucleus was occasionally visible.
Malin 1,
discovered in 1986 on an image by David Malin, has the most extended low
surface brightness outer halo of any known disk galaxy with a diameter of
650,000 light years. More recently
it was discovered that within 30,000 light-years of Malin 1's center lies a
normal barred spiral galaxy. The
galaxy lies at a distance of 1.1 billion light years.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4571 = H III-602 = h1362 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded
"vF, cL, vgbM. South of a cB
star." His position matches
Arnold
Schwassmann found this galaxy again on 12 Sep 1900 using a plate taken by Wolf
with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. But he misidentified the nearby 14th
mag star to the west (Sn. 292) as NGC 4571 and listed Sn. 293 (later
Dreyer mentioned
this galaxy as a possible candidate for M91, though this is very unlikely due
to its faintness. See Corwin's
identification notes.
******************************
12 35 45.5 +74
14 34
V = 13.9; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 170d
18"
(5/8/04): faint, moderately large, appears as a very low surface brightness
glow oriented NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.8', with just a weak concentration. Located 7.5' NW of brighter
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4572 = H III-939 = h1364 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and noted
"eF, S." CH's reduction
is 3' south of
******************************
12 37 43.7 -43
37 16
V = 13.0; Size 2.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 150d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small,
slightly elongated E-W, ~0.8'x0.6', increases in size with averted. Using direct vision a stellar nucleus
was seen. A mag 10.5 star is 1' N,
close off the north edge. Located
16' SE of mag 7.6
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4573 = h3401 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "vF; S; almost
exactly south of a * 10m, 30" dist." His position and description matches
******************************
12 37 43.6 -35
31 04
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 113d
18"
(3/28/09): very faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 1.2'x0.9', low
surface brightness, weak concentration and the halo fades into the background.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4574 = h3402 on 20 Apr 1835 and recorded "vF; L; lE; vglbM;
60" l, 40" br."
His position is just off the northeast side of
******************************
12 37 51.2 -40
32 15
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 106d
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, very elongated ~E-W. A mag 12 star is at the west end 1.0' from center and a mag
11.5 star is 1.6' SW of center.
Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4575 = h3403 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; pmE; 25"
l, 15" br; follows 2 stars."
His position and description matches
******************************
12 37 33.6 +04
22 03
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 159d
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, low surface
brightness. A mag 12.5 star is
1.8' N of center. Located 8' NW of
mag 6.9
Edward Holden
discovered NGC 4576 on 27 Apr 1881 with the 15.6-inch Clark refractor at the
Washburn Observatory and recorded "F; np a star 7th mag." A second observation on 20 Apr 1882
added "preceding GC 3125 [ NGC 4586] 55.5 sec and 3' north." His position and description matches
******************************
NGC 4577 = NGC
4591?? = UGC 7821 = MCG +01-32-125 = CGCG 042-191
12 39 12.4 +06
00 44
See observing
notes for
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4577 = H III-13 on 28 Jan 1784 (sweep 132) and recorded "a
minute before [the transit of 24 Vir] I suspected a vS neb, but while I put on
a higher power to examine it, I lost it and would not stop too long to look for
it again." A very rough
position was noted.
Harold Corwin
notes the star 24 Vir is actually a duplicate entry for 5 Boo, so WH made an
error as his sweep is not near this star. "There are no galaxies in any of
the places that come from WH's observations, from GC/NGC, or from attempting to
correct WH's RAs using the idea that H II 26 = NGC 4453 (the only other nebula
found that night) is actually NGC 4430. However, the approximate RA that we do
have, along with the constraints on the declination, point to either
******************************
12 37 30.6 +09
33 19
V = 11.5; Size 3.3'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 35d
17.5"
(4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, 1.5'x1.0', small
bright core with possibly a stellar nucleus. A mag 10.5 star lies 4.1' W of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4578 = H II-15 = h1365 = h1366 on 18 Jan 1784 (sweep 86) and
recorded "F, S. It is not
cometic though pretty round; of the first class." JH made two observations
which differed by 5' in declination, so he was uncertain if they refered to the
same object. As a result, he
included two GC designations which Dreyer combined in the NGC.
******************************
12 37 43.5 +11
49 06
V = 9.7; Size 5.9'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/25/87): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, small very
bright core, stellar nucleus.
Located 7.6' E of mag 8.3
13":
bright, increase to a small bright core, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse halo.
Charles Messier
discovered M58 = NGC 4579 = h1368 (along with
LdR apparently
discovered spiral structure in M58 before 1850 as it was included in the listed
of "Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in Rosse's 1850 PT paper. The 1861 and 1880 monographs, though,
do not list an observation earlier than 1851.
******************************
NGC 4580 = UGC
7794 = MCG +01-32-117 = CGCG 042-183 = PGC 42174
12 37 48.4 +05
22 08
V = 11.8; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 165d
17.5"
(4/21/90): moderately bright, moderately large, irregular shape though slightly
elongated NW-SE, broad concentration with an uneven surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4580 = H I-124 = h1369 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted
"pB, cL, R." CH's
reduction is 1.4' northwest of
******************************
12 38 05.2 +01
28 39
V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 173d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, even concentration to
a small bright core.
Edward Holden
discovered NGC 4581 on 20 Apr 1882 with the 15.6-inch refractor at the Washburn
Observatory and recorded "F, S, bM, stell N" (Publications of the
Washburn Observatory, Vol II, p101).
His position is 1' north of
******************************
12 38 10.1 +00
10 57
=*, Carlson and
Corwin.
Sidney Coolidge
discovered NGC 4582 = HN 20 on 30 Apr 1859 with the 15-inch refractor of Harvard College Observatory
during the Zone Survey of equatorial stars. He simply noted "in a faint nebulosity" and at his
exact position is a single mag 13.4 star -- this mirrors his other 8
discoveries at HCO! Karl Reinmuth
and Harold Corwin also equate NGC 4582 with a star.
******************************
12 38 04.4 +33
27 31
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5":
faint, small, round, bright core.
Two mag 15 star are 1' NW and 1' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4583 = H III-495 = h1370 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded
"eF, S, iF, r." His
position is within 1' of
******************************
12 38 17.9 +13
06 35
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5d
18"
(4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, weak
concentration.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4584 on 21 Apr 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His measurements on 3
nights matches
******************************
12 38 13.3 +28
56 13
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 114d
18"
(4/10/04): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, low even surface
brightness. Located 5.8' W of mag
10.3
Heinrich d'Arrest
discovered NGC 4585 = Sf 21 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single micrometric
position is an excellent match with
******************************
NGC 4586 = UGC
7804 = MCG +01-32-122 = CGCG 042-187 = PGC 42241
12 38 28.4 +04
19 08
V = 11.7; Size 4.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 115d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE. Contains a very bright core. Located 10' E of mag 6.9 SAO
119502. NGC 4576 lies 15' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4586 = H I-125 = h1371 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and recorded
"pB, pL, E." His position
at the north edge of
******************************
12 38 35.4 +02
39 26
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 48d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, weak
concentration. Surrounded by seven
mag 13-14.5 stars within a 3' radius.
Johann Palisa
discovered NGC 4587 on 17 Apr 1882 with the 12-inch refractor at Vienna
University Observatory. His discovery position in AN 2520 matches UGC
7805. This was the first of 8 NGC
galaxies discovered by Palisa.
******************************
12 38 45.4 +06
46 05
V = 14.3; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 57d
18"
(3/13/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 0.8'x0.4'. Observations made through thin clouds.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4588 = H III-98 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"eF, eS. By a
misunderstanding the time & number [PD] was not taken; however at 12h 24m
the time was marked down, which was less than 1 min after the transit of the
nebula; so that the time of the nebula must be about 12h 23m or 12h 23m
30s. The number as far as I can
recollect might perhaps be about 40, which gives 45'; but is more uncertain
than the time. I saw the nebula very well." Though very possibly a coincidence, WH's rough position is
just 2.4' northeast of
******************************
NGC 4589 = UGC
7797 = MCG +12-12-013 = CGCG 352-038 = CGCG 335-017 = LGG 284-008 = PGC 42139
12 37 25.0 +74
11 31
V = 10.7; Size 3.2'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d
18"
(5/8/04): bright, fairly large, elongated ~4:3 E-W, 2.5'x2.0'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright
prominent core and a fainter halo.
A mag 13 star is at the west edge of the core. Forms a pair with NGC 4572 7.5' NW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4589 = H I-273 = h1374 on 22 Nov 1797 (sweep 1064) and logged
"vB, R, mbM, 3 or 4' dia."
His position is 4.5' southeast of
******************************
12 39 28.0 -26
44 35
V = 7.7; Size 12.0'; Surf Br = 0.1
24"
(5/22/17): at 375x; very bright, well resolved globular with quite a number of
surprisingly bright stars [brightest stars Vtip = 12.6] spread over the central
region and around the edges, giving a fairly loose appearance [class X]. The unresolved central background glow
is large and bright. Perhaps 60-75
stars are resolved in the central region, but excluding the outer portion of
the halo, which also seems to contain a number of brighter stars out to at
least 8'.
17.5"
(2/28/87): 30-50 stars resolved including many fairly bright stars over
unresolved background haze.
13.1"
(3/24/84): about 20 stars resolved around edges of core and in halo. The core is mottled but unresolved.
8": few
stars resolved across disk.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
NGC 4591 = NGC
4577? = UGC 7821 = MCG +01-32-125 = CGCG 042-191 = PGC 42319
12 39 12.4 +06
00 44
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 37d
18"
(4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.3', weak
concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4591 = H III-504 = h1372 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted
"vF, vS." CH's reduction
is less than 1' south of
******************************
12 39 18.3 -00
31 53
V = 11.7; Size 5.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 97d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, moderately large, 3.0'x1.2',
weak concentration. Located 1° NNW
of beautiful double Porrima = Gamma Virginis (3.6/3.7 at 4").
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4592 = H II-31 = h1373 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded
"a nebula; extended from east to west and also towards the north; it is
not cometic and seems to be resolvable." JH made a single observation "eF; L; pmE;
vglbM." JH made an error
precessing the coordinates for the GC, so the published position was 30' too
far north. As a result, when
Edward Holden found it again on 23 Apr 1881 he reported it as new (#8) in Publ. of the Washburn Observatory, Vol
I.
******************************
12 39 39.4 -05
20 39
V = 10.9; Size 3.9'x2.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 55d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated WSW-ENE, very bright
core, stellar nucleus. First of
four within a 32' field including
17.5"
(1/31/87): moderately bright and large, strong bright core, elongated WSW-ENE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4593 = H II-183 = h1375 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded
"pB, cL, E, mbM but the brightness confined to a small place." JH made two observations and first
logged (sweep 147) "vsbM, to a * 11-12m, with a faint chevelure."
******************************
12 39 59.4 -11
37 23
V = 8.0; Size 8.7'x3.5'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 89d
48"
(2/20/12, 4/5/13): stunning view of the jet-black super high-contrast dust lane
at 375x. The fainter section of
the galaxy south of the dust lane was quite prominent and nearly as extensive
as the northern half and the central bulge region was noticeably thicker in
proportion to the major axis than views in smaller scopes. I also clearly noticed that although
the dust lane was very flat in the central region (oriented precisely E-W), it
bends slightly north and widens just a bit on both the east and west ends of
the disc, giving it a slightly warped appearance.
48"
(5/5/16):
17.5"
(3/12/94): very bright, very large, elongated 3:1 E-W, 7.5'x2.5'. Very prominent dust lane along the
entire length of the major axis and divides the core into two nonsymmetric
sections. The prominent section of
the core is just north of the dark lane.
Overall, the galaxy is brighter and much more extensive to the north of
the lane. The portion of the core
and halo south of the dust lane is much fainter, smaller and unconcentrated. A mag 10 star lies 4' WSW.
13.1"
(4/24/82): very bright, large, very elongated, arms long and thin. A prominent dark lane is visible along
the length of the galaxy. Only a
faint glow is visible to the south of the dust lane.
15x50mm binoculars
(6/19/08 and 4/6/13): easily visible in binoculars as a elongated glow with
brighter center.
Pierre Méchain
discovered M104 = NGC 4594 = H I-43 = h1376 on 11 May 1781. It was independently discovered by WH
on 9 May 1784 (sweep 210) and described as "E, vBM, about 5 or 6' long,
but daylight is too strong to see the whole extent of it. The bright place in the middle is prety
large, but breaks off abruptly." He made a second observation on 11 Mar
1788 (sweep 819) and logged "mE, from about 20° sp. to nf., BN, 4 or 5'
long."
JH was the first
to note the dust lane. On 9 Mar
1828, he recorded "vB, vmE, in pos 2° np to sf; vsmbM to a nucleus; 5' l,
30" br, a bright star sp.
There is a faint diffused oval light all about it, and I am almost
positive that there is a dark interval or stratum separating the nucleus and
the general mass of the nebula from the light above (south) of it. Surely no illusion." In his sketch (Fig 50) he adds the
remarks "The strong suspicion of a parallel appendage to the latter of
these, is almost converted into certainty by its undoubted existence in V. 24
[NGC 4565], in which it was seen by two other observers as well as by
myself."
Leland Copeland
called M104 the "Sombrero" in the June 1942 issue of S&T.
The back cover featured an image taken by the Mount Wilson 60-inch in
1916. The image is referred to as the "Sombrero nebula".
******************************
12 39 51.9 +15
17 52
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d
17.5"
(4/13/02): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.7', broad
concentration. Followed by two mag
12.5 stars which lie 2.5' E and 3.1' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4595 = H II-632 = h1377 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and logged
"F, pL, R, vgbM." CH's
reduced position is 2.5' northeast of
******************************
12 39 56.0 +10
10 34
V = 10.4; Size 4.0'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 135d
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, elongated WSW-ENE, small bright core, possible substellar
nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is 1.1'
SSE of center at the edge of the halo and two brighter mag 10/11 stars are 3'
SE.
13.1"
(4/16/83): bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated ~E-W. Located about 30' W of mag 5 Rho
Virginis.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4596 = H I-24 = h1378 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"pB". CH's reduced
position is 40 tsec following
******************************
12 40 12.8 -05
47 59
V = 12.1; Size 4.1'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 30d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SSW-NNE, very large but diffuse, smooth
surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4597 = H II-636 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted "F,
vL, bM." CH's reduced position
is 3' southwest of
******************************
12 40 11.9 +08
23 02
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, moderate
concentration to center with a small, brighter core and quasi-stellar
nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is just
off the south edge (0.8' from center) and a mag 8.3 star lies 8.6' N near the edge
of the 220x field.
18"
(3/13/04): fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.9'x0.8'. Located 8.6' S of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4598 = H III-105 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and noted "eF
but vL." CH's reduction is 18
sec of RA east of
******************************
12 40 27.1 +01
11 48
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 144d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, small bright core, stellar
nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4599 = H III-509 on 22 Feb 1786 (sweep 527) and noted "vF,
vS." CH's reduction is 1.5'
northwest of
******************************
12 40 22.9 +03
07 04
V = 12.7; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 60d
17.5"
(4/21/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, small bright
core. Forms the west vertex of a
right triangle with mag 8.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4600 = H II-577 = h1379 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and logged
"F, S, between 2 B stars; making a triangle with them." JH noted "F; S; R; precedes 2
stars 8-9 mag." Both
descriptions and positions match
******************************
12 40 46.7 -40
53 36
V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 16d
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, this Centaurus cluster
member (AGC 3526) appeared moderately bright, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.5',
broad concentration. Located 5.3'
NNW of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4601 = h3405, along with NGC 4603 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded
"eF; L; R; pslbM. The first
of 2." His position is 12 sec
east and 1.6' south of
******************************
NGC 4602 = MCG
-01-32-036 = PGC 42476
12 40 36.7 -05
07 55
V = 11.5; Size 3.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly bright, oval WNW-ESE, fairly large, bright core. A mag 14 star is just off the east end
1.3' from center. Second of four
in a group with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4602 = H II-184 = h1380 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded
"not F, L, lE, not mbM, r."
His position is poor - 18
sec of RA too large. JH made the single
observation "F; L; E; vglbM; 50"." and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
NGC 4603 = ESO
322-052 = MCG -07-26-028 = LGG 301-001 = PGC 42510
12 40 55.4 -40
58 34
V = 11.6; Size 3.4'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 27d
24" (4/12/08
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appeared very bright, very large,
elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 3'x1.5', broad concentration though the brightest
portion seems offset towards the a star embedded just west of of the core. A second superimposed star is near the
southwest end. NGC 4601 lies 5.3'
NNW and
17.5"
(4/7/89): extremely faint, moderately large, round, very low surface
brightness. Member of the
Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
Forms a pair with NGC 4601 5.3' NNW (not seen).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4603 = h3406 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L R; vgbM;
r(?). The following of 2 [with NGC
4601].". His RA is 11 sec
east of
******************************
12 40 44.9 -05
18 09
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 115d
17.5"
(1/31/87): faint, fairly small, edge-on WNW-ESE. Third of four in the field and located 11' SSE of NGC 4602.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 4604 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton
College Observatory. The discovery
was not published in either of his two Copernicus lists in 1881 and 1882, so
the discovery must have been communicated directly to Dreyer. The NGC position is 2' southeast of NGC
4602.
In her 1940 list
of NGC corrections, Dorothy Carlson states NGC 4604 was not found at Helwan
Observatory and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. RC3 identifies MCG -01-32-037 = PGC
42489 as NGC 4604. This galaxy is
nearly 10' south of the NGC position.
Although, there is no visual description in the NGC, this identification
is reasonable assuming a single digit error in declination by Peters. But perhaps NGC 4604 is simply a
duplicate observation of NGC 4603 as the positions are so close. So, this
identification is very uncertain.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 39 59.4 +61
36 33
V = 10.3; Size 5.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 125d
18"
(5/14/07): very bright, large, nearly edge-on 3:1 NW-SE. The relatively large, bulging core is
mottled. The southeast extension
is brighter, mottled (HII regions) and tapers towards the tip. The very tip of
this extension appears to hook slightly towards the east. The fainter northwest
extension is much more diffuse, is broader and fades at the ends. The major axis of the two extensions
are slightly skewed with respect to each other as if they were bent at the
center or possibly the brighter southeast extension is warped or distorted.
18"
(5/8/04): very bright, large, quite elongated 5:2 ~NW-SE. Contains a relatively large, high
surface brightness elongated core.
This galaxy's structure is very unusual with careful viewing. The southeast extension is clearly
brighter and more tapered than the northwest end. The surface brightness of the southeast extension is
noticeably uneven with a mottled or splotchy appearance possibly from HII
regions and an irregular distribution of dust. Near the center there is a slight bend or kink to the major
axis, with the fainter northwest extension slightly misaligned. Also the northwest extension appears to
fan out somewhat at the northwest edge and fade into the background.
8": bright,
moderately large, very elongated NW-SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4605 = H I-254 = h1381 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and recorded
"eB, E, about 5' long in the parallel, all over equally bright, except
just on the edges." JH made a
single observation (sweep 344): "B; L; vmE; in pos 118.6°; glbM; 4' l and
1' br."
******************************
12 40 57.5 +11
54 41
V = 11.8; Size 3.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 33d
17.5"
(4/25/87): fairly faint, very elongated SW-NE. A mag 13.5 star is superimposed on the SSW end 0.5' from
center and a mag 14 star is at the SSW edge 1.1' from center. Forms a pair with
13"
(4/16/83): faint, small, very elongated SSW-NNE. Two stars are at the south edge. Located 20' NW of M59.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4606 = H III-43 = h1382 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply
noted "a nebula". CH's
reduced position is 2.5' southwest of
******************************
NGC 4607 = UGC
7843 = MCG +02-32-176 = CGCG 070-216 = Holm 436b = PGC 42544
12 41 12.4 +11
53 08
V = 12.8; Size 2.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 2d
17.5"
(4/25/87): extremely faint, edge-on streak N-S, low even surface
brightness. Located 3.8' ESE of
much brighter NGC 4606.
13.1"
(5/14/83): extremely faint, edge-on N-S, low surface brightness, requires
averted. Close following NGC 4606.
13"
(4/16/83): extremely faint, near visual threshold, very elongated N-S, low
surface brightness.
R.J. Mitchell
discovered NGC 4607 on 24 Apr 1854 while observing NGC 4606 with LdR's
72". He noted "about 3'
or 4' following there is also a F lenticular R, E np sf." The NGC RA is 0.2 min east of
******************************
NGC 4608 = UGC
7842 = MCG +02-32-177 = CGCG 070-214 = PGC 42545
12 41 13.6 +10
09 23
V = 11.0; Size 3.2'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(4/18/87): bright, fairly small, oval SW-NE, very bright core, stellar
nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.6' WNW
of center. Forms a wide pair at
low power with NGC 4596 19' W.
Located 11' SW of Rho Virginis (V = 4.9).
13.1"
(4/16/83): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4608 = H II-69 = h1383 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded
"A nebula. It may be taken
into the field with 30 (Rho) Virginis and precedes that star, but is 8' more
south." The actual difference
in Dec is less than 5', but the identification is certain. JH called it "pB; R; psbM; has a
*12 1' np, and a *5.6 in field nf."
******************************
12 42 20 -62 59
36
V = 6.9; Size 5'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, 30 stars mag 9.5-13 are resolved resolved in a
4'-5' region. Most of the stars
are arranged in a curving lane ~NNW-SSE with fainter stars trailing off to the
NNW. A few stars are scattered to
the east of this string which is oriented roughly N-S and which bends towards
the east on the north side. The
cluster includes some doubles and triples with a nice mag 10.5 star pair at
15" and a distinctive triple on the south end of the lane. Situtated just 7' NW of mag 5.3 BZ
Crucis = HD 110432. This star is
located within the Coal Sack, 1.8 degrees east of Acrux, and is the only easy
naked-eye star with the Coal Sack!
The cluster resides behind the Coal Sack and is dimmed accordingly.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4609 = D 272 = h3407 on 12 May 1826 with his 9-inch f/12
homemade speculum reflector from Parramatta, New South Wales and recorded
"a group of five stars of the 8th or 9th magnitude, with a great number of
extremely small stars resembling faint nebulae. 3' or 4' diameter." His position is about 9' too far west. JH called it a "Cluster class VII.
Stars 11..13th mag; about 6' long and 4' broad; has 10 stars 11th mag, and some
20 or 30 smaller. It occurs in the midst of the black space following Alpha
Crucis, which is by no means void of stars."
******************************
12 29 37.9 +07
49 25
See observing
notes for NGC 4470.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4610 = H II-19 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 105) and recorded
"South of and at rectangles to the great Nebula [M61] and the small star
near it, is a nebula incomparably more faint. My field [15' dia] takes them both in together." Dreyer notes in the 1912 revision of
WH's catalogues that "there is no nebula in the place of GC 3147 [NGC 4610]"
(Ann Harvard Coll Obs, xiii p 81 and Max Wolf, List II) and that M49 is most
probably H I-7 (assumed by WH to be M61).
Dreyer further comments that M49 has a smaller nebula [H II-498 = NGC
4470] 9 sec of RA west, 10.5' south and the sketch perfectly agrees with M49,
the star following it and NGC 4470 (found by WH on 28 Dec 1785). So, NGC 4610 = NGC 4470.
******************************
12 41 25.4 +13
43 46
V = 14.3; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 126d
18"
(5/28/06): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2.5:1 or 3:1 NW-SE, nearly
0.6'x0.2', low surface brightness, no concentration. Forms the southern vertex of a triangle with two mag 12
stars 2.7' NNW and 3.3' NE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 4611 = St XII-49 on 17 May 1881 and recorded "eeF; S; lE SE
to NW; between 2 vF stars."
His position and description matches
Lewis Swift
found this galaxy on 20 Apr 1889 and reported it as new in his 8th list, #65 (later
******************************
12 41 32.7 +07
18 53
V = 10.9; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 145d
17.5"
(4/21/90): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated
with a very bright compact core.
Located at the SW end of a string of five bright stars mag 9-10.5
including a mag 10.5 star just 1.0' E.
The NE end is this string is a double star 10.5/12 at 20".
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4612 = H II-148 = H II-20 = h1384 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 105) and
simply noted II-20 as "vF".
The four nebulae found on this short, early sweep were not placed well,
and there is nothing at his position (CH's reduction). But 1 min 45 sec of RA west is NGC 4612
= UGC 7850. On 13 Apr 1784 (sweep
191) he found this galaxy again and noted II-148 as "not F, R, bM and
growing fainter by slow degrees."
His offset from 31 Vir points to NGC 4612 = UGC 7850. On 1 May 1786 (sweep 560) he recorded
"preceding the most south of a row of stars. cB, pL, mbM."
On this sweep he it was called II-20, and the internal designation (320)
is crossed out in CH's fair copy.
Nevertheless JH decided II-20 and II-148 were possibly different objects
because of the discrepancy in positions and assigned two GC designations,
though Dreyer combined both in the NGC.
He commented in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that a sketch of
II-20 "agrees perfectly with the the description of II-148 on 28 Dec 1785
(sweep 498) "preceding a row of considerable stars and near the south of
them, making a triangle."
******************************
12 41 28.9 +26
05 19
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
24"
(6/1/13): faintest in a trio (
17.5"
(4/6/91): extremely faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located 2.5' NNW of NGC 4614. Faintest of a trio.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4613, along with NGC 4614 and NGC 4615, on 9 May 1864
with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is exactly 1' south of
******************************
NGC 4614 = Arp
34 Companion = KTG 45B = Holm 439b = UGC 7851 = MCG +04-30-012 = CGCG 129-015 =
WBL 419-001 = PGC 42573
12 41 31.5 +26
02 34
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175d
24"
(6/1/13): brightest in a triplet (KTG 45) with NGC 4615 2.2' NE and NGC 4613
2.8' NNW. At 282x appeared
moderately bright, fairly small, round, well concentrated with a very bright
core, overall fairly high surface brightness. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.8' W.
17.5"
(4/6/91): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.9' WNW. Second brightest in a group with NGC
4615 2.5' NE and NGC 4613 2.5' NNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4614 = Sf 11, along with NGC 4613 and NGC 4615, on 9
May 1864. His position (measured
on two nights) matches
******************************
NGC 4615 = Arp
34 = KTG 45C = Holm 439a = UGC 7852 = MCG +04-30-013 = CGCG 129-018 = WBL
419-003 = PGC 42584
12 41 37.3 +26
04 22
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 125d
24"
(6/1/13): largest in a small triplet with NGC 4613 2.1' NW and NGC 4614 2.2'
SW. Fairly faint to moderately
bright, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 1.5'x0.5', weak concentration. This is a nice little trio forming a
small isosceles triangle with NGC 4615 at the eastern vertex. In Arp's category of "Integral
Sign" galaxies.
17.5"
(4/6/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, even surface
brightness. Third and largest of
three with NGC 4614 2.5' SW and NGC 4613 2' WNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4615 = Sf 12, along with NGC 4613 and NGC 4614, on 9
May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on two nights) matches
******************************
12 42 16.4 -40
38 32
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this member of the Centaurus
Cluster (AGC 3526) appeared moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25"
diameter, broad and weak concentration, perhaps an extremely faint halo. Located just 42" SW of a mag 12
star and 7' NW of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4616 = h3408 on 5 Jun 1834, along with NGC 4622, and recorded
"eF; vS;R; sp a star at the edge.
His position is 1.7' south of
******************************
12 41 05.8 +50
23 36
V = 13.2; Size 3.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 179d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 N-S, 1.5'x0.4',
weak concentration. A mag 14 star
is close south. Located 2.7' SW of
mag 9.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4617 = H II-744 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "vF,
S." CH's reduction is 6 sec
of RA east and 3.5' north of
******************************
12 41 32.5 +41
09 02
V = 10.8; Size 4.2'x3.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 25d
48" (4/7/13
and 4/19/17): fascinating one-armed asymmetric spiral (
18"
(5/15/10): This is a very unusual, asymmetric Arp galaxy with a single massive
arm (similar to NGC 4027). At 220x
it appeared bright, fairly large, obviously irregular, with a slightly
elongated main body ~2'x1.5', extended 4:3 SW-NE. Within the main portion of the galaxy a brighter, elongated
bar was visible, roughly 1.5'x0.5'.
The central bar, though, is displaced to the NW side of entire glow as
extending mostly to the south side is a faint, beefy arm that often appears
detached and barely connected on the east end of the central region. This broad arm winds counterclockwise
from east to south roughly 100° with IC 3668, the brightest region or knot near
the south end of the arm, ~1.8' from the center of the bar. This single arm increases the overall
size to ~3'x2'.
13.1"
(4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly large, faint elongated halo with large
brighter core which appears displaced towards the north. This is an unusual one-armed spiral
galaxy with a more extensive halo on the south side. Forms a pair with NGC 4625 8.3' NNE. IC 3668 is a knot in the southern arm.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4618 = H I-178 = H I-179 = h1385 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and
recorded "Two. The most north considerably or vB. The most south pB. Their nebulosities run into each other;
the most north vmbM." The
southern object may be IC 3668, the HII complex on the south end of the galaxy
. JH also called this galaxy
double. On 12 Apr 1830 he logged,
"Double; a B, L nebula, gbM, with a F one attached, 70° sf, so as to run
together into one; moonlight."
Two bright knots
in the southern portion were noted on several observations with LdR's
72". R.J. Mitchell sketched
the galaxy on 27 Mar 1856 (in LdR's 1861 monograph) and clearly revealed the
entire southern spiral arm.
Max Wolf found
this galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and assumed it was new (list
VI-1). Although his position is
identical to the NGC, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4618 as
******************************
12 41 44.4 +35
03 46
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, round, broadly concentrated halo, fainter
halo. Located 1.9' WNW of mag 8.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4619 = H II-411 = h1388 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded
"pF, S, R, just preceding a cB star." JH made three observations and described this galaxy as
"eF", "F" and "pB".
******************************
12 41 59.3 +12
56 34
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40d
18"
(4/10/04): moderately bright, round, 1.0' diameter, weak concentration to the
center with a small slightly brighter core. Forms the NW vertex of an obtuse triangle with two mag 11
stars 4.7' ENE and 5.3' SSW.
18"
(3/13/04): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, weak
concentration.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4620 = h1387 on 29 Mar 1830 and logged "vF; S; R; vgbM;
15"." His position
matches
******************************
12 42 02.4 +11
38 48
V = 9.6; Size 5.4'x3.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 165d
48"
(4/19/17): at 697x; extremely bright, very large, oval nearly 3:2 NNW-SSE. Contains a very bright elongated core
and an intensely luminous nucleus.
UCD 3, the
brightest ultra-compact dwarf in M59 (considered the remnant nucleus of a
recently accreted galaxy) was easily visible continuously as a mag 16.4
"star 2.2' E of the center of M59.
It forms a pair with a slightly fainter mag 16.5-17 star 20"
NW. This object was announced in
2015 as the densest known galaxy!
UCD 1, located
just 1.4' SW of the center of M59, appeared as a very faint, possibly
"soft" star, just visible continuously with averted vision. It forms a wide pair with a slightly
brighter mag 16.5 star 0.5' NW.
24"
(5/22/17): at 200x and 375x; extremely bright, very large, oval 4:3 or 3:2 NNW-SSE. Strongly concentrated with a very
bright roundish core and an intensely bright quasi-stellar nucleus. The core/nucleus is within a brighter
central region, but then the surface brightness drops sharply with a very low
surface brightness outer halo that extends 3.5'x2.5' NNW-SSE. A mag 12 star is at the north edge of
the halo. IC 809 = IC 3672 lies
6.5' NNE, just north of an 11th magnitude star.
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, 3'x2', small very
bright core, stellar nucleus. A
mag 15 star is at the SW edge and a brighter mag 13 star is off the north end
1.9' from center. The NGC 4606/NGC
4607 pair lies 20' NW.
13":
bright, slightly elongated N-S, bright core. M60 lies 25' E and NGC 4606/4607
is 20' NW.
Johann Koehler
discovered M59 = NGC 4621 = h1386, along with M60, on 11 Apr 1779. It was independently found by Charles
******************************
NGC 4622 = ESO
322-057 = MCG -07-26-031 = LGG 305-004 = PGC 42701
12 42 37.4 -40
44 44
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this member of the
Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526) appeared bright, fairly large, round, sharply
concentrated with a very bright core, halo extends to 1.5'. NGC 4616 lies 7' NW and
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small, round, low fairly even surface brightness. Located within the Centaurus cluster
(AGC 3526) with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4622 = h3409, along with NGC 4616, on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded
"pF; S; R; pslbM; 15".
The following of 2."
His position matches
******************************
NGC 4623 = UGC
7862 = MCG +01-32-135 = CGCG 042-207 = PGC 42647
12 42 10.6 +07
40 36
V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 176d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 N-S, small bright
core. NGC 4612 lies 25' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4623 = H II-149 = h1389 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted
"vF, irregular nebula."
His position is 4.5' too far south. JH called this galaxy "pB; E; psbM" and measured a
fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 45 06.1 +03
03 21
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4624 = h1390 on 9 Apr 1828 and noted"B, E. RA ill
observed." and placed at 12 42 15.7 +03 03 32 (2000). There is nothing near his position,
though his description states this is a bright nebula. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic
survey, notes "not found; NGC 4624 = NGC 4636?"
Harold Corwin
concludes "[NGC 4624] is most likely NGC 4665 [nearly 3 min of RA east of
JH's position] which JH described as "B, pL" in two other
sweeps. This, and the appearance
of the bright bar of the galaxy, matches his terse description for NGC 4624,
"B, E." In addition, his
declination is correct for all three observations. There is a faint possibility
that NGC 4624 is NGC 4600, but JH's two observations of that make it "F,
S" in contrast to his note on NGC 4624. In addition, the declination of NGC 4600 is off JH's
measured dec for NGC 4624."
******************************
NGC 4625 = Arp
23 Companion = IC 3675 = Holm 438b = UGC 7861 = MCG +07-26-038 = CGCG 216-018 =
12 41 52.7 +41
16 26
V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.8
48"
(4/7/13): at 488x, this companion to NGC 4618 appeared bright, fairly
large,~1.3' diameter, bright core that is offset to the north side. With careful viewing a low contrast
spiral arm is visible along the south side of the halo with a darker gap
between the arm and the south side of the core. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round, brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4618 8.3' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4625 = H II-660 = h1392 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded
"pB, pL, R, mbM." R.J.
Mitchell, observing at Birr Castle on 10 Apr 1855, recorded "...the
brightest part [core] seems excentric, being nearer the nf edge. From this I suspect a branch [spiral
arm] round n to sp." A sketch (figure 25 in the 1861 publication) clearly
shows the spiral arm as a ring with the core embedded on the northeast
side.
Max Wolf found
this galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and assumed it was new. Although the NGC position is accurate,
Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4618 as
******************************
12 42 25.3 -07
02 39
V = 11.9; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 35d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE. A mag 14 star is 1.5' SSE. Forms a similar pair (size, elongation
and position angle) with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4626 = H II-772 = h1393 = h3410, along with NGC 4628, on 20 Mar
1789 (sweep 913) and noted "F, S, E." JH made a single observation
from the Cape of the Good Hope and logged "vF; lE; glbM."
******************************
12 41 59.7 +32
34 26
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 10d
13.1"
(5/26/84): faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE. Located 2.6' NW of the center of the remarkable galaxy NGC
4631 and is completely overshadowed by its beauty.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4627 = H II-659 = h1391 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and logged
"F, S, R, just np the large following one [
******************************
NGC 4628 = MCG
-01-32-041 = Mrk 1333 = Holm 441a = PGC 42681
12 42 25.3 -06
58 17
V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 46d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.4', even
concentration down to a small bright core. Two mag 11 stars are just 1.5' N and 1.5' NE and two mag 10
stars are in the field 7' E and 7' ESE.
This galaxy is the slightly brighter of a pair of very similar very
elongated systems with NGC 4626 4.4' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4628 = H II-773 = h1394 = h3411, along with NGC 4626, on 20 Mar
1789 (sweep 913) and noted "F, S, E." JH made a single observation from the Cape of the Good Hope
and logged "vF; R or lE; glbM."
******************************
12 42 32.7 -01
21 04
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 80d
17.5"
(5/22/93): faint, round, 1.2' diameter, low surface brightness, weak
concentration, diffuse halo. Forms
a pair with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4629 on 19 Feb 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. There is nothing at
his position (measured only this night).
Reinmuth
describes NGC 4629 as a pair of mag 14 stars at 0.7' distance. These two stars are 4' due south of
d'Arrst's position, and a plausible candidate, though I would think would be
too easily resolved. RNGC
classifies the number as nonexistent and NGC 4629 is not plotted on the first
edition of the Uranometria 2000.0 Sky Atlas. Harold Corwin identifies NGC 4629 = UGC 7869 = PGC 42692,
located 27' due north of d'Arrest's position. UGC, MCG and CGCG do not identify this galaxy as NGC 4629,
although NED, HyperLeda and the NGC/IC Project use this identification.
******************************
12 42 31.2 +03
57 30
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 10d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, oval ~N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4630 = H II-532 = h1395 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted
"vF, S, lbM." His
position is at the northwest edge of
******************************
NGC 4631 = Whale
Galaxy = Arp 281 NED2 = UGC 7865 = MCG +06-28-020 = CGCG 188-016 = Holm 442a =
12 42 06.5 +32
32 24
V = 9.2; Size 15.5'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 86d
48"
(4/16/15): Although I've viewed NGC 4631 a few previous times in the 48-inch,
it is difficult to take notes as the amount of structure is overwhelming. At 375x with a 13mm Ethos (16' field),
the galaxy stretches across nearly the entire field and consists of numerous
bright luminous patches and irregular dark patches. The overall shape is
asymmetric; gradually tapering down to nearly a point on the west end, bulging
in the center and broader along the eastern side, only narrowing significantly
near the very tip.
A mag 13.5-14
star is just north of the western tip.
A relatively bright knot (NGC 4631:[HK83]#91-94, from Hodge and
Kennicutt's 1983 "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies") lies
0.6' SE of this star and 5.8' W of center. Several obvious bright knots and splotchy regions line the
western side of galaxy: #83 is 4.6' W of center, #79 is 3.9' W of center,
#72/74 (fainter spot) is 3.2' W of center, #63/64 (prominent region) is 2.2' W
of center.
A mag 12.5 star
is at the north edge near the geometric center. There is no obvious core to the galaxy, though several
bright patches are near the center.
#47 is a luminous patch 1' S of the mag 12.5 star and #39/41 is a very
bright patch 1.5' ESE of the star.
Additional HII patches are lined up on the east side, mostly along the
northern edge of the galaxy.
#33-36 is a large, very bright patch (star cloud?) 2.4' ENE of center
and #19/20 is a smaller knot 3.2' E of center. The galaxy bulges out (star association?) on the south side,
near the eastern end (3.3' from center) and contains #17/18/21/22. The dusty eastern tip of the galaxy has
a very faint HII knot (#5-7).
17.5"
(6/5/99): at 280x (14' field) this remarkable galaxy runs edge to edge across
the field! The surface brightness
is unusually irregular with bright and dark mottling across the surface. There is no well-defined core but a
prominent knot is close following (east) the geometric center along the north
side and a second weaker knot is along the west side. The north edge has an unusually "scalloped"
appearance particularly along the west side due to dust and brighter
splotches. The galaxy gradually
bulges towards the center and tapers at the tips, particularly along the west
end. A mag 13 star is situated
just north of the edge at the geometric center and NGC 4627 appears to hover
over this "starship" a couple of arc miinutes northwest of center.
13.1"
(5/26/84): stunning galaxy, very bright, unusually large and interesting
edge-on E-W, 15'x1.5'. A bright
knot is east of the core and a faint knot is west of core. Appears very mottled along the major
axis. A mag 13 star is just north
of the core. NGC 4627, a companion
galaxy, lies 2.6' NW of the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4631 = H V-42 = h1397 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and recorded
"vB, mE from sp to nf, but near the parallel. About 16' long and mbM. A little below the center of it is a small star, but
probably unconnected." John
Herschel made two observations and called it (sweep 74) "vmE; a long ray
which crosses the whole field, rather curved upwards (to south). Has a vF nucleus and a B * nearly in
the parallel." His sketch of
the pair is on plate XV, figure 76 of the Slough Observations.
Three observations
were made at Birr Castle and LdR (or assistant William Rambaut) wrote in 1848
"A most extraordinary object with a B * near the centre, and at the right
[north] masses of light appear through it in knots." A detailed sketch by George Stoney on
19 Apr 1849 was published in the 1850 PT paper. William Lassell's sketch with his 48-inch is in his 1867
publication on plate V, figure 24.
To determine a position, Kobold measured two of the knots/star clouds -
one on the west side (#63/64) and the bright region east of the geometric
center (#33-36).
******************************
12 42 32.1 -00
04 57
V = 11.7; Size 3.1'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 63d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, mildly
concentrated.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4632 = H I-14 = h1396 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded
"not cometic, seems to be resolvable and much like the foregoing [NGC 4592]. JH made a single observation under poor
conditions, but his position matches
******************************
12 42 37.2 +14
21 31
V = 13.1; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.2x0.8, no central
concentration, halo fades into background. A mag 13 star is just off the NW edge of halo 0.8' from
center. Forms a pair with
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 16 year-old son, discovered NGC 4633 = Sw VI-46 on 27 Apr 1887 and
recorded "eeF; pS; R; F star close preceding.; [NGC 4634] nr
preceding." The Swifts'
position is 0.2 min of RA west of
Arnold
Schwassmann found it again on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at
Heidelberg at the turn of the century and assumed Sn. 295 (later
******************************
NGC 4634 = UGC
7875 = MCG +03-32-086 =CGCG 099-112 = CGCG 100-002 = Holm 445a = PGC 42707
12 42 41.0 +14
17 46
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 156d
17.5"
(5/22/93): moderately bright, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, 3.0'x0.7', weak
concentration. Forms a pair with
NGC 4633 3.8' NNW. This galaxy is
fairly striking.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4634 = H III-603 = h1398 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded
"vF, about 2 1/2' long, from np to sf." His position and description matches UGC 7874, though both
Herschel's missed nearby NGC 4633.
******************************
12 42 39.1 +19
56 44
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 170d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, 1.6'x1.2', broad
weak concentration.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4635 = h1400 on 17 Mar 1831 and logged "eF L; bM; 3'
diam." The comment "an
over-estimation" was later added. His mean position (2 observations)
matches
******************************
NGC 4636 = UGC
7878 = MCG +01-32-137 = CGCG 043-002 = PGC 42734
12 42 49.6 +02
41 18
V = 9.5; Size 6.0'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150d
17.5"
(3/24/90): very bright, large, slightly elongated NW-SE, very bright core,
substellar nucleus, extensive halo appears mottled. Located between two mag 12/13 stars 3.4' NNW and 3.1' S,
respectively.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4636 = H II-38 = h1399 = h1401 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and
recorded "pB, pL. It seems to
be of the resolvable kind, and is of an irregular shape." JH measured two good positions under
h1399, logging "B; L; R; vgvmbM but not to a nucleus." in sweep
238. But on sweep 142, he listed
it again as h1401, a possible "Nova", this time with a 1° error in
declination (too far north).
******************************
12 42 54.1 +11
26 16
V = 14.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; PA = 97d
24"
(5/25/14): at 225x, this companion to
R.J. Mitchell
discovered NGC 4637 on 1 Mar 1854 using LdR's 72" and recorded a
"Double nebula [including II-70 = NGC 4638], faint nebulosity connects
them." No comment was made on
the relative brightnesses or orientation and there were no further observations
at Birr Castle or by any others.
RNGC identifies NGC 4637 with an extremely faint spindle-shaped galaxy
just following NGC 4638. Although this is identification is reasonable
(repeated by Carlson), the RNGC magnitude of 12.0 is greatly in error and the
identifications of NGC 4637/4638 are reversed in MCG.
But Dreyer
comments in the NGC notes "It is very possible that the Birr observer
mistook M60 and III 44 [
******************************
NGC 4638 = NGC
4667? = UGC 7880 = MCG +02-32-187 = CGCG 070-230 = CGCG 071-006 = PGC 42728
12 42 47.4 +11
26 32
V = 11.2; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 125d
24"
(5/25/14): very bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.6',
sharply concentrated with a very bright, very elongated core (bar or edge-on
S0?) and a much fainter oval halo.
NGC 4637, an extremely faint companion, is 1.6' E of center.
17.5"
(4/25/87): moderately bright, very elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, fairly small, bright
core, substellar nucleus. Located
between M59 and M60.
13.1"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, small, bright core, elongated.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4638 = H II-70 = H II-176 = h1402 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and
simply noted "a nebula."
His position is 5' south of
MCG reverses the
identifications of NGC 4637 and 4638 (see NGC 4637 for more).
******************************
12 42 52.3 +13
15 26
V = 11.5; Size 2.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 123d
17.5"
(4/13/02): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.0', broad
concentration to a larger, brighter core.
The core increases sharply to a small bright nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is close following just
1.0' from center.
17.5"
(4/21/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.6'x1.0',
faint stellar nucleus. A mag 12
star is just off the SE side 1.0' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4639 = H II-125 = h1403 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted
"not vF; S; r." His
position is 3.7' north of
R.J. Mitchell,
observing with LdR's 72" on 22 Apr 1854, recorded "a remarkable
object. Spiral? Suspected a twist to the left at the
preceding end." Five nights
later he logged "saw tonight the curve in p part previously
remarked."
******************************
12 42 57.8 +12
17 12
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 45d
18"
(4/29/06): very faint, moderately large, elongated ~3:2 ~E-W, 0.9'x0.6', low
even surface brightness. Located
3.4' NE of a mag 10.5-11 star. NGC
4641 lies 14' S.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4640 = Sw VI-47, along with
******************************
NGC 4641 = UGC
7889 = MCG +02-32-191 = CGCG 071-011 = PGC 42769
12 43 07.6 +12
03 03
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d
17.5"
(4/13/02): very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, low surface brightness,
0.6'x0.45'. Located 1' NW of a mag
12.5 star. The declination in the
RNGC is one degree too far south.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4641 = Sw VI-48, along with NGC 4640, on 17 Apr 1887 and
recorded "eF; pL; R; F * nr f; sf of 2 [with NGC 4640]." His position is 5 sec of RA west of UGC
7889 and the star he mentions is 1' southeast.
The RNGC
declination is exactly 1 degree too far south. Furthermore, this error is repeated in NGC 2000.0 and the
galaxy is misplotted on the first edition of Uranometria 2000 Sky Atlas. UGC, MCG, CGCG and RC3 all give the
correct declination. Listed in my
RNGC Corrections list #2.
******************************
12 43 17.7 -00
38 40
V = 12.9; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 37d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SSW-NNE, fairly small. A mag 15 star is involved at the NE
end. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4642 = H III-494 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "eF,
vS." CH's reduction is 1'
south of
******************************
12 43 20.2 +01
58 41
V = 10.8; Size 3.1'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 130d
17.5"
(3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, prominent core. Three mag 11-14 stars lie northwest,
the closest is a mag 11.5 star 2.4' NW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4643 = H I-10 = h1404 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 121) and noted
"pB, S." His summary
description from 4 observations is "vB, pL, lE, gmbM, 2' l, 1 1/2'
br." JH called it "B; S;
lE; psbM." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 42 42.6 +55
08 43
V = 13.9; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 53d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE,
0.9'x0.3'. Contains a bright
elongated core. NGC 4644 is the
northernmost in a group of galaxies (LGG 300) including
NGC 4644 is the
western component of a close pair with much fainter
18"
(6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.3', weak
concentration with a slightly brighter core. Forms the north vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag
12 star 6' SW and 6' ESE. First in
a group of 6 NGC galaxies (LGG 300) with 4 on a line stretching from NGC
4644/4669/4675/4686. A very faint
edge-on (NGC 4644B = PGC 42725) just 1.7' following was not noticed.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4644 = H II-794.1 = h1406 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted
"F, S." His re-reduced
position (with respect to Epsilon UMa) is 2' west (12 sec of time) of UGC
7887. JH recorded "eF; vS; R;
gbM; 10"." His position
also matches
On 25 Apr 1878,
Dreyer observed the field from Birr Castle, and described "3177 [NGC 4644]
is eF, vS, E sp nf, small companion or star 3/4' f." The "small companion or star"
is the nucleus of NGC 4644B = PGC 42725, which did not receive a NGC
designation. See notes for NGC
4646 for more on this observation.
******************************
12 44 09.9 -41
45 01
V = 11.8; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 52d
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, sharp
concentration. Member of the
Centaurus cluster.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4645 = h3412 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; psbM;
12".". His position is
~2' west of
******************************
NGC 4646 = UGC
7892 = MCG +09-21-031 = CGCG 270-015 = PGC 42740
12 42 52.1 +54
51 21
V = 13.4; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 18d
24"
(5/30/16): at 225x; moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1
SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.3', bright
irregular core seems knotty. A mag
14.8 star is very close to the northeast edge. Four collinear mag 13-14.5 stars extending to the northwest
begins 2.5' W.
UGC 7905, a
disturbed, interacting system with tidal tails extending from both galaxies,
lies 8.5' ENE. The pair is
oriented SSW to NNE with centers separated by 35". At 225x, the southwest member (
18"
(6/28/03): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.5'x0.25', stellar
nucleus. There appears to be a
faint star at the NE tip (verified on DSS). A striking line of four mag 13-14 stars (total length 2.8')
is close NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4646 = H II-910 = H II-794.2 = h1407 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001)
and noted "F, S". His
position (CH's reduction) is within 1' of
JH sorted out
the confusion with WH's two observations of II-794 in preparing the GC and
listed them as II-794.1 and II-794.2.
Dreyer concurs these are different objects in "Scientific Papers of
William Herschel" and introduced the new number II-910 for the second
observation.
Dreyer examined
the field at Birr Castle on 25 Apr 1878.
After observing NGC 4644, he moved 20' south and described NGC 4646 as
"pB, E 50°, biN (Dist. 23"), 4 st nearly in a line p and a little n,
3'-4' from neb." The second "nucleus" is a very faint star at
the northeast edge of the galaxy.
Then he reported "A third nebula, biN in Pos. 16.5°, Dist 44",
sp Nucl much the brighter, other one fainter and smaller, perhaps composed of
st. This nebula is in Pos 71.5°, Dist 533" from [GC] 3179 [NGC
4646]." At this separation from NGC 4646 is the double galaxy UGC 7905,
which fits Dreyer's description. He assumed this nebula was [GC] 5668 = NGC
4669, so UGC 7905 did not receive a NGC designation.
******************************
NGC 4647 = Arp
116 NED1 = VV 206b = Holm 448b = UGC 7896 = MCG +02-33-001 = CGCG 071-015 = WBL
421-001 = PGC 42816
12 43 32.5 +11
34 56
V = 11.3; Size 2.9'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 125d
17.5"
(4/25/87): forms a close double with M60.
Located just off the NW edge 2.8' from the center of M60. Fairly faint, pretty large diffuse
halo, small brighter core. Appears
slightly smaller than M60 but clearly less concentrated.
13.1"
(5/14/83): faint, moderately large, diffuse. Forms a close pair with M60.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4647 = H III-44 = h1405 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"Two nebula, one of them [M60] vB." JH made 4 observations. NGC 4637 is possibly a reobservation
of this galaxy (see that number).
******************************
NGC 4648 = UGC
7868 = MCG +13-09-029 = CGCG 352-039 = Kaz 31 = PGC 42595
12 41 44.4 +74
25 16
V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly bright, moderately large, strongly concentrated with a bright
30" core and a much fainter halo ~1' in diameter. Situated within a wedge-shaped group of
8 stars. A striking mag 8.1/10.5
pair 7' W is collinear with the galaxy (oriented E-W). NGC 4589 lies 22' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4648 = H I-274 = h1410 on 22 Nov 1797 (sweep 1064) and logged
"cB, vS, 6 or 7' following a coarse double star." JH made 5 observations and recorded
"F; S; bM", along with an accurate position, on sweep 348.
******************************
12 43 39.8 +11
33 11
V = 8.8; Size 7.4'x6.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
48"
(4/19/17): at 697x; M60 and NGC 4647 were viewed but my main target was UCD 1,
the brightest ultra-compact dwarf in M60.
It appeared as a very faint, possibly "soft" star, just
visible continuously with averted vision, and situated 1.4' SW of the center of
M60. The UCD forms a wide pair
with a slightly brighter mag 16.5 star 0.5' NW.
17.5"
(4/25/87): very bright, fairly large, diffuse halo, slightly elongated ~E-W,
very bright core with a bright substellar nucleus. Forms a double system with NGC 4647 which is almost tangent
to M60 barely off the NW edge.
13":
bright, very bright nucleus, slightly elongated ~E-W.
Johann Koehler
discovered M60 and M59 on 11 Apr 1779 and noted "Two very small nebulae,
hardly visible in a 3-foot telescope: The one above the other." Koehler was tracking the comet of that
year. Oriani independently
discovered M60 on 12 Apr 1779, noting "Very pale and looking exactly like
the comet." Also, Messier
made an independent discovery on 15 Apr 1779 (along with M58 and M59).
WH first
recorded it on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) as "Two nebula [with NGC 4647], one
of them vB."
******************************
12 44 19.5 -40
43 55
V = 11.6; Size 3.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 83d
48"
(4/21/17): at 488x; bright, moderately large, round, sharply concentrated with
an intense core surounded by a roundish, mottled halo ~1 diameter. A mag 15 star is 0.5' SW of center at
the edge of the halo and a mag 15.5 star is 0.3' NE of center in the halo.
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appeared bright, fairly
large, round, strong even concentration with a very bright core inceasing to a
small nucleus. A faint star is on
the west side of the halo. NGC
4650A, a famous polar-ring galaxy, lies 5.6' ENE and PGC 42911 is a mere 1.9' E
of center. The close companion
appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W, 0.6'x0.3', even
surface brightness.
48"
(5/12/12): NGC 4650A appeared moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2
WSW-ESE, 24"x16". The
polar ring was occasionally visible as faint, thin extensions oriented NNW-SSE. Need to reobserve as viewed through
thin clouds.
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small, oval WNW-ESE, bright core. Appears slightly brighter than NGC
4622A 5.8' WNW. The unusual
polar-ring galaxy NGC 4650A lies 5.6' ENE (not recorded). Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC
3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4650 = h3413 on 26 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; R; bM;
r. Wind violent." He later added the note "Right
reduced. The degree of PD
certainly correct." His
position is accurate, though MCG does not label this galaxy as NGC 4650.
******************************
12 43 42.6 +16
23 36
V = 10.8; Size 4.0'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 80d
18"
(4/10/04): bright, large, elongated 3:2 ~E-W. Well-concentrated with a very bright, elongated 1.0'x0.6'
core which increases to the center.
Surrounding the core is a large, low surface brightness halo increasing
the size to at least 2.5'x1.4' and perhaps 3'x2'.
13.1":
fairly bright, slightly elongated, broad moderate concentration, fainter
extensions ~E-W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4651 = H II-12 = h1409 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep 74) and recorded
"vF, pL, almost R but not cometic, about 3/4 degree sp 27 Coma Ber. CH's reduction is a poor match (common
in his early sweeps), but his offset from 27 Com matches. JH
made 4 observations and measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 43 19.7 +58
57 54
V = 14.6; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d
18"
(5/12/07): very faint, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.3', very weak
concentration. Located 5'-6' NNW
of a wide pair of mag 7.9 (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4652 = h1413 on 1 May 1831 and recorded "Not vF, pL,
gbM. It is almost 6' dist np two
stars sts 8 and 10m". His
position is 15 sec of RA preceding
******************************
NGC 4653 = UGC
7900 = MCG +00-33-006 = CGCG 015-009 = PGC 42847
12 43 51.0 -00
33 40
V = 12.2; Size 3.1'x2.7'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 30d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, fairly even surface
brightness. A mag 11 star is 2.7'
SE and a mag 13 star 1.4' SE of center.
In a group with NGC 4642 10' SW,
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4653 = H III-662 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and recorded
"vF, pL." His position
is 10 sec of RA too large. JH did
not make an observation.
******************************
NGC 4654 = UGC
7902 = MCG +02-33-004 = CGCG 071-019 = IC 3708 = PGC 42857
12 43 56.5 +13
07 33
V = 10.5; Size 4.9'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128d
17.5"
(4/21/90): bright, large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, bright core, mottled. Appears to have a dust lane along the
north side. Several bright stars
are in the field including a mag 10 star 3.2' WNW, a mag 11 star 6.1' NE and a
mag 12 star 2.1' N. NGC 4639 lies
17' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4654 = H II-126 = h1411 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted
"pF, pL, E, r." JH
recorded (sweep 192) "vF; vL; 2' l, 90" br; 3 stars near, one = 9th
mag." In sweep 245 he
questioned if "it is double nebula?".
Harold Corwin
identifies IC 3708, found by Schwassmann in 1900 using a plate taken by Wolf
with the 6" astrograph at Heidelberg, as the northwestern arm of NGC 4654.
******************************
12 43 36.5 +41
01 07
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9
18"
(3/30/05): faint, small, round, contains a very small brighter core. A mag 13.5 star lies 0.9' E of
center. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4655 = H II-661 = h1412 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded
"pB, vS, stellar. Just p a
smal star. Not verified, but not
much doubt. His position is just
1' southeast of
******************************
12 43 58.2 +32
10 13
V = 10.5; Size 15.1'x3.0'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 33d
48"
(4/23/17): this showpiece galaxy was viewed at 375x and 488x and the
structure/details was very comparable to the POSS2. The galaxy extended ~8'x1' SW-NE, though it has a much lower
surface brightness on the SW end.
It is well concentrated with a very bright and large, elongated core on
the south end of the brighter half, giving a very asymmetric appearance. A bright stellar or quasi-stellar knot
is at the southwest edge of the core (this is a huge star cloud on the HST
image identified in SIMBAD as [BKD2008] WR 462, from a 2008 paper on Wolf-Rayet
features) and
The low surface
brightness southwest portion of the galaxy to is broader than the northeast
section. It includes a faint,
quasi-stellar knot (identified in SIMBAD as CasHII N4656a, from a 1984 Case
University survey of HII regions in blue galaxies) along the western edge with
a SDSS magnitude of 17.8V.
At least 4 main
HII complexes are at the northeast end of the galaxy (
18"
(5/14/07): this fascinating galaxy forms one of the most striking pairs in the
sky with NGC 4631 32' NW. At 220x,
the distorted shape extends ~9'x1.5' in a SW-NE orientation. On first glance, it appears the bulging
core is offset at the SW end, though with averted vision a very low surface
brightness broader extension continues to the the SW of the core for several
arcminutes before fading into the background. The core is very bright and mottled with a bright knot (HII
region) jutting out to the west at the southwest end of the core. The NE extension has a remarkable,
fairly bright 2' extension (NGC 4657), hooking to the east at a 45° angle from
the major axis (the "blade" of the hockey stick). There is a small, faint, detached knot
beyond the east end of the "blade" that appears to have broken
off. The unusual bend and knot at
the NE end is a result of a prior tidal interaction with its more massive
neighbor, NGC 4631.
13.1"
(4/10/86): striking!, fairly bright, very elongated SW-NE. Appears wider and brighter at the SW
end. The NE end hooks sharply east
to merge with NGC 4657 which may be a part of NGC 4656 and not a separate
galaxy. A star or knot is attached at the south end. Appears like a celestial hockey stick!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4656 = H I-176 = h1414, along with NGC 4657, on 20 Mar 1787
(sweep 722) and recorded "Two, their nebulosity join; they are both
elongated and together form the shape of the letter "S". The most south [NGC 4656] cB, mbM. The most north [NGC 4657], pB from sp
to nf, but very near the meridian.
John Herschel made a total of 5 observations. In sweep 342 he noted, "a long nebulous ray pos = 34.3°
(by micrometer). Its southern half
is fainter than its northern. It
meets and cuts? another nebula [NGC 4657]. A strange object." A sketch was published in plate 15, Figure 75 in his Slough
Observations.
Bindon Stoney
sketched the pair at Birr Castle on Apr 26 1851 (included in LdR's 1861
publication). The following year
he called this pair "like a caterpillar on a leaf."
******************************
NGC 4657 = UGC
7907b = MCG +05-30-066b = CGCG 159-065b = PGC 42863
12 44 08.2 +32
12 32
Size
1.1'x0.7'; PA = 90d
48"
(4/23/17): NGC 4657 consists of at least 4 main HII complexes at the northeast
end of NGC 4657, including a separate detached section. On the southwest edge is a bright knot,
~8" diameter, catalogued in SIMBAD as CasHII N4656f and in NED as NGC
4656:[DBT2008] 85 from a 2008 paper on massive clusters. A brighter 10" knot, identified in
NED as 2MASX J12440599+3212340, is ~20" N, also along the west edge of the
NE extension. The northeast end of
the galaxy (NGC 4657) has a sharp extension to the east with a slightly
brighter patch, identified in NED as 2MASX J12440844+3212340. Finally a bright,
elongated patch ~30"x15" oriented NNW-SSE is detached to the east. SIMBAD identifies this object as NGC
4657, though the NGC designation should probably apply to the entire bent NE
end of the galaxy.
18"
(5/14/07): The north end of NGC 4656 has a remarkable, fairly bright 2'
extension (NGC 4657), hooking to the east at a 45° angle from the major axis
(the "blade" of the hockey stick). There is a faint, small, detached knot beyond the east end
of the "blade" that appears to have broken off. This unusual bend and knot is likely a
starburst region of NGC 4656 and the result of a prior tidal interaction with
its more massive neighbor, NGC 4631.
13.1"
(4/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated NNW-SSE. NGC 4657 is attached at the NE end of
the remarkable galaxy NGC 4656 and elongated at nearly a right angle to the
curving section of NGC 4656 just west.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4657 = H I-177 = h1415 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722). See descriptions under NGC 4656.
The UGC, MCG and
CGCG list a single entry for the pair and NGC 4657 may be a tidally disturbed
"tail" of NGC 4656 and not an independent galaxy. The primary designation for this object
in NED is NGC 4656 NED02, with NGC 4657 the second identification. The position is on NE warped section
(elongated E-W) of NGC 4656. The
position is SIMBAD, though, is on the partially detached section close east with
classification HII galaxy.
HyperLeda has a listing for 2MASXJ12440844+3212340, with secondary
designation NGC 4657 and object type "Part of galaxy". Corwin's position is on the brightest
patch on the west side of E-W tail.
******************************
12 44 37.7 -10
05 03
V = 12.5; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 0d
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, elongated ~N-S, appears mottled or
irregular. Located 2.5' E of mag
8.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4658 = H II-558 = h3414 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded
"F, E in meridian [N-S], nearly 3' l, following a cB star." NGC 4658 was discovered by WH (II 558). JH logged "eF; attached like a
wisp to a * 16m; a * 9m precedes."
******************************
NGC 4659 = UGC
7915 = MCG +02-33-007 = CGCG 071-024 = PGC 42913
12 44 29.4 +13
29 55
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 173d
17.5"
(4/13/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:4 ~NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.8'. Contains a small, bright round core
embedded in a fainter halo.
Located 1.4' NE of a mag 9.8 star.
NGC 4639 lies 28' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4659 = H II-127 = h1416 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and recorded
"F, vS, R, lbM, r, stellar."
JH logged "F; R; bM; 30".", and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
12 44 32.3 +11
11 27
V = 11.2; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 100d
13.1"
(4/16/83): fairly bright, small, slightly elongated E-W, very small bright
core. Located 25' SSE of M60.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4660 = H II-71 = h1417 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply
noted as "S". There is
nothing at CH's reduced position, but 40 sec of RA following and 3' south is
******************************
12 45 14.8 -40
49 27
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 116d
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x this Centaurus cluster
member (AGC 3526) was moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE,
0.8'x0.4'. Located just 1' S of a
45" pair of mag 12.5 stars and 11.7' SE of NGC 4661.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4661 = h3415 on 5 Jun 1834 and logged "F; R; pL;
gbM.". His position was not
measured accurately - the RA is given to the nearest minute of time and the RA
to the nearest min of arc and marked "+/-". There is nothing at his rough position, though 16' north is
******************************
12 44 26.3 +37
07 15
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 55d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, round, gradually brighter halo, very small
brighter core. A mag 14.5 star is
3.1' NW and a mag 15 star 2.5' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4662 = H II-643 = h1418 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted
"F, pL, gbM, r."
JH logged "pB; pL; R; bM; 40"."
******************************
NGC 4663 = IC 811
= MCG -02-33-002 = PGC 42946
12 44 47.1 -10
11 52
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, edge-on ~N-S, very small, brighter core, almost stellar
nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC
4658 7' NNW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4663 in 1883 with the 11-inch refractor at Arcetri in
Italy. In the narrative portion of
his fifth paper (AN 2439) he described a nebula that is 8' south-following NGC
4658, but he was unable to make a measurement using the circle micrometer. This
galaxy is 7.2' south-southeast of NGC 4663, so the identification is certain,
although the NGC position is a bit off.
Bigourdan found
this galaxy on 13 May 1888, assumed it was new, and reported it in his Comptes
Rendus discovery lists as #176. As
a result, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4663 as
******************************
12 45 06.1 +03
03 21
See observing
notes for NGC 4665.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4664 = H II-39 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "pB.
It contains two stars in the center and is preceded by a small star at the
distance of 1/2 or 3/4 minute."
There is nothing at his position, but 10' south is NGC 4665. In the 1912 revision of WH's
catalogues, Dreyer comments "Neither H nor h nor d'Arrest saw more than
one nebula here, it is therefore = I-142 [NGC 4665] with an error of 10' in PD." The star mentioned in the observation
clinches the identification. So,
NGC 4664 = NGC 4665. Although NGC
4664 is an earlier observation (I-142 was found on 30 Apr 1786), the modern
designation is NGC 4665. NGC 4624
may be another observation of this galaxy (see that entry).
******************************
NGC 4665 = NGC
4664 = NGC 4624: = UGC 7924 = MCG +01-33-005 = CGCG 043-018 = PGC 42970
12 45 06.1 +03
03 21
V = 10.5; Size 3.8'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(3/24/90): bright, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, prominent core. A mag 15 star is at the NNW end 1.2'
from center. Located 1.7' NE of a
mag 10 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4665 = H I-142 = h1419 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and recorded
"cB, pL, iR, gmbM. His
position matches
******************************
NGC 4666 = UGC
7926 = MCG +00-33-008 = CGCG 015-015 = Holm 453a = PGC 42975
12 45 08.5 -00
27 42
V = 10.7; Size 4.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 42d
17.5"
(2/28/87): very bright, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, fairly large, 4'x1', very bright
core, mottled and streaky appearance.
A close trio of mag 11-13 stars lies 5' SE. Forms a pair with NGC 4668 8' SE, which follows the triple
star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4666 = H I-15 = h1420 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded
"E from sp to nf, seems to contain bright places in the middle; it is not
cometic, but appears to be resolvable.
It resembles the two foregoing nebula [NGC 4666 and NGC 4592] but is
narrower." JH logged "pB; mE; psbM; pos 45° nf or sp." and
measured an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4667 = NGC
4638? = UGC 7880 = MCG +02-32-187 = CGCG 070-230 = CGCG 071-006 = PGC 42728
12 42 47.4 +11
26 32
See observing
notes for NGC 4638. Identification
suggested by Harold Corwin.
John Herschel
found NGC 4667 = h1421 on 23 Mar 1830 and logged "B; S; R; psbM;
15"." There are no bright galaxies near his position, but Harold
Corwin suggests NGC 4667 is probably a duplicate observation of NGC 4638, which
is 2 min 30 sec of RA west of JH's position. Due to its poor position, Reinmuth, Frost, d'Arrest and
Vogel all reported NGC 4667 as not found.
******************************
NGC 4668 = UGC
7931 = MCG +00-33-009 = CGCG 015-016 = Holm 453b = PGC 42999
12 45 31.9 -00
32 10
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5d
17.5"
(2/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. Forms a pair with NGC 4666 7.4'
NW. A triple star is 3.0' due west
consisting of mag 11.5/13/13.5 stars at 20" separation between the closer
pairs.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4668 = H III-663 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and logged "vF,
S, iF." d'Arrest made two
observations and mentioned the triple star that preceded by 12 sec in RA.
******************************
NGC 4669 = UGC
7925 = MCG +09-21-038 = CGCG 270-018 = LGG 300-002 = PGC 42942
12 44 46.8 +54
52 33
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 177d
24"
(5/30/16): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.3',
small brighter core. Mag 9.7 HD
238159 is 3.0' ENE.
UGC 7905 = VV
708, located 8' WNW of NGC 4669, is a disturbed, interacting system with tidal
tails extending from both galaxies.
The pair is oriented SSW to NNE with centers separated by 35". At 225x, the southwest member (Mrk 220)
appeared fairly faint, small, high surface brightness, roundish, 18"
diameter. The northeast component
(Mrk 221) appeared faint, fairly small, 18", low surface brightness. Only
the central region was seen and I missed the tidal tail extending to the north
and east. This pair was discovered
by Dreyer, but didn't receive an NGC designation due to a misidentification.
18"
(6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.7'x0.35', fairly low
nearly even surface brightness.
Located 3.0' W of mag 9.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4669 = H III-778 = GC 5668 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted
"cF, S, E." My
re-reduced position (with respect to 77 UMa) is 1.5' northeast of
Heinrich
d'Arrest independently discovered NGC 4669 on 10 Dec 1866 and noted a mag 10-11
star followed by 21.5 seconds of time, confirming the identification with UGC
7925. Although Dreyer attributed
d'Arrest with the discovery in the NGC, he equated H III-778 with NGC 4669 in
his 1912 NGC Correction list.
******************************
12 45 17.0 +27
07 31
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, bright core, almost
stellar nucleus. Located 4.5' W of
mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4670 = H III-328 = h1422, along with NGC 4673, on 6 Apr 1785
(sweep 393) and noted "F, S." JH made four observations, calling this
galaxy "B", "pB" and "F".
******************************
12 45 47.6 -07
04 11
V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 141d
18"
(4/9/05): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Gradually increases to a very small
brighter core, symmetrical appearance.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4671 = H II-774 = h1423 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and logged
"pB, S, mbM, iR." His
position matches
******************************
12 46 15.5 -41
42 23
V = 13.2; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 134d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE,
slightly brighter along the major axis, broad weak concentration. A group of
five stars is south and southwest including a mag 11.8 star 3.5' S and a mag
12.3 star 2.4' SE. NGC 4672 is a
member of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526) with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4672 = h3416 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R;
vgbM." He later added the
noted "Right reduced. See No.
3413." His position matches
******************************
NGC 4673 = UGC
7933 = MCG +05-30-073 = CGCG 159-070 = Mrk 656 = PGC 43008
12 45 34.6 +27
03 38
V = 12.9; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 170d
17.5"
(3/20/93): faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located 4.1' S of mag 8.9 SAO 82478
which forms the vertex of an isosceles right triangle with NGC 4673 and NGC
4670 5.6' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4673 = H III-329 = h1424, along with NGC 4670, on 6 Apr 1785
(sweep 393) and noted "vF, S.
Goes in the field with the former [NGC 4670]." JH made three observations, although
his positions were not very accurate.
******************************
12 46 03.5 -08
39 19
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 119d
18"
(4/9/05): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5'. At first I only noticed the brighter
0.4' core, but with averted vision the fainter extensions were visible. Located 9' ENE of mag 9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4674 = h3417 on 5 May 1836 and recorded "vF; R: glbM;
30"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4675 = UGC
7935 = MCG +09-21-039 = CGCG 270-019 = LGG 300-010 = PGC 42998
12 45 31.9 +54
44 15
V = 14.4; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 97d
18"
(6/28/03): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.9'x0.3', weak
concentration. A mag 11 star lies
3.9' SE. Located between NGC 4669
10.5' NW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4675 = H II-795 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "vF,
vS." My re-reduced position
(with respect to 77 UMa) is 1' northeast of
******************************
12 46 10.7 +30
43 38
V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 0d
24"
(5/22/17): the interacting "Mice" duo (
48"
(4/6/13): fascinating interacting pair consisting of IC 819 (NNW component) and
IC 820 (slightly brighter SSE component), separated by 40" between
centers. At 375x and 488x in soft
seeing, IC 819 appeared fairly bright, small, elongated 3:2 N-S,
24"x16", high surface brightness. IC 820 was bright, fairly small,
elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 30"x20", high surface brightness, increased to a
small, very bright nucleus. The
two galaxies are connected or surrounded by a low surface brightness
bridge. IC 819 has a remarkable
bright, long thin tidal tail shooting due north! The tail has a high surface brightness (brightest feature of
this type I've observed in any galaxy) and extends roughly 80"x8",
dimming at the north end and ending just east of a mag 17.3 star. IC 820 has a small, low surface
brightness halo on its south side, but its tail to the south was not clearly
resolved.
17.5": the
northwest member (IC 819) of the interacting pair "The Mice" appeared
faint, small, low surface brightness, elongated N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4676 = H II-326 = h1425 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted
"F, mE in the meridian [N-S]."
JH made the single observation "eF; query if not bicentral; sky
perfectly clear". So he was
uncertain if there were two components and no observations were made at Birr
Castle. Rudolf Spitaler resolved
the two component, IC 819 and IC 820, on 20 Mar 1892 with the 27"
refractor at the Vienna observatory.
In a 1957 paper,
Vorontsov-Velyaminov named this class of objects "mice" and the
nickname was used in the Burbidge's 1959 paper "Some Interconnected
Multiple Extragalactic Nebulae".
******************************
NGC 4677 = ESO
322-078 = MCG -07-26-044 = LGG 298-043 = PGC 43127
12 46 57.0 -41
34 58
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 167d
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, moderately large,
elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.4'.
Gradually increases to a small bright core and quasi-stellar
nucleus. Located in the core of
the Centaurus cluster 26' SW of
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, oval N-S, low even surface brightness. Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC
3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4677 = h3418 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; lE;
vgbM." His position is just
off the south end of
******************************
12 49 41.9 -04
34 46
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.5'; PA = 85d
18"
(4/30/11): faint, but easily picked as a small glow, elongated 3:2 E-W,
25"x15". A mag 15 star
lies 30" ESE of center. I
kept having the impression that I was resolving a very faint star or nearly
stellar galaxy that was attached and the SDDS image reveals this is a double
system (oreinted E-W) with two nuclei encased in a common halo, comfirming my
impression.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4678 = LM II-456 in 1886 and recorded "mag
15.5, 0.1' dia, R, neb?; * follows 2 sec." There is nothing anywhere near his position. But exactly 3.0 min of RA east is
Because of the bad
position, RNGC classifies NGC 4678 as nonexistent and MCG labels this galaxy IC
824, though NGC 4678 should be the primary designation. This is either a merged double system
with two nuclei or a bright knot is at the west end.
******************************
12 47 30.1 -39
34 17
V = 12.4; Size 2.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 4d
18"
(3/28/09): at 175x appeared very faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 N-S,
1.0'x0.7', low surface brightness.
Located 5.5' NNE of mag 8.8
John Herschel discovered
NGC 4679 = h3419 on 22 Apr 1835 and recorded "eeF, pL, R, 60" (No
doubt)." His position is 15 sec of RA west of
******************************
12 46 54.7 -11
38 10
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 45d
17.5"
(3/29/89): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated. Unusual appearance as the galaxy
appears to fan out from a mag 12 star embedded at the east edge.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4680 = h3420 on 27 May 1835 and recorded "eF; S; has one or
two small stars entangled in it."
His position and description matches
******************************
12 47 28.7 -43
20 05
V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 or 5:4 N-S,
~40"x32", fairly high surface brightness, gradually increases to a
very small bright core and stellar nucleus. A number of bright stars are scattered in the field: mag 7.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4681 = h3421 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded, "pF; S; R; gbM;
15"." His position
matches
******************************
12 47 15.5 -10
03 48
V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 85d
17.5"
(3/23/85): fairly large, very diffuse, elongated ~WSW-ENE, low even surface
brightness. A mag 14 star is off the
NE edge 1.5' from center. The NGC
4658/NGC 4663 pair is located 35' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4682 = H III-523 = h3423 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded
"vF, E from sp to nf, 3 or 4' l, near 3' br." JH called this galaxy "pF; E;
gvlbM; 45" l." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 47 42.2 -41
31 42
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2
NW-SE, 0.5'x0.3', moderate concentration with a 10" core. A mag 14.5 star is off the SE end and a
mag 13 star lies 1.0' SW. Located
18' SW of NGC 4696 in the core of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4683 = h3422 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R; vgbM;
60"; nf a small stars. His
position is 1.7' due south of
******************************
12 47 17.5 -02
43 38
V = 11.4; Size 2.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 23d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, brighter
along the major axis, bright core.
A mag 14 star is off the NNE tip 0.8' from center and a mag 15.5 star is
following the SSW end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4684 = H II-181 = h1426 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 912) and logged
"pF, pL, E, r." JH made
the single observation "B; not vL; pmE; pgbM." and measured a fairly
accurate position.
******************************
12 47 11.4 +19
27 51
V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 158d
18"
(5/15/04): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.3'. Sharply concentrated with a 0.3'x0.2'
core which increases to a stellar nucleus. The small, dim halo is very faint and required averted
vision. Situated between mag 10
18"
(4/10/04): fairly faint, very small (viewed core only), 20" diameter. Fairly high surface brightness with a
sharp, mag 14 stellar nucleus which easily stands out.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4685 = H III-398 = h1427 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted
"vF, vS, r." JH made
three observations calling this object (sweep 61) "pB; S; resolved or
resolvable. Has a star in
centre." His mean position is
accurate and d'Arrest's is withing a few arcsec of center.
******************************
NGC 4686 = UGC
7946 = MCG +09-21-044 = CGCG 270-021 = LGG 300-003 = PGC 43101
12 46 39.8 +54
32 03
V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 3d
18"
(6/28/03): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.3', fairly sharp
concentration with a small bright core.
Two mag 14 stars close NE are collinear with the core. In a group of NGC galaxies and between
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4686 = H II-795 = h1428 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and logged
"pB, cL, BrN, lE." My
re-reduced position (with respect to 77 UMa) is within 1' of
On 2 Apr 1791
(sweep 1001), WH discovered NGC 4695, but assumed it was NGC 4686, so didn't
assign it a new internal number.
Dreyer, in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH" added the new
designation III-985 to refer to NGC 4695, which is referred to as II-795 (which
applies to NGC 4675!) by JH in the GC and by Dreyer in the NGC. See notes on
NGC 4675.
******************************
12 47 23.8 +35
21 07
V = 13.2; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4', slightly
brighter quasi-stellar nucleus.
Forms the SW vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 13 stars 5.7'
NE and 5.8' ENE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4687 = h1430 on 11 Mar 1831 and logged "vF; R; psbM;
15".". His single position is accurate.
******************************
12 47 46.4 +04
20 10
V = 11.9; Size 3.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5"
(4/21/90): extremely faint, fairly large, round, very low surface brightness,
brighter core. Appears as a hazy
region without distinct borders.
Located 3.8' E of a mag 10.5 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4688 = H III-543 = h1429 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and noted
"eF, pL." JH measured a
fairly accurate position and noted "10 sec following a * 9-10
mag." A bright knot on the
northwest end appears bright enough to be a visual object.
******************************
12 47 45.7 +13
45 45
V = 10.9; Size 4.3'x3.5'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ENE, 3'x2', large
diffuse halo, weak concentration, ill-defined brighter core, possible
mottling. A pair of mag 11.5/12
stars with separation 1.2' (parallel to the major axis) are located 3.5'
N. At 280x, a 1.0' core is more
prominent and the outer halo become becomes difficult to view. At low power, forms the northern vertex
of a triangle with 28 Comae Berenices (V = 6.6) 14' SSE and mag 8.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4689 = H II-128 = h1431 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and logged
"L, R, bM, r." JH made 3
observations and measured an accurate (mean) position.
On 29 Apr 1851,
LdR assistant Bindon Stoney recorded "vF, gbM, edges fade off. I fancied a dark space p the central
portion." A few nights later
he noted "F, suspected spiral."
******************************
12 47 55.5 -01
39 22
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 150d
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, very small bright core is
possibly stellar.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4690 = H III-664 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and logged "vF,
S." His position is 2.5'
south-southeast of
******************************
12 48 13.6 -03
19 58
V = 11.1; Size 2.8'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 75d
17.5"
(2/28/87): bright, fairly small, oval 2:1 WSW-ENE, brighter along the major
axis, small bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4691 = H II-182 = h1432 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 204) and recorded
"pF, pL, E, r." JH made
the single observation "B; pmE nearly in the parallel [E-W]; gmbM; 90"
l, 60" br." and measured a fairly accurate position.
******************************
12 47 55.3 +27
13 20
V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 7' NNW of mag 8.0 SAO
82502. Three mag 13.5-14 stars
forming an equilateral triangle cradle the galaxy off the SW, south and SE
sides. Outlying member of AGC
1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4692 = H II-381 = h1433 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and logged
"F, S." JH made three
observations and d'Arrest made two observations (and measured an accurate
position).
******************************
12 47 09.2 +71
10 34
V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 34d
18"
(5/8/04): faint, moderately large, edge-on streak 5:1 SW-NE, 1.4'x0.3', broad
weak concentration. A mag 12.5
star is south of the SSW extension, 1.8' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4693 = H III-906 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and logged "vF,
E, about 2' long and 1/2' br."
His RA is 40 tsec too small.
******************************
12 48 15.1 +10
59 01
V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 140d
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.0', overall high surface
brightness, faint halo with an abrupt bright core and stellar nucleus. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.3' W of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4694 = H II-72 = h1434 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"S, lE. The 2nd figure of the
minutes was in the great hurry forgot to put down; but I suppose it was
intended for 31 min." The
estimated RA is 1 min too small. JH made up for this by measuring the RA
accurately on 6 sweeps.
******************************
NGC 4695 = IC
3791 = UGC 7966 = MCG +09-21-048 = CGCG 270-023 = LGG 300-004 = PGC 43173
12 47 32.1 +54
22 29
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 80d
18"
(6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 0.8'x0.4', low even
surface brightness. With averted
vision the size increases slightly and seems brighter along the major axis. Located 8.5' SW of mag 8.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4695 = H III-985 = h1435 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and noted
"eF, pS." CH's reduced
position is 9 sec of RA west of
Lewis Swift
found this galaxy on 23 May 1897, assumed it was new, and recorded it in
discovery list XI-141. His
position is 5' north of NGC 4695 and Dreyer recatalogued the galaxy as IC
3791. He mentions "
******************************
NGC 4696 = ESO
322-091 = MCG -07-26-051 = LGG 298-044 = PGC 43296
12 48 49.2 -41
18 40
V = 10.4; Size 4.5'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated
3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.8'x1.2'. Gradually
increases to a brighter 30" core.
The halo reaches a mag 13.5 at the NW edge. This galaxy is the brightest member of the Centaurus cluster
and the surrounding rich star field is littered with faint galaxies (18
observed within just 25' and could have observed many more with larger finder
charts).
17.5"
(4/7/89): brightest galaxy in the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526). Moderately bright, moderately large,
oval WNW-ESE, brighter core. A mag
13.5 star is at the NW edge. NGC
4709 lies 15' ESE and
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4696 = D 511? = h3424 on 7 May 1826 and described a "pretty
large faint nebula." His
position is 12' too far southeast.
It's also possible that D 510 refers to NGC 4696. His description reads "faint
nebula, about 12" or 15" diameter, a little brighter to the centre,
very faint at the margin."
His published position is 15' too far northwest. Neither of these positional
discrepancies are unusually large, though one of these numbers may apply to NGC
4706.
JH made the
single observation on 5 Jun 1834, "pB; L; R; gbM; 2'
resolvable." His position is
accurate. JH discovered 16 other
galaxies in the Centaurus cluster.
******************************
12 48 35.8 -05
48 02
V = 9.2; Size 7.2'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d
17.5"
(4/21/90): very bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE. Even concentration in halo, then a very
bright intense core. The large
halo gradually fades out at edges.
A mag 12 star is 2.7' NE of center. Located 35' NNE of mag 6.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4697 = H I-39 = h1436 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and
described "vB, vL, iE, mbM
but the brightness breaks off abruptly [sharply concentrated] so as almost to
resemble a resolvable nucleus consisting of 4 or 5 bright stars. There is however too much moonlight to
describe the nebula completely."
On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913), he also logged "vB, lE from sp to nf,
vgbM, 3 or 4' long, but clouds coming on." He published a sketch in his 1811 paper (Fig. 23) as an
illlustration of "nebulae that are suddenly much brighter in the
middle."
******************************
12 48 23.0 +08
29 16
V = 10.6; Size 4.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 170d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, small very
bright core. Situated between a
mag 11 star at the north edge 2.1' from the center and a mag 10.5 star off the
south edge 2.7' from center. Mag
7.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4698 = H I-8 = H III-6 on 18 Jan 1784 (only object in sweep 87)
and simply called III-6 "a nebula of the first class." The RA was only roughly taken in this
early sweep and a two degree range for the polar distance. He observed this galaxy again on 15 Apr
1784 and logged "vB, not L, lE, mbM.
It is between some pB stars."
Again on 1 May 1786 (sweep 560) he noted "cB; cL; between 2 pB
stars, gmbM." and CH noted "See I.8."
In Dreyer's 1912
revision of William Herschel's catalogues, he notes "the place [of III-6]
agrees sufficiently with that of I-8 (found on 23 Jan 1784), and a sketch also
agrees with one of I-8. The identity
seems certain, and was assumed to be so by J.H. [in the GC]". The NGC position is 10 tsec following
******************************
12 49 02.2 -08
39 52
V = 9.5; Size 3.8'x2.6'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 45d
17.5"
(4/21/90): very bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, very small
intense core with a bright stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4699 = H I-129 = h1437 = h3425 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and
recorded "very brilliant, iR, vgmbM." From Slough, JH logged "vB; R; vsmbM to a fine
resolvable nucleus, 40" (doubtless a globular cluster)."
******************************
12 49 07.8 -11
24 46
V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 50d
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, thin edge-on 5:1 SW-NE. A mag 12 star lies 2' W of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4700 = H III-524 = h1438 = h3426 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and
noted "cF, 4' long and 3/4' broad." His position matches
******************************
12 49 11.6 +03
23 19
V = 12.4; Size 2.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 45d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval SW-NE, weakly
concentrated. A small trio of mag
13 stars lie 3.5' N (closest pair 21" separation).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4701 = H II-578 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and noted "F,
S." His position matches UGC
7975.
******************************
NGC 4702 = NGC
4692 = UGC 7967 = MCG +05-30-086 = CGCG 159-078 = PGC 43200
12 47 55.3 +27
13 20
See observing
notes for NGC 4692.
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4702 on 4 Mar 1867 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen
and described (Latin translation from Corwin) as "Doubtless a very small,
very much compressed cluster."
There is nothing at his position but exactly 1 min of RA west is NGC
4692. d'Arrest observed and
measured this galaxy on two nights, but not on the night he logged NGC
4702. So, Corwin identifies NGC
4702 = NGC 4692.
******************************
12 49 19.0 -09
06 31
V = 13.7; Size 3.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 156d
18"
(4/9/05): very faint edge-on, 4:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.25', low even surface
brightness. Located 8' NE of mag
7.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4703 = H III-514 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and recorded
"eF, vS, E." His
position is 5 sec of RA east and 1' south of
******************************
12 48 46.4 +41
55 16
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105d
18"
(3/30/05): faint, fairly small, round, fairly low surface brightness with only
a very slightly brighter core which seems offset from the geometric
center. Located 6.4' SE of mag 8.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4704 = H II-662 = h1439 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded
"F, S, R, bM." JH made
two additional observations.
******************************
12 49 25.1 -05
11 46
V = 12.8; Size 3.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 125d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, brighter
middle but no core. A mag 14.5
star is involved at the east edge 0.9' SE of center. Located 5' SSW of mag 8.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4705 = H III-610 = h1440 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted
"cF, pL, E." JH made a
single observation, though his RA is 17 sec too large. Henrich d'Arrest made two observations
and measured an accurate position (given in the NGC).
******************************
NGC 4706 = ESO
323-001 = MCG -07-26-055 = LGG 308-001 = PGC 43411
12 49 54.1 -41
16 47
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 24d
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2
SSW-NNE. Fairly well concentrated
with a bright 15" core. The
halo increases in size to 0.7'x0.4' with averted vision. Located 6.4' NNW of brighter
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small, oval SSW-NNE, low surface brightness. Located 6.4' NNW of NGC 4709 and 12'
ENE of brightest member NGC 4696 in the central portion of the Centaurus
cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4706 = h3427 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; vS; R; psbM;
10"." His position
is 1' southeast of E323-001 = PGC 43411.
******************************
12 48 23.2 +51
09 48
V = 12.9; Size 2.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 25d
18" (3/30/05):
very unusual appearance to this magellanic spiral as all I could detect was a
moderately large (~1.5') very low surface brightness glow with no concentration
surrounding what appeared to be a mag 13 star.
On the DSS image
the galaxy is mostly offset to the west side of the star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4707 = H III-815 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted
"small, stellar neb."
His position (CH's reduction) is 20 tsec east and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 4708 = MCG
-02-33-016 = Holm 463a = PGC 43382
12 49 41.5 -11
05 35
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 55d
18"
(4/9/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE,
~0.9'x0.7'. The surface brightness
is irregular and the elongation sometimes changes orientation using averted
vision. NGC 4700 lies 21' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4708 = H III-722 on 11 Mar 1788 (sweep 819) and logged "F,
S, E." His position is 1'
south of
******************************
NGC 4709 = ESO
323-003 = MCG -07-26-056 = LGG 305-006 = PGC 43423
12 50 03.8 -41
22 56
V = 10.9; Size 2.4'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 112d
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, fairly small,
irregularly round, 0.8'x0.7' diameter.
This member of the Centaurus Cluster has a symmetrical appearance and
steadily increases to a small, bright core and quasi-stellar nucleus. NGC 4706 lies 6.4' NNW and
NGC 4709 is
located 14' ESE of NGC 4696 in the core of the Centaurus cluster with many
faint galaxies within 10'. It is
the brightest member in a subgroup called Cen 45 with a significantly higher
recessional velocities, though these galaxies may be streaming and merging with
the main cluster.
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W. Four mag 12-13 stars forming a
parallelogram are roughly 4' NE.
Located 15' ESE of NGC 4696 within the core of the Centaurus cluster
(AGC 3526) and the second brightest member. Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4709 = h3428 on 7 May 1826 and recorded "pB; R; gbM;
30"." (More nebulae hereabouts.)" His position is 1' too far northeast. JH attributed the discovery to James
Dunlop. Dunlop's position for D
511 is 6.7' southeast of NGC 4709, though his description "pretty large
faint nebula." seems more appropriate for NGC 4696, which is 12' northwest
of Dunlop's position.
******************************
12 49 38.8 +15
09 55
V = 11.0; Size 4.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 27d
18"
(5/14/07): bright, fairly large edge-on, nearly 7:1 SSW-NNE, ~3.5'x0.5' with
tapered extensions. The core is
small and round, ~25" in diameter.
The galaxy is irregular in surface brightness and mottled with a
brighter knot near the NNE end. A
dust lane appears to slash across the galaxy to the NE of the core. A mag 13 star lies 1.5' E of the core.
17.5"
(5/14/94): beautiful edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE (PA 30°), bright bulging core. Distinctly mottled with an irregular
surface brightness and clearly brighter along the NNE extension. A mag 13 star is 1.4' E of center. At 280x, the dimensions are 3.5'x0.6' and
the galaxy appears to have a sharper light cut-off along the preceding edge
possibly due to dust. Very mottled
with a couple of bright and dark patches along the major axis.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4710 = H II-95 = h1441 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"pB, vmE. The direction of
extent is nearly in the meridian or perhaps about 5 or more degree sp and
nf." His position was poor,
but JH observed the galaxy twice, noting "vB; vmE; pos = 28.5° by
micrometer; bM; 90" long" and measured an accurate position.
A total of 12
observations were made at Birr Castle.
On 16 Feb 1855, R.J. Mitchell wrote "vB ray, a dark band across on
each side of nucleus, separating it from the extremities." The dark lane was commented on in each
observation. On 13 Apr 1876,
Dreyer logged "cB, pL, bM, no very defined Nucl, E 28.2°, about 230"
long. On both side of Nucl are
dark bands. The n end of neb is
brighter than s one and the maximum of brightness is about 40" from the
end. Maximum in s part is nearer
the nucleus. Centre looks a little
oval with higher power."
******************************
NGC 4711 = UGC
7973 = MCG +06-28-033 = CGCG 188-022 = IC 3804 = PGC 43286
12 48 45.9 +35
19 58
V = 13.4; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 40d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broad weak
concentration. NGC 4687 lies 17'
W. Located 6.2' W of a mag 7.8
star.
17.5":
fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, gradually brighter halo. Located 6.2' WNW of mag 7.7
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Located 7' W of mag 8 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4711 = H II-412 = h1443 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded
"F, S, E, er." His
position is only 4 sec of RA east of
Max Wolf found
the galaxy on a Heidelberg plate on 21 Mar 1903, assumed it was new, and Dreyer
recatalogued it as
******************************
12 49 34.2 +25
28 12
V = 12.8; Size 2.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 160d
13.1"
(5/26/84): faint, diffuse, very elongated ~N-S, even surface brightness. Located 11.9' WSW of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4712 = h1442 on 28 Mar 1832 and noted "vF; pL." His position matches
On 9 Mar 1850,
George Stoney or LdR logged NGC 4725 as "another spiral. Another neb 15' p." The other nebula is NGC 4712,
though it was assumed to be new and received the designation GC 3241 (LdR
nova). Dreyer combined the two GC
designations in the NGC. R.J.
Mitchell sketched the galaxy on 17 Feb 1855 (included in LdR's 1861 monograph).
******************************
12 49 57.8 +05
18 39
V = 11.7; Size 2.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100d
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly bright, fairly large, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is 2.5' SE and a
brighter mag 11.5 star 3.2' SSE.
Located 11' NE of mag 7.4
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4713 = H I-140 = h1444 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded
"cB, pL, mbM." JH made 4 observations and recorded (sweep 153)
"pB; L; lE; 60" l, 50" br; two stars sf; 2' dist."
******************************
12 50 19.2 -13
19 28
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 150d
18"
(5/16/09): moderately bright, moderately large, very bright core
20"x15" surrounded by a much fainter elongated halo elongated
NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.6'.
18"
(5/28/06): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, fairly high surface
brightness. Even concentration to
center with a fairly faint stellar nucleus. Located 18' SSW of mag 7.3
18"
(4/9/05): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. There appears to be a small, much
fainter envelope so my description probably applies to a sharply concentrated
core with a very low surface brightness halo.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4714 = H III-536 = h1445 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and noted
"eF, stellar." His
position matches
******************************
12 49 57.8 +27
49 20
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 20d
18"
(5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, weak even
concentration to a small brighter core.
A mag 13/14.5 double at 28" separation lies 4' S. Outlying member of
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4715 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
twice) matches
******************************
12 50 33.1 -09
27 04
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 80d
18"
(4/9/05): fairly faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. Forms a double system with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4716 = T V-19, along with NGC 4717, on 12 Apr 1882 with the
11-inch Amici I refractor at Arcetri Observatory near Florence. His description in the main table reads
"Double nebula; the position is that of the brighter, north preceding [NGC
4716], has a definite stellar nucleus.
The small, fainter companion [NGC 4717] follows by 1 sec and is barely
3/4' south. A star 11-12m is 2' north." His micrometric position is an exact match with MCG
-01-33-021 = PGC 43464.
******************************
NGC 4717 = MCG
-01-33-023 = KTS 46C = LGG 312-002 = Holm 466a = PGC 43467
12 50 34.4 -09
27 47
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 12d
18"
(4/9/05): faint, fairly small, elongated N-S, 0.7'x0.3'. Forms an 0.8' double system with NGC
4716 off the north side. MCG
-01-33-022, a low surface brightness edge-on, lies 3.5' S (not noticed).
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4717 = T V-19, along with NGC 4716, on 12 Apr 1882 . See his description under NGC 4716.
******************************
NGC 4718 = MCG
-01-33-020 = PGC 43463
12 50 32.6 -05
16 56
V = 13.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 95d
17.5"
(4/4/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, low even surface brightness,
collinear with a mag 13.5 star 2.9' W and mag 12 star 2.0' E. NGC 4718 lies 19' WNW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4718 = h1446 on 19 Feb 1830 and logged "eF; vS; between 2
stars 5' asunder." His
position and description matches
******************************
12 50 08.7 +33
09 33
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5":
faint, small, round, sharp stellar nucleus, small halo.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4719 = H III-424 = h1448 on 3 May 1785 (sweep 407) and noted
"vF, stellar or a little larger." His position (CH's reduction) is 2.5' southeast of
******************************
12 50 42.7 -04
09 21
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 120d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration, fairly high even
surface brightness. Located 3.7'
SW of a mag 10 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4720 = H III-611 = h1447 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted
"Suspected, vF, S. I did not
stop to verify it."
Nevertheless, his position is accurate and was verified on 11 Mar 1787
(sweep 709).
******************************
12 50 19.9 +27
19 26
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 114d
18"
(4/10/04): faint, small edge-on WNW-ESE, 0.6'x0.2', very small brighter
nucleus. Forms a pair with
brighter NGC 4721, 6.8' NNE. A mag
11 star lies 3.6' NNE, midway between NGC 4721 and
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4721 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single measurement
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4722 = MCG
-02-33-031 = IC 3833 = PGC 43560
12 51 32.3 -13
19 48
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d
18"
(5/16/09): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.5'. Contains a round bright core that
increases to the center with direct vision.
17.5"
(3/16/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.4', small
bright core. A mag 14 star lies
1.1' E of center. In field with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4722, along with
Bigourdan
independently discovered this galaxy on 15 Apr 1895 and reported it as
******************************
NGC 4723 = MCG
-02-33-026 = Holm 471a = PGC 43508 = PGC 43510
12 51 02.9 -13
14 13
V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 40d
18"
(5/15/10): at 220x appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 20"
diameter, requires averted to glimpse and too faint for any noticeable
structure. A mag 15 star lies
34" NW. Located 9' NW of NGC
4722 and 12' NE of NGC 4714.
18"
(5/16/09): not seen.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4723, along with NGC 4722, in 1882, and reported it in the
narrative portion of paper V (AN 2439). He simply noted "Following [NGC
4714] are two class III nebulae that I sketched, but could not yet
measure." One of these is
likely IC 3833 = PGC 43560, which is 1.2 min of RA following NGC 4714, and NGC
4722 is equated with this galaxy.
Herbert Howe could only find this object when he searched the field, so
the identification of the second galaxy is very uncertain.
One possibility
is the second galaxy is
The
identification here is the one used in the NGC and PGC, but as Harold Corwin
comments "It's clear, though, that we do not (yet) know which nebulae
Tempel found."
******************************
12 50 53.8 -14
19 54
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 95d
18"
(5/16/09): faint, very small, round, faint stellar nucleus (or a star is
superimposed). Forms a contact
pair off the west side of brighter
18"
(4/9/05): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Contains a faint, quasi-stellar
nucleus. Located just off the west
side of larger and brighter NGC 4727!
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4724 = H III-280 = h1449 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded
"About half a minute preceding [NGC 4727] is a vS star which I strongly
suspect to be stellar, but could not verify it with 240." His position is
on NGC 4727. JH made the single
observation "F; R: the np of two, 1' distant."
******************************
NGC 4725 = UGC
7989 = MCG +04-30-022 = CGCG 129-027 = Holm 468a = PGC 43451
12 50 26.3 +25
30 03
V = 9.4; Size 10.7'x7.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 35d
18"
(5/12/07): very impressive spiral structure visible. Two arms emerge from the very bright oval core. One arm is
attached at the northeast end of the core and sweeps to the north before
hooking back to the west. Three
faint stars are superimposed along this arm. A second broader arm is attached at the southwest end of the
core. This arms heads south before
hooking towards the east. Both
arms have brighter patches or arcs near the ends of the major axis.
13.1"
(5/26/84): very bright, impressive, very small bright core, elongated SW-NE,
large halo. Structure is suspected
with the WSW edge possibly brighter.
NGC 4712 lies 12' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4725 = H I-84 = h1451 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded
"cB, iR, 7 or 8' the longest way, the brightness confined to a small spot;
the rest being milky nebulosity."
Spiral structure
was discovered at Birr Castle and NGC 4725 was included in the list of
"Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in LdR's 1850 PT paper. On 9 Mar 1850, Johnstone Stoney noted
"Another spiral". The
following February, Bindon Stoney logged "Spiral, 2 arms and some stars in
following arm." AOn 15
Apr 1858, R.J. Mitchell wrote "vL and vB. The centre itself it like an E neb with Nucl; the centre is
enveloped is an irr ring or rings of nebulous light as in the accompaning rude
sketch, which does not contain all the details. On 3 May 1858, he added "The surrounding ring of
nebulosity is of irregular shape, it curves gently at delta (south preceding
end) but bends more sharply at gamma (north following end), where it is
brightest. The centre seems to reach up to and to blend with the nebulosity at
delta."
******************************
12 50 46.1 -14
16 07
Size
1.0'x0.2'; PA = 76d
18"
(5/16/09): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated,
15"x12". Based on this
description I only viewed the core region of this thin edge-on. Located 1.2' SSE of a mag 12 star and
4.5' NW of the NGC 4724/4727 duo.
The identification of this NGC number is uncertain and most other
sources equate it with
IC 3834 appeared
faint, small, round, low even surface brightness. A mag 15 star lies 43" W of center. Located 11' NE of the NGC 4727/4724
pair.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4726 in 1882. In
the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he mentions "4' further
north of the beautiful double nebula [NGC 4724/4727] is a fainter
companion." Dreyer's position
is 4' north of the midpoint of NGC 4724 and 4727.
Herbert Howe
searched unsuccessfully for this object at the NGC position in 1899 with the
20-inch refractor in Denver. But
on two nights he measured an object which I assumed was NGC 4726. His position (repeated in the IC
2 Notes) matches IC 3834 = PGC 43559, a much brighter galaxy discovered by
Bigourdan on 14 Apr 1895 and recorded as B. 303. This galaxy is nearly 11' northeast of NGC 4724/4727, so
certainly is not the object mentioned by Tempel. But based on Dreyer's erroneous "corrected"
position, modern catalogues (with the exception of NED) identify IC 3834 as NGC
4726.
******************************
NGC 4727 = NGC
4740: = MCG -02-33-023 = Holm 470a = PGC 43499
12 50 57.2 -14
19 58
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d
18"
(5/16/09): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 0.7'x0.5',
broad, weak concentration with no core but contains a quasi-stellar brighter
nucleus with direct vision. Forms
a close contact pair with NGC 4724 barely off the west side.
18"
(4/9/05): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.8'x0.6', broad
concentration with a slightly irregular surface brightness though no defined
core or nucleus. Forms a close,
striking pair with NGC 4724 just 50" between centers. The V magnitude appears brighter than
listed (13.6).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4727 = H II-298 = h1450, along with NGC 4724, on 8 Feb 1785
(sweep 372) and recorded "F, pL, lbM." His position is a very good match with the brighter, eastern
component of this close pair. JH
made a single observation, noting "F; R; the sf and brighter of 2, dist
1'."
******************************
NGC 4728 = MCG
+05-30-098 = CGCG 159-087 = Holm 469a = PGC 43455
12 50 28.0 +27
26 05
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 108d
18"
(4/10/04): faint, small, round, 20" diameter, no noticeable
concentration. Forms the north
vertex of a thin triangle with a mag 11 star 3.3' S and a mag 13 star 3.8' SSW. Another 3.6' S of the mag 11 star is
NGC 4721 (6.8' SSW). Located 18'
WSW of mag 4.9 31 Comae Berenices and a similar distance ESE of mag 5.8 30
Comae!
17.5"
(3/20/93): faint, small, round, even surface brightness. A mag 11 star is 3.3' SSW. This outlying member of AGC 1656 forms
a trio with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4728 on 3 Mar 1867 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured on two consecutive nights, is accurate. This is the brightest of three with
(R)NGC 4728A = UGC 7992 at 2.2' ESE and (R)
******************************
12 51 46.2 -41
07 57
V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small, oval NW-SE.
A mag 13 star is 1.0' N.
Forms a close pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4729 = h3430, along with NGC 4730 = h3431, on 8 Jun 1834. He only gave a single approximate position
(nearest min of RA and nearest min of dec, both marked as +/-), although he
mentions in his observation of
MCG does not
label its two entries as NGC 4729 and 4730. RNGC misidentifies
******************************
NGC 4730 = ESO
323-017 = MCG -07-27-003 = PGC 43611
12 52 00.5 -41
08 49
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small. A
star lies off the south edge.
Forms a close pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4730 = h3431, along with NGC 4729 = h3430, on 8 Jun 1834. See notes for NGC 4729.
******************************
NGC 4731 = MCG
-01-33-026 = UGCA 302 = Holm 472a = LGG 314-005 = PGC 43507
12 51 01.0 -06
23 33
V = 11.5; Size 6.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 85d
48"
(4/2/11): this is an amazing stretched barred spiral with a long, thin central
bar oriented NW-SE and long extensions (spiral arms) at the northwest end
gently curving west, along with one at the southeast end of the bar extending
east. The entire galaxy forms a
very distinctive integral sign outline, stretching 5' E-W! The bar is very bright and very
elongated, ~4:1 NW-SE, 1.6'x0.4'.
The arm on the east side is slightly brighter and longer. It seems to fan out and become patchy
near the end. A 15th magnitude
star is at or just beyond the tip.
The western arm curves gradually to the south and faint haze extends
from the arm to the south increasing the total size. A mag 14 star is just south of the bar and a small triangle
of fainter stars is north of the bar.
A faint, very small HII knot (NGC 4731:[HK83] 21/22) is squeezed between
the triangle of stars and the bar.
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration, diffuse. A mag 10.5 star is 4' N. Pair with NGC 4731A 10' NNW.
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly faint, large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, low even surface
brightness. A mag 14 star is just
south of the nucleus. Forms a pair
with NGC 4731A = MCG -01-33-027 10.5' SSE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4731 = H I-41 = h1452 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded
"B, L, lbM, irr figure, resolvable." JH made the single observation
"vF; pL; E; third class; sky perfectly clear and fine." His position is accurate although
Dreyer was concerned about the discrepant descriptions and positions. In the IC I notes he remarked "H
in 1784 described it as "lbM" not "sb M: as in GC. There has apparently not been any change;
it is diffused, without concentration.
The RA in NGC [from JH] is correct (Armagh, 2 observations)."
******************************
NGC 4732 = UGC
7988 = MCG +09-21-053 = CGCG 270-026 = PGC 43430
12 50 07.1 +52
51 00
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 8d
18"
(7/1/03): faint, small, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.6'x0.3'. Contains a large, brighter middle with
faint extensions. A mag 12 star
lies 2.3' ENE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4732 = H II-814 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "F, S,
very suddenly mbM." CH's
reduced position is 2.5' north of
******************************
12 51 06.8 +10
54 43
V = 11.8; Size 1.9'x1.8'
17.5"
(3/28/92): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, weak
concentration. A mag 13.5-14 star
is 30" off the west edge and 1' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4733 = H II-73 = h1453 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted
"F, not vS." JH made 5
observations, recording on sweep 22 "F; R: has a * 12m immediately
p."
******************************
12 51 12.9 +04
51 32
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 145d
18"
(4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.5' diameter, weak
concentration. Appears brighter on the north edge or the core is asymmetrical
on the north side. Located 33' NE
of NGC 4713.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4734 = h1454 on 7 Apr 1828 and noted "vF; vS; R." His position is good.
******************************
12 51 01.7 +28
55 40
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 95d
17.5"
(5/14/94): faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, 0.6'x0.3', very little central
brightening. The major axis is
collinear with a mag 13.5 star 2.2' W of center which has a mag 15
companion. On line with mag 8.5
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4735 = Big 56 on 9 May 1885. His position is accurate.
******************************
12 50 53.0 +41
07 12
V = 8.2; Size 11.2'x9.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 105d
13.1"
(4/12/86): very bright, very impressive, fairly large, oval WNW-ESE, very
bright core containing a stellar nucleus.
Pierre Méchain
discovered M94 = NGC 4736 = h1456 on 22 Mar 1781. William Herschel recorded (sweep 717 on 18 Mar 1787)
"very brilliant. A large,
luminous nucleus of more than 20" diameter with faint chevulure and
branches extending 6 or 8'."
Again on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725), he logged "Very brilliant, with
much F nebulosity on the sp and more on the following side." JH published 6 observations and noted
on sweep 150 "vB; R; psvmbM to a nipple; with 240, r; glimpses of stars
seen. A fine object. 90" or 2' in diam."
Bindon Stoney
reported it as a new spiral in his observation at Birr Castle on 9 Apr
1852. On 13 Apr 1855, R.J.
Mitchell logged "vlE pf, dark ring round the nucleus, the bright ring
exterior to this. The annulus,
however, is not perfect, but broken up and patchy, and the object will probably
run out to be a spiral.
******************************
12 50 52.9 +34
09 24
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5":
faint, very small, slightly elongated brighter core, faint stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4737 = H III-496 = h1457 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded
"eF, vS, pmE."
******************************
NGC 4738 = UGC
7999 = MCG +05-30-103 = CGCG 159-092 = FGC 1510 = PGC 43517
12 51 08.9 +28
47 17
V = 13.4; Size 2.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 34d
17.5"
(5/14/94): faint, small, very thin edge-on 6:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.2', slightly
brighter along major axis. Forms a
very close pair with a mag 14.5 star 50" SE of center. NGC 4735 lies 8.6' NNW. Forms the vertex of an isosceles
triangle with mag 8.4 SAO 82534 4.9' NNE and mag 9 SAO 82535 5.7' ENE.
Bindon Stoney,
LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4738 = Big 57 on 1 Mar 1851 and simply noted
"nova, Nucl, E" and gave a rough position. Guillaume Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on
9 Mar 1885 and noted "elongated in PA 30°." The NGC position from Bigourdan is accurate.
******************************
12 51 37.1 -08
24 37
V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly faint, fairly small, round, gradual central brightening,
possibly contains faint stellar nucleus.
Located 10' NW of mag 8.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4739 = H III-515 = h1455 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and reported
"vF, S, E." His position
is at the southeast edge of
******************************
NGC 4740 = NGC
4727: = MCG -02-33-023 = PGC 43499
12 50 57.2 -14
19 58
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d
See observing
notes for NGC 4727.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4740 = Sw VI-49 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "pF; pS; R;
mbM." There is nothing at
this position, but 50 sec of RA west is NGC 4727 and this relatively bright
galaxy is a good match in description.
The closest galaxy to Swift's position, though, is IC 3834, which is
located 6' north and 14 sec of RA preceding. So, there are two possible candidates.
Herbert Howe,
examining the area in 1899 with the 20-inch refractor at the Chamberlin
Observatory in Denver, commented "I cannot see anything in the NGC place
for NGC 4740. Under date of 1899
August 9 Dr. Swift writes, in reply to a query: "I have examined the
record of 4740, and find that it was made 1887 April 27, with position 12 46,
-13 41. The right ascension is for
1890, the declination for date of discovery. I have no recollection about it." This position agrees so well with NGC
4726 that I assume them to be identical." But Howe couldn't find NGC 4726 at Tempel's location 4' north of NGC 4724/4727 but found IC
3834, which he assumed was NGC 4726.
Malcolm Thomson
feels NGC 4740 is IC 3834, but Harold Corwin argues that NGC 4740 is more
likely a duplicate observation of NGC 4727.
******************************
12 50 59.5 +47
40 17
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 165d
18"
(7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, broad
concentration. Form the west
vertex of an equilateral triangle with sides ~3' with a mag 14 star to the NE
and a mag 12.5 star to the SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4741 = H III-721 = h1458 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted
"vF, S." JH made the
single observation "vF; R; psbM" and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 51 48.0 -10
27 17
V = 11.3; Size 2.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 75d
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, small, bright stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 1.3' SE of
center. Situated 9' SE of ∑1682, a
bright unequal double star with components 6.4/9.7 at 30". In a group with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4742 = H I-133 = h3432 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and logged
"cB, vS, BN." His
position matches
******************************
12 52 16.0 -41
23 26
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 176d
17.5"
(4/7/89): very faint, small, elongated N-S. Located 15' S of NGC 4729 and NGC 4744 within the Centaurus
cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4743 = h3429 on 8 Jun 1834 and logged "F; R; gbM." His
position is accurate, though MCG does not label its entry (
******************************
NGC 4744 = ESO
323-022 = MCG -07-27-006 = LGG 298-019 = PGC 43661
12 52 19.5 -41
03 37
V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 122d
17.5"
(4/7/89): extremely faint, small, very low surface brightness. Third of three and located about 7' NE
of the NGC 4729/NGC 4730 pair within the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4744 = h3433 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L; E; gbM; has
two more nebulae preceding, a little to south [NGC 4729 and 4730]." His
position is is just off the southeast side of
******************************
NGC 4745 = MCG
+05-30-105A = CGCG 159-094 = Holm 474a = PGC 43539
12 51 26.1 +27
25 16
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.8'
17.5"
(5/14/94): faint, small, round, well-defined edge to halo, no
concentration. A mag 14 star is
1.4' ENE of center. The view is
hampered by 31 Comae Berenices (V = 4.9) located 8.0' NNE and mag 9
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4745 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His mean position on two nights is at the northeast edge of CGCG
159-094 = PGC 43539. The RC3 mag
=15.1V appears too faint.
******************************
12 51 55.2 +12
04 59
V = 12.6; Size 3.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 120d
17.5"
(3/28/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, weak
concentration with no well-defined nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 3.5' WSW and a mag 13 star is 2.3' N of
center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4746 = h1460 on 29 Mar 1830 and logged "pB; mE; r.' His position is just off the south side
of
******************************
12 51 45.5 +25
46 30
V = 12.3; Size 3.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 30d
13.1"
(5/26/84): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 3'x1',
diffuse, low even surface brightness.
Located 22' NE of NGC 4725.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4747 = H II-344 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "F; pL;
lE." CH's reduction is 1' south of
******************************
NGC 4748 = MCG
-02-33-034 = PGC 43643
12 52 12.6 -13
24 49
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(3/16/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, very small bright
core. Located 3' NNW of a mag 10
star. Pair with similar NGC 4722
11' NW. Appears double on the POSS
with smaller component at the north side.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4748 = H III-537 = h1459 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and noted
" vF, vS, iF." His
position is less than 1' south of
******************************
NGC 4749 = UGC
8006 = MCG +12-12-020 = CGCG 335-026 = LGG 303-002 = PGC 43527
12 51 12.4 +71
38 05
V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 158d
18" (6/28/03):
fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 0.8'x0.3', brighter
core. A distinctive
"kite" asterism of mag 12-13 stars is close NW. Four mag 8-9 stars are in the 20' field
around the periphery including mag 7.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4749 = H III-907 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted "vF,
E from np to sf, about 1 1/2' long and 1/2' br." His RA (CH's reduction) is ~ 1.0 tmin too small. Bigourdan measured an accurate position
used in the NGC.
******************************
12 50 07.2 +72
52 28
V = 11.2; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.5
18"
(5/8/04): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, 1.4'x1.2', well
concentrated with a prominent 30" core which increases to a distinct
stellar nucleus with direct vision.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4750 = H IV-78 = h1463 on 8 Nov 1801 (sweep 1101) and recorded
"cB, R, bM, about 1 1/2' diam.
Somewhat approaching to a planetary nebula, with a strong hazy
border." JH (probably working
with his father's description) made the single observation "pF; L; R;
40"; the central portion up to diam 30" is nearly uniform, so as to
give an approach to th appearance of a planetary nebula." His position is accurate.
******************************
12 52 50.7 -42
39 36
V = 11.8; Size 3.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 175d
18"
(3/28/09): this member of AGC 3526 appeared fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.5', small bright core. Located on the SE side of AGC 3526 (Centaurus cluster) 1.5
degrees SE of NGC 4696 and 30' NW of mag 5.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4751 = h3434 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "B; R; first vg,
then vsbM; 50"." His
position matches
******************************
12 51 29.1 +13
46 55
Size
0.9'x0.3'; PA = 154d
18"
(5/12/07): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.3'x0.2', visible
continuously with averted vision.
Located 43' SE of 5.7-magnitude 29 Coma. The NGC identification with this galaxy is very uncertain
due to a poor position by William Herschel.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4752 = H III-82 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and recorded
"vF, S, E, r." There is
nothing near his position -- 4.05 min of RA east and 15' south of NGC 4689. Bigourdan searched unsuccessfully for
this object.
Harold Corwin
suggests that NGC 4752 may refer to
******************************
12 52 22.0 -01
11 58
V = 9.9; Size 6.0'x2.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 80d
18"
(5/28/06): very bright, very large, the halo increases to a large bright
core. The halo appears irregular
in shape with averted vision with a strong impression of a low surface
brightness extension on the southeast side and a less-defined extension to the
northwest. On images, this
distorted galaxy has very unusual chaotic, twisted dust lanes and disc, with a
much fainter outer halo inclined to the main body.
17.5"
(4/21/90): bright, large, oval 2:1 E-W, the halo brightens down to a small very
bright core. Overall, an
impressive galaxy. Mag 9 SAO
139015 lies 8' ESE and mag 7.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4753 = H I-16 = h1461 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded
"a fine nebula, brightest in the M; pL; 4 or 5' extent. It is not quite R, but a little
compressed. The middle though vB
does not resemble the nucleus of a comet." JH made a single obervation and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
12 52 17.5 +11
18 50
V = 10.6; Size 4.6'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d
17.5"
(4/13/91): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated halo SSW-NNE, 3'
diameter. Sharply concentrated
with a very bright small round core containing a substellar nucleus. Located in the center of a group of six
faint mag 14 stars. A brighter mag
11 star lies 3.1' SW of center.
Forms a pretty pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4754 = H I-25 = H II-74 = h1462 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and
noted "B, S, in a line with two stars. CH's reduced position is 18 tsec preceding
JH made four
observations (noting the equivalence of I-25 and II-74) and six observations
were made at Birr Castle.
******************************
12 53 37 -60 21
24
V = 4.2; Size 10'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, 120-150 stars are resolved in the Jewel Box
cluster with careful viewing as a huge number of mag 13-14 stars form a rich
carpet in the background of a half-dozen very bright stars in the cluster. Most prominent is a string of three
6-7th magnitude stars including orange-red DU Crucis (V = 7.2-7.7) with the
brightest stars forming a letter "A" asterism. The star distribution
is very irregular and a number of stars are arranged in strings, loops, pair
and triplets. This small naked-eye
cluster is just north of the Coalsack and roughly one degree SE of mag 1.3
Mimosa (Beta Crucis).
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): the Jewel Box cluster is a beautiful, naked-eye
cluster about a degree SE of Beta Crucis.
At 186x, the cluster includes a half-dozen very bright stars (mag 6-7.5)
set over a rich background of scores of mag 9-13 stars within a compact 10'
diameter. A line of three mag 6-7
crosses the center of cluster from NW to SE with a striking orange-red star (DU
Crucis = SAO 252073) near the center.
Other stars have blue-white and yellow-whites tints, though these are
more subdued. To the south of the
cluster is the remarkable 6°x4° oval dark Coalsack which sits adjacent to the
SE side of the Southern Cross.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 4755 = Lac II-12 = D 301 = h3435 in 1751-1752, during
his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope.
James Dunlop described
"(Kappa Crucis, Bode) is five stars of the 7th magnitude, forming a
triangular figure, and a star of the 9th magnitude between the second and the
third, with a multitude of very small stars on the south side."
JH first
observed the cluster on 14 Mar 1834 and recorded "the central star
(extremely red) of a most vivid and beautiful cluster of from 50 to 100 stars.
Among the larger there are one or two evidently greenish; south of the red star
is one 13th mag, also red; and near it is one 12th mag, bluish." In preparation for his meticulous
sketch of the cluster, he drew up a catalogue of 110 stars, accompanied by the
following explanation: "Though set down by Lacaille as nebulous, and on
that authority entered as a nebula in Bode's Catalogue, no nebula is
perceptible in any part of the extent of this cluster, which though neither a
large nor a rich one, is yet an extremely brilliant and beautiful object when
viewed through an instrument of sufficient aperture to show distinctly the very
different colour of its constituent stars, which give it the effect of a superb
piece of fancy jewelery. The area occupied by it is about one-forty-eighth part
of a square degree, within which area I have laid down, partly from micrometric
measures (as regards the large stars) and partly from intertriangulation by the
eye (as respects the small ones) the stars (110 in number) of the following
catalogue." JH listed eight stars in which the "colour is
conspicuous"; 3 are described as "greenish-white, 2 are green, 1
blue-green, 1 red and 1 ruddy.
******************************
12 52 52.6 -15
24 48
V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 50d
18"
(5/28/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7', broad
mild concentration. A mag 14.5-15
star is at the NE edge. Brightest in a cluster superimposed on
18"
(4/29/06): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:3 SW-NE, 1.3'x0.8',
broad concentration. Brightest
galaxy in a galaxy group superimposed on AGC 1631 and situtated near the center
of the cluster. Several faint
galaxies are visible in the field including a trio ~8' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4756 = H III-281 = h1464 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted
"vF, pS, resolvable."
CH's reduction is less than 2' southwest of
******************************
12 52 50.0 -10
18 37
V = 14.3; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 58d
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, small, round. An
extremely faint star is at the NW edge.
Forms a pair with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4757, along with NGC 4766, in 1882. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he
mentions finding two nebulae about 10' north of Winnecke's GC 5674 [NGC 4760]. Although no positions are given here,
they were probably measured and communicated later to Dreyer, as the NGC
position is 1.6' south of
******************************
12 52 44.1 +15
50 54
V = 13.1; Size 3.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160d
18"
(5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly large, very elongated ~3:1 NNW-SSE,
2.2'x0.6'. Fairly low surface
brightness, but appears irregular or slightly mottled. A mag 14 star is 40" N of center,
just off the eastern flank.
Located 17' SSE of mag 6.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4758 = H III-70 = h1465 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted
"vF, not S." CH's
reduced position is 6 sec of RA too far west. JH made three observations and his mean position matches UGC
8014.
******************************
12 53 05.2 -09 12
08
V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.8'
18"
(6/17/06): NGC 4759 is a striking double system consisting of the two brightest
members of
17.5"
(4/13/96): the brightest object in HCG 62 is a double system with southeast
component
17.5"
(5/17/90): double system consisting of NW component
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4759 = H II-559 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and simply noted
"F, S". His position
corresponds with this double system.
JH resolved the pair and assigned them two designations - h3437 = NGC
4776 and h3438 = NGC 4778, although his RA was 1.0 tmin too large. In the GC, JH equated II-559 with h3437
(assuming his father's position was poor).
Heinrich
d'Arrest measured an accurate position with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen
on 30 Mar 1867 and noted a mag 10 star 1.5' south and 1-2 tsec precding, but
only saw a single (unresolved) nebula.
Wilhelm Tempel, later using an 11-inch refractor at Arcetri Observatory,
confirmed d'Arrest's position but described it as double. Dreyer gave II-559 = NGC 4759 a
separate (accurate) designation in the NGC, noting it as double, assuming
II-559 must be different from JH's pair.
RNGC and MCG
misidentify the components of the double system as NGC 4759 and NGC 4761, while
ESGC identifies the pair as NGC 4776 and 4778.
******************************
NGC 4760 = MCG
-02-33-041 = PGC 43763
12 53 07.3 -10
29 40
V = 11.4; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 10d
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, moderately large, fairly weak broad
concentration, irregularly round.
Located between mag 8.7
August Winnecke
discovered NGC 4760 on 30 Mar 1876 with a 6.5" refractor at
Strausberg. The NGC position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4761 =
(R)NGC 4764 = MCG -01-33-039 = HCG 62C = Holm 477b = PGC 43768
12 53 09.8 -09
11 52
V = 13.8; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 80d
18"
(6/17/06): faint, small, this small spindle in HCG 62 is elongated 3:1 N-S,
30"x10". Contains a
faint stellar nucleus with direct vision.
Located just 1' following the double system NGC 4759.
17.5"
(4/13/96):
17.5"
(5/17/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. Located 1' ENE of the double system NGC
4759. Fourth of four in a group.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4761, along with NGC 4764, in March 1882 and reported it in list
V, near NGC 4776 and 4778. The NGC
description reads "eF, eS, 1' f D neb II 559 [NGC 4759]". As Tempel didn't
mention any direction in the AN paper, this information must have been
communicated directly to Dreyer.
At his position, is
RNGC and MCG
mislabel this galaxy NGC 4764 and also misidentify the eastern component of NGC
4759 as NGC 4761. The identifications
are discussed in Malcolm Thomson's "Catalogue Corrections" as well as
in Harold Corwin's NGC identifcation notes.
******************************
NGC 4762 = UGC
8016 = MCG +02-33-033 = CGCG 071-065 = Holm 478a = PGC 43733
12 52 55.9 +11
13 50
V = 10.3; Size 8.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 32d
48"
(4/4/13): extremely bright, stunning thin edge-on SW-NE, ~6.0'x0.6'. An extremely thin bright streak extends
along the major axis, brightening at the center to a remarkably bright core and
stellar nucleus. Beyond the tips
of the very high surface portion of the edge-on disc, the galaxy has diffuse
extensions at both ends that flare out and appear like water being sprayed out
the end of a hose. The extensions
increase the length to at least 8'.
The bright disc has a sharp edge, particularly on the west side, but a
low surface brightness glow is visible on both sides, increasing the width to
at least 1' and the overall dimensions to 8'x1'. The southern side of the galaxy is flanked by two mag 9.5 stars
and a mag 10.5 star is directly south.
NGC 4754 lies 11' NW.
17.5"
(4/13/91): very bright, fairly large, beautiful edge-on 12:1 SW-NE, 6.0'x0.5',
small intensely bright core, stellar nucleus. The unusually thin arms taper at the ends. The galaxy appears to have a sharper
light cut-off, possibly due to a dust lane, along the west side. Located almost midway between two 9th
magnitude stars (
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4762 = H II-75 = h1466 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged
"Two pB nebula; the preceding [NGC 4754] of them is almost R. The following [NGC 4762] vmE; they are
not far from the same parallel and about 8 or 10' distant." His position is between the two
galaxies. Using LdR's 72" in
1852, Samuel Hunter noted "I strongly suspect the ends to be
twisted."
******************************
12 53 27.2 -17
00 20
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 130d
18"
(4/29/06): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE,
1.0'x0.8', broad concentration. A
mag 11.5 star lies 2.5' NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4763 = H III-489 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and recorded
"vF, S, lbM." Not
observed by JH. His position is 9
sec of time preceding and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 4764 = HCG
62D = PGC 43760
12 53 06.6 -09
15 27
V = 15.0; Size 0.8'x0.4'
18"
(6/17/06): extremely faint and small, round, 10"' diameter. Located 1.9' SSE of mag 9.5
17.5"
(4/13/96):
17.5"
(5/17/90): extremely faint and small, round, almost stellar, glimpsed for
moments only. Located in a compact
galaxy group 3.5' S of double system NGC 4759 and 2' S of mag 9.1 SAO
139019. A mag 14 star is 1.5' SW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4764, along with NGC 4761, in March 1882, and reported it in
list V near NGC 4776 and 4778. The
NGC description reads "eF, eS, sf Dneb 4759." As Tempel didn't
mention any direction in the AN article, this information must have been
communicated directly to Dreyer.
NGC 4764 is
probably
******************************
12 53 14.6 +04
27 48
V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 80d
17.5"
(4/4/92): moderately bright but fairly small, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.9',
broad concentration with no nucleus, fairly high surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4765 = H III-544 = h1467 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and noted
"vF, vS." JH made the
single observation "pB; S; R: gbM; 20"." Both positions are reasonably accurate.
******************************
NGC 4766 = MCG
-02-33-042 = PGC 43766
12 53 08.1 -10
22 41
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 130d
17.5" (5/17/90):
faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core. A mag 12 star is 1.0' ENE. Forms a close pair with an anonymous
galaxy 1' NW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4766, along with NGC 4757, in 1882. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he
mentions finding two nebulae about 10' north of Winnecke's GC 5674 [NGC
4760]. Although no positions are
given here, they were probably measured and communicated later to Dreyer, as
the NGC position is 20 sec of RA west of
******************************
12 53 52.9 -39
42 52
V = 11.5; Size 2.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 130d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval NW-SE, bright core. Located 26' N of n Centauri (V = 4.3)
in the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4767 = h3436 on 21 Apr 1835 and recorded "B; S; lE; psmbM;
25"."
******************************
12 53 17.2 -09
31 54
18"
(4/29/06): appears as a mag 13 star located 3.7' W of
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4768, along with NGC 4769, in 1882. He simply noted in paper V (AN 2439) finding two faint
nebula close preceding III 525 [NGC 4770]." Dreyer gives only a rough position in the NGC due west of
NGC 4770. The only object preceding
NGC 4770 is a 20" pair of mag 13.5 stars. Harold Corwin assigns NGC 4768 to the northwestern component
and NGC 4769 to the southeastern component (which is probably a merged double
star).
******************************
NGC 4769
12 53 18.0 -09
32 10
18"
(4/29/06): this is a close double star 3.5' W of NGC 4770. In poor seeing it appeared as a single
mag 13 star. Forms a pair with NGC
4768, a mag 13 star 20" NW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4769 along with NGC 4768 in 1882. These two numbers probably apply to a 20" pair of mag
13.5 stars. See NGC 4768.
******************************
NGC 4770 = MCG
-01-33-040 = PGC 43804
12 53 32.1 -09
32 29
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d
18"
(4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.8'x0.5'. Contains a moderately bright, round
core, ~20" diameter with faint extensions. Located 12' W of mag 5 Psi Virginis.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4770 = H III-525 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and simply noted
"vF, eS." His position
is 1' north of
******************************
12 53 21.2 +01
16 10
V = 12.3; Size 3.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 133d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:1 NW-SE, only a weak
concentration. Located 2.7' E of a
mag 10 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4771 = H II-535 = h1468 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded
"F, mE, 2' l and 3/4' br from np to sf." JH made the single observation "F; mE; follows a * 9m
in parallel; sky not quite clear." and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 53 29.1 +02
10 06
V = 11.0; Size 3.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 147d
17.5"
(2/28/87): moderately bright, elongated NW-SE, fairly small. Contains a bright core with faint
extensions.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4772 = H II-24 = h1469 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 122) and recorded
"F, pL." His position is
about 1 min of RA east of
******************************
12 53 36.0 -08
38 21
V = 14.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 95d
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, small bright core. Forms a contact pair with MCG
-01-33-042 on the south edge. The
companion appeared very faint, very small, round. Located 6' NNW of mag 8.8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4773 = H III-516 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted "vF,
S." CH's reduction is 2'
south-southeast of
******************************
12 53 06.6 +36
49 06
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5
48"
(4/7/13): at 488x this collisional ring galaxy appeared fairly bright, fairly
small, slightly elongated E-W, irregular.
It appeared slightly brighter on the north side, which contained a faint
stellar nucleus, but I didn't resolve the darker center. Forms a close pair with
NGC 4774 is
nicknamed the "Kidney Bean Galaxy" by Zwicky in his red book (I Zw
45). It was first mentioned as a
ring galaxy in 1970 by Cannon, Lloyd, Penston in "Ring galaxies" (The
Observatory, Vol. 90, p. 153-154) and it is listed as a collisional ring in
Madore, Nelson and Petrillo's 2009 "Atlas and Catalog of Collisional Ring
Galaxies" (ApJS, Vol 181, p. 572-604).
17.5": very
faint, small, round, even surface brightness. Appeared fainter than the CGCG mag of 14.6p.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4774 = H III-618 = h1471 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted
"eF, vS." JH logged
"eF; S; R: bM. Sky perfectly
clear" and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 53 45.8 -06
37 20
V = 11.1; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, weak
concentration, mottled appearance.
A mag 13.5 star is off the SW edge 1.3' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4775 = H II-186 = h1470 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and logged
"rather F, cL, R, r." JH
made the single obwervation "vF; L; R; 90"; vglbM. Its companion [NGC 4786] looked for but
not seen." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4776 = NGC
4759nw = HCG 62B = MCG -01-33-036 = Holm 477a NED1 = PGC 43754
12 53 04.5 -09
12 00
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7
18"
(6/17/06): NGC 4776 = HCG 62B is the northwest component of the striking double
system NGC 4759. At 225x it
appeared fairly faint but very small, round, 20"-24" diameter. NGC
4761 = HCG 62c lies just 1.3' following.
Nearly tangent to the southeast edge is slightly brighter NGC 4778 = HCG
62A, just 28" between centers.
17.5"
(4/13/96): NGC 4776 is virtually attached to the northwest edge of NGC 4778 and
is slightly fainter smaller, round, 20" diameter, faint stellar
nucleus. Mag 9 SAO 139019 is just
1.5' SSW of the pair.
17.5"
(5/17/90): the northwest component of this double system appears faint, very
small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core. The contact companion NGC 4778 = HCG 62A is attached at the
SE end (see notes). Located 2' N
of mag 9.1 SAO 139019. Second of
four with NGC 4761 1' ENE and NGC 4764 4' S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4776 = h3437, along with NGC 4778, on 5 May 1836 and recorded
"vF; S; R; vlbM; the preceding of a double nebula [with NGC
4778]." This is an unusual
situation as his father's H II-559 = NGC 4759 refers to this double system,
though WH did not resolve the two galaxies. JH resolved the pair, and each
component has its own GC and NGC designation, although his RA is exactly 1.0
tmin too large. See Harold Corwin's
notes.
******************************
12 53 58.5 -08
46 32
V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 8d
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, small bright core. Located 4' SE of mag 8.8 SAO
139029. Third of four in a group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4777 = H III-517 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted "vF,
S." CH's reduction is 6 sec
of RA following
******************************
NGC 4778 = HCG
62A = NGC 4759se = MCG -01-33-037 = Holm 477a NED2 = PGC 43757
12 53 05.7 -09
12 17
V = 12.5; Size 1.8'x1.4'
18"
(6/17/06): NGC 4778 = HCG 62A is the southeast component of the striking double
system NGC 4759 and the slightly larger and brighter of the duo. At 225x it appeared fairly faint,
fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter.
Contains a small bright core surrounded by a lower surface brightness
halo. Located 1.5' N of a mag 9.5
star that detracts somewhat. NGC
4776 = HCG 62B is nearly tangent to the northwest edge (28" between
centers).
17.5"
(4/13/96): this is the brighter southeast component of the double system NGC
4759 (see notes) and listed as HCG 62A.
At 220x, it appears fairly faint, round, 1.0' diameter, increases to a
small bright core. HCG 62B is virtually
attached to the northwest edge.
Mag 9 SAO 139019 is just 1.5' SSW of the pair.
17.5"
(5/17/90): the southeast member of this double system is slightly larger and
brighter and appears faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Located 2' N of mag 9.1 SAO
139019. Second of four with NGC
4761 1' ENE and NGC 4764 4' S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4778 = h3438, along with NGC 4776, on 5 May 1836 and recorded
"vF; S; R; vlbM; 15"; has a * sf; the following of two [with NGC
4776]." He later added the
note "II 559 is not noticed as double in Sir W. Herschel's
description." See notes for
NGC 4476. RNGC and PGC misidentify
this galaxy as NGC 4761.
******************************
12 53 50.9 +09
42 36
V = 12.4; Size 2.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 70d
17.5"
(3/28/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, broad concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4779 = H III-106 = h1472 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged
"vF, pL, rather bM, r."
CH's reduction is within 1.5' of
******************************
12 54 05.1 -08
37 16
V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 10d
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, low even surface brightness. Unusual appearance as a mag 14 is at
the west edge and the galaxy extends to the east of this star. Forms a close pair with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4780 in 1880 and reported it in the narrative portion of list V
(AN 2439). He mentions there
are two nebula in the field to the north of NGC 4777, the western object being
NGC 4773 and the following one new.
He also gives a position in the table 2' too far south but correctly
places this object 27.5 sec of RA following and 1' 10" north of NGC 4773.
******************************
12 54 23.6 -10
32 11
V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 120d
17.5"
(3/23/85): bright, large, very elongated ~E-W, high surface brightness but weak
concentration. A mag 12.5 star is
embedded in the preceding side 1.0' W of center and two comparable stars lie
2.0' W and 3.6' ESE of center.
Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4781 = H I-134 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and logged "cB, 7
or 8' long, about 3' broad."
His position matches
******************************
12 54 35.7 -12
34 07
V = 11.7; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 155d
48"
(4/21/17): at 813x; bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, ~45"
diameter, well concentrated with a small bright core. Forms a striking N-S contact pair (halos form a dumbbell or
dogbone outline) with
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, very small, round. Forms an extremely close contact pair with NGC 4783 in a
common halo 0.6' NNE of center.
8"
(3/28/81): faint, very small.
Contact pair with NGC 4783 oriented SSW-NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4782 = H I-135, along with NGC 4783, on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548)
and recorded "Two, both cB, R, cS, mbM in the direction of the meridian.,
nearly within 1' of each other, and the chevelure [halo] mixisng." His position is accurate (landing on
the southern galaxy). See Harold
Corwin's NGC notes on problems with the identifications of the two components.
******************************
NGC 4783 = VV
201b = Holm 485b = MCG -02-33-051 = 3C 278 = LGG 316-001 = PGC 43926
12 54 36.6 -12
33 28
V = 11.5; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d
48"
(4/21/17): NGC 4783 is the northern galaxy of a striking contact pair with NGC
4783 [39" between centers].
The merged halos of the two galaxies form a dogbone or dumbbell outline.
At 813x, it appeared bright, moderately large, round, ~40" diameter, well
concentrated with a small bright nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is 30" SE of
center (just outside the combined halos).
An extremely faint "knot", roughly 5" diameter, is at the
northwest edge of the halo.
Checking later, I found this is a nearly stellar galaxy, catalogued in
HyperLeda as
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, very small, round. Forms an interesting contact pair with NGC 4782 0.6' SSW
within a common halo.
8": faint,
very small, pair elongated SSW-NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4783 = H I-136, along with NGC 4782, on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548). See notes on NGC 4782.
******************************
NGC 4784 = MCG
-02-33-053 = Holm 483b = PGC 43929
12 54 37.0 -10
36 47
V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 101d
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, small, slightly elongated. Fainter of pair with NGC 4781 5.7' NNW. Forms the SE vertex of an isosceles
triangle with two mag 11/12 stars 2.1' W and 2.0' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4784 = H III-526 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and noted "eF,
eS, some little doubt."
Despite the doubt, his position is a good match with
******************************
12 53 27.4 -48
44 58
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 81d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): moderately bright, elongated 3:1 ~E-W, 0.9'x0.3', high
surface brightness. Contains a
small bright core and a bright stellar or quasi-stellar nucleus (this is a Sy2
galaxy). A mag 13.8 star is just
off the west side [58" from center] and a mag 15 star is 1.3' SW. Several brighter stars are to the north
of the galaxy including a mag 10.8 star 4.5' NW, a mag 10.6 star 6' N and a mag
11 star 4.3' NNE. Located 12' NNE
of mag 4.3
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4785 = h3439 on 1 Mar 1835 and recorded, "vF; S; R;
glbM." There is nothing at
his single position, but 1.75 min of RA west is
******************************
NGC 4786 = MCG
-01-33-046 = PGC 43922
12 54 32.4 -06
51 34
V = 11.7; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 170d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 N-S, increases to a small
bright core. A mag 12 star is 2.5'
N. Forms a pair with NGC 4775
18.4' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4786 = H II-187 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded
"pF, pL, r." JH noted in
his observation of NGC 4775 that he looked for this nebula without success.
******************************
12 54 05.5 +27
04 06
V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 2d
17.5"
(3/20/93): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 N-S, low but uneven
surface brightness. A mag 10 star
lies 2.9' WSW. Forms a pair with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4787 on 3 Apr 1867, measured an accurate position and
noted it was 13.6 sec of RA preceding NGC 4789. This galaxy was missed by both WH and JH while viewing
nearby NGC 4789.
******************************
12 54 16.0 +27
18 12
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.3'; PA = 140d
17.5" (5/14/94):
faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Located 1.3' E of a mag 10.5 star.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4788 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position is 4 sec
of RA west of
******************************
NGC 4789 = UGC
8028 = MCG +05-30-124 = CGCG 159-113 = CGCG 160-008 = PGC 43895
12 54 18.9 +27
04 04
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 10 star is just 40" N of
center. Forms a pair with close
NGC 4787 3.0' W. Located 18' NNE
of mag 6.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4789 = H II-345 = h1473 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted
"F. Just south of a pB
star." Both Herschels missed
nearby NGC 4787, which was discovered by d'Arrest.
******************************
NGC 4790 = MCG
-02-33-056 = PGC 43972
12 54 51.8 -10
14 52
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 85d
17.5"
(3/23/85): moderately bright, fairly large, broad and pretty weak
concentration, elongated ~E-W. NGC
4781 lies 18' SSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4790 = H II-560 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and noted "pF,
pS, iR." His position is a
good match with
******************************
12 54 44.0 +08
03 12
V = 13.5; Size 0.5'x0.35'; PA = 70d
17.5"
(4/4/92): very faint, very small, round, broad concentration. A wide double star is 2' SE (mag
11/12.5 at 39" separation N-S).
The double system
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4791 = m 243 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS, lE,
vlbM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
12 55 03.6 -12
29 50
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140d
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, extremely small, slightly elongated NW-SE. Forms an equilateral triangle with NGC
4794 7' SSE and the NGC 4782/NGC 4783 duo 8' SW.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4792 in 1882. I
can't find his description in paper V (AN 2439), but the NGC description reads
"vS, R, 7' n np of II 538 [
******************************
12 54 40.6 +28
56 17
V = 11.6; Size 2.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 50d
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2.0'x1.0',
fairly high irregular surface brightness, broad concentration with no
well-defined core. A mag 15 star
lies about 1' off the SW edge and 1.7' WSW of center. Located 1.8' S of a mag 9.5 star which detracts from
viewing. At 280x, a very small
bright nucleus is visible and there is an impression of a dark patch or dust
along the NE extension.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4793 = H I-93 = h1475 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"cB, pL, about 1.5' south of a [mag 9-10] star." JH made two observations and measured
an accurate positon.
******************************
NGC 4794 = MCG
-02-33-060 = PGC 44012
12 55 10.5 -12
36 30
V = 13.7; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d
17.5"
(3/23/85): very faint, small. A
mag 14 star is at the WSW edge 33" from center and a mag 13 star is at the
ENE end. In a group with NGC 4792
7' NNW and the NGC 4782/NGC 4783 pair 9' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4794 = H III-538 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "2
or 3 small stars with vF nebulosity." His position (CH's reduction) is 1'
southeast of
******************************
NGC 4795 = UGC
8037 = MCG +01-33-024 = CGCG 043-064 = PGC 43998
12 55 02.8 +08
03 56
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 115d
17.5"
(4/4/92): moderately bright, fairly small, round, slightly elongated NW-SE,
bright core, high surface brightness.
Forms a contact pair with NGC 4796 attached at the east end, 27"
from center. Located 3.9' S of a
mag 10 star. NGC 4791 lies 4.7' W
and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4795 = H II-21 = h1474 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 107) and recorded
"A nebula, vF and of an irregular shape. 1/2° sp the following star [
******************************
NGC 4796 = PGC
93119
12 55 04.6 +08
03 58
Size 0.2'x0.2'
17.5"
(4/4/92): contact pair with brighter NGC 4795. Very faint, extremely small, slightly elongated, faint
stellar nucleus. This object is
attached at the east side of the halo of NGC 4795.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4796 = m 244 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, eS, alm stell,
close to [NGC 4795]." The
SDSS shows an extremely compact galaxy with extensions WSW-ENE, superimposed on
the eastern arm of NGC 4795. The Deep Sky Field Guide to the Uranometria 2000
Atlas refers to this object as "star or very bright patch 0.5' E of
center", but does not refer to this object as NGC 4796.
******************************
12 54 55.2 +27
24 44
See observing
notes for NGC 4798.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4797 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. There is nothing at
his position, but 4.8' north is NGC 4798, discovered earlier by WH. d'Arrest observed and accurately
measured NGC 4798 on two nights, but not the one in which he recorded NGC 4797
as new. As a result, Corwin
equates NGC 4797 = NGC 4798.
Because of d'Arrest's poor position, Karl Reinmuth or Max Wolf reported
that NGC 4797 was not found on Heidelberg plates.
******************************
NGC 4798 = NGC
4797 = UGC 8038 = MCG +05-31-004 = CGCG 159-118 = CGCG 160-013 = PGC 43981
12 54 55.2 +27
24 44
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30d
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, very weak
concentration. A mag 14 star is
1.0' S of center and a mag 10 star 7.5' E. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4788 10.9' SW,
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4798 = H II-382 = h1477 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, pS." WH was rapidly
on his way to discover 74 galaxies in this sweep, so for the next several
objects he gave very brief descriptions.
JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.
******************************
12 55 15.5 +02
53 47
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 91d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is attached at the south
edge 1' from center. Located 9' S
of mag 7.9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4799 = H III-548 = h1476 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and recorded
"vF, cS, near a vS star. 240x
confirmed, and showed it lE."
His position matches
******************************
12 54 37.8 +46
31 52
V = 11.5; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 25d
13.1"
(4/12/86): fairly bright, fairly small, fainter halo with large bright core
containing a stellar nucleus. A
mag 13.5 star is just 0.8' WNW from center. Located 15' SE of mag 7.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4800 = H I-211 = h1478 on 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) and recorded
"pF, vS, bM." On 29 Apr
(sweep 836) he logged "pB, pS, R, bM, following a small star." JH made two observations but the
position was only measured once.
d'Arrest noted the mag 13 star, which he measured 4.7 sec of RA
preceding and the mag 13 star 19.6 sec of RA following and a little south.
******************************
12 54 37.7 +53
05 24
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 138d
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, very small [core only viewed], irregularly round,
0.5'x0.4', low surface brightness.
A fairly even pair [47"] of mag 12/13 stars lie 7' WSW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4801 = H III-816 = h1479 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted
"eF, S, lE." His
position (CH's reduction) is 2.5' northeast of
******************************
12 55 49.8 -12
03 19
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 20d
17.5"
(3/23/85): fairly faint, very small, weak concentration to a virtually stellar
nucleus. A mag 11 star is just off
the SE edge. Located 30' NE of the
NGC 4782/NGC 4783 pair.
Wilhelm Tempel
found NGC 4802 = T V-21 on 20 Apr 1882.
His micrometric position is an exact match with
This galaxy was
probably discovered earlier by WH on 27 Mar 1786 and recorded as H IV-40 = NGC
4804, but his position was exactly 1 degree too far south. Corwin notes that is also possible that
WH mistook a double star for a nebula.
******************************
NGC 4803 = MCG
+02-33-036 = CGCG 043-069 = CGCG 071-073 = PGC 44061
12 55 33.7 +08
14 25
V = 14.4; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5" (4/4/92):
very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE. Overpowered by a mag 9.5 star at a SE edge 0.7' from
center. The NGC 4795/NGC 4796 pair
is 13' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4803 = m 245 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, eS, R,
lbM." His position is accurate.
******************************
12 55 49.8 -12
03 19
See observing
notes for NGC 4802.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4804 = H IV-40 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded
"suspected a pB star, with a seeming brush to the np. May be a small
nebula close to it, but there was no time to verify it." There is nothing near his position,
except an easily resolved pair of stars (about 20" separation).
But exactly 1°
north is NGC 4802 (found later by Tempel) and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4804 =
NGC 4802. Because of the poor
position, NGC 4804 was not recovered by Bigourdan.
******************************
12 55 24.2 +27
58 48
=*, Corwin
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4805 = Big 59 on 11 May 1885. There is nothing at his position, and
Harold Corwin states "NGC 4805 is a star positively identified by
Bigourdan's two observations. In
spite of the accuracy of his measurements, he comments that "... near it
is a star 13.4-13.5, but it's impossible to tell which direction it is from the
nebula's center.'' This must be
the object itself as there is nothing else in the area that he could have
seen."
RNGC and LEDA
misidentify extremely faint galaxies 2' to 3' southeast of this star, as NGC
4805. Both galaxies are too faint
to have been seen by Bigourdan.
******************************
12 56 12.5 -29
30 11
V = 12.7; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 50d
18"
(5/16/09): faint, diffuse glow, moderately large, irregularly round,
45"x40". A kite-shaped
asterism of 4 stars (one is a double) is close SW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4806 = h3440 on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded "F; R; gvlbM; 40"." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4807 = UGC
8049 = MCG +05-31-006 = CGCG 160-017 = Holm 488a = WBL 426-006 = PGC 44037
12 55 29.1 +27
31 15
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, round, 0.8' diameter, bright core. A mag 13 star is 3.2' NNW. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4798 9.9'
SW and
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4807 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position, measured
3 times, matches
******************************
12 55 49.0 +04
18 15
V = 11.7; Size 2.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 127d
18"
(5/29/05): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE,
2.0'x0.8'. Broadly concentrated
with a mottled nuclear region but no well-defined core or nucleus. A mag 14 star is off the NW side, 1.9'
from center. Located 54' N of mag
3.4 Delta Virginis. Picked up
while viewing Comet Tempel (9P) 30' S.
The Comet will be impacted by a spacecraft in just over one month! (July
4).
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.2', broadly
concentrated with no nucleus, tapered ends. A mag 14 star lies 1.9' WNW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4808 = H I-141 = h1480 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded
"vB, cL, E from np to sf."
His position is at the southeast end of
******************************
12 54 51.0 +02
39 15
V = 13.8; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 68d
48"
(5/4/16): at 610x; moderately bright, elongated 7:2 WSW-ENE, ~1.2'x0.35'. This galaxy has an unusual irregular
"banana" shape with a patchy appearance; it bends slightly south on
the east-northeast end and has a blunter west-southwest end that also twists
slightly south. There is a slightly brighter patch that is offset just north of
the geometric center. I assumed
this was the core region, but on the SDSS it appears to be a large HII region
and there is no central core. A
second slightly brighter patch is at the west-southwest end and this is clearly
an active star-forming complex on the SDSS. NGC 4809 is the larger member of an interacting pair with
18"
(3/30/05): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. This galaxy is nearly attached to the
north side of NGC 4810. Although
smaller (must have viewed only a portion as the size is larger on the DSS), it
may have a higher surface brightness.
R.J. Mitchell
discovered NGC 4809, along with NGC 4810, on 18 Apr 1855 while looking for
h1509 [
Mitchell's
description pins down the identification of the pair, but JH and Dreyer could
only list a single (rough) position in the GC and NGC. The identification of
NGC 4809 with the northern component is from the RC2 and repeated in the NGC
2000.0 and RNGC. But UGC reverses
these identifications and has a typo with the RA (1 min too large). The data (size, PA and possibly
magnitudes) listed under NGC 4810 in the RC3 applies to NGC 4809. The position angle listed under NGC
4809 probably applies to NGC 4810.
******************************
NGC 4810 = Arp
277 NED2 = VV 313b = Holm 486b = MCG +01-33-023 = CGCG 043-061 = LGG 292-056 =
12 54 51.2 +02
38 25
V = 14.3; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 162d
48"
(5/4/16): at 610x; moderately bright and large, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.8'x0.4',
irregular surface brightness with only a slightly brighter core. This galaxy is the southern member of
an interacting pair of dwarf irregulars (Magellanic types) with NGC 4809 just
45" N.
18"
(3/30/05): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.8'x0.4'. Forms a double system with NGC 4809,
which is nearly attached at the north end. Located 10' E of mag 8.4
R.J. Mitchell
discovered NGC 4810, along with NGC 4809, on 18 Apr 1855. See notes on NGC 4809.
******************************
= PGC 44201
12 56 52.3 -41
47 51
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 35d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): slightly brighter of a close pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4811 = h3441, along with NGC 4812, on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded
"eF; R; gbM; 40". The
preceding of 2 [with NGC 4812].
His position is accurate.
MCG doesn't label
******************************
NGC 4812 = ESO
323-048 = MCG -07-27-018 = AM 1254-413 NED02
= PGC 44204
12 56 52.7 -41
48 49
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 36d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): slightly fainter of a close pair with NGC 4811 1'
N. Fairly faint to moderately
bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.3', sharply concentrated with
a small bright core and stellar nucleus.
Located 6' N of mag 8.2 HD 112404 in a fairly rich star field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4812 = h3442, along with NGC 4811, on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded
"eF; R; gbM; 30"; 90" dist from the foregoing [NGC 4811] pos =
170.9°." MCG doesn't
label
******************************
12 56 36.1 -06
49 04
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 35d
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, small bright core,
stellar nucleus. Located 11' NE of
a mag 9.5 star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4813 = H II-777 = h1482 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and recorded
"F, S, R, bM." JH
reported "S; R: bM; wind violent." but measured an accurate
position. Harold Corwin suggests
******************************
12 55 22.0 +58
20 39
V = 12.0; Size 3.1'x2.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 135d
17.5"
(5/19/01): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE,
1.6'x1.2'. Increases to a brighter
core and quasi-stellar nucleus. A
pretty 19" pair of mag 9/10 stars (oriented E-W) lies 11' S. A third mag 9.5 star is just 2'
following the closer pair.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4814 = H I-243 = h1483 on 17 Mar 1790 (sweep 947) and recorded
"cB, S, R, gbM." JH made
two observations, recording on sweep 323 "pB; L; lE; vgbM; 90" l,
75" br."
******************************
12 57 58 -64 57
42
V = 8.6; Size 3'
13.1"
(2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, two mag 10 stars are surrounded by a number of
very faint stars within 3'. The
cluster is superimposed on a fairly bright milky background of unresolved
stars. A third mag 10 star is
apparently outside the border off the SW edge. At 200x, the unresolved glow is
most prominent at the following end and 12-15 mag 13 stars are sprinkled over
the backround glow (the cluster was viewed at a very low elevation which
probably detracted from the view).
This reddened cluster is heavily obscured and is located just within the
SE border of the Coalsack and barely over the border into Musca, 1.1 degrees
ENE of the bright double star Theta Muscae (5.9/7.7 at 5"). The two brighter mag 10 stars
(separated by 1.3') may be foreground stars and not actual cluster members.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4815 = h3443 on 13 Mar 1834 and recorded "Class VI, p rich,
irregular fig, gbM, 3', stars vS, comparatively insulated; has two bright stars
8-9th mag and 9-10th mag." On
a second observation he described a "Cluster, R, pS, resolved; irreg; gbM,
3', stars 13..18th mag."
Innes was unable to resolve the cluster in 1901 using a 7-inch refractor
from the Cape of Good Hope (MN, 62, 469).
******************************
12 56 12.2 +27
44 43
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(5/12/07): faint, small, elongated 4:3 ~E-W, 0.4'x0.3', broad weak
concentration. A mag 13.5-14 star
is just off the NE end. The
brighter of a close pair with
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, small, elongated 4:3 E-W, brighter core, diffuse
halo. Confusing appearance at low
power as a mag 13.7 star is close off the NE edge 34" from center creating
the appearance of elongation. Also
forms a close pair with CGCG 160-023 1.8' ENE. The three objects are well resolved at 280x. This member of AGC 1656 is located 14'
E of mag 8
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4816 = H II-383 = h1481 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, pL." His position is
10 sec of time west of
******************************
12 56 29.8 +27
56 23
V = 14.8; Size 0.6'x0.6'
18"
(5/12/07): very faint and small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 14 star lies 1.5' NE. Located on the west side of AGC 1656
about 45' W of the core. A similar
galaxy,
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4817 = Big 60 on 11 May 1885. There is nothing at his position, but
Harold Corwin notes his Comptes Rendus position (repeated in the NGC position)
is incorrect and Bigourdan's offsets point to
Max Wolf
reported NGC 4817 was not found on a Heidelberg plate (IC 2 notes) and RNGC
classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
12 56 48.9 -08
31 32
V = 11.1; Size 4.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 3d
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 4:1 N-S, broad
concentration. A mag 13 star is
just off the south edge and a fainter mag 14 star is 1.4' E of center. A double star lies 5' SW (mag 11/13 at
19" separation). A mag 10
star lies 6.5' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4818 = H II-549 = h1484 = h3445 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and
recorded "pB, vL, lbM, iF." JH logged from Slough "pB; pL; lE in
meridian; vgbM." and from the Cape of Good Hope, "B; L; mE in
meridian; gpmbM; 3' length."
******************************
12 56 27.9 +26
59 14
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 160d
17.5"
(5/14/94): brighter of pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4819 = H II-346 = h1487 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and logged
"vF, pS, irr." CH's
reduction is 6 sec of RA preceding and 2.5' south of
******************************
12 57 00.5 -13
43 10
V = 14.8; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
17.5"
(5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE. Forms a pair with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4820 in 1882, along with
******************************
NGC 4821 = MCG
+05-31-015 = CGCG 160-024 = Holm 490b = WBL 426-012 = PGC 44148
12 56 29.2 +26
57 25
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5"
(5/14/94): fainter and smaller of pair with NGC 4819 2.0' N. Faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3
N-S, no concentration. A mag 14.5
star is 1.5' WSW and a mag 13.5 is 3.5' W (this star forms the western vertex
of an isosceles triangle with NGC 4821 and NGC 4819).
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4821 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen while observing and measuring nearby NGC 4819. His position is fairly accurate.
******************************
12 57 03.7 -10
45 43
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d
18"
(5/28/06): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. A mag 13 star lies 2' NE and a similar
mag star is 3.4' WNW. Located 7.5'
NNE of mag 8.9
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4822 = T V-22 on 21 Apr 1882 and recorded "class III,
stellar nucleus, +6 sec [of time] and +7.5' [dec] from Lamont 1239 [mag 9
star]." His micrometric
position in the main table is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4823 = PGC
44305 = (R)
12 57 25.5 -13
41 56
V = 16.6; Size 0.8'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d
24"
(5/25/14): extremely or very faint, small, elongated 3:1 N-S, 20"x6",
low even surface brightness.
Located 3.8' SE of NGC 4825.
NGC 4829 lies 2.4' S.
Observed at 27° elevation (nearly 3 hrs past the meridian).
17.5" (5/17/90):
not found.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered the trio of NGC 4820, 4823 and 4829 in 1882, just south of NGC
4825. In Tempel's list V (AN
#2439), he only mentions "three more faint nebulae south of 3320 [NGC
4825]" found with the 11" refractor at Arcetri and no positions are
given. The NGC position (probably
communicated directly to Dreyer) for NGC 4820 matches MCG -02-33-067, and the
position for NGC 4829 matches
The position for
NGC 4823, though, is close southwest of NGC 4820 and must be erroneous. Harold Corwin assigns NGC 4823 = PGC
44305, which is 18 sec of RA east and 1'-2' south of the NGC position.
The PGC reverses
the identifications of NGC 4829 and 4823.
RNGC misclassifies NGC 4823 as nonexistent and misidentifies NGC 4823 as
NGC 4829. See my RNGC Corrections
#5 and Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
12 56 36.4 +27
25 57
=*, Corwin. Incorrect ID in the RNGC.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4824 = Big 61 on 19 Apr 1885. His Comptes Rendus position is
close to a single mag 14-15 star at 12 56 36.4 +27 25 57 (J2000) and Harold
Corwin verifies that Bigourdan's offsets point to this star.
PGC, RNGC and
the first edition of the Uranometria 2000 Atlas misidentify
******************************
NGC 4825 = MCG
-02-33-070 = PGC 44261
12 57 12.2 -13
39 54
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 135d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, large prominent
core, faint halo. Forms a trio
with NGC 4820 5' SW and NGC 4829 5.3' SSE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4825 = H II-563 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded
"pB, bM, iF." JH did not
make an observation. Wilhelm
Tempel discovered 3 "novae" to the south (NGCs 4820, 4823 and 4829).
******************************
12 56 43.6 +21
40 57
V = 8.5; Size 10.0'x5.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 115d
13.1"
(4/29/84): very bright, large, oval 2:1 WNW-ESE, 6'x3', small bright core,
almost stellar nucleus. The famous
curved dark patch = "Blackeye" located northeast of the core is quite
prominent and visible with direct vision.
Located 55' NE of the tight double star 35 Comae.
Johann Bode is
generally considered the discoverer of
The nickname
"Black-eye" is from WH's description on 13 Feb 1787 (sweep 699):
"A very remarkable object, mE about 12' long, 4 or 5' broad, contains one
lucid spot like a star with a small black arch under it, so that it gives one
the idea of what is called a black eye, arising from fighting." His earlier observation on 13 Apr 1785
(sweep 398) reads "vB, E from np to sf, about 7 or 8' long and 2' broad. A vB nucleus in the middle, but
moonlight and haziness probably lessen its appearance considerably. The nucleus is very small in proportion
to the rest and is not round, but irreg elongated in the same direction."
JH described a
sketch as "The dark semi-elliptic vacancy (indicated by an unshaded or
bright portion in the figure) which partially surrounds the condensed and
bright nucleus of this nebula, is of course unnoticed by Messier. It was
however seen by my Father, and shown by him to the late Sir Charles Blagden,
who likened it to the appearance of a black eye, an odd, but not inapt
comparison. The nucleus is somewhat elongated, and I have a strong suspicion
that it may be a close double star, or extremely condensed double
nebula." So perhaps Blagden first
mentioned the term and William liked the analogy used it in his
description. At least 18
observations of the "black eye" were made at Birr Castle.
******************************
NGC 4827 = UGC
8065 = MCG +05-31-016 = CGCG 160-028 = PGC 44178
12 56 43.6 +27
10 43
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated
with a faint halo and a very small bright core. The NGC 4819/NGC 4820 pair is 12.0' SSW. Outlying member of AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4827 = H II-384 = h1485 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, pL." JH made a
single observation and his position is 6 sec of RA preceding
******************************
NGC 4828 = MCG
+05-31-017 = CGCG 160-029 = PGC 44176
12 56 42.9 +28
01 13
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7
18"
(5/12/07): very faint and small, round, 20" diameter. Located on the west side of AGC 1656
about 45' W of the core. Forms a
similar pair with NGC 4817, located 5.6' SW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4828 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate. d'Arrest's mentioned
there are others nearby to the southwest -- so perhaps he noticed NGC 4817,
although it was not measured.
******************************
NGC 4829 = PGC
44299
12 57 24.4 -13
44 15
Size 0.5'x0.3'
24"
(5/25/14): very faint, extremely small, round, 12" diameter. Located 5.3' SE of NGC 4825 and second
brightest of 3 faint companions, with NGC 4823 2.4' N and NGC 4820 6.0' WNW.
Observed at 27° elevation (nearly 3 hrs past the meridian).
17.5"
(5/17/90): extremely faint and small, glimpsed for moments with averted. A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' S and a mag
12.5 3.6' SSW. Third of three and
5.3' SSE of NGC 4825. NGC 4823 is
2.4' N but was not seen.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4829 in 1882, along with NGC 4820 and 4823. In list V (AN 2439), he mentions
"Quite close to the south [of N4825] are three more faint nebulae.",
although no positions were measured.
The NGC position matches PGC 44299 at 12 57 24.4 -13 44 15 (2000), so
the position may have been communicated directly to Dreyer.
The PGC reverses
the identifications of NGC 4829 and 4823.
RNGC misidentifies NGC 4823 (2.3' north) as NGC 4829. This error was listed in my RNGC
Corrections #5.
******************************
12 57 27.9 -19
41 29
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 157d
18"
(5/15/04): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE,
1.0'x0.7'. Well-concentrated with a small, high surface brightness core which
increases to a well-defined, bright stellar nucleus. Forms the NW vertex of a trapezoid with three mag 8-10
stars! The closest is a mag 10.5
star 2' S with mag 8.3
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4830 = T IV-9 = T V-23 on 26 May 1880. His micrometric position is an exact match with
******************************
12 57 36.7 -27
17 32
V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 178d
18"
(4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.8'x0.4', weak
concentration, very small slightly brighter nucleus. Located 13' NE of mag 7.2
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4831 = h3447 on 22 Mar 1836 and logged "F, R, gbM,
25"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
12 57 48.5 -39
45 40
V = 12.2; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 25d
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, small, oval NW-SE, bright core. Located 7.6' ENE of mag 8 SAO
203967. Member of the Centaurus
cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4832 = h3446 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "pF; vS; R; sbM to
a * 17m; pos from * 10m (distant 60") = 250.3°." His position is 1' northeast of
******************************
12 59 34.9 -70
52 28
V = 7.0; Size 13.5'; Surf Br = 1.0
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a gorgeous highly
resolved globular with several hundred stars splashed across the core and
within a loose, well-resolved halo.
The center is strongly compressed with a very bright 3' core surrounded
by a large halo, roughly 10' in diameter.
Beyond 5' or 6' out from the center the halo becomes scraggly but
continues to extend out in loops and strings. A brighter mag 8.7 is superimposed in the halo, 2.5' N of
center.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): This was a surprising find for a
little known globular! At 171x, it
appeared as a bright, fairly large globular of low concentration class. The loose halo was highly resolved and
numerous stars were splashed across the brighter core. Many of the stars formed large loops
and chains. A single bright star
(mag 8.7
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 4833 = Lac I-4 = D 164 = h3444 in 1751-1752 with a
1/2-inch telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope . He included it in his 1755 catalogue as
I-4, classifying it as a nebula, and noting it resembled "a small faint
comet."
James Dunlop
observed this globular with his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector on 29 Apr 1826
from Parramatta, New South Wales
and described "a pretty bright round nebula, about 4' diameter,
moderately condensed to the centre. This, with the sweeping power, has the
appearance of a globe of numerous matter with very small stars in the north following
margin. But with a power sufficient to resolve it, the globular appearance
vanishes in a very considerable degree; and the brightest and most condensed
part is to the preceding side of the centre, with the stars considerably
scattered on the N.f. side. Resolvable into stars of mixt small magnitudes. A
small nebula precedes this." He observed the cluster on 5 nights.
JH first
recorded "globular cluster, B, L, R, gbM, stars 14th mag, and one 7th mag
north-preceding the centre; a fine object." On a second sweep he logged
"globular cluster, pB, L, p rich, at first gradually, then vspmbM;
diameter of the bright part 3', of the loose stars 10'; stars 12..16th mag, and
one large one 7th mag, 3' or 4' north of the centre."
******************************
12 56 25.3 +52
16 45
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110d
18"
(6/27/03): faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. Forms the east vertex of an equilateral
triangle with two mag 12/12.5 stars 4' SW and 4' WNW. Either contains a very faint stellar nucleus or a faint star
may be superimposed.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4834 = H III-817 = h1488 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted
"cF, S, iF." CH's
reduced position is 1' north of
******************************
12 58 07.8 -46
15 51
V = 11.7; Size 4.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d
13.1"
(2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, appears fairly bright, fairly large, very
elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 2.5'x0.7', slightly brighter bulging core. A mag 13 star is at the SSE tip. Located 5.4' NW of a mag 9.6 star and
10' N of mag 7.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4835 = h3448 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "B; L; mE; glbM; 2
1/2' or 3' l, 1' br; pos = 157° +/-." On 20 Apr 1836, a second observation reads "F;
mE; vgbM; 90" l, 25" br."
******************************
12 57 34.3 -12
44 39
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 5d
17.5"
(3/29/89): faint, very small, round.
Located 4.1' N of mag 8.4
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4836 = T V-24 on 19 Apr 1882 and recorded a "L, vF nebula
class III; 4' north of Lamont 1421 [
******************************
12 56 49.1 +48
17 55
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d
18"
(7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.4', nearly
even surface brightness. This is a
double system (not resolved). The
identification of NGC 4837 with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4837 = h1489 on 7 Mar 1831 and recorded "a rather doubtful
object; haze". There is
nothing near his position, but 30' south is
Malcolm Thomson
feels this number is best left "Not Found", although Harold Corwin
equates NGC 4837 with UGC 8068.
CGCG and RNGC identify UGC 8068 as NGC 4837, but not MCG or UGC.
******************************
12 57 56.1 -13
03 37
V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 45d
17.5"
(3/29/89): faint, small, round, weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus. Located 5' NNE of a mag 9 star (double
star mag 8.8/9.0 at 2"). NGC
4847 lies 9.3' SE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4838 = h1490 on 9 May 1831 and recorded "vF; has 3 small
stars south-preceding." His
position is 7 sec of time too large.
Wilhelm Tempel found it again on 19 Apr 1882 and reported it in list
V-25 (AN 2439). In the same
observation, he also mentions a small nebulous star follows on the same
parallel. Dreyer catalogued this
object as
******************************
12 57 24.4 +27
29 52
V = 12.1; Size 4.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 65d
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.7', weak
even concentration to a brighter core.
Lies exactly midway between a mag 11.5 star 2.5' NE and a mag 14 star
2.4' SW. Forms a close pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4839 = H II-386 = h1494 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply
noted "F, pL". His
position is 3' south of
******************************
NGC 4840 = MCG
+05-31-029 = CGCG 160-042 = PGC 44324
12 57 32.9 +27
36 37
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(5/14/94): faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter, symmetrical appearance with an
even concentration. Member of the
AGC 1656 with NGC 4839 7.0' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4840 = H II-385 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted
"F, pL." His position is
17 sec of RA west of
******************************
12 57 32.0 +28
28 37
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5"
(5/14/94): very close double system located 3.1' NNE of mag 9.5
In contact with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4841 = H II-387 = h1493 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, pL." On 13 Apr 1831,
JH recorded "pF; double, nf, dist 20"." The fainter northeastern component (MCG
+05-31-027 = PGC 44329) did not receive a NGC designation. NED lists the two components as NGC
4841A and NGC 4841B.
******************************
NGC 4842 = MCG
+05-31-030 = CGCG 160-046n = PGC 44337
12 57 35.9 +27
29 35
V = 13.9; Size 0.4'x0.3'
17.5"
(5/14/94): very faint, very small, very small bright core, possible stellar
nucleus. Forms a close pair with
NGC 4839 just 2.6' W. At 280x,
this galaxy is resolved into a double system with an extremely faint, nearly
stellar companion (
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4842 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen, while observing and measuring NGC 4839. With respect to NGC 4839 his position is 11-12 sec of RA
east and 0.4' north. The actual
offset is 11.5 sec east and 0.3' south (to the brighter northern component), so
he apparently reversed the offset sign in declination. As a result the NGC position is off
from d'Arrest's usual accuracy. The two components are listed separately in the
MCG.
******************************
12 58 00.9 -03
37 18
V = 13.0; Size 2.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 87d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W, small bright
core seems offset to the east side.
A mag 13 star is just south of the east end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4843 = H III-613 = h1492 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and noted
"vF, E, easily resolvable."
CH's reduction is 4' south of
******************************
NGC 4844
12 58 08.2 -13
04 49
=* superimposed
3.2' ESE of NGC 4838, Corwin.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4844 = T V 25b on 19 Apr 1882 near NGC 4838, which he apparently
didn't realize was discovered earlier by JH. He recorded "following on the parallel with [NGC 4838]
is another faint, nebulous star."
No position or even offset was mentioned, so the NGC position must have
been communicated directly to Dreyer, but only faint stars are near this
position. Harold Corwin suggests
NGC 4844 may apply to a mag 14 star 3.2' ESE of the center of NGC 4838, but
this is uncertain as it is still 1' from the NGC position.
******************************
12 58 01.3 +01
34 33
V = 11.2; Size 5.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 89d
17.5"
(2/28/87): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, bright core,
mottled and dusty appearance (due to equatorial dust lane). A mag 11.5 star is north of the east
edge 2.0' from center and a mag 13 star is 1.3' SSE of center. Located 12' NE of mag 7.0
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4845 = H II-536 = h1491 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded
"pB, mE, about 2 1/2' l and 1' br; mbM." His position is pretty accurate. JH made the single observation "F; pL; E; has a *
30" dist, 45° sf, 12m."
******************************
12 57 47.7 +36
22 15
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 62d
17.5": faint,
small, elongated SW-NE, almost even surface brightness.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4846 = h1495 on 11 Mar 1831 and simply noted
"eF". There is nothing
near his position. The nearest
possible candidate is
******************************
12 58 29.0 -13
08 26
V = 16.7; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint and small or stellar. This galaxy hides on the SW side of mag 13.5-14 star which
makes detection very difficult and just suspected several times. Located 10' E of a mag 9 star (double
star 8.8/9.0 at 2" separation).
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4847 on 19 Apr 1882.
The NGC position matches
******************************
NGC 4848 = UGC
8082 = MCG +05-31-039 = CGCG 160-055 = PGC 44405
12 58 05.6 +28
14 32
V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 158d
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, even surface
brightness. Member of AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4848 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured 3 times, is
accurate.
******************************
12 58 12.7 +26
23 49
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 175d
24"
(5/22/17): at 375x; moderately bright and large, slightly elongated. Sharply concentrated with a 25"
core containing a small bright nucleus.
The very low surface brightness halo is slightly elongated N-S and
extends perhaps 1.0'x0.8'. Forms a
close double (Holmberg 495) with
17.5"
(5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, weak even
concentration down to a brighter core.
A faint double star is 7' N with components mag 12.3 and 13.6 at
16". Forms a close pair with
IC 838 1.9' NNE (not seen).
Outlying member of AGC 1656.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 4849 = Sf. 23 = Spitaler 61 on 16 May 1866 and noted
"pB". His RA is 8
seconds east of
Rudolph Spitaler
also found this galaxy in 1891 with the 27-inch refractor at Vienna and wasn't
sure if it was new. He noted,
"Brightness and appearance like Nova 58. Probably identical with the Nova d'Arrest . Northeast of
this nebula, at 1.5', there is still another nebula, but much faint; Both
together form a pretty double nebula." Spitaler's position for NGC 4849 (given in the IC 1 notes)
is still 1.5' too far south!
Finally,
Stephane Javelle found the galaxy again on 12 Jun 1895 with the 30-inch
refractor at Nice and reported it as new in list 3-1230. Dreyer overlooked Spitaler's position
and recatalogued it as
******************************
12 58 21.8 +27
58 04
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(4/28/90): very faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Forms pair with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4850 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
6 sec of time too small, a relatively large error, but matches in declination.
******************************
12 58 21.7 +28
08 55
V = 14.2
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, very small, elongated N-S. This is a double system (not resolved although the
components are oriented NNE-SSW) in AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4851 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
less than 3 sec of time west of
******************************
13 00 04 -59 36
36
Size 11'
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): I'm surprised I didn't look for
this cluster previously from Australia or Costa Rica as it is located just 1.1°
NE of the Jewel Box and 1.6° east of mag 1.3 Beta Crucis! At 200x it was a pretty impressive
collection of ~150 stars mag 10-16 in a 10' region including several mag
10-10.5 stars. One subgroup makes
a neat "zig-zag" or "M" outline while another set of stars
forms a "V" shaped group.
There are no real rich subgroups but still it forms a nice cluster.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4852 = D 311 = h3449 on 30 Apr 1826 with his 9-inch reflector
from Parramatta, New South Wales, and recorded "a very faint pretty large
nebula about 6' or 8' diameter, round figure, resolvable into very minute
stars. Several stars of some considerable magnitude appear scattered among the
minute stars of the nebula, but they are only the continuation of a branch of
small stars which run over the place where the nebula is; the stars in the
nebula are very gradually, but not much, compressed to the centre." He
observed the cluster of 4 times and his catalogued position is ~8' SE of the
center of the cluster.
On 31 Mar 1834,
JH recorded "a very poor cluster of about 70 stars 11..15th magnitude,
very loosely scattered over a space about 15' long and 8' br." His second
observation reads "Cluster VII. p rich, L, irr R, 10' diameter, 80 or 100
stars, 10, 11, 12 mag, with a stippling of much smaller ones."
******************************
12 58 35.2 +27
35 47
V = 13.6; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(4/28/90): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4853 = h1496 on 13 Apr 1831 and recorded "vF; R; pslbM;
20"." His two
observations match
******************************
NGC 4854 = MCG
+05-31-049 = CGCG 160-070 = PGC 44502
12 58 47.4 +27
40 29
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.4'; PA = 40d
17.5"
(4/28/90): very faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4853 5.2'
SW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4854 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His RA from a single
position is 6 seconds too small.
******************************
12 59 18.4 -13
13 52
V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, fairly bright stellar
nucleus.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4855 = T V-26 on 19 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table is accurate.
******************************
12 59 21.2 -15
02 32
V = 10.5; Size 4.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 37d
17.5"
(5/17/90): bright, fairly large, dominated by a very bright core, fairly large
faint halo elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE.
A mag 13 star is superimposed on the halo just east of the core 0.4'
from center.
8"
(5/21/82): fairly bright, bright core, slightly elongated. A mag 7.5 is in the field 20' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4856 = H I-68 = h1497 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and logged
"cB, mbM, irr R." JH
made two observations, recording on sweep 352 "pB; R; psbM; 20"; a *
13m pos 140° [southeast]; dist 1 diam by diagram."
******************************
12 57 18.3 +70
12 13
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 110d
18"
(6/28/03): faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.7'x0.5', broad
concentration to a brighter middle.
A mag 13 star lies 3' ESE (with a mag 15 companion).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4857 = H III-908 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted "eF,
vS, iR, vlbM." CH's reduced
position is just 1' northwest of
******************************
12 59 02.0 +28
06 55
V = 15.2; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
18"
(4/20/12): very faint, extremely small, round, 12"-15" diameter. Fainter of a close pair with
17.5"
(4/21/90): extremely faint and small, round, requires averted. Forms a very close pair with NGC 4860
34" NE. Member of AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4858, along with NGC 4860, on 21 Apr 1865 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and described as a double nebula. This is the faintest of the 34 members
in the Coma cluster that d'Arrest discovered.
******************************
12 59 01.8 +26
48 56
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 95d
17.5"
(5/14/94): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.6'x0.5', very weak
concentration. A mag 13.5 star is
1.8' SE. Outlying member of AGC
1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4859 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4860 = MCG
+05-31-054 = CGCG 160-215 = PGC 44539
12 59 03.9 +28
07 25
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.1
18"
(4/20/12): at 322x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 NW-SE, small
bright core, 0.4'x0.3'. Very close
pair with NGC 4858 38" SW.
Located 12' NW of
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, round, bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4858 34" SW within AGC
1656.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, very small, round.
Located 4' NW of
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4860, along with NGC 4858, on 21 Apr 1865 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is 25" northwest of center.
******************************
12 59 01.8 +34
51 39
V = 12.3; Size 4.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 15d
48"
(4/7/13): very unusual appearance at 488x as the galaxy is dominated by a very
high surface brightness HII region (
17.5"
(1/23/93): faint, very elongated SSW-NNE, even low surface brightness. Located between two mag 12 stars at low
power. The "star" at the
SSW end is slightly nebulous at 166x and appears as a definite nonstellar knot
at 332x. UGC and CGCG misidentify
this HII region as NGC 4861 (and the galaxy as
13.1"
(2/23/85): faint, elongated streak SSW-NNE. Stretches between two 12th magnitude "stars". The star at the south end is actually a
giant HII region and it appears slightly fuzzy at 166x and clearly nonstellar
at 312x.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4861 = H IV-30 = h1499 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged,
"two stars at about 3' distance connected with a vF narrow
nebulosity." His position
matches
Max Wolf found
the galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and his position for W. V-103 is on
the center of the galaxy. Despite
an accurate position and description, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4861 as IC 3961.
UGC and CGCG
identify the main galaxy as IC 3961 and the bright HII knot as NGC 4861 (Webb
Society Quarterly Journal #45, July 1981). Although LdR noted a "bright little knot" at the
south end, the HII complex was not given a separate designation in the NGC or
IC.
******************************
12 59 30.8 -14
07 56
V = 14.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 120d
24"
(6/1/13): extremely faint to very faint, small, round, 20" diameter, low
surface brightness, no details though no difficult. A mag 14 star lies 1.8' NW. Located 6.8' SW of NGC 4862
(exactly on a line with the major axis of this edge-on) and 4.7' E of mag 9.8
18"
(5/15/10): not found.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4862 = LM I-194, along with
******************************
NGC 4863 = MCG
-02-33-081 = PGC 44650
12 59 42.3 -14
01 47
V = 13.9; Size 1.8'x0.4'; PA = 23d
24"
(6/1/13): at 282x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 7:2
SSW-NNE, 1.1'x0.3', well concentrated with a very small, well-defined, small
bright nucleus. NGC 4862 lies 6.8'
SW.
18"
(5/15/10): at 285x appeared faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE,
40"x18", fairly low evens surface brightness. A mag 15 star lies 1' SE of center.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4863 = LM I-195, along with NGC 4862, on 26 Feb
1886. His rough position (given to
the nearest min of RA) is a good match with
******************************
12 59 13.2 +27
58 36
V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, 24" diameter,
well concentrated with a bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. On the DSS there is a faint star
superimposed, so perhaps this is the stellar nucleus I noted. Forms a very close double with
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, very small, round.
Forms a double system with NGC 4867 off the SE edge just 40" from
center and
13"
(5/14/83): faint, very small, round, very close pair with NGC 4867.
William Herschel
probably discovered NGC 4864 = H II-388 = h1500 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and
recorded "Two [along with NGC 4874], the time taken between
them." His single position is
2.5' northwest of NGC 4874, which is certainly one of these two. JH assigned WH's second object (II-388)
to
JH independently
discovered this galaxy on 13 Apr 1831, and noted "The first of 5 south of
a * 7m. Place by configuration
with the others." His
position is noted as very rough, but his sketch (emailed by Wolfgang Steinicke)
verifies h1500 = NGC 4864.
Heinrich d'Arrest first observed NGC 4864 on 10 May 1863 and measured
the position on 3 nights. He
marked the equivalence with h1500 as uncertain.
******************************
NGC 4865 = UGC
8100 = MCG +05-31-064 = CGCG 160-224 = PGC 44578
12 59 19.8 +28
05 03
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 115d
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE,
27"x18". Contains a
relatively high surface brightness core that has a modest concentration to the
center and faint extensions.
Located just 3.1' NW of mag 7.1 HD 112887 in the Coma cluster. Forms a pair with
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located in the core of AGC 1656 3.1' WNW of mag 7.1 SAO
82595 which detracts from viewing.
Nearby are
13"
(5/14/83): very faint, small.
Located 3' NW of a mag 7 star in AGC 1656. NGC 4860 lies 3' NW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4865 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
5 sec of time west of
******************************
12 59 27.1 +14
10 16
V = 11.2; Size 6.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 87d
48"
(4/2/11): extremely bright, very large, beautiful edge-on 7:1 E-W,
~4'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated
with a small extremely bright nucleus.
The central region bulges slightly (spindle-shaped). A bright star (mag 12?) is superimposed
on the NW edge, ~50" from the center. GR 8 = UGC 8091, a low surface brightness Local Group
member, lies 12' WNW. At 375x, GR
8 appeared fairly faint, moderately large, round, ~1.2' diameter. It contains a very small brighter core
and stellar nucleus.
17.5"
(3/20/93): fairly bright, large, edge-on 5:1 E-W, 5.0'x1.0', prominent core,
stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is
embedded on the west side 0.8' WNW of center. The core appears slightly offset towards the star or the
extension west of the core may appear less prominent due to the glare.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4866 = H I-162 = h1498 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded
"vB, E from sp to nf. A small
star in the extent of it, near the brightest part, preceding it about 1/2'." His position and description matches
******************************
NGC 4867 = MCG
+05-31-062 = CGCG 160-222 = PGC 44568
12 59 15.2 +27
58 14
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6
18"
(4/20/12): faint, small, round, 16" diameter. Fainter of a close pair with NGC 4864 36" NW. The pair is located about 5' WNW of NGC
4874 in the core of the Coma cluster.
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Forms a double system with NGC 4864 off the NW edge 40"
from center. Located 4.5' W of NGC
4874 in the core of AGC 1656.
13"
(5/14/83): very faint, small, round, very close pair with NGC 4864. Located 5' WNW of NGC 4874, AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4867 = Big 62 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor
at Copenhagen. In d'Arrest's
description of NGC 4864, he mentions it forms a close double, though no
position was given. Bigourdan
independently found this galaxy on 28 Apr 1885 and noted it was very close to
GC 3343 [NGC 4864] but easily distinguishable. Bigourdan's Comptes Rendus position is 1.4' too far north
and as a result the position is northeast of NGC 4864 in the NGC, instead of
southeast. Harold Corwin proposes
that the NGC 4864/4867 may have been discovered first by WH. See his notes for NGC 4864.
******************************
NGC 4868 = UGC
8099 = MCG +06-29-004 = CGCG 189-008 = PGC 44557
12 59 09.0 +37
18 37
V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
13.1"
(2/16/85): moderately bright, small, almost round. A mag 12 star is on the north edge 1.2' from center. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4868 = H II-644 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and recorded "pB
or cB, S, R, mbM. Among some
scattered star." CH's reduced
position is 9 sec of RA west of
******************************
NGC 4869 = MCG
+05-31-065 = CGCG 160-225 = PGC 44587
12 59 23.3 +27
54 41
V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 14.4 star is attached at the NW
edge. This Coma cluster member is situated 4' SW of NGC 4874, on a line with a
mag 12.3 star that is 2' SW the center of NGC 4874.
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is attached at the NW edge 16" from the
center and a mag 12 star is 2.0' NNE.
Located in the core of AGC 1656 4.0' SW of NGC 4874 with a number of
galaxies near including
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, round. A
mag 13 star is attached at the NW edge.
Located 5' SW NGC 4874 in AGC 1656.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4869 = h1501 on 13 Apr 1831 and noted "The second of 5,
south of * 7m." Although only
a very rough polar distance was given, his sketch (emailed by Steinicke)
verifies h1501 = CGCG 160-225 = PGC 44587. This is the second of the five brightest galaxies in the
core of the cluster (with NGC 4864, NGC 4874,
Heinrich
d'Arrest measured the position of NGC 4869 accurately on 6 nights, first
recording it on 10 May 1863. He
questioned if this object was equivalent to II-388 = h1501, but II-388 more
likely applies to NGC 4864.
******************************
12 59 17.8 +37
02 54
V = 14.6; Size 0.9'x0.3'; PA = 1d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.3'. Situated between two mag 11 stars 1' NW
and 1.9' ESE. Located 12' SE of
Lawrence
Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 4870 on 1 Apr 1878 during the
observation of the NGC 4914 field.
He noted "About 10' p and 10' s of last [NGC 4893] is a third neb,
pF, lE ns, bet 2 st 10m, one about 1.5' npp and the other 2' f." His description is an exact match with
this faint edge-on. The PGC
declination is 3' too small.
******************************
12 59 29.9 +27
57 23
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 174d
18"
(4/20/12): this close companion of NGC 4874 is located just of the west side of
the halo, 1.3' between centers. At
322x it appeared faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, very small bright
nucleus. One of the swarm of small
galaxies hovering around NGC 4874.
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Located 1.3' W of the center of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC
1656. A mag 12 star lies 1.2'
S. Numerous galaxies are nearby
including
13"
(4/29/84): very faint, very small, round, very close companion of NGC 4874 just
1' W of center.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4871 = Big. 62 on 10 May 1863 and placed it 5 sec of
time preceding NGC 4874, in the same parallel. This offset matches
******************************
NGC 4872 = MCG
+05-31-068 = CGCG 160-230 = PGC 44624
12 59 34.1 +27
56 48
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; PA = 115d
18"
(4/20/12): this is the closest of the swarm of small galaxies surrounding NGC
4874, situated just 48" SSW of center at the edge of the halo. At 322x it appeared similar to NGC 4871
(1.1' NW); faint, very small, round, 12"-15" diameter, very small
brighter nucleus.
17.5"
(4/21/90): this is the closest companion of NGC 4874 just off the SW edge of
NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656.
Very faint, very small, irregularly round, small bright core. A mag 12 star lies 1.3' SW. Located just 52" SW of the center
of NGC 4874. A swarm of galaxies
in the field with NGC 4871 1.1' NW, NGC 4873 2.2' N and NGC 4875 2.5' SSE.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4872 on 21 Apr 1865. In his description of NGC 4874, he mentioned finding another
nebula 45" to the south and preceding, which matches the offset to CGCG
160-230 = PGC 44624. On 5
May 1864 he recorded an object 3 sec of RA following NGC 4874 and 0.3' north
(measured the same night) but there is nothing at this offset, although Dreyer
may have assumed this referred to NGC 4872.
Dreyer equated
WH's II-389 and JH's h1502 with NGC 4872, but these two designations apply to
much brighter NGC 4874.
******************************
NGC 4873 = MCG
+05-31-069 = CGCG 160-229 = PGC 44621
12 59 32.8 +27
59 01
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(4/20/12): this member of the Coma cluster is located just 1.6' NNW of NGC
4874, within the halo of faint galaxies surrounding the giant elliptical. At 322x appeared faint, small, round,
18" diameter, very small brighter nucleus. Just slightly larger than nearby
17.5" (4/21/90):
close companion of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, slightly elongated, very small
bright core. Located 1.6' NNW of
NGC 4874. Nearby galaxies include
NGC 4871 1.7' SSW and NGC 4864/NGC 4867 pair 4.3' W.
Heinrich d'Arrest
discovered NGC 4873 = Big 64 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and placed it 1 1/2' north of NGC 4874 and about 1 sec of time
preceding. This offset matches
Guillaume
Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 16 May 1885 with the 12-inch
refractor at Paris and recorded "mag 13.4-13.5; 20" dia, no
nucleus." His position is
accurate, but because of the confusion with the identifications in the densely
packed Coma Cluster, NGC 4873 wasn't included in the GC or GC Supplement and
first appeared in the NGC.
******************************
NGC 4874 = UGC
8103 = MCG +05-31-070 = CGCG 160-231 = PGC 44628
12 59 35.7 +27
57 33
V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(4/20/12): at 322x this giant elliptical cD appeared moderately to fairly
bright, moderately large, round, ~1.2' diameter, sharply concentrated with a
very bright core and fainter halo.
Surrounded by a dense swarm of faint companions; 16 have been observed
within a 5' radius! Located 6.4' S
of mag 7.1 HD 112887. NGC 4889,
the brightest member in the central region, is 7.3' ENE.
17.5"
(4/21/90): second brightest galaxy in the core of AGC 1656. Fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, bright core. Located
6.4' S of mag 7.2 SAO 82595. A mag
12 star lies 2.5' WSW. Surrounded
by a halo of faint galaxies including NGC 4872 52" SSW, NGC 4871 1.3' W,
NGC 4873 1.6' NNW,
13"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, round, fairly small, 2nd brightest in AGC 1656. A mag 7 star lies about 6' N and a mag
12.5 star 2' SW. Numerous
companions are nearby in the field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4874 = H II-389 = h1502 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"Two [along with NGC 4864], the time taken between them." His position (CH's reduced position) is
2.5' northwest of NGC 4874, in line with his offset of 3.5' northwest for NGC
4889. Dreyer misassigned II-389 =
h1502 to nearby NGC 4872, but this is a much fainter companion that was
discovered by Heinrich d'Arrest.
JH simply noted "The third of 5; place by configuration", but
he associated it with II-389 and his sketch confirms h1502 = NGC 4874. Also, his first two observations under
h1501 on sweeps 64 and 65 probably apply to NGC 4874.
Heinrich
d'Arrest made 7 observations of this galaxy and questioned if it was
II-389? Dreyer credited d'Arrest
with the discovery in the NGC.
d'arrest discovered 34 galaxies in the Coma cluster with an 11"
refractor and Steinicke mentions that d'Arrest was the first to recognize the
Coma assemblage of galaxies as a cluster, although Max Wolf is generally given
credit in the literature based on his photographic survey.
******************************
NGC 4875 = CGCG
160-232 = PGC 44640
12 59 37.9 +27
54 26
V = 14.7; Size 0.4'x0.3'
18"
(4/20/12): at 322x this member of the Coma cluster appeared very faint, very
small, round, 15" diameter.
Forms a similar pair with
17.5"
(4/21/90): companion of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. Located 3.1' S of NGC 4874. Appears extremely faint and small,
slightly elongated. Second of
three and located between IC 3973 2.1' SW and NGC 4876 1.5' E. A mag 12 star is 2.7' NW.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4875 = Big. 65, along with NGC 4876, on 16 May
1885. His Comptes Rendus position
is 1' north of
******************************
NGC 4876 = MCG
+05-31-073 = CGCG 160-234 = PGC 44658
12 59 44.4 +27
54 44
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
18"
(4/20/12): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 18"x14". Forms a similar pair with NGC 4875,
just 1.5' WSW. Situated 3.4' SE of
NGC 4874 in the core of Coma cluster.
A mag 14.9 star is 0.9' NW.
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, very small, elongated N-S. Located in the core of AGC 1656 3.4' SE of NGC 4874. Third of three with NGC 4875 1.5' WSW
and IC 3973 3.4' SE.
13"
(4/29/84): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 4' SE of NGC 4874 in AGC 1656.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4876 = Big. 66, along with NGC 4875, on 16 May
1885. His Comptes Rendus position
is 1' northeast of CGCG 160-232 = PGC 44640 (similar offset as NGC 4875).
******************************
13 00 26.3 -15
17 00
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 6d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, bright
core. Located 2.8' SE of mag 9 SAO
157648. Forms a pair with MCG
-02-33-082 7.2' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4877 = H III-299 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and logged "pB,
pL, mbM." There is nothing
near his position, but 54 sec of RA due east is
******************************
13 00 20.1 -06
06 14
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 10d
48"
(4/2/11): this bright galaxy forms a prominent pair with
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, small, round, prominent core, almost stellar nucleus,
small halo. Forms a close pair
with NGC 4888 4.3' ENE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4878 = H III-758, along with NGC 4879, on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep
916) and recorded "Two, both vF, vS." His single position is 7 sec of RA west of MCG
-01-33-064. Harold Corwin suggests
NGC 4879 may be a star about 1.5' east-southeast of the galaxy. MCG identifies NGC 4878 as a double
galaxy (with -064a) but Corwin says this is a plate defect on the POSS1. Karl Reinmuth identifies a star
northeast of the galaxy as NGC 4878 and the galaxy, itself, as NGC 4879. See Corwin's NGC identification notes
for more.
******************************
NGC 4879
13 00 25.6 -06
06 40
48"
(4/2/11): this number may refer to a mag 14.5-15 star located 1.4' ESE of NGC
4878.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4879 = H III-759, along with NGC 4878, on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep
916) and recorded "Two, both vF, vS." There is only a single galaxy at his position (NGC 4878 =
******************************
13 00 10.5 +12
29 00
V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 165d
17.5"
(4/4/92): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 3.0'x2.0',
broad weak concentration with no core or nucleus, fairly low surface
brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4880 = H III-83 = h1503 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted
"vF, S, irr, resolvable."
JH's mean position (two sweeps) matches
******************************
12 59 57.7 +28
14 48
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, very small, round, bright core. Located 5' E of mag 8.1
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4881 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
on two consecutive nights) is accurate and he mentions that mag 8
******************************
13 00 04.4 +27
59 15
See observing
notes for
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4882, along with
The RNGC places
NGC 4882 is 0.2 min of RA west of NGC 4886 but there is no galaxy near that
position. This error was mentioned
in my RNGC Corrections #1 and the Webb Society Observer's Handbook #5, p158.
******************************
12 59 56.0 +28
02 04
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 93d
18" (4/20/12):
this member of the Coma cluster is relatively isolated, roughly halfway between
NGC 4889 (4.4' SE) and the mag 7.2 star (5.4' NW) in the core of the
cluster. At 322x it appeared faint
to fairly faint, small, oval 5:4 E-W, 18"x14", slightly brighter
core. The bright star is somewhat
of a nuisance.
17.5"
(4/21/90): located in the central core of AGC 1656 4.4' NW of NGC 4889 and 6.4'
NE of NGC 4874. Very faint, very
small, round. Mag 7.2 SAO 82595
5.4' WNW hinders observation of this galaxy.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4883 = Big. 67 on 16 May 1885. His Comptes Rendus position (nearest
min of dec) is 45" too far northeast. Dreyer (as well as Wolfgang
Steinicke) credits d'Arrest with the discovery (on 22 Apr 1865), but I can't
identify his observation in his compilation Siderum Nebulosorum.
******************************
NGC 4884 = NGC
4889 = UGC 8110 = MCG +05-31-077 = CGCG 160-241 = PGC 44715
13 00 08.1 +27
58 37
V = 11.5; Size 2.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d
See observing
notes for NGC 4889.
Henrich d'Arrest
found NGC 4884, along with NGC 4882, on 22 Apr 1865 and noted "principal
one of multiple nebulae. One
precedes [NGC 4882] by 2 or 3 sec."
His position is 7.5 sec of RA preceding NGC 4889, the only bright galaxy
in the immediate vicinity, and his position for NGC 4882 is 7 sec of RA
preceding NGC 4886. So, NGC 4884 =
NGC 4889 and NGC 4882 = NGC 4886.
d'Arrest listed 7 observations of NGC 4889, so NGC 4884 was an 8th
observation. Karl Reinmuth, in his
photographic survey based on Heidelberg plates, states "not found; = NGC
4889".
******************************
13 00 33.8 -06
51 11
V = 14.0; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1
18"
(5/16/09): faint, small, round, 24" diameter, very weak concentration.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4885 = h1504 on 19 Feb 1830 and logged "vF; vS;
E." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 4886 = NGC
4882 = MCG +05-31-076 = CGCG 160-239 = PGC 44698
13 00 04.4 +27
59 15
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0
18"
(4/20/12): this galaxy is the closest NGC galaxy (1.0' NW) to NGC 4889 in the
core of the Coma cluster. At 282x
it appeared faint or fairly faint, small, round, 15" diameter, contains a
small bright nucleus.
17.5"
(4/21/90): close companion to NGC 4889 in the central core of AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, slightly
elongated. Located just 1.0' NW of
the core of AGC 1656. Nearby
galaxies surrounding NGC 4889 includes
13"
(4/29/84): very faint, very small, round.
Close companion 1' NW of NGC 4889 in the central core of AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4886 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and measured it on two nights.
His position, 4-5 sec of time preceding NGC 4889, matches CGCG
160-239. This is the closest NGC
companion to NGC 4889. NGC 4882 is
a third observation by d'Arrest of this galaxy on 22 Apr 1865, but with a relatively
poor position (1.6' too far southwest), so he and Dreyer assumed it was
new. See that number.
******************************
13 00 39.1 -14
39 58
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 155d
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, oval 2:1 NW-SE, small bright core. Forms a pair with
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4887 = T V-27 on 21 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table is an exact match
with
******************************
NGC 4888 = MCG
-01-33-066 = VV 680 = PGC 44766
13 00 36.3 -06
04 31
V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 110d
48"
(4/2/11): very bright, moderatly large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, brighter
along the major axis. Well
concentrated with a very bright core.
A bright, wide double star is 1' W of center (separation of
~35"). A mag 15 star is
between the pair and the galaxy, ~30" WSW of center.
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, small bright
core. Almost exactly collinear
with a nice double star mag 12/13 just 1' WNW of core. The double star has the same position
angle as the galaxy. Forms a pair
with NGC 4878 4' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4888 = H II-778 = h1505 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted
"F, S, south following a double star." JH recorded "pF; vS; E; psbM." and measured a good
position.
RNGC mislabels
NGC 4888 as NGC 4879.
******************************
NGC 4889 = NGC
4884 = UGC 8110 = MCG +05-31-077 = CGCG 160-241 = PGC 44715
13 00 08.1 +27
58 37
V = 11.5; Size 2.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d
18"
(4/20/12): this is the dominant cD galaxy in the Coma cluster, although NGC
4874 is surrounded by a much richer retinue of small companions. At 282x appeared fairly bright,
moderately large, slightly elongated E-W, ~1.5'x1.2'. Strongly concentrated with a very bright, slightly elongated
core that increases to the center. The closes NGC companion is NGC 4886,
situated 1.0' NW. A mag 13.5 star
is a similar distance SE. With
careful viewing, I caught glimpses of
17.5" (4/21/90):
largest and brightest galaxy in AGC 1656 = Coma I galaxy cluster. NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 9.2' W are both
surrounded by a cloud of faint galaxies.
Moderately bright, fairly small, oval E-W, bright core. Several companions near including NGC
4886 1.0' NW,
13"
(5/14/83): fairly bright, fairly small, oval E-W. Largest and brightest in AGC 1656 = Coma I. NGC 4874 lies 7' W and several
companions are near.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4889 = H II-391 = h1507 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply
not "vF". His position
is 3.4' northwest of NGC 4889, close to the same offset he made in the sweep
with NGC 4874.
JH made two
observations under h1507 (sweep 64 and 343) with his RA is marked as very
uncertain. On sweep 343, he
recorded "B; pmE; bM. The
fourth of 5, south of * 7m. His
position is 4 sec of RA too large but his sketch verifies the identity. Also, his observation listed under
h1510 on sweep 65 refers to NGC 4889.
Heinrich
d'Arrest's NGC 4884 is a duplicate observation. See that number for details. d'Arrest commented that "the nebulae are numerous
and dense and despite being small, so crowded one cannot imagine."
******************************
13 00 39.0 -04
36 11
V = 11.9; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 100d
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, round, fairly high almost even surface
brightness, weak concentration.
Forms a vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 12.5 stars 2.7' NW
and 2.5' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4890 = H III-614 = h1506 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and noted
"cF, S, irr R." His
position is less than 2' south of
******************************
13 00 47.0 -13
25 35
=* 2' NW NGC
4897, Corwin. Incorrectly
identified as
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4891 on 21 Apr 1882.
In the listing under NGC 4897 = T V-28 in his main table, Tempel
mentions a nebulous star is 2'-3' northwest. At this offset is only a 14th magnitude star. See NGC 4897.
NGC 4897 is
misidentified as NGC 4891 in many modern sources. See notes on NGC 4897.
******************************
13 00 03.5 +26
53 53
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 13d
17.5"
(5/14/94): very faint, thin edge-on SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.2'. Followed by two mag 14-14.5 stars with
separation 39" oriented SSW-NNE and parallel to the major axis (closer
star is 0.6' E of center). NGC
4859 lies 14.6' SW. Outlying
member of AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4892 = H II-390 = h1508 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply
noted "F". His position
is accurate, although JH's RA is 11 sec too large.
******************************
NGC 4893 = IC
4015/4016 = VV 222a/b = Holm 498a/b = UGC 8111 = MCG +06-29-008/009 = CGCG
189-010 = PGC 44690/44696
12 59 59.6 +37
11 36
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.4'; PA = 3d
24"
(6/4/16): the two close components (
16" LX200
(4/14/07): faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. A mag 13 star lies less than 1' E. This is a contact double system (IC
4015 + 4016 with a separation of 0.35'), though the components were not
resolved. Located 11' SW of NGC
4914 and 82' SE of Cor Caroli (Alpha CVn).
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4893 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position
matches
Max Wolf gave
separate entries for the two components, which Dreyer catalogued as IC 4015 and
IC 4016 (essentially at d'Arrest's position). The two components were apparently seen by Dreyer
("elongated n-s") but not resolved. Corwin notes that the object Wolf
identified as NGC 4893 is actually a plate defect, so he assumed the two
separate components were new objects.
******************************
NGC 4894 = NGC
4898 = MCG +05-31-082 = CGCG 160-248 = PGC 44736
13 00 17.8 +27
57 20
See observing
notes for NGC 4898.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4894 = h1510 on 13 Apr 1831 and recorded "the last of 5,
south of a * 7m; more suspected to the south." Since his 4th of 5 in the sweep (h1507) refers to NGC 4889,
and he gave the declination as 1' south, Harold Corwin concludes that NGC 4894
is likely the earliest observation of NGC 4898, and not fainter
JH listed a
second observation of h1510 on 30 Mar 1827, but that observation applies to NGC
4889. JH also attached his
father's III-363 to h1510 in the GC (3354), but H III-363 likely applies to NGC
4908 (Dreyer assigned it to
Because of the
density of galaxies in the Coma cluster, there was a great deal of confusion on
the identities! Bigourdan and
d'Arrest later measured an accurate position for NGC 4898 and both are credited
in the NGC, so its identity is not in doubt.
******************************
NGC 4895 = UGC
8113 = MCG +05-31-081 = CGCG 160-249 = PGC 44737
13 00 17.9 +28
12 08
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 153d
18"
(4/20/12): this is one of the brightest galaxies in the Coma cluster and the
middle of three in a near line with NGC 4881 5' NW and
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE. Nearby companions are NGC 4881 5.2' NW
and NGC 4895A 2.7' SW. Located
just north of the central core of AGC 1656 and 14' N of NGC 4889.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4895 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
on 3 nights) matches
******************************
13 00 30.8 +28
20 47
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5d
18"
(6/4/05): faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Weak, even concentration to a very faint stellar
nucleus. Located just north of the
core of AGC 1656 with
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 4896 = Big 68 on 12 May 1885. There is nothing at his Comptes Rendus
position, but 15 sec of time east and 2' north is
******************************
NGC 4897 =
(R)NGC 4891 = MCG -02-33-089 = UGCA 316 = PGC 44829
13 00 52.9 -13
26 58
V = 11.8; Size 2.6'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, round, halo gradually brightens, faint
stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is
2' NW (= NGC 4891). Incorrectly
identified as NGC 4891 in modern catalogues.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4897 = T V-28 on 21 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table matches MCG
-02-33-089 = PGC 44829. The
description mentions that 2' to 3' northwest is a fainter nebulous star, which
Dreyer catalogued as NGC 4891. Only
a mag 14 star is at the position of NGC 4891.
Shapley-Ames,
RC1, RC2, RNGC, MCG, UGCA and PGC mislabel NGC 4897 as NGC 4891, but it is
correctly identified in RC3. The
RNGC RA is also 42 min too small.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
NGC 4898 = NGC
4894 = MCG +05-31-082 = CGCG 160-248 = PGC 44736
13 00 17.8 +27
57 20
V = 13.5; Size 0.4'x0.3'
18"
(4/20/12): this double galaxy is the brightest close-in companion to NGC 4889
in the heart of the Coma cluster.
At 282x it appeared fairly faint to moderately bright, small, oval 4:3
E-W, mild concentration to center.
Occasionally, the companion (
CGCG 160-247,
just 45" NNW, is identified as NGC 4894 in modern sources. At 282x, this challenging galaxy
appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 10" diameter. The small dimensions imply I only
picked up the brighter core and missed the extensions SW-NE.
17.5" (4/21/90):
located in the central core of AGC 1656 cluster 2.5' SE of brightest member NGC
4889. Faint, very small, slightly
elongated. This is the last of
four on a line with NGC 4894 just 45" NW, NGC 4889 2.5' NW and NGC 4886
3.5' NW.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located 3' SE NGC 4889 in AGC 1656.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4898 = h1510 = Big 69 on 13 Apr 1831 and simply noted "the
last of 5, south of a * 7m; more suspected to the south." He did not measure the RA and the dec
is marked as very uncertain (nearest min), but his sketch (emailed by
Steinicke) confirms the identity.
An earlier observation on 30 Mar 1827, listed under h1510, appears to
describe NGC 4889 instead: "B; S; R; in parallel with another which is
follows.
Heinrich
d'Arrest found NGC 4898 on 6 Apr 1864 and measured the position on 3
nights. He questioned if it was
the same as h1510. Bigourdan also
found NGC 4898 on 15 May 1885.
Because of the confusion with the identifications due to the Herschels'
poor positions, Dreyer equated h1510 with NGC 4894 and NGC 4898 was credited to
d'Arrest and Bigourdan.
******************************
13 00 56.5 -13
56 39
V = 11.9; Size 2.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 15d
24"
(6/1/13): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, ~1.7'x1.0', broad
concentration, large slightly brighter middle but no distinct core or
nucleus. The central region
increases to a vaguely defined nucleus.
Hint of spiral structure in the halo. Located 8.2' WSW of mag 7.5
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly large, oval ~N-S, fairly low surface
brightness. Appears brighter at
the south end.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4899 = H II-300 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted
"Faintish, cL." CH's
reduction is at the west edge of
******************************
NGC 4900 = UGC
8116 = MCG +01-33-035 = CGCG 043-093 = PGC 44797
13 00 39.1 +02
30 00
V = 11.4; Size 2.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 12.9
48"
(4/7/13): this unusual galaxy visually appears like a barred ring. At 488x a bright nucleus is embedded
with a weak bar, extending NW-SE.
A slightly brighter knot is situated close northwest of the nucleus. A mag 11 star is attached at the
southeast end of the galaxy, collinear with the "bar". A large, round halo extends 1.7' and is
slightly brighter along portions of the outer edge, forming a weak ring with a
slightly darker interior on either side of the bar.
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.5' diameter. A mag 10.5 star is attached at the SE
edge 41" from center. Even
surface brightness except for a faint slightly elongated "knot" just
NW of center which may be the central bar or an offset nucleus.
8"
(5/21/82): fairly bright, small.
Unusual appearance with a mag 10 star attached at the east edge and the
galaxy extends to the west.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4900 = H I-143 = h1509 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) amd recorded
"cB, just np a pB star and joining it as to appear like a brush to
it." In his 1814 PT paper he
used this example and others to demonstrate a supposed union or attraction
between the star and the nebula. JH made three observations and one description
notes a "star 11m, with a fan or brush."
R.J. Mitchell,
observing with LdR's 72" on 18 Apr 1855, recorded "Looks sometimes
like the owl nebula when badly seen, with a B, E patch in centre and dark spots
on each side of this; sometimes dark ring is seen all the way round, but
blackest to [sp and nf]. Neby round is mottled." On 24 Apr 1857 he logged "B centre is elongated in the
direction of the star on edge and on either side of centre there certainly exist
dark spaces as before remarked, giving it the look of the owl-neb. Yet I sometimes thought I saw it as a
sprial with a break in outer annulus npp." The barred-ring structure in his sketch can be verified on
the SDSS!
******************************
NGC 4901 = UGC
8112 = MCG +08-24-019 = CGCG 245-009 = PGC 44684
12 59 56.4 +47
12 20
V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.4
18"
(6/27/03): faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, low surface brightness.
Increases slightly to a very small brighter core. Located 6.8' NNE of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4901 = h1512 on 7 Mar 1831 and recorded "vF; vS; E."
His position is at the northwest edge of this galaxy.
******************************
NGC 4902 = MCG
-02-33-092 = UGCA 315 = PGC 44847
13 00 59.6 -14
30 48
V = 10.9; Size 3.0'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright and large, round, weak even concentration to a
bright core. Forms the eastern
vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 10 stars 2.0' NW and 2.2' WSW of
center. NGC 4887 is at the edge of
the 220x field 10.4' SSW.
8"
(5/21/82): fairly faint, moderately large, round, diffuse.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4902 = H I-69 = h1511 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted
"cB, pL, iR." CH's
reduction is 10 sec of RA west of
******************************
13 01 22.7 -30
56 06
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 73d
18"
(3/17/07): largest of trio with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4903 = h3450, along with NGC 4905, on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded
"vF; R; 30"; attached to a star; the preceding of 2 [with NGC
4905]." His dec was
1.3' too far south.
******************************
13 00 58.5 -00
01 39
V = 12.0; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d
17.5"
(5/22/93): moderately bright, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.0', brighter bar
along major axis, very small brighter core, slightly mottled. A mag 12 star is 1.8' NNW and a mag 14
star 2.2' WSW. On the POSS a very
faint outer halo is elongated roughly N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4904 = H II-517 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "pB, S,
R, bM." A few minutes later
he commented in his logbook "twilight pretty strong." His position is 2' southwest of UGC
8121.
******************************
NGC 4905 = ESO
443-031 = MCG -05-31-015 = PGC 44902
13 01 30.7 -30
52 06
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 26d
18"
(3/17/07): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, weak concentration
with a slightly brighter core. In
a trio with NGC 4905 4.3' SSW and E443-034 3.5' SE. Located 4.3' SW of mag 7.4
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4905 = h3451, along with NGC 4903 = h3450, on 30 Mar 1835 and
logged "vF; vS; R; slbM. The
following of 2 [with NGC 4903].
His position is 3.3' south of
******************************
13 00 39.7 +27
55 26
V = 14.1; Size 0.5'x0.5'
18"
(4/20/12): at 322x appeared faint, small, round, 18" diameter. A mag 14 star is close west, just
25" from the center. Located
7.7' SE of NGC 4889 in the Coma cluster.
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, very small, round.
A mag 14 star is just 25" W of center. Located 7.6' SE of NGC 4889 in the core of AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4906 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
twice) matches
******************************
NGC 4907 = MCG
+05-31-089 = CGCG 160-257 = PGC 44819
13 00 48.8 +28
09 29
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, even surface
brightness (face-on barred spiral).
A mag 13 star is close off the SW end.
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, even surface
brightness. A mag 13 star is just
off the south end. Nearby galaxies
include CGCG 160-251 3' WSW and
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4907 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate and he noted the mag 13 star close south.
******************************
13 00 54.3 +28
00 26
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated,
25"x22", broad concentration.
Just slightly brighter than IC 4051 2.2' WNW. Located 10' ENE of NGC 4889 in the Coma cluster. The identifications of NGC 4908 and IC
4051 are likely reversed in most catalogues.
17.5"
(4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located in the central region of AGC
1656 with NGC 4908 2.5' N and IC 4042 2.5' SW. This galaxy is identified as IC 4051 in most modern catalogues
(except MCG).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4908 = H III-363 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted
"vF". CH's reduction
matches
Kobold and
Bigourdan later observed both galaxies, but the position from Kobold for IC
4051 matches the brighter galaxy as he assumed the fainter galaxy was NGC
4908. To further confuse the
issue, JH misassigned III-363 to h1510 = NGC 4894 -- see that number for
additional problems! -- and this was copied into the GC.
Since WH picked
up the slightly brighter south-southeast galaxy (and presumably d'Arrest), NGC
4908 should apply to this galaxy, though modern catalogues reverse the
identifications. See
Corwin's notes for more on this confusing story.
******************************
13 02 01.8 -42
46 18
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 28d
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): faint to fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter
(this is the central core region on images). With averted vision increases to ~40" diameter. A number of stars are nearby including
a pair of mag 13 stars [11" separation] 1.6' SE and a mag 11.5 star
is 2.3' E. In addition, a mag 12/13 pair at a
similar separation is 2.9' SW. The
latter is part of a distinctive arc of stars that begins 2.5' SW and sweeps
clockwise, ending at mag 10
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4909 = h3452 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; precedes 3 or
4 stars, 11..12m." His
position and description matches
******************************
NGC 4910 = NGC
4845? = UGC 8078 = MCG +00-33-025 = CGCG 015-049 = PGC 44392
12 58 01.3 +01
34 33
See observing
notes for NGC 4845. Identification
very uncertain.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4910 = H V-3 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 123) and recorded "vL
but eF, or I believe they are very close and vS stars." The PT summary description reads
"eF, vL, er, R, 7 or 8' dia."
In the NGC notes, Dreyer mentioned that Auwers' reduction is 10 min of
RA too large. This observation is
from an early sweep (prone to errors) and in the 1912 revision of WH's
catalogues, Dreyer also mentioned the following note from WH, "The place
of this neb is not determined with accuracy" and there were no subsequent
sightings by other observers.
Harold Corwin
suggests that NGC 4910 may possibly be a duplicate observation of NGC 4845
(about 2.5 min of RA and 4' south of WH's rough position) as it is the
"only reasonable candidate."
******************************
13 00 56.1 +27
47 27
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint, moderately large, oval NW-SE, 45"x35", broad
concentration. A mag 14.5 star
lies 52" SE. Forms a close
pair with
17.5" (4/21/90):
fairly faint, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2' NW.
13"
(5/14/83): faint, small, round. A
mag 13 star is close west. First
of three in the field. Located 18'
SE of core of AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4911 = H II-392 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"Three, the two following [
******************************
13 01 24.9 +29
18 40
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 129d
See observing
notes for
Lawrence
Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, found NGC 4912, along with
Sue French
suggested that Parsons' field is 8° south of NGC 4914, where a very similar
configuration of 4 galaxies is found, including a wide pair of stars that
matches the diagram. This implies
NGC 4912 (labeled delta) = NGC 4922, NGC 4913 (labeled gamma) = IC 843, NGC
4916 (labeled epsilon) = CGCG 160-107 and the galaxy he assumed was NGC 4914
labeled beta) was IC 4088. Harold
Corwin notes some errors with his descriptions (epsilson is called the
brightest) but the configuration strongly suggests these identifications.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4922 = UGC 8135 just 5 days earlier than Parsons'
observation, but the other three galaxies should be credited to Parsons. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes.
******************************
NGC 4913 = IC
843 = UGC 8137 = MCG +05-31-100 = CGCG 160-099 = PGC 44908
13 01 33.6 +29
07 50
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 134d
18"
(4/30/11): fairly faint, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, 45"x12", contains
a very small brighter nucleus. IC
4088 lies 5.6' SSE, NGC 4916 is 10' NE and NGC 4922 is 11' NNW. This galaxy is identified as
Lawrence
Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, found NGC 4913, along with NGC 4912, NGC 4916
and IC 4088, on 24 Apr 1865.
Parsons assumed he was observing the NGC 4914 field, but the discovery
sketch, which shows 4 nebulae (and one suspected neb), is a reasonably good
match with a field 8° further south.
NGC 4913, labeled as Gamma in the diagram, matches IC 843. Sue French originally suggested this
identification.
Truman Safford
independently discovered this galaxy on 3 May 1866. The discovery list was not published until 1887 so Dreyer
added this discovery in an appendix to the NGC and later included it as IC 843
= Sf 3.
******************************
NGC 4914 = NGC
4912: = UGC 8125 = MCG +06-29-014 = CGCG 189-013 = PGC 44807
13 00 42.9 +37
18 54
V = 11.6; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 155d
16" LX200
(4/14/07): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, very bright core increases to a stellar
nucleus. Brightest in a small
group of galaxies ~80' SE of Cor Caroli.
13.1" (2/16/85):
moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus. NGC 4868 lies 19' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4914 = H II-645 = h1514 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted
"pB, S, R, mbM." JH made
two observations, described it as "pB" and "eF". MCG labels the galaxy NGC
4912/4914. See identification
notes for NGC 4912.
******************************
NGC 4915 = MCG
-01-33-069 = UGCA 318 = PGC 44891
13 01 28.2 -04
32 48
V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 55d
18"
(6/4/05): fairly bright, moderately large, round. Contains a sharply concentrated 0.6' core that increases to
a bright, stellar nucleus. With
caref viewing, the core appears to be surrounded by a 1.2' very low surface
brightness halo, doubling the initial estimate of size.
17.5"
(4/4/92): fairly bright, fairly small, round, bright core, high surface
brightness. NGC 4890 lies 12'
WSW. Forms a pair with NGC 4918
6.5' NE (not seen).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4915 = H IV-47 = h1513 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and recorded
"pB, stellar, resembles a star with a bur all around." CH's reduction is 2' south of PGC
44891. JH made two observations, first calling it "pB; R; gbM; nothing
very remarkable."
******************************
NGC 4916 = MCG
+05-31-106 = CGCG 160-107 = PGC 44973
13 02 04.2 +29
15 12
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.25'; PA = 159d
18"
(4/30/11): fairly faint, very elongated 7:2 NNW-SSE, ~0.75'x0.25', contains a
very small brighter nucleus.
Overall this edge-on has a high surface brightness. NGC 4922 lies 9' NW and NGC 4914 = IC
843 is 10' SW.
This galaxy was
probably discovered and sketched by Lawrence Parsons on 24 Apr 1865 along with
NGC 4912 and NGC 4913 while observing the NGC 4914 field. It is not identified as NGC 4916 in any
modern catalogue
Lawrence Parsons
discovered NGC 4916, along with NGC 4912, 4913 and IC 4088, on 24 Apr 1865 at
Birr Castle. His diagram,
purportedly of the NGC 4914 field with NGC 4916 labeled epsilon, is a good
match with
******************************
NGC 4917 = UGC
8130 = MCG +08-24-023 = CGCG 245-011 = PGC 44838
13 00 55.6 +47
13 19
V = 13.8; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 160d
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE. Initially appeared only 0.4'
diameter. But with averted vision,
very low surface brightness extensions were glimpsed increasing the dimensions
to 0.8'x0.4' with a rounder, brighter core. Located 10' E of NGC 4901.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4917 = h1515 on 20 Mar 1828 and recorded "eF; S; E;
bM." His RA (marked as
approximate) was 9 sec too small.
******************************
NGC 4918 = PGC
44934
13 01 50.6 -04
30 02
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 71d
18"
(6/4/05): extremely faint, small, elongated 3:2? Requires averted and only glimpsed intermittently. A mag 10.8 star 1.8' NNW detracts from
viewing. Located 6' NE of NGC
4915.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 4918 = LM II-457 in 1886 and noted "mag 15.7,
0.1' dia, R, bMN, GC 3366 [= NGC 4915] sp 4'." His position matches
******************************
NGC 4919 = UGC
8133 = MCG +05-31-097 = CGCG 160-094 = PGC 44885
13 01 17.6 +27
48 32
V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 140d
18"
(4/20/12): this Coma cluster member is located 18' SE of NGC 4889, near two
spirals -- NGC 4911 4.9' WSW and NGC 4921 5' NNE. At 322x it appeared faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 NW-SE,
27"x20", nearly even surface brightness. Two small faint companions,
17.5"
(4/21/90): situated between NGC 4911 4.8' WSW and NGC 4921 5.1' NNE within AGC
1656. Very faint, very small,
elongated NW-SE. In a close trio
with
13"
(5/14/83): very faint, second of three with NGC 4911/4921. Located in the core of AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4919 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (also
measured on the next night) matches
******************************
13 02 04.2 -11
22 42
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 170d
18" (6/4/05):
fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5'.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4920 around 1882 while observing
Guillaume
Bigourdan found the galaxy on 16 Apr 1895, but misidentified his offset
star. Once corrected (see Harold
Corwin's notes for the details), his position matches NGC 4920. So, NGC 4920 = IC 4134.
******************************
NGC 4921 = UGC
8134 = MCG +05-31-098 = CGCG 160-095 = PGC 44899
13 01 26.1 +27
53 09
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 165d
18"
(4/20/12): fairly faint, moderately large, irregularly round, ~1.5' diameter,
sharply concentrated with a fairly faint, slightly elongated core,
~24"x20", surrounded by a very low surface brightness unconcentrated
halo.
17.5"
(4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, large low surface
brightness halo surrounded core.
This is one of the brighter members of AGC 1656 but it appears fainter
than the integrated V magnitude suggests.
Nearby are NGC 4923 2.7' SSE and NGC 4919 5.1' SSW.
13"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 3rd of 3 in AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4921 = H II-393 = h1516 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"Three, the two following [NGC 4921 and 4923] pretty near each other; the
south preceding [NGC 4911] about 8' distance; the time was near that of the
two." JH made two
observations and measured a fairly accurate position. d'Arrest made 6
observations.
******************************
NGC 4922 = UGC
8135 = MCG +05-31-099 = CGCG 160-096 = VV 609 = PGC 44896
13 01 24.9 +29
18 40
V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 129d
18"
(4/30/11): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~50"x30",
irregular shape, small bright core.
After careful viewing this interacting galaxy consists of a brighter
component on the south side, perhaps 30" diameter and punctuated by a
bright core. A very faint low surface brightness glow is attached on the north
side (
18"
(3/30/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, 0.7'x0.4'. On sustained viewing, what appears to
be the core or a compact galaxy, ~0.3' diameter, is on the SSW end. A much lower surface brightness glow
extends to the NNE, mimicking the appearance of a tiny comet. Member of AGC 1656 (Coma Galaxy
Cluster). A mag 12 star lies 1.4'
E.
Checking at home
I found this was a double system (
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4922 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and noted the mag 11-12 star that follows by 6 sec of RA. His mean position (3 observations) is
accurate. The northern component
of this double system is listed in NED as NGC 4922 NED02 and PGC 86794 in
HyperLeda. The position given here
is on the SW component of this double system.
Sue French found
that Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, probably independently discovered
this galaxy just 5 days later, while looking for NGC 4912. His field sketch does not match NGC
4912, but a quartet of galaxies 8° further south, including NGC 4922, IC 843,
IC 4088 and CGCG 160-107. NGC 4912
(labeled delta) matches NGC 4922.
See NGC 4912 for more.
******************************
NGC 4923 = MCG
+05-31-101 = CGCG 160-097 = PGC 44903
13 01 31.8 +27
50 51
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
18"
(4/20/12): this Coma cluster member appeared fairly faint, fairly small,
slightly elongated, ~28"x24", sharply concentrated with a small
bright core. Located 2.6' SSE of
NGC 4921 (giant spiral).
17.5"
(4/21/90): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a trio with brighter NGC 4921
2.7' NNW and NGC 4919 is 3.9' SW.
Located within AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4923 = H II-394 = h1518 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded
"Three, the two following [NGC 4921 and 4923] pretty near each other; the
south preceding [NGC 4911] about 8' distance; the time was near that of the
two." JH made a single
observation and his position is 1.3' too far southwest. d'Arrest made two accurate
measurements.
******************************
13 02 12.8 -14
58 11
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60d
18"
(6/4/05): fairly faint, small, 0.5' diameter, irregularly round, slightly
brighter corre. With direct vision
a very faint stellar nucleus is intermittently visible or an extremely faint
star is superimposed. A small
triplet of mag 13/14 stars lies 3.5'-4' SE and a mag 10.2 star is in the same
direction 6.2' SE. Forms a pair
with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4924 = h1517 on 8 May 1831 and recorded "vF; R;
bM." He confirmed the
observation the next night and logged "vF; irreg R; vglbM." Because his position was 1° south of
his father's H II-300 = NGC 4899, he initially assumed h1517 was identical, but
realized his error when compiling the GC.
******************************
13 02 07.4 -07
42 39
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 135d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 1.0'x0.8',
broad concentration, moderate surface brightness. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4925 = H II-779 = h1519 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted
"F, S." JH's position is at the south edge of this galaxy.
******************************
13 01 53.7 +27
37 28
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1
24"
(5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint to moderately bright, round, ~40"
diameter, fairly high surface brightness, small bright core increases to a
stellar nucleus. Two 12th
magnitude stars lie 4' W and 4' WSW.
13.1"
(5/14/83): faint, small, round.
Located 17' SSE of NGC 4921 and 16' SE of NGC 4911 in AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4926 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
4 times over 3 nights) is accurate and he noted the two mag 12 stars ~4'
preceding.
******************************
13 01 57.5 +28
00 20
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 10d
17.5"
(4/28/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, very small bright
core. A mag 15 star is at the
north edge 25" from center and a mag 13 star is 1.4' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4927 = H III-364 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted
"vF". His position is
poor but d'Arrest's position (used in the) matches
******************************
13 03 00.5 -08
05 06
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 50d
17.5"
(5/22/93): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7',
broad mild concentration. On a
line with two mag 12-13 stars 1.5' ESE and 3' ESE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4928 = H II-190 = H III-760 = h3453 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 208)
and recorded "not vF, cL, E, r." He did not measure a position, only noting "it precedes
the supposed 39 Vir 3 min in time and is 56' more north." He observed it again on 3 Mar 1786
(sweep 536) and measured an accurate position. He found it again on 23 Mar 1789, assumed it was new and
logged H III-760 as "cF, vS, R." His position was 3' too far southeast. JH assigned two GC designations, which
Dreyer combined in the NGC.
******************************
13 02 44.4 +28
02 43
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(5/19/01): faint, small, roundish, 25"x20", even surface
brightness. Located 1' following a
mag 13.5 star within AGC 1656. NGC
4931 lies 3.7' ESE and
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4929 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate and he mentioned the mag 13.5 star (called 16th mag) less than 1'
preceding.
******************************
13 04 05.3 -41
24 42
V = 11.1; Size 4.5'x3.7'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 40d
17.5"
(4/7/89): faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE. Forms a thin isosceles triangle with mag 8
John Herschel discovered
NGC 4930 = h3454 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; R; precedes 2 stars 8-9th
mag and 9th mag (with which it makes nearly an equilateral triangle by
diagram." His position
and description matches
******************************
13 03 00.8 +28
01 56
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 78d
17.5"
(5/19/01): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W, 0.5'x0.15'. Contains a small bright core that
occasionally appears stellar. A
mag 13.5 star lies 1.6' NE.
Situated nearly at the midpoint of NGC 4927 3.7' WNW and NGC 4934 3.4' E
within AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4931 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position matches
The RA in the
RNGC is poor and this galaxy is misplotted in the first edition of the Uranometria
2000.
******************************
13 02 37.7 +50
26 18
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.2
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, very weak concentration
with no noticeable core. A mag
10.7 star lies 1.6' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4932 = H III-818 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "cF,
S, R, vglbM." His position matches
******************************
NGC 4933 = IC
4176 = Arp 176 NED 2 = Holm 502a = (R)
13 03 57.2 -11
29 52
V = 11.7; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 45d
48"
(4/21/17): NGC 4933 is a double system consisting of compact NGC 4933A = IC
4173 on the southwest side and
NGC 4933A on the
southwest end appeared bright, fairly small, round, 15" diameter. Strongly concentrated with a very small
bright nucleus and thin halo. A
tidal tail extension (either from NGC 4933A or 4933B) juts out towards the
southwest an additional 20".
The combined glow of A and B extends at least 1.5' SW-NE.
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, dominated by a bright core,
faint extensions 2:1 SW-NE. Forms
a contact pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4933 = H II-191 on 9 May 1784 (sweep 210) and recorded "pF,
pS, R, r. Near some small
stars. Too much daylight to
describe it fully." CH's
reduced position is ~9 sec of RA west of this double system. In his fifth discovery paper, Wilhelm
Tempel remarked that GC 3377 [NGC 4933] was certainly double, with a bright
northeast component and a fainter stellar nebula on the southern edge, with a
separation of 1'.
On 16 Apr 1895,
Bigourdan claimed he searched unsuccessfully for NGC 4933, but reported finding
Big. 315 = IC 4173 and Big. 316 = IC 4176, which he noted were in PA 225°
(SW-NE) and a separation of 1'.
His positions are wrong (over 2 min of RA too far east) as he
misidentified his offset star, but once corrected they match the two components
(nuclei) of NGC 4933! These IC
identifications were resolved in an e-mail correspondence between Malcolm
Thomson and Harold Corwin in April 1998.
The RC3 labels IC 4173 = NGC 4933A and
******************************
NGC 4934 = UGC
8160 = MCG +05-31-115 = CGCG 160-120 = PGC 45082
13 03 16.3 +28
01 48
V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 104d
17.5"
(5/19/01): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE, 0.4'x0.1', low even
surface brightness. Slightly
smaller and fainter than NGC 4931 3.4' W.
Third of three on a line with NGC 4929 7' WNW within AGC 1656.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4934 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He noted this object
was situated 16 sec of RA following NGC 4931, which he also discovered, so the
identification is certain.
******************************
13 03 21.2 +14
22 40
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 75d
18"
(3/30/05): fairly faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, small bright core. Near the NE edge of the 19' field is a
nice group of 5 stars with the three brightest stars forming a collinear string
oriented NW-SE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4935 = Sw VI-50 on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "vF; vS; R; 3
st. like belt of Orion nf." His position is 6 sec of RA east and 1.6'
north of
******************************
13 04 16.9 -30
31 36
V = 10.8; Size 2.7'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 168d
18"
(5/3/11): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated ~N-S, ~1.4'x1.1' , well
concentrated with a large very bright core that increases to an intense
nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.3' E
of center.
Brightest in a
group with
18"
(3/17/07): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE,
1.2'x0.9'. Contains a bright core
that is moderately concentrated and a faint halo.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4936 = h3456 on 6 May 1834 and recorded "pB; R; S; bM;
15"; has a * 6 seconds following." His position and description
matches
Brightest in a
group of at least 12 members (Sandage 1975b, 1978) including IC 844 12' W with
a mean redshift of ~3000 km/sec.
******************************
13 04 50.7 -47
13 11
Size 0.3'
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): this knot of faint stars appeared as a very faint, very
small glow (20").
Occasionally two extremely faint mag 15.2 and 15.7 stars "pop"
within the glow. Located 2' NW of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4937 = h3455 on 3 Mar 1837 and recorded "eeF; S; R; the
preceding of 2 [with NGC 4940]; a * 7m, just at the northern edge of the
field." There is only a single galaxy here (NGC 4940), but just 1' east of
his position and 2' NW of NGC 4940 is a small knot of faint stars within
20". ESO lists the number as
"Not Found". RNGC calls
it a "close double star".
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
13 02 57.6 +51
19 07
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 39d
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', low nearly even
surface brightness.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4938 = h1521 on 17 Feb 1831 and recorded "eF; R;
psbM." His position matches
******************************
13 04 14.3 -10
20 24
V = 11.3; Size 5.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 5d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly large, large low surface brightness oval
halo 2:1 SSW-NNE, increases to a brighter core. A mag 15 star is 1.4' NW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4939 = H II-561 = h3458 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded
"pB, pL, R, vgmbM." His
position matches
******************************
NGC 4940 = ESO
269-042 = PGC 45235
13 05 00.2 -47
14 12
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2
14" (4/2/16
- Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint to moderately bright, round, well-defined
halo with a 30" diameter, moderately high even surface brightness. Situated 7.4' SSW of mag 6.4 HD
113537. NGC 4937, a small knot of
3-5 stars (asterism), is 2' NW.
See that number.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4940 = h3457 on 3 Mar 1837 and recorded "F; S; R;
15". The following of 2 [with
NGC 4937]." There is only a
single galaxy here, which his position matches. See notes for NGC 4937.
******************************
13 04 13.0 -05
33 06
V = 11.1; Size 3.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 15d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 2:1 SW-NE. Dominated by a small bright core with a
stellar nucleus (Sy 2 galaxy), moderately large halo. A mag 11.5 star lies 2.6' S of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4941 = H I-40 = h1520 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded
"cL, r. It contains a vB
small spot in the middle but the rest is pF. The nebula is near some stars." JH made two
observations and logged on sweep 234 "pF; L; vgbM; E; 60" long."
******************************
13 04 19.1 -07
38 59
V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 145d
17.5"
(5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness, weak
concentration, no distinct edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4942 = H III-761 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted "vF,
S." His position is 2'
southeast of
Harold Corwin
suggests
******************************
13 03 44.9 +28
05 03
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 100d
17.5"
(5/19/01): very faint, very small, round, just 15" diameter, low surface
brightness. This faint member of
AGC 1656 is situated 6' S of
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4943 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
accurate and he mentioned that h1522 [NGC 4944] was visible in the same field
to the north.
******************************
NGC 4944 = UGC
8167 = MCG +05-31-118 = CGCG 160-124 = PGC 45133
13 03 49.9 +28
11 08
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 89d
17.5"
(5/19/01): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, 1.0'x0.4', very small
bright core. Situated between two
mag 11 stars 2' NE and 4' SW with NGC 4943 6' S. This is one of the brighter members of AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4944 = H II-395 = h1522 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." JH recorded
"F; R; bM; has * 9m 45° nf; 1' dist."
******************************
NGC 4945 = ESO
219-024 = LGG 344-001 = PGC 45279
13 05 27.5 -49
28 06
V = 8.6; Size 20.0'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 43d
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): remarkable spiral at 200x,
extending southwest to northeast across 2/3 of the 30' field. I didn't take detailed notes on this
observation but there was just a broad concentration with no defined core
region. The galaxy is very
slightly wider through the center and only tapers towards the tips. Along the south edge, just southwest of
center, is a brighter linear streak forming a sharp edge (the dust lane is just
beyond). The main body of the
galaxy fades a bit in this area and then brightens again further southwest. The major axis appears slightly warped
or bent towards the north near the northeast tip. On the south side of the northeast end, some very faint haze
is visible. The DSS image reveals
this is a portion of the galaxy beyond the dust lane. Member of the
13.1"
(2/19/04 - Costa Rica): beautiful, huge edge-on spiral oriented SW-NE. At 166x,
appears ~15'x2' with tapering tips that fade out towards the ends of the
extensions. There is only a broad
concentration with gently bulging core, although the surface brightness is
somewhat irregular or mottled due to dust. The galaxy fades a bit to the southwest of the core and then
brightens slightly further southwest.
The northeast extension seems a bit splotchy or mottled. I was very surprised that the view from
Costa Rica was a bit better than from Bargo, outside of Sydney, with a similar
aperture.
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): this long edge-on spiral is fairly bright and
broadly concentrated with a slightly bulging core, extending SW-NE
~14'x2.5'. The surface brightness
is relatively uniform with a weak central brightening and dimming towards the
tips. Set in a rich star field peppered
with faint stars. Located just
north of a line connecting mag 4.8 Xi 1 Centauri 18' ESE and mag 4.3 Xi 2 31'
SE.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 4945 = D 411 = h3459 on 29 Apr 1826. This is one of the first
objects observed by Dunlop and the first galaxy he discovered, along with NGC
5128 the same night. His
description reads "a beautiful long nebula, about 10' long, and 2' broad,
forming an angle with the meridian, about 30 south preceding and north
following; the brightest and broadest part is rather nearer the south preceding
extremity than the centre, and it gradually diminishes in breadth and
brightness towards the extremeties, but the breadth is much better defined than
the length. A small star near the north, and a smaller star near the south
extremity, but neither of them is involved in the nebula. I have strong
suspicions that the nebula is resolvable into stars, with very slight
compression towards the centre. I have no doubt but it is resolvable. I can see
the stars, they are merely points. This is north following the first zeta
Centauri." Dunlop sketched the galaxy and observed it seven times.
JH observed the
galaxy on 31 Mar 1835 and recorded "B; vL; vmE; vglbM. Length much more
than a diameter of the field, or than 15'. Its light extends to a star 14th mag
beyond the parallel of Brisbane 4299. Position of elongation 38.7°." His declination is exactly 10' too far
north.
******************************
13 05 29.3 -43
35 29
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 131d
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): bright, moderately large, slightly
elongated, well concentrated with a very bright core that increases to the
center and a fainter 1.5' halo.
Forms a pair with NGC 4946 5.6' NNE. Outyling member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
13.1"
(2/19/04 - Costa Rica): moderately bright, moderately large, irregularly round,
1.2' diameter. Contains a large,
bright core and a fairly low surface brightness irregular halo. It was difficult to pin down the
orientation as the halo fades into the background.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4946 = h3460 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; R; bM;
20"." On a later
observation he logged "B; R: gpmbM; 60". The preceding of two [with NGC 4950]. His position is accurate.
******************************
13 05 20.2 -35
20 17
V = 11.8; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 10d
18" (3/17/07):
moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 1.3'x0.9', broad
concentration. Collinear with a
mag 9 star 8' NNE and a mag 7.8 star (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4947 = h3461 on 1 May 1834 and recorded "pL; F; R; vglbM; 50"." His position matches
******************************
NGC 4948 = IC
4156 = MCG -01-33-079 = Holm 505a = LGG 314-005 = PGC 45224
13 04 55.7 -07
56 46
V = 14.4; Size 2.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.9; PA = 130d
17.5"
(5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, low surface
brightness. A mag 15 star (Holm
505b) is at the southeast end, 1.1' from center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 4948 = Sw VI-51 on 25 Mar 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE;
[NGC 4958] follows 54 sec."
His position and description matches
Harold Corwin
found that DeLisle Stewart probably recorded the galaxy again in Jul 1899 on a Harvard plate at Arequipa. There is nothing at his position for IC
4156, but +5 sec in RA and +100' in dec, is NGC 4948. This wasn't an isolated random error - apply the same offset
to his position for IC 4136 and you arrive at NGC 4942.
******************************
13 04 17.9 +29
01 46
V = 14.9; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 108d
18"
(5/15/10): at 285x appeared faint, small, round, 20" diameter. Two mag 15 stars lie 2' E and 1.5'
SE. Outlying member of AGC 1656
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4949 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position
matches
******************************
NGC 4950 = ESO
269-047 = MCG -07-27-031 = PGC 45294
13 05 36.4 -43
30 02
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small,
35"x25". With direct
vision contains a small bright core surrounded by a slightly elongated
halo. Located 5.6' NNE brighter
NGC 4946. Outlying member of the
Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4950 = h3462 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R. The following of 2 [with NGC 4946];
barely perceptible, but a sure observation." His position is less than 1' south of
******************************
13 05 07.7 -06
29 43
V = 11.9; Size 3.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
17.5"
(5/22/93): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 2.1'x0.7', broad
concentration, faint extensions.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4951 = H II-188 = h1523 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded
"F, cL, E, r." His position is 13 sec of RA west and 1' south of
******************************
13 04 58.3 +29
07 19
V = 12.4; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d
18"
(4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.35'. A small brighter core stands out but no
nucleus was visible. A mag 11 star
lies 4.8' SSE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4952 = H II-396 = h1524 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." JH made 5
observations and his brightness estimates ranged from "very faint" to
"bright".
******************************
13 06 10.4 -37
35 11
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 46d
18"
(3/17/07): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 0.8'x0.6'. In a group of three stars with a mag 13
star 0.8' NE and a mag 14 star a similar distance NW. A brighter mag 11 star lies 1.6' NW.
On the DSS, this
galaxy appears to be the brightest in a multiple system and described in the
Southern Galaxy Catalogue as "Center of group. 6 objects with bridges and
plumes in common envelope".
The companions appear to be members of ACO S721 at z = .05, but NGC 4953
has a redshift of only z = .016.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4953 = h3463 on 26 Jun 1834 and recorded "Viewed; a diagram
made representing it as round, with 3 small stars, one distant about 1
semi-diameter from border; pos about 293° [WNW]; another distant 2/3 diameter;
pos = 75° [ENE]; the third dist 1 1/2 diam; pos = 300° [NW]. His position is 1.5' north of the
multiple system
******************************
13 02 20.1 +75
24 15
V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 62d
18"
(6/28/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.5', fairly
sharp concentration with a small bright core. A distinctive group of 4 mag
12-13 stars is close west with three of the stars nearly collinear and equally
spaced. Located 14' ESE of mag 6.0
John Herschel
found NGC 4954 = h1527 on 5 May 1831 and noted "vF; S; R; gbM;
12". (The place is within
barely possible limits of III. 937.)" His mean position (two observations) match
WH discovered
this galaxy on 5 May 1831 (sweep 1064) and catalogued it as III-937 = NGC 4972,
but CH's reduced position was poor.
But using offsets from different stars in the sweep, Dreyer gives two
corrected positions in his notes to WH's third catalogue, and they match UGC
8157. So, NGC 4954 = NGC
4972. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes.
******************************
13 06 04.8 -29
45 15
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d
17.5"
(4/13/96): faint, fairly small, irregularly round, 1.0' diameter, broad
concentration with no well defined core.
A mag 12 star is 1.5' SW of center. Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4955 = h3464 on 30 Mar 1835 and logged "F; R; gbM;
35"." His position
is an exact match with
******************************
13 05 00.9 +35
10 40
V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1
18" (3/30/05):
moderately bright, small, round, 0.6' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a bright 15" core and stellar
nucleus. Located 38' SSW of
5.2-magnitude 14 Canum Venaticorum.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4956 = H II-413 = h1525 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged
"pF, S, R, mbM." CH's
reduction is 2' northwest of
******************************
13 05 12.4 +27
34 11
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100d
18" (3/30/05):
fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, smooth surface brightness. Situated between a mag 12.5 star 2.2'
NW and a mag 14 star 1.9' SE.
Member of AGC 1656.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4957 = H II-397 = h1526 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." JH measured an
accurate position.
******************************
NGC 4958 = MCG
-01-33-084 = UGCA 323 = LGG 314-017 = PGC 45313
13 05 48.9 -08
01 13
V = 10.7; Size 4.1'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 15d
17.5"
(5/17/90): bright, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, dominated by a small
very bright core. A mag 13.5 star
is off the west edge 1.4' WSW of center.
NGC 4948 lies 14' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4958 = H I-130 = h3465 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted
"vB, S, lE." JH called
it "vB; pL; pmE; psmbM; 90" long" and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
13 05 41.0 +33
10 44
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8
18"
(6/4/05): faint, very small, round, 0.4' diameter. Contains a faint stellar nucleus with direct vision in good
seeing.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4959 = h1528 on 29 Apr 1827 and recorded "eF; S;
R." His position matches CGCG
189-018 = PGC 45301.
******************************
13 05 47.5 +27
44 02
See observing
notes for
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4960 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. There is nothing at
his single position, though 6 sec of RA east and 4' north is
Bigourdan was
unsuccessful in finding an object near d'Arrest's position. Karl Reinmuth and Max Wolf
(Kongistuhl-Nebel List #9) also couldn't identify this object on Heidelberg
plates and Wolf felt that NGC 4960 was a duplicate of NGC 4961 (discovered by
WH). Harold Corwin also concludes NGC 4960 is most likely NGC 4961 with a 15'
error in the declination as d'Arrest recorded NGC 4960 "only once, on a
night when he did not record NGC 4961 (he observed that on four other
nights)."
******************************
NGC 4961 = NGC
4960? = UGC 8185 = MCG +05-31-126 = CGCG 160-134 = PGC 45311
13 05 47.5 +27
44 02
V = 13.6; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 100d
13.1"
(5/14/83): faint, fairly small, round, diffuse with low surface
brightness. Located 15' NE of 41
Comae Berenices (V = 4.8).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4961 = H II-398 = h1529 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"F, S." CH's reduced
position is 2.4' northwest of
******************************
NGC 4962 = NGC
4952: = UGC 8175 = MCG +05-31-121 = CGCG 160-129 = PGC 45233
13 04 58.3 +29
07 19
See observing
notes for NGC 4952. Identification
uncertain.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4962 = H III-303 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded
"eF, vS, 240x just verified."
There is nothing at his position, which is 43 sec of RA preceding and 4'
N of III-304 = NGC 4966, the next object in the sweep. Bigourdan (visually), Max Wolf and Karl
Reinmuth (on Heidelberg plates) reported not finding III-303.
Harold Corwin
suggests NGC 4962 is identical to NGC 4952 (found again a month later by
WH). This galaxy is 4' north of
NGC 4966, though an additional 30 sec of RA west of WH's offset from III-304.
See his identication notes.
******************************
13 05 52.0 +41
43 19
V = 13.2; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7
18"
(7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter. Symmetrical appearance increasing
steadily to the center using direct vision. A mag 13 star lies 0.8' S of center. Located 5.2' NE of mag 8.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4963 = H II-663 = h1530 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded
"pB, vS, stellar, very near a small star, and to the north of it."
very small stellar nebula."
His position is 3.5' north-northwest of
******************************
13 05 24.8 +56
19 22
V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 134d
18"
(6/27/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.4', weak
concentration to a slightly brighter, round core. A mag 11.5 star lies 4.1' SW. Located 1.6 degrees ENE of Alioth.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4964 = H III-779 = h1532 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted
"vF, S." JH made a
single observation ("eF; S; lE; a sure obs") and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
13 07 09.2 -28
13 41
V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5"
(4/13/96): very faint, fairly large, irregularly round, Appears as a 3'
ill-defined glow of low surface brightness (face-on spiral) with very little
concentration. A nice evenly
matched pair of mag 12 stars lies 6' S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4965 = h3466 on 5 May 1834 and recorded "vF; vL; oval;
vglbM; 3' l; 2' br." His mean
position from two observations is a perfect match with
******************************
NGC 4966 = UGC
8194 = MCG +05-31-131 = CGCG 160-137 = PGC 45358
13 06 17.3 +29
03 47
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 143d
18"
(4/5/03): faint, small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.25'. Located 2.5' NE of mag 6.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4966 = H III-304 = h1531 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded
"eF, vS, lE. 240 verified it
just north following a vB star about 8 or 9 m." His position (CH's reduction) is 19 sec of RA east and 3'
south of
******************************
13 05 36.4 +53
33 51
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness glow,
~0.8' diameter. A mag 14 star is
at the SW edge. Located 7' S of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4967 = H III-783 = h1533 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted
"vF, S, E." There is
nothing at his offset but ~1.0 min of RA west and 2.5' north is
******************************
13 07 06.0 -23
40 37
V = 12.8; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 56d
17.5"
(4/13/96): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.6', broad
concentration to a slightly brighter core. Located south of a 6' collinear string of 4 mag 13 stars
that is parallel to the major axis of the galaxy.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4968 = h3467 on 25 Mar 1836 and recorded "F; pL; R; glbM;
60"." His position is at
the east edge of
******************************
13 07 03.0 +13
38 13
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
24"
(5/20/17 and 5/22/17): at 375x; faint to fairly faint, small, round, 18"
diameter. Contains a slightly
brighter, very small nucleus. A
faint mag 15.5 star is 25" N.
NGC 4969 is a
difficult double system in a common halo.
At 375x, the nucleus of the fainter companion was barely visible as a
"bulge" on the east side of the main galaxy. It was easier at 450x and occasionally appeared as a
distinct quasi-stellar "knot" at the east edge of the glaaxy. The centers of the pair are separated
by only 10"-12"!
18"
(5/16/09): faint, small, round, 22" diameter, fairly low even surface
brightness. A mag 15.5 star is
just off the north edge.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 17 year-old son, discovered NGC 4969 = Sw VI-52 on 27 Apr 1887 and
recorded "eeeF, S, R, ee diff."
The Swifts' position is 26 sec of RA west of
******************************
NGC 4970 = ESO
508-009 = MCG -04-31-033 = IC 4196 = PGC 45466
13 07 33.7 -24
00 31
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 137d
17.5"
(4/13/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5'. Well concentrated with a small, bright,
rounder core. NGC 4968 lies 20'
NNW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4970 = H III-765 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and noted "vF,
pL, iF." JH missed this
galaxy although he discovered nearby NGC 4968, about 20' to the north. Lewis Swift later
"rediscovered" this galaxy on 27 Feb 1898 and recorded it in list
XI-149. His RA was 10 sec too
large and he noted it as the second of three [with NGC 4968 and IC 4197]. Despite the fairly close match in
position, Swift assumed it was new and Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4970 as
******************************
13 06 54.9 +28
32 53
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4
18"
(7/1/03): faint, small, irregular round, 0.6'x0.5', weak concentration with a
faint stellar nucleus or a very faint star may be superimposed. This galaxy is collinear with a pretty
pair of mag 11 stars [18" separation] located 3' NNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4971 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
6 sec of RA west of
******************************
13 02 20.1 +75
24 16
See observing
notes for NGC 4954.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4972 = H III-937 on 5 May 1831 (sweep 1064) and noted "vF,
S, iR, bM." There is nothing
at CH's reduced position. But
using offsets from different stars in the sweep, Dreyer gives two corrected
positions in his notes to WH's third catalogue, and they match UGC 8157. CH's reduced position was ~10' from
this galaxy.
JH found this
galaxy on 5 May 1831 and noted "The place is within barely possible limits
of III. 937". He repeated
these suspicions in the notes to the GC, but added "they may be different,
and are therefore separately listed." Dreyer followed suit and added JH's observation as NGC 4954,
though later realized the equivalence NGC 4954 = NGC 4972. The primary designation of this galaxy
is NGC 4954, although by historical precedence it should be NGC 4972.
******************************
NGC 4973 = IC
847 = MCG +09-22-006 = CGCG 270-049 = CGCG 271-005 = PGC 45280 = PGC 45299
13 05 32.2 +53
41 07
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2
18"
(6/27/03): faint, small, slightly elongated, 25"x20", weak
concentration to a slightly brighter core and a ver faint stellar nucleus. In a small, rich group with MCG
+09-21-101 4.7' WSW and
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4973 = H III-781 = Ho. 3-19 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and
recorded "Two [along with III-782 = NGC 4974], both vF, S. The place is that of the 2nd [NGC
4974], the other is 3 or 4' sp."
Caroline Herschel's reduced position is 1.0 minute of time east of PGC
45280, but I re-reduced his offset with respect to NGC 4964 = H. III-779, the
previous object in the sweep, and it is only 16 sec of RA east and 2' south of
Lewis Swift
found NGC 4973 again on 11 May 1890, reported Sw. IX-36 with a good position
and Dreyer catalogued it again as
The RNGC, RC3
and CGCG all misidentify NGC 4974 as NGC 4973. MCG misidentifies
******************************
NGC 4974 = MCG
+09-22-009 = CGCG 270-051 = CGCG 271-007 = PGC 45321
13 05 55.9 +53
39 33
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 130d
18"
(6/27/03): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, ~25"x20" NW-SE,
moderate concentration with a 10" brighter core. The halo increases in size with averted to 0.6' in
diameter. In a rich group with
similar NGC 4973 3.8' SE and fainter.
A mag 13 star lies 1.9' WNW close to midpoint with NGC 4973.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4974 = H III-782 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and recorded
"Two [along with III-781 = NGC 4973], both vF, S. The place is that of the 2nd [NGC
4974], the other [NGC 4973] is 3 or 4' sp." Caroline Herschel's reduced position is 1.0 tmin east of PGC
45280, but I re-reduced his offset with respect to NGC 4964 = III-779, the
previous object in the sweep, and it is only 16 sec of RA east and 2' south of
CGCG 270-051 = PGC 45321. WH made
an error when noting "the other is 3 or 4' sp". NGC 4973 is 3.8' northwest.
Rumker
independently discovered NGC 4974 in preparation for the Hamburg star catalogue
(marked as a "nebula" on the chart). The NGC position was corrected by Rumker and mentioned in
the IC 2 notes and in Dreyer's 1912 Scientific Papers.
CGCG, RNGC, RC3
and DSFG all mislabel NGC 4974 as NGC 4973 and MCG mislabels NGC 4974 as IC
847. In addition,
******************************
13 07 50.1 -05
01 03
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 46d
18"
(5/16/09): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, slightly brighter
quasi-stellar nculeus. The galaxy
is nearly collinear with two mag 14.5/15 stars to the SSW (closer star is 2'
SSW). Located 44' NW of Theta
Virginis (4.0/9.5 at 7").
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4975 = h1534 on 19 Feb 1830 and recorded "vF; vS; R; psbM;
10"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 4976 = ESO
219-029 = LGG 330-003 = PGC 45562
13 08 37.3 -49
30 20
V = 10.0; Size 5.6'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 161d
13.1"
(2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, fairly bright, moderately large, slightly
elongated NNW-SSE, 2.0'x1.7'.
Sharply concentrated with a very bright 25" core increasing to a
bright stellar nucleus. Located
31' E of NGC 4945 and 5' W of mag 7.8
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): at 140x, fairly bright, moderately large,
slightly elongated, 2'x1.5', sharply concentrated with a prominent core. Located 30' E of NGC 4945 and 4.6' W of
mag 7.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4976 = h3468 on 31 Mar 1835 and recorded "B; R; gmbM;
80"." His RA was 12 tsec
too large.
******************************
13 06 04.4 +55
39 21
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.1
18"
(6/27/03): fairly faint, fairly small, 0.8' diameter, very weak
concentration. Located at the
midpoint of a mag 12.5 star 4' W and a mag 14 star 4' E.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4977 = H III-780 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "cF,
S." His position (re-reduced with respect to NGC 4964) is 21 sec of time
east of
******************************
13 07 50.5 +18
24 56
V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 142d
18"
(4/29/06): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 0.7'x0.3', weak
concentration. A faint stellar
nucleus was intermittently visible in moments of better seeing. Forms the
vertex of a flat isosceles triangle with two mag 13 stars 2' S and 2' NW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4978 = h1535 on 23 Mar 1827 and recorded "vF; R; sbM;
stellar." His mean position
(two observations) is accurate.
******************************
13 07 42.8 +24
48 38
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 100d
24"
(5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W,
0.5'x0.4'. Contains a sharp,
nearly stellar nucleus. Located
only 4.6' WSW of distractingly bright mag 6.8
16" LX200
(4/14/07): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.6'x0.45', low even
surface brightness. Located 4.6'
WSW of mag 6.8 HD 114093. This
bright star forms the vertex of a right triangle with NGC 4979 and a mag 10
star 3.6' to its SE. Situated
about 4° SE of the core of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4979 = H III-346 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and noted "eF,
pL, lE, 240 verified it." His
position is 12 sec of RA east and 3' south of
Stephane Javelle
rediscovered this galaxy on 20 Jun 1891 with the 30" refractor at the Nice
Observatory and it received the designation
******************************
13 09 10.2 -28
38 30
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 168d
18"
(3/17/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.8'x0.5', very
weak concentration. A mag 11.5
star lies 1.8' WSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4980 = h3469 on 30 Mar 1835 and logged "eF; R;
30"." His position is
just off the west side of
******************************
13 08 48.7 -06
46 44
V = 11.3; Size 2.8'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 150d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, 2.2'x1.5',
sharp stellar nucleus, almost smooth halo. A mag 10 star is in contact at the SSE edge 1.1' from
center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4981 = H II-189 = h1537 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded
"pB, R, mb in a small place in the middle, near a B star." On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) he also
recorded "cB, R, vgbM, about 3' diameter" and measured an accurate
position. JH made the single observation "F; pL; R; 50"; has a * 9m,
80" dist sf."
******************************
13 08 46.1 -10
35 19
=4*, HC.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 4982 around 1878.
There is nothing at the NGC position except an asterism consisting of a
small square (0.4' each side) of stars mag 13.7/14.7/15.8/16.4. Corwin suggests this asterism may have
appeared nebulous to Tempel.
Dreyer references his fifth discovery list (AN 2439) in the NGC, but
Corwin was unable to find this object mentioned in the paper (I was also
unsuccessful), so this identification is uncertain.
******************************
NGC 4983 = MCG
+05-31-138 = CGCG 160-147 = PGC 45542
13 08 27.3 +28
19 13
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 130d
18"
(7/1/03): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5'. Weak, even concentration to the
center. Located 7.5' NE of mag 10
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4983 = H III-365 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted
"vF". CH's reduction is
13 sec of time preceding
******************************
13 08 57.2 -15
30 59
V = 11.3; Size 2.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
17.5"
(5/22/93): bright, moderately large, round, very bright prominent core 30"
diameter, embedded within large faint halo of 2.0' diameter. A mag 15 star is at the west edge. A pair of mag 12/13 stars are 2.5' NE.
8"
(5/21/82): fairly bright, small, round, small bright nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4984 = H II-301 = h1536 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded
"pB, pL, mbM, iR." JH
made observations on two consecutive sweeps, logging on 8 May 1831, "B; R;
psbM; 30"."
******************************
NGC 4985 = UGC
8218 = MCG +07-27-032 = CGCG 217-012 = PGC 45522
13 08 12.1 +41
40 35
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 135d
18"
(7/1/03): faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', moderate concentration to
a brighter core. A mag 14 star
lies 2' ESE. NGC 4963 lies 26' W.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4985 = H III-654 = h1539 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and logged
"vF, vS, lbM." JH made
the single observation "vF; vS; R; 10"." and measured a fairly
accurate position.
******************************
13 08 24.5 +35
12 23
V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 70d
18"
(6/4/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.6'. A mag 14.5 star is superimposed just
south of the nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4986 = H III-401 = h1538 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged
"vF, stellar. 240 showed the
same." JH made two
observations and his position matches
******************************
13 07 59.1 +51
55 45
V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35d
18"
(6/27/03): fairly faint, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.35'. Sharply concentrated
with a fairly prominent 15" core.
Located 8.5' N of mag 8.0
William Herschel
discovered H II-815 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and recorded "F, vS,
stellar." Re-reducing his
position with respect to either 82 UMa (his reference star) or
When JH examined
the field, he recorded a nova (h1542) at the position of
Since Dreyer
followed the GC, we are left with NGC 4987 = h1542 = UGC 8216. Unfortunately, his father's H II-815 =
CGCG 271-017 is left without a NGC designation. Both Harold Corwin and Wolfgang Steinicke agree with my
analysis in an email exchange on 10 Jun 2014. See Harold Corwin's full write-up.
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13 09 54.2 -43
06 22
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 26d
13.1"
(2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x appears fairly faint, moderately large, very
elongated 4:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.3', broad weak concentration. Forms the southern vertex of a thin
isosceles triangle with two mag 9-10 stars 2.8' NNW and 2.8' N. Located 32' W of NGC 5011 and 23' NW of
mag 5.2
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4988 = h3470 on 3 Jun 1834 NGC 4988 and recorded "vF; S; E;
possibly a small group of stars, but I think it is nebulous." His position
matches
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13 09 16.0 -05
23 47
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165d
17.5"
(5/17/90): moderately bright, very small, round, compact, high surface
brightness, small bright core.
Located 12' NW of Theta Virginis (V = 4.4/9.5 at 6"). Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4989 = H II-185 = Au 31 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded
"F, S, irr, near a pB star."
His position is 20 sec of RA west and 3' north of
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NGC 4990 = MCG
-01-34-004 = Mrk 1344 = PGC 45608
13 09 17.2 -05
16 22
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(5/17/90): faint, extremely small, round, fairly high surface brightness,
stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with
NGC 4989 7.4' S.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 4990 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen, while observing NGC 4989 located 7.5' south. His position (measured on two nights)
matches
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13 09 15.1 +02
20 51
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
18"
(5/16/09): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, requires
averted vision to view. A nice
elongated group of 4 brighter stars (including mag 8.2
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4991 = m 246 on 30 Apr 1864 and noted "vF, vS." His
position is within 1' of
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13 09 05.6 +11
38 03
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d
18"
(5/28/06): fairly faint, small, elongated 5:3 ~N-S, 0.7'x0.4', very weak
concentration. Located 51' W of
mag 5.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4992 = h1541 on 4 Apr 1831 and recorded "vF; S; lE; north
of two small stars." His
position is accurate.
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13 09 47.7 -23
23 02
V = 12.3; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5"
(4/13/96): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter. Pretty symmetrical appearance
increasing to a 30" brighter core and a 10" nucleus. Located 5.3' WNW of mag 8.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4993 = H III-766 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and noted "vF,
vS." His position is at the
west edge of
******************************
NGC 4994 = NGC
4993: = ESO 508-018 = MCG -04-31-039 = PGC 45657
13 09 47.7 -23
23 02
See observing
notes for NGC 4993.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 4994 = h3471 on 25 Mar 1836 and recorded "pF; R; slbM;
35"; among stars." There
is nothing near his position that he might have picked up. ESO and PGC misidentify
Harold Corwin
notes that NGC 4993 (discovered by WH) is exactly 50' south of JH's position
and a much better match in description.
So, NGC 4993 = NGC 4994.
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13 09 40.6 -07
50 01
V = 11.1; Size 2.5'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 92d
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration,
faint stellar nucleus. Located
3.4' SSE of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4995 = H I-42 = h1540 = 3472 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and
recorded "cB, pL, bM and diminishes gradually towards the ends; near a vB
star." On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) he also recorded "pB almost cB,
mbM, about 2' dia." From the
Cape of Good Hope, JH logged "pB; R; vgpmbM; 60"."
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13 09 31.9 +00
51 25
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 40d
18"
(5/28/06): faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Unusual appearance with a very low surface brightness halo
surrounding a faint stellar nucleus.
Located 7' N of mag 9.1
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 4996 = m 247 on 28 Mar 1864 and noted "pB, S, R,
bM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
13 09 51.7 -16
30 56
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 95d
17.5"
(5/17/90): fairly faint, small, high surface brightness, stellar nucleus. Located 2.3' E of mag 6.7 SAO
157759! Forms a pair with MCG
-03-34-004 6' SSW.
Sherburne
Burnham discovered NGC 4997 on 28 Mar 1878 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor
at Dearborn Observatory. It was reported in Memoirs of the Astr Soc, Vol 44,
p169 and his position with respect to nearby mag 6.7
******************************
NGC 4998 = MCG
+09-22-017 = CGCG 271-015 = PGC 45537
13 08 10.3 +50
39 50
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6
18"
(6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5', low even
surface brightness. A mag 15 star
lies 45" NW. Three mag 10
stars are in the field between 6'-7.5' SW, SSW and SSE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4998 = H III-819 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and simply noted
"vF". CH's reduced
position is 14 tsec following
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13 09 33.1 +01
40 23
V = 11.8; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(5/19/01): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.0' diameter. Contains a very small brighter core
surrounded by a low surface brightness halo. A mag 14 star is barely off the east edge 1.1' from
center. Located 8' E of a mag 10
star.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 4999 = H II-537 = h1543 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded
"F, pL, iR, er." His
position is just northeast of the core of
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