15 49 49.3 -29
23 11
V = 12.2; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 154d
17.5"
(4/7/89): fairly faint, small, very elongated NNW-SSE. A mag 13 star is 1' NW. Located 3.4' NE of mag 9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6000 = h3614 on 8 May 1834 and recorded "vF; S; R;
sbM." His single position
(corrected by 10 sec of time in the errata page to the CGH catalogue) is
accurate.
******************************
15 47 45.9 +28
38 31
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 162d
17.5"
(6/15/91): fairly faint, fairly small, round, very weak concentration. Located 10' N of mag 7.5 SAO
84005. The very faint companion to
the southwest was not seen.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6001 = H III-371 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 397) and recorded
"vF, S, R. 240x showed it very distinctly." His position is within 1' of
******************************
15 47 44.4 +28
36 35
=*?, Gottlieb,
=NGC 6001, RNGC. "Not
found", Carlson.
Lawrence
Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 6002 on Apr 20 1873 while
observing NGC 6001. He noted "Nova Pos 197.3° [SSW], distance 97.6”
[~1.6']." A mag 16.7 star is
fairly close to his offset at PA 190° and separation 116" [~1.9'].
MCG and PGC
identify
Karl Reinmuth
reported "no neb 100" S of NGC 6001" based on his photographic
survey at Heidelberg (repeated by Dorothy Carlson) and RNGC classifies the
number as nonexistent with the comment NGC 6002 = NGC 6001.
******************************
15 49 25.6 +19
01 55
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6003 = St X-28 on 19 Jun 1879. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6004 = UGC
10056 = MCG +03-40-051 = CGCG 107-046 = PGC 56166
15 50 22.7 +18
56 21
V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 105d
17.5"
(5/14/88): moderately bright, moderately large, round, broad
concentration. NGC 6003 lies 15'
WNW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6004 = St X-29 on 14 Jun 1879. His position is accurate.
******************************
15 55 49 -57 26
12
V = 10.7; Size 4'
14" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x): ~40 stars mag 13 and fainter in a small group, roughly
4' in diameter. Stands out well in
the field. A wide pair of mag 10.5
stars [~27" separation] is off the southwest side. The cluster is pretty rich, with many
stars arranged in two intersecting strings. A thin, winding chain of stars extends N-S through the
center. A second strip of stars
bisects this chain, angling WNW to ESE.
The central 45" of the cluster is fairly dense, with ~15 stars
packed into this region.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6005 = D 334 = h3615 on 8 May 1826 and described "a faint
round nebula, about 1.5' diameter, very slightly bright towards the centre. A
small star is south, rather preceding the nebula, and Iota Normae is south
following." His position is
15' east of the cluster.
JH first
observed the cluster on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "a milky way cluster; but
so densely concentrated as to merit as a fine cluster VI class; irregularly
round, gbM, stars 11..15th mag."
On a second sweep he noted "cluster, small, irregularly round, gbM,
a group or rather a small oval pretty much compressed cluster of stars 16..17th
mag. A few = 15th mag."
******************************
15 53 02.5 +12
00 19
V = 14.4; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 162d
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. In a trio with brighter
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6006 = m 294, along with NGC 6007 and 6009, on 2 Jun 1864 and
noted "vF, S." His position is accurate (to within 1' of polar
distance).
******************************
NGC 6007 = UGC
10079 = MCG +02-40-018 = CGCG 078-095 = PGC 56309
15 53 23.3 +11
57 33
V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 65d
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, fairly small, oval NW-SE, weak concentration. Brightest of three with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6007 = m 295, along with NGC 6006 and 6009, on 2 Jun 1864 and
noted "F, pL." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6008 = UGC
10076 = MCG +04-37-052 = CGCG 136-110 = Holm 726a = LGG 403-006 = PGC 56289
15 52 56.0 +21
06 02
V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, fairly small, round, small bright core. There is possibly an extremely faint
knot or star at the east end (there is a slightly brighter "arc" in
the eastern arm on the POSS).
Forms a pair with
NGC 6008B
appeared very faint, very small, round.
Collinear with two mag 14/15 stars close SE (the mag 14 star is 1.3'
SE).
13"
(6/29/84): faint, small, round, diffuse.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6008 = St XI-39 on 10 Jun 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6009 = CGCG
078-096 = PGC 56312
15 53 24.2 +12
03 30
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 168d
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, round.
A mag 15 star is close east.
Located 6' N of NGC 6007 in a tight trio.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6009 = m 296, along with NGC 6006 and 6007, on 2 Jun 1864 and
noted "F, vS, stell." His position is accurate.
******************************
15 54 19.2 +00
32 34
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 105d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, small bright
core, stellar nucleus. A mag 14.5
star is 1.9' S and a mag 15 star 40" S of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6010 = H II-583 = h1939 on 3 May 1786 (sweep 562) and recorded
"vF, S, E, r." His
position is less than 1' south of
******************************
15 46 32.9 +72
10 09
V = 13.5; Size 2.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 110d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, bright core. A mag 14 star is off the east edge
[52" from the center].
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6011 = H III-313 on 16 Mar 1785 (sweep 389) and logged "vF,
vS, lE." His position is
within 3' of
******************************
15 54 13.9 +14
36 04
V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 168d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated NNW-SSE, brighter core,
mottled appearance. Several bright
stars in field and bracketed by mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6012 = H II-657 on 19 Mar 1787 (sweep 720) and recorded "F,
bM; between, but a little preceding 2 bright stars."
******************************
15 52 53.0 +40
38 48
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 174d
17.5" (7/1/89):
faint, fairly small, very elongated ~N-S, brighter center. Four mag 12-13 stars are within a 5'
radius including a pair of mag 13 stars 2.6' NNW with separation 28" which
are collinear with NGC 6013" (aligned NNW-SSE).
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6013 = St VII-1 on 21 Jun 1876. His position is accurate.
******************************
15 55 57.5 +05
55 56
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, even surface brightness. A pair of mag 14/15 stars are at the NE
end [the mag 14 star is 32" from center].
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6014 = h1940 on 24 Apr 1830 and recorded "pB; pL; E;
30" l, 18" br." His
position is accurate.
Lewis Swift
found this galaxy again on 19 Aug 1897 and recorded
******************************
15 51 25.2 +62
18 35
V = 11.1; Size 5.4'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 28d
13"
(5/14/83): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 4.0'x1.8',
diffuse, almost even surface brightness.
Located 2.3' E of a mag 11 star.
A mag 13.5 star is at the SSW end 1.9' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6015 = H III-739 on 2 Jun 1788 (sweep 844) and recorded
"vF; R; about 3' diam; vgbM; easily resolvable." Dreyer also gives d'Arrest's summary
description "B, mE" in the NGC as it differs so much from WH's. In the
******************************
15 55 54.9 +26
57 59
V = 14.3; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 26d
17.5"
(6/15/91): extremely faint, small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, low even surface
brightness. Located 5.4' SSW of
mag 8
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6016 = m 297 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, E." His position is accurate.
******************************
15 57 15.5 +05
59 54
V = 13.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 140d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6017 = h1941 on 9 May 1828 and recorded "pF; vS; R; much
condensed in the centre. A disc
with a burred borders. Almost a
planetary nebula." His
position is fairly accurate.
******************************
15 57 29.8 +15
52 23
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 75d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, weak
concentration. A mag 15 is 1'
S. In a trio with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6018 = H III-646 = h1942 on 19 Mar 1787 (sweep 720) and noted
"vF, lE, S." NGC 6021,
situated 5' north, was discovered 3 years earlier on 21 Mar 1784.
******************************
15 52 09.1 +64
50 26
V = 15.4; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(4/15/93): extremely faint, very small, 15" diameter, round, very low
surface brightness. Located 2.6' S
of a mag 10 star which detracts from viewing. A mag 11 star lies 3.5' ESE. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6019 = Sw IV-18, along with NGC 6024 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded
"eeeF; S; R; double star points to it; ee difficult." His position is 24 sec east and
1' north of
******************************
15 57 08.1 +22
24 16
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration. Situated among a group of stars and at
the midpoint of a mag 11 star 1.9' WSW and a 13 star 1.9' ESE of center. Another mag 13 star is 1.7' SSE of
center.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6020 = Sf. 10 = St. VII-2 on 9 May 1866 with the 18.5"
refractor at the Dearborn Observatory.
The discovery list was not published until 1887 so Safford is not
credited in the main NGC table.
Édouard Stephan independently found the galaxy on 27 Jun 1876, measured
an accurate position, and was credited by Dreyer with the discovery. When Dreyer obtained Safford's list, he
apparently missed the equivalence with NGC 6020 and catalogued this galaxy
again as
******************************
NGC 6021 = UGC
10102 = MCG +03-41-005 = CGCG 108-017
= PGC 56482
15 57 30.7 +15
57 22
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 160d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core. Brightest of three with NGC 6018 5.1' S
and an anonymous galaxy 5.5' SSE.
In the foreground of rich cluster
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6021 = H III-739 = h1943 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 183) and recorded
"eF, vS. I suspected it with
157 and 240 showed it very plainly."
He observed this galaxy three years later (19 Mar 1787) and also picked
up NGC 6018 to the south.
******************************
15 57 47.7 +16
16 56
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(5/13/88): extremely faint, small, oval.
Located 1.6' SSW of
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6022 = St XII-76, along with NGC 6023, on 19 May 1881. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6023 = UGC
10106 = MCG +03-41-010 = CGCG 108-021 = PGC 56492
15 57 49.6 +16
18 37
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70d
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, round, gradually increases to a brighter core. Brightest in AGC 2147 with NGC 6022
1.6' SSW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6023 = St XII-77, along with NGC 6022, on 19 May 1881. His position is an exact match with UGC
10106.
******************************
NGC 6024 = MCG
+11-19-026 = CGCG 319-032 = PGC 56294
15 53 07.8 +64
55 05
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(4/15/93): faint, small, 30" diameter, round. Surrounding the galaxy are several stars: a mag 12.5 star is
off the WSW edge 49" from center, a mag 13 star 1.2' ESE and two mag 14
stars are off the north edge 31" from center and 1.2' SE. Also several mag 9-10 stars in field:
forms the vertex of a perfect isosceles triangle with mag 9
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6024 = Sw IV-19, along with NGC 6019, on 28 Jun 1886 and
recorded "pF; pS; R; BM; * close; forms a little right angle with 2
stars." His position is 10
sec east of
******************************
16 03 18 -60 25
54
V = 5.1; Size 12'
18" (7/7/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 76x with 27 Panoptic, this cluster is
loose but bright and large, ~13' diameter, with 50-60 stars resolved and a very
pretty sight. A couple of dozen
stars are mag 11.5 or brighter and seem to form a continuous loop or
exaggerated "S" shape with no central concentration! At 128x, ~80 stars are visible but the
cluster is really too large for a good view at this power. Two brighter mag 7 and 8 stars are at
the SE end with mag 8.5 and 9 stars near the NW edge. The cluster straddles TrA and Norma and is just visible
naked-eye.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6025 = Lac III 10 = D 304 = h1941 in 1751-1752 using a
1/2" telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. With
this small telescope he noted "three faint stars in line in
nebulosity." Dunlop observed
the cluster 5 times with his 9-inch reflector from Parramatta and recorded
"(Lambda Circini) Lacaille describes this as three small stars in a line
with nebula. No particular nebula exists in this place. A group of about twenty
stars of mixt magnitudes, forming an irregular figure, about 5' or 6' long,
answer to the place of the Lambda. This is in the milky way; and there is no
nebula in the group of stars except what is common in the neighbourhood."
JH lists 4
observations in the Cape Catalogue: on his first sweep (22 Apr 1835) he logged
"VII.; loose; scattered; brilliant; stars large; much more than fills
field; 46 stars counted above 12th mag; chief star 7th mag taken." On a second sweep as ""Chief
star 7th mag of a large, oblong, bright scattered cluster, stars 7..10th
mag."
******************************
16 01 20.9 -34
32 39
V = 13.2; Size 54"x36"
18"
(6/7/08): fairly faint, moderately large glow surrounding a mag 13-13.5 central
star at 150x. Excellent contrast
gain using a NPB filter and the disc appeared moderately bright and crisply
defined and slightly elongated.
18"
(7/22/06): picked up unfiltered at 160x as a mag 13.5-14 star surrounded by a
40"x30" faint halo elongated SW-NE. A UHC filter increases the contrast so the disc appears
fairly faint to moderately bright (easy with direct vision). 325x provided a good view unfiltered
and the elongation appeared closer to WSW-ENE. The easy central star was visible steadily and the dimensions
roughly 45"x35".
18" (7/5/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this planetary appeared moderately
bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, ~0.8'x0.6'. Dominated by a mag 13.5 central star
with an even surface brightness halo.
Nice contrast gain using a UHC filter at 228x.
17.5"
(6/30/00): at 220x this fairly faint PN appeared slightly elongated SW-NE,
~50"x35". The 14th
magnitude central star is easily visible encased by an evenly lit disc. The edges of the halo appear somewhat
ragged but the PN is crisp-edged at 280x using a UHC filter.
13"
(7/5/83): very faint, small, round.
A very faint mag 14 central star is visible. The planetary is visible with direct vision using a UHC
filter. Located 7.3' NW of mag 7.6
8": not
found.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6026 = h3617 on 8 Jun 1837 and recorded "F; S; R: 15";
gpmbM. There are 3 stars forming a
triangle about 60°, np the nebula."
His position is at the west edge of the planetary.
NGC 6026 was
misclassified as an elliptical galaxy in the Shapley-Ames catalogue (dimensions
1.0'x0.8', mag(p) = 12.5). In the
course of a photographic survey of bright southern galaxies at Mt Stromlo, de
Vaucouleurs noticed the appearance suggest it might be a galactic PN. He notified Nicholas Mayall of Lick
Observatory who obtained a spectrogram, which established it was a planetary
nebula (announced in 1955PASP...67..418D).
******************************
15 59 12.5 +20
45 49
V = 14.3; Size 0.4'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.7
48"
(5/15/12): the brightest components of Seyfert's Sextet were NGC 6027 = HCG 79b
and
18"
(8/3/05): at 257x, the brightest component of Seyfert's Sextet appeared faint,
very small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 15"x10", contains a faint
stellar nucleus with direct vision.
A mag 14.5 star lies 1' ESE and two additional mag 14.5 stars lie close
SE. Just resolved from
18"
(6/20/04): at 320x, a trio of galaxies forming a small equilateral triangle
were fairly easily resolved with careful viewing. The brightest of the trio (
17.5" (5/14/88):
faint, small, elongated ~E-W.
17.5"
(6/6/86): this is Seyfert's Sextet = HCG 79, an extremely compact group! On close inspection, the confused
"clump" resolves into three components with the brightest component
(HCG 79b) appearing fairly faint, small.
Extremely close are HCG 79a = NGC 6027A just 36" SSW and HCG 79c =
NGC 6027B 22" W of center. A
mag 14.5 star is 1.1' ESE and other faint stars are near. These three galaxies are just resolved
at 220x.
13"
(6/18/85): slightly elongated E-W.
13" (5/26/84):
faint, very small, irregularly round, weak concentration.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6027 = St XII-78 on 20 Mar 1882 and measured an accurate
position. Although Stephan
recorded this ultra-compact group as only a single entry, his description
"eF, vF* inv, 2 vF st nr" implies he probably resolved two or three
members. Barnard ran across NGC
6027 while sweeping on 29 Jan 1889 with the 12-inch refractor at Lick
Observatory.
Carl Seyfert's
name was attached after his 1951 paper "A Dense Group of Galaxies in
Serpens" (PASP...63...72S).
Different lettering of the components were introduced by VV, RNGC and
Hickson, so there is often confusion on the designations. There are likely only 4 galaxies in the
group as NGC 6027D has a discordant redshift over four times the other members
and NGC 6027E is considered either a tidal tail of HCG 79b or a partially
dissolved remnant. Seyfert's Sextet
is probably the densest (most compact) galaxy aggregate in the local Universe
with all 4 members fitting within the confines of the Milky Way.
******************************
16 01 28.9 +19
21 34
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30d
48"
(5/15/12): this Hoag-type ring galaxy contains a bright, very small core,
~18" diameter. A star is
right at the south edge of the core.
The 1' diameter detached outer ring occasionally popped into view and the
galaxy appeared as a slightly elongated Cheerio! NGC 6028 is the nearest and brightest of the Hoag-style
rings.
17.5":
faint, very small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. I only recorded the bright, inner core
of the ring galaxy.
Guillaume
Bigourdan found NGC 6028 = B. 76 on 4 May 1886. His position matches
******************************
16 01 58.7 +12
34 30
V = 14.5; Size 0.1'x0.1'; Surf Br = 9.3
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, small, elongated ~E-W, bright core, very faint stellar
nucleus. This is a double system
(not resolved).
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6029 = m 298 on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, vS." His
position is 1' north of
******************************
16 01 51.4 +17
57 27
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 43d
24"
(6/22/17): at 375x; bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 or 3:2 SW-NE. Contains a high surface brightness core
with a fainter elongated halo. A
mag 12.5 star lies 1' NNW of center.
NGC 6030 is
located 12' NE of 5.1-magnitude 5 Herculi. The core of
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, small, bright core, elongated SW-NE. Two mag 13 stars are 1.0' NNW and 2.5'
N. Located between 5 Herculis (V =
5.1) 12' SW and mag 7.4
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6030 = St XIII-84 on 17 Jun 1884. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 07 35 -54 00
54
V = 8.5; Size 2'
18" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 236x): small, fairly rich cluster with 40-50 stars (with
careful viewing) packed into a 2.5' region. The cluster is roughly triangular with vertices on the
southwest, east and northeast ends.
Contains a tight knot of 4-5 stars within 20". A close double star (mag 11 primary,
separation <5") is 1' off the north end. Located 50' WNW of
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6031 = D 359 = h3618 on 28 Jul 1826 and described "three
very minute stars forming a triangle, with a faint round nebula, about 20
arcseconds diameter in the centre, but none of the stars are involved in the
nebula." His position is 5'
south of the cluster. JH made a
single observation on 19 Jun 1835: "cluster, a small, compact knot of
stars 11..14th mag, in a magnificently full field and zone."
******************************
16 03 01.1 +20
57 23
V = 13.5; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 0d
13.1"
(4/10/86): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. Appears as an unconcentrated diffuse
glow which requires averted vision.
Pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6032 = St XI-40, along with NGC 6035, on 9 Jun 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 04 27.9 -02
07 15
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 90d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, small, round.
A close very faint double star is 1' S.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6033 = m 299 on 23 Jul 1864 and noted "vF neb *." His position is accurate.
******************************
16 03 32.1 +17
11 55
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 64d
17.5":
faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 0.8' SSE. Member of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6034 = Sw IV-20 on 19 Jun 1886 and logged "eeeF; vS; R; eee
diff." His position is 1.5'
north of
******************************
NGC 6035 = UGC
10154 = MCG +04-38-018 = CGCG 137-024 = PGC 56864
16 03 24.2 +20
53 29
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
13.1"
(4/10/86): faint, fairly small, almost round. Slightly brighter of pair with NGC 6032 6.2' NW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6035 = St XI-41, along with NGC 6032, on 9 Jun 1880. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
16 04 30.8 +03
52 06
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 146d
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, small, elongated NW-SE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is 0.7' NE and a fainter
mag 15 star is just 0.8' NNW of center.
Forms a pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6036 = m 300, along with NGC 6037, on 23 Jul 1864 and noted
"vF, vS, R, stell." His
position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6037 = MCG
+01-41-009 = CGCG 051-031 = PGC 56947
16 04 29.8 +03
48 54
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, broad concentration, can just hold
steadily with direct vision. Pair
with NGC 6036 3.3' N.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6037 = m 301, along with NGC 6036, on 23 Jul 1864 and noted
"vF, S."
******************************
16 02 40.5 +37
21 34
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, fairly small, 1' diameter, round, low almost even surface brightness
with no discernable core, halo gradually fades into background. A mag 11 star is 40" off the SE
edge and 1.3' from center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6038 = H III-622 = h1944 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 715) and noted
"vF, S, R. I saw it in the
field while I was gauging otherwise it would have certainly been
overlooked." His position is
22 sec of RA east of
******************************
16 04 39.5 +17
42 03
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
See observing
notes for
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6039 = Sw IV-21 on 27 Jun 1886 on the west side of the Hercules
Galaxy Cluster and recorded "eeeF; vS; R; sp of 3 in a line, the other 2
being 2 of Stephan's, 3rd of 10."
The three galaxies near his position are
Despite Swift's
note, NGC 6039 is mostly likely is a duplicate of NGC 6042, which is the third
in a line with NGC 6040 and 6041, though his description should reads "sf
of 3." RNGC misidentifies NGC
6040B = MCG +03-41-073 as NGC 6039.
This galaxy is attached to the southwest end of NGC 6040.
******************************
NGC 6040 = Arp
122 NED2 = VV 212a = UGC 10165b = MCG +03-41-074 = CGCG 108-096n = PGC 56932
16 04 26.8 +17
45 02
V = 14.2; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 47d
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, small
brighter core. The southwest and
northeast extensions are slightly curved or misaligned.
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, low even surface
brightness. Forms a close
interacting system with NGC 6040B 26" S. The companion appeared very faint, very small, slightly
elongated E-W.
First of three
NGC galaxies with NGC 6041 2.7' SE and NGC 6042 4.3' SE. Also,
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE. First of 3. NGC
6040B was not resolved.
13.1" (5/14/83):
very faint, small, diffuse.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6040 = St I-1, along with NGC 6041 and NGC 6042, on 27 Jun
1870. His micrometric position is
an exact match with the brighter northern component of this pair (
******************************
NGC 6041 = VV
213a = NGC 6041A = UGC 10170ne = MCG +03-41-078 = CGCG 108-101ne = PGC 56960
16 04 35.8 +17
43 18
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 46d
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; fairly faint/moderately bright, fairly small, slightly
elongated, 25"x20", well concentrated with a small bright core. Forms a double system with NGC 6041 at
the southwest end [19" between centers] with the companion faint,
extremely small, round, 6".
IC 1170, a small faint edge-on, is 1' due west.
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, oval SW-NE. Forms a double system with
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, irregularly round or slightly elongated SW-NE. Suspected to be double.
13.1"
(5/14/83): very faint, very small, round, similar to NGC 6040 3' NW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6041 = St I-2, along with NGC 6040 and NGC 6042, on 27 Jun
1870. His position matches the
galaxy often called
******************************
NGC 6042 = NGC
6039? = MCG +03-41-079 = CGCG 108-104 = PGC 56972
16 04 39.6 +17
42 03
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 60d
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, round.
Third of three NGC galaxies on a line with NGC 6041 1.5' NW and NGC 6040
4.3' NW in the core of AGC 2151.
Also extremely faint IC 1170 lies 2.3' NW. Located 1.7' NE of a mag 11 star.
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint, very small, roundish.
Faintest in trio on a line in AGC 2151.
13.1"
(6/29/84): extremely faint, at visual threshold, very small, round.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6042 = St I-3, along with NGC 6040 and NGC 6041, on 27 Jun
1870. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 05 01.4 +17 46
32
V = 14.3; Size 0.65'x0.5'; PA = 35d
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, slightly
elongated, 20"x16", strong bright core.
48"
(4/5/13): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 0.3'x0.2',
small bright core. Located 1.9' NW
of NGC 6045. I didn't look for the
faint companion attached at the SW edge, but it should be visible.
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, collinear with two stars
to the south including a mag 13.5 star 1.8' S. First of three NGC galaxies on a line with NGC 6045 1.9' SE
and
17.5"
(3/23/85): first of three galaxies aligned NW to SE with NGC 6045 and NGC 6047
in the core of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster. Faint, very small, round, faint star off the south side
(45").
13.1"
(5/14/83): extremely faint, small, round.
First of four in a subgroup of AGC 2151. A mag 15 star is off the south side.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6043 = Sw IV-22 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several other members
of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster. He recorded "eeF; lE; pS; 4th of
10." There is nothing at his
exact position, but 13 seconds of time east is
******************************
NGC 6044 = IC
1172 = MCG +03-41-084 = CGCG 108-110 = PGC 57015
16 04 59.7 +17
52 13
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, round.
A mag 14 star lies 1.4' WSW.
Located 5.6' N of NGC 6043 in the core of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6044 = Sw IV-23 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several other members
of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster.
His description reads "eeF; vS; R; vf * nr p[receding]; 5th of
10." and his position is 10 seconds west of
Bigourdan found
the galaxy on 8 Jun 1888, assumed it was new and recorded Big. 199 = IC 1172
with an accurate position. CGCG
labels the galaxy as
******************************
NGC 6045 = Arp
71 = UGC 10177 = MCG +03-41-088 = CGCG 108-112 = PGC 57031
16 05 07.9 +17
45 28
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 82d
48"
(5/15/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, edge-on 5:1 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.2',
slightly brighter core. A very
small companion is attached at the east end, dangling to the south
perpendicular to the major axis.
It appeared faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 12"x6".
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; faint to fairly faint, very elongated 7:2 WSW-ENE, 45"x
12", slightly brighter elongated core.
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, small, very elongated 4:1 WSW-ENE. Located in the core of AGC 2151 between
the NGC 6040/6041/6042 trio to the west and NGC 6050 3.8' E. The companion attached at the east end
was not seen.
17.5"
(3/23/85): second of a faint collinear trio. Very faint though slightly brighter than NGC 6043 1.9' NW
and NGC 6047 1.7' S, though the nearby stars to these two galaxies was more eye
catching.
13.1"
(5/14/83): very faint, elongated.
Second of four in subgroup of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6045 = Sw IV-24 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several other members
of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster. He
logged "eeF; vS; R; v diff; 6th of 10." and his position is 13
seconds preceding
******************************
16 01 28.9 +19
21 34
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30d
See observing
notes for NGC 6028.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6046 = H III-33 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 171) and recorded "A
nebula suspected by 157 and the suspicion strengthened by 240; but the latter
power does not remove all doubt.
It follows 3 pB stars making an arch [concave towards np or nnp
direction by a diagram], south of which arch there is a still brighter star."
There is nothing
near WH's offset, but based on his description of the nearby stars, Harold
Corwin identifies NGC 6046 = NGC 6028 (correctly placed by Bigourdan). This galaxy is nearly 3.5 min of RA
west of WH's position. The 3 stars
are actually concave to the northeast and the "still brighter star"
is mag 9.0
******************************
NGC 6047 = MCG
+03-41-087 = CGCG 108-111 = 4C 17.66 = PGC 57033
16 05 09.0 +17
43 47
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
24"
(6/4/16): at 322x; fairly faint, small, round, very small bright core. A mag 13 star is just off the northwest
side, 25" from the center.
NGC 6045 lies 1.7' N.
48"
(4/5/13): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 24"
diameter, bright core. A mag 13.5
star is just off the northwest edge.
Located 1.7' S of NGC 6045.
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, round.
A mag 13.5 star is just 26" NW of the center. This galaxy is the third of three in a
the central region of AGC 2151 with NGC 6043 3.3' NNW and NGC 6045 1.7'
NNW. Also nearby is NGC 6050 4.0'
NW.
17.5"
(3/23/85): third of trio in a line.
Appears very faint, small, a faint star is close preceding.
13.1"
(5/14/83): very faint, very small.
Third of four in a subgroup of AGC 2151 and located 2' SSE of NGC
6045. A mag 13.5 star is very
close west.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6047 = Sw IV-25 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several other members
of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster. He
logged "eF; R; pS; F * close north; 7th of 10." His position is 9 seconds west of CGCG
108-111 = PGC 57033 (similar offset in RA as NGC 6043 and 6045) and the comment
about the faint star applies.
******************************
15 57 30.2 +70
41 21
V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140d
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located 13' SSW of mag 7.3
17.5"
(4/18/87): fairly faint, small, oval, brighter core. Forms a pair with 2MASX J15575417+7039470 2.5' SE.
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter center, faint
stellar nucleus.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6048 = H II-873 on 6 May 1791 (sweep 1005) and noted "F, R,
bM, about 1' dia." CH's
reduced position is 37 sec of RA following
******************************
16 05 37.9 +08
05 46
=*6.3
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6049 = h1945 on 24 Apr 1830 and recorded "a * 7m which I
strongly incline to think has a nebulous atmosphere about 2' dia." On 14 May 1855 LdR noted the "star
looked quite sharp and well defined in the finding eyepiece", but on 26
May 1875 Lawrence Parsons commented "*7-8m with vF surrounded atmosphere
which could be traced about 1' from the star." Two days later, Henry Chamberlain Russell of Sydney Observatory
was also shown the star and the entry reads "Mr. H.C. Russell from Sydney
was not sure of the reality of the atmosphere, but I had no doubt of
it." Reinmuth wasn't sure:
"BD +8 3134; *6.8 with halo?"
All of these observations are spurious as there is no halo around the
star.
******************************
NGC 6050 = Arp
272 = VV 220a =
16 05 23.4 +17
45 32
V = 14.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 132d
48"
(5/15/12): this is an interconnected pair of galaxies with the brighter
component (
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, small, round, diffuse. This member of AGC 2151 forms a close pair with
17.5"
(3/23/85): faint but easily visible, small, roundish. This is a double system, but IC 1179 was not seen.
13.1"
(5/14/83): very faint, small, round.
Fourth of 4 in a subgroup of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6050 = Sw IV-26 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several additional
members of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster.
He logged "eeeF; S; R; e diff.; 8th of 10." and his position
is 13 seconds west of
Swift
"discovered" the galaxy again on 3 Jun 1888 and reported it in list
VII-71 (this time described as "11th of 12"). Dreyer added this second entry as IC
1179. Most modern sources
including PGC, HyperLeda and SIMBAD misidentify the southwest component (NGC
6050B) as IC 1179. It's extremely
unlikely that IC 1179 refers to the southwest galaxy in list VII, as Swift
described NGC 6050 as "eeeF" and NGC 6050B is much fainter and he
makes no mention of the nebula being double!
******************************
16 04 56.6 +23
55 57
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165d
24"
(7/23/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 N-S,
0.6'x0.45', weak concentration. A
mag 11.2 star is 0.7' SSE of center and a mag 16.7 star is 0.7' W of center. Brightest
in a faint compact cluster (AWM 4) with 5 members within 3'!
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 11 star is just off the SSE edge
44" from center.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6051 = St XII-79 on 20 Jun 1881. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
16 05 13.2 +20
32 33
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 171d
48"
(4/5/13): the main glow of this disrupted system or merger appeared fairly
bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, irregular or mottled. The glow brightens along the eastern
side and very thin, faint extensions protrude along the eastern side to the
north and south (more prominent on the south end). The appearance is similar to an edge-on galaxy attached to
the larger, mottled western component.
48"
(5/15/12): at 488x, the disrupted system NGC 6052 = Arp 209 had a very strange
appearance. Attached on the
southeast side is a faint, elongated glow, ~22"x6", extending out
from the main portion of the system and giving the strong impression that an
edge-on galaxy was involved in this merger. Also on the northeast side, a fainter and broader extension or
plume was visible oriented N-S.
Although these two features seemed detached, they may be part of the
same partially merged galaxy. To
the west of these extended features is the most prominent region or core of the
galaxy, which appeared bright, irregular round and mottled. The halo was very irregular in shape
and brightness, particularly on the west side which had a mottled, tattered
appearance.
24"
(7/23/14): using 375x, moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S,
~25"x18". Contains an
extremely small nucleus that appears offset to the north side. The eastern component is merged, except
for a small, thin extension that juts out to the south on the southeastern
side. A mag 15 star lies 0.8' W.
24"
(6/28/14): at 375x, appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S,
30"x20", contains a quasi-stellar nucleus and mottled core that is
slightly displaced to the north side.
The two components were not clearly resolved.
18"
(7/12/10): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 N-S, 0.9'x0.3',
fairly even surface brightness except at 285x and 335x there was a very faint,
slightly brighter "bulge" or knot on the west side (
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, oval ~N-S, bright core. Appears asymmetric as the galaxy is brighter on the west
side. The POSS reveals this is an attached contact system (
13.1"
(7/5/83): faint, small, round, even surface brightness. In line with two mag 12/13 stars
equally spaced.
8"
(7/5/83): extremely faint, very small, at visual threshold.
Albert Marth
found NGC 6052 = m302 on 2 Jul 1864 and recorded "F, about 1' diameter,
irr R, ??III. 140 [
WH discovered H
III-140 = NGC 6064 on 11 Jun 1784 (sweep 225), but his position was 1 min 47
sec of RA too large, so Marth was uncertain if H. III-140 was the same
nebula. Dreyer concluded in his
1912 "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that this number
"is no doubt = NGC 6052 (Marth 302).
H did not observe the neb in the centre of the field but applies a
correction of -0.7m, which appears to have been too small."
******************************
16 05 32.5 +18
09 34
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
See observing
notes for
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6053 = Sw III-86,
along with
Most modern
catalogues ignore the number NGC 6053, assigning NGC 6055 to UGC 10191 and NGC
6057 to CGCG 108-130. RNGC
misidentifies CGCG 108-129 as NGC 6053.
This galaxy is roughly 6' south of the pair.
******************************
NGC 6054 = IC
1183 = MCG +03-41-103 = CGCG 108-128 = PGC 57086
16 05 38.1 +17
46 04
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d
48"
(5/15/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, oval 4:3 WSW-ENE,
20"x15". Located 1.0' NE
of a mag 12.6 star with a mag 16 star 1' S. Brighter
17.5"
(5/13/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. Located 1.0' NE of a mag 12.5 star. An
extremely faint galaxy (MCG +03-41-099) is 1.5' W with IC 1182 2.1' NNW. Member of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6054 = Sw IV-27 on 27 Jun 1886, along with several other members
of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster.
His description reads "eeeF; pS; lE; f * v nr sp; 9th of 10." His position is 13 seconds west
of
His position,
though, happens to fall closer to fainter
******************************
NGC 6055 = MCG
+03-41-106 = CGCG 108-130 = PGC 57090
16 05 39.6 +18
09 52
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4
18"
(7/13/07): very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, very small or
stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with
brighter NGC 6057 just 1.7' WSW in the northern part of the Hercules Galaxy
Cluster.
17.5"
(6/14/96): extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, low even
surface brightness. Situated in
the northeast portion of AGC 2151 1.7' ENE of brighter NGC 6057. Several faint galaxies lie northeast.
17.5"
(5/28/89): extremely faint and small, round. Forms a close pair with NGC 6057 1.7' WSW in the northern
region of AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6055 = Sw II-87 on 8 Jun 1886 and logged "eeeF; S; R; ee
diff; 2nd of 4 [with N6053, N6056 and N6057]. Although his description is not of much help, his position
is 5 seconds of time east of NGC 6053, also discovered the same night. Assuming NGC 6053 refers to UGC 10191,
this implies NGC 6055 = CGCG 108-130.
This contradicts modern sources, which apply NGC 6055 to UGC 10191 and
NGC 6057 to CGCG 108-130. It also
places NGC 6057 and NGC 6053 out of order in RA, but agrees with the historical
record. See notes on NGC 6057 for
more on these numbers.
******************************
16 05 31.3 +17
57 49
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 56d
18"
(7/13/07): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, broad and very weak
concentration.
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, round, broad concentration. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6056 = Sw III-88 on 8 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeeF; pS; R;
ee diff; 3rd of 4 [with NGC 6053, 6055 and 6061 in the Hercules Cluster]. His position is 1.5' south of CGCG
108-122 = PGC 57075. Swift
"discovered" this galaxy again exactly two years later and recorded
Sw VII-69 = IC 1176 as "eeF; pS; iR; pB star near south." The positions for Swift's two
observations are nearly identical and his description of VII-69 clearly applies
to
CGCG and MCG
label this galaxy as
******************************
NGC 6057 = NGC
6053 = UGC 10191 = MCG +03-41-101 = CGCG 108-123 = PGC 57076
16 05 32.6 +18 09
34
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 40d
18"
(7/13/07): faint, small, irregularly round, 30"x25". Brighter of a pair with NGC 6055 1.7'
ENE in the northeast section of the Hercules Galaxy Cluster.
17.5"
(6/14/96): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 45"x30". Situated in the NE corner of AGC 2151
with NGC 6055 1.7' ENE,
17.5"
(5/28/89): very faint, very small, almost round, weak concentration, faint
stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is
40" WSW. Forms a pair with
NGC 6055 1.7' ENE in AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6057 = Sw III-89 on 6 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeeF; eS;
R." His position is 2' south
of the pair UGC 10191 and CGCG 108-130.
Two nights later he found Sw III-86 = NGC 6053 and Sw III-87 = NGC 6055
nearby and assumed they were different.
But there are only two reasonably bright galaxies, UGC 10191 and CGCG
108-130, close to his three positions.
Assuming he picked up the brighter of these two galaxies on the first
night, then NGC 6057 = UGC 10191.
Two nights later he logged both galaxies and placed them 5 seconds apart
in RA (the actual separation is 7 seconds). This implies NGC 6053 = NGC 6057 = UGC 10191 (observed both
nights) and NGC 6055 = CGCG 108-130 (observed only on the 8th of June). After an email exchange in Nov 2014
with Harold Corwin, he concurs with these identifications.
This changes the
standard identification in modern catalogues (UGC, MCG, CGCG, RNGC) that NGC
6055 = UGC 10191 and NGC 6057 = CGCG 108-130! It also places NGC 6057 to the west of NGC 6055, an
unfortunate result if we preserve the historical record.
******************************
16 04 26.4 +40
40 59
V = 12.9; Size 24"x21"
18"
(7/20/06): picked up at 115x as a mag 13-13.5 star surrounded by a small
20" halo. Adding an OIII
filter the halo brightened significantly and increased slightly in size. Nice view at 225x as the central star
and halo are both prominently displayed.
At this magnification, the halo was slightly elongated NNW-SSE, roughly
25"x20" in size. At
325x, the planetary was beautifully framed within an isosceles triangle that
just fits within the high power field of view. Adding a UHC filter the halo appeared irregular in surface
brightness and dimmed around the periphery, perhaps extending to 30".
17.5"
(5/27/00): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NNW-SSE,
25"x20". Contains an
easy mag 13.5 central star which stands out well at all powers. At 380x, the halo appears to brighten
surrounding the central star.
Nicely framed within a triangle of mag 9-10 stars.
17.5"
(5/30/92): fairly bright, small, 20" diameter. A bright mag 13 central star is easily visible. Located within a bright isosceles
triangle consisting of mag 8.8
13.1"
(7/5/83): fairly faint, small.
Fairly easy central star at 166x, two stars to the north form an
equilateral triangle. Can take
333x.
8"
(7/5/83): at 100x, faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. At 200x, an extremely faint mag 13.5-14
central star is visible surrounded by a small faint halo. Two mag 9 stars to the north form an
rough isosceles triangle.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6058 = H III-637 = h1946 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and recorded
"vF, eS, 300 showed 2 very close stars affected with nebulosity, a very
small star in the field with it was perfectly free from that nebulosity." CH's reduced position is 16 sec of RA
too large. JH made two
observations on consecutive sweeps and noted "pB, vS, R, almost stellar or
psbM; diam 10"."
LdR or assistant
noticed an annular ring. The observation on 5 Apr 1851 mentions "like [NGC
2392], dark ring plainer seen on p part of neb; vS * n, about 3/4' diam of neb
off. The following part of dark
ring a little broader than the preceding part." Samuel Hunter made a sketch on 9 May 1861 and this was
included at the last minute in the 1861 publication.
Based on Crossley
photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "an irregular oval fading out
at ends of major axis, brightest at north and south edges; 25"x20" in
pa 77°."
******************************
16 06 48 -06 23
36
=Not found,
Corwin and RNGC. =**?, Gottlieb.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6059 = Sw III-91 on 6 May 1886 and recorded "vF; S;
R." There is nothing near his
position. Bigourdan claimed he
found NGC 6059 12 seconds of RA after the NGC position (20 Apr 1891 Comptes
Rendus), but there is nothing at his position except 3 stars 1.5' north. Jeff Corder suggested NGC 6059 might
apply to the faint double star about 25 seconds further west (and 1'
north). In any case, there are no
nearby galaxies Swift might have seen.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
16 05 52.0 +21
29 05
V = 13.1; Size 2.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 105d
17.5":
fairly faint, moderately large, elongated WNW-ESE, large brighter core, fainter
extensions.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6060 = St VII-3 on 22 Jun 1876. His position is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6061 = UGC
10199 = MCG +03-41-118 = CGCG 108-145 = PGC 57137
16 06 16.0 +18
15 00
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d
24"
(6/14/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 36"
diameter, very small bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms the northern vertex of a near perfect rhombus (sides
3') with three mag 10.5-11 stars to the south. Several galaxies are nearby including IC 1189 4' due south,
18"
(7/13/07): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 36" diameter, weak
concentration. Collinear with two
mag 10.5-11 stars 2.8' and 6' S.
Two additional mag 10.5 and 11.5 stars form a striking "Y"
asterism to the south of NGC 6061.
17.5"
(6/14/96): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.8' diameter, very weak
concentration. Forms the north
vertex of a near perfect rhombus (of sides 3') with three mag 10-11 stars in
the NE corner of AGC 2151. IC 1189
lies 4.0' S
17.5"
(5/28/89): faint, small, round, small bright core. Four bright stars form an upside down "Y" asterism
just south including a mag 11 star 2.9' SE and two mag 10 stars 3.1' SW and
2.8' S. Located in the northern
region of AGC 2151 with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6061 = Sw III-90 on 8 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeeF; S; R; ee
diff; 4th of 4 [with NGC 6053, 6055 and 6056]; 4 B stars south with the nebula
form a cross like cross in Cygnus.
Neb. placed as is Deneb Cygni." His position is just 4 seconds west of
******************************
16 06 22.7 +19
46 40
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 10d
24"
(6/13/15): at 260x; fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3
SSW-NNE, ~36"x27", broad weak concentration but no distinct
nucleus. Four brighter stars are
in the field including mag 9.8
Forms a close
(physical) pair with
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, weak concentration, fairly diffuse.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6062 = St XIII-84 on 20 Jun 1884. His position is accurate. NGC 6062B lies 1.3' southwest.
******************************
16 07 13.1 +07
58 44
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 159d
17.5"
(5/13/88): fairly faint, moderately large, diffuse, even surface brightness,
elongated NW-SE. Bracketed by a
mag 14 star 1.8' NNE and a mag 14.5 star 2.3' SW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6063 = St XII-80 on 10 Jun 1882. His micrometric position using the 31-inch silvered glass
reflector at Marseille Observatory is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6064 = NGC
6052 = UGC 10182 = MCG +04-38-022 = CGCG 137-032 = VV 86 = Mrk 297 = Arp 209 =
16 05 13.2 +20
32 33
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 171d
See observing
notes for NGC 6052.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6064 = H III-140 on 11 Jun 1784 (sweep 225) and recorded
"vF, vS, r, 240 verified it; np a pB star, with another equally B st in
the field sp the former; also several eS stars in the field." There is nothing near his position and
III-140 was not found by Bigourdan."
But 1 min 47 sec of RA preceding his position (CH's reduction) is UGC
10182. Dreyer concludes in his
1912 "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that this number
"is no doubt = NGC 6052 (Marth 302).
H did not observe the neb in the centre of the field but applies a
correction of -0.7m, which appears to have been too small." Karl Reinmuth, Dorothy Carlson
and Harold Corwin concur that NGC 6052 = NGC 6064.
******************************
16 07 22.9 +13
53 16
V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core. Collinear with two unequal double stars
due east; an unequal mag 10/14 double at 21" is 2' E and a mag 10/13
double at 29" is 4' E. Forms
a pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6065 = Sw IX-53, along with NGC 6066, on 19 Jun 1887 and
recorded "eeF; vS; R; D * follows point to it; sp of 2 [with NGC
6066]." The discovery was
communicated directly to Dreyer (indicated as list VI in the NGC), but not
published until 1890 (list IX).
The NGC positions are good but his published declinations for NGC 6065
and 6066 are reversed. See Harold
Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
NGC 6066 = CGCG
079-054 = PGC 57230
16 07 35.3 +13
56 37
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(5/13/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 6065 4.5' SSW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6066 = Sw IX-54, along with NGC 6065, on 19 Jun 1887 and
recorded "eeF; vS; R; 2 pB stars near south both double; nf of 2 [with NGC
6065]." The discovery was
communicated directly to Dreyer (indicated as list VI in the NGC), but not
published until 1890 (list IX), where he accidentally switched the
declinations.
******************************
NGC 6067 = Cr
298 = ESO 178-SC012
16 13 11 -54 13
06
V = 5.6; Size 13'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): this stunning cluster was partially resolved in my 15x50 IS
binoculars. At 110x a few hundred
stars were resolved and formed a gorgeous group. A striking 11" pair (h4835) is in the center with the
western star a noticeable orange color.
Just south of the eastern star is a fainter, third close companion and
several other pairs are in the vicinity.
The cluster is compressed in the center with a number of curving chains
and loops of stars that appear to spiral out into the periphery. Located 25' N of mag 5 Kappa Normae.
18" (7/6/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 76x (27 Panoptic), this cluster was a
stunning sight with a few hundred stars sparkling in a 20' region. Appears comparable to one the richer
Messier clusters. The cluster is
compressed towards the center and thins out in the periphery, blending in with
the rich, surrounding Milky Way.
The cluster includes a few striking pairs including a bright mag 8.8/9.4
pair at 10" near in the center that is collinear with a much closer and
fainter equal mag pair. At 228x,
the cluster appear much more irregular and most of the stars seem to be
arranged in elegant loops and chains that enclose starless holes in the
cluster.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): At 83x, in excess of 100 stars mag 8-12 in a 20'
diameter. Very bright, large, very
rich, compressed towards the core which includes a striking double star at
center (h4835 = 8.8/9.4 at 10").
Many stars arranged in spirals and arcs, rich in faint stars. The brightest mag 7.8 star is located
at the south edge with a mag 8 star off the east edge. This is a beautiful open cluster in the
rich Norma starcloud!
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6067 = D 360 = h3619 on 8 May 1826 and described "a pretty
large cluster of small stars of mixed magnitudes, about 12' diameter; the stars
are considerably congregated towards the centre, extended south preceding and
north following." He made 5 observations
of the cluster and his position is unusually accurate.
JH made 3
observations: On 9 Jul 1834 he recorded "the chief star in middle of a
most superbly rich and large cluster, 20' at least in diameter, as it much more
than fills field; not much compressed in the middle, stars 10..12th mag."
On a second sweep he called it "place of a near double star in centre of a
superb cluster; very large and rich; composed of equal stars 12th mag, a fine
object, Much more than fills field."
******************************
15 55 26.5 +78
59 48
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 155d
17.5"
(5/14/88): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, small
bright core. Follows a triangle of
mag 13-14 stars 0.8' SSW, 1.3' NW and 2.5' WSW. Forms a close pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6068 = H III-973 on 6 Dec 1801 (sweep 1104) and recorded
"vF; S; lE in the meridian [N-S], r." His position is 2.3' south-southeast of
******************************
16 07 41.7 +38
55 51
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(6/24/95): very faint, very small, round.
Shows a weak concentration to a slightly brighter core and faint stellar
nucleus. A mag 14 star is 40"
SW of center. There are two bright
stars in the field; mag 8.9
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6069 = St XII-81 on 21 Jun 1882. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 09 58.6 +00
42 32
V = 11.8; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 62d
24"
(6/28/14): fairly bright, large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2'x1', contains a large
brighter core, fades out around the periphery. A very faint "star" is
near the northeast tip is actually a compact HII region labeled as region IV in
the 2010 paper "Giant HII regions in
NGC 6070 is the
brightest in a trio with
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly bright, large, oval 2:1 SW-NE, broad moderate
concentration. Brightest of trio
with NGC 6070B 4.3' NE and 6070C 5.6' NE.
Located 7.9' SW of mag 7
13"
(6/4/83): fairly large, diffuse, elongated ~E-W, almost even surface
brightness. A mag 7 star is 7' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6070 = H III-553 = h1947 on 3 May 1786 (sweep 562) and recorded
"cF, iF, 4 or 5' long, 2 or 3' br." His position and description matches
******************************
NGC 6071 = MCG
+12-15-047 = CGCG 338-041 = PGC 56767
16 02 06.9 +70
25 01
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(3/28/87): faint, small, round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with
17.5"
(4/18/87): faint, small, round, brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6071 = H III-883 on 6 May 1791 (sweep 1005) and noted "eF,
vS, 300 verified it." CH's
reduced position is 1 tmin east
and 1.5' south of
UGC and PGC
misidentify
******************************
16 12 58.1 -36
13 48
V = 11.3; Size 70"
18"
(7/22/06): viewed unfiltered at 225x, 325x and 435x as a moderately bright, round,
1' disc of irregular surface brightness.
The disc appears mottled with slightly darker and brighter regions
though I couldn't say there was a definite annularity. Inside the rim there appeared to be a
darker zone or darker patches that did not extend, though, all the way to the
center. In fact, the very center
appeared to brighten very slightly.
17.5"
(6/30/00): at 280x using a UHC filter this southerly PN appeared fairly bright,
round, 60" diameter. The
surface brightness was uneven with an irregularly brighter rim and a slightly
darker center.
13"
(4/10/86): moderately bright and large, roundish, 1.0' diameter, fairly
prominent with a UHC filter at 166x.
No structure at 332x although this planetary is far south for viewing
from northern California.
8"
(6/19/82): faint, fairly small, round.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6072 = h3620 on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "pF; R; vgvlbM;
60"; with left eye slightly mottled; but not resolved."
******************************
16 10 10.8 +16
41 58
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130d
17.5":
faint, fairly small, oval NW-SE, broad weak concentration and has a fairly even
surface brightness overall.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6073 = H III-74 = h1948 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 183) and noted
"vF, S, r. Pointed out by 157
and verified at 240." CH's
reduced position is 2' north-northeast of
******************************
16 11 17.2 +14
15 32
V = 14.3; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 10.7
24"
(7/24/14): this contact pair was nearly tangent at 260x and barely resolved at
375x. The brighter component, MCG
+02-41-016, is on the north end and appeared faint, very small, round, 12"
diameter. The fainter component,
2MFGC 13014,
located 3.7' NE, appeared extremely faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S,
15"x8". At B = 17.3, it
required averted vision to glimpse.
17.5": very
faint, very small, round. A mag 12
star is 1.0' WSW. An extremely
faint anonymous companion is at south end 15" from the center. NGC 6078 lies 12' ESE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6074 = St VII-3 on 21 Jun 1874. His position is an exact match with the northern component
of this double system.
******************************
16 11 22.6 +23
57 53
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5":
faint, very small, broad concentration, faint stellar nucleus. Located 8' N of mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6075 = St XII-82 on 27 Jun 1881. His position is accurate. Stephane Javelle found the galaxy again on 20 Jul 1903, but
he used the wrong sign on the declination offset and assumed J. III-1393 = IC
4594 was new. So, NGC 6075 = IC
4594.
******************************
16 11 13.3 +26
52 21
V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 63d
24"
(6/14/15): at 225x; this double system appeared faint to fairly faint,
elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 24"x12".
At 375x, the elongated glow occasionally resolved into two extremely
small nuclei within a common halo.
The fainter eastern component (NGC 6076 NED2) is listed in HyperLeda as
17.5"
(7/15/93): very faint, very small, round.
Forms a pair with NGC 6077 3.5' N.
Located 2' SE of mag 7.3
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6076 = m 303, along with NGC 6077, on 24 Jun 1864 and noted
"vF, S, E." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6077 = UGC
10254 = MCG +05-38-024 = CGCG 167-035 = PGC 57408
16 11 14.1 +26
55 24
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5
24"
(6/14/15): slightly brighter of a pair with NGC 6076 (double system) 3.0'
S. At 260x it appeared fairly
faint, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, small bright core increases to
the center. The pair of galaxies
flank mag 7.5 HD 145676 with NGC 6077 2.3' NE of the bright star.
17.5"
(7/15/93): brighter of a pair with NGC 6076 3.5' S. Faint, small, round, broad concentration. Located 2.5' NE of a mag 7.3 star.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6077 = m 304, along with NGC 6076, on 24 Jun 1864 and noted
"F, sbM." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6078 = MCG
+02-41-017 = CGCG 079-076 = PGC 57460
16 12 05.4 +14
12 32
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.9'
24"
(7/24/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, increases
to a very small bright core and down to a stellar nucleus. This is dominant component of a very
close pair with
17.5":
fairly faint, small, round, small bright core, substellar nucleus. Two mag 14-15 stars are 1.1' WNW and
1.3' NNW of center. Located 5.9'
SE of mag 9.3
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6078 = St VII-5 on 21 Jun 1876. His micrometric position using the 31-inch silvered glass
reflector at Marseille Observatory is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6079 = IC
1200 = UGC 10206 = MCG +12-15-050 = CGCG 338-043 = PGC 56946
16 04 29.0 +69
40 05
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150d
17.5"
(3/28/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter core. A mag 14 star is 1.1' SSE. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6079 = H III-884 on 6 May 1791 (sweep 1005) and noted "vvF,
vS, 300 verified it very plainly, and showed it of a considerable
size." His position is 1 min
of RA east and 2' south of
Lewis Swift
independently found the galaxy on 2 Aug 1888 (and discovered IC 1201 to the
southeast) and reported it in list VII-77 (later
******************************
16 12 58.6 +02
10 38
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 90d
24"
(6/12/15): at 225x and 375x; fairly faint to moderately bright, small, slightly
elongated, ~24"x18", very small bright nucleus. Forms a very close double system with
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus. Forms a double system with a faint
companion (PGC 93131) attached at the north end. PGC 93131 is extremely faint and small, appears as a mag
15-15.5 "star" attached at the northeast end of NGC 6080.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6080 = Sw VI-87 on 30 Mar 1887 and recorded "pB; pS; R;
mbM." His position is 6
seconds west of
******************************
16 12 56.8 +09
52 02
V = 13.1; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 131d
17.5":
faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, small brighter core, very faint
extensions.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6081 = St II-1 on 26 Jul 1870. His micrometric position using the 31-inch silvered glass
reflector at Marseilles Observatory is an exact match with
******************************
16 15 36 -34 15
=IC 4597??,
Corwin. Not found, Dreyer and
ESO. =**?, Gottlieb.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6082 = h3621 on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "eF, E, lbM,
25." There is nothing at this
position and Frost reported it was not found on a plate of 4 hours
exposure. A close pair of mag 15
stars at 6" separation is 1' north of JH's position and another small
group is 1' further west. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 6082 may be identical to
******************************
16 13 12.6 +14
11 07
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5":
extremely faint, very small, round.
Surrounded by a triangle consisting of three mag 13-14 stars located
1.5' NNW, 2.4' WSW and 1.5' SE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6083 = St VII-6 on 21 Jun 1876. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 14 16.6 +17
48 27
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30d
17.5": very
faint, very small, slightly elongated SW-NE, small faint nucleus. A mag 14 star is 39" WNW of
center. Located just 1.9' NE of a
mag 10 star.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6084 = Sw III-92 on 6 Jun 1886 and logged "eeeF, pS, R, eee
diff." There is nothing at
his position, but 1.1 minutes east is
******************************
16 12 35.2 +29
21 54
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165d
18"
(7/28/03): fairly faint, moderately large, roundish, ~0.9' diameter, well
concentrated with a suddenly brighter 20" core. The halo appears elongated or irregular at times, but the
orientation is difficult to pin down.
Located 1.9' W of a mag 11 star.
This galaxy is the second brightest of 9 galaxies viewed in
17.5"
(5/30/92): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, almost even surface
brightness. Forms a similar pair
with NGC 6086 7.2' N. These are
the two brightest members of AGC 2162.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6085 = m 305 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "F, S." His position is 1' north of
******************************
NGC 6086 = UGC
10270 = MCG +05-38-035 = CGCG 167-045 = PGC 57482
16 12 35.5 +29
29 05
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 0d
18"
(7/28/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 0.8'x0.5', sharply
concentrated with a very small bright core. A mag 12.5 star is just off the NW edge, 40" from
center. This galaxy is the
brightest of 9 galaxies viewed in AGC 2162 with NGC 6085 7' S slightly
fainter. Forms the north vertex of
a right triangle with two mag 10.5 stars 3' SW and 3' S.
17.5"
(5/30/92): faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, very small bright core,
stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is
just off the NW edge 0.7' from center.
Located within a group of several fairly bright stars including three
mag 10 stars, the closest being 2.8' SW.
Forms a pair with NGC 6085 7.2' S and these two galaxies are the
brightest members of the AGC 2162 cluster.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6086 = m 306 on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "F, vS, with stellar
nucleus." His position is
accurate.
******************************
16 18 51 -57 56
06
V = 5.4; Size 12'
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): about three dozen stars mag 7-11 visible at 63x. Very bright, large, ~15' diameter. Contains several bright stars including
mag 6.7 south Normae (varies from 6.1-6.8 over 10 days) and three mag 8-9 stars
just south. Many stars form an
arrowhead outline with vertex at the north end. Also a bright string of stars is off the SW end of the
arrowhead aligned N-S. Impressive
although no dense spots.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6087 = D 335 = h3622 on 8 May 1826 and described "a group
of very small stars of an irregular branched figure, 15' or 20' diameter. The
central part is very thin of stars."
Dunlop's position was 8' southeast of the center of the cluster.
JH credited
Dunlop with the discovery and made two observations: on 22 Apr 1835 he logged
"Cluster VIII class, large, loose, brilliant, irregular figure, fills
field, chief star about 7th mag taken." On a second sweep he called it
"Cluster VIII; large, coarse, bright, fills field, stars 7, 8, 9, 10th
mag; a star about 7th mag taken."
******************************
16 10 42.6 +57
27 59
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 138d
24"
(6/28/14): at 375x appeared faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE,
~25"x15", weak concentration with no defined core or nucleus. Forms a very close double with MCG
+10-23-030 = PGC 57384 at the southeast edge [22" between centers]. The companion was seen as an extremely
faint glow, very small, ~12" diameter. In moments of good seeing, it was barely detached from NGC
6088. The two components form a
physical pair at roughly 245 million l.y.
17.5"
(6/15/91): very faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, weak concentration. Located 6.6' E of mag 8.6 SAO
29827. This is a double system on
the POSS, although in the observation the two components were not individually
resolved.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6088 = H III-812 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and noted "vF,
vS, lE." His RA (CH's
reduction) is 30 sec preceding
This double
system (oriented northwest-southeast) is listed in the RNGC as
******************************
16 12 40.5 +33
02 10
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(6/24/95): faint, round, 40" diameter, weak even concentration to a
slightly brighter core and a faint stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1.7' SW of center. Located 7' ESE of mag 9
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6089 = H III-889 = h1949 on 28 May 1791 (sweep 1014) and
recorded "vF; S; R; vglbM."
JH made the single observation "vF; S; R: bM" and measured an
accurate position.
******************************
16 11 40.5 +52
27 24
V = 13.8; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8
24"
(7/9/13): at 280x appeared moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 SSW-NNE,
24"x18", high surface brightness. Inspection of the SDSS reveals a close double nucleus of a
merged pair with very low surface brightness plumes extending SW and NE.
Last and
brightest in a trio = WBL 610 with
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, very small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, even surface
brightness. Forms a pair with CGCG
275-028 3' W. Also nearby is UGC
10261 6' W which was not recorded.
This is a close double system, though was not resolved.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6090 = Sw IX-56 on 24 Jun 1887 and recorded "vF; S;
R." His position is 8 seconds
west of
******************************
16 07 52.9 +69
54 17
V = 13.7; Size 0.4'x0.3'
24"
(6/14/15): fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round, very small bright
core, 25" diameter. A mag 12
star is 1.4' NNW.
17.5"
(4/18/87): faint, small, round, weak concentration.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 14 year-old son, discovered NGC 6091= Sw II-39 on 8 Jul 1885 and noted
"vF; vS; R; * nr north."
Their position matches
******************************
16 14 04.6 +28
07 32
=**, Harold
Corwin. Not found, Malcolm
Thomson =UGC 10275, RNGC and RC3
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6092 = Big. 77 on 11 May 1885. At his Comptes Rendus position is a
10" double star with a third wide companion. Harold Corwin identifies NGC
6092 with this double star.
RNGC, PGC and
other sources misidentify
******************************
16 17 02.5 -22
58 30
V = 7.3; Size 8.9'; Surf Br = 0.6
18"
(7/24/06): at 325x appears bright, fairly large, round, pretty symmetrical
appearance, contains a blazing 1.5' core in a 5' to 6' halo. At 435x the halo and the periphery of
the core are well resolved into roughly 100 stars and additional extremely
faint stars pop in and out of visibility.
The core itself is overlayed with a number of faint stars. Beautiful view at 565x as the cluster
nearly fills the 7' field with stars from edge to edge with 100-150 stars and
the core region is well resolved.
The cluster appears asymmetric with the halo more extensive to the west
(core offset to the east).
17.5"
(6/3/00): fairly bright, round, 5' diameter, well concentrated with a bright
1.5' core and an intense 30" nucleus. At 500x, the nucleus is clearly offset east of center and
the outer halo is well resolved into at least 75 stars. A dim galaxy,
13"
(7/5/83): contains a small intense unresolved core surrounded by fairly compact
halo 5' diameter. The nucleus is
offset to the east within the halo.
The outer shell resolves into a few dozen faint stars over haze.
8": a few
faint stars resolved at moderate to high power at edges, very grainy, difficult
to resolve.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
16 06 33.9 +72
29 40
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 120d
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, very small, round, bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6094 = H III-314 on 16 Mar 1785 (sweep 389) and recorded
"eF, vS, lE, may be only a patch of a few eF small stars." His position is 8' southeast of UGC
10228, the only nearby galaxy.
Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 1 May 1886 (repeated in the
IC 2 Notes).
******************************
16 11 11.2 +61
16 04
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, fairly small, round, fairly weak even concentration down to a
small bright core, faint stellar nucleus.
Very symmetrical appearance.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6095 = Sw III-93 on 27 May 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; R; in
line with 2 stars. His position is
13 seconds west and 1.8' south of
******************************
16 14 46.7 +26
33 32
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 122d
17.5"
(7/24/95): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, very weak even
concentration with a slightly brighter core. Located 2.1' NE of mag 9.4
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6096 = m 307 on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, vS, R,
bM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
16 14 26.2 +35
06 33
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 156d
17.5"
(6/27/87): faint, very small, round, small brighter core. Located 13.6' ESE of mag 7.5
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6097 = St XI-42 on 7 Jun 1880. His micrometric position using the 31-inch silvered glass
reflector at Marseille Observatory is very accurate.
******************************
16 15 34.2 +19
27 42
V = 12.2; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6
24"
(7/20/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30"-40"
diameter, well concentrated with a bright core. An extremely faint 16th
magnitude star is close off the east side [24"from center]. A superimposed
15th mag star [just 7" S of center] was suspected but difficult to
confirm. NGC 6098 is the northwest
component of a similar contact pair of ellipticals with
17.5":
faint, very small, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus. Located 10.2' WSW of mag 7.7 SAO
102051. Forms a close double
system with NGC 6099 off the SE edge 36" between centers.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6098 = Sf 76 = Sw. VI-88, along with NGC 6099, on 24 Apr
1867. In his 1887 list (too late
to be included in the main NGC table) Safford described a "double nebula,
pretty faint, dist 40"."
His position is off the southeast side of this close pair. Lewis Swift found the pair again on 3
Apr 1887 and recorded "eF; vS; R; B * f 41s and is n of it; F * f 16s; np
of 2 [with NGC 6099]." Swift
is credited with the discovery in the NGC.
******************************
NGC 6099 = VV
192a = UGC 10299se = MCG +03-41-146 = CGCG 108-170 = PGC 57640
16 15 35.5 +19
27 11
V = 12.4; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.5
24"
(7/20/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, roundish, ~30"
diameter, sharply concentrated with a small very bright core, high surface
brightness. NGC 6099 and 6098 form
a contact pair of ellipticals with the companion just 36" NW between
centers. Situated 10' SW of mag
7.8
17.5":
faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, stellar nucleus. Forms a very close double system with
similar NGC 6098 off the NW edge and just 36" separation!
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6099 = Sf 76 = Sw. VI-89, along with NGC 6098, on 24 Apr
1867. In his 1887 list (too late
to be included in the main NGC table) Safford described a "double nebula,
pretty faint, dist 40"."
His position is off the southeast side of this close pair. Lewis Swift found the pair again on 3
Apr 1887 and reported it as the 89th object in his 6th discovery list:
"eF; vS; R; forms D neb with above." Swift is credited with the discovery in the NGC.
******************************
16 16 52.5 +00
50 27
V = 13.0; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 120d
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is at the east end. A wide unequal double star is 1.5' NW
consisting of a mag 9.5/13 pair at 30" separation.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6100 = Sw IV-28 on 3 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeF; vS; a B
and a F * nr np. point to it; an eeF * close p; e diff.". His position is 9 seconds west and 1.7'
north of
******************************
16 25 48.5 -72
12 05
V = 9.2; Size 10.7'; Surf Br = 0.1
18" (7/6/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x about two dozen stars are resolved
over a fairly large but apparently loose globular with little central
concentration. At 228x at least
three dozen stars mag 14 and fainter are resolved including a clump of faint
stars near the center. At this
power the periphery is quite irregular and ragged with most of the brighter
resolved stars hugging close to the edges of the halo. A group of brighter mag 11 field stars
are just off the NNE side. A mag
10 star lies 8' NW of center and a similar star is placed 7' SE. Located 28' SE of a mag 6.7 star.
18" (7/5/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x appears moderately bright, fairly
large, round, 4'-5' diameter. This
globular has an unusual appearance, as there is only weak concentration except
for a very small brighter nucleus.
At 228x a number of mag 14-15 stars are superimposed over the background
glow while a number of faint stars huddle around the edges of the halo. Several of the faint, resolved stars
reside very near the center and these may have been the "very small
brighter nucleus" I recorded at the lower magnification.
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): at 140x this moderately faint globular is ~4'
diameter with just a weak concentration.
A scattering of mag 14 stars pepper the face of the cluster and at the
edges of the irregular halo.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6101 = D 68 = h3623 on 1 Jun 1826 and recorded "A pretty
large rather faint round nebula, about 3.5-4' diameter, a little brighter in
the middle. There is a very small nebula on the N.p. side joining the margin of
the large nebula." Dunlop's
position is off by a relatively small 4'.
On 18 Jun 1835
from the CGH, JH recorded "Globular cluster, large, faint, round, very
gradually a little brighter in the middle, all resolved into stars 15..18th
mag, 4' diam, with stragglers. A delicate and beautiful object." A week later he called it "pretty
bright, large, irregularly round, gradually brighter in the middle, resolved
into stars 13..16th mag; pretty compressed, diam 5' or 6' by estimation,
approx. 50 seconds in RA. A fine object."
******************************
16 15 37.0 +28
09 30
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 70d
17.5"
(6/24/95): very faint, small, round, low even surface brightness. A mag 12 star lies 3.1' NNE of center.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6102 = m 308 on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, R." His position is accurate.
******************************
16 15 44.6 +31
57 50
V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 80d
17.5"
(6/18/93): very faint, small, round, 30" diameter, low even surface
brightness. Located on line
between a mag 14 star 1.2' WNW and a mag 14.5 star 1.6' ESE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6103 = H III-888 = h1950 on 27 May 1791 (sweep 1013) and recorded
"eF; vS; R; 300 showed it very plainly and of a considerable
size." JH described it as
"vF; vglbM; 30...40"." and measured an accurate position (2
sweeps).
******************************
16 16 30.8 +35
42 28
V = 13.2; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5
24"
(6/12/15): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, broad
weak concentration, no nucleus.
Forms a physical pair with
17.5"
(6/27/87): faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Located 8.4' W of mag 8.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6104 = H III-688 = h1951 on 16 May 1787 (sweep 739) and recorded
"vF, cS, iR." His RA was
10 seconds too large. JH made two observations and measured a more accurate
position.
******************************
16 17 09.3 +34
52 44
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
18"
(7/13/07): faint, small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, 0.5'x0.35'. Forms a close pair with 2MASX J16171197+3452583 just off the
NE side. Located 2.6' SW of NGC
6107 in a large group and 2.8' SW of a mag 9 star.
17.5"
(5/10/86): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small brighter core. Located 2.6' SW of
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6105 = St XI-43, along with NGC 6107, on 1 Jul 1880. His micrometric position is very
accurate. Stephan found all 7 NGC galaxies in this cluster and measured the
positions over three nights; July 1, 7 and 10.
******************************
16 18 47.3 +07
24 40
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 140d
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, gradually increases to a bright core, mottled
appearance. A knot is visible on
the west side (there is a brighter extension on the SW side on the POSS). A mag 15 star is 1.1' S of center and
an extremely faint mag 16 star is just off the NNW end.
13.1"
(7/5/83): fairly faint, fairly small, brighter core.
8" (7/5/83):
very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6106 = H II-151 = h1952 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded
"not vF, pL, bM, roundish, r."
JH logged "F; pL; lE; vgbM; 50" l, 40" br." and measured
an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 6107 = UGC
10311 = MCG +06-36-014 = CGCG 196-024 = PGC 57728
16 17 20.1 +34
54 05
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40d
18"
(7/13/07): the largest and possibly brightest of 12 members of a cluster appears
faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broad concentration and then suddenly
increases to a very small brighter nucleus. Situated just 0.9' SE of a mag 9 star that detracts from
viewing. NGC 6105 and near stellar
companion lie 2.6' SW.
17.5" (5/10/86):
this is the brightest member of the NGC 6107 cluster. Fairly faint, small, almost round, small bright core. A mag 9 star (
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6107 = St XI-44, along with NGC 6105, on 1 Jul 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 17 25.6 +35
08 09
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 124d
18"
(7/13/07): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter. A 15th magnitude star is just off the
WSW edge, 0.6' from center.
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated. A mag 15 star is at the WSW edge
34" from center. This is one of the largest galaxies in the NGC 6107
cluster.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6108 = St XI-45 on 10 Jul 1880. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
16 17 40.5 +35
00 15
V = 12.7; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7
18"
(7/13/07): faint, small, round, 20" diameter, 20" diameter, weak
concentration. Situated between
NGC 6107 7.5' SSW and NGC 6110 5' N.
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter core. Member of the NGC 6107 cluster with NGC
6110 5.0' N.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6109 = St XI-46 on 7 Jul 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6110 = CGCG
196-027 = PGC 57751
16 17 44.0 +35
05 13
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 105d
18"
(7/13/07): faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, weak
concentration. Slightly fainter
than
17.5"
(5/10/86): very faint, small, slightly elongated. In a trio with NGC 6112 3.7' ENE and an anonymous galaxy
1.9' SW, also nearby is NGC 6109 5.0' S.
This is the faintest NGC galaxy in the NGC 6107 cluster.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6110 = St XI-47 on 10 Jul 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 14 22.4 +63
15 38
V = 13.1; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.0
17.5"
(6/24/95): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, even surface
brightness. Located 4.5' NW of a
mag 9.5 star. Collinear with a
faint double star 3' S (13/14.5 at 18").
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6111 = Sw IX-57 on 31 May 1887 and recorded "vF; pS; lE; D
* nr south points to it." The
NGC position, based on personal correspondence from Swift, is in error. His published position in list IX is
nearly a degree further north and corresponds with
MCG and CGCG
fail to label this galaxy as NGC 6111 and it is misplotted on the first edition
of the Uranometria 2000 Atlas.
RNGC misidentifies
******************************
NGC 6112 = MCG
+06-36-017 = CGCG 196-028 = PGC 57762
16 18 00.5 +35
06 37
V = 13.9; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4
18"
(7/13/07): faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, weak
concentration. This member of the
NGC 6107 cluster is slightly brighter than NGC 6110 located 3.7' SW.
17.5"
(5/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, weak
concentration. Member of the NGC
6107 cluster with NGC 6110 3.7' WSW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6112 = St XI-48 on 7 Jul 1880. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
16 19 10.5 +14
08 01
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 147d
17.5":
faint, very small, elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core. This galaxy is not identified as NGC
6113 in the CGCG or MCG.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6113 = Sw IX-59 on 19 Jun 1887 and recorded "eF; S;
R." The discovery was
communicated directly to Dreyer and referenced as list VI in the NGC, but it
was not published until list IX.
His position is 2' northeast of
Neither CGCG nor
MCG label this galaxy as NGC 6113.
The RNGC position is 2' too far south.
******************************
16 18 23.6 +35
10 27
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 100d
18"
(7/13/07): very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Nestled in a "W" shaped
asterism of stars. Located 6' NE
of NGC 6112 and 6.4' WNW of
17.5"
(5/10/86): faint, small, slightly elongated. Member of the NGC 6107 cluster with NGC 6116 6.4' ESE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6114 = St XI-49 on 10 Jul 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 24 26 -51 56
54
V = 9.8; Size 3'
18" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 236x): ~30 stars resolved in a small 3' cluster. The brightest mag 10.8 star is at the
west edge and includes a number of mag 11.5-13 stars, mostly on the east side. Unimpressive, though, as set in a
glorious rich Norma star field that overwhelms the cluster! Ruprecht 116, a scattered group of
bright stars (brightest is mag 8.6
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6115 = h3625 on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded "A part of the
milky way, so immensely rich as to be one vast cluster of clusters." His single position matches the cluster
Ru 118. James Dunlop's D 379
may be an earlier discovery. On 26
Jun 1826 he noted, "a small faint round nebula, with a bright
centre", and his position is just 5' northeast of Ru 118.
Sky Catalogue
2000.0 labels the cluster as Ru 118 and RNGC misclassifies the NGC 6115 as
nonexistent (Type 7).
******************************
NGC 6116 = UGC
10336 = MCG +06-36-021 = CGCG 196-032 = PGC 57800
16 18 54.6 +35
09 14
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 12d
18"
(7/13/07): faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.4', low even
surface brightness. Last of a
dozen galaxies viewed in the NGC 6107 cluster.
17.5"
(5/10/86): faint, fairly small, broad concentration, elongated. NGC 6114 lies 6.4' WNW. Located at the east end of the NGC 6107
cluster.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6116 = St XI-51, along with NGCs 6108, 6110 and 6114, on 10 Jul
1880. His positions are all
accurate.
******************************
16 19 18.2 +37
05 43
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8
18"
(7/30/08): fairly faint, moderately large, oval N-S, 0.9'x0.65'. There appears to be a very small knot
or star on the south side that may be detached and the appearance is a bit
mottled as if this was a face-on spiral.
Located 2.6' S of a mag 9.7 star. Forms a pair with
17.5"
(6/27/87): very faint, small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is 1.6' W of center. Located just 2.6' S of mag 9.5 SAO
65226.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6117 = m 309 on 5 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, S, R." His declination is 1' too far south.
******************************
16 21 48.6 -02
17 03
V = 11.7; Size 4.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 58d
13.1"
(6/4/83): moderately large, elongated WSW-ENE. This is a very diffuse object with no concentration and
ill-defined edges. Located 17' SW
of mag 6.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6118 = H II-402 = h1953 on 14 Apr 1785 (sweep 400) and recorded
"F, cL, E from sp to nf, about 3' l and 2' broad, r." JH made the single observation
"eF; vL; oval; 3' l, 2' br; cloudy; 3m preceding nearly in the parallel is
a fine double star [STF 2033]."
NGC 6118 is often mentioned as one of the most challenging objects on
the Herschel 400 list.
******************************
16 19 41.9 +37
48 23
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(6/27/87): very faint, small, slightly elongated. A mag 15 star is at the south end just 19" from
center. Forms a trio with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6119 = h1954 on 27 Apr 1827 while observing nearby NGC 6120 and
noted "vF; eS; R." His
position falls closer to NGC 6120, but his relative position from NGC 6120 (7
seconds west and 100" north) is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6120 = UGC
10343 = MCG +06-36-029 = CGCG 196-041 = I Zw 141 = Holm 739a = PGC 57842
16 19 48.0 +37
46 27
V = 13.8; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5"
(6/27/87): fairly faint, very small, almost round, even surface
brightness. Located 2' N of a wide
unequal double star mag 10/13 at 44". Brightest of three with NGC 6119 2.3' NW and NGC 6122 4.6'
ENE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6120 = H III-623 = h1955 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 715) and noted
"vF, vS, north of 2 stars.
300 confirmed it." JH
made 3 observations and measured an accurate position. Nearby NGC 6119 and 6122,
were discovered by JH and Bigourdan, respectively.
******************************
16 23 35.3 -26
31 32
V = 5.9; Size 26.3'; Surf Br = 1.1
24"
(8/16/12):
18"
(7/12/07): at 225x, the remarkable 10' central region is bounded by a nearly
complete ring of stars with a prominent string (bar) of brighter stars oriented
SSW-NNE nearly bisecting the central region. The center of this ridge of stars is intersected by a dense,
elongated ring of stars with major axis E-W, with the majority of the stars to
the east of the bar. A wide, brighter pair of stars (10.8/10.9 at 17") to
the SE of the bar has an orange tint.
Sprays of stars appear to emanate from the bar in all directions with a
beautiful arc of stars curving along the entire north side of the core. The outer halo is relatively sparse but
includes a number of brighter stars and appears to extend 15'-18' in diameter.
17.5"
(7/4/86): very bright, very large, 15' diameter. Resolved into an extremely dense swarm of several hundred
stars with many stars arranged in strings. Appears fully resolved at moderate power including the
distinctive bar extending N-S through the center. M4 is possibly the closest GC at a distance of 5600
light-years.
13.1"
(6/19/82): the core is beautifully resolved including the bar which resolves
into a number of faint stars. The
halo is fully resolved with many star lanes.
8": superb
resolution of mag 11-13 stars.
Philippe de
Chéseaux discovered M4 = NGC 6121 = Lac I-9 in 1745-46. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille found it
again in 1751-1752 with a 1/2" telescope at 8x during his expedition to
the Cape of Good Hope. WH did not
catalogue M4 as he tried to avoid repeating the Messier objects but described
M4 as "a rich cluster of considerably compressed small stars surrounded by
many straggling ones. It contains
a ridge of stars running through the middle from south preceding to north
following. The ridge contains 8 or
10 pretty bright stars. All the
stars are red." He noted in
his 1814 publication that the observed red color was probably owing to the low
elevation of M4, though there is one conspicuous red star in the bar. JH has no
entry in his Cape of Good Hope catalogue, though he undoubtedly observed this
showpiece.
******************************
NGC 6122 = MCG
+06-36-032 = PGC 57858
16 20 09.5 +37
47 53
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 156d
17.5"
(6/27/87): extremely faint, averted only, very small, round. Third and faintest of three in a group
and located 4.6' ENE of NGC 6120 and 5.5' E of NGC 6119.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6122 = Big 78 on 6 May 1886. There is nothing at his Comptes Rendus (5 Dec 1887) position
but his corrected position 6' further north (published in the Corrections table
of his 1 Jul 1901 Comptes Rendus paper) matches
******************************
16 17 19.7 +61
56 21
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 4d
17.5"
(4/15/93): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 N-S, small bright core, thin
extensions. A mag 12.5 star is
1.4' SSW of center.
Lewis Swift discovered
NGC 6123 = Sw II-40 in 1884-85 (exact date unknown) and recorded "pF; vS;
E; * nr." His position is 15
seconds west of
******************************
16 25 20 -40 39
12
V = 5.8; Size 29'
13.1"
(6/18/85): bright, fairly rich, large, roughly 125 stars are resolved. Appears partially resolved even in
16x80 finder.
8"
(6/27/81): fairly large but scattered, richer in center.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6124 = Lac I-8 = D 514 = h3626 in 1751-1752 with a
1/2" telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. He noted it as "a fairly big tailless
comet." James Dunlop observed
it on 10 May 1826 as "a round cluster of small stars of nearly equal
magnitudes, about 12' diameter, considerably congregated to the centre, not
rich in small stars. This answers to the place of 44 Normae, but there is no
nebula." Dunlop made a total
of 5 observations and his position is accurate.
On 5 Jun 1834 JH
logged "Viewed; a brilliant cluster class VII.; p rich, L, irregularly
scattered, fills field, stars 8,9,10,11th mag." On 4 Aug 1834 he recorded the cluster as "cluster,
bright, large, loosely scattered, not much compressed in the middle, fills
nearly a field, consists of about 50 or 60 stars 9..11th mag."
******************************
16 19 33.4 +57
36 55
See observing
notes for
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6125 = H II-810 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and noted "pF,
pS, lE." His position is
close to
But in an email
from 28 Jan 2013, Steinicke wrote that "I've now detected that [
This galaxy was
also found twice by Swift on 6 Jul 1886 and on 28 Jun 1886, so it received two
more NGC numbers, NGC 6127 = Sw IV-29 and
******************************
16 21 27.9 +36
22 36
V = 13.6; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(6/18/93): faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, broadly concentration
halo, slightly brighter core.
Located 1.6' S of a mag 10.5 star.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6126 = St XII-83 on 19 Jun 1880. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6127 = NGC
6128 = UGC 10345 = MCG +10-23-065 = CGCG 298-029 = I Zw 142 = PGC 57812
16 19 11.5 +57
59 03
V = 12.0; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(6/15/91): moderately bright, fairly small, 1.5' diameter, round. Sharp concentration with a small very
bright core containing a stellar nucleus, faint round halo.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6127 = Sw IV-29 on 6 Jul 1886 and logged "pF; vS;
R." His position matches UGC
10345. He found this galaxy again
just 3 weeks later (28 Jul) and recorded it as Sw IV-30 = NGC 6128. His positions and descriptions are
nearly identical, so it seems odd that neither Swift nor Dreyer suggested the
equivalence NGC 6127 = NGC 6128.
It's been
assumed that this galaxy was first discovered by WH and catalogued as H II- 810
= NGC 6125 with a 20' error in declination. But Wolfgang Steinicke has shown that WH could not have seen
this galaxy, as it is too far north in his sweep. Instead, WH II-810 refers to NGC 6130 = UGC 10347.
******************************
NGC 6128 = NGC
6127 = NGC 6125 = UGC 10345 = MCG +10-23-065 = CGCG 298-029 = I Zw 142 = PGC
57812
16 19 11.5 +57
59 03
See observing
notes for NGC 6127.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6128 = Sw IV-30 on 28 July 1886 and logged "pF, pS, R,
bM." His position is less
than 1' northeast of the center of UGC 10345. He discovered this galaxy just 3 weeks earlier on 6 July
1886 and included it in the same list as Sw IV-29 = NGC 6127. Neither Swift nor Dreyer assumed an
equivalence, although the positions and descriptions are very similar. So, NGC 6128 = NGC 6127. According to Wolfgang Steinicke, NGC
6125 = H II-180 is not the original observation of this galaxy. See notes on NGC 6125.
******************************
16 21 43.2 +37
59 45
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
24"
(7/22/14): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, weak
concentration. Forms a pair
(similar redshift) with
17.5"
(6/27/87): faint, very small, slightly elongated, weak concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6129 = H III-891 on 30 May 1791 (sweep 1015) and recorded
"eF, vS, R, lbM. 300
confirmed it with great ease."
His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6130 = UGC
10347 = MCG +10-23-066 = CGCG 298-030 = PGC 57828
16 19 33.4 +57
36 55
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 25d
17.5"
(6/15/91): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, almost even surface
brightness. Several brighter stars
in field including mag 8
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6130 = Sw IV-31 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "pF; pL; R; B *
near preceding." His position
is just 4 sec of RA east of UGC 10347 and the comment about the bright star
applies.
According to
Wolfgang Steinicke, WH discovered this galaxy on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and
noted II-810 = NGC 6125 as "pF, pS, lE." Wolfgang states that WH's offset from SAO 29727 matches UGC
10347. In this case, NGC 6130 =
NGC 6125.
Dreyer assumed
that WH made a 20' error in dec for II-810 and NGC 6125 = NGC 6127 = NGC
6128. Corwin concurs with Dreyer's
identification.
******************************
16 21 52.5 +38
55 56
V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(6/27/87): very faint, small, round.
Located 3.5' E of mag 9
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6131 = St XII-84 on 15 Jun 1882. His position is very accurate.
******************************
16 23 38.8 +11
47 10
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 127d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, elongated WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is 1' SE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6132 = St VII-7 on 16 Jul 1876. His micrometric position is very accurate. Lewis Swift apparently found this
galaxy again on 22 Jul 1897 and recorded Sw XI-183 = IC 4602 as "eeeF; S;
lE; F * near following; 2 bright stars south nearly point to it; eee
diff." There is nothing near
Swift's position, but 1 degree south is NGC 6132 and his description of the
nearby stars fits. So NGC 6132 =
******************************
16 20 17.2 +56
39 08
=***??, Corwin.
=**?, Gottlieb.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6133 = Sw V-69 on 23 Oct 1886 and recorded "eeeF; S; cE; ee
diff." There is nothing at
his position. One possible candidate is
******************************
16 27 46 -49 09
06
V = 7.2; Size 7'
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x, this is a bright, fairly large
open cluster, at least 10' diameter, with roughly 150 stars mag 10 and
fainter. Many of the stars are
arranged in chains, loops and rings although there is no central concentration. The brightest mag 9.3 star is on the SE
side about 4' from the center. The
Norma Milky Way background is very rich in this region.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6134 = D 412 = h3627 on 10 May 1826 and described as "a
pretty large round nebula, about 4' diameter, gradually a little brighter
towards the centre. There is a
small star on the north, and another on the south side, both involved. This is easily resolved into stars,
with slight compression to the centre." His position is 6' too far northeast.
On 5 Jul 1834,
JH recorded "a pretty rich loose large, roundish cluster of stars 12..14th
mag, 7' diameter, not m comp M." On 15 Apr 1836 he called it "VII
class, rich, L, gradually a little compressed in the middle, irregularly round,
12', stars 13,14,15th mag, nearly fills field."
******************************
16 14 24.9 +64
58 58
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 45d
18"
(7/30/08): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated nearly 3:1 SW-NE,
0.9'x0.35', broad concentration. A
mag 14 star is just off the west edge [30" from the center]. The identification of this galaxy with
NGC 6135 is very uncertain as it differs quite a bit from Swift's position.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6135 = Sw IV-32 on 9 Jul 1886 and recorded "vF, vS, cE, 2
st nr." There is nothing near
his position. Harold Corwin
suggests NGC 6135 may apply to
RNGC classifies
NGC 6135 nonexistent and neither CGCG, MCG or PGC label
******************************
16 20 59.4 +55
58 14
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 95d
17.5"
(6/15/91): extremely faint, very small, round, very low even surface
brightness. A nice row of stars is
just north consisting of four mag 11-12 stars oriented WNW-ESE ending at mag
8.5
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6136 = Sw IV-33 on 6 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeeF; S; R;
nearly between 5 pB stars in a curve north and 3 F stars in a curve south; ee
diff.". His position and
description matches
******************************
16 23 03.2 +37
55 19
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175d
24"
(7/22/14): at 375x appeared fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:3 N-S,
0.8'x0.5', broad concentration with a brighter core. Increases in size with averted vision. A mag 14.3 star is 1' E and a mag 14.8
star is 1' NW.
Three galaxies
are aligned in a string to the NNW.
17.5"
(6/27/87): faint, small, slightly elongated oval. Located between two mag 14 stars 1.0' NW and 1.0' E. Forms a close pair with NGC 6137B 1.7'
NW. The companion appeared
extremely faint, very small, round.
A mag 14.5 star is 0.8' S (same one 1' NW of NGC 6137).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6137 = H III-624 = h1956 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 715) and recorded
"vF, S, bM. Discovered with
300x." CH's reduced position
is 1.5' southwest of
******************************
17 22 40.0 +41
06 06
See observing
notes for
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6138 = St II-2 around September 1872. His published position is roughly 25' west of
RNGC and PGC (as
well as secondary sources) misidentify
******************************
16 27 40 -38 50
54
V = 9.0; Size 5.5'; Surf Br = 2.3
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is a moderately bright
globular which is well concentrated to a bright 1' core. The halo spans ~3.5' and the overall
structure is symmetric. A number
of very faint stars blink in and out of view with the seeing and it appears on
the verge of extensive resolution at 171x. Did not view with higher power.
8"
(6/27/81): faint, small, even concentration to core, easily visible but no
resolution.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6139 = D 536 on 13 May 1826 and recorded "a round nebula,
about 1' diameter, bright immediately at the centre, and very faint from the
bright nucleus to the margin. Another observation makes the figure rather
elliptical, with a bright nucleus."
He observed the cluster twice and his position is pretty poor -- 23'
east of center.
JH acknowledged
Dunlop's discovery despite the poor position and observed the globular on 4
nights. On his first sweep of 24
Jun 1834 he logged "vB, R, pL, pgmbM, 2.5'. Evidently a globular, but
moonlight very bright and near full, and I cannot see the individual
stars." Two nights later he
wrote "B, R, pgbM, resolvable, 2'." Another two nights later he wrote "pB, R, pgbM,
resolvable, with left eye I can barely discern a few of the stars."
******************************
16 20 57.3 +65
23 23
V = 11.3; Size 6.3'x4.6'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 95d
24"
(7/22/14): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 WSW-ENE, broad
concentration. Often a thin
brighter "bar" oriented WSW-ENE stands out. It appears offset from center as the south portion of the
halo is very weak. At 375x, a narrow spiral arm oriented E-W is occasionally
visible just south of the bar, and it extends slightly further east than the
brighter central region. A mag
11.5 star lies 2.3' NW and several mag 15 stars are nearby.
17.5"
(7/9/88): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, broadly
concentrated halo, very faint extensions.
A mag 12 star lies 2.2' NW.
Bracketed by three mag 15 stars 1.4' SE, 1.6' NNE and 1.9' SW of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6140 = H III-740 on 3 Jun 1788 (only nebula in sweep 845) and
logged "cF, pL, iE."
There is nothing at his position but 95 sec of RA following is UGC
10359. Dreyer noted this error in
his 1912 Scientific Papers.
******************************
16 23 06.4 +40
51 30
V = 15.0; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5"
(7/18/01): very faint, very small, slightly elongated 25"x20". With direct vision contains a fairly
faint quasi-stellar nucleus. Since
this galaxy is not in the MCG or CGCG I expected the observation to be more
difficult. A wide pair of mag
11/12 stars lies 3.5' NE and a mag 14.5 star is 1.2' N. The RNGC incorrectly identifies NGC
6147 = MCG +07-34-023 as NGC 6141.
Member of
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6141 = Big. 79 on 27 May 1886. There is nothing at his Comptes Rendus
position, but 3.2' due north is
The RNGC and
HyperLEDA misidentifies
******************************
16 23 21.1 +37
15 29
V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165d
17.5"
(6/24/95): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, broad weak
concentration. A mag 15 star is
just off the SW edge 55" from center. Located almost at midpoint of two mag 12/12.5 stars 5.6' N
and 4.4' S. Two mag 14.5-15
between 2'-3' NW are collinear with the galaxy.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6142 = H III-892 on 30 May 1791 (sweep 1015) and recorded
"eF, S, bM." Recomputing
his offset from 25 Her shows his position is less than 1' too far south and
exact in RA. UGC does not label
******************************
16 21 42.4 +55
05 09
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(6/20/87): fairly faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration. Bracketed by two bright stars; a mag 10
star 2.3' ESE and mag 8.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6143 = H II-811 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and recorded
"pB, iR, vgvlbM." His
position (CH's reduction) is 20 sec of RA east of
******************************
16 27 14.1 -26
01 29
V = 9.1; Size 9.3'; Surf Br = 1.1
18"
(7/26/06): at 325x roughly two dozen stars were resolved over an irregular,
scraggly glow. A mag 12 star at the west edge is probably a field star. Very weak central condensation
(concentration class XI) so the appearance does not look like a typical
globular.
17.5"
(6/6/86): about 20 stars mag 12-14 resolved at 286x. The brightest mag 12 star is at the west edge. Located 37' NW of Antares. This globular is about 30,000 light
years away or 5 times the distance of nearby M4.
13.1"
(6/18/85): a dozen very faint stars are resolved at 220x over haze. Includes a string of stars to the SE.
13.1"
(6/19/82): just resolves in steady moments into perhaps 15 very faint stars
over haze. Otherwise the globular
is very lively and mottled.
8"
(6/27/81): faint, small. A mag 12
star is at the SW end but no other resolution. Located 40' NW of Antares.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6144 = H VI-10 = h3629 on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and recorded
"a very close considerably L cluster of the smallest stars imaginable; all
the stars are of a dusky red colour.
This cluster is the next step to an easily resolvable nebula." JH called the globular "pL; oval;
gbM; resolved."
David Frew
comments "I'm almost sure that
******************************
NGC 6145 = MCG
+07-34-021 = CGCG 224-017 = Holm 747a = PGC 58074
16 25 02.4 +40
56 48
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 2d
18"
(7/29/08): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.7'x0.35', weak
concentration. First of 3 in a
NNW-SSE line with NGC 6147 1.3' SSE and brighter
17.5"
(7/24/95): faint, fairly small, 1.0' diameter, slightly elongated N-S. Similar size to NGC 6146 but lacks the
central concentration. Only a very
weak brightening with no core or nucleus.
Forms a trio with NGC 6146 3.6' SE and NGC 6147 1.4' SE.
17.5"
(7/5/86): faint, weak concentration, elongated ~N-S. Forms a pair with NGC 6146 3.5' SE. Member of AGC 2197.
13.1"
(8/5/83): extremely faint, small, elongated N-S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6145 = h1957 on 12 May 1828, while observing nearby NGC 6146
(discovered by his father), and recorded "F; R; bM; sky very
clear." His position is less
than 1' south of
******************************
NGC 6146 = UGC
10379 = MCG +07-34-024 = CGCG 224-018 = PGC 58080
16 25 10.4 +40
53 33
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 75d
18"
(7/29/08): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 0.9'x0.6',
well concentrated with a very small bright core, bright stellar nucleus. Two mag 13/14 stars 1.2' and 2' E. In a line with NGC 6147 2.3' NNW and
NGC 6145 3.6' NNW in AGC 2197.
17.5"
(7/24/95): moderately bright, fairly small, 1.0' diameter, slightly elongated
E-W. Broad concentration with a
fairly high surface brightness core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1.2' E of center. Brightest of a collinear trio with NGC 6145 3.6' NNW and NGC
6147 2' NNW in AGC 2197.
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, almost round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 6145 3.5' NW.
13.1"
(8/5/83): fairly faint, moderately large.
Forms a pair with NGC 6145.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6146 = H III-638 = h1958 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and noted
"vF, vS." CH's reduced
position is 7 sec of RA east of
******************************
NGC 6147 = MCG
+07-34-023 = Holm 747b = PGC 58077
16 25 05.8 +40
55 44
V = 15.1; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0
18"
(7/29/08): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Located 2.3' NNW of NGC 6146 and 1.4'
SSE of NGC 6145 within AGC 2197.
The three galaxies are collinear.
17.5"
(7/24/95): extremely faint and small, 15" diameter, round. Only able to glimpse repeatedly <25%
of time with averted vision.
Faintest of trio and situated 1.4' SE of NGC 6145 and 2' NW of NGC 6146
in AGC 2197. Incorrect
identification in the RNGC.
George Johnstone
Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 6147 on 26 May 1849. He noted "2 new neb, alpha (on
diagram) eF st, Beta small."
The diagram clearly shows NGC 6147 = PGC 58077 (labeled as Alpha) on a
line between NGC 6146 (not labeled) and NGC 6145 (labeled Beta), with NGC 6147
slightly closer to NGC 6145.
The direction of drift is not shown but is presumably down in the
diagram. Dreyer later added the parenthetical comment "Query h1957 [NGC
6145] and h1958 [NGC 6146] and one Nova." One faint star (labeled alpha) is shown on the diagram and
it appears to correspond with
MCG and UGC
(notes section) does not label PGC 58077 as NGC 6147. The RNGC misidentifies
******************************
16 27 04.0 +24
05 36
V = 16.1; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60d
24"
(7/7/13): at 282x appeared faint to very faint, very small, elongated 3:2
SW-NE, 15"x10", low even surface brightness. Can just hold steadily with
averted. Located 9' SSE of mag 8.9
17.5"
(5/28/89): not found.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6148 = m 310 on 10 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, with
**." There is nothing at his
position. RNGC identifies PGC
58162 as NGC 6148. This faint
galaxy is 33 seconds of time east and 4.3' south of Marth's position, an
unusually poor match, and in RNGC Corrections #4, I listed the RNGC
identification as questionable.
But
******************************
16 27 24.3 +19
35 50
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 22d
17.5":
faint, very small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 3.8' N of mag 8.7
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6149 = Sw VI-90 on 3 Apr 1887 and recorded "vF; pS; R; pB *
nr south." His position is
just 6 seconds west of
******************************
16 25 50.0 +40
29 19
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.4'; PA = 61d
18"
(7/30/08): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 24"x16",
gradually increases to the center.
Forms a close pair with
17.5"
(5/23/87): faint, small, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. MCG +07-34-033 lies 9.5' E. This is a double system (unresolved) on
the southwest side of AGC 2197.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6150 = H III-639 = h1959 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and noted
"eF, eS." CH's reduced
position is 10 seconds of RA east of
******************************
16 38 25.2 -73
15 09
Size 0.9'
18" (4/6/16
- Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): at 139x, this asterism (very small group of
faint stars) appeared fairly faint grainy patch, less than 1' in diameter. At 236x, two or three mag 14.5-15 stars
were occasionally resolved.
Situated 2.5' WSW of a mag 11 star and nearly collinear with a closer
mag 13 star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6151 = h3630 on 29 Jun 1835 and recorded "vF and S; is
pointed to by 2 small stars 9m and 14m; the * 9m is the only one of that
magnitude within 6'." His
position corresponds with a 1' group of at least 7 stars. A 10th and 14th magnitude star are
collinear to the east-northeast (by ~1.5' and 2.5'), matching his
description. Harold Corwin also
identifies this group of stars as NGC 6151.
ESO and PGC (and
modern sources that follow these sources) misidentify
******************************
16 32 46 -52 38
36
Size 30'
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): At 76x (27mm Panoptic), this is a large 30'
cluster in a glorious Milky Way field.
A couple of hundred stars generally mag 10 and fainter are resolved
including a few dense clumps of stars.
Many of the stars are arranged in loops and knots. A wide mag 8/10 pair is on the east
side. The surrounding region is
rich, so the cluster does no stand out except at low power.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6152 = h3631 on 8 Jul 1834 and logged a large and coarse milky
way cluster, tolerably insulated, composed of large stars." His position is near the center of this
large cluster.
******************************
16 31 30.5 -40
15 13
V = 10.9; Size 28"x21"
13.1"
(6/18/85): fairly bright, fairly small, almost round, picked up at 62x. Striking location as forms the southern
vertex of a small "kite" or cruciform asterism (rhombus) with two mag
10 stars 2.6' N and 2.7' NW and a mag 9.5 star 2.5' NE. This planetary is very far south for a
prominent planetary to be seen from northern California.
Ralph Copeland
discovered NGC 6153 on 27 May 1883 near Lake Titicaca, using a 6.1"
refractor with a direct vision Vogel-spectroscope. The position given in Copernicus III (1884) is just 1' too
far north.
******************************
16 25 30.6 +49
50 24
V = 12.7; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small.
Sharp concentration with an elongated NW-SE core and a faint rounder
halo with no distinct edges.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6154 = H III-680 on 15 May 1787 (sweep 737) and recorded
"eF, S, easily resolvable, near some small stars." CH's reduction is 10 sec of RA east and
2' north of
******************************
16 26 08.5 +48
21 59
V = 12.2; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 145d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, broadly
concentrated halo. Located
equidistant from two double stars; a mag 9.5/12.5 at 30" separation is
3.2' SW and an evenly matched mag 14 pair at 12" separation is 3.3' E.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6155 = H II-690 on 12 May 1787 (sweep 735) and recorded "F;
pL; gbM; iF." His position is
37 sec of RA too large. He logged
this galaxy again on 13 Apr 1788 (sweep 832) and noted "eF, S,
iF." His RA on this sweep was
17 sec too large. Bigourdan's
measured an accurate position on 29 May 1884 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
******************************
16 34 52.3 -60
37 06
V = 11.6; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 0d
14" (4/3/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated
E-W, 0.8'x0.6', high but irregular surface brightness, slightly brighter
core. Appears brightest, though,
at the west end; either a faint star is superimposed or perhaps a knot in the
galaxy. Situated in a very rich
star field with a mag 11 star 1.7' NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6156 = h3632 on 24 Apr 1835 and logged "pF; lE; glbM;
50" long." A second
observation called this galaxy "pF; R; gpmbM; 45"; in a field full of
small stars."
******************************
16 25 48.4 +55
21 38
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.5'; PA = 19d
17.5"
(6/20/87): very faint, very small, almost round, brighter core. A mag 15 star is off the SW edge just
20" from the center. Located
13' ENE of mag 7.0
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6157 = Sw IV-34 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; v
diff." His position is fairly
accurate.
******************************
16 27 40.9 +39
22 59
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 81d
18"
(8/12/10): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, 25"x20",
sharply concentrated with a very small bright core.
13.1"
(5/26/84): faint, very small, round.
Located 2.1' NW of a mag 10 star and 5.3' N of a second mag 10
star. Brighter than the faint
companions of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6158 = H II-647 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 715) and recorded "F,
S, iF. Discovered with 300, but I
could see very well with the sweeping power. The time inaccurate." His rough position is ~1 min of RA east of
******************************
16 27 25.1 +42
40 47
V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.2
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, easy with direct vision, small, round, bright core. Collinear with mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6159 = St X-30 on 20 Jul 1879. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 27 41.2 +40
55 36
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 65d
18"
(7/29/08): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SW-NE,
~40"x25", very small bright core ~10"x6". Two mag 14 stars are at the NE
end. A few times I glimpsed an
extremely faint star or stellar galaxy (2MASX J16273992+4054518) just off the
SW end. A number of faint galaxies
are huddled nearby with
LEDA
214502: extremely faint, very
small, 15" diameter.
LEDA 214501:
extremely faint and small, round, 6" diameter, requires averted.
LEDA 2173685:
very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 12"x9".
LEDA 87321:
faint, small, round, 20" diameter, very small slightly brighter core.
2MASX
J16282511+4051298: faint, small, round (elongated on DSS), 22" diameter,
very small brighter core.
LEDA 2171275:
very faint, small, slightly elongated, 20"x15".
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WSW-ENE, small brighter core. Two mag 14 stars are just off the NE
side 23" and 37" from the center. Member of the galaxy cluster AGC 2197 with NGC 6146 28' WSW.
13.1"
(8/5/83): faint, diffuse, moderately large, slightly elongated, extremely faint
star at the NE edge. Located 28' E
of NGC 6146.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6160 = H II-652 = h1960 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and noted
"F, pL, r." CH's reduced
position is 10 sec of RA east of
******************************
16 28 20.6 +32
48 38
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 159d
24"
(7/15/15): at 375x; fairly faint, small, elongated nearly 2:1 N-S,
24"x12", very small bright nucleus. A mag 16 star is at the south tip.
24"
(6/16/12): at 322x this member of
18"
(6/7/08): this is the third brightest member of the HCG 82 quarter. At 260x it appeared very faint, small,
elongated ~5:2 N-S, 33"x12".
Located 2.3' S of
18" (8/3/05):
the third brightest member of HCG 82 appeared very faint, very small, slightly
elongated N-S, just 0.3'x0.2'.
Forms the southwest vertex of a small right triangle with NGC 6162 2.2'
N and
17.5"
(8/14/96): the third brightest member of HCG 82 appears very faint, very small,
elongated 2:1 ~N-S, slightly
brighter core. In a compact
quartet with HCG 82D 50" WNW and NGC 6162 = HCG 82A 2.3' due north.
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, very small, low even surface brightness. In a tight trio (HCG 82 group) with NGC
6162 2.3' N and NGC 6163 2.6' NNE.
Located 10' NE of mag 7
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6161 = St I-4, along with NGC 6162 and 6163, on 30 Jun
1870. His positions are accurate.
******************************
NGC 6162 = UGC
10403 = MCG +06-36-047 = CGCG 168-014 = HCG 82A = PGC 58238
16 28 22.3 +32
50 57
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d
24"
(7/15/15): at 375x; fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE,
24"x20", very small bright nucleus.
24"
(6/16/12): at 322x appeared fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE,
0.4'x0.3', very small bright core.
Slightly smaller and fainter
18"
(6/7/08): faint, small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.4'x0.25'. Forms a similar pair
with slightly fainter NGC 6163 just 1.2' E in the HCG 82 quartet. Located 10' NE of mag 6.9
18"
(8/3/05): the brightest member of HCG 82 appeared fairly faint, small, slightly
elongated SSW-NNE, 0.4'x0.3'.
Contains a very small slightly brighter core with direct vision. Forms a very close pair with NGC 6163 =
17.5"
(8/14/96): this galaxy is the brightest in the very compact HCG 82. Appears faint, small, slightly
elongated, ~30" diameter, slightly brighter core, very faint stellar
nucleus. In the quartet are NGC
6163 1.2' E, NGC 6161 2.3' S and HCG 82D 2.5' SW.
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, round, bright core. Brightest of HCG 82 with NGC 6163 1.2' E and NGC 6161 2.3'
S. Located 10' NE of mag 7 SAO
65320.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6162 = St I-5, along with NGC 6161 and 6163, on 30 Jun 187. His micrometric position is very
accurate.
******************************
NGC 6163 = MCG
+06-36-048 = CGCG 168-015 = HCG 82B = PGC 58250
16 28 27.8 +32
50 47
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.45'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 54d
24"
(7/15/15): at 375x; fairly faint, small, elongated N-S, 24"x18", very
small bright nucleus.
24"
(6/16/12): at 322x this member of HCG 82 appeared faint to fairly faint, small,
elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.25' very small brighter nucleus. Forms a very close pair with NGC 6162
1.2' W.
18"
(6/7/08): just slightly fainter than similar NGC 6162 1.2' W. At 260x appeared faint, small,
elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.25'. NGC
6161 lies 2.7' SW.
18"
(8/3/05): second brightest member of HCG 82 appeared faint, small, slightly
elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.3'. Appears
pretty similar to NGC 6162 1.2' W, but it slightly fainter with a less
concentrated core.
17.5"
(8/14/96): second brightest of four in HCG 82 located just 1.2' following NGC
6162. Appears very faint, small,
slightly elongated, ~30" diameter.
More weakly concentrated and slightly fainter than NGC 6162 but has a
similar size.
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, elongated N-S, weak concentration. Second brightest of three in HCG 82
with NGC 6162 1' W and NGC 6161 3' SSW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6163 = St I-6, along with NGC 6161 and 6162, on 30 Jun
1870. His position is accurate.
******************************
16 33 52.4 -48
06 40
Size 6'
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this striking bi-polar nebula was
quite impressive at 200x and UHC filter.
The two bright loops or arcs are symmetrically placed along the rim,
2.6' NW and 3' SE of center with the southeastern arc brighter. The interior of the rim is filled with
a fainter glow and the entire object forms a slightly elongated, 6.2'x5.2'
oval. The nebula is dominated by
the mag 6.8 central star (
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this bipolar emission nebula was a
startling sight at 171x and UHC filter!
A bright illuminating star (HD 148937 at V = 6.8) is surrounded by two
lobes or loops to the NW (NGC 6164) and SE (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6164 = h3633 on 1 Jul 1834, along with NGC 6165, and recorded
"Neb violently suspected immediately preceding a double star." His rough position (marked as
approximate in RA and Dec (nearest arcmin)) is less than 2' south of the
northwest wing of this large emission shell. NGC 6165 refers to the southeast wing.
Several older
sources, including the RNGC, misclassify this object as a planetary
nebula. The illuminating star is a
massive, evolved O-star, losing mass from its outer layers through a strong
stellar wind (similar mechanism to
the Crescent Nebula = NGC 6188 and Thor's Helmet = NGC 2359).
******************************
NGC 6165 = ESO
226-EN014 = Gum 52 = RCW 107 = Ced 135b
16 34 03 -48 09
12
Size 6'
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this striking bi-polar nebula was
quite impressive at 200x and UHC filter.
The two bright loops or arcs are symmetrically placed along the rim,
2.6' NW and 3' SE of center with the southeast arc brighter. The interior of the rim is filled with
a fainter glow and the entire object forms a slightly elongated, 6.2'x5.2'
oval. The nebula is dominated by
the mag 6.8 central star (HD 148937).
Mag 9 HD 148988 lies 3' NE of center.
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this bipolar emission nebula was a
startling sight at 171x and UHC filter!
A bright illuminating star (HD 148937 at V = 6.8) is surrounded by two
lobes or loops to the northwest (NGC 6164) and southeast (NGC 6165). Both loops contain brighter arcs
symmetrically placed at the opposite ends. This is a large object, ~6' diameter, with the southeast
knot a bit brighter. A mag 9 star
is 3' NE, outside the nebulosity.
Located near the midpoint of mag 4.5 Epsilon Normae 1.3° NW and
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6165 = h3634 on 1 Jul 1834, along with NGC 6164, and recorded
"F; S; lE; vglbM; 35"; certain; follows a double star." His position corresponds with the
bright arc on the southeast end.
Harold Corwin notes the central star is not double on the DSS.
******************************
NGC 6166 = UGC
10409 = VV 364 = MCG +07-34-060 = CGCG 224-039 = 3C 338 = Holm 751a = PGC 58265
16 28 38.4 +39
33 05
V = 11.8; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 35d
18"
(7/13/07): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 4:3 SW-NE, clumpy with a
brighter core. The major axis is
collinear with mag 14 star 2.7' NE.
This cD galaxy is surrounded by a swarm of very small, faint galaxies
and 10 companions were viewed from Lassen within a 9' circle!
17.5"
(8/1/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, broad
concentration. Brightest and
largest of seven galaxies in AGC 2199 within a 5' circle! The following close companions were
viewed:
13.1"
(5/26/84): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated. Brightest and largest in A2199. Several faint companions are near.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6166 = H II-875 = h1961 on 30 May 1791 (sweep 1015) and recorded
"pB, S, lE, vgmbM." His
position is poor - roughly 20 seconds of RA too far west and 3' too far
north. JH made the single
observation "F; S; R." and measured an accurate position. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes for a discussion of the close companions and the letter designations.
******************************
16 34 35 -49 46
18
V = 6.7; Size 8'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): this bright cluster contains roughly 150 stars in a 10'
region. The brightest mag 7.4 star
(
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): about 50 stars within a 10' diameter at 63x. Bright, fairly large, rich and pretty
with both bright and faint stars.
Includes many faint stars over unresolved haze. Includes curved arcs of stars and a
nice string of stars to the south.
The brightest mag 7.4 star is at the west side. Located on the Norma-Ara border. Observation from Baja.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6167 = D 400 = h3635 on 26 Jun 1826 with his 9-inch reflector
from Parramatta, New South Wales.
He recorded "a pretty large faint nebula, about 6' diameter, easily
resolvable, round figure, with two rows of small stars following." His position is 13' northeast of center
of the cluster. Apparently D 401
is a duplicate observation: "A very faint cluster of small stars, with a
branch extended; the head of the cluster is rich in small stars." His position for D 401 is 16.5'
east-southeast of the cluster and he notes 3 observations. JH recorded "a large irregular
cluster of loose stars 11..14th magnitude which fills field; place that of an
8th magnitude star in the preceding part."
******************************
16 31 21.4 +20
11 06
V = 14.3; Size 1.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 111d
17.5": very
faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE. A mag 14.5 star is attached at the east end 39" from
center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6168 = Sw I-46 on 21 May 1884 and recorded "eeF; vE; F * at
p[receding] end; v diff." There is nothing at his position, and CGCG
109-025, 4' north-northwest, is small and round. When Howe observed the field in 1899-00, he remarked
"The "F * at p end" I did not see." His position, though, matches CGCG
109-025.
A more likely
candidate, though, is
******************************
16 34 05 -44 02
42
Size 7'
18" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): at low power a number of scattered stars
surround mag 4.9 Mu Normae, but these are not eye-catching or cluster-like as
the star density is high in this area, especially to the north and west. At 236x, a number of very faint stars
surround Mu itself, particularly in a wreath-like shape on the north side and a
east-west trending chain of mag 12-13.5 stars about 5' south. A nice triangle of mag 12 stars (sides
~1') lies 4' S of Mu.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6169 = h3636 on 1 Jun 1834 and recorded "Cluster; place of
a * Mu Normae in it."
The 1973 study
by Vogt and Moffat "Southern Open Star Clusters III."
(1973A&AS...10..135M) states "According to the Catalogue of Star
Clusters and Associations this cluster has a diameter of 7' and is centered on
the bright super-giant mu Nor. However, there is no obvious clustering here. To
check this, three stars close to mu Nor were observed which show no genetic
relation to one another or to mu Nor." A 2011 study ("A Catalog of 120 NGC Open Star
Clusters") also found no CMD could be determined, so this group is an
asterism.
******************************
16 27 36.4 +59
33 45
V = 13.8; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4
See observing
notes for
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6170 = Sw IV-35 on 9 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeF; vS; R; in
vacancy; many pB stars south; e diff." His position is 39 seconds of RA west of
Jack Sulentic,
in the RNGC, equated NGC 6170 = NGC 6176 and Harold Corwin concurs. By prior discovery, this galaxy should
be identified as NGC 6170, but it is known as NGC 6176 because of the accurate
position.
******************************
16 32 31.9 -13
03 13
V = 8.1; Size 13'; Surf Br = 1.0
18"
(7/26/06): beautifully resolved at 325x and framed by three mag 11.5-12.5 stars
to the east, west and south. In
the halo, roughly 35-40 stars were resolved and in addition the bright 1.5'
core was partially resolved into a large number of densely packed stars. The cluster extends roughly to 6'x4.5',
reaching the bright stars off the east and west side and elongated E-W at least
4:3.
17.5"
(7/10/99): this bright globular was well resolved at 220x, with a ~5'x3' halo
elongated in an E-W orientation although the sharply defined core is circular and
~2' in diameter. Enclosing the
globular on the west, east and south sides are brighter mag 11.5-12.5
stars. Roughly 30 stars are
scattered throughout the outer halo at 280x and a couple of dozen densely
packed stars overlay the core of the globular in steady moments.
13"
(6/19/82): bright core with several faint stars resolved in the halo and a few
stars resolved at the edge of the core.
8": bright
core, fainter halo, mottled. A few
stars are visible at the northwest edge.
15x50 IS
binoculars: faint but not difficult.
Pierre Méchain
discovered
******************************
16 22 10.2 -01
30 54
V = 12.8; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(7/24/95): fairly faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Moderate concentration with a very
small bright core which stands out well surrounded by a small halo. Preceded by three mag 13 and 14 stars
within 3'. Located 9' NW of a mag
10 star and 11' NE of a similar star. Incorrectly listed as nonexistent in
RNGC. Identified as
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6172 = St XIII-86 on 21 Jun 1884. Due to a misprint in Stephan's list XIII, the RA is 10 tmin
too large. The position for his
comparison star (
Lewis Swift
found this galaxy on 19 Apr 1890, and reported Sw. IX-61 (later IC 1213) as
"F; vS; R." His RA is 9
seconds too small. So, NGC 6172 =
IC 1213 with priority to Stephan's observation. Because of the erroneous position for NGC 6172, the RNGC
misclassifies NGC 6172 as nonexistent and UGC 10352 is labeled as IC 1213,
instead of
******************************
16 29 45.0 +40
48 40
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 140d
18"
(7/29/08): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.7'x0.45',
contains a large bright core that gradually increases to the center. Nearby companions included
17.5"
(7/5/86): moderately bright, moderately large, strong bright core, oval NW-SE. One of the brightest and largest
members of AGC 2197. NGC 6174 lies
3.5' N and
13.1"
(8/5/83): fairly faint, moderately large, brighter core, slightly
elongated. A mag 8 star is 9' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6173 = H III-640 = h1962 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and noted
"vF, vS." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6174 = MCG
+07-34-085 = IV Zw 63 = PGC 58351+ 58350
16 29 47.7 +40
52 19
V = 14.5; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
18"
(7/29/08): faint, small, slightly elongated, 20" diameter. Appears to have an extremely faint star
involved. This is a double system
(
17.5"
(7/5/86): very faint, small, slightly elongated, requires averted vision. Located 3.5' N of NGC 6173 in AGC
2197. This is a double system
(unresolved).
George Johnstone
Stoney, LdR's observing assistant, discovered two new nebulae in the field of
NGC 6173, on 26 May 1849. The 1861
LdR publication notes, "another near" in the entry for NGC 6160, 6173
and 6175. But the 1880 LdR
monograph includes a diagram and states, "3 new neb as in diagram, double
star suspected in Alpha, Beta faint, Gamma pL & eeF." The three nebulae shown in the diagram
are not labeled, but assuming the arrowed direction is west, the configuration
fits NGC 6173 (Gamma), the double system IV Zw 63 = PGC 58350 + 58351 (Alpha,
shown with two nuclei on the sketch!) to the north, and CGCG 224-047 = PGC
58334 (Beta) due west of the double system. The separations indicated on the sketch are too large -- IV
Zw 63 is marked 6' north (actual separation is just under 4') and CGCG 224-047
is marked 8' to its west (actual separation is 4.5'). Two years later (30 May 1851) Bindon Stoney confirmed "Alpha
is a double neb, Gamma is vF."
Dreyer added the comment "diagram agreeing with the one made in
1849."
JH only included
a single LdR nova in the GC based on the note in 1861 publication. In the NGC, Dreyer added a note to NGC
6174, "Second of 3, forming a rectangular triangle, the 2 others being
assumed to be h1962 [NGC 6173] and h1963 [NGC 6175], but the identity of the
group is doubtful." RNGC and
PGC identify the double system IV Zw 63 = PGC 58350 + 58351 as NGC 6174 (as
here). Harold Corwin and Wolfgang
Steinicke favor CGCG 224-047 = PGC 58334, as Dreyer didn't mention NGC 6174 was
double. Both assignments, though,
are reasonable. See Corwin's notes
for more.
******************************
NGC 6175 = UGC
10422 = MCG +07-34-087 = CGCG 224-050 = PGC 58362
16 29 57.6 +40
37 50
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 100d
18"
(7/30/08): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE,
30"x20". The very small
brighter core appears offset from the center. A very faint star is just off the
WNW edge with a brighter mag 13 star 1.4' ESE. Located 8' SW of mag 7.9 HD 149025.
On the DSS, this
is an overlapping double system and my description of an offset core probably
refers to the compact companion
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, elongated ~E-W, fairly small, brighter core. Bracketed by a mag 15 star at the west
edge and a mag 13 star 1.5' E of center.
Located 11.3' SSE of NGC 6173 in AGC 2197.
13.1"
(8/5/83): faint, diffuse. A star
is off the east edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6175 = H III-641 = h1963 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 718) and noted
"vF, vS." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6176 = NGC
6170 = MCG +10-23-076 = CGCG 298-038 = PGC 58188
16 27 36.4 +59
33 45
V = 13.8; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5"
(6/20/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter core, stellar
nucleus. Located 30' WSW of NGC
6176.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6176 = Sw V-70 on 1 Oct 1886 and recorded "eF; eS; e diff.; in
vacancy; 2 others and Comet 1884 I near." His position is a good match with CGCG 298-038 = PGC 58188
(7 seconds east). Perhaps one of
the "2 others" nearby is
******************************
16 30 39.0 +35
03 22
V = 13.6; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 10d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, bright core. A mag 12 is 1.1' NE of center. Pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6177 = H III-890 = h1964 on 28 May 1791 (sweep 409) and recorded
"vF; pL; lE; lbM." JH
logged "F; irr fig; r; 2 or 3 of its stars seen, also on 13m 30"
distance nf. RA reduction fluctuating
and uncertain in this sweep."
Nevertheless, his mean position from two sweeps is accurate. Nearby NGC 6179 was discovered at Birr
Castle.
******************************
16 35 47 -45 38
36
V = 7.2; Size 4'
17.5" (7/4/86):
about 15 stars in a triangular outline with mag 8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6178 = h3638 on 27 Jul 1834 and noted "middle of a small
group of pB stars." On a
later sweep (20 Apr 1836) he recorded "Chief * 9m of a small, bright
clustering group of from 12 to 20 pL stars, with stragglers." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6179 = CGCG
196-073 = PGC 58401
16 30 47.0 +35
06 08
V = 14.9; Size 0.1'x0.1'; Surf Br = 9.8
17.5"
(7/1/89): extremely faint and small, stellar nucleus, very small halo with
averted. Located 3.2' NE of NGC
6177.
R.J. Mitchell,
LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 6179 on 19 Apr 1855. While observing NGC 6177, he noted "another neb 4' nf,
vF, S, has a nucl."
******************************
16 30 34.0 +40 32
21
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 9d
18"
(7/30/08): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, elongated 4:3 ~N-S,
30"x22", gradually increases to a very small bright core and faint
stellar nucleus. Forms a close
1.7' pair with
MCG +07-34-097
appeared very faint, very small, round, 20", low even surface
brightness. Forms a close 1.7'
pair to the SE of brighter NGC 6180.
17.5"
(5/23/87): faint, very small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A pair of mag 11/12 stars oriented E-W
are 2.5' WSW and 3.7' WSW, respectively.
Located on the east side of the core of AGC 2197.
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, very small, round, stellar nucleus. Two stars
preceding.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6180 = St VII-8, along with
******************************
16 32 21.2 +19
49 32
V = 11.9; Size 2.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175d
17.5":
fairly bright, moderately large, elongated N-S, gradually increases to a small
bright core, mottled appearance, brighter along the major axis. There is a hint of arm structure at the
north and south ends.
8"
(4/24/82): fairly faint, elongated N-S, bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6181 = H II-753 on 28 Apr 1788 (sweep 835) and recorded
"pF, pS, mbM, vlE."
There is nothing at his position but 40 sec of RA west and 3' north is
******************************
16 29 34.2 +55
31 03
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 146d
17.5"
(6/20/87): fairly faint, fairly small, small bright core, thin fainter
extensions NW-SE. Located 3.0' SE
of mag 9
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, small bright core, elongated NW-SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6182 = H III-813 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and logged "vF,
vS, iR." His position (CH's
reduction) is 25 sec of time following
******************************
16 41 41.9 -69
22 21
V = 13.8; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 36d
14" (4/3/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x and 230x): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated
7:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.3', contains a small brighter core. A mag 13 star is 1.3' SSW of center and mag 8.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6183 = h3639 on 25 Apr 1835 and noted "vF; eS; R; gbM;
10"." His single
position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6184 = MCG
+07-34-109 = CGCG 224-070 = PGC 58432
16 31 34.5 +40
33 56
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 128d
18"
(7/30/08): faint, small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 27"x20", very weak
concentration. Located on the SE
end of AGC 2197 and 11' ENE of NGC 6180.
17.5"
(5/23/87): faint, small, round.
Located 11.6' E of NGC 6180 in AGC 2197.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6184 = St VII-9, along with NGC 6180, on 23 Jun 1876. His positions for both galaxies are
accurate.
******************************
16 33 17.8 +35
20 32
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 45" N of center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6185 = h1965 on 27 Apr 1827 and recorded "F; S; R; gbM; has
a * 11m 75° np (by diagram)."
His position is just off the east side of
******************************
16 34 25.5 +21
32 26
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, small bright core, substellar nucleus, faint
extensions SW-NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6186 = H III-730 on 28 Apr 1788 (sweep 835) and recorded
"eF, vS, E." His
position is good. 11 minutes later
he noted the "moon very bright" and ended the short sweep.
******************************
16 31 36.6 +57
42 24
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5"
(6/20/87): faint, small, round, bright core. Located 3.4' S of a mag 8 star and 8.2' SSE of mag 7.7 SAO
29975.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, round, slightly brighter core. Located 3' S of a mag 8 star.
Charles Augustus
Young discovered NGC 6187 on 5 Oct 1883 with the 23" Clark refractor at
Halsted Observatory while observing Comet Pons-Brooks. His discovery position in Sidereal
Messenger, Vol II, page 252 matches
******************************
NGC 6188 = ESO
226-EN019 = RCW 108 = Gum 53 = Ced 136a
16 40 06 -48 39
42
Size 20'x12'
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): With the 27mm Panoptic at 76x and
UHC filter, this is an amazing region of bright and dark nebulosity involving
open cluster
A nearly perfect
ellipse of moderately bright stars is just SW of the main body of the cluster
and beyond the edge of nebulosity into the rift. The center of this ring is within the highest contrast
portion of the dark rift, although the eastern side of the ring intersects the
bright edge. This 15'x10' loop of
stars spans the two sections of nebulosity.
The western
portion of the nebulosity extends mostly NW of the elliptical ring and is
clearly fainter. The highest contrast is along its eastern rim and runs
N-S, roughly parallel to its brighter counterpart on the east side of the
rift. The nebulosity fades towards
the north and west with no well-defined edge but again is quite extensive. The catalogued dimensions of 20'x12' are
too small and covers only the brightest portion of this much more extension
HII/dark nebula complex.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): very large faint nebulosity which envelops open cluster NGC
6193, about 20' diameter. Extends
roughly E-W through the cluster but also a very long brighter streak oriented
N-S extends mainly to the south on the west side of cluster. This streak
is well defined with an abrupt edge but there is no contrast gain with a UHC
filter.
8"
(7/16/82): faint, moderately large, low surface brightness glow on the west
side of open cluster NGC 6193. This object is very low on the horizon
from Northern California (less than 3 degrees max elevation).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6188 = h3640 on 15 Apr 1836 and recorded "The brightest
part of a vL, faint, diffused, branching nebula, which involves in it nf part
the star Brisbane 5789, and extends into the cluster D 413 [NGC 6193], which it
in part surrounds. No doubt about the nebula, which in the brightest part of it
precedes the cluster about 1 min of time. The following stars behind the double
star, and quite free of nebula. I presume the neb and cluster to be
unconnected."
******************************
NGC 6189 = NGC
6191? = UGC 10442 = MCG +10-23-081 = CGCG 298-043 = CGCG 299-003 = PGC 58440
16 31 40.9 +59
37 35
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 20d
17.5"
(6/20/87): moderately bright, moderately large, oval SSW-NNE, the halo is
weakly concentrated but has a sharp stellar nucleus or star superimposed.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6189 = Sw II-41 on 3 Aug 1885 and recorded "vF; pS; lE; v
coarse double star nr, forming with it an equilateral triangle." His position and description matches
******************************
16 32 06.6 +58
26 20
V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60d
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6190 = Sw II-42 on 30 Oct 1883 and recorded "vF; pS; R; F *
nr." His position is at the
west edge of
******************************
16 31 40.9 +59
37 35
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 20d
See observing
notes for NGC 6189. Identification
uncertain.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6191= Sw IV-36 on 6 Jul 1886 and recorded "pF; pL; E; 2
stars near preceding." There is nothing near his position. If Swift made a 50' error in
declination, then NGC 6191 = UGC 10442, though the two nearby star are
following. Swift discovered this
galaxy on 3 Aug 1885, and it was catalogued in list II-41 = NGC 6189. As expected, Bigourdan was unable to
find NGC 6191. RNGC classifies the
number as nonexistent and the equivalence with NGC 6189 is very uncertain. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes for additional candidates.
******************************
16 40 24 -43 22
00
Size 8'
8"
(6/19/82): 20 faint stars mag 11-12.5 over unresolved haze, small, fairly rich
with averted. Easy to identify in
the field, though very far south.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6192 = D 483 = h3641 on 13 May 1826 and recorded "a cluster
of very minute stars, of a round figure, about 4' diameter, following v
Normae." He made 3
observations and his position is less than 4' north of center of the
cluster. D 470 is probably a
duplicate observation but his position is 19' too far east.
On 1 Jun 1834,
JH logged "Cluster VII, pretty rich, irr R, gbM, 10', stars 12..14th mag,
a straggling group." Two
nights later, he called it "a coarse but rich cluster of stars 11.12th
mag, which leaves dark lines unoccupied, forming sections (see fig 4, Plate
V)." The central section in
his sketch shows 4 circular wedges separated by dark lanes.
******************************
NGC 6193 = Cr
310 = ESO 226-SC020 = Gum 53 = Ced 136b
16 41 20 -48 45
48
V = 5.2; Size 15'
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): ~75 stars in a 15' field at 117x
surrounding the bright 10" double and ionizing source h4876, consisting of
mag 5.6 O3-type
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): 45 stars in a 15' diameter at 63x. Includes bright double star mag 5.6/6.8 at 10"
separation and mag 7
8"
(7/17/82): three bright stars including h4876 (6.0/7.0 at 10"). Many faint stars are visible with averted
vision. Includes
emission/reflection nebula NGC 6188.
Extreme southern object for observation from Fiddletown (Sierra
foothills).
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6193 = D 413 = h3640 with his 9-inch f/12 reflector from
Parramatta, New South Wales. He reported
"A cluster of small stars, with a bright star in the preceding side. A
very considerable branch or tail proceeds from the north side, which joins a
very large cluster." He did
not mention any nebulosity.
On 15 Apr 1836,
JH described a "cluster VIII; consists of about a dozen stars 10..11m, and
perhaps as many less, with stragglers, which fill field. In its preceding part
is a fine double star [HJ 4876] and yet more preceding is a vL, faint nebula
[NGC 6188], in which the preceding part of the cl is involved."
******************************
16 36 37.1 +36
12 01
V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1
18"
(6/7/08): fairly faint, small, sharply concentrated with a very small bright
core surrounded by a 24" halo with averted.
17.5"
(6/6/86): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. Member of the
13.1"
(8/5/83): faint, extremely small, visible without averted.
13.1"
(7/5/83): faint, very small, requires averted.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6194 = h1967 on 27 Apr 1827 and recorded "vF; vS; smbM to a
* 12m; 12"." There is
nothing at his single position, but 44 sec of RA west is
******************************
16 36 32.6 +39
01 41
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 45d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core. Located midway between a mag 12 star
1.0' WSW and a mag 13 star 1.1' E.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6195 = H III-893 = h1966 on 30 May 1791 (sweep 1015) and
recorded "eF, vS, iF.
300 confirmed it with some difficulty, but left no doubt." His position is good. JH made 3
observations, first logging "vF; S; between 2 stars."
******************************
NGC 6196 = IC
4615 = UGC 10482 = MCG +06-36-058 = CGCG 196-088 = PGC 58644
16 37 53.9 +36
04 22
V = 12.9; Size 2.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140d
18"
(6/7/08): middle and brightest of three on a line. At 260x it appeared fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated, sharply concentrated with a bright, 20" core that increases to
a stellar nucleus with direct vision and a 35"x25" halo.
17.5"
(6/6/86): brightest in the NGC 6196 group. Fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright core,
fairly faint stellar nucleus. A
pair of mag 15 stars are 1.3' S and 1.3' SSE. NGC 6196 is the middle of a linear trio with IC 4614 3.0'
NNW and NGC 6197 = IC 4616 4.8' SSE.
An extremely faint galaxy (2MASX J16374842+3603393) lies 1.3' SW.
13.1"
(8/5/83): fairly faint, bright core.
13.1"
(7/5/83): faint, small, round, small bright core. Brightest in group located 45' W and 24' S of
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6196 = m 311, along with NGC 6197 and 6199, on 9 Jul 1864 and
noted "vF, vs, stellar."
There is nothing at his position,
but 39 seconds of RA east and 1.6' south is
MCG and CGCG
label this galaxy as IC 4615 and UGC does not use either the NGC or IC
designation. See Harold Corwin's
notes for more on this field.
******************************
NGC 6197 = IC
4616 = MCG +06-36-059 = CGCG 196-089 = PGC 58655
16 37 59.8 +35
59 43
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 38d
18"
(6/7/08): faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 20"x14". Located 5' SSE of NGC 6196 and second
brightest in chain of three galaxies.
17.5"
(6/6/86): faint, very small, almost round. A mag 12.5 star lies 1.5' SE. This is the second brightest and furthest south in a trio
with NGC 6196 4.8' NNW and IC 4614 7.6' NNW. This galaxy is identified as
13.1"
(8/5/83): very faint, very small, near visual threshold.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6197 = m 312, along with NGC 6196 and 6199, on 9 Jul 1864 and
noted "eF, E, stellar."
There is nothing at his position, but 39 sec of RA east and 1.4' south
is CGCG 196-089 = PGC 58655. This
is the same offset, though, as NGC 6196 = UGC 10482, so the identification is
certain. Because of Marth's poor
position, Bigourdan found NGC 6197 again on 28 Aug 1886, reported it as new (B.
426) and Dreyer catalogued it as IC 4616.
So, NGC 6197 = IC 4616.
CGCG, MCG and
UGC label this galaxy as IC 4616, though NGC 6197 technically should apply by
historical precedence. RNGC
misidentifies
******************************
16 35 30.6 +57
29 12
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d
17.5"
(6/20/87): faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core surrounded by a
diffuse halo. Located 16' S of mag
7.4
17.5"
(6/18/88): very faint, very small, round, low surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6198 = Sw IV-37 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "vF; vS; R;
forms right angle with 2 stars following." His position is 12 second east and 1' north of
******************************
16 39 29.0 +36
03 32
=*, Corwin. Incorrect identification in the RNGC.
(R)NGC 6199 = NGC 6197.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6199 = m 313, along with NGC 6196 and 6197, on 9 Jul 1864 and
simply noted "eF".
Marth's positions for both NGC 6196 and NGC 6197 are off by 39 seconds
in RA and 1.5' in declination. Assuming
NGC 6199 suffers from the same systematic error, his recomputed position falls
very close to a wide pair of mag 12.5 and 15.5 stars. Harold Corwin suggests
the fainter star applies to NGC 6199, though this is not certain.
RNGC
misidentifies NGC 6197 as NGC 6199 and then reassigns NGC 6197 to PGC 214518,
located 1.3' southwest of NGC 6196.
See Malcolm Thomson's article on the identifications here in Webb
Society Quarterly Journal, July 1982 and in my RNGC Corrections #1.
******************************
16 44 07 -47 27
48
V = 7.4; Size 12'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): at 110x this large, rich open cluster resolves into roughly
200 stars, extending over one-half the 22mm Panoptic field (~20'x15'). A very close triple star is near the
center (one component fainter) and a wider pair lies 3.5' NE.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 80x perhaps 150 stars were visible in a roughly 20'
cluster (the catalogued dimension of 12' appears significantly too small). Includes roughly 30 brighter mag
9.5-11.5 stars over a rich background of mag 12-14 stars. No distinct boundary to the
cluster. A mag 7 star is off the
SE side.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): about 75 stars in a 20' diameter at 63x. Bright, large, rich, many stars mag
9-11 over a carpet of faint stars.
Mag 7.1
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6200 = h3643 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded "a great space full
of milky way stars, so thickly sown as to merit being called a
cluster." His position and
description matches this large cluster.
******************************
16 40 14.4 +23
45 55
V = 14.6; Size 0.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.4
17.5":
extremely faint, very small, round.
A mag 14.5 star is at the NE edge 26" from center. Forms a pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6201 = m 314, along with NGC 6203, on 6 Jun 1864 and noted
"eF, vS." His position
matches
******************************
16 36 12 +61 57
=Not found,
RNGC. =**?, Gottlieb. =NGC 6226?, Corwin
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6202 = Sw IV-38 on 9 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeF, pS, * nr
following". There are no
candidates near his position and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent (not
found by Sulentic).
Harold Corwin
suggests NGC 6202 may be a duplicate of
******************************
NGC 6203 = MCG
+04-39-019 = CGCG 138-055 = PGC 58729
16 40 27.4 +23
46 29
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5": very
faint, very small, round. A mag
14.5 star is just 27" NNE of center.
Forms a pair with NGC 6201 about 3' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6203 = m 315, along with NGC 6201, on 6 Jun 1864 and noted
"eF, vS." His position
is fairly accurate. Bigourdan
measured a very accurate micrometric position on 14 May 1887.
******************************
16 46 09 -47 01
00
V = 8.2; Size 2.3'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): ~100 stars mag 10-14 in an 8' group. A number of the stars are arranged in
interesting chains and loops. A
north-south star chain on the east side leads to a knot of bright stars
including mag 7.5
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x, this is a bright cluster with
roughly 80 stars in a 7' circle.
Near the center is knot of four stars with additional very faint stars
huddled around at 228x. Many of
the stars in the cluster are arranged in a few loops and chains. Most of the brighter stars in the
cluster are situated around the edges including a line of four stars at the
east edge. Four bright stars are
off the SE side including mag 7.3
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): about 40 stars in 8' diameter at 63x. Rich appearance over an unresolved
haze. A close triple star is in
the center with four bright mag 8-9 stars in a tight group off the SE edge
(this is a separate cluster Hogg 22).
8"
(7/16/82): only a few faint stars are visible over unresolved haze but appears
to be rich. This is one of the
southernmost clusters I've viewed from Northern California latitude.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6204 = D 442 = h3644 on 13 May 1826 and recorded "seven or
eight small stars in a group, about 1' diameter, with a minute line of stars on
the north side." His position
is 15' too far northeast, typical of his rough positions.
JH first
recorded NGC 6204 on 1 Jul 1834 as a "cluster moderately compressed class
VIII; stars 11.12th mag; S.f. is a brilliant knot of stars, one of which is 8th
mag, and the others 9th magnitude."
On a later sweep he noted a "singular shaped cluster, irregularly
round, compressed VII class, set as it were in a nearly rectangular frame of
stars detached from cluster."
He included a sketch of the unusual star chains in Plate V, figure 6 and
the "brilliant knot of stars" south following is Hogg 22.
******************************
16 41 41.6 +36
27 27
V = 5.8; Size 16.6'; Surf Br = 0.1
17.5"
(7/9/94): several hundred stars in a 10'-12' diameter with a bright central
core of 6' diameter. Many stars
are arranged in strings and loops including a distinctive streamer attached on
the SE side which heads south and curves west forming a semicircle and another
string is attached on the west side of the core and precedes the cluster. Several chains of stars are also
resolved over the 6' core. Running
along the north edge of the core is a starless strip or a long dark lane which
separates the central region from the northern outer halo members. A dark "lane" protrudes into
the core on the SE side - this is one of three dark lanes that converge forming
a "Y" and referred to as the "Propeller" (first described
by Lord Rosse).
8": very
bright, very large, round, highly resolved into several hundred stars mag
11.5-13.5 over the entire disc.
Includes several star chains and streamers.
Naked-eye:
fairly easy object in a dark sky, appearing as a dim bloated star.
Edmond Halley
discovered M13 = NGC 6205 = h1968 in 1714 with a 24-foot (focal length)
refractor. He noted "This is
but a little Patch, but it shews it self to the naked Eye, when the Sky is
serene and the Moon absent."
Charles Messier independently found the cluster on 1 Jun 1764 and
reported (first Messier catalogue), "I have discovered a nebula in the
girdle of Hercules, of which I am sure it doesn't contain any star; having
examined it with a Newtonian telescope of four feet and a half [FL], which
magnified 60 times, it is round, beautiful & brilliant, the center brighter
than the borders.."
M13 was probably
the second deep-sky object that William Herschel observed (after the Orion
Nebula) before starting his sweeps.
Using one of his early telescopes on 22 Aug 1779 he noted M13 was
"without stars". On 16
May 1787 (sweep 739) he recorded, "a most beautiful cluster of stars,
exceedingly compressed in the middle and very rich, the scattered stars which
belong to it extend to 8 or 9' diam.
The most compressed part about 2' or 2 1/2'; the later is R. The former more irregular."
William Parsons
(LdR), in his 1850 monograph, noted "an unquestionable curvilinear sweep
in the disposition of the exterior stars." Bond later "confirmed" this spiral structure
(seems a case of imagining spiral arrangements in deep sky objects, which was common
at the time) in 1860. Bindon
Stoney's sketch on 26 May 1851, which clearly showed three dark
"lanes"was included in the 1861 publication. The dark lanes,
sometimes referred to as the "propeller" nowadays, were mentioned in
numerous observations.
******************************
16 40 08.1 +58
37 02
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(6/20/87): fairly faint, small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, round, stellar nucleus.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6206 = Sw V-71 on 23 Oct 1886 and recorded "pF; eS; R;
stellar; 3 vF stars near north point to it." His position is 22 seconds west of
******************************
NGC 6207 = UGC
10521 = MCG +06-37-007 = CGCG 197-007 = PGC 58827
16 43 03.9 +36
49 57
V = 11.6; Size 3.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 15d
24"
(6/16/12): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, sharply
concentrated with a very small bright core. A blazing stellar nucleus is apparently a superimposed
star. The outer extensions clearly
have an irregular surface brightness and an asymmetric appearance.
17.5"
(6/6/86): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, bright stellar nucleus,
possible asymmetric appearance.
Located 28' NE of M13. The
noted stellar nucleus is likely a superimposed 13th magnitude foreground star.
13.1"
(8/5/83): moderately bright and large, elongated SSW-NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6207 = H II-701 = h1969 on 16 May 1787 (sweep 739) and recorded "pB,
pS, E from sp to nf, vgmbM."
******************************
16 49 28 -53 43
42
V = 7.2; Size 16'
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): best at 76x with 27mm Panoptic. Appeared as a 10' cloud of mostly
fainter stars which blends into the surrounding field with many stars arranged
in an elongated, curving shape.
Includes a mag 10 star on the south side, though the majority are
12-13th magnitude.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6208 = D 364 = h3646 on 28 Jul 1826 and recorded "A round,
faint nebula, about 1' diameter, with three small stars in it; a bright star
south of the nebula." His
position is 8' south-southwest of the center of the cluster. On 8 Jul 1834 from the CGH, JH logged
"A pretty insulated milky way cluster, class VII of large stars; 8'
diameter; stars 9...12th magnitude."
On a second sweep he called it a "cluster class VII; rich; not much
compressed in the middle; more than fills field; stars 11...14th mag but
chiefly small."
******************************
16 54 57.7 -72
35 12
V = 11.8; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 10d
24" (4/4/08
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, fairly large, oval 3:2
SSW-NNE. I noticed a faint star or
knot at the south end. A mag 11.5
star is located 4' and a couple of fainter stars are at the SW and SE ends.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6209 = h3645 on 28 Jun 1835 and recorded "eF; pL; vgvlbM;
2' dia; quite hopeless, except in the clearest and finest night, and with the
mirror bright.". The next
night he confirmed the observation: "Found in the place, and viewed. It is very visible, and PD is right per
index." His position is accurate.
******************************
16 44 29.4 +23
48 00
V = 8.8; Size 20"x13"
48"
(5/5/16): at 488x; extremely bright, high surface brightness planetary, oval
5:4 WSW-ENE, somewhat rectangular main body. The central star was continuously visible and situated
slightly east of center. A small
darker region surrounds the central star.
On close inspection the main body has an irregular outline, is slightly
brighter along the north side and bulges out on the southwest end. A thin fainter "strip" or
shell with a much lower surface brightness and a pinkish color encases the main
body. Two or three broad
"jets" or wings (broadest at the base) extend out of the halo on the
north and south ends (images show the central part is NNW and SSE) with the
northern wing more obvious. A
third wing was sometimes visible on the west side.
24"
(6/12/15): at 375x and 500x; slightly elongated oval disc E-W or WSW-ENE. The very high surface brightness
central region is encased in a small, but obvious lower surface brightness
shell. Extremely faint
"wings" appear to extend to the north and south, though the northern
extension is more definite. These
are roughly in the direction of the minor axis.
28"
(7/8/13): viewed at 375x with an "inverse OIII" or central star
filter, which dramatically dimmed this extremely high surface brightness green
planetary. Without the filter the
central star was not seen at this magnification (the planetary had a strong
green color), but with the filter the central star was easily visible!
18"
(7/20/06): appears as a beautiful light blue cosmic egg at 225x with an
extremely high surface brightness.
Appears slightly elongated ~E-W, ~25"x20" with a very faint
thin outer envelope. At 325x and
435x the faint outer halo is obvious, increasing the size ~35"x28"
with the elongation possibly WSW-ENE.
Viewed in fairly poor seeing on 7/20 but on 7/22 in good seeing I was
able to use as much as 807x. With
these better conditions the surface brightness was irregular and the faint
outer shell fairly prominent. The
bright inner disc was oval but not symmetric.
17.5"
(5/27/00): beautiful bluish oval at 220x, elongated 4:3 E-W, roughly
24"x18". At 380x, there
appears to be a very small fainter halo.
At 500x, the narrow outer envelope is more evident and is elongated in
the direction of the major axis, increasing the size to ~30"x20".
17.5"
(7/4/86): very bright, small blue oval 20"x15" with an unusually high
surface brightness. At 572x, a
fainter outer envelope is suspected.
An evenly matched close double star ∑2094 = 7.4/7.7 at 1.3" lies
17' SSW.
13.1"
(7/5/83): very bright, extremely high surface brightness, blue, takes very high
power. The mag 12.6 central star
was not seen.
Wilhelm Struve
discovered NGC 6210 = ∑ 5 = h1970 in 1825 while searching for double stars with
the 9.6" Fraunhofer refractor at the Dorpat Observatory in Estonia.
It was included as #5 in a list of 9 "Nebulae dectae" in an
appendix to his main catalogue of double stars published in 1827. He
described a "bright planetary nebula, diameter 6", like a star of mag
7". The planetary was earlier catalogued as a star in Lalande's
catalogue of 1801 (LL 30510).
John Herschel
observed the nebula on 25 May 1830 and recorded, "Struve's fifth nebula,
very bright, equal to a star of 8 to 9m, 6" diameter and of uniform light,
but with the edges boiling and ragged. A fine object like a star out of
focus". Vogel observed and sketched the central star with the
27" Grubb refractor at the Vienna observatory on 4 Jun 1883. He
noted a "Bright planetary nebula of elliptical shape. A delicate star
is in the nebula, nearly at the centre. The nebula is surrounded by a
faint elliptical shell."
On 5 May 1850,
Johnstone Stoney (Lord Rosse's assistant) recorded, "intense blue centre
fading off to some distance all around. Small star nf to which neb nearly
extends. Fancied a projection from the bright centre towards np, but I
think it was only fancy." It is possible, though, that Rosse
detected the wing or extension to the northwest! James Keeler clearly
sketched the wings using the Lick 36-inch refractor.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported, "Central star about
mag 11, surrounded by bright matter in the form of an oblong 8" in length.
Outside of this is an oblong of somewhat fainter matter 20" X 13",
from the ends of which extend two fainter ansae in p.a. 97-277°. From the north and south sides of the
central oblong extend two longer ansae in p.a. 167-347°, showing a ring
formation, making the nebula 43" long in this direction."
Wolfgang
Steinicke explained why William Herschel missed NGC 6210 in his sweeps:
"On 15 May 1784 he swept the region (sweep 217). However he stopped
for about 30 minutes for star counts, i.e. the sky passed horizontally through
the eyepiece. Unfortunately the strip runs about 1° below the nebula,
starting 25 tmin west and ending 6 tmin east of it. Thus the object could
not enter his field of view (15'). On 10 April 1785 he inspected the
field again (sweep 395), but saw only some Flamsteed stars in the morning
twilight."
******************************
16 41 27.6 +57
47 01
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 105d
18"
(6/23/09): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:4 SW-NE, 1.2'x1.0',
well concentrated. First of four
in a string of the galaxies to the NE (identical redshifts) with
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright compact core.
17.5"
(6/20/87): moderately bright, moderately large, almost round, strong bright
core, stellar nucleus. Brightest in
chain of four with NGC 6213 2.2' NE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6211 = Sw IX-63, along with NGC 6213 on 25 Jun 1887 and recorded
"vF; pS; lE; D * nr south points to it." His position is 3' too far west-northwest, a similar offset
as NGC 6213. Swift's original
discovery was sent directly to Dreyer and noted as list VI in the NGC, but
wasn't published until list IX in 1890.
Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 27 Aug 1888 and Dreyer
published the correct position in the IC 2 Notes.
******************************
16 43 23.2 +39
48 23
V = 14.1; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, gradually brightens but
no well-defined core.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6212 = St II-3 on 26 Jul 1870. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6213 = MCG
+10-24-030 = CGCG 299-017 = PGC 58778
16 41 37.2 +57
48 54
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 57d
18"
(6/23/09): faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.5'x0.25'. Second of four galaxies in a SW-NE
string with NGC 6211 2.2' SW,
CGCG 299-018 is
very faint, small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.4'x0.2'. Situated between two stars 1' NW and 1' ESE. CGCG 299-019 appeared very faint to
extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Located 1.3' N of a mag 14.5 star. Faintest of 4 on a line and furthest NE
with similar CGCG 299-018 3.9' SW.
17.5"
(6/18/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, low even surface
brightness.
17.5"
(6/20/87): faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration, fairly low
surface brightness. Second of four
with NGC 6211 2.2' SW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6213 = Sw IX-64, along with NGC 6211 on 25 Jun 1887 and recorded
"eF; vS; R; nf of 2."
His position is 2' too far west-northwest, a similar offset as NGC
6213. Bigourdan measured an
accurate position on 27 Aug 1888 and Dreyer published the correct position in
the IC 2 Notes. Swift's original
discovery was sent directly to Dreyer and noted as list VI in the NGC, but
wasn't published until list IX in 1890.
******************************
16 39 31.9 +66
02 22
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 145d
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6214 = Sw I-47 = Sw IV-39 on 2 Aug 1884 and recorded "vF;
S; R: coarse double star in field north." His position is an excellent match with
******************************
16 51 06.9 -58
59 32
V = 11.5; Size 2.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 78d
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright and large, round, 1.3'
diameter, weak concentration. A
mag 12.5 star is superimposed on the north edge ~25" from the center and a
couple of additional faint stars are very near or involved. This spiral is situated in a rich star
field 11' ENE of mag 3.8 Eta Arae.
Brightest in a group along with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6215 = h3647 on 9 Jul 1836 and recorded "pF; R; vglbM; has
a yellow * 5m preceding it [Eta Ara], 1min 19s +/- Delta RA, and 3' or 4'
south." His single position is on the south side of the galaxy.
******************************
16 49 25 -44 43
36
Size 4'
17.5"
(7/4/86): faint, fairly small, ~3' diameter, roundish. About a dozen faint stars are visible
over haze at low power.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6216 = D 454 = h3648 on 13 May 1826 and described "a faint
nebula, about 4' or 5' diameter, irregular round figure, easily resolvable into
stars; with stars of larger magnitudes scattered in the preceding side of
it." He made 6 observations
of the cluster and his published position was 7' southeast of the center of the
cluster. On 1 Jun 1834, JH logged
the cluster as "a p rich cl of small stars, 11m and under, broken up into
2 or 3 groups; fill 2/3 of field."
Exactly a month later, he recorded "a round cl of stars 13m; gbM; 4';
with two appendages of stars, n and s, making together a long cluster."
Just two nights
after his first observation (3 Jun 1834), he found the cluster again, but his
position was 1.4 minutes too far east and he assumed it was new! He recorded h3650 = NGC 6222 as "a
vL, v rich cl; not brilliant; not materially comp M; full 20' diameter; stars
12...13m." His descriptions
appear to describe the same object, so NGC 6216 = NGC 6222.
RNGC labels the
cluster
******************************
16 32 39.3 +78
11 54
V = 11.2; Size 3.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.2
48"
(10/22/11): at 375x, this beautiful, two-armed barred spiral spans ~2.3'x1.5'
NNW-SSE. A bright central bar is
well-defined, mottled and sharply concentrated with an intensely bright, very
small nucleus. A mag 15 star is
superimposed just SE of the nucleus.
The bar contains a brighter, mottled patch at the NNW end. A long spiral arm is attached at this
patch and wraps counterclockwise around the north and northwest side. A thinner second arm on the SSE side
wraps around the south side towards the west.
18"
(9/3/08): this fascinating barred spiral displays subtle spiral structure. At 280x, the main portion appears to be
a large central bar, 1.5'x1.0', oriented NNW-SSE. The bar is punctuated by an unusually bright stellar
nucleus. An extremely faint star
is close SSE along the central bar.
Off the north end of the bar is a faint appendage or arm that gently
curves to the SE and increases the overall dimensions to 2'x1.5' . Off the SSE end of the bar, some very
weak haze extends to the southwest (beginning of an arm).
17.5"
(7/22/01): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, ~2.5'x1.5', small
bright core. Contains a bright
stellar nucleus. A very faint star
is just off the NW edge. At the NW
end a faint spiral arm is attached to the main body, winding north and then
trailing back nearly halfway along the NE flank (this increases the dimensions
to ~2.5'x2.0'). With concentration
a dark gap is visible between the arm and the main body (bar) of the
galaxy. A very short extension is
strongly suggested at the SE end, bending towards the west. All of these features were sketched and
later verified on the DSS.
17.5"
(5/14/88): bright, fairly large, bright stellar nucleus, elongated. Irregular appearance; either darker or
an indentation on one side (this is probably a gap between the spiral arms).
13"
(8/24/84): fairly bright, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus, fairly diffuse
outer halo.
8": faint,
fairly small, slightly elongated.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6217 = H I-280 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1071) and logged "cB,
cL, E, lbM. The extent points
almost to 2 np pB stars, or rather a little on the following side of them. This is one of the later galaxies he
discovered while searching closer to the pole to finish up his third catalogue.
******************************
16 47 14.5 -01
56 52
V = 6.8; Size 14.5'; Surf Br = 0.6
18"
(7/11/07): at 325x this globular nearly fills the field and extends roughly 11'
in diameter. Contains a very
bright 3.5'x2.5' oval core, extended WNW-ESE. A mag 10 star with an orange tint is just south of the core,
2' from the center. Two other mag
10-11 stars lie 4' N and 5' ENE of center in the halo. The core is plastered with an immense
number of mag 12.5-13.5 stars and in the central 2' is an incredibly dense mat
of mag 13.5 and fainter stars. Very irregular sprays of stars emanate from the
central region and form part of the very scraggly outer halo.
17.5"
(7/15/99): at 220x this bright cluster is highly resolved over the entire disc. Appears smaller than
13.1"
(6/19/82) : bright, large, round, very intense core with faint stars scattered
over the core. The outer halo is
highly resolved into scores of stars.
Slightly inferior to M10 in faint stars.
8": the
outer halo is well resolved and partial resolution of the core. There are two or three brighter stars
in the outer halo.
Charles Messier
discovered
JH called M12 a
"v rich globular cluster. The
stars 10...16m; vgmbM, but has stragglers in lines and branches extending some
distance from the condensed part, which is 3' diam. Comes almost to a blaze in the middle, and has a * 10-11m in
the centre."
******************************
16 46 22.5 +09
02 16
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration, very faint stellar
nucleus.
Albert Marth discovered
NGC 6219 = m 316 on 10 Jun 1863 and noted" F, S." There is nothing at his position
(marked as verified) but 28 seconds of time preceding is
******************************
16 47 13.2 -00
16 32
V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 135d
17.5"
(7/14/93): very faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, broad
concentration, faint stellar nucleus.
A mag 15 star is at the SW edge of the halo and an extremely faint mag
16 star is highly suspected at the south edge of the halo. On the POSS there are several close mag
15-16 stars off the south side.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6220 = Sw IX-65 and recorded "eeF; pS; iR; 3 F stars south
point to it." His position is
1.5' northeast of
******************************
NGC 6221 = ESO
138-003 = AM 1648-590 = PGC 59175
16 52 46.1 -59
13 07
V = 9.9; Size 3.5'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 5d
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, fairly large, slightly
elongated N-S, ~2.5'x2.0', broad concentration to a small brighter core. I was surprised there was a strong
impression of a spiral arm on the west side of the halo extending to the north. A very small knot was seen at the
northern end, probably within this spiral arm. Brightest in a group with NGC 6215 19' NW. Located 25' SE of mag 3.8 Eta Arae in a
rich Milky Way field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6221 = h3649 on 3 May 1835 and recorded "pF; L; R; glbM;
80"." On a second sweep
(5 Jul 1836), he logged it as a "Globular cluster; pB; pL; R; gbM; 2 1/2'
dia; barely resolvable."
******************************
NGC 6222 = NGC
6259 = Cr 322 = Mel 158
17 00 45 -44 39
18
V = 8.0; Size 10'
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
found NGC 6222 = h3650 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "a vL, v rich cl; not
brilliant; not materially comp M; full 20' diameter; stars 12..13m." There is nothing at his position, but
Harold Corwin checked the sweep record and found that JH made a transcription
error of 10 minutes in RA. Once
this correction is made, his position lands on the southeast of side of open
cluster NGC 6259. Interestingly,
he first observed this cluster just two nights previously and placed h3660 = D
456 (later NGC 6259) accurately.
So, NGC 6222 = NGC 6259 and not equal to NGC 6216 as previously assumed.
RNGC
misidentifies NGC 6216 as NGC 6222 and ESO equates NGC 6222 with NGC 6216.
******************************
16 43 04.4 +61
34 44
V = 11.8; Size 3.5'x2.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 88d
18"
(6/21/09): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE,
1.0'x0.6'. Contains a large bright
core and a fainter envelope. UGC
10517 lies 20' SW.
17.5"
(6/18/88): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, very
bright core, faint halo. Contains
a stellar nucleus with direct vision.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6223 on 24 Sep 1862, along with NGC 6226, with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (2 measures) is fairly accurate. Lewis Swift independently found this galaxy on 16 Aug 1885
and included it in list II-43 with description "pB, vS, R." His position is 10 seconds of RA too
small.
******************************
16 48 18.6 +06
18 43
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 11 star is 1.6' N. Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6224 = Sw IX-66, along with NGC 6225, on 15 Jun 1887 and
recorded "eeeF; vS; lE; pB * nr north both in trap; eee diff; np of 2
[with NGC 6225]." His RA is 9
seconds too large (similar offset as NGC 6224). The discovery was sent directly to Dreyer, reported as list
VI in the NGC, but not published until list IX.
******************************
NGC 6225 = UGC
10556 = MCG +01-43-003 = CGCG 053-011 = PGC 59024
16 48 21.7 +06
13 21
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 156d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated. A mag 16 star is involved at the east edge just 12"
from the center. Pair with NGC
6224 5' N.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6225 = Sw IX-67, along with NGC 6224, on 15 Jun 1887 and
recorded "eF; vS; lE; 2 or 3 vF stars involved; sf of 2 [with NGC
6224]." His RA is 8 seconds
too large (same offset as NGC 6224).
The discovery was sent directly to Dreyer, reported as list VI in the
NGC, but not published until list IX.
******************************
NGC 6226 = UGC
10532 = MCG +10-24-043 = CGCG 299-022 = PGC 58847
16 43 23.2 +61
59 02
V = 13.2; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 68d
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WSW-ENE, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 1.8' ESE.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6226 on 24 Sep 1862, along with NGC 6223, with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and noted it formed an equilateral triangle
with two mag 12/14 stars. His
single position is ~40" south of
******************************
16 51 33.7 -41
13 50
18"
(6/12/10): this description assumes NGC 6227 refers to the beautifully rich
fields to the east and northeast of mag 5.2
vdB-Ha 202,
situated 10' NNW of mag 6.1-6.4 V861 Sco, is located in a beautifully rich
region on the SW side of Tr 24. Within this string is a 15" pair of mag 10
stars and just south of a mag 9 situated 2' NW of the double is vdB-Ha 202, a
faint, very rich dusting of stars that is elongated ~N-S. The cluster is dense, just 2' in length
and only partially resolved. A
group of faint stars spread out E-W off the south end.
vdB-Ha 205,
situated 20' NE of vdB-Ha 202, consists of 20 stars mag 7.5 to 13.5 in a
distinctive 4' group. The
brightest star is on the NW side. The center and south side of the group
is devoid of stars. A smaller
clump of stars 7' S of vdB-Ha 205 is catalogued as
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6227 = h3651 on 5 Jun 1834 and noted "A star 5m in a great
cl, or an immensely rich milky way patch." His position corresponds with mag 5.2 HD 151804 at 16 51
37.7 -41 13 50 (2000). Although
the location is definite, the actual size of an "immense" and
"great cl" is uncertain.
This star is 45' NW of
Burnham's
Celestial Handbook mentions this object as a "rich milky way field
northwest NGC 6231. Not a true
cluster." The ESO description
reads "Part of Milky way only."
RNGC classifies NGC 6227 as a nonexistent cluster.
******************************
16 48 02.9 +26
12 46
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d
17.5":
extremely faint, fairly small, edge-on NW-SE, very low surface brightness.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6228 = m 317 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S." His position is just 1' south-southwest
of
******************************
16 46 58.8 +47
31 40
V = 9.4; Size 4.2'; Surf Br = 0.0
18"
(7/23/06): at 225x, appears bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, ~3.5'
diameter with a blazing core.
Several extremely faint stars pop in and out of view in the halo. At 435x a number of very faint stars
are clearly visible in the halo (roughly two dozen) and the core is quite
mottled with several brightness levels towards the center. The globular forms a perfect
equilateral triangle with two 8th magnitude stars 6' W and 6' SW. While searching for NGC 6229 I ran into
a neat little asterism of 6 stars (Leiter 6) located 27' NNW that I had
observed the previously month.
17.5":
bright, fairly small, very bright core, faint mottled halo. Roughly 10 extremely faint mag 15-16
stars are resolved around the edges of the halo at 280x. Forms an equilateral triangle with two
mag 8 stars 6' W and 6' SW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6229 = H IV-50 on 12 May 1787 (sweep 735) and recorded "vB,
R, about 4' dia. The whole of it
is almost equally bright with a faint, resolvable margin." It was misclassified as a planetary
nebula (class IV). CH's reduced
position is 4'-5' too far north.
Giuseppe Bianchi independently found this globular on 11 Jun 1839 and
announced the discovery in an AN letter, apparently unaware of WH's prior
discovery.
******************************
16 50 46.8 +04
36 16
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
24"
(6/12/15): at 375x; faint, small, round, 18" diameter. A mag 14.5 star is at the southeast
edge. A wide pair of mag 14.1/14.9 stars is less than 1' NW. Located 5' W of mag 9
Forms a close
pair with
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 15 star is off the south edge.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6230 = Sw IV-40 on 3 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeeF; pS; R;
between a distant B * following and a distant F * preceding; ee
diff." His position is 4
seconds of RA west and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 6231 = Gum
55 = Cr 315 = Mel 153 = "False Comet"
16 54 11 -41 49
30
V = 2.6; Size 240'
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 103x this is a stunning open cluster with a half-dozen
stars brighter than 7th magnitude and a dozen mag 8 or brighter. This bright subset is set over a rich
carpet of 100-150 fainter stars in a roughly 20' field. This bright naked-eye cluster sits just
north of Zeta Scorpii. Extending
to the north following a chain of stars is the sprawling open cluster Tr 24
(60' diameter) that includes IC 4628, a large irregular HII region (see notes
below).
18"
(6/12/10): at 108x Tr 24 is a striking, very large, bright scattered group that
overfills the 56' field. A number
of the stars appeared to be grouped into long chains with smaller knots and
concentrations including vdBh 202 and vdBH 205. On the northern side is IC 4628, a very large, irregular HII
nebula that shows up best with a UHC filter. On the south edge of IC 4628 is mag 7.2 HD 152723 and 5' SW
is a distinctive 8' string oriented NW-SE. About 20' S of the mag 7.2 star is a mag 6.2 star (V861 Sco)
and to the NW is another 20' string extending WNW. To the south of this string is another 20' string oriented
NW-SE that includes vdBH 202.
IC 4628 is a
large, HII region embedded on the northern half of Tr 24. At 108x and UHC filter IC 4628 stood
out as a very large, fairly bright glow within Tr 24. The main glow was elongated E-W, roughly 30'x12' with mag
7.2 HD 152723 just off the south side.
A number of mag 8-10 stars are embedded along the SW and west end of the
nebulosity. A fainter extension begins on the east end and extends NE for ~15',
ending in a brighter patch with several stars involved.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 103x the 40' field to the north of NGC 6231is filled
with a huge, scattered grouping with no distinct boundaries.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): over 100 stars mag 8-12. Bright, very large, scattered. Divided into two main groups and fills the 40' field. Emission nebula IC 4628 is involved on
the north side (seen from Baja) and a trail of stars extends towards NGC 6231.
8"
(6/27/81): bright, large, scattered cluster in two main groups.
17.5"
(7/4/86): 100 stars at 84x in the main part including 10 bright stars. Impressive cluster at low power.
13"
(7/5/83): five bright stars are in the cluster with a dozen stars in the
central portion and 50 stars in a 20' field. There is a 1° field to the NW and NE consisting of fairly
bright stars = NGC 6227 and Tr 24 = H12.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): bright group of stars in center like jewels over rich sprays
of stars, excellent low power field.
Located 30' N of Zeta Scorpii.
Partially resolved in 8x50 finder.
8"
(6/27/81): impressive cluster at 100x with a bright group of 8 stars in the
center. Partially resolved in the
8x50 finder.
Naked-eye
(numerous times): this is an easy naked eye cluster, even from northern
California, looking like a comet heading north from Zeta Scorpii. From further south (southern Baja
or southern Hemisphere), it is a very prominent naked-eye cluster.
Giovanni
Hodierna discovered NGC 6231 = Lac II-13 = D 499 = h3652 around 1650. Discovery credit is often given to
Nicholas-Louis de Lacaille, who observed it in 1751-1752 with a 1/2"
telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. He noted a "close group of seven
or eight close faint stars".
But Edmund Halley clearly identified the cluster earlier in 1677. James Dunlop described "a cluster
of pretty bright stars of mixt small magnitudes, considerably congregated to
the centre, about 10' diameter, with a large branch of very small stars
extended on the north side; this is 150 Scorpii."
Ashworth argues
in the "Journal for the History of Astronomy" (1981) that Ptolemy
listed NGC 6231 in his catalogue as a star (14 Scopii), though did not observe
it as nebulous. It was included as
a star or nebula, in every major catalogue and atlas since, but it's position
and different labels were so inconsistent that it was not recognized as the
same object found by Lacaille in 1752.
For example, it was listed as Bayer's southern Mu, and Sharp's
Zeta. It was depicted as the
southern of a pair of stars in Bayer's atlas and the northern in Hevelius'
atlas.
******************************
16 43 20.1 +70
37 57
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core, faint stellar
nucleus. A mag 15 star is at the
west edge. Located 10.9' SW of NGC
6236 in a group.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6232 = Sw I-48, along with
MCG mislabels
NGC 6232 as NGC 6237. The RNGC has
the correct identification.
******************************
16 50 15.6 +23
34 47
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 33d
17.5":
faint, small, almost round, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6233 = St XI-51 on 12 Jul 1880 and recorded "pF, S, R,
gbM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 6234 = MCG
+01-43-007 = CGCG 053-018 = PGC 59144
16 51 57.3 +04
23 01
V = 14.5; Size 0.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.7
17.5"
(6/8/91): very faint, very small, round, low surface brightness. Located 9.4' WNW of mag 8.8 SAO
121919. NGC 6230 lies 22' NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6234 = m 318 on 17 Jun 1863 and noted "F, S, R." His position is 1' too far south.
******************************
16 53 25.3 -22
10 39
V = 10.2; Size 5.0'; Surf Br = 1.0
18"
(7/24/06): at 435x this globular was quite scraggly with a small, irregularly
shaped core surrounded by a much fainter low surface brightness halo extending
to 3'-3.5' diameter. At least 15
to 20 stars are resolved with 3 or 4 fairly easy brighter stars but most are
very faint, in the mag 15-16 range.
With extended viewing, several extremely faint stars pop in and out of
visibility in the halo increasing the overall total to 25-30 stars, though a
lower number were visible simultaneously.
17.5"
(6/8/91): fairly bright, small, 3' diameter, mottled. A few stars are resolved at the edges of the halo including
a fairly prominent mag 14 star at the east edge of the halo and another mag 14
star at the west edge of the core.
The remaining resolved stars are mag 15 or fainter. The core is elongated N-S. The globular has an irregular scraggly
halo due to unresolved star lanes.
Located within a triangle of three mag 12-13 stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6235 = H II-584 = h3653 on 26 May 1786 (sweep 566) and recorded
"pB, cL, gbM, easily resolvable.
No doubt that it consists of stars." His position is accurate. JH made the single observation "p comp; S; 2'; rather
triangular than R; mbM; resolved into stars 14...16m."
******************************
NGC 6236 = UGC
10546 = MCG +12-16-008 = CGCG 339-019 = Kaz 88 = PGC 58891
16 44 34.4 +70
46 52
V = 11.9; Size 2.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 15d
17.5"
(6/24/95): faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, 2.0'x1.4', almost even
surface brightness. A mag 13 star
is 3.0' WSW.
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, broad
concentration. Located 3.7' NW of
a mag 10.5 star. Brightest of
three with NGC 6232 10.9' SW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6236 = Sw I-50, along with NGC 6232, on 28 Jun 1884 and recorded
"F; pL; B * nr. 2nd of 4
[with NGC 6232, 6237 and 6245]."
His position is 2.5' due west (30 seconds of RA) of
******************************
NGC 6237
16 44 06 +70 38
=Not found,
Gottlieb and Thomson. =NGC 6232?, Corwin.
(R)NGC 6237 = NGC 6248.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6237 = Sw I-49 on 28 Jun 1884 and recorded "vvF; E; pL;
S. 3rd of 4 [with NGC 6232, 6236,
6245]." There is nothing at
his position, just 50 seconds of time due east of NGC 6232 = UGC 10537, which
was discovered the same night. Harold Corwin comments that NGC 6237 might refer
to a faint star(s), but perhaps Swift was confused and recorded NGC 6232 twice.
Interestingly, his position for (nonexistent) NGC 6245 is similar amount off
from NGC 6236, suggesting he might have recorded both objects twice. As this is just a theory, Corwin
classifies NGC 6237 as lost.
RNGC mislabels
******************************
16 47 16.7 +62
08 50
V = 13.8; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 17d
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, very small, elongated SSW-NNE, very faint star involved. Second of three with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6238 = Sw IV-41, along with NGC 6244, on 28 Jun 1886, and
recorded "eeF; eS; eF * very close; e diff; sp of 2 [with NGC
6244]." The faint star is at
the north edge.
******************************
16 50 05.6 +42
44 22
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 118d
24"
(7/2/16): at 375x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:3 WNW-ESE,
1.0'x0.6'. The north edge has a
sharper light cut-off apparently due to a dust lane and is slightly concave
near the center. A small, slightly
brighter core is offset from center, just south of the dust lane. The south edge gently bulges out, so
overall the galaxy has a weak "banana" shape. A small knot (blue HII region on the SDSS)
is just distinguishable at the WNW end of the galaxy.
17.5":
moderately bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, bright core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6239 = H III-727 on 12 Apr 1788 (sweep 831) and recorded
"cF, S, E in the parallel [E-W]." His position was reduced exactly 1° too far south of UGC
10577 and copied by JH in the GC.
Stephan found the galaxy again on 27 Jun 1876 and reported it as new in
his list VII-10. Dreyer included
Stephan's position in the GC Supplement as 5832. The two GC designations were
combined in the NGC.
******************************
16 52 58.9 +02
24 04
V = 12.9; Size 2.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 20d
48"
(4/6/13): this disrupted galaxy appeared fairly bright, moderately large,
elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, ~1.2'x0.8', though the shape is irregular. A prominent, thin extension or spike
extends 4:1 or 5:1 to the NNE from the central region. This wing is sharply defined and
narrow. A short, bright, broader
extension juts out to the SSW, in the opposite direction of the NNE wing. Finally, a faint, short wing
(~15"x5") extends south from the central region on the east side (on
the DSS, this branch curves at the south end). A mag 13.5 star is 30" E, a mag 15.5-16 star is 0.8'
SSE and a 12" pair of mag 13.5/15 stars lies 1.5' S.
24"
(7/22/14): the Rumpled Starfish appeared fairly faint to moderately bright,
moderately large, irregular but roughly elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE,
~60"x40", though increases in size with averted vision. The surface brightness is irregular,
with a mottled texture. The
brightest portion has an offset nucleus or knot on the east side. On the northeast side, a faint narrow
wing extends to the north. A very
short extension was also glimpsed on the southeast side. A mag 13.5 star is 0.6' NE and a mag
15.7 star is 50" SSE of center.
24"
(8/15/12): this irregular galaxy appeared fairly faint, moderately large,
elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, ~1.0'x0.5', broad concentration with a slightly brighter
core. The shape is unusual as the
NNE end is narrow, like an edge-on, while the south-southwest end appears
wider. With careful viewing, a very faint extension branches south from the
central region, creating a forked appearance with the brighter portion trending
SSW. A mag 13.5 star is 0.6' NE
and a mag 15.5 star is 0.8' SE of center.
18"
(7/22/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.4', weak
concentration, appears slightly brighter along the major axis. With extended viewing, there is an
impression of an irregular shape with a very faint extension off the main bar
near the center.
17.5"
(6/8/91): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, even surface
brightness. A mag 13 star is at
the NE edge 0.6' from center.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6240 = St II-4 = Big 80 on 26 Jul 1870. His position is ~6' southeast of UGC
10592, an unusual error. Guillaume
Bigourdan independently found this galaxy on 2 Jul 1886 and measured an
accurate position. Dreyer realized
the equivalence and added a note in the NGC that "Stephan's comparison
star must have been LL 30519.
Adopting this star his observation agrees well with Bigourdan's."
E.E. Barnard
independently found the galaxy again on 7 Jul 1888 and noted (from observing
log) "Ran upon a nebula close sp a 10m star. 2 seconds p the star and 1/4' +/- south." Assuming it was probably new, Dreyer
recatalogued it as
******************************
16 50 11.0 +45
25 15
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2
24"
(7/19/12): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, gradually
increases to a very small brighter nucleus.
17.5"
(8/22/98): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 ~E-W,
50"x35". Weak, even
concentration to a slightly brighter core and very faint quasi-stellar nucleus. Picked up while observing Zwicky's Triplet
~7' WNW.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak
concentration. In a group with UGC
10586 6.7' ESE and "Zwicky's Triplet" = Arp 103 6.6' WNW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6241 = H III-735 on 29 Apr 1788 (sweep 838) and recorded
"eF, pS, 300 verified it and shows iF." His position matches
******************************
16 55 33 -39 27
42
V = 6.4; Size 9'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): bright, rich group of ~100 stars in a 12' region with most
of the stars to the north of a mag 7.3 orange luminary. The group is elongated N-S and
highlighted by a N-S string of 8 or 9 brighter mag 9-10 stars on the west side
of the cluster.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): 80-100 stars in a 12' cluster including a mag 7.3 orange
star (
17.5"
(7/16/93): ~100 stars in a 10' region at 220x, rich in faint stars. Includes red mag 7.3
8"
(6/27/81): two dozen stars mag 8-11, fairly rich, compact, nice at low
power. Faint stars are visible
with averted vision.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6242 = Lac I-10 = D 520 = h3654 in 1751-1752 with a
1/2" telescope at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. He simply noted an "elongated
faint oval spot." James Dunlop observed the cluster on 13 May 1826 with
his 9-inch f/12 reflector and recorded "a cluster or group of small stars,
about 4' diameter, with branches extending S.p. and N.f., with considerable
compression of the stars towards the centre of the group. This answers to the
place of 155 Scorpii, but there is no nebula." He made 3 observations and his position is 4'-5' west of
center of the cluster.
JH first
observed the cluster from the CGH on 5 June 1834 and logged "a p rich
brilliant cluster of stars 10...12th mag, with one 7-8th mag near
middle." Later in month (28
Jun) he recorded "cluster VI class, B, L, rich, discrete, 12', irregular
figure, vlbM, fine object; place of a red star 9th mag, rest 11th mag,
white." The next night he
logged it as "a fine large rich cluster, class VII, stars 9..12th mag,
fills field, place of a red star 8-9th mag in centre."
******************************
16 52 26.4 +23
19 57
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 154d
17.5": very
faint, small, elongated NW-SE, weak concentration.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6243 = St XI-52 on 10 Jun 1880. His micrometric position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6244 = UGC
10568 = MCG +10-24-059 = CGCG 299-032 = Kaz 96 = PGC 59009
16 48 03.8 +62
12 01
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140d
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, fairly small, very elongated NW-SE. A mag 12.5 star is 0.9' W. Third of three with NGC 6238 6.4' SW and MCG +10-24-052 13'
WNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6244 = Sw IV-42, along with NGC 6238, on 28 Jun 1886, and
recorded "vF; vS; R; bet 2 stars; nf of 2 [with NGC 6238]."
******************************
NGC 6245
16 45 24 +70 48
=Not found,
Gottlieb or Corwin. =NGC 6236?,
Corwin. (R)NGC 6245 missed in
17.5" on 3 occasions (including 6/24/95 from Fiddletown and 7/27/95 from
Sierra Buttes using GSC chart).
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6245 = Sw I-51 on 28 Jun 1884 and recorded "vF; pL; R. 4th of 4 [with NGC 6232, 6236,
6237]." There is nothing at
his position, just 48 seconds of time east of NGC 6236 = UGC 10546, which was
discovered the same night. Harold
Corwin comments that NGC 6245 might refer to a faint star(s), but perhaps Swift
was confused and recorded NGC 6245 twice.
Perhaps coincidentally, his position for NGC 6237 is similar amount off
from NGC 6232, suggesting he might have recorded both objects twice. Without additional information, Corwin
classifies NGC 6245 as lost.
RNGC and PGC
misidentify
******************************
16 49 53.4 +55
32 34
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 43d
17.5"
(7/4/86): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broad
concentration. Forms a pair with
17.5"
(6/19/88): faint, fairly small, elongated WSW-ENE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6246 = Sw IV-43 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "eF; S;
R." His position is just 9
tsec of RA west of
The RNGC has
reversed the identifications of NGC 6246 and NGC 6246A = UGC 10584, which is
located 10' south-southeast of NGC 6246.
Although these galaxies have similar magnitudes, NGC 6246 is more
prominent visually due to a higher surface brightness. NGC 6246 is correctly identified in
UGC, MCG and RC3. The error was
mentioned in my RNGC Corrections #2.
******************************
16 48 20.4 +62
58 34
V = 12.9; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 58d
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly faint, small, very elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6247 on 24 Sep 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He noted the nearby
mag 12 star, which he measured as 15.1 seconds east and 35" north. His position for the galaxy is
~40" south of
Harold Corwin
notes that Lewis Swift found this galaxy again (on 24 Jul 1889) and reported
Sw. IX-70 (later
******************************
NGC 6248 = UGC
10564 = MCG +12-16-009 = CGCG 339-020 = PGC 58946
16 46 22.8 +70
21 20
V = 13.1; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 150d
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, fairly large, very diffuse, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, weak
concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6248 = Sw II-44 on 11 Aug 1885 in a group with NGC 6232 and NGC
6236, discovered the previous year.
He reported "eeF; pL; R; bet a bright star and 3 stars in a line; v
diff." His position is less
than 2' west of
Nevertheless,
the RNGC misidentifies UGC 10564 as NGC 6237. In addition, RNGC and CGCG mislabel
******************************
16 57 41 -44 48
42
V = 8.2; Size 6'
14" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 142x and 184x): bright, moderately large cluster with ~50
stars mag 10 to 14 scattered over a 7' region. Many of the stars are arranged roughly in a "C" or
horseshoe shape open to the east.
The most prominent part includes 4 mag 10-11 stars in a small
trapezoidal shape (parallel sides N-S).
Three additional mag 10-11 stars are spread out south of this trapezoid;
the northern one is a 10" pair and several additional pairs caught my
eye. NGC 6259, a showpiece
cluster, lies 33' NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6249 = h3655 = D 455? on 1 Jun 1834 and recorded "cluster
VIII class, coarse, p rich, stars 9...12m." On a second sweep (27 Jul
1834) he logged it as "VII class, p rich, loose irreg fig; large and small
stars, 9...15m; 10' long, 7' broad."
James Dunlop
*may* have been the first to find this cluster on 31 Jul 1826 with his 9-inch
homemade reflector from Parramatta NSW, and described D 455 as "an
extremely faint ill-defined nebula, easily resolvable into stars; this is in
the milky way." His position,
though is just over 40' WSW of the cluster, so the identification is very
uncertain.
******************************
16 57 56 -45 56
12
V = 5.9; Size 8'
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): small group of a dozen stars in a tight 2' cluster
including mag 9.2
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 127x a dozen stars are packed into a tight 2'
group. Consists of a knot of 6
stars on the NE side and a looping curve of 5 or 6 stars on the SW side. This "core" is surrounded by
a scattered 10' group of perhaps three dozen stars including three mag 7.5-8.5
stars to the SW and SE by 3' and to the east by 6'.
13.1"
(4/10/86): tight, rich group of 6-10 stars over an unresolved haze. Set among a larger scattered group of
bright stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6250 = h3656 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded a "cluster VIII
class; loose and straggling; place that of a D * [HJ 4899 = 9.8/10.0 at
2"] in central more condensed group; has a * 8m sf, 5' dist, and another
7m more remote. His position is on
the close double star.
******************************
16 32 31.8 +82
32 16
V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(8/1/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round. Contains a sharp, bright core which rises to a bright
stellar nucleus. Pair with NGC
6252 2.4' NNE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6251 = H III-974, along with
******************************
NGC 6252 = MCG
+14-08-011 = CGCG 367-014 = PGC 58456
16 32 40.2 +82
34 36
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 60d
17.5"
(8/1/86): fairly faint, round, weak concentration, can hold with direct
vision. NGC 6252 is slightly
smaller and has a much smoother surface brightness than NGC 6251 2.4' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6252 = H III-975, along with NGC 6251 on 1 Jan 1802 (sweep 1106)
and recorded "Two, the preceding [NGC 6251] cF, S, bM. The following [NGC 6252] vF, vS. The place is that of the first. The 2nd is about 3' more north, and
only a few seconds of time following, they being nearly in the same meridian." This is the most northerly galaxy that
WH discovered.
******************************
16 59 05 -52 42
30
V = 10.2; Size 5'
14" (4/4/16
- Coonabarabran, 71x, 184x and 230x): fairly small 5' cluster, but quite rich
with 60-70 stars mag 12-14.5 resolved at 230x. Stands out as a bright, partially resolved glow at 71x. Irregular shape but expands E-W on the
south side and tapers on the north side.
Contains no bright stars but a mag 8.9 star is just off the southwest
side. Located 27' NNW of 4th
magnitude Epsilon1 Arae. This
well-studied cluster is an old, very metal-rich with an age of ~4 billion
years.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6253 = D 374 = h3657 on 14 May 1826 and described "a very
faint nebula, of an irregular round figure, about 2' diameter, slightly bright
towards the centre, easily resolvable into very minute stars, slightly
compressed to the centre; this also precedes Epsilon Arae." His position was off by ~8' (too far
southeast). JH recorded it on 8
Jul 1834 as "a small triangular cl 2' diameter; stars = 13m."
******************************
16 57 08.9 -04
05 58
V = 6.6; Size 15.1'; Surf Br = 0.9
18"
(7/14/07): large, gorgeous GC at 225x, extends ~15' in diameter and fills most
of the field. The cluster is
sharply concentrated with an intense 5' core containing a huge number of
resolved mag 13-15 stars over an unresolved background glow and beautiful
strings of stars in the halo. At
323x the core is slightly elongated SW-NE, ~5'x4' in size. Strings of stars crisscross the core
with a very small triangle of stars at the geometric center. At 393x, one of the 3 stars in this
central triangle is a very close double. The core is pretty uniformly rich and
evenly resolved and does not compress towards the center.
17.5"
(7/15/99): beautifully resolved at 220x.
The halo appears to extend to nearly 14' although the star density is
very low in the outer edge of the halo.
The inner halo is sharply concentrated with a very bright 5'x4' core
which is elongated SW-NE. The
cluster is highly resolved into mag 12/13 stars from edge to edge (too numerous
to count) with the stars very densely packed over the core. A second layer of mag 13/14 stars is
superimposed over the core. The
halo contains a number of strings including a long string to the south which
curves east and a string to the north which curves west. Also two parallel linear strings head
north or NNE from the core.
13.1"
(6/19/82): very bright, fairly large, intense core richly covered with fairly
bright stars. Scores of stars are
resolved in the outer halo.
8": bright
lively core highly resolved. The
outer halo is highly resolved with several long, distinct streamers.
Charles Messier
discovered M10 = NGC 6254 = h1972 on 29 May 1764. WH first observed the globular on 21 May 1783 with his
8-inch (10-ft focal length) and noted "With 227 I suspected it to consist
of stars; with 460 I can see several of them, but they are too small to be
counted." In 1784 and 1791 he observed M10 with his 18.7-inch and noted
"A beautiful cluster of extremely compressed stars; it resembles the 53d
[
******************************
16 54 47.1 +36
30 07
V = 12.7; Size 3.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 85d
24"
(6/12/15): at 375x; fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W,
1.5'x0.6', low but uneven surface brightness. At the east end of the galaxy is either a blue dwarf
companion (HS 1653+3634) or more likely an intensely active star forming
complex. At 375x it appeared as a
very small, nearly stellar knot, just off the east end of the main glow. The knot had a higher surface brightness
than the main galaxy.
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, moderately large, very diffuse, low even surface
brightness, elongated 5:2 E-W. A
mag 14 star is off the south edge 1.8' from the center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6255 = H III-689 = h1973 on 16 May 1787 (sweep 739) and recorded
"eF, cL, iE nearly in the parallel." JH made the single observation "eF; vL; E in parallel;
2' l, 1' br." On 6 May 1850,
LdR (or observing assistant George Stoney) noted "Query is it a double
streak with a nucleus or a * at f end." The "star" at the following end is an HII complex
seen in my observation.
******************************
16 59 32.6 -37
07 17
V = 11.3; Size 1.5'; Surf Br = 3.4
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is a small, faint globular with a
small, brighter core. A brighter
mag 12 field star is attached at the south edge. At 171x appears just 2' diameter with a few mag 15 stars
resolved around the periphery and occasionally over the mottled core.
13"
(5/30/87): very faint, small, round, requires averted but definite at 62x and
166x. A faint star is visible at
the SW end.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6256 = h3658 on 28 Jun 1834 and recorded "globular cluster;
eF; vL; vglbM; 4' diam; perceived with the upmost attention to be resolved into
vS stars 20th magnitude." The
next night he logged "VI. class.
A vL neb, or rather vF, R, cl VI class; vF; irreg R; vglbM;
4'." His position is fairly
accurate.
Sky Catalogue
2000.0 misidentifies Terzan 12 as NGC 6256.
******************************
16 56 03.5 +39
38 44
V = 15.1; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 123d
17.5"
(6/24/95): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter (elongated
NW-SE on the POSS). Requires
averted vision but sighting certain using GSC field chart. A mag 13 star is 1.7' SW (part of
collinear string of stars oriented NW-SE). Uncertain RNGC identification.
17.5": not
seen in fairly poor seeing and transparency.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6257 = h1974 on 16 May 1831 and recorded "a suspicious
object. It is pointed to by a
faint double star nf. Doubtful
whether a nebula or a vF double star, with perhaps a third star near (of course
ill seen)." He called it an
uncertain nova ("Nova?") and there is nothing at his position. It was looked for, but not found at
Birr Castle.
RNGC, CGCG and
PGC identify
******************************
16 52 29.9 +60
30 51
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core. A mag 15-15.5 star is in contact at the
NW end. Located 5' ENE of mag 8.4
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6258 = Sw IV-44 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "eF; vS; R; a
bright star and a double star near preceding." His position is 7 seconds west and 1' north of
******************************
NGC 6259 = NGC
6222 = Cr 322 = Mel 158
17 00 45 -44 39
18
V = 8.0; Size 10'
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x this cluster appears as a
beautifully rich cloud of stars. A
couple of hundred stars are resolved in an 8' diameter. Fairly uniform in density and magnitude
and roughly circular (similar to
8"
(7/16/82): 12 faint stars mag 11-12.5, over unresolved haze, elongated
N-S. Appears to be rich but
observed at a very low altitude which diminished the view.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6259 = D 456 = h3660 on 13 May 1826 and described "a very
large patch of strong nebula, about 20' long, and 16' broad, rich in small and
extremely minute stars." His
position (only to the nearest minute of time in RA) was 11' too far
southeast. On 1 Jun 1834, JH
called it "a superb, vL, v rich cluster, which fills field; R, vglbM,
stars 11..12th mag, thickly sown at intervals from each other from 10" to
20"." On a second sweep he described it as "vL, v rich, fills
more than a field, has one or two straggling appendages p and s; stars 11 and
12th mag, nearly equal." JH
also found the cluster on 3 Jun 1834 but made a 10 minute transcription error
in RA. As a result, h3650 = NGC
6222 is a duplicate observation.
******************************
16 51 50.6 +63
42 52
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, small, round, even surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6260 = Sw IV-45 on 5 Aug 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; R; near
south-following are 4 or 5 stars in form of a curve." His position and description matches
******************************
16 56 30.5 +27
58 39
V = 14.0; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 88d
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W. Bracketed by two mag 15 stars. First of eight in the
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6261 = St XI-53 on 13 Jul 1880. His position is just off the south side of
******************************
16 53 36 +56 56
=Not found, RNGC
and Corwin.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6262 = Sw V-72 on 23 Oct 1886 and recorded "eeeF, pS, R,
eee diff". His position falls
on a blank piece of sky and the number is not associated with a galaxy in any
modern catalogue. Harold Corwin suggests
two possible (distant) candidates, but these are just guesses as his description is unhelpful and the
observation might also apply to a faint star or stars.
******************************
NGC 6263 = UGC
10618 = MCG +05-40-008 = CGCG 169-014 = PGC 59292
16 56 43.1 +27
49 19
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 13.5 star is just off the south edge 40" from
center. Located 2.6' S of a mag 9
star. Second of 8 in the NGC 6269
group with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6263 = m 319 = St II-5 on 28 Jun 1864, along with NGC 6264,
6265, 6269, 6270, and noted "eF, vS, R." His position is accurate. Édouard Stephan independently found this galaxy, along with
the other four, on 22 Jul 1871, apparently unaware of Marth's earlier
discoveries.
******************************
NGC 6264 = MCG
+05-40-009 = CGCG 169-015 = Holm 763a = PGC 59306
16 57 16.1 +27
50 59
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 15d
17.5"
(7/27/95): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.5'. Two mag 13.5 and 14.5 stars lie 1' SW
and 1' S, respectively. Forms a
pair with NGC 6265 2.9' ESE in the NGC 6269 group.
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, very low surface
brightness. Two faint stars off
the south side; a mag 14 star 1.1' SW and a mag 15 star 1.0' S. Third of eight in the NGC 6269 group
with NGC 6265 2.9' ESE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6264 = m 320 = Sf 38 = St II-6 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted
"eF, vS." Truman Safford
rediscovered this galaxy (along with NGC 6265 and 6269) on 11 Jul 1866 at the
Dearborn Observatory. Édouard
Stephan found it again on 22 Jul 1871, apparently unaware of Marth's earlier
discoveries, and measured a very accurate position.
******************************
NGC 6265 = UGC
10624 = MCG +05-40-011 = CGCG 169-017 = PGC 59315
16 57 29.0 +27
50 39
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 35d
17.5"
(7/27/95): faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 SSW-NNE, 40"x30",
very faint stellar nucleus. A mag
11 star is 2.4' ENE. Located 6.4'
W of NGC 6269 in a group. Forms a
pair with NGC 6264 2.9' WNW.
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, small, very low surface brightness, elongated SW-NE. Fourth of 8 in NGC 6269 group with NGC
6264 2.9' WNW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6265 = m 321 = St II-7 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "eF,
vS." Truman Safford
rediscovered this galaxy (along with NGC 6264 and 6269) on 11 Jul 1866 at the
Dearborn Observatory. Édouard
Stephan found it again on 22 Jul 1871.
All three positions are good.
******************************
17 01 12.5 -30
06 44
V = 6.6; Size 14.1'; Surf Br = 1.4
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x this is a very striking globular
set in a fine star field. The halo
is very irregular and elongated due to a flattening along the SE side. The halo is easily resolved into
several dozen faint stars, many in strings and chains. A long string of stars extends from a
mag 10.5 star off the SE side along the east edge of the halo. The center appears offset due to the
flattening and is very compressed with a large, blazing core.
13.1"
(6/19/82): very bright nucleus, asymmetric appearance with a flattened SE
region. The outer halo is very
mottled and just resolved into many faint stars at 220x.
8": bright
nucleus, nonsymmetrical appearance, fans out to the west from an off-center
core. A few very faint stars are
resolved at the west edge.
Charles Messier
discovered
WH first
observed the globular on 28 May 1783 with his 6-inch (10-foot telescope) and
noted "With 250 power, a strong suspicion, amounting almost to a
certainty, of its consisting of stars.
In observations with his 18.7-inch (20-foot telescope) in 1785 and 1786,
he called the cluster "Extremely bright, round, very gradually brighter in
the middle, about 4 or 5' in diameter; 240 power with strong attention showed
the stars of it. The cluster is a miniature of the 3d of the
Connoissance."
On 8 May 1834,
JH was the first to note its off-center core: "globular, vB, L, R, pgvmbM,
perfectly resolved with left eye, hardly with right. The most condensed part is
a perfect blaze, but not quite in the centre. The southern part runs out
further. A beautiful object (See figure 13, Plate VI). [Semi] Diam = 13.5 seconds in RA."
******************************
16 58 08.8 +22
59 05
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, moderately large, almost round, low but irregular surface
brightness, appears slightly brighter on the north side. An extremely faint mag 15.5 star is
involved on the south side.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6267 = H III-123 on 15 May 1784 (sweep 217) and recorded
"vF, pL, R, lbM. Following
and near a star; with several other stars in the field following." CH's reduction is 2' northeast of UGC
10628.
******************************
17 02 10 -39 43
42
Size 6'
8"
(6/27/81): 30-40 stars mag 10-12.5 in a 10' diameter. A denser group of stars in the center is arranged in a line.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6268 = D 521 = h3662 on 5 Jun 1826 and described "2 rows or
lines of pretty bright small stars in the parallel of the equator, with a
multitude of minute stars resembling a faint nebula, 5' diameter." He made 2 observations and his
published position is just 2.5' northwest of center of the cluster. On 3 Jun 1834, JH recorded a
"cluster, rich, pL, brilliant, 8', stars irregularly scattered 10..12th
mag, place of a double star in the following angle of a triangular condensed
group."
******************************
NGC 6269 = UGC
10629 = MCG +05-40-012 = CGCG 169-019 = PGC 59332
16 57 58.0 +27
51 16
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 80d
17.5"
(7/27/95): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 1.5'
diameter. Even concentration to a
bright core and stellar nucleus. A
mag 13.5-14 star with an extremely faint companion lies 1.3' S of center. Brightest in a "poor" group
of faint galaxies (AWM 5).
17.5" (7/1/89): fifth and brightest in a
string of 8 NGC galaxies with NGC 6264 6.5' W and NGC 6265 9.4' W. Fairly faint, fairly small, slightly
elongated E-W, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6269 = m 322 = St II-8 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "F, S,
R." Truman Safford
rediscovered this galaxy (along with NGC 6264 and 6265) on 11 Jul 1866 at the
Dearborn Observatory.
Édouard Stephan found it again on 22 Jul 1871 and his micrometric
position is very accurate.
******************************
16 58 44.0 +27
51 33
Size
0.6'x0.4'; PA = 93d
17.5"
(7/27/95): very faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, 20"
diameter. Very weak concentration
with an occasional very faint stellar nucleus. Can hold steadily with averted vision although not included
in the UGC, MCG or CGCG. Located
10' E of NGC 6269 in the AWM 5 group (6th of 8). Misidentified in the RNGC.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6270 = m 323 = St II-9 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "eF, S,
R." His position is 5' north of
The RNGC and PGC
misidentify
******************************
16 58 50.8 +27
57 53
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(7/1/89): extremely faint, very small, round. Seventh of 8 in the NGC 6269 group and forms a close pair
with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6271 = m 32, along with NGC 6270 and 6272, on 28 Jun 1864 and
noted "vF, R." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6272 = CGCG
169-022 = PGC 59367
16 58 58.3 +27
55 51
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.2'
17.5"
(7/1/89): extremely faint, very small, round. Forms a pair with NGC 6271 3' NNW. Located along a line of faint stars and last of 8 in the NGC
6269 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6272 = m 325, along with NGC 6270 and NGC 6271, on 28 Jun 1864
and noted "vF". His
position is within 1' of
******************************
17 02 37.6 -26
16 05
V = 6.8; Size 13.5'; Surf Br = 1.2
17.5"
(6/3/00): bright, moderately large globular, unusual appearance with an
extended halo ~6'x4.5' (elongated N-S) and a bright 3.5' core. The cluster breaks up into several
dozen stars at 220x and at 500x at least 50 stars are resolved over the entire face
of the globular. There are a
couple of strings of stars on the SE side of the halo with a dark lane between
the strings. The brightest star is
on the northeast side.
13"
(7/27/84): bright, elongated N-S, very mottled, brighter core. The outer edges barely resolves into
one or two dozen stars at 220x.
13.1"
(7/17/82): a number of faint stars just resolve at 280x, particularly around
the south edge.
8": lively,
two or three very faint stars are resolved at the north edge.
Charles Messier
discovered
WH first
resolved the cluster using his 6-inch (10-foot focal length) on 28 May 1783,
before his sweeps began. "I can count 5 or 6; & all the rest of the
light appears mottled like other nebulas when not sufficiently magnified and
illuminated to shew the stars."
JH, observing from Slough on 16 Apr 1828, recorded "a fine globular
cluster, stars vS, 12...18m, with one = 10m, and one 10-11m; nearly R; vgpmbM,
but does not come up to a blaze.
Insulated; 3' diam. It
forms a link between I. 70 [
******************************
17 00 35.2 +29
43 33
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170d
24"
(7/15/15): faint to fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S,
18"x12", small slightly brighter nucleus. A mag 15 star is just off the southwest side [20" from
center]. Forms a pair with NGC
6282 6.2' NNE.
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is off the southwest edge
19" from the center. Located
6' SSW of
UGC 10643, which
is identified as NGC 6274 in the RNGC and PGC, is located 21' NW. It appeared faint, small, possibly elongated E-W, brighter core. Located 2' E of an isosceles triangle
consisting of three mag 13-14 stars.
The nearest of these stars is a close double.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6274 = m 326 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "eF, vS." There is nothing close to his position.
RNGC and PGC
identify UGC 10643 as NGC 6274, though not the UGC, CGCG and MCG. UGC 10643 is a double system (with PGC
59381) situated 11' north and 15 sec of RA west of Marth's position, so it's a
pretty poor match. Karl Reinmuth
was the first to suggest this identification in his 1926 photographic survey "Die
Herschel-Nebel".
******************************
16 55 33.4 +63
14 32
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 120d
48"
(4/21/17): at 375x; fairly faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S,
~20"x15", slightly brighter core. With averted vision a very faint tail or "hook"
extends east on the south end. On
the SDSS, this is the beginning of a knotty loop (tidally deformed tail?) that
extends to the north end of this disrupted galaxy.
17.5"
(7/9/88): extremely faint, very small, round, small slightly brighter core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6275 = Sw IV-46 on 5 Aug 1886 and recorded "eeeF; S; lE;
eee diff.; nearly in center of a large vacancy." His position is 1' west (10 seconds of RA) of
******************************
17 00 45.0 +23
02 39
V = 14.6; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.2
17.5": very
faint, small, round. Forms a pair
with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6276 = m 328 = St. II-10 on 10 Jun 1864 and noted "vF,
S." His position is 1'
northwest of
The RNGC
misidentifies
******************************
NGC 6277
17 00 48.8 +23
02 22
17.5": this
number refers to a mag 14 star just under 1' ESE of NGC 6276. It was noted in the observation of NGC
6276, along with a fainter mag 15 star about 15" south.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6277 = St II-11 on 6 Jun 1864, very close to NGC 6276. Stephan's micrometric position matches
a faint star (northern of a 16" pair). In the main NGC table, Dreyer equated m 328 (from Albert
Marth) with NGC 6277, but m 328 refers to NGC 6276 (corrected by Dreyer in his
comments section of the NGC).
The RNGC and
CGCG misidentify NGC 6276 as NGC 6277. The UGC and MCG incorrectly equate NGC
6276 = NGC 6277. See Harold
Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
NGC 6278 = UGC
10656 = MCG +04-40-011 = CGCG 139-029 = Holm 765a = PGC 59426
17 00 50.3 +23
00 40
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d
17.5":
fairly faint, small, dominated by a very small bright core with stellar
nucleus, faint halo elongated NW-SE.
Close pair with NGC 6276 2.3' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6278 = H III-124 on 15 May 1784 (sweep 217) and logged "vF,
stellar, 240 verified it."
His position (copied into the GC) is 25 sec of RA east of UGC
10656. Stephan found the galaxy
again on 13 July 1871 and reported St II-12 as new, along with NGC 6276 and NGC
6277. Stephan's position (used in
the NGC) is accurate.
******************************
16 59 01.3 +47
14 14
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 10d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, small, round, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6279 = Sw V-73 on 23 Oct 1886 and recorded "vF; pS; lE;
wide double star near north-following." His position and description (the two stars are mag 11-12)
applies to
******************************
17 01 57.5 +06
39 58
V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 144d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, small bright core. Located 4.5' NE of mag 8.7
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6280 = m 329 on 8 May 1864 and noted "pB, S, lE." Although his position is within 1' of
******************************
17 04 41 -37 59
06
V = 5.4; Size 8'
18"
(6/12/10): bright, 10' cluster resolved in the 80mm finder at 25x. Excellent in the 18" at 175x with
roughly 50 stars to mag 14 including two dozen brighter mag 9-10.5 stars in a
distinctive, well-defined outline.
Includes several double stars with h4915 = 9/10.8 at 11" on the NE
side and a 10" pair of mag 10.5/11.5 stars in the center. Several of the cluster's fainter stars
are situated on the south side. A
number of the brighter stars are in two strings forming a right angle. The northern line is oriented SW-NE and
the southwest line is oriented NW-SE.
The vertex is at the west end of these strings. Located 2.5 degrees east of Mu1/2 Sco.
8"
(6/27/81): two dozen stars mag 9-11 in a distinct fairly bright, rectangular
group of ~10' diameter.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6281 = D 556 = h3664 on 5 Jun 1826 and described "a
curiously curved line of pretty bright small stars, with many very small stars
mixt." Dunlop made 3
observations of the cluster and his position is 20' too far east. JH made a single observation on 28 Jun
1834 and recorded "a p rich, L, pB, cluster VII class, of loose stars 9,
10, 11th mag, which fills 2/3 of field." His position is on the double star HJ 4915 on the north side
of the main group.
******************************
NGC 6282 = CGCG 169-029
= PGC 59418
17 00 47.2 +29
49 15
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; PA = 36d
24"
(7/15/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, roundish, 25"
diameter, even surface brightness.
A mag 15 star is at the east edge [0.4' from center]. Forms a pair with UGC 10654 6.2' SSW.
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, irregularly round, no concentration. A mag 15 star is attached at the east
end. Forms a pair with UGC 10654
7' SSW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6282 = m 330 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, R." His position is accurate.
******************************
16 59 26.4 +49
55 18
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, moderately large, broad concentration. A double star lies 3.7' SW (mag 12/14
at 20").
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6283 = H III-728 on 13 Apr 1788 (sweep 832) and noted "vF,
cS, iR." CH's reduction is an
excellent match with
******************************
17 04 28.8 -24
45 53
V = 9.0; Size 5.6'; Surf Br = 0.9
18"
(7/12/07): easily picked up at 25x in the 80mm finder with a very bright core
and fainter halo. At 220x, this
globular is sharply concentrated with an intense core that increases to the
center. The 2' halo is very lively
and several very faint stars are just visible. Clouds then interrupted this observation and I wasn't able
to use high power.
17.5"
(6/3/00): moderately bright, small, round, 2' diameter, bright core, very small
intense nucleus. At 500x, ~12-15
stars are resolved, mostly in the outer halo, and the cluster is very clumpy as
if on the verge of more extensive resolution.
13.1"
(6/19/82): very small intense core, fainter halo with a few faint stars
resolved over a mottled haze.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6284 = H VI-11 = h1976 = h3665 on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and
recorded "a cluster of stars, in respect of the size of the whole, as well
as the distance and magnitude of the stars in it, a good miniature of the
preceding. The colour of the stars
also preserve a faint red; about 1.5 or 2' in diam. It may be called the next step to an easily resolvable
nebula." He later commented
"It is a good miniature of the 19th of the Connoiss. not only with respect
to the size of the cluster, but also with regard to the mutual distance the
reduced magnitude of the stars of which it consists." From the CGH, JH recorded
"globular cluster; B; R: gbM; diam = 7.0s; resolved into stars 16m."
******************************
16 58 24.0 +58
57 22
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d
48"
(5/15/12): moderately bright to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2
E-W, ~40"x12", well concentrated with a bright core, faint
extensions. Very low surface arm
structure is just visible at the east and west ends of the bar. Smaller and fainter of a pair (
24"
(7/20/17): at 322x; moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, broad
concentration with a relatively large brighter core. I wasn't able to see arm structure coming off the central
bar with any confidence. Forms an
interacting pair Arp 293 (with low surf. br. tidal bridge and plumes) with NGC
6286 1.5' SE.
24"
(6/28/16): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 E-W (central
bar), ~30"x10", small bright core. Occasionally, very low surface brightness haze (arms) can be
glimpsed on the north side of the west end of the bar and the south side of the
east end. Forms an interacting
pair (Arp 293) with NGC 6286 1.5' SE.
18"
(7/14/07): faint, fairly small, very elongated E-W, 0.6'x0.2, small brighter
core. Fainter member of an
interacting pair (Arp 293) with NGC 6286 1.5' SE.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, oval WNW-ESE, weak concentration. Forms a close pair with brighter NGC
6286 1.5' SE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6285 around 1886 and recorded "eeF, S, R, v diffic, np of
2". The discovery was
communicated directly to Dreyer, who referenced it to Swift's 6th, but Swift
never published the discovery. His
position is just 7 seconds west and 1' north of this galaxy. Nearby NGC 6286 was discovered earlier
on 13 Aug 1885.
******************************
NGC 6286 = Arp
293 NED2 = UGC 10647 = MCG +10-24-084 = CGCG 299-040 = PRC C-51 = PGC 59352
16 58 31.8 +58
56 13
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6
48"
(5/15/12): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 SW-NE, ~1.5'x0.4',
well concentrated with a slightly bulging core and thin extensions. The outer loop on the southeast side
was not seen. Brighter member of
an interacting system (Arp 293) with NGC 6285 just 1.5' NW.
24"
(7/20/17): at 322x; moderately bright and large, edge-on 5:1 SW-NE,
~1.2'x0.25', contains a bright bulging core. Slightly brighter of an interacting pair (Arp 293) with NGC
6285 1.5' NW.
24"
(6/28/16): NGC 6286 is the slightly brighter of an interacting pair (Arp 293)
with NGC 6285 1.5' NW. At 375x it appeared moderately bright and large, edge-on
5:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.25', well concentrated with a bright core, the extensions
taper at the ends.
UGC 10641, an
extremely low surface brightness edge-on, lies 4.5' SW. It appeared extremely faint and slender
8:1 E-W, ~40"x5". A mag
13.7 star is 0.4' SW of center.
Based on the DSS image and low magnitude (mag 16.2-16.5B) I was
surprised to pick up this superthin with certainty. The SQM-L reading at the time was over 21.8.
18"
(7/14/07): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 9:2 SW-NE, ~1.5'x0.3', very
weak concentration with a small slightly brighter core. A 52" pair of mag 10/11 stars is
in the field 7' NE.
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, bright
core. Form a close pair with NGC
6285 1.5' NW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6286 = Sw I-45, along with
******************************
17 05 09.3 -22
42 29
V = 9.3; Size 5.1'; Surf Br = 1.9
18"
(7/24/06): this fairly faint 3' cluster was surprisingly partially resolved at
435x and 565x. At 565x the cluster
was very lively and mottled with roughly 20 stars barely resolved over the disc
(some popping in and out of visibility). The core was only weakly
compressed. The cluster appeared
on the verge of being well resolved with a number of extremely faint mag 16
stars sometimes momentarily sparkling and increasing the total to perhaps three
dozen stars.
17.5" (6/8/91):
fairly bright, irregular, 3' diameter, mottled but not resolved at 280x. The core is elongated SW-NE. Two very faint unresolved star lanes
stream to the north and east from the core giving the appearance of a tail.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6287 = H II-195 = h3666 on 21 May 1784 (sweep 222) and recorded
"pB, cL, iR, r, lbM." JH
made the single observation "globular cluster; irreg R; gpm comp M; 3'
diam; barely resolved into stars 16...18m." and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
16 57 24.5 +68
27 26
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 105d
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Forms a pair with
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 13 year-old son, discovered NGC 6288 = Sw I-52 (along with NGC 6289) on
19 Aug 1884 and they recorded "vvF; vS; R; vF * nr; sp of 2 [with NGC
6289]." The Swifts' RA is
only 12 seconds too far east.
******************************
NGC 6289 = MCG
+11-21-007 = CGCG 320-056 = PGC 59322
16 57 44.9 +68
30 53
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.6'; PA = 13d
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, very small, round.
A pair of stars is 1.5' NE and a mag 15.5 star is at the SW edge. Forms a pair with NGC 6288 4' SSW.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 13 year-old son, discovered NGC 6289 = Sw I-53 (along with NGC 6288) on
19 Aug 1884 and recorded "eF; eE; pL; 2 B stars nr n; nf of 2 [with NGC
6288]." The Swifts' RA is
~0.4 minutes too large (small distance at this declination) and the description
matches
******************************
NGC 6290 = UGC
10665 = MCG +10-24-088 = CGCG 299-043 = PGC 59428
17 00 56.4 +58
58 13
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30d
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Brightest of three in a compact group
with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6290 = Sw II-46, along with NGC 6291 and 6286, on 13 Aug 1885
and recorded "eF; pS; R; * nr following; 2 bright stars nearly point to
it; n of 2 [with NGC 6291]."
The note "2 bright stars nearly point to it" refer to 2 mag 10
stars to the northwest, but there is no star "nr following."
MCG
misidentifies NGC 6290 as NGC 6291.
******************************
NGC 6291 = MCG
+10-24-086 = CGCG 299-042 = PGC 59433
17 00 55.9 +58
56 16
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Forms a close pair with brighter NGC 6290 2.0' N.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6291 = Sw II-47, along with NGC 6290 and 6286, on 13 Aug 1885
and recorded "eeF; eS; R; s of 2 [with NGC 6290]." MCG fails to label this galaxy as NGC
6291, though the identification is certain.
******************************
17 03 03.7 +61
02 37
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105d
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. Located within a star group with a mag
15 star at the east end.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6292 = Sw II-48 on 8 Jul 1885 and recorded "eF; E; several
vF stars near; v diff." His
position is 30 seconds too far west, but the description confirms the
identification with
******************************
17 10 10.4 -26
34 54
V = 8.2; Size 7.9'; Surf Br = 1.1
17.5"
(6/6/86): small, compact, 10-20 stars resolved at 286x and on the verge of more
extensive resolution.
13"
(7/27/84): fairly bright, high surface brightness, compact core, much fainter
mottled halo. Between 6-12 very
faint stars are resolved in the halo at 360x.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6293 = H VI-12 = h1977 = h3667 on 24 May 1784 (sweep 224) and
noted "a miniature cluster of stars of the former cluster [M19]; such as
described sweep 223 [NGC 6284], but rather coarser." From the CGH, JH recorded
"globular cluster; B; R; psbM; diam 7.0s; resolved into stars 16m."
******************************
17 10 16.2 -26
34 29
=** off the
following side of GC NGC 6293!, Dreyer.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6294 = h1978 on 16 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; S; vsbM; is a
companion to the globular cluster VI. 12 [NGC 6293, observed just previously in
the sweep]." His position (corrected by a small offset for NGC 6293)
corresponds with pair of mag 13 stars at 10" separation. Herbert Howe, was the first to make
this identification in 1898, observing with the 20-inch refractor in
Denver. He noted "This
follows 6293 closely, and appears to be simply a very faint double star of mag
13 and 13.5, with an angle on 315°, and distance of 8"."
******************************
17 03 15.4 +60
20 16
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; PA = 77d
24"
(7/20/17): at 322x; faint or fairly faint, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE,
~40"x16", broad weak concentration but no distinct core. A dust lane bisects the galaxy, but it
was not seen. The brighter component of a 25" pair of mag 14/15 stars
(oriented SW-NE) lies 45" N of center.
17.5"
(6/18/88): extremely faint, very small, elongated WSW-ENE. A mag 14 star is 30" N. The
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6295 = Sw. IV-47 on 9 Jun 1886 and recorded "eF; S; cE; F *
nr." His position is 10
seconds east and 2.5' north of
******************************
17 08 44.6 +03
53 37
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, broad concentration. On line with mag 7.8
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6296 = m 331 on 17 Jun 1863 and noted "pB". His position is 2' too far north.
******************************
17 03 36.4 +62
01 32
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 90d
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, very small, round, bright core. Located between a mag 12 star 1.8' ESE and a mag 13 star
0.9' WNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6297 = Sw II-49 on 8 Jul 1885 and recorded "pB; pS; R; bet
2 stars; np of 2 [with
******************************
NGC 6298 = NGC
6297 = UGC 10690 = CGCG 299-050 = PGC 59525
17 03 36.4 +62
01 32
See observing
notes for NGC 6298. Incorrect
identification (and RA typo) in the RNGC.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6298 = Sw II-50 on 1 Aug 1885 and recorded "vF; eS; R; between 2
stars, nf of 2 [with NGC 6297]."
This observation was made just 3 weeks after discovering NGC 6297 = Sw
II-49. His two positions are
nearly identical and there is only 1 galaxy here "between 2 stars",
though on the first observation he called it "pB". Swift probably added the comments
"sp of 2" and "nf of 2" later, assuming he had observed
different nebulae on the two nights.
In any case, NGC 6297 = NGC 6298.
Bigourdan observed this galaxy and corrected the RA but of course failed to find NGC 6298.
The RNGC
misidentifies some "very flat" galaxy as NGC 6298 (possibly 2MASX
J17042122+6202573, but the position has an obvious typo (RA listed as 11h) so
it is difficult to interpret. I
reported this error in my RNGC Corrections #3 list.
******************************
17 05 04.3 +62
27 28
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, very small, round, stellar nucleus or faint star superimposed.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6299 on 27 Oct 1861 (first official night of nebula
hunting) with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
******************************
17 16 59.4 -62
49 14
V = 10.2; Size 4.5'x3.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 118d
18"
(7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): NGC 6300 is a very unusual galaxy
at a low galactic latitude with an appearance similar to a fairly large
emission nebula in a rich Milky Way star field! The shape seemed irregular, but elongated 5:3 NW-SE,
~3.0'x1.8' with a weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. Two brighter stars (mag 12.5) are
superimposed on the core and another two mag 13.5 stars are superimposed near
the north and south ends of the halo!
These stars confuse the observation of this strange looking galaxy (a
dusty barred spiral with ring).
Located 9.5' SW of mag 7.6
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6300 = h3668 on 30 Jun 1826 and recorded "F; vL; R; vgvlbM;
3'; has several stars, one = 11m; involved but being on a rich ground, there
appears no connection." His
position is accurate.
******************************
17 08 32.9 +42
20 19
V = 13.4; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 115d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, moderately large, oval WNW-ESE. A mag 13 star is embedded in the SW portion. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6301 = H IV-57 on 11 Jun 1787 (sweep 746) and recorded
"suspected stellar; but too faint to be verified." He confirmed the discovery on 12 Apr
1788 (sweep 831) and noted "F, stellar or a vS star involved in extremely
F nebulosity. Suspected in sweep
746." His mean position (two
observations) matches
******************************
17 13 44.6 -37
06 12
V = 9.7; Size 83"x24"
18"
(7/22/06): fascinating view unfiltered at 325x. In the center is a very high surface brightness
"core" of only 10"-12" in diameter that brightens slightly
to the center and is encased in a larger, fainter envelope. Extending from the central core are two
remarkable wings oriented WSW-ENE.
The following wing is much shorter but slightly brighter and this
extension abruptly shoots towards the southeast near the end. The much longer preceding wing heads
WSW and is cut by a darker lane that detaches the western tip.
17.5"
(6/30/00): at 280x (unfiltered) the Bug Nebula is a remarkable, high surface
brightness object, elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, ~2.0x0.7'. The intensely bright 10" core appears elongated SW-NE
and is offset to the east of center. A quasi-stellar nucleus sharpens to a
stellar point when the seeing steadies (this is not the central star,
though). The western wing is
longer and is nearly split at the midpoint by a dark slash oriented N-S with a
brighter condensation at the west end.
The shorter eastern wing is more pinched and just past its midpoint
there is a kink and it angles towards the SE.
13.1"
(7/27/84): structure highly suspected with the western extension cut by a dark
lane. The eastern extension bends
north following the core.
13.1" (7/5/83):
bright, fairly small, elongated E-W, very high surface brightness. Subtle structure but the western
extension is notably longer, brighter and possibly cut by a dark lane.
8"
(6/27/81): fairly bright, small, elongated, bright core and brighter along the
western extension.
E.E. Barnard
discovered NGC 6302 in 1880 with his 5-inch refractor. He described "A small flickering
indefinite nebula slightly elongated (e and w) with 5-inch refractor."
This was the first nebula that Barnard found, though the discovery was not
published until 1884 (AN 108, 369 and Sidereal Messenger, Vol 2, p226). He noted "Prof. Swift, with his 16
inch refractor finds it to be a triple and elongated; its major axis nearly perpendicular
to the meridian; a smaller nebula at each end, one of which is exceedingly
faint. Its place is from one
observation with the meridian circle." In 1892 Barnard made a detailed observation and sketch with
the 36-inch refractor at Lick Observatory (See
http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1906AN....173..123B). As far as the popular nickname, Barnard
comments "from its singular appearance, I have called it the "Bug
Nebula".
Dreyer noted
"seems to be Dunlop 567 [found on 5 Jun 1826]" in the IC 1
Notes. Dunlop's description reads
"a very faint small ill-defined nebula, with a small star in it, with two
small stars south of it, but not involved." If this description applies to NGC 6302, his position was
particularly bad -- 1.1° NE of the planetary. But Glen Cozens, in a 2010 article in the "Journal of
Astronomical History and Heritage" states "D567 is an asterism, not
the planetary nebula NGC 6302, as suggested by Hartung." It's surprising the John Herschel
missed this bright planetary during his sweeps.
******************************
17 05 02.9 +68
49 40
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60d
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6303 = Sw I-54 on 14 Oct 1884 and noted "vvF; cE; pL;
nearly bet. 2 stars."
There is nothing near his position. Bigourdan's "corrected" position on 15 Sep 1890
(repeated in the IC 2 Notes) refers to a star.
Harold Corwin
equates
******************************
17 14 32.5 -29
27 44
V = 8.4; Size 6.8'; Surf Br = 1.7
17.5"
(8/27/92): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated E-W. The brightest portion is 2' diameter
although a very faint halo increases the diameter to 3'-3.5'. Appears flattened on the south
side. There was no significant
central condensation although the central region was very mottled and a few
faint mag 15-15.5 stars popped in and out of view. Within the faint halo 10-20 very faint mag 15-16 stars are
just resolved.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6304 = H I-147 = h3670 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 559) and recorded
"vB, R, gmbM, between 2 & 3' dia. A very pretty object.
A miniature of M62."
His position is accurate.
JH made two observations from the Cape of Good Hope and described the
cluster on sweep 478 as "B; R; at first s, the vgvlbM; brighter part 2'
diam; but there is a much fainter portion which extends a good deal further;
stars 16-17 mag."
******************************
17 18 00.5 -59
10 18
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 133d
14" (4/3/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x and 230x): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated,
20"x15" (probably the core region). Two mag 13.5-14 stars just off the north side are collinear
with the galaxy. Located 32' NNW
of mag 5.9
The Stingray
Nebula (He 3-1357), the youngest known planetary nebula, lies 23' SW. It appeared ~13th magnitude and was
stellar up to 230x. It was easy to
confirm by blinking with an NPB filter at 184x. A mag 10.8 star is 35" W and provided an excellent
comparison. This star is noticeably brighter unfiltered, but dimmer after
inserting an NPB filter, so there was a very good filter response due to its
strong OIII lines.
Up until around
1980, He 3-1357 was an ordinary
The brightening
of the nebula likely stopped in the early 1990’s with the turn-off of the fast
stellar wind associated with the 1980s ionization event. The fading of the
nebula started afterwards in the early 1990s. At this time, the central star
underwent fast fading and its illumination of the nebula declined from V =
~10.5 to currently ~12.5.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6305 = h3669 on 5 Jul 1836 and logged "vF; vS; R; glbM;
12"." RNGC classifies
this galaxies as an unverified southern object.
******************************
NGC 6306 = UGC
10724 = MCG +10-24-098 = CGCG 299-053 = Holm 769b Kaz 5 = PGC 59654
17 07 37.1 +60
43 42
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 166d
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated ~N-S, bright core. Forms a close pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6306 = Sw II-51 on 8 Jul 1885 and recorded "vF; vS;
lE. Close to 4278 [
******************************
NGC 6307 = UGC
10727 = MCG +10-24-099 = CGCG 299-054 = Holm 769a = PGC 59655
17 07 40.6 +60
45 02
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 145d
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, bright core. A mag 13.5 star is at the north end
0.5' from center. Forms a close
pair with NGC 6306 1.4' SW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6307, along with NGC 6310, on 27 Oct 1861 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen (first night he made discoveries with this
telescope). He noted the mag 13
star at the north end (measured at 20") and his position is accurate.
******************************
17 11 59.8 +23
22 47
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~N-S, diffuse. A mag 15 star is at the north edge 0.7'
from center. First and largest of
three with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6308 = m 332, along with NGC 6314 and 6315, on 6 Jun 1863 and
noted "vF, S, R, sbM."
These were the first three galaxies he discovered with William Lassell's
48-inch on Malta.
******************************
17 14 04.2 -12
54 39
V = 11.5; Size 52"
24"
(8/13/15): this very bright, bipolar, compact planetary was viewed at 375x and
500x. The two lobes are extended at least 3:2 NNW-SSE with an overall size of
~25"x16" and create a pear shape. A bright, roundish lobe is on the NNW side and a 12th
magnitude star is off this side in the direction of the major axis [22"
from center]. The smaller lobe on
the SSE end is slightly fainter and separated by a small darker gap near the
center. A mag 15 star is just off
the west edge [14" from center].
An extremely faint outer shell or extension was just visible, bulging
out on the east side perhaps 10", and creating an asymmetric appearance.
24"
(7/16/15): excellent view at 450x unfiltered. The larger and brighter lobe on the north-northwest end
appeared roughly circular and slightly brighter along the outer rim. The smaller knot on the south-southeast
end is slightly irregular and the nebulosity dims near the center. A mag 12 star is just north of the
north-northwest end.
18"
(7/22/06): superb view at 807x!
This bipolar elongated planetary appears pear-shaped with the brighter,
larger lobe on the north-northwest end and a smaller, slightly fainter nodule
on the south-southeast end. The
nebulosity dims between the lobes but there appears to be a very small bridge
of faint haze bridging the knots.
18"
(7/20/06): at 325x this bi-lobed planetary is striking with a mag 12 star
situated just off the northwest edge.
The PN is elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE in the direction of the neighboring
star. At the north-northwest end
is the larger and brighter lobe with a smaller, fainter condensation forming
the south-southeast end. A very
faint irregular halo encases the entire structure. In moments of better seeing (overall the seeing was poor),
the lobes were nearly resolved.
17.5"
(6/30/00): at 280x using a UHC filter, this bright but compact PN was elongated
2:1 in the direction of a 12th magnitude star at the NNW edge, with dimensions
of ~25"x12". There is a
large, bright lobe or condensation at the north end with a smaller, fainter
knot at the SSE end. At moments
the lobes appear completely "resolved" with a darker gap in the
center. The view at 500x was
excellent! The fainter southern
lobe appears elongated and slightly offset from the major axis of the PN. The lobes are bisected by a darker lane
oriented SW-NE and oblique to the minor axis. The brighter knot at the north end has a mottled appearance
and irregular shape.
13"
(7/27/84): moderately bright, small, elongated NNW-SSE. A mag 12 star is at the NNW edge
20" from the center. Appears
slightly brighter or a condensation is at the SSE end.
Wilhelm Tempel
discovered NGC 6309 = T I-46 in 1876.
His first position in list I (AN 93, p. 59) was approximate but he later
measured an accurate position (given in list V-31). Edward Pickering found the planetary on 15 Jul 1882 with the
15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory using a direct-vision
spectroscope and noted "nebula found by Tempel (GC 4851). Tempel's
description 'between 2 stars' does not seem applicable." There is only one close star. Herbert Howe described NGC 6309 as a
close double nebula, using the 20-inch refractor in Denver. NGC 6309 is the only planetary
discovered by Tempel.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "at first sight this
nebula appears binuclear, but the southern condensation is not stellar. Quite irregular; about
19"x10" in p.a. 163°.
The southern condensation is 7.5" from the central star."
******************************
NGC 6310 = UGC
10730 = MCG +10-24-100 = CGCG 299-055 = PGC 59662
17 07 57.6 +60
59 24
V = 13.1; Size 2.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 69d
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 5:1 WSW-ENE, 1.5'x0.3', small
bright core.
Heinrich d'Arrest
discovered NGC 6310, along with NGC 6307, on 27 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch
refractor at Copenhagen (first night he made discoveries with this
telescope). Lewis Swift
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 8 Jul 1885 and reported it as new in
list II-52. His description reads
"pF; vE; 3 stars in line point to it. nf of 2 [with NGC 6306]." Dreyer assumed this observation referred to NGC 6307, and
references Swift as an "Other Observer" for NGC 6307. It's possible, though, that Swift's
II-51 refers to NGC 6307.
******************************
17 10 43.7 +41
39 04
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, small, irregularly round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6311 = St VII-11 on 30 Jun 1876. His position is very accurate.
******************************
17 10 48.1 +42
17 15
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, small, round, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is 0.7' NW of center.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6312 = St X-31 on 25 Jul 1879. His position is accurate.
******************************
17 10 20.9 +48
19 53
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 156d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, edge-on NNW-SSE. Bracketed between two mag 14 stars at the north tip and off
the south end 0.8' from center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6313 = Sw IX-74 on 21 Apr 1887 and recorded "eeF; vS; F *
on each side in meridian."
Both stars are mentioned in my observation. The discovery was relayed directly to Dreyer as he was
compiling the NGC and referenced as list VI in the NGC, though Swift published
the discovery a couple of years later in list IX.
******************************
NGC 6314 = UGC
10752 = MCG +04-40-022 = CGCG 139-044 = PGC 59838
17 12 38.7 +23
16 12
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175d
17.5":
fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, small bright core, substellar
nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC
6315 3.3' SE. NGC 6308 lies 11.2'
NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6314 = m 333, along with NGC 6308 and 6315, on 6 Jun 1863 and
noted "F, vS, R, bM."
These were the first three galaxies he discovered with William Lassell's
48-inch on Malta and his position is accurate.
******************************
17 12 46.1 +23
13 25
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5": very
faint, very small, 30" diameter, low surface brightness, slightly
elongated. A mag 14 star is off
the NW edge 0.8' from center. Last
and faintest of three with NGC 6314 3.3' NW and NGC 6308 14' NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6315 = m 334, along with NGC 6308 and 6314, on 6 Jun 1863 and
noted "eF, S." These
were the first three galaxies he discovered with William Lassell's 48-inch on
Malta and his position is fairly accurate.
******************************
17 16 37.4 -28
08 24
V = 9.0; Size 4.9'; Surf Br = 1.7
17.5"
(8/27/92): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 2' diameter, broad
concentration with no distinct core.
This globular was mottled across the disc but only a marginal resolution
into a few mag 16 stars was visible.
A brighter mag 12 field star is off the SE edge by 1'. Also two mag 13 field stars are at the
SW side and 2' W of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6316 = H I-45 = h3671 on 24 May 1784 (sweep 224) and recorded
"B, R, mbM, but the brightness decreasing very gradually. A faintish dusky
red colour is still perceptible.
It is a perfect miniature of the former miniature [NGC 6293, which is
itself a miniature cluster of the 19th of the Connoissance des
Temps." So he recognized NGC
6316 as a distant globular.
Dunlop probably
observed the globular on 13 May 1826, recording "a very small faint round
nebula, about 8" or 10" diameter, bright in the centre. There is a
very small star south of the nebula, distant about 10" from it, but it is not
involved or connected with the nebula." Observed once, and his position is 36' too far
east-southeast, so his identification is not certain.
JH made two
observations from the Cape of Good Hope.
On 30 Jul 1834 he recorded "globular, B, R, gbM, resolvable,
90", has 2 small stars very near." On a later sweep he logged "globular, pB, S, R, pgvmbM,
2', resolved into stars 16..17th mag."
******************************
17 08 59.5 +62
53 53
V = 15.0; Size 1.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.1
17.5"
(7/9/88): extremely faint, small, oval ~E-W, low even surface brightness. A mag 15 star is off the north side
51" from center. Pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6317 = Sw I-55, along with NGC 6319, on 2 Jun 1883 and recorded
"eeF; S; R; F * nr; sp of 2 [with NGC 6319]." His position is 14 seconds of RA too
large and the faint star is ~50" north. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 7 Sep 1888, which
Dreyer repeated in the IC 2 Notes. MCG and UGC (notes section) fail to label
this galaxy as NGC 6317.
******************************
17 16 12 -39 25
30
Size 4'
13.1"
(7/27/84): large, fairly rich group of stars mag 11 and fainter, fairly
prominent, elongated N-S. The NGC
RA is 1.6 tmin too far east and this cluster is misplotted on U2000.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6318 = D 522 = h3672 on 13 May 1826 and described "an
exceedingly faint nebula, about 1.5' long and 1' broad, elliptical in the
direction of the meridian, with two or three very small stars in
it.". Dunlop made 4
observations and his published position is 18' too far east. JH observed the cluster on 5 Jun 1834
and wrote "cluster VII class. Rich, pL, R, gbM, stars 12...14th mag, not a
globular." He gave a very
approximate position (nearest minute +/- in RA and arcmin of Dec). In the GC, JH improved the position,
but it is still 1.5 minutes of time too large. Gösta Lynga (open cluster catalogue) and
******************************
NGC 6319 = UGC
10744 = MCG +11-21-010 = CGCG 321-015 = PGC 59717
17 09 44.1 +62
58 23
V = 13.5; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.4
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with difficult NGC 6317
6.8' SW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6319 = Sw I-56, along with NGC 6317, on 14 May 1885 and noted
"vS; vF; lbM; nf of 2 [with NGC 6317]." His position is 25 seconds of time too small. Bigourdan measured a fairly accurate
position on 7 Sep 1888, which Dreyer repeated in the IC 2 Notes. MCG fails to identify this galaxy as
NGC 6319.
******************************
17 12 55.8 +40
15 58
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 85d
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, slightly elongated E-W, 0.8'x0.6', low even surface
brightness, very diffuse. A mag 14
star is attached on the south side, 25" from the center.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6320 = St IV-1 on 27 Jul 1872. His position is accurate.
******************************
17 14 24.3 +20
18 50
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, moderately large, round, almost even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is at the west edge
40" from center and a mag 13 star 1.0' SE of center.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6321 = St II-13 on 14 Jul 1871. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
17 18 26 -42 56
00
V = 6.0; Size 10'
14" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 71x and 184x): very distinctive, eye-catching cluster outlined
by a very bright equilateral triangle (sides, 6', 6', 7') consisting of mag 7.6
8"
(7/16/82): consists of a near equilateral triangle of mag 7.5, 7.6 and 7.8
stars (sides ~7') with roughly 12 faint stars scattered nearby, moderately
large.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6322 = h3673 on 1 Jun 1834 and recorded "vl cl VII. class,
of loose st, on a v rich ground of S stars. The chief *, 6m, at the nf edge taken. The next sweep 2 nights later he logged
"Coarse B cluster VII mainly included within an equilateral triangle
formed by 3 B stars 5 and 6m. The
nf of these taken."
******************************
17 13 18.1 +43
46 57
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 172d
18"
(7/27/03): faint, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 ~N-S, 0.6'x0.15'. Contains a small brighter core. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.9' NW. Second of 8 in the
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, small, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, weak
concentration. First of five in a
group with NGC 6329 12' ESE and
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6323 = St VII-12 on 12 Jul 1876. His position is very accurate.
******************************
17 05 25.1 +75
24 26
V = 12.8; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 78d
17.5"
(5/14/88): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, diffuse, small
brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6324 = H III-945 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1071) and logged
"vF, S, E. I saw it also with
320x. A small star is south of it;
a 2nd is preceding and a 3rd following." His description is a perfect match with
******************************
17 17 59.2 -23
45 58
V = 10.7; Size 4.3'; Surf Br = 2.8
17.5"
(5/30/92): fairly faint, small, 2' diameter, slightly mottled but no
resolution, weak central concentration.
At 412x appears very granular with a brighter core that is offset to the
west. A faint star visible off the
WSW edge of the halo may be a field star.
Located 30' N of the double star 39 (Omicron) Ophiuchi (5.4/6.9 at 10").
8"
(6/27/81): very faint, weak concentration, small, no resolution.
John Herschel discovered
NGC 6325 = h3676 on 24 May 1835 and logged "pF; R; gbM; r; 60". No doubt it is a globular
cluster." His single position
is good.
******************************
17 20 46.3 -51
45 16
V = 11.1; Size 16"x11"
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): very bright, small, round compact PN in a
dense field of stars. A couple of
mag 13-14 stars are just off the north and east sides. At 171x and UHC filter,
the crisply defined periphery is slightly elongated and evenly illuminated with
no hint of a central star. The diameter appears to be ~15" with a V mag of
approximately 10.5. Located 3.5°
NE of gc
James Dunlop
possibly discovered NGC 6326 = D 381 = h3675 on 26 Aug 1826 and described
"an extremely faint small nebula, about 12" diameter, with a bright
point in the centre." The
size certainly fits, though his position was off by 24' (too far east) and this
identification is uncertain.
JH gave two very
detailed observations. On 19 Jun
1835 he logged "planetary nebula, delicate, F, vS, diam = 6 or 7
arcseconds, exactly round, perfectly uniform (as respects the graduation of the
light from the centre to the edges), but the light a very little curdled. Not
the slightest haziness, but like a star out of focus. 320x shows rather more fur at the edges than I think it
would to a planet of equal size and light. Its light is = a star 10-11th mag.
It would be quite useless to look for this object under less favourable
circumstances -- of instrument and sky. A night of gloriously perfect
definition! It is in a very rich place. There are 40 or 50 small stars in
field. Measures of the two companions; 1st pos = 351 degrees, dist = 1 diam
from edge, star = 14th mag; 2nd pos = 91.4, dist = 2/3 diam, star = 13th mag.
Showed it to my attendant, J Stone, who saw it well". His sketch in on Plate VI, figure 6.
In a later sweep
(6 Jun 1837) the comment was added "Referring to the description of D 381,
I see no ground to suppose that this can by possibility have been the object
intended by that place and description.
At all events the remarkable planetary character has escaped notice by
the author of that description."
******************************
NGC 6327 = CGCG
225-074 = PGC 59889
17 14 02.3 +43
38 57
V = 15.0; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.4
18"
(7/27/03): very faint, small sliver oriented ~NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.15'. Squeezed between two mag 13/14 stars
0.8' N and 0.6' S with a 3rd mag 13 star 1.6' E. Third of 8 galaxies in a group and situated 3.2' SW of NGC
6329.
17.5"
(8/1/89): extremely faint and small, round. Located between a mag 14.5 star at the southern tip 0.6'
from center and a mag 13 star 0.8' N of center. Located 3.2' SW of NGC 6329 and the second of five in a
group.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6327 = St VII-13 on 18 Jul 1876. His position is very accurate.
******************************
17 23 41.0 -65
00 37
V = 12.3; Size 2.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 157d
14" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 184x): fairly faint, fairly small oval NNW-SSE, 0.8'x0.5',
broad weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. Mag 8.9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6328 = h3674 on 2 May 1835 and recorded "vF; R; gbM;
15". He logged it again on 20
Jun 1835 and noted, "vF; vS; lE; lbM; 15" l, 12" br." His position matches
******************************
NGC 6329 = UGC
10771 = MCG +07-35-051 = CGCG 225-077 = PGC 59894
17 14 15.0 +43
41 05
V = 12.8; Size 1.8'x1.8'; Surf Br = 14.1
18"
(7/27/03): fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.7' diameter. Contains a small bright core that
increases to a distinct stellar nucleus.
Fourth of 8 galaxies and second brightest in the
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Third of five in a group with NGC 6327
3.2' SW and NGC 6332 8.1' ESE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6329 = St VII-14 on 11 Jul 1876. His position is accurate. A week later he discovered NGC 6327 to the southwest.
******************************
17 15 44.6 +29
24 13
V = 14.0; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 160d
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, fairly small, edge-on N-S. A mag 15 star is just off the NE end 35" from
center. Located 4.8' SSE of mag
8.5
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6330 = St XI-54 on 12 Jun 1880. His position is on the east side of the galaxy.
******************************
17 03 34.1 +78
37 48
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 126d
24"
(8/7/13): brightest member of Abell Galaxy Cluster 2256 and first in a 6'
string to the east containing a total of 6 galaxies. At 375x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, oval 5:3 NW-SE,
~30"x18", broad concentration, brighter core. This is a very close double system (two
nuclei on the SDSS) with a companion on the NW side. A mag 13 star lies 1.8' E and this star is attached on the
southwest side of
UGC 10726: faint
to fairly faint, irregularly round, ~35" diameter, broad weak
concentration. This galaxy and NGC
6331 are the two largest in the cluster.
MCG +13-12-019:
faint, fairly small, round, 18" diameter.
PGC 59471:
extremely faint and small, only 6" diameter.
MCG +13-12-020:
very faint, small, round, 18" diameter, low even surface brightness. A mag 11.3 star is 1.4' E.
PGC 59495: very
faint, extremely small, round, 10" diameter.
18"
(7/5/08): at 280x, appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE
(a very faint companion at the WNW end may contribute to the impression of
elongation), 40"x20", even surface brightness. Brightest in the core of distant AGC
2256 (~800 million light years) with 6 faint companions picked up within
6'. NGC 6331 is the first in a
3.7' curving chain of 5 galaxies extending to the east. A mag 13.9 star lies within this chain
1.7' E.
17.5"
(5/14/88): faint, small, elongated NW-SE.
A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' E.
UGC 10726 lies 2.7' E. This
is the brightest galaxy in
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6331 = H III-951 on 20 Dec 1797 (sweep 1075) and noted "eF,
S, better with 320 power." The
NGC position is ~3' southwest of
This galaxy is
certainly one of the most distant in the NGC at 800 million light years (z =
.059), although it is relatively easy to view, so must be intrinsically
extremely bright.
******************************
NGC 6332 = UGC
10773 = MCG +07-35-054 = CGCG 225-082 = PGC 59927
17 15 02.9 +43
39 36
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 42d
18"
(7/27/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 or 4:3 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.7',
broad concentration to a slightly brighter core. Two mag 14 stars are 1.3' and 1.7' NW. Appears slightly more prominent than
NGC 6329 8.7' WNW and these two galaxies are the brightest in a group of 8
galaxies ~50' NW of M92. Located
6' SW of mag 9.4
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, even surface
brightness. NGC 6329 lies 8.7'
WNW. Fourth of five in a group.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6332 = St VII-15 on 11 Jul 1876. His declination is slightly off, but Emmanuel Esmiol
correction the position in his 1916 re-reduction ("Réduction des
Observations de Nébuleuses Découvertes par M. Stephan").
******************************
17 19 11.7 -18
30 59
V = 7.6; Size 9.3'; Surf Br = 1.2
17.5"
(8/1/92): at 220x, bright, fairly large, 4' diameter. The bright core is elongated N-S somewhat like M4. The outliers or unrelated field stars
appear to extend the halo E-W. The
halo is fairly well resolved into two dozen mag 13.5-14.5 stars. The core is very mottled and lively and
just breaks up into numerous, densely packed mag 14-15 stars. At 420x, the core is easily
well-resolved and two very close double stars are at the west and east edges of
the halo. The dark nebula
13.1"
(6/19/82): the central region is very bright and mottled. A number of faint stars are resolved in
the outer region of the core at 150x as well as a number of stragglers.
8": very
mottled, few stars resolved at edges at high power especially on the east
side. Dark nebula B64 is close
SW.
Charles Messier
discovered
WH's first
observed this globular on 3 May 1783 with an 8-inch (10-foot focal length) and
noted "With a power of 250, I see several stars in it, and make no doubt a
higher power, and more light, will resolve it all into stars. This seems to be
a good nebula for the purpose of establishing the connection between nebulae
and clusters of stars in general."
Using his 18.7-inch on 18 June 1784 (sweep 230) at 157x, he recorded
"A vL and vB cluster of excessively compressed stars. The stars are but
just visible, and are of unequal magnitudes: the large stars are red; and the cluster
is a miniature of [M53]. Again on
28 May 1786, he reported "a cluster of extremely compressed, excessively
small stars, with a very few scattered one chiefly to the north of it."
******************************
17 20 53 -36 04
21
Size 40'x30'
18"
(7/17/07): The "Cat's Paw Nebula" is a fascinating HII complex and
molecular cloud (RCW 17) with several distinct sections. At 73x and OIII or UHC
filter, the brightest section or toe is on the southeast side (NGC 6334 = Gum
62) and consists of a 4'-5' glow extending mostly north of a mag 8.5 star (HD
156738) at 17 20.9 -36 04 (2000).
The nebulosity appears weaker on the SW side of the star and slightly
brighter wrapping around the eastern side of the star. John Herschel only described this
section of the entire RCW 127 complex.
A second large
section or toe forming the southwest component (VdBH 86 = Gum 61) lies 13' to
the west and consists of a faint, 5' glow involving a 17" pair (
A group of
smaller pieces forming the northeast toe (Gum 64b) is 12'-15' N of the brighter
SE section. First is an obvious 2'
glow surrounding a mag 10 star (
Finally, midway
between Gum 64b and Gum 61 a small extremely faint detached glow (Gum 64a) was
glimpsed close SE of a mag 11 star at 17 20.1 -35 57.
13.1"
(7/5/83): fairly easy nebulosity surrounds mag 8 star with UHC filter and
extends 30' N. This is an
unusually large nebulosity, mostly visible surrounding stars and includes a
close faint triple star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6334 = h3678 on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "pB; vL, v irr
oval, in which, though eccentric is a *8, whose place is that taken. One side of the neb is brighter than
the other." The next night he
called this nebula "vF; vL; vglbM; 5'x4', out of M is a *8.9 or 9 mag, whose
place is taken. The densest part
of the nebula follows this star 4.5 sec on the same parallel."
Massive HII
region/molecular cloud complex with five distinct centers of massive star
formation.
The nickname
"Cat's Paw" apparently is from astrophotographer Jerry
Lodriguss. He writes "I
believe that I was also the one who actually gave the "Cat's Paw"
nebula its popular name. I started calling it that because of its resemblance
to, of all things, a cat's paw (!), and because of its proximity to the
"Cat's Eyes", Lambda and Upsilon Scorpii. I think the name was first
published in an article I wrote in Sky and Telescope magazine in August of
1998, and documented in Hartmut Frommert's "A Collection of Some Common
Names for Deep Sky Objects" on the SEDS web site."
******************************
17 19 32 -30 09
54
24"
(7/7/13): at 125x this Milky Way field (roughly 15') includes a mix of faint
and moderately bright stars overlaying a bright Milky Way background glow. Includes a 6' string, oriented NW to
SE, of mag 11-12 stars as well as a group of a half-dozen stars mag 9.5-12
stars (brightest is
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6335 = h3679 on 27 Jun 1837 and recorded "The whole lower
end of the zone is strongly affected with nebulous patches." There is no distinguishable cluster or
nebula at his position, though Harold Corwin notes "the Southern Sky
Survey films show a patchy field of star clouds, defined by the dust of dark
nebulae. It is apparently these star clouds that JH saw in the summer of 1837,
giving him the impression of patchy nebulosity all through his
field." Herbert Howe was
unable to find NGC 6335, searching on a good night with both the 20-inch
refractor and its 5-inch finder in Denver.
JH's original
Cape position is 4° too far south, but he made a correction to the declination
on his errata page at the end of the CGH.
The corrected position was used in his GC and copied by Dreyer from
there into the NGC.
******************************
17 16 16.6 +43
49 14
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 170d
18"
(7/27/03): faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S or NNW-SSE, 0.7'x0.5'. The outer halo is ill-defined but
contains a slightly brighter, rounder core ~15" diameter. Located 2.5' N of mag 10 SAO
46594. Last of 8 galaxies in the
NGC 6329/6332 group (5 NGCs).
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, small bright core. Last in a group of five NGC galaxies
located roughly 50' NW of M92.
Located 2.5' N of mag 10
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6336 = St VII-16.
His position is accurate.
******************************
17 22 15.6 -38
29 01
V = 12.0; Size 49"x45"
18"
(7/16/07): at 220x and UHC filter the "Cheerio Nebula" is a gorgeous
annular planetary, ~45" diameter with a large, dark circular hole of
25"-30" diameter. The
rim is uneven in surface brightness and perhaps brighter on the northeast
side. A mag 12.5 star is inside
the northeast rim and a similar mag star is off the southwest side, along with
a mag 13.5 companion. An extremely
faint star is on the SSW edge of rim.
At 323x, the striking rim appears brighter in a 50-60° arc centered on
the brighter star on the NE side.
The amount of structure was surprising given the low altitude at -38.4°
declination.
17.5"
(6/30/00): very pretty annular planetary at 280x, ~45" and set in a rich
star field. A mag 12 star is
superimposed on the inner edge of the NE rim and an extremely faint star is
symmetrically placed at the SW edge.
The darker hole is 20"-25" diameter and perfectly circular. The outer rim appears irregularly lit.
13.1"
(5/30/87): at 166x with a UHC filter appears fairly faint, fairly small,
roundish. Slightly darker center
(annular) with averted vision although the contrast with the rim is low due to
the elevation. No central star
seen.
13.1"
(7/5/83): at 144x-166x appears fairly small, faint but fairly easy, darker
center (annular), somewhat like a smaller and dimmer version of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6337 = h3680 on 28 Jun 1834 and recorded an "Annular
Nebula. A delicate, eF, but
perfectly well defined annulus 15-20" diameter. The field crowded with stars, two of which are on the nebula
(see figure 3, Plate VI." A
later observation records "A beautiful delicate ring, of a faint
ghost-like appearance, about 40" diameter; in a field of about 150 stars,
11 and 12 mag and under. In it is
one *12 mag very conspicuous, and one 15 mag much less so. Near it are two stars 14 and 15 mag,
and south of it at distance 60" is another."
******************************
17 15 23.0 +57
24 40
V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15d
24"
(7/21/17): NGC 6338 is the brightest in a compact group of 10 galaxies that was
viewed at 375x. It appeared
bright, moderately large, slightly
elongated ~N-S, 1.25'x1.0'.
Moderately concentrated with a bright core that increases to a small
brighter nucleus.
The following
galaxies lie within 7' distance:
18" (7/12/07):
brightest in a compact group of 7 galaxies (WBL 636 = NGC 6338 Group) viewed
within a 10' circle. At 262x,
appears fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.4', broad weak
concentration. A 22" pair of
mag 13 stars lies 2' N.
Forms a close
pair with
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, broad concentration. Brightest in a group with NGC 6345 4' S
and NGC 6346 6' S in field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6338 = H II-812 on 24 Apr 1789 (last object in sweep 928) and
noted "F, S, R, vglbM. The
increase at a distance from the center." His position (CH's reduction) is 30 sec of RA west of UGC
10784. Bigourdan measured an
accurate RA and noted the NGC RA was 16 seconds too small in the 18 Jan 1897
Comptes Rendus paper.
MCG
misidentifies CGCG 299-067 (just north) as NGC 6338 and labels NGC 6338 as NGC
6345. Error noted by Malcolm
Thomson.
******************************
17 17 06.5 +40
50 41
V = 12.7; Size 2.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 10d
24"
(7/16/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, large, overall low surface
brightness but contains an easily visible "bar" 3:1 or 4:1 WNW-ESE,
~25"x7". The large,
roundish halo is slightly elongated N-S and contained a hint of (spiral)
structure.
13.1"
(6/18/85): large, slightly elongated.
Very diffuse appearance with a broad concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6339 = Sw IX-78, along with NGC 6343, on 21 Apr 1887 and
recorded "vF; pL; iR; sp of 2 [with NGC 6343]." His position is 6 seconds of time too
large and 1.8' north of
******************************
17 10 25.1 +72
18 17
V = 11.0; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 120d
17.5"
(7/16/93): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated WNW-ESE,
2.2'x1.8', prominent bright core, stellar nucleus with direct vision. A double star mag 11.5/12.5 is off the
NW edge 1.7' from core. Forms a
trio with
IC 1251 was
recorded as "faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 4:3 ~E-W, fairly low
almost even surface brightness.
Located in a string of stars which ends at the double star adjacent to
NGC 6340 6' SSE." IC 1254 was
described as "faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, even surface
brightness. Slightly fainter than
IC 1251 6' W."
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly bright, moderately large, round, very small bright core. A wide mag 11/12 double star is 2'
NW. Brightest of three with IC
1251 and IC 1254 in field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6340 = H II-767 = h1980 on 6 Jun 1788 (sweep 847) and recorded
"pB, pL, vgmbM, R." JH
made the single observation "vF; R; gbM; 25" sf a small double star
2' dist."
******************************
17 17 07.2 +43 08
11
V = 6.5; Size 11.2'; Surf Br = 0.1
18"
(7/24/06): at 435x the cluster overfilled the 9' field with several hundred
stars resolved stars. The 3' to 4'
core itself was highly resolved into roughly 100 densely packed stars
(including a very compact knot of stars) with long streams of stars appearing
to spiral out from the core.
17.5": very
bright, large, very high resolution of 150-200 stars many in curving
lanes. A tight knot of stars in
the core is resolved.
13"
(6/29/84): highly resolution over entire disc, dozens of stars resolved in
bright core. A bright knot in the
core is partially resolved at 416x.
8"
(7/9/80): very bright, moderately large.
Well resolved into many long streamers from the small bright nucleus and
some core resolution.
Johann Bode
discovered M92 = NGC 6341 on 27 Dec 1777.
Charles Messier independently rediscovered M92 on 18 Mar 1781. WH's earliest observation was on 25 Aug
1783 using his 12-inch, calling it "A most beautiful sight. I can count 50 or 60 stars besides
numberless that only distinguish themselves by twinkling..." JH has no observations listed in his
Slough Catalogue. Christian Peters
reported finding it around 1850, while at Capodimonte Observatory in Naples and
claimed it did not appear in any of the books.
******************************
17 21 10.1 -19
35 15
V = 9.9; Size 3.0'; Surf Br = 1.4
18"
(7/26/06): at 325x this small 2' globular was well concentrated to a fairly
bright 40" core. A mag 12.5
star is off the SW side of the halo, ~1.5' from the center. Perhaps a half dozen stars are resolved
in the halo including three close stars on the NE side. Additional stars are sometimes visible
in the WSW side and the north side of the halo. The core is very mottled and there is a strong impression of
a couple of star lanes below the threshold of visibility. Located 70' SE of M9.
17.5"
(7/27/92): moderately bright, fairly small, 2' diameter with an irregular
outline, increases to fairly well-defined bright core, mottled. A mag 12 is just off the south tip and
a very faint extension or lane extends towards this star. One or two very faint stars mag 14.5-15
are at the NE edge. A less
well-defined extension to the SW includes one or two threshold stars. The cluster has a lively appearance but
there was no additional resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6342 = H I-149 on 28 May 1786 (sweep 569) and recorded "cB,
lE, pS, easily resolvable." His position is at the northwest edge of the globular.
******************************
NGC 6343 = MCG
+07-35-060 = CGCG 225-095 = PGC 60010
17 17 16.3 +41
03 10
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6
13.1"
(6/18/85): faint, small, round, compact.
Located 12.5' NNE of brighter NGC 6339.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6343 = Sw IX-79, along with NGC 6339, on 21 Apr 1887 and
recorded "vF; S; lE; nf of 2 [with NGC 6339]." His position is 10 seconds of time too
large and 1.4' north of
******************************
17 17 18.2 +42
26 03
17.5"
(8/1/89): this is a pair of mag 12/13 stars just 1' S of
Gerhard Lohse
discovered NGC 6344 around 1886 with the 15.5-inch refractor at the private
Wigglesworth Observatory in England and communicated directly to Dreyer. The NGC description states "F, S,
R, *12 nf, nr." At his
position is a wide mag 13.5/12.5 pair at 23" that Harold Corwin identifies
as NGC 6344. From his description
"*12 nf", though, it appears the fainter southwest star is NGC
6344. In any case, considering
Lohse's poor record of logging double stars as nebulous, this identification is
fairly certain.
RNGC and PGC
misidentify PGC 60004 as NGC 6344.
This galaxy is only 1' north of Lohse's micrometric position, but Harold
Corwin feels it is too faint to have been picked up by Lohse - and there is no
nearby mag 12 star north-following.
HyperLeda now classifies NGC 6344 as a double star.
******************************
NGC 6345 = MCG
+10-24-115 = CGCG 299-065 = WBL 636-005 = PGC 59945
17 15 24.3 +57
21 01
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 33d
24"
(7/21/17): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE,
~30"x10", very small bright core. Lies on a N-S line between
18"
(7/12/07): faint, small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.2', weak
concentration with a slightly brighter core. Located 3.6' S of NGC 6338 in a compact group. Forms a close pair with NGC 6346 1.7' S
and IC 1252 lies 3.6' E.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, elongated SW-NE, small bright core. Member of a close trio with NGC 6346 2'
S and NGC 6338 4' N.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6345 = Sw VI-91, along with NGC 6346, on 13 May 1887 and
recorded "eeeF; vS; R; eee diff; middle of 3, one being [GC] 4291 [= NGC
6338]." His position is 2'
north of
MCG mislabels
NGC 6345 as NGC 6346 (error noted by Malcolm Thomson). Swift's position for NGC 6346, given as
2' south of NGC 6345, happens to fall on NGC 6345, causing the confusion.
******************************
NGC 6346 = MCG
+10-24-114 = CGCG 299-064 = WBL 636-004 = PGC 59946
17 15 24.5 +57
19 21
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d
24"
(7/21/17): at 375x; fairly faint or moderately bright, fairly small, slightly
elongated E-W, ~30"x25", gradually increases to the center. At the south end of a north-south
string with NGC 6345 1.7' N and NGC 6338 5.3' N.
IC 1252 lies
4.4' NE and
18"
(7/12/07): faint, small, oval, 0.5'x0.35', broad weak concentration. Forms a
close pair with NGC 6345 1.7' N.
Located 5' S of NGC 6338 in a group.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated ~E-W, gradually brighter
halo. Forms a close pair with NGC
6345 2' N in a NGC 6338 group.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6346, along with NGC 6345, on 13 May 1887. Swift must have communicated the
position (2' south of NGC 6345) directly to Dreyer and his entry in list VI-91
is for NGC 6345 and he only mentioned a third galaxy (no position) along with
NGC 6338, without giving a position or offset.
Malcolm Thomson
notes that MCG mislabels NGC 6345 as NGC 6346. Then it misidentifies NGC 6346 as IC 4650.
******************************
17 19 54.7 +16
39 39
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 100d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, low even surface
brightness. Three mag 14 stars in
a line SW-NE are just off the NW edge and a mag 15.5 star is involved at the NW
end 23" from center.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6347 = St. X-55 on 6 Jun 1866. His position for Sf. 29 is accurate. Édouard Stephan independently
rediscovered the galaxy on 6 Jul 1880 and also measured a good position. Stephan is credited in the NGC as
Safford's discovery was not published until 1887, too late to be incorporated
into the main NGC table.
Harold Corwin
notes that Dreyer made an error of 2° in declination when he precessed Safford's
(correct) position and so missed the equivalence with Stephan's object and
recatalogued the galaxy as
******************************
17 18 21.2 +41
38 51
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. A mag 15 star is 30" SW. Pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6348 = St XI-56, along with NGC 6350, on 29 Jun 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
17 19 06.5 +36
03 39
V = 14.9; Size 0.8'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 81d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a close pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6349 = St X-32, along with NGC 6351, on 15 Jul 1879. His position is just off the southeast
side.
******************************
NGC 6350 = UGC
10800 = MCG +07-35-064 = CGCG 226-001 = PGC 60046
17 18 42.3 +41
41 39
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 6348 4.9'
SW. Located 10' S of TX Herculis.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6350 = St XI-57, along with NGC 6348, on 29 Jun 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6351 = MCG
+06-38-017 = PGC 60063
17 19 11.1 +36
03 37
V = 15.0; Size 0.6'x0.4'
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated ~N-S. Two very faint mag 15.5 stars are off
the south edge. Forms a close pair
with NGC 6349 0.9' W.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6351 = St X-33, along with NGC 6349, on 15 Jul 1879.
******************************
NGC 6352 = ESO
228-SC003
17 25 29.1 -48
25 22
V = 8.2; Size 7.1'; Surf Br = 0.7
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 127x appears fairly bright, moderately large, ~5'
diameter, broadly concentrated to a 2' core. Fairly well-resolved into ~30 stars, particularly along the
south and southwest side of the halo.
A few faint stars are just resolved directly over the core.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, fairly large. Even at 128x, fairly well-resolved into
~75 stars. Rather loose
concentration class with a broad concentration to a moderately bright 3' core. The irregular halo extends to nearly 8'
diameter. Set in a rich Milky Way
field.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): moderately bright, fairly large, 5' diameter, fairly low
surface brightness, not condensed, brighter core but no sharp nucleus. Partially resolved into 5-10 faint
stars mostly on the SW side.
13"
(7/12/86): faint, small, diffuse, low surface brightness spot. A few faint stars are off the SW edge
but there is no resolution. This
is the farthest southern globular observed from Northern California (Digger
Pines).
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6352 = D 411 on 14 May 1826 and recorded "A rather faint
nebula, of an irregular round figure, 4' diameter, slightly branched; easily
resolvable into stars, with slight compression of the stars to the centre." His position is ~15' too far east
(typical error). JH didn't observe this globular from the Cape, so it doesn't
have a GC number. E.E. Barnard
independently found it on 7 Jul 1885 and announced the discovery in Sidereal
Messenger 4, p223 though he mentions Lewis Swift informed him of Dunlop's prior
discovery.
******************************
17 21 12.5 +15
41 19
18"
(6/7/08): at 63x visible as a small, hazy knot probably less than 15" in
diameter. Increasing the
magnification to 260x resolved the clump into a trio of mag 14.5 stars packed
into a tight 10". A 4th member is just off the south side. Located 0.9' SSW of a mag 9.8 star.
Gerhard Lohse
discovered NGC 6353 around 1886 with the 15.5-inch refractor at the private
Wigglesworth Observatory in Scarborough, England. His position (communicated directly to Dreyer) and
description "pB, pS, 3 S st inv, * 10 nf 1'." applies to a small
clump of stars. RNGC classifies
the number nonexistent (Type 7).
******************************
17 24 34 -38 32
30
=4*, DC.
E.E. Barnard
discovered NGC 6354 in 1884 with the 6-inch refractor at Vanderbilt
University. His description,
published in Sidereal Messenger, Vol 3, p184, reads "small, faint object
in a 6-inch telescope, the light being of an even tint. There is a faint star a little south,
which confuse the light of the nebula". At his position there are three mag 12 and 13 stars in a
tight knot, with a 4th fainter star.
Both Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 NGC Correction paper, and ESO identify
NGC 6354 with this group of stars.
******************************
17 23 58.6 -26
21 12
V = 9.6; Size 5.0'; Surf Br = 2.4
17.5"
(7/27/92): fairly faint, fairly small, 2' diameter, slightly elongated N-S,
gradually increases to a 1' core.
At 280x, appears granular and three or four very faint mag 15 stars are
just visible. The brightest two
stars are on north side of core.
8"
(5/21/82): faint, small, round, diffuse, no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6355 = H I-46 = h3681 on 24 May 1784 (sweep 224) and recorded,
cL, rather B, R, r, brighter in the middle and colourless. It was preceded by many vacant fields and
I had just been saying that I was upon nebulous ground." From the CGH, JH made the single
observation "vF; L; R; gbM; 2' diam; resolved into stars 18m." In early catalogues NGC 6355 was
described as an open cluster, with designations
******************************
NGC 6356 = ESO
588-SC1
17 23 34.9 -17
48 47
V = 8.3; Size 7.2'; Surf Br = 0.9
17.5"
(7/10/99): this fairly bright globular is ~3.5' in diameter and sharply
concentrated with a prominent 1.5' core. The core appears slightly elongated N-S, although the halo is
circular or slightly elongated WSW-ENE.
At 220x the globular appears lively and mottled but there is no obvious
resolution. At 280x and especially
380x, the edge of the halo is very ragged and the surface extensively
mottled. Around the periphery some
threshold stars pop in and out of view, particularly on the south side.
13.1"
(7/5/83): bright core surrounded by a round, even glow. No resolution evident in poor seeing.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6356 = H I-48 = h3683 on 18 Jun 1784 (sweep 230) and recorded
"a large, bright, round, easily resolvable nebula, bM and the brightness
diminishing gradually. It is a
miniature of the last [M9, which itself a miniature of M53] and I suppose if I
had looked enough I might have perceived some of the stars that compose
it." From the Cape of Good
Hope, JH recorded "globular, vB; R; vgvmbM; 90" resolved into stars
barely resolvable with left eye. A
beautiful softly shaded object."
******************************
17 24 44 -34 12
06
Size 50'x40'
18"
(7/16/07): at 115x a faint elongated hazy glow was visible just north of a nice
15" pair of mag 11/12 stars.
Adding an OIII filter dramatically improves this HII region and shows a
bright, elongated nebulosity oriented WSW-ENE, ~5'x2'. Appears brighter in the middle just
north of the double star. A faint
star is off the north side, oppositely placed from the double. At 174x the nebula is slightly brighter
and clumpy in the middle on the south side and a couple of very small slightly
brighter knots are occasionally visible.
The group of stars to the south (including the double) is catalogued as
Pismis 24. Only the brightest
portion of this huge HII complex was noticed. NGC 6357 is located 8' WNW of mag 7
17.5"
(5/30/92): at 82x using an OIII filter, this emission nebula is a bright,
distinctive object, elongated 3:1 E-W, 4.0'x1.5'. A close mag 11/12 double star is at the south edge. The whole field appears weakly nebulous
and the nebulosity is just very faintly visible without a filter at 220x. Excellent contrast gain with the OIII
filter! A group of a dozen faint
stars is just south (= Pismis 24) including a double star. This nebula is associated with the
Wolf-Rayet star
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6357 = h3682 on 8 Jun 1837 and recorded "F; L; E; vglbM;
milky nebulosity; 2' l; 1 1/2' br; close to and almost involves a double
star." His position is on the
double star mentioned in my observation.
******************************
17 18 53.0 +52
36 55
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 110d
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, elongated ~E-W, even surface brightness. A double star
is 1.8' WNW consisting of two mag 12 stars at 18" separation E-W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6358 = Sw VI-92 on 2 May 1887 and recorded "eF; S; R;
double star near north-preceding."
There is nothing at his position but 2.0 minutes of RA east is UGC
10810, and the double star is less than 2' northwest. The RA in the NGC is correct, so Swift's position that he
sent directly to Dreyer before publication of the NGC was correct.
******************************
17 17 53.0 +61
46 50
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 145d
24"
(6/28/16): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NNW-SSE,
40"x30", strong concentration, high surface brightness. A mag 10 star is 2.8' N. Located 9' WNW of mag 7.7
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very bright core, stellar nucleus, faint
oval halo NNW-SSE. Located 2.8' S
of mag 9.3
Heinrich d'Arrest
discovered NGC 6359 on 27 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen
(first night he made discoveries with this telescope). He measured the mag 10 star to the
north as 3.4 seconds east and 168.4" north and computed an accurate
position. Lewis Swift rediscovered the galaxy on 1 Aug 1885, and reported Sw
II-53 as "vF; vS; R; forms arc of a circle with 2 stars; nebula
between."
******************************
17 24 28 -29 52
18
17.5"
(8/2/97): I'm not certain of the identification but the most noticeable object
near Herschel's position in the 100x field is an elongated group of a dozen
stars in a 8' string oriented NW-SE, which is just north of mag 7.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6360 = h3685 on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "A portion of the
milky way which is decidedly nebulous, and by no means rich in L
stars." There is no distinguishable
cluster at his position and ESO says "stars only. In a crowded region of the milky
way." Harold Corwin notes the
"nebulous" appearance is due to dust in the Milky Way and affects a
large region. The brightest
patches of stars is about a tmin W of JH's position and ~7'-8' N. This corresponds with the ESO position.
Herbert Howe
reported "on one good night nothing definite was discernible here. However, the general background of the
sky in this region was noted as being not so dark as would be expected if no
nebulous matter were present."
******************************
17 18 41.1 +60
36 29
V = 13.1; Size 2.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 54d
48"
(5/15/12): fairly bright, fairly large, nearly edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, 1.8'x0.45',
sharply concentrated with a bright elongated core. The center bulges slightly and the tips taper. The SW arm has a very faint extension
(partial bridge) in the direction of the companion
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, brighter
core. A mag 14.5 star is 1.5' SE
and a pair of mag 14 stars at 22" separation lie 1.5' NW. Forms a pair (
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6361 = Sw IV-48 on 18 Aug 1886 and recorded "vF; pS; eE;
spindle, nearly bet 2 pB distant stars, nearer the preceding." His position is 1' northwest of the
center
******************************
17 31 54.8 -67
02 52
V = 7.5; Size 10.7'; Surf Br = 0.3
18"
(7/11/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly impressive globular
cluster; bright, large, scraggly, with roughly 60 stars resolved over a 7'-8'
diameter. A distinctive string of
resolved stars passes through the entire cluster in a NNW to SSE
orientation. A mag 10 star is near
the edge of the halo on the south side 3.5' from center.
12" (6/29/02
- Bargo, Australia): at 186x, this fairly loose globular is moderately bright
and large and broadly concentrated.
It was resolved into 25-30 stars, several arranged in a line bisecting
the cluster. The ragged halo is
roughly 8' diameter. Located 1.2
degrees NE of mag 4.7 Zeta Apodis.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6362 = D 225 = h3684 on 25 Jun 1826 and described a "
pretty large rather bright round nebula, 3' or 4' in diameter, very moderately
condensed to the centre, resolvable into extremely minute stars; the stars are
more scattered on the south side."
On 22 Jul 1835,
JH recorded "globular cluster, B; L R; vgmbM; diam. in RA = 50 second;
diam 7' or 8'; stars all seen, 12..16th mag with outliers extending a good
way."
******************************
NGC 6363 = NGC
6138 =UGC 10827 = MCG +07-36-005 = CGCG 226-008 = PGC 60164
17 22 40.0 +41
06 06
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 140d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, gradually increases
to a small bright core.
Édouard Stephan
found NGC 6363 = St X-34 on 24 Jul 1879.
His position matches
******************************
17 24 27.4 +29
23 23
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 5d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core, 0.6'
diameter. A mag 13.5 star is just
off the north edge 0.5' from the center.
Auguste Voigt
discovered NGC 6364 = Sf 49 = St X-35 = Sw II-54 around June 1865 with the
31-inch Silver-on-glass Marseille reflector. Truman Safford found this galaxy
again on 5 Sep 1866. Next, Édouard
Stephan rediscovered the galaxy on 21 Jul 1879 at Marseille again and measured
an accurate position. Finally,
Lewis Swift found the galaxy again on 11 Sep 1885 and reported "pF; vS; R;
F * close; stellar." His RA
was 20 seconds too small. So, this
galaxy was independently "discovered" 4 times before the NGC was
published, and is tied for the most independent discoveries, along with NGC
1360 and
Voigt's
discovery was never published (his log was published in 1987) and Safford's
discovery list was not published until 1887, so Dreyer credited Stephan in the
NGC.
******************************
17 22 43.7 +62
10 12
V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x1.1'+1.1'x0.2'
48"
(5/15/12):
24"
(7/20/17): at 322x and 375x; NGC 6365A appeared fairly faint, fairly small,
round, 40" diameter, broad concentration but no definite core or
nucleus. This face-on spiral forms
an overlapping pair (
24"
(6/28/16): at 375x; NGC 6365A is the southern and brighter member of Arp
30. At 375x it appeared faint to
fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 40"x35", weak
concentration. NGC 6365B (perhaps
Arp's "heavy arm"), attached at the northwest edge, appeared
extremely faint to very faint, edge-on ~3:1 SSW-NNE, ~30"x10", very
low surface brightness so difficult to judge size. A distracting mag 10.2 star is ~1.5' NE and a 6" pair
of mag 14-15 stars is 1' NE.
17.5"
(7/16/88): this is a double galaxy (Arp 30) with a separation of 30"
oriented NNW-SSE with the brighter component at the SSE end. NGC 6365A is very faint, small, weak
concentration, very diffuse.
Bracketed by two mag 14 stars off the SW and NE ends. NGC 6365B is attached at the NW end of
NGC 6365A and appears extremely faint, small, very elongated SW-NE [1.1x0.2],
requires averted vision.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6365 = Sw IV-49 on 15 Aug 1884 and recorded "eeeF; pL; iR;
sev eF stars involved; B * nr south-following." There is nothing at his position, though 1.1 minutes of RA
due east is Arp 30 = UGC 10832/10833 (double system). The bright star in his description is actually
north-following. MCG fails to
identify either
******************************
17 27 44.3 -05
04 36
V = 9.0; Size 8.3'; Surf Br = 2.2
18"
(7/26/06): at 325x, 30-35 stars can be resolved with careful viewing in a 4'
region with roughly two dozen of these generally visible and another dozen
sparkling in and out of visibility.
The resolved stars seem spread out over the entire disc, which is only
weakly concentrated. The outline
of the halo is quite irregular and ill-defined and may reach to a larger extent
than 4'. Several brighter stars,
which are clearly not part of the cluster, are around the border. Located just 17' E of mag 4.5 47
Ophiuchi. Faintly visible in 15x50
IS binoculars.
17.5"
(7/20/98): at 220x appears as a diffuse irregular glow, ~4' diameter, with only
a weak concentration. Two mag 9
and 10 stars are off the west side, the nearest is less than 4' from center and
a closer pair of mag 11.5-12 stars [45" separation] is at the south edge.
There are perhaps a half dozen faint but obvious stars visible over the
ill-defined glow including a couple of mag 14 stars 2' S of center, one a
similar distance east of center and an addition pair on the SE side. About a dozen stars are visible with
careful viewing. At 280x, the
cluster is pretty clumpy and starting to really break up into numerous very
faint stars. Roughly two dozen
stars can be glimpsed with averted vision, many near the threshold of
visibility. The full extent of the
cluster is difficult to trace but extends beyond the central 4' region.
13.1"
(7/5/83): large, diffuse, very weak concentration. About a dozen faint stars
are resolved over a hazy background.
Located 17' E of 47 Ophiuchi (V = 4.5).
13.1"
(6/19/82): few faint stars resolved over a large, hazy region.
8" (6/27/81
and 5/21/82): large, very diffuse, unresolved. Located 15' E of a mag 4.5 star that detracts from viewing.
August Winnecke
discovered NGC 6366 = Au 36 on 12 Apr 1860 with a 3-inch comet-seeker at the
Pulkovo observatory and noted "faint, 2 to 3' diam, no significant central
brightening." Auwers included
it in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae.
******************************
17 25 08.9 +37
45 35
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 161d
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration, very faint stellar
nucleus or star superimposed.
Located 4.3' WSW of mag 7.9
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6367 = St XI-58 on 5 Jul 1880. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
17 27 11.6 +11
32 33
V = 12.3; Size 3.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 42d
17.5"
(6/22/90): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, broadly
concentrated halo. A mag 14 star
is at the SW end 0.9' from center and a mag 15 star is at the NE end 1.5' from
center. The bright double star
∑2166 = 7.1/8.9 at 27" lies 14' SE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6368 = m 335 on 9 Jul 1863 and noted "F, S, E." His position and description matches
******************************
17 29 20.4 -23
45 35
V = 11.5; Size 30"
18"
(7/14/07): striking view of this annular planetary at 280x. The 30" halo is punctured by a
relatively large 18" hole.
The rim is noticeably uneven in surface brightness with a brighter arc
along the northern side. Spectacular
at 700x and the brighter northern rim has a couple of very small brighter
spots.
18" (7/22/06):
beautiful view at 435x. The
30" annular ring is brightest along a "C" shaped section from NE
moving clockwise to the SW and locally brighter at the NW end. The central hole is round, well-defined
and relatively large compared to the rim.
17.5" (6/30/00):
at 500x this planetary has a beautiful annular appearance with a 25-30"
halo perforated by a 12" dark hole.
The northern rim is noticeably brighter with a nearly stellar spot near
its center. Located 31' NW of mag
4.8 51 Ophiuchi.
17.5" (6/5/99):
bright, beautiful annular planetary at 380x with a well-defined dark central
hole. The rim is clearly brighter
along the north edge and slightly weaker on the following edge.
17.5"
(7/4/86): bright, fairly small, about 30" diameter, green-blue color. Appears as a perfect annular ring at
286x with a 15" central "hole". No central star visible.
13.1"
(8/5/83): use at least 220x to clearly resolve the annularity.
13.1"
(7/16/82): beautiful ring at 214x and UHC filter, small, slightly
elongated. Visible with direct
vision as annular. The north edge
of the rim appears brighter at 312x.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6369 = H IV-11 = h1981 = h3686 on 21 May 1784 (sweep 222) and
recorded "a curious round, tolerably defined pB nebula 30 or 40" in
diameter." On 26 May 1786
(sweep 566), he called it "pB, R, S, of equal brightness throughout." From the Cape of Good Hope, JH gave a
detailed description: "Annular Nebula. Exactly round; pF; 12" diameter; well terminated; but a
very little cottony at the edge, and with a decided darkness in the middle; = a
* 10m at the most. Few stars in
the field [situated in the bowl of the Pipe Nebula!]; a beautiful specimen of
the planetary annular class of nebulae." Sketch on Plate VI, figure 4.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) described NGC 6369 as "a
regular, nearly round ring, slightly longer in p.a. 120°; much fainter at the
eastern end of the major axis and brightest at the north. Diameter 28" center of ring
perfectly blank. Quite faint; the ring just shows in 10m on S27. The central
star is magn. 16."
******************************
17 23 25.4 +56
58 26
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
24"
(6/30/16): at 324x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25"-30"
diameter, bright core. Situated
just 2.2' SSE of mag 6.5
NGC 6370 is the
brightest member of a cluster (SDSS-C4-DR3 3375). The Ring Galaxy
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 2.2' S of mag 6.6
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6370 = Sw I-57 on 19 Apr 1885 and recorded "vF; vS; R; B *
nr n." His position is just
off the west side of
******************************
17 27 20.6 +26
30 18
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 162d
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, small, oval 3:2 N-S, low even surface brightness. Located 3.1' NW of brighter
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6371 = m 336 on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, R." His position is accurate. Dreyer added the comment "np of 2
[with NGC 6372]" in the NGC. Truman Safford independently rediscovered
this galaxy on 1 Aug 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn
Observatory and listed it as Sf 45 in the 1887 publication.
******************************
NGC 6372 = UGC
10861 = MCG +04-41-013 = CGCG 140-028 = PGC 60330
17 27 32.0 +26
28 29
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 90d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, moderately large, diffuse halo elongated E-W, small brighter
core. Forms a pair with NGC 6371
3' NW.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6372 = H III-137 on 19 May 1784 (sweep 220) and recorded
"vF, not vS, irregular long."
CH's reduction is 2' northwest of
******************************
17 24 08.2 +58
59 42
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 90d
17.5"
(6/18/88): extremely faint, fairly small, very diffuse. Appears very faint for V = 13.6.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6373 = Sw I-58 on 13 Jun 1885 and recorded "eeeF; pL; vv
diff.; forms a right angle triangle with two stars, preceding star in the same
parallel 30 seconds distant."
His position is matches
******************************
17 34 43 -32 35
00
See observing
notes for
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6374 = h3687 on 27 Jun 1837 and recorded "Cluster VIII
class, 3' or 4' in extent, a bright * (= B 6125) taken." But there is no bright star near his
single position, and ESO classifies the number as uncertain.
Jenni Kay
suggested this number is identical to NGC 6383 with a 2.5 minute error in
time. Brian Skiff confirmed that B
6125 (Brisbane Catalogue) is identical to the mag 5.7 star
******************************
17 29 21.8 +16
12 24
V = 13.9; Size 1.6'x1.6'; Surf Br = 14.9
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, moderately large, even concentration to a small bright
core, substellar nucleus.
Surrounded by several mag 14-15 stars including a mag 14 star 0.6' NE
and a mag 15 star 0.9' E. Forms a
pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6375 = m 337, along with NGC 6379, on 15 May 1864 and noted
"F, vS, R." His position
is less than 1' too far north.
Brightest in a group, though he missed nearby UGC 10873.
******************************
17 25 19.2 +58
49 01
V = 15.1; Size 0.6'x0.3'; PA = 172d
24"
(7/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S,
15"x10", no core or zones.
Fainter of an interacting pair with
17.5"
(6/18/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. Forms an interacting pair with NGC 6377
35" NE of center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6376 = Sw. IV-50, along with NGC 6377, on 1 Sep 1886, and
recorded "eeF; eS; R; e diff; sf of 2 [with NGC 6377]." His position is fairly close and the
relative offsets for the pair are accurate.
******************************
NGC 6377 = UGC
10855e = MCG +10-25-026 = VII Zw 712 = KAZ 136 = PGC 60264
17 25 23.2 +58
49 22
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 58d
24"
(7/20/17): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1
WSW-ENE, 30"x10".
Contains a very small bright core and that increases to a stellar
nucleus. Forms an interacting pair
with NGC 6376, just 0.6' SW. The
major axis of NGC 6377 "points" to the center of the companion, which
is highly disturbed. The pair is
located 3' NE of a mag 9.8 star and the two galaxies are collinear with the
star.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core, faint halo. Forms a contact pair with NGC 6376
35" SW of center. Located 12'
NNW of mag 6.5
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6377 = Sw. IV-51, along with NGC 6376, on 1 Sep 1886, and
recorded "eF; eS; R; lbM; in center of equilateral triangle; np of 2 [with
NGC 6376]; verified both with 200x."
His position is fairly close and the relative offsets for the pair are
accurate. His note "np of
2" should read "nf of 2".
******************************
17 30 42.1 +06
16 55
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 5d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, fairly small, oval 3:1 N-S, almost even surface
brightness. Forms the vertex of a
right angle with two mag 11 stars 1.5' W and 1.0' S. Located in a rich star field.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6378 = St VII-17 on 13 Jul 1876. His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6379 = UGC
10886 = MCG +03-44-010 = CGCG 111-044 = CGCG 112-002 = PGC 60421
17 30 35.0 +16
17 19
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, round, very diffuse, broad mild concentration,
no distinct core. Located 4.8' E
of a mag 10 star. Member of the
NGC 6375 group with NGC 6375 18' WSW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6379 = m 338, along with NGC 6375, on 15 May 1864 and noted
"vF, pL." His position
is 1' too far north.
******************************
17 34 28.2 -39
04 10
V = 11.3; Size 3.9'; Surf Br = 3.6
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): faint but not difficult. Appears as a 2' diffuse glow with no
concentration. A mag 10 star at
the south-southwest edge hampered the observation. Ton 2 is located 37' NE.
13"
(5/30/87): extremely faint, small, very low surface brightness, visible only
20% of time with averted. Mag 9.7
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6380 = h3688 on 29 Jun 1834 and recorded "A star 9m, with a
very evident eF nebulous wisp 90" l, 30" br." A note was added "The wisp by the
diagram is fan-shaped and extends in the np direction from the star. See figure 18, Plate VI."
Although his
position is excellent, the RA is 1.0 minute too far east in Hartung's 1968
"Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes", Sulentic and Tifft's
1974 "Revised New General Catalogue", Sinnott's 1988 NGC 2000.0, the
first edition of the Sky Atlas 2000.0, the first edition of the Uranometria
2000.0 atlas, Sky Catalogue 2000.0, etc.
******************************
17 27 16.7 +60
00 50
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 25d
24"
(7/2/16): at 225x and 375x; moderately bright and large, elongated 4:3 SSW-NNE,
1.0'x0.75', irregular surface brightness.
A mag 15-15.5 star is at the southwest edge. Forms a close pair with
24"
(7/15/15): moderately bright to fairly bright, slightly elongated SSW-NNE,
1.0'x0.8', broad concentration. A
mag 15 star is at the southwest edge [30" from center]. Located 12' ESE of mag 5.7
Brightest in a
group (WBL 641) with UGC 10870 1.3' NW.
UGC 10870 appeared faint to fairly faint, elongated 2:1 E-W, 0.4'x0.2',
fairly low even surface brightness.
17.5"
(6/18/88): fairly faint, fairly large, diffuse oval SW-NE, even surface
brightness. A mag 15 star is at
the WSW edge 30" from center.
Located 12' ESE of mag 5.7 HD 158460.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6381 = Sw I-59, along with NGC 6390, on 7 Jul 1885 and recorded
"vF; pL; E; DM +60°1754 much interferes with visibility. His position and description matches
******************************
17 27 55.2 +56
52 08
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, round.
A mag 11.5 star is 1.2' SSE of center.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 12 year-old son, discovered NGC 6382 = Sw I-60 on 2 Jun 1883 with the
16-inch refractor at the Warner Observatory. Their description reads "pF; pS; R; * near." This was Edward's first of 25 objects
in the NGC (two of these are lost --
******************************
NGC 6383 = NGC
6374 = ESO 393-SC7 = Cr 335 = Gum 67 = Ced 147 = RCW 132
17 34 43 -32 35
00
V = 5.5; Size 5
17.5"
(8/27/92): 20 stars mag 12-14 surrounds mag 5.7 SAO 208977. Elongated WNW-ESE in a 5' string. The bright star has 4 or 5 faint
companions within 1' (h4962 = 5.7/10.5/10.5 at 5"/13"). Also just west is 20' scattered string
of 20 stars including 8 mag 10-11 stars visible in the 80mm finder. This is a striking cluster.
8"
(6/27/81): Includes a mag 5.8 star and 12 faint stars, excellent with averted,
brightest star appears triple.
Surrounded by very large, very faint nebulosity.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6383 = h3689 on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "a curious cluster
consisting of one L * 6-7m, and some 15 or 20 small ones 13m clustering close
to it." His position is on
the bright star. On a second sweep
he reported "a star 7m with a cl of st 12m assembled about it. The great * occupies the centre. A very remarkable object." NGC 6374 is a duplicate observation,
verified by his mention of the bright star.
******************************
17 32 24.4 +07
03 37
V = 10.4; Size 6.2'x4.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30d
24"
(8/14/15): at 260x; fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE. There are three distinct zones. Towards the center is a sharply
concentrated, bright, elongated 2:1 nucleus. The nucleus is surrounded by an oval central region, roughly
1.5'x1.0'. The central region is
surrounded by a large, very low surface brightness halo, extending
~4.0'x2.5'. Although spiral
structure was not seen, the outer regions were noted as irregular. A mag 12.5 star is on the northeast
side of the halo, 1.8' from center, and a mag 13.3 star is 1.3' SE of center.
17.5"
(7/20/90): moderately bright with a large core slightly elongated SSW-NNE,
broad moderate concentration, large faint halo. Two mag 12 stars are at the SE and NE ends 1.3' and 1.7'
from center, respectively.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, diffuse, slightly elongated, brighter core.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6384 = m 339 = St II-14 on 10 Jun 1863 and noted "pB, S,
vlE." This is the brightest
galaxy that Marth discovered, although his position is 4' too far north.
Heinrich d'Arrest independently rediscovered NGC 6384 on 8 Apr 1866 with the
11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
In addition, Édouard Stephan found it again on 19 Jul 1870 and reported
it new in list II-14.
******************************
17 28 01.5 +57
31 19
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, round, brightens gradually. Located 2.9' ENE of mag 8
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6385 = Sw IV-52, along with NGC 6387, on 22 Jul 1886, and logged
"eF; S; R; B star nr s[outh]; sp of 2 [with NGC 6387]. His position is
fairly accurate, though the bright star is 2.9' WSW.
******************************
17 28 51.7 +52
43 24
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, round, weak concentration, low surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6386 = Sw I-61 on 8 Jun 1883 and logged "vF; pS; R; be 2
st." His position is just 10
seconds east of
******************************
NGC 6387 = CGCG
300-037 = I Zw 189 = PGC 60355
17 28 23.8 +57
32 44
V = 14.2; Size 0.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.0
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Close pair with brighter NGC 6385 3.3'
WSW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6387 = Sw IV-53, along with NGC 6385, on 22 Jul 1886 and logged
"eF; S; R; nf of 2 [with NGC 6385]; this and the preceding point to the
bright star about 8th magnitude."
His position and description matches
******************************
17 36 17.0 -44
44 06
V = 6.8; Size 8.7'; Surf Br = 1.1
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x, this bright globular appears
moderately large, round and granular but with no definite resolution. The appearance was very symmetric and
strongly concentrated with a blazing core that ranks as one of the highest surface
brightness gc cores.
13"
(7/12/86): bright at 214x, moderately large, increases to a small very bright
core. Has a grainy, lively
appearance but no resolution.
8"
(6/19/82): bright, moderately large, intense core, fainter halo, no resolution.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6388 = D 457 = h3690 on 13 May 1826 and described "a
beautiful round nebula, about 5' diameter, with a bright round well-defined
disk or nucleus, about 15" diameter, exactly in the centre; this has the
appearance of a planet surrounded by an extremely faint diluted atmosphere;
there is a small star involved in the faint atmosphere: the atmosphere is at
least 6' diameter." His
position is just 1.5' south of center.
JH, observing on
5 Jun 1834, recorded "globular, vB, R, at first pg, then psvmbM to an
intense almost nuclear light. The right eye does not resolve or barely makes it
resolvable; the left resolves it completely into stars 17...20m. A superb
object on a rich ground of milky way." On 1 Jul 1834 he logged "globular, vB, R, first p g,
then psvmbM, 4' diam, easily resolved with left eye into stars 17m, more
difficulty with right eye into 18m, excessively close and comp; shading off
insensibly in borders into the general ground of the heavens."
******************************
17 32 39.8 +16
24 06
V = 12.1; Size 2.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 130d
17.5"
(8/1/89): moderately bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, sharp small bright
core. A mag 16 star is
superimposed on the south side. Several
mag 11.5-12 stars are near, the closest 2.3' SE. Located 15' WNW of mag 5.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6389 = H II-901 on 29 Jun 1799 (sweep 1090) and recorded
"F, S, iF, er, about 2' long."
CH's reduced position is 20 seconds west of
******************************
NGC 6390 = UGC
10881 = MCG +10-25-047 = CGCG 300-040 = WBL 641-004 = PGC 60356
17 28 28.1 +60
05 39
V = 13.8; Size 1.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 8d
24"
(7/2/16): at 225x and 375x; fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately
large, edge-on 4:1 N-S, 0.8'x0.2', broad weak concentration, no distinct
core. Brightest in a linear
triplet with
NGC 6381 is 10'
SW (close pair with UGC 10870) and
24"
(7/15/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated
3:1 or 7:2 N-S, 0.9'x0.3', broad concentration but no sharp zones. Brightest and middle of three in an
east-west line with CGCG 300-036 4.5' W and CGCG 300-042 4.2' E. NGC 6381 lies 10' SW.
CGCG 300-036 (V
= 14.4) was fairly faint, fairly small, round, 20" diameter, gradually
increases to the center. CGCG
300-042 (V = 15.2) appeared faint to fairly faint, fairly small, round,
18" diameter, low even surface brightness.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, moderately large, edge-on N-S, low even surface
brightness. Second of three in a
string with CGCG 300-036 4' W and CGCG 300-042 (not seen) 4' E. CGCG 300-036 appeared very faint,
extremely small, round, faint stellar nucleus.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6390 = Sw I-62, along with NGC 6381, on 7 Jul 1885 and recorded
"eeeF; cE; ee diff; one of my minima visible." There is nothing at his position, but
6' south is
******************************
17 28 49.0 +58
51 03
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.5'; PA = 85d
17.5"
(6/18/88): very faint, very small, round, bright core, very faint stellar
nucleus.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6391 = Sw IV-54 on 1 Sep 1886 and logged "eF; vS; R; nearly
bet 2 stars." His position is
13 seconds of time too far west. The two stars he mentions are 3.2' south and
3.0' northwest.
******************************
17 43 30.3 -69
47 06
V = 11.6; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.0
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): fairly bright, fairly small, round, 45" diameter,
the surface brightness is fairly high and irregular (probably due to a
superimposed mag 15.5 star on the southeast side). A mag 13 star is 50" WSW of center and a mag 15 star is
at the southwest edge [20" from center]. Situated in a rich Apus star field with a mag 8.8 star 7'
ESE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6392 = h3691 on 17 Jun 1835 and logged "pF; S; R; glbM;
20"; 50 stars in field."
His position (measured on two nights) matches
******************************
17 30 08.5 +59
31 55
V = 15.7; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
18"
(7/30/08): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, low even
surface brightness. I could just
barely hold this galaxy continuously with averted vision once it was identified
but it took knowing the exact position to initially pick up. This galaxy is generally identified as
17.5"
(6/18/88): not found
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6393 = Sw I-64, along with NGC 6394 and 6399, on 7 Jul
1885. His description for NGC 6393
reads "vvF, pS, R, 2 B st nr north; south of 2" and for NGC 6394,
"vvF, pS, R, 2 st point to it, the nearest is D[ouble]; the other and the
nebula are equally distant from D star; north of 2." The description of NGC 6394 is a
perfect match
Swift's poor
declination for NGC 6393 coincidentally matches UGC 10889. As a result, all modern galaxy
catalogues misidentify UGC 10889 as NGC 6393. RNGC and PGC reverse the identifications of NGC 6393 and NGC
6394, labeling the fainter southern galaxy as NGC 6394. MCG does not attach a NGC label to MCG
+10-25-054. See Harold Corwin's
notes for NGC 6394.
******************************
NGC 6394 = UGC
10889 = MCG +10-25-055 = PGC 60410
17 30 21.4 +59
38 23
V = 14.5; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 42d
18"
(7/30/08): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.2', very
weak concentration. An extremely
faint star is off the NNE tip.
Located 3.9' SE of mag 8.0 HD 159266, which detracts from viewing. NGC 6393 = MCG +10-25-054 (identified
as NGC 6394 in RNGC, MCG and PGC) is located 6.6' SSW.
17.5"
(6/18/88): very faint, fairly small, very elongated SW-NE. Three mag 14/15 stars are near the
north end. Located 3.8' SE of mag
8
Note: This
galaxy is misidentified as NGC 6393 in all modern catalogues.
See
identification notes for NGC 6393.
******************************
17 26 31.1 +71
05 43
V = 12.3; Size 2.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 15d
24"
(6/28/16): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~5:2 SSW-NNE,
~1.5'x0.6'. The surface brightness
is low but irregular on the northern end and brighter on the southern
half. The galaxy is somewhat
mottled or knotty, though one knot is probably the core. A mag 15 star is just east of the
northern end.
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE. Two mag 12 stars are at the north end
1.5' and 2.5' NNE of center and a mag 14.5 star is off the south end 2.3' from
center.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 13 year-old son, discovered NGC 6395 = Sw I-63 on 18 Sep 1884. The description reads "vF; pL; lE;
double star north; 2 stars near point to it." His position is 30 seconds
of time too large. Bigourdan's
measured an accurate position on 8 Aug 1888 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
******************************
17 37 36 -35 01
36
V = 8.5; Size 3'
17.5"
(6/8/91): consists of a dozen mag 9-13 stars in a small group of 4'
diameter. Includes four stars in a
distinctive 2' string oriented NNW-SSE and continuing north a pretty double
star (h4966 = 9.8/10.8 at 12") which is oriented E-W. The brightest star mag 9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6396 = h3693 on 7 Jul 1836 and recorded "Cluster VIII;
small, 5', place of chief D star".
His position is 35 seconds east of the double star at the northwest side
of the cluster, and well outside the confines of the cluster. Herschel's poor RA is used in the RNGC,
NGC 2000.0 and the Sky Catalogue 2000.0.
The ESO and Uranometria 2000.0 Atlas position is correct.
******************************
NGC 6397 = ESO
181-SC004
17 40 41.3 -53
40 25
V = 5.7; Size 25.7'; Surf Br = 0.6
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): amazing view of this bright globular at
nearly 70° elevation at 171x. It
extended across 2/3 of the field - perhaps 20' in diameter. The cluster was very highly resolved
into hundreds of stars, many surprisingly bright at mag 10-11 and overall
noticeably brighter than most globulars (1st in ranking of brightest stars). The globular appears fully resolved in
the halo and even the blazing core is covered wall-to-wall with stars. Many of the stars are arranged in small
groups, chains, curves, etc. The
concentrated core is ~3.5' diameter and at 228x has a 3-dimensional effect with
the mag 10.5-11.5 stars layered over a dense, uneven background mat. Visible naked-eye.
20" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): I also had a fantastic view in the 20"
f/5 at 212x - the stars seemed to radiate out from the core in spiral curves
and completely filled the 23' field!
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): very bright, very large, 10' diameter, irregularly
round. At least 50 stars mag 10-12
are resolved at 63x. Bright
intense core 3' diameter with dozens of stars superimposed and at edges of
core. Contains a large halo with
many faint and brighter stars superimposed over a mottled background. Beautiful globular although observed at
only 13° elevation from Baja. This
is the nearest globular and first in ranking by brightest stars.
10x30 (8/8/04 -
Haleakala Crater): picked up while sweeping in IS binoculars close to the SSW
horizon from Haleakala. Once the
position was pinpointed, this mag 5.8 globular was just visible naked-eye less
than 1 degree NNE of mag 5.3 Pi Arae.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6397 = Lac III-11 = D 366 = h3692 in 1751-1752 with a
1/2" telescope at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. He simply noted "faint star in
nebulosity." James Dunlop
independently found this globular on 28 Jun 1826 with his 9-inch reflector and
described "a pretty large nebula, extended nearly in the parallel of the
equator, brightest and broadest in the middle; a group of very small stars in
the middle give it the appearance of a nucleus, but they are not connected with
the nebula, but are similar to other small stars in this place which are
arranged in groups. The nebula is resolvable into stars." Dunlop made 4 observations and his
position was 5' east of center.
On JH's first
observation (8 Jul 1834), he recorded "globular cluster; fine; large;
bright; round; gradually brighter to the middle; not very compressed; 5'
diameter, but stragglers extend a great way. In the middle is a more compact
group of much smaller stars. The stars at circumference are larger than in the
middle; at N.f. border is a double star."
******************************
17 42 43.9 -61
41 39
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 6d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): moderately bright and large, slightly elongated N-S,
45"x35", strongly concentrated with a bright core surrounded by a
faint halo. A mag 14.5 star is at
the west edge and a mag 15.5 star is at the northeast edge. A mag 12.5 star (close double) is 1.3'
NW. Situated in a rich Pavo star
field. Forms a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6398 = h3694, along with NGC 6403, on 7 Jul 1836 and recorded
"eF; S; R; almost certain it is not small double star. Definition much improved. It is certainly a nebula, and with long
attention, I see another [NGC 6403], still fainter, exactly on parallel, and 30
seconds following." His
position is accurate.
Nevertheless,
the RNGC classified both galaxies as nonexistent (Type 7) probably because
DeLisle Stewart reported "eF, hazy * only" based on plates taken at
Harvard's Boyden Station, in Arequipa, Peru.
******************************
NGC 6399 = UGC
10896 = MCG +10-25-059 = CGCG 300-047 = PGC 60442
17 31 50.4 +59
36 55
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5d
18"
(7/30/08): faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, 25"x20",
sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. NGC 6394 (generally listed as NGC 6393)
lies 11' WNW. An extremely faint
mag 16.7B companion was glimpsed a couple of times 54" NNE.
17.5"
(6/18/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core, very faint halo
SSW-NNE. Forms a pair with NGC
6393 11.3' WNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6399 = Sw I-66, along with NGC 6393 and 6394, on 7 Jul 1885 and
recorded "vvF; vS; R."
His position is 1' too far southwest.
******************************
17 40 13 -36 56
54
Size 8'
17.5"
(6/30/00): ~50 stars are resolved in an 8'x5' region at 220x. The stars are fairly uniform in
brightness though irregular in outline.
The cluster is elongated N-S with a nice string extending through the
cluster to the SSE and NNE with a slight bend near the center. At the kink in the string is a denser
clump of stars. There are circular
voids on the NW and SW ends. The
two brighter strings (on the following side) and two less distinct rows of
stars create a vague "X" shape through the cluster with a close loop
on the north end.
8"
(6/27/81): faint, fairly small, fairly rich. Many stars are aligned in rows.
James Dunlop
discovered = D 568 = h3696 on 13 May 1826 and described "a very faint
cluster of very small stars, resembling faint nebula; the stars are
considerably congregated to the centre, irregular round figure." Dunlop observed the cluster 3 times and
his position is only a couple of arc minutes too far south. JH observed the cluster on 28 Jun 1834
and recorded "Cluster class VII, p rich; pL, irr R, 8', stars
9..10m." His position is 0.6
minutes of time too small. The
RNGC position is 0.6 minutes too far east.
******************************
17 38 36.9 -23
54 32
V = 9.5; Size 5.6'; Surf Br = 2.2
17.5"
(7/27/92): fairly faint, small, round, 1.5'-2.0' diameter. Unusual appearance as a mag 12 field
star is embedded southeast of the core within the halo. No other resolution was seen and the
globular has a very weak concentration.
8"
(6/27/81): faint, small, round, compact, diffuse. A single bright mag 12-13 star is involved.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6401 = H I-44 = h1982 = h3697 on 21 May 1784 (sweep 222) and
recorded "cB, pL, having a kind of nucleus towards the following
side." On 26 May 1786 (sweep
566), he called it "pB, gbM, L, r, some of the stars visible." From the Cape of Good Hope, John
Herschel logged "pB; R; vgbM; 25"; a * 13m involved, following the
centre."
Sven Cederblad
catalogued this globular as the nebula
******************************
17 37 36.1 -03
14 45
V = 7.6; Size 11.7'; Surf Br = 1.9
24"
(7/30/16): at 432x; very bright, large, nearly fills the 10' field. The outer halo is resolved into dozens
of star, perhaps 50 or 60 total.
The relatively large core is plastered with tiny resolved stars; roughly
50 additional stars were resolved over a lively background, so overall at least
a 100 total though difficult to count due to density and the bright background
glow. The outer halo is slightly
elongated E-W as well as the core, but the overall appearance is symmetrical. The core only exhibits a broad, weak
concentration.
17.5"
(7/1/00): this bright, large, fairly symmetric globular appears elongated ~E-W
and ~7'x5' in size at 220x. The
bright core is relatively large at 4', very lively and granular with a layer of
very faint stars. At 280x, ~30
stars are resolved in the small halo and at the edge of the intense core. A rich, even sprinkling of faint stars
cover the core. It was difficult
to count the resolved stars as numerous dim stars pop out with averted vision
over the bright background haze, but perhaps 60-70 stars in total were
glimpsed.
17.5"
(7/16/88): bright, large, 25-30 very faint stars are resolved mostly at the
edges which have a ragged appearance.
13"
(7/5/83): fairly large, broad concentration. About a dozen very faint stars are resolved across the
disk. The outer halo fades out
smoothly.
Charles Messier
discovered
WH, observing
with his 12-inch (small 20-foot) on 23 Jul 1783 noted "With a power of
200, I see it consists of stars. They are better visible with 300. With 600,
they are too obscure to be distinguished, though the appearance of stars is
still preserved. This seems to be one of the most difficult objects to be
resolved. With me, there is not a doubt remaining; but another person, in order
to form a judgment, ought previously to go through all the several gradations
of nebulae which I have resolved into stars." On 25 May 1791 (sweep 1010),
he recorded with his 18.7-inch "eB, R, easily resolvable. With a power of 300 I can see the stars. Resembles the 10th of the Connoiss.
which probably would put on the same appearance as this, if it were off half as
far again as it is."
******************************
NGC 6403 = ESO
139-019 = PGC 60750
17 43 23.7 -61
40 56
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round,
30" diameter, broad concentration with a slightly bright nucleus. Situated
in a rich Pavo star field with a mag 11.2 star 1.1' SSE. Forms a pair with NGC 6403 4.7'
WSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6403 = h3695, along with NGC 6398, on 7 Jul 1836 and simply
noted "eeF. The following of
2." His position, though 10
seconds too small, clearly applies to
RNGC
misclassifies the number as nonexistent. See notes for NGC 6398.
******************************
17 39 37 -33 14
48
Size 5'
13.1"
(7/5/83): 20 stars mag 12-14 over unresolved haze. The three brightest stars form a small triangle on the west
edge, most other stars are very faint.
Located one degree south of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6404 = h4020 on 27 Jun 1837 and recorded "a p rich, L, F,
cluster; class VII; nearly fills field; composed of concave flakes; no m comp;
stars 13 or 15m." The observation was included in a list of "omitted
observations of nebulae and supplementary nebulae" at the end of the Cape
Catalogue. Dreyer identified these
objects as "h o n" ([John] Herschel Omitted Object) in the NGC. His position is accurate.
******************************
17 40 21 -32 15
18
V = 4.2; Size 25'
18"
(7/21/04): at 92x roughly 200 stars are visible in this beautiful naked-eye
cluster. There are four bright mag
6-7 stars in the main group which form a perfect parallelogram with longer
sides of 7' oriented WSW-ENE and shorter sides of 4' oriented NW-SE. A string of stars connects the two
stars on the long southern side of the parallelogram (the star at the SE vertex
is orange tinged BM Sco) with a nice double star embedded in the string. The NW vertex is part of a bright
isosceles triangle with two mag 8-9 stars and ~7' further NW of this star is a
small, nice asterism consisting of a trio and a double. Also a wedge-shaped group of 7 stars
extends between this NW vertex (which also has two additional fainter
companions) and the SW vertex (short side of parallelogram) Another distinctive
string of stars runs through the center of the parallelogram roughly parallel
to the two long sides. A nice mag
9/10 double resides along the long northern side of the parallelogram. An additional mag 7 star is the SW of
the parallelogram. Around the main
group there are numerous scattered stars and the cluster does not have a
distinct border. Over 70 stars in
the cluster are brighter than 11th magnitude.
13.1"
(7/5/83): very bright, fairly large.
Includes a curving rows of stars and a close group of 7 stars near the
center. The brightest star BM
Scorpii is on the east side.
Smaller than
Giovanni
Hodierna discovered M6 = NGC 6405 = Lac III-12 = h3699 before 1654 and recorded
18 stars. De Chéseaux
independently found the cluster in 1745-46. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille found the cluster again in 1752
with a 1/2" telescope at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good
Hope, and found a "remarkable group of faint stars in parallel lines
making a diamond 20-25 minutes diameter filled with nebulosity." Lacaille is credited with the discovery
in the NGC. James Dunlop's D 612 may refer to M6 as his position falls on the east
side of the cluster, though D 612 could apply to
In his Messier
survey, WH logged on 30 Jul 1783 "I counted about 50 stars; it contains
the greatest variety of magnitudes of any nebula I recollect. The compound
eye-piece shows more of them variously and intermixed."
According to Sue
French, the popular nickname "Butterfly Cluster" may come from
"Splendour of the Heavens" (1923), as M6 is described as
"somewhat irregular in shape, with central rib of stars, and resembles a
butterfly with open wings."
******************************
17 38 19.1 +18
49 58
=**?,
Gottlieb. Not found, RNGC.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6406 = Big. 81 on 10 Jun 1885 and noted "mag 13.3,
7" or 8" diameter, stellar appearance." Two mag 14 stars with a
similar separation are very close to his Comptes Rendus position, so this
identification is certain.
******************************
17 44 57.6 -60
44 22
V = 12.3; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated WSW-ENE,
50"x40", sharply concentrated with a very bright, relatively large
core and a much fainter halo. Mag
9.4
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6407 = h3700 on 7 Aug 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R: lbM;
15"; near 3 stars." His
position is accurate.
******************************
17 38 47.3 +18
52 40
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak
concentration, fairly low surface brightness. Located in a rich star field between a mag 13.5 star 1.8' W
and a mag 14 star 1.1' SE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6408 = m 340 = St II-15 on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "F, S, R,
gbM." His position is 1' too far north. Édouard Stephan independently rediscovered the galaxy on 16
Jul 1871. His micrometric position
is very accurate.
******************************
17 36 35.4 +50
45 57
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, small, round, broad concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6409 = Sw I-67 on 18 Jun 1885 and noted "vF; S;
R." His position is 30
seconds of RA too far west. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 7 Aug
1888 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
******************************
17 35 20.5 +60
47 32
=**?,
Gottlieb. =*, RNGC.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6410 = Sw VI-93 on 2 May 1887 and recorded "eeF, S, R,
nearly between 2 stars, GC 4320 [
******************************
NGC 6411 = UGC
10916 = MCG +10-25-068 = CGCG 300-052 = PGC 60536
17 35 32.5 +60
48 48
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70d
17.5"
(6/22/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, 1.1'x0.8', gradually
increases to a very small bright core.
A mag 13.5 star is 20" off the SW edge and 57" from the
center.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6411 on 27 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
on 4 nights) is accurate and noted the mag 12 star 6 seconds preceding and
30" south. The MCG declination is 30' too far south, and NGC 6411 is not
referenced.
******************************
17 29 37.0 +75
42 15
V = 11.8; Size 2.5'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.4
48"
(10/22/11): at 375x appeared bright, large, round, 2' diameter. Broad concentration with a large,
brighter 30" core, hint of spiral structure in the halo though it was
difficult to trace the arms. An
HII knot or companion was easily seen superimposed at the edge of the halo on
the north side (37" from center) and appeared faint, small, oval, ~12"x8". A mag 13.5 star lies 1' SW and a mag 16
star is 1.8' SW; both stars are collinear with the core. A bright mag 11.3 star lies 2' SE. Listed by Arp as a spiral with a
"low surface brightness companion on arms", but the
"companion" may be an HII region.
17.5"
(7/9/88): moderately bright, irregularly round, 2.0' diameter, diffuse halo,
weak even concentration to a brighter core. A mag 13.5 star is at the SW edge 1.1' from center. A string of three equally spaced stars
begins with a mag 11 star 2' SE and includes two bright stars; mag 8.3
8"
(8/5/83): very faint, small, diffuse.
Located north of two mag 8 stars in field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6412 = H VI-41 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1071) and surprisingly
described this galaxy as a cluster of class VI (very condensed and rich
clusters of stars) -- "round, resolvable, about 3' diameter, vgbM. I
suppose it to be a cluster of stars compressed extremely. 320 power confirms
the supposition, and shews a few of the stars; it must be immensely
rich." CH's reduced position
is 30 tsec west (only 1.8' at this dec) of
******************************
17 40 40.7 +12
37 26
=***, Gottlieb.
Not found, RNGC.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6413 = Sw II-16 on 20 Jul 1870. At his exact position is a group of three or four close
stars with the brightest two a 3" double. The RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
17 30 36.7 +74
22 34
V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 145d
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, extremely small, round, very small bright core. Bracketed by two faint mag 14.5/15
stars.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6414 = Sw III-94 on 30 May 1886 and recorded "eeeF; pS; R;
ee diff.; bet 2 stars; 4 F stars near preceding in form of arc of
circle". His position is just
1' south of
******************************
17 44 40 -35 03
=Not found, RNGC
and ESO.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6415 = h3701' on 26 Aug 1826 and recorded "a great Nebulous
projection of the milky way." His RA is given roughly to the nearest
minute of time. In the Cape
Catalogue, JH did not assign a number, but placed it (in RA order) after h3701,
so Dreyer called it h3701' in the NGC.
This is likely just a rich section of the Milky Way and RNGC and ESO
list the number as "Not found".
Harold Corwin places the center about 1 minute of time larger than JH's
position and 3'-4' south.
Wolfgang
Steinicke lists James Dunlop with the discovery (numbers D 595 and D 596), but
Glen Cozens associates these number with Ruprecht 128. Dunlop described a much
smaller object than JH's h3701' -- D 595 is only 1' diameter and D 596 is 5' x
30".
******************************
NGC 6416 = Cr
344 = ESO 455-SC032
17 44 20 -32 21
42
V = 5.7; Size 18'
17.5"
(8/2/97): best view at 100x as it fills the 220x (9mm Nagler) field. The most detached portion consists of a
large cloud of at least 15' diameter and containing roughly 75 stars. There are four brighter stars
(including mag 8.6
8"
(6/19/82): almost two dozen faint stars, large, scattered, not impressive as
fairly coarse.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6416 = h3702 = D612? on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "Cl class
VIII of stars 11m; fills field; not rich; stars in zig-zag lines." His position is accurate. James Dunlop possibly discovered the
cluster earlier on 13 May 1826 and described "a cluster of small stars of
mixt magnitudes, about 15' diameter, irregular figure." His position, though, is nearly
40' west of the cluster and actually falls on the east side of M6, 13' from the
center. So, his identification is
uncertain though seems to describe NGC 6416 better.
******************************
17 41 47.9 +23
40 19
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, almost even surface
brightness. Located 4.9' S of mag
7.8
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6417 = m 341 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "pF, S,
vlbM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
17 38 09.3 +58
42 54
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, very small, slightly elongated. A mag 15 star is at the east edge 17" from the
center. Contains a very faint
stellar nucleus or a mag 15 star involved.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 14 year-old son, discovered NGC 6418 = Sw I-68 on 4 May 1885 and
recorded "eF: pS; R; forms a right angle triangle with 2 stars, one
mB." Their position is just
1' north of
******************************
17 36 06.2 +68
09 20
V = 14.6; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 134d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, elongated NW-SE, bright core. Two mag 15 stars are close north (one
is 43" NNW of center). In a
group of 6 galaxies with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6419 = Sw II-55, along with NGC 6420, on 17 Aug 1883 and
recorded "eeF; eS; R; e diff.
n of 2." His position
is 14 seconds of RA west of
Harold Corwin
notes it is very possible that NGC 6423 (discovered by Swift 16 days earlier)
is an earlier observation of this galaxy and NGC 6422 is an earlier observation
of NGC 6420. But Guillaume
Bigourdan assigned the numbers to the four brightest galaxies in the field,
which are a good match with Swift's declinations (the RAs are 14 to 24 seconds
too small). Bigourdan's corrected
positions for all 4 galaxies (measured in Sept 1888), were published in the IC
2 Notes.
******************************
NGC 6420 = MCG
+11-21-013 = CGCG 321-025 = PGC 60553
17 36 16.2 +68
03 08
V = 14.5; Size 0.65'x0.2'; PA = 54d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, bright core. In a compact trio with NGC 6422 1.3'
ENE and
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6420 = Sw II-56, along with NGC 6419, on 17 Aug 1883 and
recorded "eeF; eS; R; ee diff.
s[outh] of 2 [with NGC 6419].
His description is not of any real help, but his position is 23 seconds
of RA west of
******************************
17 45 44 -33 41
36
24"
(7/7/13): large, bright Milky Way cloud at 125x (50' field). Sharply defined by dust clouds on the
west edge and along the east side up to the north end. Includes a nice string of a half-dozen
stars (mag 9.5-11.5) on the southeast side and a couple of 1' pairs (oriented
N-S) of mag 10.5-11.5 stars are at the east end of the cloud.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6421 = h3702' on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "A most
remarkable, well insulated, semi-nebulous milky way patch of a branching
rounded figure, within the limits of the field, quite insulated on the p, n and
f side, and only connected on the south side by a narrow isthmus with a branch
of the milky way, which runs meridionally to a great extent. It forms a VI. class cluster of the
utmost tenuity, barely resolvable, no resolved. See [sketch] fig 1, plate V." JH listed this observation (and coordinates) after
h3702, but didn't assign it a unique h-designation (it's called 3702 1/2 in his
list of sketched nebulae), indicating it was just an interesting field and not
a discrete object. He included it,
though, in the GC as h3702', but Dreyer dropped the prime in the NGC. As a result there are NGC listings for
h3702 (NGC 6416 and NGC 6421).
******************************
NGC 6422 = MCG
+11-21-015 = CGCG 321-026 = PGC 60558
17 36 29.9 +68
03 31
V = 14.1; Size 0.6'x0.6'
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, round, bright core. In a compact trio with similar NGC 6420 1.3' WSW and MCG
+11-21-014 1' NW. The MCG was the
faintest of the trio and appeared extremely faint, very small, round, even
surface brightness. Located in a
group with NGC 6419 6.3' NNW and CGCG 321-023 = PGC 60529 7' WNW. The CGCG appeared very faint, extremely
small, round. A mag 15 star is off
the south edge.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6422 = Sw II-57, along with NGC 6423, on 1 Aug 1883 and recorded
"eF; pS; R; nearly between a F and a B *." His position is 16 seconds west of CGCG 321-025 = PGC
60553, the brightest of four galaxies in a 3' circle. The "B *" in the description probably refers to
the mag 8.9 star 3' east.
Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 6 Sep 1888 (repeated in the
IC 2 Notes). MCG does not label
this galaxy as NGC 6422. See notes
for NGC 6419.
******************************
NGC 6423 = MCG
+11-21-016 = CGCG 321-027 = PGC 60576
17 36 53.3 +68
10 17
V = 14.8; Size 0.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 165d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 6419 4.5' W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6423 = Sw II-58, along with NGC 6422 = Sw II-57, on 1 Aug 1885,
and recorded "eeF; vS; R; * nr east; v diff." His position is 12 seconds west and
0.8' south of
******************************
17 36 11.9 +69
59 20
V = 13.4; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, extremely small, round. Appears as a stellar nucleus with a small, round halo.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6424 = Sw II-59 on 5 Aug 1885 and logged "vF; pS; R." His position is less than 1' from UGC
10932, so the identity is certain.
******************************
17 47 02 -31 31
48
V = 7.2; Size 8'
17.5"
(8/2/97): roughly three dozen stars in a 16'x7' detached region about 20 of
which are mag 11 and the remainder mag 12-13.5. The group stands out well using a 14mm UltraWide, although
the stars are fairly scattered with no dense regions. Near the center is a nice 30" equilateral triangle
(brightest of the trio is at the SE vertex) of mag 10.5-11.5 stars. Following this triangle is a large
"hole" in the cluster devoid of any stars. The brighter stars form an
irregular border although there are two noticeable strings of stars in the
cluster. Located 1.5 degrees NE of M6.
8" (6/27/81):
15 stars mag 11-13 in a triangular outline.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6425 = h3703 on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "Small cl VIII
class; 8' dia; has 20 or 30 st 10...12, nearly insulated." His position is good.
******************************
17 44 54.7 +03
10 13
V = 11.2; Size 3.2'; Surf Br = 1.1
24"
(7/30/16): at 260x and 432x; fairly faint, round, moderately large, 2.5' diameter. Contains a very small, slightly
brighter core that is elongated N-S and lively. A few faint stars are resolved around at the edges of the
halo and several additional stars occasionally sparkle within the halo. A 15-15.5 magnitude star is at the
north edge of core. In addition, five slightly brighter stars are arranged N-S
along the west side of the halo; a single mag 14 star is near the NW side, two
mag 14.5-15 stars on the west side, and two mag 15/15.5 stars on the SW side.
18"
(8/23/03): at 160x, appears fairly faint with an irregular triangular outline,
2.5' diameter. There is only a
weak concentration though the surface has a patchy, irregular appearance with a
few faint stars superimposed. At
435x, the brightest resolved star is at the northwest edge. A few others are collinear in the halo
along the western side. The
slightly brighter core is offset east of the geometric center and just resolved
into several extremely faint stars at moments. A total of up to 10 mag 15/16 stars are barely resolved.
17.5"
(5/30/92): fairly faint, 3' diameter, slightly elongated, only a weak central
condensation, slightly granular.
Two or three faint stars are resolved at the edge of the halo. At 286x, a few additional very faint
stars are resolved over the core for a total resolution of just six stars. A striking double ∑2202 = 6.2/6.6 at
21" lies 36' S.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, small, round, diffuse.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6426 = H II-587 = St VII-18 on 3 Jun 1786 (sweep 572) and
recorded "F, cL, iF."
His position is reasonably accurate. Stephan found the cluster 90 years later on 13 Jul 1876 and
included it in his 7th list. As a
result, Dreyer catalogued it again as GCS 5870, but he combined both GC entries
in the NGC.
The position
given in Sky Catalogue 2000.0, Deep Sky Field Guide (first version) and NGC
2000.0 is 10' too far south!
******************************
17 43 38.7 +25
29 38
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 36d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, small bright core,
faint extensions. A mag 15 star is
just off the SW end 26" from the center and a mag 14.5 star is 36" S
of center. Forms a pair with NGC
6429 10.4' SE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6427 = m 342 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, vS,
stellar." His position is 1'
north of
******************************
NGC 6428
17 43 52.9 +25
33 23
=*, Corwin. Not
found, RNGC. =**?, Gottlieb.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6428 = Big. 82 on 7 Jul 1885. A 13" double star is near
his Comptes Rendus position, though Harold Corwin notes that Bigourdan
references the northern star as the intended "object". RNGC
classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
NGC 6429 = UGC
10960 = MCG +04-42-004 = CGCG 141-007 = PGC 60770
17 44 05.4 +25
21 01
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 23d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. A very close faint double
star mag 14.5/15.5 is off the south side 33" S of center. Forms a pair with NGC 6427 10' NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6429 = m 343 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "F, S,
stellar." His position is 1'
too far north.
******************************
17 45 14.3 +18 08
18
V = 13.5; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 97d
17.5"
(8/7/02): at 220x appeared as a faint, moderately large edge-on oriented E-W,
1.2'x0.3' with a low even surface brightness. A mag 13.7 star is at the following end 50" from the
center and the galaxy extends nearly due west.
Albert Marth's
position for NGC 6430 was off by
38 tsec in RA and although his description matches, modern catalogues and the
U2000 (second edition) identify this galaxy as
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6430 = m 344 on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, mE." There is nothing at his position, but
38 seconds of time east is UGC 10966, and Marth's description is appropriate
for this galaxy.
Karl Reinmuth
failed to find NGC 6430 in his photographic survey using Heidelberg plates and
wrote "no mE neb seen; a chain of 4 st 14-15, 150°, in 17h 38.9m
(1860)". Based on Reinmuth,
RNGC misclassifies the number as nonexistent with the note "4 stars".
******************************
NGC 6431 = NGC
6427 = UGC 10957 = MCG +04-42-003 = CGCG 141-006 = PGC 60758
17 43 38.7 +25
29 38
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 36d
See observing
notes for NGC 6427.
Édouard Stephan
found NGC 6431 = St I-7 on 23 Jun 1870.
This was his first "discovery" but Bigourdan (visually) and
Reinmuth (on Heidelberg plates) found nothing at his position. However, Harold Corwin found that
Stephan misidentified his comparison star and once corrected his position
matches NGC 6427 = UGC 10957, which Albert Marth had discovered earlier on 2
Jul 1864. So, NGC 6431 = NGC
6427. This is one of Stephan's few
errors that were not caught by Emmanuel Esmiol during his re-reduction of
Stephan's positions ("Réduction des Observations de Nébuleuses Découvertes
par M. Stephan", 1916).
******************************
17 47 23 -24 53
12
=4*12-13, Howe.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6432 = h1984 on 1 Jul 1826 and noted "a cl of vs
stars. Twilight." A group of 4 stars within 40" is
just 1' north of his position.
Herbert Howe was the first to make this identification in 1899. Using the 20-inch refractor in Denver,
he reported "This 'cluster' contains only four stars, two of mag 12 and
two of mag 13."
******************************
17 43 56.3 +36
48 01
V = 13.3; Size 2.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 163d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated NNW-SSE, small bright
core. Pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6433 = m 345 on 9 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, S, pmE,
bM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
17 36 49.0 +72
05 20
V = 12.4; Size 2.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100d
17.5"
(6/11/88): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, bright
core. Located 2.0' N of mag 7.3
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6434 = H III-741 = h1987 on 6 Jun 1788 (sweep 847) and recorded
"eF, stellar. A few minutes
north of a considerable B star, verified by 300, which showed it lE in the
parallel [E-W]." JH made the
single observation "vF; vS; R; bM; 6"; 90" n of a * 8m."
******************************
17 40 11.1 +62
38 29
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5d
17.5"
(7/21/90): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. Forms a pair with CGCG
300-059 5.2' ESE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6435 = Sw IX-86 on 15 Jun 1887 and recorded "eeF; vS; R; vF
double star near following."
His position is 2' too far northeast, but the double star, which is 2.8'
northeast, clinches the identification.
Swift relayed the discovery directly to Dreyer, who assigned it to list
VI in the NGC, but the discovery was not published until a couple of years
later in list IX (along with others he didn't include in list VI).
******************************
17 41 13.2 +60
26 59
V = 14.0; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 177d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, elongated 2:1 N-S, even surface brightness. An extremely faint 16th magnitude star
is just west of the core. Almost
collinear with three mag 13 stars off the south edge which are aligned E-W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6436 = Sw V-74 on 25 Sep 1884 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; v
close n of the s * of 3 in a line."
His position is just 50" north of
******************************
17 48 45 -35 26
00
Size 20'x5'
18"
(8/19/09): at 73x (31mm Nagler) appeared as a very large group or star cloud of
over 100 stars, mostly mag 10-13, in a 30'x15' region elongated NW to SE. The mass of stars is just west of mag
7.3
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6437 = h3704 on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "A very decided, tolerably
defined semi-nebulous mass in milky way, with abundance of vS st, forming
altogether a telescopic magellanic cloud.
It fills about a field, and has branches and sinuses and is altogether a
remarkable object". On the
DSS, this is a rich Milky Way field (JH's position is at the southeast side),
which is detached on the east end by dust. ESO did not include it as a cluster and RNGC also classifies
the number as nonexistent.
******************************
18 22 17.7 -85
24 07
V = 11.1; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 156d
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, the appearance of this
interacting pair was very strange!
NGC 6438 appeared moderately bright, small, round, 0.4' diameter.
NGC 6438A appears
highly disrupted on the DSS, with two extensions or arms (perhaps two different
interacting galaxies).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6438 = h3701 on 2 Jun 1835 and logged "pB; R; vgbM. RA rudely taken, and may be very
erroneous." His RA is 3
minutes too large, though this only corresponds with 3.6' in the sky at this
declination.
******************************
17 48 19.8 -16
28 44
V = 12.7; Size 6"x5"
18"
(7/25/06): easily picked up at 115x as a quasi-stellar light-blue mag 12.5
"star" just 1' S of a mag 10.4 star. Very good response to the OIII filter. A very small disc was visible at 225x,
perhaps 3" in size. Adding a
UHC filter this compact planetary was similar in brightness to the mag 10.4
star and appeared to increase slightly in diameter. At 435x a small oval, ~4"x3" was resolved of
uniform surface brightness except it seemed to fade around the periphery,
hinting at a thin faint envelope.
Located in the NW corner of Sgr near the border of Ophiuchus and Serpens
Cauda.
13.1"
(7/12/86): fairly bright stellar planetary at 79x, verified with OIII
blinking. At 166x a mag 10.5 star
just 1.2' N is perfectly placed for blinking comparison! Appears stellar at 214x. Estimate V = 12.0-12.5.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6439 on 18 Aug 1882 with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard
College Observatory using a direct-vision spectroscope. He reported the
discovery in AN 2459 and Sidereal Messenger, Oct 1882 and noted "mag 13. A
star, mag 11, north 1' and follows 1 second." His position and description is accurate. Megastar (and probably other sources)
misidentify the mag 13 star that is 1' north as NGC 6439.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) described NGC 6439 as "a
minute round disk 5" in diameter, there is a very wind in p.a. 290°. The disk is slightly fainter at the
edges."
******************************
17 48 52.6 -20
21 35
V = 9.1; Size 5.4'; Surf Br = 3.3
24"
(8/14/15): at 375x; bright, relatively small globular, sharply concentrated
with a very bright core and a much fainter, well-defined circular halo, roughly
2' across. The core is mottled and
very granular but unresolved. NGC
6440 is collinear with an 11' string of four mag 11-12 stars extending from NW
to SE, barely fitting in the field, with the closest star 1.7' NNW of
center. At 500x, a few extremely
faint stars were resolved in the halo.
The bright core contains a handful of resolved stars (mag 16.5 or
fainter) that pop in and out of view over the extremely granular background.
NGC 6440 is a
highly obscured, metal-rich globular at a low galactic latitude, so resolution
is quite difficult.
17.5"
(7/14/99): this globular forms an unusual pair with planetary
13"
(6/29/84): moderately bright, small, broadly concentrated to a brighter core,
no resolution. Forms a striking
pair with planetary NGC 6445 20' NNE.
Brightest member stars are only V =17.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6440 = H I-150 = h1985 on 28 May 1786 (sweep 569) and recorded
"cB, R, vgmbM, about 1 1/2' diameter."
******************************
17 50 12.8 -37
03 04
V = 7.4; Size 7.8'; Surf Br = 1.4
17.5"
(7/14/99): at 220x appears moderately bright, round, ~2.7' diameter, fairly
sharp concentration with a prominent 1' core. A mag 11 foreground star is at the southwest edge of the
halo (1.3' SW of center), a mag 13.5 star is just inside the west edge of the
halo (1.2' from center), and a mag 12.5-13 star is just off the northwest
side. No definite resolution was
visible although the globular has a granular appearance. Located just 4.5' following G Scorpii
(V = 3.2). H 1-36, a symbiotic
star (mimics a stellar planetary), is located just 1.3' NW of the mag 3.2 star!
13"
(6/18/85): very bright core, mottled halo but no certain resolution. Located just 4.5' E of G Scorpii (V =
3.2), which hampers viewing.
8"
(5/21/82): bright, intense core.
80mm finder
(7/14/99): the globular is easily visible at 21x in the finder.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6441 = D 557 = h3705 on 13 May 1826 with his 9-inch f/12
reflector at Paramatta. He
described "a small well-defined rather bright nebula, about 20 arcseconds
diameter, a very small star precedes it, but it is not involved; following
gamma Telescopii." He
observed this globular on 5 nights and his position is just 2' south of center
(unusually accurate for him).
JH first
recorded on 28 Jun 1834, "globular cluster, B, R, 90", vgbM,
resolvable (barely so), a very regularly graduating neb or cluster; in field
with gamma Telescopii." The
next night he logged "globular, B, R, vgbM, up to a blaze. In field with
Gamma Telescopii, and nearly on the same parallel; with left eye I barely see
it resolved into stars 18 or 20m. The whole ground of the heavens, for an
immense extent, is thickly sown with such stars. A beautiful object." Christian Peters claimed he discovered
it around 1850, while at the Capodimonte Observatory in Naples (AJ 2, 1856).
******************************
17 46 51.3 +20
45 40
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, small
well-defined core, faint halo.
Pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6442 = m 346 on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "pF, S, irr R,
gbM." His position is 1' too
far north.
******************************
17 44 33.9 +48
06 50
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128d
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, fairly small, very elongated NW-SE, almost even surface
brightness. Located along one side
of a thin isosceles triangle of three mag 14 stars (two lie 1.6' N and 1.5'
S). A mag 11 star is 3.3' E.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6443 = Sw V-75 on 22 Oct 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; e
diff." His position is less
than 1' north of
******************************
17 49 35 -34 49
12
Size 12'
17.5"
(7/8/94): about 50 stars in a 10' string oriented due E-W. Stands out reasonably well in the field
at 100x. Very uniform in mag 12-13
stars over some unresolved haze. A
more ill defined branch of stars begins at the west end and trails NE. An arc of stars begins at the east end
and curls back west on the south side.
Located in the same low power field with globular
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6444 = h3706 = D 597? on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "A very
fine L, rich sc cl of st 12...13m."
His position is 40 seconds of RA too large, but marked the coordinates
with a +/-, indicating uncertainty.
James Dunlop
possibly discovered the cluster earlier on 28 Jun 1826 and logged a
"pretty large faint nebula, easily resolvable. This precedes a cluster of stars." Dunlop made a single observation and
his position is 26' too far east-southeast, but this cluster is due west of M7
by 52', so this identification is certainly reasonable. RNGC misclassifies the number as
nonexistent.
******************************
NGC 6445 = Box
Nebula = PK 8+3.1 = ESO 589-PN9 = PN G008.0+03.9
17 49 15.3 -20
00 34
V = 10.9; Size 38"x29"; Surf Br = 9.9
24"
(8/14/15): this highly structured planetary was observed using 500x. NGC 6445 has an unusual rectangular
shape, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, with dimensions ~45"x30". The planetary is brighter in fairly
narrow strips along the four sides, creating an annular appearance. The short northwest facing side is
slightly brighter and contains a bright knot or section near the middle. In addition, a faint knot is at the
north vertex. Another bright knot
is at the east vertex and either a faint knot or very faint star is at the
south vertex. The short southeast
facing side is sharply defined and quite straight. A very low surface
brightness glow can be seen outside (east) of the eastern vertex. In addition, with careful viewing an
extremely faint outer shell or loop is outside the long southwest facing side,
connected at the two vertices along this side. A mag ~15.5 star is just outside the midpoint of the loop. The outer shell or loop on the
northeast side was not seen.
18"
(7/22/06): this fascinating planetary was viewed at 435x. The overall shape is rectangular with
the longer sides oriented NW to SE.
Both ends are noticeably brighter giving an annular appearance. The NW end is slightly brighter and
irregular in surface brightness with a brighter spot or two. The rim at the northwest end is
slightly bowed out and has a well-defined boundary edge in the interior. The rim at the southeast end of the
planetary is unusually straight and well-defined. With averted vision it appeared to extend slightly beyond
the main body of the planetary.
The bright lobe at this end is bar-shaped and extended SW to NE in the
direction of the minor axis.
17.5"
(7/14/99): this bright PN is striking at 280x with a great deal of structure
evident. It has a boxy appearance,
elongated NW-SE with dimensions ~45"x30". The ends of the major axis are clearly brighter with a
bright, shallow arc or crescent-shaped curve on the NW end. This lobe has an irregular surface
brightness with a couple of brighter spots. The SE lobe is brighter but has an oddly flat edge. At 380x, the eastern end of the
southeast lobe is brighter and has a small extension or nodule that bulges out
beyond the rectangular outline to the east. The center is clearly darker and with careful viewing
appears as a dark band running SW-NE.
A mag 12 star lies ~45" NW of center and the planetary precedes a
wide uneven mag 8/10.5 pair by 5'.
The planetary forms an unusual pair with GC NGC 6440 20' SSW.
13"
(8/5/83): bright, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, brighter along the NW
side. A darker center visible at
288x appears to cut through the minor axis. The NW edge is slightly curved
while the other sides and corners are "boxy" giving an irregular
rectangular outline. The ends of
the minor axis are fainter. A wide
double star h2810 = 7.7/10.5 at 41" lies 5.3' E. A mag 12 star is just off the NW end about 40" from the
center. Forms a striking pair with
globular cluster NGC 6440 20' SSW in the same low power field.
13.1" (7/16/82):
dark center at 280x appears to bisect the planetary ~E-W.
8"
(6/27/81): fairly bright, elongated, uniform. Located within string of four mag 11/12 stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6445 = H II-586 = h1986 on 28 May 1786 (sweep 569) and recorded
"pB, S, iF." He placed it in his class II of "Faint
Nebulae". JH called this planetary "pB; pL; R; r;
40"." On 11 Mar 1848,
LdR (or assistant William Rambaut) described NGC 6445 as "curious
circular-shaped neb with large dark spot at one side [f side in a diagram],
around which is a close cluster of well defined vS stars." Edward Pickering apparently found NGC
6445 while searching with a direct-vision spectroscope at Harvard College
Observatory (Sidereal Messenger, Oct 1882). In 1887, Frank Muller reported with the 26-inch refractor at
the Leander McCormick Observatory, "Two nuclei forming an elliptical
nebula, elongated 150°, largest diameter 26", northern nucleus
brighter. A sketch shows each nucleus
to be elongated in the direction 90° +/-, the center being almost devoid of
nebulosity. The nuclei are
entirely separated from each other except by very faint nebulosity, and are of
the 12.5 magnitude."
Based on
Crossley photographs, Curtis (1918) reported "..the brighter portioin is a
very irregular "square-shouldered ring 38"x29"; from this extend
very faint ring like ansae in p.a. 50-230°, along which the total length is
about 50". Brightest on NW
edge..."
The Sky
Catalogue 2000, Volume 2 and the Deep Sky Name Index 2000 incorrectly refer to
NGC 6445 as the "Little Gem".
The nickname applies to
******************************
17 46 07.5 +35
34 10
V = 14.6; Size 0.3'x0.3'
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A pair of mag 14 and 15 stars is 0.9'
NNE and 1.2' N of center, respectively.
Forms a close pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6446 = m 347, along with NGC 6447, on 9 Jul 1864 and noted
"eF, vS, irr R." His position
is accurate. Rudolph Spitaler
rediscovered both galaxies on 26 May 1884 while observing Comet 1858 III (AN
2446).
******************************
NGC 6447 = UGC
10975 = MCG +06-39-019 = CGCG 199-019 = PGC 60829
17 46 17.2 +35
34 20
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 145d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated N-S, brighter middle with faint
extensions. Forms a close pair
with NGC 6446 1.9' W.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6447 = m 348, along with NGC 6446, on 9 Jul 1864 and noted
"vF, S, R." His position
is accurate. Rudolph
Spitaler rediscovered both galaxies on 26 May 1884 while observing Comet 1858
III (AN 2601).
******************************
17 43 42.8 +53
32 44
18"
(8/27/11): At 175x I identified a mag 11.6 star that possibly appeared to have
one or more faint companions as there was a slightly hazy glow very near
extended E-W. At 393x, three
close, very faint companions were resolved; two following and one preceding,
with all 4 stars roughly collinear.
The two companions to the east are at 17" and 30" from the
brighter star, while the companion to the west is at a separation of
19". The brightest of the
three faint stars is at the east end, though all three are near V = 15.5. Located 15' S of 5.8-magnitude HD
161693.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6448 = Sw II-60 on 16 July 1885 and logged "vF, pS, R,
lbM". There are no galaxies
near his position, but about 30 seconds of RA preceding is a east-west string
of 3 very faint stars and one brighter star that may be Swift's object. According to Harold Corwin's
identification notes, Jeff Corder suggested this possible identification. RNGC
classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
17 43 46.3 +56
48 14
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 135d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE. Three faint stars very near; a mag 15.5
star is at the south edge, a mag 15 star is just west of the core and a mag 14
star is off the north edge.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6449 = Sw I-69 on 19 Apr 1885 and recorded "vF; pS; R;
bM." His position is at the
northeast edge of the galaxy.
******************************
17 47 30 +18 35
=Not found,
Dreyer.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6450 = Sw II-61 on 1 Jul 1884 and logged "vF; vS; B * f 8
seconds; bet 2 sts." There
are only faint stars near his position and the nearest faint galaxies in the
CGCG have no nearby bright star, so clearly there is an error in his
position. Both Bigourdan and
Herbert Howe were unsuccessful in finding NGC 6450. Father Hagen notes in the Vatican Zone Catalogue that there
no "B*" in this place.
No modern
catalogue has an entry for NGC 6450 and Harold Corwin was also unable to recover
this object despite the specific description.
******************************
17 50 42 -30 12
30
Size 8'
13.1"
(6/18/85): about three dozen stars in a 8' diameter. The brighter stars around the edges form the outline. Includes many very faint stars inside
the bright border but unconcentrated towards the center.
8"
(6/27/81): faint but rich group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6451 = H VI-13 = h3707 on 24 Jun 1784 (sweep 232) and recorded
"a cluster of small and pretty compressed stars of several magnitudes;
about 5 or 6' in diam, not very rich." On 3 Aug 1834 (sweep 478), JH logged "a remarkable
cluster; divided into two by a broad, vacant, straight band; irreg R; 8' diam;
st 12...15m. See fig 5, Pl
V." His sketch shows two
elongated groups of stars separated by a starless lane.
******************************
17 47 58.5 +20
50 16
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(7/1/89): very faint, very small, round, low surface brightness. Situated almost between two mag 14/15
stars aligned E-W. Located about
12' WNW of
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6452 = m 349, along with NGC 6458 and 6460, on 2 Jul 1864 and
noted "eeF, S." His position
is less than 2' north of
******************************
NGC 6453 = ESO
393-SC036
17 50 52 -34 36
00
V = 9.9; Size 3.5'; Surf Br = 2.0
17.5"
(7/4/86): at 220x appears very faint, small, very mottled. A few stars are resolved at the edges
(possibly foreground stars).
Located beyond the NW edge of M7 about 40' from the center. Open cluster NGC 6444 lies 20' SW.
8": faint,
small, diffuse. Located NW of M7
in the field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6453 = h3708 on 8 Jun 1837 and recorded "a highly condensed
nebulous mass, 3' diam, or an irreg R neb; pmbM; resolvable." His position is 27 seconds of time too
large, but his RA is rounded to the nearest minute (marked as +/-) and the
description fits.
******************************
17 44 56.6 +55
42 17
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 14 star is superimposed or
contains a fairly bright stellar nucleus.
Located 5.9' SE of mag 8.7
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6454 = Sw I-70 on 19 Apr 1885 and noted "vF; pS; R;
lbM." His position is
18 seconds of RA too small.
Bigourdan remeasured an accurate RA on 4 Oct 1890 (repeated in the IC 2
Notes).
******************************
17 51 08 -35 20
18
24"
(7/7/13): at 125x (50' field), this position corresponds with a very large,
bright Milky Way field just southwest of M7. The field includes a nice mix of mag 7 and fainter stars
centered near a bright, very wide pair (mag 7
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6455 = h3709 on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "a very extensive
nebulous clustering mass of the milky way. The stars of excessive smallness, and infinite in
number." His position is
marked uncertain, possibly due to the large size of the field but falls close
to mag 7.3
RNGC classifies
the number as nonexistent and ESO has only a placeholder for the NGC
designation.
******************************
17 42 31.7 +67
35 33
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 45d
24"
(8/23/14): at 375x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round,
20"-24" diameter, slightly brighter middle. A mag 16.6 star is 0.4' N of center.
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. First of 7 and in a trio with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6456 = Sw V-76, along with
******************************
17 42 53.0 +66
28 33
V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 140d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, gradually increases to
a small bright core.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 14 year-old son, discovered NGC 6457 = Sw I-71 on 8 Jun 1885 and
recorded "F; vS; R; bM."
The position matches
******************************
NGC 6458 = UGC
10994 = MCG +03-45-029 = CGCG 112-051 = PGC 60911
17 49 10.9 +20
48 15
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 155d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, almost round, weak concentration. Located in a N-S string of three mag 14
stars. Pair with NGC 6460 5.2' ESE
in a group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6458 = m 350, along with NGC 6460, on 2 Jul 1864 and noted
"eF, vS, stellar." His
position is within 1' of
******************************
NGC 6459 = MCG
+09-29-029 = CGCG 278-025 = PGC 60817
17 45 47.1 +55
46 36
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 78d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, very small, round.
Located 1.6' NNE of a mag 9.5 star. Forms a pair with NGC 6454 8' SW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6459 = Sw I-72 on 19 Apr 1885 and recorded "eF; vvS; R; vv
diff.; stellar. May be a few eF
stars." His position is
accurate, despite his uncertainty. MCG mislabels this galaxy as NGC 6460.
******************************
NGC 6460 = UGC
10997 = MCG +03-45-031 = CGCG 112-055 = PGC 60925
17 49 30.3 +20
45 49
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 157d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, weak
concentration. Located between mag
7.6
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6460 = m 351, along with NGC 6458, on 2 Jun 1864 and noted
"vF, pL, iR." His
position matches
******************************
17 39 56.7 +74
02 03
Size
1.0'x0.5'; PA = 20d
18"
(8/12/07): faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, ~20"x16". Located 1.4' NW of a mag 10.5
star. NGC 6461 is incorrectly
identified as
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6461 = Sw V-77 on 18 Sep 1884 and recorded "eF; pS; R; nr
terminal * of 5 forming semi-circle." There is nothing near his position. The nearest galaxy is
Harold Corwin
identifies
******************************
17 44 48.8 +61
54 38
V = 13.9; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.8
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, extremely small, round, weak concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6462 = Sw I-73 on 5 Jun 1885 and noted "F; vvS; R;
planetary." His position is
15 seconds of RA too large.
******************************
NGC 6463 = MCG
+11-21-022 = CGCG 321-037 = CGCG 322-007 = WBL 645-003 = PGC 60755
17 43 34.2 +67
36 13
V = 14.1; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
24"
(8/23/14): fairly faint, round, 24" diameter, very weak
concentration. Near the center of
a group of faint galaxies with
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, diffuse. Third of seven in NGC 6456 group with NGC 6472 3.2' ENE, NGC
6470 4.0' E and NGC 6471 3.7' ESE.
Located 6.0' E of NGC 6456.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6463 = Sw IV-55, along with
******************************
17 45 47.6 +60
53 51
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(7/27/92): very faint, very small, round, low even surface brightness. Preceded by an elongated group of 10
stars mag 14-15. A distinctive
trapezoid of four mag 11 stars with bases oriented N-S lies between 2' and 6'
N. The galaxy is collinear with
the shorter east base and is located 3' further south.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6464 = Sw I-74 on 18 Sep 1884 and recorded "eeeF; R; pS; ee
diff.; south of 4 stars in form of a square." His position is 1.2' too far north and his description of
the four stars to the north matches the sky.
******************************
17 52 55 -25 23
54
=2 double stars,
Howe.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6465 = h1988 on 1 Jul 1826 and noted "suspected; small;
twilight." At his position is
a small group of 5 stars, including two double stars (an additional star is to
the southeast). Herbert Howe,
observing in 1888-1889 with a 20-inch refractor, reported "search was made
for this on two nights. On the
first no nebula could be found. On
the second, it was discovered that, instead of a nebula, there are simply two
doubles of mag 12. In each pair
the distance is 4", and the two pairs are 15" apart." Harold Corwin concurs with this
identification.
******************************
17 48 08.1 +51
23 57
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 111d
24"
(7/15/15): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.4'x0.3', brighter stellar
nucleus. Nearby are
17.5"
(6/22/90): faint, very small, slightly elongated, very small bright core. NGC 6478 lies 16' SSE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6466 = Sw I-75 on 18 Sep 1884 and recorded "eF; vS; R; bet
2 stars which with 2 others forms a cross like cross in Cygnus. Neb placed as in Gamma
Cygni." His position is 27
seconds of RA west of
Dorothy Carlson
(in her 1940 NGC Correction paper) equated NGC 6466 with NGC 6478 (based on Mt
Wilson photographs). RC 1, RC 2
and Sky Catalogue 2000 (first edition) all repeat this misidentification. RNGC and CGCG correctly identify NGC
6478. Both Harold Corwin and
Malcolm Thomson (in his unpublished "Catalogue Corrections") report
this error.
******************************
17 50 40.1 +17
32 16
V = 12.5; Size 2.6'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 77d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, fairly small, round, low even surface brightness. Located in a rich star field among a
group of stars. Unusual appearance
as appears similar to an unresolved clump in an open cluster.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6467 = m 352, along with
******************************
NGC 6468 = NGC
6467: = UGC 11004 = MCG +03-45-035 = CGCG 112-058 = Holm 772a = LGG 414-001 =
PGC 60972
17 50 40.1 +17
32 16
V = 12.5; Size 2.6'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 77d
See observing
notes for NGC 6467.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6468 = m 353, along with NGC 6467, on 2 Jun 1864 and noted
"vF, S, R." His position
is just 1 second of time east of NGC 6467, but there is only a single galaxy
here.
Karl Reinmuth
identifies NGC 6468 with three mag 13-14.5 stars east of NGC 6467 (separations
of 17", 19" and 24"), but these are wide enough to easily
resolve. Alternatively, a single
mag 14.5 star is 49" southeast of NGC 6468.
As the
descriptions for NGC 6467 and 6468 are similar, perhaps Marth accidentally recorded
this galaxy twice. RNGC equates
the two NGC designations and Corwin tentatively agrees as there is no other
compelling nearby candidate.
******************************
17 53 12 -22 16
30
Size 12'
17.5"
(8/27/92): 75 stars in a 15'x10' scattered region. Bordered by two brighter rows of stars oriented SSW-NNE and
WNW-ESE that intersect at a mag 10 star in the west corner of the cluster. A close faint double star is just
east. At the end of the ESE string
is a wide double star (h4990 = 9.5/11 at 23"). Between the two strings the cluster extends north forming a
triangular outline and consists mainly of mag 13 stars except for three mag
10-11 stars at the east boundary.
The planetary nebula
At 105x with an
OIII filter,
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6469 = h3711 on 27 Jun 1837 and recorded "a pretty rich
insulated milky way cluster; place of a coarse double star in it. The milky way hereabouts is very
poor."
******************************
NGC 6470 = UGC
10974 = MCG +11-21-025 = CGCG 321-039 = CGCG 322-009 = Kaz 159 = WBL 645-005 =
17 44 14.8 +67
37 10
V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 159d
24"
(8/23/14): at 375x appeared faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S,
24"x18", small bright core.
A mag 14 star is 0.7' NE.
Brightest in a rich knot of galaxies with NGC 6471 = UGC 10973 1.6' SSW
and NGC 6472 = PGC 2703230 1.3' NW and
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core. A mag 14 star is off the NE edge 0.7'
from center. Member of the NGC
6456 group with NGC 6472 1.3' NW, NGC 6471 1.6' S, NGC 6477 1.5' SE and NGC
6463 4.0' W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6470 = Sw IV-56, along with NGC 6456, on 9 Jun 1886 and logged
"eeeF; vS; R; ee dif; f of 2 [with NGC 6456]. His position is 4 tsec W and 0.4' south (41" southwest)
of
RNGC, UGC, CGCG
and MCG misidentify UGC 10973 as NGC 6470. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for NGC 6456.
******************************
NGC 6471 =
(R)NGC 6470 = UGC 10973a = MCG +11-21-023 = CGCG 321-038w = CGCG 322-008w = WBL
645-004 = PGC 60773
17 44 13.0 +67
35 35
V = 14.6; Size 1.3'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 173d
24"
(8/23/14): extremely faint or very faint, small, very elongated 3:1 N-S,
20"x6". Located 1.6' S
of brighter NGC 6470 and 3.7' ESE of NGC 6463.
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint and small, round. Forms a double system with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6471 = Sw V-78, along with NGC 6456, 6472 and 6477, on 25 Sep
1886. His description simply
mentions how faint and difficult the observation was and that NGC 6471 was the
"4th of 6". His position
is very close southeast of UGC 10973, a thin edge-on.
UGC 10973 is
misidentified as NGC 6470 in RNGC, UGC, CGCG, MCG. PGC labels it NGC 6470 = NGC 6471, but NGC 6470 is a
separate brighter galaxy 1.6' north.
The RNGC and CGCG misidentify
******************************
NGC 6472 =
(R)NGC 6477 = PGC 2703230
17 44 03.0 +67
37 49
V = 15.0; Size 0.6'x0.35'; PA = 10d
24"
(8/23/14): very faint, very small, round, 12" diameter. A mag 17.0 star (based on SDSS
photometry) was occasionally glimpsed 30" E. Located 1.3' NW of NGC 6470.
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint and small, round. In a crowded region of NGC 6456 group with NGC 6470 1.3'
ESE, NGC 6471 2.4' SSE and NGC 6463 3.2' SW. Misidentified as NGC 6477 in the RNGC.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6472 = Sw V-79, along with NGC 6456, 6471 and 6477, on 25 Sept
1886. His description simply
comments on how faint and small this galaxy appeared. He notes this is the "5th of 6" in the group, and
the declination is the furthest north.
His position is 7 sec of RA east and 1' north of
NGC 6472 is
mislabeled as NGC 6477 in the RNGC.
Furthermore, NGC 6470 = UGC 10974 (discovered by Swift earlier on 9 Jun
1886) is misidentified as NGC 6472 in RNGC, UGC, CGCG and MCG. See Corwin's notes to NGC 6456 for
more.
******************************
17 46 54 +57
18.5
=Not found,
Gottlieb. Possibly = UGC 10980,
HC.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6473 = Sw IV-57, along with
Unless he
somehow recorded NGC 6474 twice that evening, Harold Corwin mentions
******************************
NGC 6474 = UGC
10989 = MCG +10-25-092 = CGCG 300-068 = PGC 60850
17 47 05.5 +57
18 04
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 75d
17.5"
(7/19/90): very faint, small, slightly elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, small bright
core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6474 = Sw IV-58 on 22 Jun 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; R; 3
st. in a line nr and 3 others in a line point to it; e diff; n of 2." His position is 12 seconds of RA west
of UGC 10989 = PGC 60850 and his description applies. The "3 st. in a line nr" are probably the three
equally spaced stars to the southwest in a 3.7' string. The "3 others in a line point to
it" refer to three stars to the northeast. See NGC 6473, recorded the same night as the "s of
2", has a nearly identical position.
But, there is only a single galaxy here, so Swift made some error. See that number for more.
UGC identifies
UGC 10989 as NGC 6473, MCG labels it NGC 6474, and CGCG labels it NGC 6473 =
NGC 6474. Since the description of
NGC 6474 is more complete and unambiguous, it makes sense to use it as the primary
designation.
******************************
17 53 51 -34 47
36
V = 3.3; Size 80'
18"
(7/21/04): at 92x at least 300 stars are visible in the cluster, though very
difficult to count due to the very large size (overfills the 42' field). The more concentrated part of the
cluster spans perhaps 30' and includes a dozen stars of mag 7.5 or brighter in
the main body. This cluster is
much larger and brighter (very prominent naked-eye), but it is much more
scattered than M6 and so is less impressive. There are several bright, distinctive strings in the cluster
including a N-S string of ~8 stars on the east side of the central region. An equilateral triangle of mag 6, 7 and
8 stars with sides of 3' is on the NW side of the core of the cluster. A clump of 5 stars is near the center
including two mag 6 and 7 stars.
On the south side of the center of the cluster is an 11' string of 5 mag
5.6 to 7.8 stars oriented SW-NE with the bright mag 5.6 star (
13.1": very
bright, very large, impressive but scattered, overfills 52' field. Open cluster H18 lies 45' SE and
globular cluster NGC 6453 40' WNW of center. Prominent naked-eye cluster in dark sky. Includes several blue-white and
yellowish stars.
8": overfills
40' field, not many faint stars, scattered.
Ptolemy included
M7 = NGC 6475 = Lac II-14 = h3710 in his Almagest as "nebulous" patch
(found ~138 BC). But David Frew
mentions that G Scorpii is the object described as nebulous as Ptolemy may have
accidentally precessed the position of G Scorpii in Hipparchus' catalogue. Giovanni Hodierna made the first
telescopic observation before 1654 and resolved M7 into at least 30 stars. Edmund Halley independently discovered
the cluster in 1678 from St. Helena and Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille
"discovered" it again on 15 Jun 1752 from the Cape of Good Hope, as
he unaware of Hodierna's earlier observations. At a declination of -34.7°, M7 culminates only 7° above the
horizon from Paris, so Messier's confirmation on 23 May 1764 is
impressive. Halley is credited
with the discovery in the NGC.
******************************
17 54 02 -29 08
39
18"
(8/19/09): at 73x appeared as a very large, bright Milky Way patch that was
very elongated N-S, ~20'x6'. A
number of faint stars are superimposed, but the unresolved glow really caught
my eye first. Near the NE side is
mag 9.4
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6476 = h3712 on 15 Jul 1836 and simply noted "Nebula. No description. It is probably only nebulous portion of
the Milky Way." His RA and
Dec are both given as approximate but correspond with a 10th magnitude star at
the west edge of a very rich Milky Way field. RNGC classify the number as nonexistent (Type 7) in the RNGC
and ESO only includes a placeholder for the NGC number.
******************************
NGC 6477 = 2MASX
J17443006+6736380 = PGC 2702901
17 44 30.1 +67
36 38
Size 0.5'x0.2'
24"
(8/23/14): at 375x, extremely faint and small, round, 6" diameter. At moments it appeared essentially stellar
(perhaps only the nucleus seen).
Located 1.6' SE of NGC 6470 and 1.9' NE of NGC 6471.
17.5"
(8/25/95): extremely difficult, perhaps 10" diameter, round. Only detected for moments using averted
vision and knowing the exact location.
Located 1.6' SE of NGC 6470 = UGC 10974 (misidentified as NGC 6472 in
modern catalogues). A mag 14.5
star is just 30" due north.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6477 = Sw V-80, along with NGC 6456, 6471 and 6472, on 25 Sept
1886. His description simply
comments on how faint and small this galaxy appeared and notes it is the
"6th of 6". There is
nothing close to his position, except for a mag 16.5 star, perhaps too faint to
have been picked up.
Corwin proposes
that NGC 6477 may be
******************************
NGC 6478 = UGC
10998 = MCG +09-29-032 = CGCG 278-033 = PGC 60896
17 48 38.4 +51
09 25
V = 13.3; Size 1.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 37d
24"
(7/15/15): moderately bright and large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.3',
brighter core. Appears mottled
(perhaps dust) along the major axis.
NGC 6466 lies 15' NNW.
17.5"
(6/22/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 SW-NE. Appears brighter along the major axis
with a bright core. NGC 6466 is
16' NNW. Located 23' N of 30
Draconis (V = 5.0).
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6478 = Sw III-95 on 30 May 1886 and recorded "pB; S; eE;
spindle." His position is 10
seconds west and 1.5' south of
******************************
17 48 21.7 +54
08 56
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5"
(5/10/91): faint, fairly small, round, fairly low almost even surface
brightness with a very weak concentration. Observation hampered by mag 6.6
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6479 = Sw I-76 on 20 Apr 1885 and recorded "pS; eF; R; 3
stars north point to it, the north one the brighter." His position is less than 1' northeast
of
******************************
17 54 26 -30 27
07
18"
(7/2/11): NGC 6480 is a bright, rich, glowing section of the Milky Way that is
sharply cut off by LDN 1795 to the east.
The dust cloud creates a distinctive "V" shaped wedge to the
Milky Way glow pointing east with the vertex in the middle of the dark
cloud. There is no termination to
the Milky Way star cloud on the west side and no indication of a true
cluster. On the south side of the
"V", LDN 1795 cuts off the Milky Way to the south (not as dramatic)
creating a "zig-zag" border to the Milky Way. The view may be more impressive in the
80mm finder at 25x as the much larger field displays the full dark cloud
(roughly 30') as well as dark "finders" and "pools" of dust
that intrude into the Milky Way on the north side.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6480 = h3713' on 27 Jun 1837 and recorded "An extraordinary
B nebulous portion of the Milky Way, on a black ground vL; an angle taken where
there is a *12m". His
position corresponds with a mag 12 star at the east edge of a rich Milky Way
field outlined on the east side by dark cloud LDN 1795. His sketch (plate V, figure 2) captures
the appearance of this object very well.
NGC 6480 follows
h3713 in the CGH catalogue, but was not given a separate designation, though JH
used the designation h3713' in the GC and h3713 1/2 in his list of figured
nebulae. Dreyer dropped the prime
in the NGC, leaving two objects (NGC 6480 and 6483) equivalent to h3713.
******************************
17 52 48.9 +04
10 04
=****, HC. =**, DC
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 6481 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton
College Observatory. Close to his
micrometric position is a line of four stars oriented east-west. Dorothy Carlson classifies this object
as a double star and Harold Corwin calls it four stars.
******************************
17 51 48.9 +23
04 19
V = 11.4; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 70d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly bright, small, very bright stellar nucleus (this is a
superimposed star 8" from center!), small halo WSW-ENE. Forms the southern vertex of an
isosceles triangle with two mag 10 stars 2.4' NW and 2.5' NE.
13.1"
(7/5/83): fairly bright, very small, compact, bright stellar nucleus (superimposed
star), surrounded by a faint halo with averted. Located in a rich star field.
NGC 6482 is the
nearest "Fossil Group" -- the end-product of extensive merging of a
once normal group, leaving a massive central galaxy that dominates the
luminosity of a X-ray luminous group (delta Rmag ≥ 2.0 with next brightest
group member).
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6482 = h1989 on 12 Jul 1830 and recorded "a S, R, very
perceptible disc 1" or 1.5" dia, with a vF nebula surrounding it
– among many stars 12 and 14m, none of which are so affect. A curious object." His position is accurate and his
description reflects the sharp stellar or quasi-stellar nucleus.
******************************
17 59 30.7 -63
40 07
V = 11.9; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 122d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE,
1.0'x0.5'. Contains a bright,
roundish core that increases to the center. Situated in a striking star field with a number of bright
stars and on a line between a mag 10.0 star 2.3' SW and a mag 9.7 star 1.5'
NE. A mag 9.7 star is 6' S and a
similar star is 7' N. A mag 8-9
variable star (OW Pavonis) lies 10' WNW.
NGC 6483 forms a
close (physical) pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6483 = h3713 on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded "F; S; E; bM;
between 2 stars 10m 45° sp and nf (diagram)." His position and description matches
******************************
17 51 47.0 +24
29 00
V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.5
24"
(7/9/13): at 375x appeared bright, fairly large, slightly elongated E-W. Sharply concentrated with a relatively
large, intense oval core ~30"x20", that gradually increases to the
center. The core is embedded in a
fairly large, low surface brightness halo that increases in size with averted
to 1.5'x1.2'.
24"
(6/8/13): at 282x appeared
moderately bright to fairly bright, sharply concentrated with a fairly
oval core of high surface brightness, ~24"x18", oriented SW-NE. The core is centered within a very low
surface brightness halo, ~1.4'x1.0' E-W.
Pou 3316, a mag 11.3/12.5 pair at 14", lies 4.2' SW. MCG +04-42-010 and -011, a close pair
of faint edge-ons, lies 5.8' ENE; MCG +04-42-010 appeared very faint, small,
elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 18"x8" and the companion -011 is very faint,
very small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 12"x6". NGC 6484 is the brightest member of
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, small bright
core, fairly faint stellar nucleus.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6484 = Sf 41 = St VII-19 on 11 Jul 1866 with the 18.5-inch
refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. Édouard Stephan independently discovered
the galaxy on 27 Jun 1876. His
micrometric position is accurate.
As Safford's discovery list wasn't published until 1887 as the NGC was
being prepared to go to press, Stephan is credited with the discovery in the GC
Supplement and the NGC.
******************************
17 51 52.7 +31
27 45
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core, diffuse halo. Situated in a rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6485 = m 354 = St II-17 on 27 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, vS,
R." Édouard Stephan
rediscovered the galaxy on 15 Jul 1871. His micrometric position is very
accurate. Both observers are recognized in the NGC.
******************************
17 52 35.2 +29
49 05
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.8'
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, small, round, weak concentration. Two mag 14 stars are 0.7' S and 2.1' SE. Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6486 = St XI-59, along with NGC 6487, on 28 Jul 1880. His micrometric position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6487 = UGC
11022 = MCG +05-42-008 = CGCG 171-014 = PGC 61039
17 52 41.9 +29
50 20
V = 11.9; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 6486 1.9' SW.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6487 = St XI-60, along with NGC 6486, on 28 Jul 1880. His position is accurate.
******************************
17 49 20.8 +62
13 22
V = 13.8; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located within a curving lane of 8 mag
11-14 stars oriented NW-SE including three mag 11 stars roughly 2' NW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6488 = Sw. IV-59 = Sw. V-81 on 1 Sep 1886 and recorded "pF;
pS; E; between a pair of stars and a trio of stars in form of a
semi-circle." His position is
21 seconds of RA west of
Harold Corwin
concludes that Swift rediscovered this galaxy a third time on 11 Jun 1888 and
reported in list VII-93 (later
******************************
17 50 01.3 +60
05 32
V = 14.2; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 24d
17.5"
(7/27/92): very faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Located between two mag 10-11 stars
oriented WNW-ESE with separation of 2.5'.
Also two mag 13.5 stars are 1' WSW. About 5' SE is a faint double star and the eastern component
appears nebulous.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6489 = Sw I-77 on 5 Jun 1885 and recorded "eeeF; pL; lE;
between 2 stars; ee diff.; coarse double star south." His position is 30 seconds of RA west
and 1' south of
MCG and PGC
misidentify
******************************
17 54 30.4 +18
22 33
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 115d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core. Forms a small triangle with a mag 14
star 40" S and a mag 13 star 52" SE of center. Forms a pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6490 = m 355 = St II-18 on 11 May 1864 and noted "vF, vS,
stellar." His position is
within 1' of
******************************
17 50 00.6 +61
31 54
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 39d
18"
(7/27/03): fairly faint, small, round, sharply concentrated with a very small
bright core and stellar nucleus.
The outer halo has a very low surface brightness and core may be offset
within the halo. Brightest of a
close trio with
17.5"
(8/4/94): fairly faint, fairly small, round, even concentration to a small
bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms
a pair with NGC 6493 3.1' ENE. The
identifications of NGC 6491 and NGC 6493 are reversed in the RNGC.
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. NGC 6493 3.1' NE not visible.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6491 = Sw I-78 on 13 Jun 1885 and recorded "pF; vvS; vF* in
or just in contact with it, np of 2 [with NGC 6493]." The other galaxy mentioned is NGC 6493
= Sw I-79, discovered a week earlier (June 5th) and logged "F; vvS; R;
planetary; F* v nr; sf of 2".
Swift perhaps observed both galaxies on the 13th and tacked on the
comments "np of 2" and "sf of 2". His position for NGC 6491 is just 10 seconds of time
preceding
NGC 6493 = Sw
1-79 is assumed to refer to
Another
possibility, though, is that Swift observed UGC 11008 on both nights and never
saw UGC 11011. Perhaps he later
assumed his observations referred to different objects and added the comments
"np of 2" and "sf of 2" when he submitted his list for
publication. In support of this
idea, it's reasonable to assume he picked up the brighter, more obvious galaxy
on the first night -- that is
With two NGC
numbers and two galaxies it seems reasonable to assign the NGC numbers to the
two galaxies in order or RA, but I think it's more likely that NGC 6491 = NGC
6493 = UGC 11008.
******************************
18 02 48.4 -66
25 50
V = 11.5; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 75d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE,
~1.8'x0.9', brighter along the major axis. Situated in a bright star field, along numerous faint stars. A mag 11.2 star is at the east edge,
50" from center, a mag 13.5 star is 1.2' SW and a mag 14.5 star is
40" SE of center. A mag 6.8
yellow-orange star (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6492 = h3714 on 22 Jul 1835 and recorded "pF; S; pmE; in
direction of the parallel; precedes a * 12m, which is all but
involved." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 6493 = UGC
11011 = MCG +10-25-105 = CGCG 300-084 = PGC 60961
17 50 22.7 +61
33 34
V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.5
18"
(7/27/03): extremely faint, fairly small.
Appears as a very low surface brightness glow with averted vision. Two mag 14 stars 1' N and 1.3' NE. Located 3' NE of NGC 6491 in a trio
with extremely faint UGC 11007 5' NW.
17.5"
(8/4/94): extremely faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, very low even
surface brightness. A mag 14 star
is about 30" off the north edge.
Located 3.0' ENE of NGC 6491.
Not found on previous observation 6/11/88.
See notes for
N6491.
******************************
17 57 05 -18 59
06
V = 5.5; Size 27'
18"
(8/12/10): stunning bright, rich cluster at 175x with several hundred stars
visible in the 35' field with a large number of mag 9-11 stars sprinkled
throughout the cluster. Many of
the stars are arranged in long chains and loops with a distinctive chain of 5
stars curving NNW to SSE near the center and a longer curve of stars to the
southwest. A string of stars heads
NW out of the cluster to mag 6.5
13.1"
(6/29/84): bright, large, rich, appears fully resolved. Very pretty open cluster.
8": bright,
fairly large with long star lanes to the edge of the field.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
NGC 6495 = UGC
11034 = MCG +03-45-039 = CGCG 112-070 = CGCG 113-004 = PGC 61091
17 54 50.7 +18
19 37
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, round, increases to a small very bright
core, substellar nucleus. Pair
with NGC 6490 5.6' NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6495 = m 356 = St II-19, along with NGC 6490, on 11 May 1864 and
noted "F, S, R." His
position is fairly accurate.
Édouard Stephan rediscovered both galaxies in July 1871. Stephan's micrometric position is very
accurate.
******************************
17 59 03.2 -44
16 02
V = 9.0; Size 6.9'; Surf Br = 0.5
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, low surface
brightness globular of 4'-5' diameter.
Loose concentration class with little central condensation. About a dozen stars are resolved over
the face although some of these may be foreground stars as it is set in a very
dense Milky Way star field. Three
of the stars are 12th magnitude with the remainder mag 14-15. Situated on the Scorpius/Corona
Australis border ~25' following mag 4.8 yellow
8"
(6/19/82): faint, diffuse, two faint stars at edge. Located 24' ENE of mag 4.9
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6496 = D 460 = h3715 on 28 Jun 1826 and described "a very
faint nebula, extended about 2 1/4' in length, oblique to the equator, with a
bright point in each extremity; the northern, I think, is a very small star;
but the southern of the two, or the one at the southern extremity, is a small
nucleus or condensation of the nebulous matter. This follows 16 Telescopii." His position is 12.5' northwest of the cluster -- a typical
error. Dunlop's position for D 461
is exactly 4 tmin of RA further east with the same declination, so this could
be a clerical error.
JH noted a
possible equivalence with D 460 and D 461 and observed the cluster on two
sweeps. On 1 Jun 1834 he logged
"Cluster very rich, irregularly round, including to triangular; vglbM, 4'
or 5' diam, with many large and small stars in it. Nebulous." Then 2 nights later he swept the area
again and reported "a distinctly nebulous insulted group, mE, 2' long,
1.5' broad, many stars of considerable size, mixed."
******************************
17 51 18.2 +59
28 14
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 113d
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, bright core. A mag 14 star is 37" N of center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6497 = Sw I-80 on 16 Sep 1884 and recorded "vvF; pS; lE;
diff.; close s of middle * of 3 in a line, middle * the fainter; np of
2." His position is 15
seconds of RA west and 1.3' north (or 2.4' northwest) of
******************************
NGC 6498 = NGC
6497: = UGC 11020 = MCG +10-25-109 = CGCG 300-087 = PGC 60999
17 51 18.2 +59
28 14
See observing
notes for NGC 6497.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6498 = Sw I-81 on 26 Sep 1884 and recorded "pF; pS; R; B * nr; F
* v[ery] nr; sf of 2." His
position is just 14 seconds of RA west of NGC 6497 = Sw I-80, discovered by
Swift just 10 days earlier. UGC
11020 is the only galaxy near his position and his description applies (the
"B * nr" is probably the mag 11 star 2.3' east and the "F * v
nr" is the 14th mag star off the north side). Swift perhaps thought these were different nebulae as NGC
6497 was logged as "vvF", compared to "pF" for NGC
6498. He later added the
qualifiers "np of 2" and "sf of 2" as he prepared his first
discovery list. By prior
discovery, NGC 6497 should be the primary designation. Harold Corwin suggested the equivalence
of these numbers. See NGC 6491 and
6493, which may be another situation where he recorded the same galaxy on
different nights and later assumed they were different.
******************************
17 55 20.0 +18 21
35
=**, Carlson.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6499 = m 357 on 11 May 1864 and noted "small D* in
neb." Close to his position
is close 4" pair of stars, with a third star 25" west. Karl Reinmuth, using a Heidelberg plate
identified NGC 6499 as a "**14 and 15 pf, ? inv in F vs neb?" Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 list of
NGC corrections, identifies NGC 6499 as a double star and Harold Corwin
concurs.
******************************
17 55 59.8 +18
20 18
V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 50d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, round, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. Forms a pair with similar
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6500 = H III-957 = St XII-85, along with NGC 6501, on 29 Jun
1799 (sweep 1090) and recorded "Two, both vF, vS. The place is that of the following one
[NGC 6501], the preceding one is about 4' more south and about 5 or 6 sec of
time preceding." His position
is about 25 sec of time too far west and 3' too far south. Édouard Stephan independently found the
pair a century later (15 Jul 1880) and noted his object was probably identical
to GC 4348 [NGC 6500], but he was not certain as WH's position was poor.
******************************
NGC 6501 = UGC
11049 = MCG +03-46-004 = CGCG 113-009 = PGC 61128
17 56 03.7 +18
22 23
V = 12.0; Size 2.0'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, round, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. Twin of NGC 6500 2.3'
SSW. Located 5.6' NW of mag 6.6
SAO 103227.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6501 = H III-958 = St XII-86, along with NGC 6500, on 29 Jun
1799 (sweep 1090). See comments on
NGC 6500.
******************************
18 04 13.7 -65
24 35
V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 42d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): moderately bright and large, slightly elongated,
roughly 1.0'x0.8', gradually increases to a small brighter core and a faint
stellar nucleus. A mag 13.7 star
is at the west edge [24" from center] and a small string of very faint
stars is just off the southeast edge.
Floats in a rich star field with a mag 9.5 star 7' SE and a mag 10 star
9' SE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6502 = h3716 on 20 Jun 1835 and noted "the following star
(14m) of a vF double * 11m is nebulous.
The nebula is excessively faint, but I am sure of its existence. The preceding star is free." On a second observation he logged
"vF; 30"; involves 2 or 3 stars." His mean position is on the east side of the halo.
******************************
17 49 26.3 +70
08 42
V = 10.2; Size 7.1'x2.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 123d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very bright, large, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, large brighter
core. The surface has a mottled
appearance. A mag 13.5 star lies
2.2' NNE of center. Located 3.9' W
of mag 9
8"
(6/27/81): moderately bright, very elongated, high surface brightness. A mag 9 star is 4' E.
Arthur Auwers
discovered NGC 6503 = Au 37 on 22 Jul 1854 with his 2.6" Fraunhofer
refractor while a 15-year old student at Gottingen University. He showed the new nebula to his friend
Friedrich Winnecke, who was also a student there at the time. Winnecke, using a 9.6-inch Fraunhofer
refractor in 1856 in Berlin, described "..a beautiful object; very bright,
slightly brighter in the middle and extraordinarily extended from north
preceding to south following, 3-4' long, 50" wide." Auwers observed NGC 6503 again on 19
Feb 1862 with the Konigsberg heliometer and wrote "bright 3'-4' long, at
most 1' wide; gradually brighter in the middle. There appears to be a faint star in the northern part, which
makes the nebula nearly look like a double nebula." Auwers' description
was published in his 1862 list of 50 new nebulae.
WH missed NGC
6503, mainly because of the high northern declination which he only searched in
his later sweeps, though he did discover NGC 6434, which is about 3° from NGC
6503.
******************************
17 56 05.7 +33
12 31
V = 12.5; Size 2.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 94d
17.5"
(8/1/89): moderately bright, edge-on E-W, sharp concentration, almost stellar
nucleus. Situated between a mag 11
star 1.9' N and a mag 10.5 star 2.1' SE of center.
13.1"
(6/18/85): fairly faint, small, pretty edge-on WNW-ESE, bright core, thin faint
extensions. Located 22' SW of a
mag 7 star.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6504 = m 358 on 27 Jul 1864 and noted "F, vmE, sbM, 2'
l." His position is accurate.
******************************
17 51 07.3 +65
31 51
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, small, round, weakly concentrated, very diffuse halo.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6505 = Sw IV-60 on 27 Jun 1884 and recorded "eeF; vS; R;
bet. 2 pairs of coarse D[ouble] st."
His position is 14 seconds of RA east and 1' north of
******************************
17 59 53 -24 41
00
17.5"
(8/3/97): at 100x appears as a weak, circular Milky Way enhancement of
approximately two dozen mag 13-14.5 stars over an unresolved glow situated in a
rich portion of the Milky Way. At 220x, this group is ~6' diameter, although it
is not very well detached so the borders are somewhat arbitrary. As many as 50
stars are now visible as a number of mag 15 and fainter stars are
resolved. Some unresolved
background haze is still evident. Also noticed at 100x was Ru 136, a smaller
circular glowing spot ~8' WSW of NGC 6506. At 220x, Ru 136 appeared ~2.5' diameter with about 10
extremely faint stars are resolved over the background glow. It is situated just NW of two mag 10-11
stars.
John Herschel's
description for NGC 6506 probably applies to the entire low power Milky Way
field and this object is listed as nonexistent in the RNGC.
17.5"
(7/20/96): at 220x, the most noticeable grouping is a small cloud of roughly
two dozen mag 13-15 stars in a 5' diameter over unresolved background
haze. Situated in a fairly rich
Milky Way field of mixed stars, so does not stand out.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6506 = h3717 on 29 Jul 1834 and recorded "A very loose but
rich cluster, which fills many fields. Stars small." This is a rich region of the Milky Way,
though probably not a true cluster.
The position is
given here is from Harold Corwin's NGC positions file and is 2' southeast of
JH's position. Skiff &
Luginbuhl recorded 30 stars 11-14 in a 7-8' area although JH's description
refers to several fields. ESO
(521-SC60) classifies this as a questionable cluster and RNGC as nonexistent.
******************************
17 59 50 -17 27
00
Size 7'
17.5"
(6/8/91): about 30 stars mag 13-14 in a 7' diameter elongated N-S. Loose appearance with no dense
spots. Stars are fairly uniform in
brightness. The brightest member
is variable WX Sagittarii (9.6-11.3) just west of center.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6507 = H VIII-53 on 27 Jun 1786 (sweep 576) and recorded "a
cluster of scattered small stars; about 8' diam; not very rich. His position is ~3' too far north. The position in the Gosta Lynga
catalogue (and other modern sources such as the RNGC) is ~5' too far northwest.
******************************
17 49 46.3 +72
01 16
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, small, round, even concentration to a small bright
core.
Ernst Hartwig
discovered NGC 6508 = Sw I-82 on 19 Sep 1883 with the 18-inch refractor at the
Strasbourg Observatory, while searching for comet Swift. Hartwig's position in AN 2544 is
accurate. Lewis Swift
independently found this galaxy on 17 Jun 1884 and recorded "vF; S; forms
with 3 stars a square."
Swift's position is 39 seconds of RA too far east, but the description
of the nearby stars, which lie to the north, clinches the identification.
******************************
17 59 25.5 +06
17 12
V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 105d
17.5"
(7/9/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 3:2 E-W, weak
concentration. A mag 14.5 star is
at the east edge 41" from the center. Located 7.9' S of mag 7.1
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6509 = St X-36 on 20 Jul 1879 and recorded "eF, pL, irr R,
lbM." His micrometric
position is accurate.
******************************
17 54 39.4 +60
49 05
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 30d
See observing
notes for
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6510 = Sw IV-61 on 30 May 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; e
diff.; in vacancy except one vF *
nr." His position is 21
seconds of RA west of NGC 6511 = UGC 11051, the only reasonably bright galaxy
near his position and his description applies. Swift discovered this galaxy earlier on 9 Oct 1884. His first position was 19 seconds of RA
too large, so perhaps he felt these were different objects. In any case, NGC 6510 = NGC 6511 with
NGC 6511 the primary designation (due to earlier discovery). Dreyer himself added the query "?
= last one" in the summary description for NGC 6511. Bigourdan measured a position for NGC
6510 on 6 Oct 1890 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes), but his position is well off
and probably refers to a faint star.
.
******************************
NGC 6511 = NGC
6510 = UGC 11051 = MCG +10-25-114 = CGCG 300-092 = PGC 61086
17 54 39.4 +60
49 05
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 30d
24"
(7/21/17): at 375x and 500x; fairly faint, fairly small, irregular shape and
changes shape/orientation with averted, slightly brighter core, ~30"
diameter. A mag 14 star is 2.6'
W. The spiral arm on the east side
was not seen with confidence.
17.5"
(7/27/92): at 140x appears faint, small, slightly elongated, broad mild
concentration with no well-defined nucleus, overall diffuse. Located between mag 8.8
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, slightly brighter core, diffuse.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6511 = Sw. I-83 on 9 Oct 1884 and recorded "F; pL; BM; 2
nearest of 3 st in a curve point to it." His position is 19 seconds of RA east of
******************************
17 54 50.2 +62
38 42
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.5'
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is at the south edge just
21" from the center. First of
three with
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6512, along with NGC 6516 and 6521, on 27 Oct 1861 with
the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His single position is accurate.
Lewis Swift independently discovered all three of these galaxies on 28
May 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; vE; np of 2". Swift's position is 24 seconds too far
west and the description should read "sp of 2 [with NGC 6516]."
******************************
17 59 34.3 +24
53 14
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 40d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, round, small bright core. Several bright mag 9-11 stars are in
the field including a mag 9 star 4.3' NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6513 = m 359 = St I-8 on 7 Aug 1864 and noted "vF, vS,
stellar." Édouard Stephan
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 22 Jun 1870. Dreyer credited both in the NGC.
******************************
18 02 42 -22 58
18
V = 6.3; Size 29'x27'
18"
(8/12/10): the emission component of
13.1"
(7/16/82): bright, fairly large, contains three inky black dark lanes (B85)
with sharp edges. Structure is
visible along the dark lanes and in the center. The prominent central star is a quadruple (4th star
difficult) consisting of a mag 7.6/10.4 pair at 6" and a mag 8.7/10.5 pair
at 2.3", the brighter stars separated by 11". The NW lane is wider and fainter than
the other two lanes. A round,
bluish reflection nebula is separated, but very close north. The view improves using a UHC filter.
8": the
famous rift structure is fairly prominent with a triple star at the
center. The NW rift is more
subdued. An easily visible
reflection nebula is close north.
15x50 IS
binoculars: visible as a small, faint glow surrounding a the central
"star".
Charles Messier
discovered M20 = NGC 6514 = H IV-41 = H V-10/11/12 = h1991 = h3718 on 5 June
1764 and noted a cluster of stars.
WH first observed M20 on 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236) and record it "Three
nebulae, but they seem to join faintly together, forming a kind of triangle; in
the middle of which is less nebulous, or perhaps free from nebulosity is a
double star of the 2nd or 3rd class.
As I intended to revisit this place very soon I passed on, but think
more very faint nebulosities are following." He assigned it three catalogue numbers, V 10, V 11 and V
12. His reference star was
misidentified, though (4 Sgr = SAO 186061 instead of 5 Sgr = SAO 186074), so
his position is incorrect. WH also
reobserved the Trifid on 26 May 1786 (sweep 566) and recorded IV-41 using a
different reference star as "a double star with extensive nebulosity, of
different intensity; about the double star is a black opening, resembling the
nebula in Orion, on a small scale."
So WH essentially catalogued the Trifid four times. JH combined these numbers into a single
GC entry (4355). Harold Corwin
notes he made the same error with
JH first used
the name "Trifid" to describe M20 in the Slough Catalogue (1 Jul
1826): "vL; trifid, three nebulae with a vacuity in the midst, in which is
centrally situated the double star Sh 379, neb = 7' in extent. A most remarkable object."
Interestingly neither William or John referred to this object as M20, possibly
because of positional confusion or because Messier called it a "star
cluster". The equivalence was
given in the GC 4355.
In JH's Cape
Observations (1847) and "Outlines of Astronomy" (1849) he described
"One of the them [several nebulae in Sagittarius] is singularly trifid,
consisting of three bright and irregularly formed nebulous masses, graduating
away insensibly externally, but coming up to a great intensity of light at
their interior edges, where they enclose and surround a sort of three-forked
rift, or vacant area, abruptly and uncouthly crooked, and quite void of
nebulous light. A bright triple
star is situated precisely on the edge of one of these nebulous masses just
where the interior vacancy forks out two channels. A fourth nebulous mass spreads like a fan or downy plume
from a star at a little distance from the triple nebula."
******************************
17 57 25.3 +50
43 40
V = 13.0; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 10d
17.5" (6/22/90):
fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, broad concentration, stellar
nucleus. Several mag 10-11 stars
in field and mag 9.0
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6515 = Sw III-99 on 2 Jul 1884 and recorded "vF; vS; R; 2 B
stars near; in finder field with Gamma Draconis." His position is 4 seconds of RA east
and 1' N of
******************************
NGC 6516 = MCG
+10-25-118 = CGCG 300-094 = CGCG 301-001 = PGC 61109
17 55 16.8 +62
40 11
V = 14.8; Size 0.6'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 147d
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, extremely small.
A mag 15.5 star is at the north edge. Second of three in the NGC 6521 group with NGC 6512 3.4' SW
and NGC 6521 5.0' SE.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6516, along with NGC 6512 and 6521, on 27 Oct 1861 with
the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
Lewis Swift independently discovered all three of these galaxies on 28
May 1886 and recorded Sw III-97 as "eeF; vS; R; pB * nr; sf of 2". Swift's position is 30 seconds of RA
too far west and the description should read "nf of 2 [with NGC
6512]."
******************************
18 01 50.5 -08
57 32
V = 10.3; Size 4.3'; Surf Br = 3.3
24"
(7/30/16): at 260x, moderately bright, round, 2.5'-3' diameter, well
concentrated with a brighter, round core that increases to the center. A little lively but no definite
resolution. The cluster appeared
clumpy at 432x but only a couple of star were at the edge of visibility. At 500x, the nucleus was very clumply
several extremely faint stars started to resolve (V tip magnitude = 16.0).
17.5"
(6/8/91): fairly faint, small, irregularly round, 2' diameter. The faint halo is slightly elongated
SSW-NNE and increases to a small bright core. No resolution at 280x.
8"
(5/21/82): faint, small, brighter core, no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6517 = H II-199 = h3719 on 16 Jun 1784 (sweep 228) and logged
"pB, pL, R, bM, r and the brightness diminishing gradually." JH made two observations, first
recording it (sweep 591) as "globular cluster; F; R; psbM; 90"; r; with
left eye I discern the stars in it."
******************************
17 59 43.7 +28
52 00
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 14 star is just at the west edge. Appears like a close double star with
one component "fuzzy".
In a rich star field with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6518 = St XIII-87 on 18 Jun 1884 and recorded "2 vF similar
stars in vF and vS nebulosity."
His position is accurate.
******************************
18 03 20.1 -29
48 15
=**. Not found, RNGC and ESO.
Julius Schmidt
discovered NGC 6519 in Oct 1860 with the 6.2" refractor at Athens
Observatory. The discovery was
mentioned in a 1865 paper (AN 65, 261-268) with a micrometric position in AN
70, 343 (1868) that matches a double star.
******************************
18 03 24 -27 53
12
Size 6'
17.5"
(7/8/94): striking cluster following the remarkable dark nebula
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6520 = H VII-7 = h3721 on 24 May 1784 (sweep 224) and recorded
"a cluster of stars, chiefly large ones; considerably rich, but rather
coarsely scattered; a little more compressed towards the middle. It is visible in the finder." Nearly 5 minutes earlier, he noted
"Daylight very strong", though observed a couple more objects.
******************************
NGC 6521 = UGC
11061 = MCG +10-25-119 = CGCG 300-095 = PGC 61121
17 55 48.5 +62
36 44
V = 12.9; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 160d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly small, large brighter core. Bright wide pair O∑∑ = 7.2/7.7 at
55" is 4' E and detracts from viewing. Brightest in a group and third of three with NGC 6516 5.0'
NW and NGC 6512 6.9' WNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6521, along with NGC 6512 and 6516, on 27 Oct 1861 with
the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
His position (measured on 2 nights) is fairly accurate and he measured
the bright wide pair of stars are 32.5 and 37.7 seconds following. Lewis Swift independently discovered
all three of these galaxies on 28 May 1886 and recorded Sw III-98 as "eF;
2 B st nr foll.". Swift's
position is 30 seconds of RA too far west (same offset as NGC 6516).
******************************
18 03 34.0 -30
02 02
V = 8.5; Size 5.6'; Surf Br = 1.5
17.5"
(7/11/99): this globular is the larger and brighter of a fairly faint pair with
13"
(6/29/84): moderately bright, mottled.
A single brighter 13th mag star is on the ENE side. This is the larger and brighter of a
pair with globular NGC 6528 15' E in Baade's Window.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6522 = H I-49 = h3720, along with NGC 6528, on 24 Jun 1784
(sweep 232) and recorded "B, pL, bM, r." JH logged this cluster twice, first recording on 3 Aug 1834,
"Globular cluster; pB; S; R; 80: resolved into stars 16m." On a later sweep ne recorded "GC;
B; R; gvmbM; in a nebuloid portion of the milky way; resolved; stars
16...17m."
******************************
18 03 41 -24 22
48
V = 5.8; Size 90'x40'
17.5"
(6/6/86): extremely bright, detailed nebulosity that nearly fills a 50'
field. Extensive fainter
nebulosity fills the region to the north and a thin extension is to the east. Cut by a large high contrast dark lane
("Lagoon") oriented SW-NE.
The brightest luminary within the nebula is 9 Sagittarii (V = 6.0),
situated to the west of the dark lane with a mag 7 companion 3' NNE. A very bright 30" nebulous knot
("Hourglass Nebula", ionized by O7 star Herschel 36) is situated 3'
SW of 9 Sagittarii.
Giovanni
Hodierna discovered the associated cluster NGC 6530 in
Earlier
observers appear to have thought the naked-eye glow resolved into stars in a
telescope. When Philippe de
Cheseaux reviewed Flamsteed's observation in 1745-46 he concluded the object
appeared as a "truly nebulous" star naked-eye but as a star cluster
through a telescope. Nicolas-Louis
de Lacaille catalogued M8 as a nebulous star (III. 13), based on his
observation at the Cape in 1751-52, though with a 1/2-inch telescope he
couldn't resolve the object.
Messier's 1764 observation mentioned "a cluster of stars that
appears to be a nebula when observed with a simple three-foot refractor; with
an excellent instrument, however, one sees only a large number of faint
stars. Near this cluster there is
a fairly bright star [9 Sgr], which is surrounded by a very faint glow."
WH observed M8
on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and logged "large, extended, pretty bright,
broad. The nebulosity of the milky kind, there are some pB stars in it, but
they seem to have no connection with it, being of very different sizes
[magnitudes] and colours and resembling the other stars that are everywhere
scattered about in this neighborhood. This is probably the star surrounded with
nebulosity mentioned by Messier. There is indeed one of the stars which are in
the nebula that is somewhat larger [brighter] than the rest and may be the only
one he saw." John Herschel
produced a beautiful drawing of the nebula with carefully positioned stars
(Plate I, fig 1), though Wilhelm Tempel questioned it as differing
significantly from his own.
******************************
17 59 14.9 +45
53 13
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 155d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core, fairly high
surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6524 = Sw V-82 on 22 Oct 1886 and noted "pF; pS;
lE." His position is 1.3' too
far north.
******************************
18 02 04.7 +11
02 17
Size 10'
17.5"
(7/24/95): bright, large, very scattered group. On the west side is the prominent subgroup highlighted by a
pair of mag 9.5/10 stars at 32" separation with three other mag 12/13
stars within 1'. There are about
two dozen stars total in a 5' rectangular group with the brighter stars
scattered around the outline but no dense spots or core. Appears to be an asterism with no
distinct borders.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6525 = h1992 on 29 Jul 1829 and recorded "A coarse and poor
cluster of L stars." At his
position is a small group of stars.
Based on a Heidelberg plate, Karl Reinmuth reported "a very loose
Cl of pB st, not well defined."
RNGC misclassifies the number as nonexistent (Type 7), though the status
as a true cluster is uncertain.
******************************
18 04 06 -24 26
30
See observing
notes for NGC 6523. This is the
southeast portion of M8 = Lagoon Nebula.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6526 = H V-9 on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and recorded
"large, extended, broad; its nebulosity is of the milky kind, but fainter
and more uniform, than the preceding [M8]; otherwise in situation and shape, it
resembles it pretty much. It may
be taken into the field with the preceding [M8]." Dreyer comments, in his 1912
"Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that the "NPD in GC and
NGC is 1 degree too small; the error dates from C.H.'s Zone Catalogue. The nebulosity is just following M8 and
is = IC 1271 (Swift, VIII)."
The "corrected" NGC position is then 18 04 15 -24 27.5 (2000)
and places it within the main M8 complex.
Corwin suggests
(e-mail on 6/1/96) that NGC 6526 applies to the part of the Lagoon following
the dust lane which swings up to include the star cluster NGC 6530. Swift's
RNGC places NGC
6526 at 18 04.8 -23 40 (2000) which corresponds with the center of the large,
irregular nebulosity plotted on the Uranometria 2000 about 45' NNE of M8. Sky Catalogue 2000 gives a position of
18 02.6 -23 35, repeated in Sinnott's NGC 2000.0.
******************************
18 01 46.3 +19
43 43
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 150d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, weak concentration, faint
stellar nucleus.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6527 = Sf 46 = Sw IV-64 on 1 Aug 1866 with the 18.5-inch
refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. and noted "pB, pS, vmbM." His position is 2' north of UGC
11094. Lewis Swift independently
rediscovered this galaxy on 6 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeF; vS;
R." Swift's position was 1.8'
too far south. Swift was credited
with the discovery in the NGC as Safford's discovery was not announced until
1887, too late to be included in the main NGC table.
******************************
NGC 6528 = ESO
456-SC048
18 04 49.5 -30
03 21
V = 9.5; Size 3.7'; Surf Br = 1.7
17.5"
(7/11/99): this is the smaller and fainter of an unusual double pair of
globulars with NGC 6522 just 16' W.
At 220x, it appears round, ~1.5' in diameter. The brightness gradually increasing towards the center but
with no distinct core. The surface
brightness is fairly smooth overall and the outer halo is fairly well
defined. A mag 13.5 field star is
at the SW edge. The surrounding
field is noticeably more vacant than around NGC 6522. Both clusters can be placed at the edges of the 14' field of
the 7mm Pentax XL. Situated within
"Baade's Window" (absorption hole in the Milky Way).
13"
(6/29/84): fairly faint, small, 2' diameter, not resolved. This is a smaller and fainter version
of globular cluster NGC 6522 15' W.
8"
(6/19/82): fairly faint, small, easily visible but no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6528 = H II-200 = h3723, along with NGC 6522, on 24 Jun 1784
(sweep 232) and logged "F, pL, unequally bright, r." On 3 Aug 1834, JH recorded "globular
cluster, B; R; R; glbM; resolved into stars 16m. Both this and I. 49 [NGC 6522] occur on a ground so
astonishing rich and stippled over with stars 17m individually discernible, as
hardly to admit a pin's point between the stars, and this fills more than the
whole field or many fields."
******************************
18 05 29 -36 17
48
=Not found,
Corwin. =Concentration of stars,
ESO. =No cluster, JS.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6529 = D 569 = h3724 on 3 Sep 1826 and recorded "A pretty
large faint nebula, round figure, 5' or 6' diameter, resolvable into very
minute stars, with nebula remaining." He lists 2 observations. JH made a single observation on 8
Jun 1837 and recorded "A large milky way patch, much compressed, one portion
much more so." His position
(to the nearest min of RA and arcmin in Dec) is marked as approximate and falls
~6' southwest of Dunlop's. But,
there is no recognizable cluster or group of stars that stands out near either
position.
ESO classifies
this object as a concentration of stars and RNGC calls it nonexistent. Harold Corwin was unable to find a
candidate for NGC 6529 (either at the published position or JH's re-reduced
position), so it is classified here as "Not Found".
******************************
NGC 6530 = Cr
362 = ESO 521-SC021
18 04 31 -24 21
36
V = 4.6; Size 15'
17.5"
(7/8/94): bright scattered group of 40-50 stars at the east edge of M8 just
following the edge of the dark "Lagoon" lane which runs SW-NE. The group forms a rough triangular
outline 10'x6' oriented N-S with the longest base along the east side running
N-S. The cluster is encased in the
fairly bright eastern portion of the M8 nebulosity that passes directly through
most of the cluster.
8": 30
stars mag 7-13 in a 10' diameter.
Bright, moderately large.
Located on the east edge of M8!
Giovanni
Hodierna discovered NGC 6530 = h3725, the cluster within M8, around 1654 and
reported it in his catalog "De Admirandis Coeli Caracteribus". Messier described "a cluster of
stars that appears to be a nebula when observed with a simple three-foot
refractor; with an excellent instrument, however, one sees only a large number
of faint stars. Near this cluster
there is a fairly bright star [9 Sgr], which is surrounded by a very faint
glow." John Herschel recorded
(sweep 474) "a B, p Rich, irreg R cl; place that of a double * in the
following part of the cluster, which is itself involved in the great nebula
M8."
******************************
18 04 13 -22 29
24
V = 5.9; Size 13'
18"
(8/12/10): In the center of the cluster is the brightest member; mag 7.2 HD
164863. This star forms a 30"
pair (South 698) with mag 8.7
17.5"
(8/10/91):
Charles Messier
discovered M21 = NGC 6531 = h1993 on 5 Jun 1764. On 26 May 1786 (sweep 556), WH noted "a rich cluster of
large stars." On 28 Jul 1830,
JH recorded "A tolerably rich, sc, coarse cl; one star 9m, the rest
10....12." His single
position was 6' too far east.
******************************
17 59 14.1 +56
13 54
V = 13.9; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 123d
17.5"
(7/19/90): very faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, low even surface
brightness. Located 1° SW of Xi
Draconis (V = 3.8).
Edward Swift,
the 15 year-old son of Lewis, discovered NGC 6532 = Sw V-83 on 19 Sep
1886. Lewis recorded "eeF;
pS; R; e diff.; in a small vacancy; 3 F stars in line point to it." The position is 25 sec of RA preceding
******************************
NGC 6533 = NGC
6523 = M8 = Lagoon Nebula = LBN 25 = NGC 6526 = IC 1271
18 03 41 -24 22
48
See observing
notes for NGC 6523 = M8.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6533 = H V-13 on 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236) and recorded
"extensive milky nebulosity divided into two parts, the most northern part
is the strongest and of more than 15' extent; the southern one is followed by a
parcel of stars." This
description appears to describe M8, but using the reference star 5 Sgr, WH's
position falls on a empty portion of the sky ~30' south-southeast of M8.
Harold Corwin
found (personal email on 1 Jun 1996) that the same reference star was used by
WH in his observation of V10, V11, V12
= M20. His offset again
points 30' SSE of M20 indicating an error in the offset star which should be 4
Sgr = SAO 186061. Once this
correction is made, his position points to the center of M8. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes for the full story.
******************************
17 56 08.6 +64
17 01
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 16d
24"
(9/1/16): fairly faint, small, round, 15" diameter, occasional faint
stellar nucleus. Located just
48" of a mag 10.4 star. A 1'
pair of mag 10/11 stars is 3.5' NE.
Forms a close pair with
17.5"
(8/4/94): very faint, extremely small, round. Located 50" S of a mag 10 star. With direct vision appears stellar,
about mag 15. With averted vision
a very small halo is visible, perhaps 15" diameter. Located 22' NW of mag 7.7 SAO
17717. On the POSS this galaxy is
almost stellar with a very faint ring.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6534 = Sw IV-63 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; in
center of a semi-circle of 4 stars."
There is nothing at his position, but 70 seconds of RA west and 1.2'
south is CGCG 322-022 = PGC 61126, which the RNGC, CGCG and PGC identify as NGC
6534. But this galaxy doesn't fit
Swift's description as there is no semi-circle of 4 stars surrounding the
galaxy. Furthermore, a mag 10 star
is less than 1' north and Swift would have likely mentioned it. Harold Corwin agrees this
identification is very uncertain due to the discrepancy with the description
and mentions
******************************
18 03 50.6 -00
17 49
V = 10.6; Size 3.6'; Surf Br = 1.1
24"
(7/30/16): at 500x; moderately bright and large, roundish, ~3' diameter, fairly
weak concentration with a slightly brighter core. A mag 13 star is on the
southwest side of the halo, two mag 13.5 stars on the west side and another
near the northwest edge. A
half-dozen stars additional stars are resolved in the halo with a few
additional around the edges of the halo.
A number more scintillate in and out of view, emerging for brief moments
in better seeing, ~20-25 total seen in the halo. The core region includes another half-dozen stars with one
standing out more prominently.
18"
(8/23/03): at 435x, appears fairly faint, ~3' diameter with an irregular
outline, and just a weak concentration.
A trio of mag 13-13.5 stars is easily resolved on the west edge and the
middle star has two close, mag 14.5 and 15.5 companions. With careful viewing about a dozen
extremely faint stars sparkle over the central glow, often popping in out of
averted vision. At 538x, the
cluster barely breaks up into a swarm of extremely faint stars in steady
moments.
17.5"
(8/10/91): moderately bright, roughly circular, 3' diameter. Three mag 13 stars and a mag 14 star
are almost on a line oriented N-S on the west edge. Very mottled and granular appearance with an irregular
outline. Can just steadily resolve
a few very faint stars and another half a dozen extremely faint stars pop in
and out of view over the core.
Located within a rich star field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6535 = H on 26 Apr
1852 (sweep 478) WH discovered NGC 6535 = Au 38 on 24 Aug 1780 with his
6.2-inch reflector (used to discover Uranus) during his initial inspection of
Flamsteed stars. According to
Wolfgang Steinicke, who uncovered this observation ("a nebula with
stars") in his Herschel research, this was the first nebula he
discovered! As a result
John Russell
Hind independently discovered NGC 6535 on 26 Apr 1852 (MN, 12, 208) with a
7-inch Dolland refractor at George Bishop's private observatory in London and
recorded "a nebulous object which does not occur in any of the Catalogues
of Nebulae hitherto consulted. It
is very small and rather faint, perhaps 1' in diameter and is preceded a few
seconds by a very minute hazy-looking star." Hind is credited with the discovery in the NGC. Auwers
observed it with the 6-inch Heliometer at Königsberg Observatory and reported
"pF, round, 2' diameter, gradually very slightly bM."
******************************
17 57 16.5 +64
56 16
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, unconcentrated.
Edward Swift,
Lewis' 13 year-old son, discovered NGC 6536 = Sw I-84 on 18 Aug 1884 and
recorded "vF; R; pL; 3 stars in form of a triangle near." Their position is 10 sec of RA east and
less than 1' south of
******************************
18 05 13.0 -19
50 35
V = 11.9; Size 5"
17.5"
(8/17/01): picked up at 220x as a fuzzy mag 12 "star" forming the
eastern vertex of an obtuse, isosceles triangle with two similar stars 1.5' W
and 2.4' NW. Excellent view at
380x and 500x. Clearly nonstellar
at the higher powers, ~5" diameter with a bluish color and occasionally a
slightly brighter center.
13"
(8/17/85): appears mag 12.0 or fainter with OIII filter at 79x. In the field SW of a mag 7 star forming
the southern "star" of an arc of three stars.
13"
(8/11/85): stellar at 166x, estimate mag V =12.5. Just non-stellar at 220x and clearly nebulous at 360x, about
4" diameter. Appears fainter
than computed V magnitude. Located
7' SW of mag 6.8
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6537 on 15 Jul 1882 with the 15-inch refractor at the Harvard
College Observatory.
Based on
Crossley photographs, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6537 as "a minute disk
5" in diameter, just distinguishable from a star. Round, with clear-cut edges; a slightly
condensation at center is suspected, and a very faint ansa in p.a.
25". The huge
hourglass-shapes structure visible in deep images that surrounds the central
part was missed in the Lick photographs.
******************************
17 54 17.1 +73
25 27
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 48d
17.5"
(7/9/88): faint, very small, elongated SW-NE, small bright core. Located directly between a mag 14 star
1.2' NW and a mag 15 star 1.0' SE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6538 = Sw IV-62 on 30 May 1886 and recorded "eF; vS; lE;
between 2 eF stars." His
position is 25 seconds of RA west and 44" south of
******************************
18 04 49.7 -07
35 09
V = 9.8; Size 6.9'; Surf Br = 3.1
24"
(7/30/16): at 260x; fairly faint, moderately large, round, ~3' diameter, very
weak concentration. A brighter mag
12.8 star is just off the northwest edge and a mag 13.5 star is off the
southwest edge. The cluster was very lively at 432x and several faint to
extremely faint stars are resolved around the edges of the halo including a few
easy ones just off the west side.
Several very faint to extremely faint stars scintillate over the core
and main portion of the halo, popping in and out of view with the seeing,
though only a couple of these are consistently visible.
18"
(7/19/04): at 225x appears fairly faint, moderately large, round, weakly
concentration. The diameter is
~3.5' diameter with averted vision.
A few mag 15-15.5 stars are along the west edge of the halo with some
brighter mag 13 stars off to the west and NW. At 435x, 3 or 4 mag 15 stars are grouped near the west edge
of the halo and a single mag 15.5-16 star is near the center. The edges appear ragged at this magnification.
18"
(8/23/03): at 323x appears fairly faint, round, pretty diffuse with only a broad,
fairly weak concentration. A mag
12.5 star is off the NW side and a few mag 13 stars are off the SW edge and
further off the SE side. A couple
of mag 15 stars are resolved between the two brighter stars on the west side.
At 435x, the surface brightness is quite mottled and seems on the verge of
resolution but only one or two extremely faint stellar sparkles are
intermittently visible.
17.5"
(8/10/91): fairly faint, moderately large, 3' diameter, round, diffuse, broad
weak concentration. A number of
stars are very near including a mag 12.5 star off the NW edge and a fainter mag
13.5 star off the SE edge. In
addition, an extremely faint 15th mag star is resolved near the NW edge and a
mag 15 star is visible near the center but no other resolution was
evident.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, moderately large, very diffuse, no resolution.
Theodor Johann
Christian Brorsen discovered NGC 6539 = Au 39 in Sep 1856 at the Senftenberg
Observatory in the present-day Czech Republic, probably using a 9.4-cm
comet-seeker. Arthur Auwers
observed this globular on 10 Oct 1860 with the Konigsberg 6-inch refractor and
reported (in the notes to his 1862 list of new nebulae) it "looked faint,
but pretty well at 65x; it appears to be a faint star group of about 3'
diameter, centrally surrounded by numerous stars 12m." (translation by
Wolfgang Steinicke). NGC 6539 is
one of the brighter southern objects missed by JH.
******************************
NGC 6540 = ESO
456-SC053 = Cr 364 = Djorgovski 3
18 06 08.5 -27
45 55
V = 10.4; Size 1'; Surf Br = 2.0
18"
(7/11/07): this very unusual globular is buried within a small asterism and
requires careful viewing. At 325x
a very distinctive 1.5' string or shallow arc of stars is oriented E-W and
contains 6 stars (these are possible cluster members). Within this shallow arc is a 20"
knot just east of the midpoint and this knot is probably the core of the
globular. The entire string is
superimposed on a rich Milky Way background so it was very difficult to
determine a diameter for the outer halo.
17.5"
(7/10/99): this interesting globular is located nearly midway along a short
1.5' E-W arc of a half dozen or so mag 13-14 stars that are bowed out to the
north. The globular is a faint,
round, 40" glow, embedded just inside the center of this string which
extends beyond the globular to the west and east. At 100x, this string, along with the haze of the cluster
creates the impression the globular is quite elongated.
13"
(9/3/83): very faint, small, rich spot, slightly elongated E-W, mottled but no
resolved. Also a group of six
faint stars in an arc to the SE.
Dark nebula B86 lies 41' W.
Originally
listed as an open cluster, this object was reclassified as a globular in 1987
by Djorgovski.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6540 = H II-198 on 24 May 1784 (end of sweep 224) and recorded
"pF, crookedly extended easily resolvable nebula; or rather a cluster of
very close stars; not large."
Guillaume
Bigourdan's description mentions a size of 1.5' x 25", elongated E-W,
stars mag 13 and fainter containing possible "nebulous
material". So, Bigourdan was
clearly describing the entire string of stars.
******************************
18 08 02 -43 43
00
V = 6.1; Size 13.1'; Surf Br = 0.4
22"
(6/28/06 - Hawaii): spectacular view at 200x as the globular is well
concentrated with a blazing core and a large halo extending to at least
8'. Roughly 200 stars are
resolved, mostly in the halo but even close to the center of the core. Includes a few brighter stars in the
halo on the NE side and towards the south and SSE.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): excellent view at 127x! Well concentrated to a small, intense 1.5' core. The halo extends to roughly 8' and is
well-resolved into perhaps a 100 stars.
A brighter star is at the NE side of the halo and a couple of brighter
stars are at the south and SW edge of the cluster. Prominent in 10x30 IS binoculars.
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this beautiful globular is set in a rich
star field and is strongly compressed with a blazing core. At 171x, the halo is ~8' and highly
resolved into a couple of hundred stars mag 12 and fainter. A few brighter stars (field?) are mixed
in including mag 11 stars on the east and SW side of the halo. The stars are densely packed towards
the core - another southern showpiece globular!
8"
(7/16/82): bright, fairly small, well concentrated to bright core. Mottled halo but no resolution. Located 20' SE of a mag 5 star (h 5014
= 5.8/5.8 at 1.8"). Very far
south for viewing from Northern California.
Niccolo
Cacciatore, an assistant to Giuseppe Piazzi, discovered NGC 6541 = D 473 = h
3726 on 19 Mar 1826, probably using the 3-inch refractor in Palermo. James Dunlop independently discovered
this globular a few months later on 3 Jul 1826 and described "a very
bright round highly condensed nebula, about 3' diameter. I can resolve a
considerable portion round the margin, but the compression is so great near the
centre, that it would require a very high power, as well as light, to separate
the stars; the stars are rather dusky." He notes 5 observations were made and his position is 6'
northwest of the center. John
Herschel's first observation was on 1 Jun 1834 (h3726) and he reported
"globular, B, R, e comp, v Fine; diameter of most comp part = 11 seconds
of time in RA; stars 15..16m. The scattered stars extend to three times the
diameter and die away very gradually." He references D 473 in the Cape catalogue but wasn't aware of
Cacciatore's earlier observation.
******************************
17 59 38.9 +61
21 33
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 98d
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, small, very elongated WNW-ESE, brighter core, faint stellar
nucleus. Located 3.9' SE of a mag
10.5 star.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6542 = Sw IV-65 on 22 Jul 1886 and recorded "eF; S; eE;
coarse D[ouble] * sp points to it."
His position matches
******************************
17 58 33.2 +66
37 59
V = 8.1; Size 22"x19"
48" (4/1/11):
the extremely bright inner section [22"x19"] of the Cat's Eye was a
vivid green color at 375x. But besides the bright central star I didn't take
notes on the interior structure. A
fairly faint (middle) halo was easily visible, extending ~1.4' diameter and
dramatically increased the generally observed size. This halo had a well-defined periphery and was slightly
elongated N-S or the border on the east and west sides were very slightly
flattened. A very faint star is
near the west edge.
Surrounding the
middle shell is a much larger and fainter outer halo that extends ~5' in
diameter.
18"
(7/21/04): at 435x, it was fairly clear that there were two shells in the main
body of different sizes and orientations creating a complex overlapping
appearance. Surrounding the high surface brightness main body was a thin, very
faint outer envelope (inner portion of the outer envelope). The central star
was visible continuously.
IC 4677 was
easily visible at 160x using a UHC filter as a slightly elongated, low surface
brightness glow 1.7' W of center of NGC 6543 and 1.5' SE of a mag 11 star which
lies 2.7' WNW of NGC 6543. This
shock-excited knot in the outer halo was elongated 3:2 SW-NE, roughly 20"x13". At 225x it was barely visible
unfiltered, but could be held continuously at this power adding a UHC filter.
18"
(6/21/03): remarkable view at 538x.
The central star shone steadily in the center of what appeared to be two
superimposed shells, offset in orientation by ~90 degrees. Interior filamentary or arc-like
structure was highly suspected.
17.5"
(6/11/88): viewed at 280x and 412x; the Cat's Eye nebula appears very bright,
fairly small, oval SW-NE, blue-green color. Appears darker (annular) surrounding the mag 11 central
star. The prominent visual portion
is surrounded by a very faint oval outer envelope (386") which was not
seen but includes the bright irregular knot IC 4677 1.7' W of center.
IC 4677 was
suspected at 220x without filtration close to a mag 15 star located 1' W of the
planetary. Using a UHC filter, IC
4677 was clearly visible with averted vision as a very faint elongated patch,
~25"x15" oriented SW-NE.
Requires averted for a good view but could hold steadily almost
continuously. It was also visible
at 140x with an OIII filter and 280x with the UHC, but 220x provided the best
view.
13"
(7/27/84): at 400x appears very bright, oval N-S, blue color, central star
visible with averted.
8": bright,
elongated, blue, high surface brightness.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6543 = H IV-37 on 15 Feb 1786 (sweep 523) and recorded "vB,
about 35" diameter. A planetary disk, but very ill defined edge; the
center of it is rather more luminous than the rest. With long attention a very
bright, well defined, round center becomes visible. This seems to be a nebula that connects my former planetary
ones with two other sorts; viz with those that are very bright in the middle
and suddenly grow more diluted; and with those that have a bright central star,
or nucleus and a milky chevelure."
In 1790, Lalande
included this object as a 9th magnitude "star" (LL 38303 in his major
star catalogue. Giuseppe Bianchi
independently rediscovered it on 16 Jun 1839 and announced the discovery an
Astronomische Nachrichten letter, apparently unaware of WH's prior discovery
(there were many similar cases).
NGC 6543 does not appear in JH's Slough catalogue, which was more accessible
and easier to check than WH's catalogues.
Sir William
Huggins examined NGC 6543 with a spectroscope on 29 Aug 1864 (the same night he
viewed
The 1888 paper
"Observations of Nebulae at the Lick Observatory"
(1888MNRAS..48..388H) included a schematic labeled "Helical Nebula in
Draco (Holden)" showing two overlapping ellipses or coils, along with a
detailed sketch and description of the nebula. Heber Curtis wrote "We have, therefore, ventured to
designate this object as a helical nebula - the first of its class - because
its brighter portions unquestionably appear to the eye in a helical and not
simply in a spiral form; and also because it seems to us at least probable that
the real disposition of the brighter parts in space may be in the form of a
helix." Generally, the
nickname "Cat's Eye Nebula" is used today.
E.E. Barnard
discovered IC 4677, a shock-excited knot in the outer halo of NGC 6543, on 24
Apr 1900 with the 40-inch Yerkes refractor. See Harold Corwin's notes.
******************************
18 07 20.6 -24
59 50
V = 8.2; Size 7'; Surf Br = 2.4
24" (7/30/16):
at 260x; bright, moderately large, irregular scraggly halo, ~4'x3' roughly
E-W. Well concentrated with a
bright irregular core with resolved stars. A mag 11.2 is at the southwest side of the halo, 1.5' from
center. Roughly 15-20 stars are
resolved in the halo (horizontal branch magnitude ≈ 15.2), though some of these
are likely field stars. At least a
half-dozen stars are resolved in the central core including a pair of close
brighter stars and a third nearly in line. At 375x at least a dozen stars were resolved over an
irregular core region.
17.5"
(5/10/91): bright, 4'x3', elongated NW-SE, irregular and scraggly outline,
mottled. Located in a rich star
field. About six stars are
superimposed including two or three mag 13 stars in a tight knot near the
center. In addition, several faint
stars are resolved at the edges (or nearby field stars). A double star with components mag
11.5/13.5 lies 2' SW.
8"
(8/23/84): at 200x, appears moderately bright with two stars are visible at the
center and two or three stars are resolved at edges. The appearance is grainy with a brighter core.
8"
(7/31/81): fairly faint, small, brighter core, easy but no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6544 = H II-197 = h1994 on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and recorded
"pB, pL, iR, r." JH made
the single observation "F; L; lE; bM; resolved."
******************************
18 12 14.8 -63
46 34
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 151d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): fairly faint or moderately bright, small, round,
24" diameter, contains a small brighter nucleus. The field is rich in faint stars with four mag 13-15 stars
in a small quadrilateral close east (sides 30"-50") and a mag 15 star
is at the southwest edge. In the
field is a mag 9.7 star 4' S and a mag 10 star 6.7' NE. NGC 6545 resides 14' SW of mag 6.5 HD
166251.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6545 = h3727 on 20 Jun 1835 and recorded "eeeF, vvvS, R,
4". This is the smallest
nebula I recollect to have seen.
Its light is not greater than that of a *14m. A diagram made for
security of finding it again. See
figure 16, Plate VI." His
position is a perfect match with
******************************
18 07 23 -23 17
48
V = 8.0; Size 13'
17.5"
(8/27/92): bright, large, scattered, 10' diameter. Including three mag 9 stars on the east side, 10 mag 11-12
stars mag and roughly 70 stars total.
Between the three mag 9 stars is a very faint, rich group of 15-20
stars. Near the west edge is a
faint, very close double. The
majority of the cluster stars are fairly evenly distributed with no other dense
regions. Situated in a rich Milky
Way field.
8"
(8/23/84): scattered group of about 40 stars with 20 stars easily visible and
three brighter mag 9 stars on the east side, elongated ~E-W. A mag 8 star is in the field to the NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6546 = h3729 on 27 Jun 1837 and noted "the middle of a
great and rich cluster in the milky way." The ESO position is about 5' further south.
******************************
18 05 10.0 +25
13 58
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 136d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated NW-SE, very small bright
core. A well-matched double star
is 2' S (12.5/12.5 at 16").
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6547 = m 360 on 7 Aug 1864 and noted "F, vS, E,
mbM." His position matches
******************************
18 05 59.1 +18
35 14
V = 11.7; Size 3.0'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated NNW-SSE, sharp
concentration with a very bright core dominating a faint halo. Forms a pair with
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6548 = H III-555 on 22 Jun 1786 (sweep 574) and noted "cF,
S, iF, lE, r." His re-reduced
position, with respect to 101 Her, is within 1' of
The MCG
(+03-46-013) misidentifies NGC 6548 as
******************************
NGC 6549 = NGC
6550 = UGC 11114 = MCG +03-46-012 = CGCG 113-019 = PGC 61399
18 05 49.5 +18
32 16
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 53d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, low even surface
brightness. A very faint mag 16
star is involved. Forms a pair
with NGC 6548 3.7' NE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6549 = m 361 on 27 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, pL, iR (near
III. 555 [= NGC 6548])." His
position matches UGC 11114, a fainter companion to NGC 6548. Édouard Stephan independently found
this galaxy on 19 Jul 1882 and measured an accurate micrometric position. But Stephan, in the notes to list XII,
incorrectly mentioned that XII-87 = NGC 6550 is distinct from GC 4377 [NGC
6548] and GCS 5892 [NGC 6549].
There are only two galaxies here, so NGC 6549 = NGC 6550, with discovery
priority to Marth. E.E. Barnard
swept up NGC 6548 on 29 Jan 1889 and also noted NGC 6549 on 3 Feb, using the
12-inch Lick refractor. MCG
incorrectly equates NGC 6548 = NGC 6549.
******************************
NGC 6550 = NGC
6549 = UGC 11114 = MCG +03-46-012 = CGCG 113-019 = PGC 61404
18 05 49.5 +18
32 16
See observing
notes for NGC 6549.
Édouard Stephan
found NGC 6550 = St XII-87 on 19 Jul 1882. His micrometric position is a perfect match with UGC
1111. Albert Marth discovered this
galaxy earlier on 27 Jul 1864 and it was catalogued as m 361 = GC 5892 = NGC
6549. Stephan, though, in the notes to list XII, incorrectly stated that XII-87
was distinct from NGC 6548 and 6549.
Whatever Stephan felt was NGC 6549, it is clear that NGC 6550 = NGC
6549.
Lewis Swift must
have examined the field and realized there were only two galaxies here. In his notes to his large discovery
list XI, he mentions "NGC 6550 = H III 555 [NGC 6548]. 6550 must be struck out." In the IC 2 notes, Dreyer repeated that
NGC 6550 is identical to NGC 6548 (from Swift), instead of NGC 6549. This error is repeated in UGC, CGCG,
NGC 2000.0 and Deep Sky Field Guide (to the Uranometria Sky Atlas). This error is mentioned in Malcolm
Thomson's unpublished "Catalogue Corrections". See Harold Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
18 08 45 -29 34
06
=NGC 6528 or NGC
6522?, Corwin. =concentration of
stars in Milky Way, ESO.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6551= LM I-230 on 7 Jul 1885 and noted "vF, vS,
R, rr." His rough position
(nearest minute of RA) is just 17 seconds west of
But Harold
Corwin, who examined Leavenworth's sketch, notes that it shows a globular
cluster-like object between two stars and does not match this asterism. So, the group of scattered stars near
his position seen by Howe is very unlikely. Corwin suggests NGC 6528 or perhaps NGC 6522 as candidates,
though the nearby stars are not a good match with the sketch.
******************************
NGC 6552 = UGC
11096 = MCG +11-22-018 = CGCG 322-026 = PGC 61252
18 00 07.2 +66
36 54
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 105d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W, bright core. Located just 10' E of NGC 6543, the
Cat's Eye Nebula! Position is
nearly coincident with the North Ecliptic Pole so the RA and Dec are virtually
constant over time!
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6552 on 6 Oct 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen while observing H IV 37 [NGC 6543]. Lewis Swift independently found this galaxy on 27 May 1886
and recorded Sw IV-66 as "vF; S; cE; [NGC 6543] in field."
******************************
18 09 15.6 -25
54 28
V = 8.3; Size 6'; Surf Br = 1.9
24"
(7/30/16): at 260x, moderately bright and large, ~3' diameter, weak
concentration with no well defined core.
A mag 11.8 star is on the northwest side of the halo and fainter stars
are on the northeast side (pair) and southwest side, bounding the cluster into
a somewhat rectangular appearance.
At 432x, the cluster was very lively or mottled with a couple of
additional resolved stars and others just on the verge of resolution. A few additional stars were resolved
around the edges of the halo.
17.5"
(6/6/86): grainy, mottled globular with a single bright star at the north edge
and four or five additional stars at the edges may also be resolved
members. Located in a rich field. The brightest member star is V =14.7.
8"
(7/31/81): fairly bright, moderately large. A single star is at the north edge, elongated or fan-shaped
N-S, no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6553 = H IV-12 = h3730 on 22 May 1784 (sweep 223) and recorded
"pB, L, difficulty resolving; the nebulosity inclining to milkiness. It is unequally bright." JH called this cluster "globular;
vF; a little oval; vglbM; barely r; stars 20m; one * 14m; diam in RA = 7.5
sec." Christian Peters
independently found the cluster around 1849 at the Capodimonte Observatory in
Naples and claimed it did not appear in any catalogue.
******************************
18 08 59 -18 26
06
18"
(9/3/05): at 115x appears as a large, scattered group of ~100 stars in a 25'
x10' region. Most of the brighter
stars form a triangular outline with a 15' string of stars oriented NW to SE
forming the western leg of the triangle being most evident. A number of faint stars pepper the
interior at 225x, though at this power the group filled the field and was not
recognizable at all. This appears
to be a random Milky Way asterism although the triangular outline is somewhat
detached in the field at low power.
Contains a number of mag 10.5-11.5 star although there is no single
brighter star. A fairly small
triangle of stars including a mag 11 pair at 27" is off the west side.
17.5"
(8/12/01): large, very scattered, elongated group at 100x. Roughly three dozen stars are visible
in an arbitrary 20'x6' region, extended NW-SE. A close quadruple is at the west side of the NW end. There are no rich concentrations and
the group looks just like an random asterism. At 220x, ~50 stars are seen with some faint clumps visible
but as the group now fills the field I would not have noticed it at all at this
power. The outline is easier to
trace along the western flank and around the NW end. An evenly matched mag 12 pair is off the west side but is
not within the main group. Listed
as a nonexistent cluster in the RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6554 = h1995 on 14 Jul 1830 and recorded "A v coarse and
scattered but p rich cluster of L and S stars. Has several double stars in it." A 24" pair of mag
10/12 stars just 1' north of JH's position in a Milky Way field. Karl Reinmuth reported "many st in
milky way, no distinct Cl" and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent
(Type 7). Harold Corwin notes that
although this is likely not a true cluster, JH's position and description
matches this field.
******************************
18 07 49.3 +17
36 17
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 110d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, moderately large, almost round, mild concentration
but no sharp core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6555 = H II-902 on 29 Jun 1799 (sweep 1090) and recorded
"F, pL, R, vgbM, about 3 1/2' dia." A few minutes earlier he noted that twilight was very
strong. His time is 20 seconds too
small and declination 1' too far south.
Herman Schultz measured a micrometric position at Uppsala (used in the
NGC), but it was 40 seconds of time too small, so he probably either made a
copying error or misidentified the comparison star. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 16 Jun 1884
(repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
******************************
18 09 57 -27 31
30
24"
(7/7/13): very bright but patchy Milky Way field, rich in faint stars at 125x
(21mm Ethos). Excellent region to
scan, although no distinct boundaries or dark clouds to isolate the object, so
does not stand out conspicuously.
The position, though, was easy to identify as an as a large triangle
(sides ~12') with four mag 7-8 stars (including
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6556 = h3732 on 15 Jul 1836 and recorded "Cl VI. An oval
patch comprised within limits of the field, barely resolvable into infinitely
minute points, but which, without attention, appears as a great nebula 15' l;
12' br; hardly bM." In his
survey of NGC objects with the 20-inch refractor at Denver, Herbert Howe wrote
"I see nothing in the entire region except thousands of the minutest
stars." Dreyer noted "No
nebulosity (Howe)" in the IC 2 Notes.
Although there
is no cluster per se, Harold Corwin writes that JH's position falls in a
"complex region of star clouds and obscuring dust clouds near the Galactic
Center."
******************************
18 21 24.8 -76
34 59
V = 13.0; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 77d
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x appeared moderately
bright, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.7', brighter core. Located 14' E of mag 7.1
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6557 = h3728 on 30 Jun 1835 and logged "vF; R; glbM;
15"." His position in
the Cape Catalogue and GC is accurate, but Dreyer made a typo in the NGC and
placed this object 50° too far north.
The error was caught and corrected in the IC 1 Notes.
RNGC classifies
this as an "Unverified Southern Object" (Type 0). it is missing from the ESO-LV, Deep Sky
Field Guide and the first edition of the Uranometria 2000.0 Sky Atlas.
******************************
18 10 18.3 -31
45 49
V = 9.8; Size 3.7'; Surf Br = 1.4
17.5"
(7/29/92): moderately bright, small, 1.5'-2.0' diameter, irregular outline. Has a fairly smooth halo with a small
bright core offset to the north side with a stellar nucleus sometimes
visible. Five or six very faint
mag 14.5-15 stars are embedded within the halo. Located in a rich star field.
8"
(7/31/86): faint, small, round, six faint stars lie to the south.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6558 = h3731 on 3 Aug 1834 and recorded "globular cluster;
not vB; R; glbM; 2'; resolved. The
stars barely discernible." On
sweep 794 (June 1837) he logged "globular; pB; irreg R; gmbM; composed of
st 16m, on a milky way ground of mixed L and vS stars." This object may be a compact open
cluster.
******************************
18 09 58 -24 06
36
Size 8'x5'
17.5"
(7/20/96): at 140x an irregular glow is easily visible surrounding a group of 5
stars and brightest around a 30" pair of mag 9.5/10.5 stars. The 4'x3' nebulosity extends mainly to
the west and NW of this pair. Best
view probably unfiltered at 140x (nebulosity dims with OIII and similar with
UHC), but with a UHC filter a very large hazy nebulosity ~10' diameter stands
out to the northwest involving a number of brighter stars.
17.5"
(7/17/93): observation made at 100x using an OIII filter: Brightest portion of
extensive nebulous complex, most prominent along two converging rows of stars
oriented SW-NE and NW-SE. A mag 10
star is located in the second chain.
This description appears to describe the large region of nebulosity to
the NW of NGC 6559 mentioned in the July '96 observation.
17.5"
(6/20/87): 88x with UHC filter: fairly bright, fairly large nebulosity about 5'
diameter. Surrounds two mag 11
stars and extending to four or five fainter mag 12/13 stars.
13"
(7/16/82): fairly faint, curved strip of nebulosity, includes five stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6559 = h1996 = h3733 on 1 Jul 1826 and recorded "several
stars affected with nebulosity; the brightest taken." His position corresponds with a mag 8.8
star (brighter of pair) clearly involved with nebulosity. The CGH catalogue lists a similar
position and notes "vF; L; oblong; 5' long; 3' broad; place of a D*
involved; 6 other st near. Query, if
involved."
******************************
18 05 14.0 +46
52 53
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 55d
24"
(7/20/17): at 225x and 375x; moderately bright and large, oval 3:2 SW-NE,
~45"x30", broad concentration, small slightly brighter core. There is a strong suggestion of a
spiral arm on the southeast side [galaxy is a bit "beefier" on this
end], extending a short distance north.
Situated 2' SW of a mag 10.4 star (with a companion at ~30") and
two 10th magnitude stars lie 5' ESE.
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, low almost even surface
brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6560 = Sw V-84 on 22 Oct 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; iR; 5
stars near sf in a line, middle one double." His position is 1' too far northeast and the distinctive
string of stars is 4'-5' east-southeast.
******************************
18 10 30 -16 43
30
17.5"
(7/27/95): very large, fairly rich Milky Way field, roughly 15'x10' elongated
~N-S. Along the eastern border are
four mag 9 stars with a 28" pair at the midpoint of the other two bright
stars which are oriented SW-NE at 7' separation. The stars are fairly evenly distributed and includes a large
number of mag 12-13 stars with a background of very faint stars at 220x. Unable to determine any specific
borders or count the large number of stars but the group stands out reasonably
well at 80x.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6561 = H VIII-54 = h1997 on 27 Jun 1786 (sweep 576) and recorded
"a coarsely scattered cluster of considerably L stars. The place is that of a small triangle
or treble star." JH observed
this group of stars twice, first noting on 2 Aug 1826, "very coarsely
straggling and loose, hardly entitled to be called a cluster. The place (roughly taken) is that of 2
or 3 bright stars." RNGC
classifies this object as a nonexistent cluster.
******************************
18 05 00.9 +56
15 47
V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8
17.5"
(7/19/90): faint, very small, round, 0.5' diameter, small bright core. A mag 14 star is about 30" off the
SW edge and 51" from center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6562 = Sw I-85 on 8 Jun 1885 and logged "F; pS; BM; R; bet
2 st." His position is 10 seconds
of RA too large. Howe measured an
accurate micrometric position in 1899-00.
******************************
18 12 02.5 -33
52 06
V = 10.8; Size 50"x37"; PA = 50d
18"
(7/16/07): at 323x appears as a fairly bright, sharply defined disc, slightly
elongated SW-NE and perhaps 48"x40". The disc exhibits a subtle irregularity in surface
brightness but there was no evident annularity. A couple of extremely faint stars occasionally sparkled over
the disc, though it was difficult to tell if one was situated right at the
center.
17.5"
(6/28/00): at 280x this moderately bright PN appears elongated 5:4 SW-NE,
~50"x40". The surface
brightness is pretty smooth and no central star was visible. A UHC filter provides a moderate
contrast gain. Set is a rich star
field.
13"
(8/17/85): observation at 166x and 220x: fairly faint, moderately large,
slightly elongated ~N-S, no annularity.
Prominent using UHC filter, moderate surface brightness. Located in a rich star field 15' ESE of
mag 6.2
8"
(7/16/82): faint, elongated N-S, fairly small.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6563 = h3734 = D 606? on 7 Jun 1837 and recorded "a L, F,
oval, planetary nebula, about 60" long, 50" broad, or 55";
considerably hazy, or rather indistinctly terminated at the borders, but not
bM; a star 6-7m precedes it, just 1 diameter of the field and nearly in the
parallel."
James Dunlop
possibly discovered this planetary on 3 Sep 1826 and reported a "faint
nebula, about 1 1/4' long and 30" or 40" broad, with a considerable
brightness near each end and faint in the middle, resembling two small nebulae
joined." His position (single observation) is 36' northeast of NGC 6563, a
fairly large error even for Dunlop, but the size is reasonably close.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6565 as "a faint
oval 50"x37" in p.a. 50°; stronger regions at the ends of the minor
axis give it an indistinct ring or shell effect; it is considerably fainter
along, and at the ends of the major axis."
******************************
18 09 02.4 +17
23 40
=**?,
Gottlieb. =***?, Corwin. Not found, RNGC.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6564 = m 362 on 15 May 1864 and noted "eF, vS." There is nothing near his position and
no galaxy catalogue has a listing for NGC 6564. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
Harold Corwin
suggests NGC 6564 may be a triple star at the position given here, though this
is very uncertain as his description is of no help.
******************************
NGC 6565 = PK
3-4.5 = PN G003.5-04.6 = ESO 456-PN70
18 11 52.4 -28
10 43
V = 11.4; Size 10"x8"
17.5"
(8/17/01): picked up at 100x as fuzzy mag 12 star. At 500x in good seeing, I
had an excellent view of a crisp, slightly elongated 10" disc with an
irregular surface brightness. In
steadier moments, annularity was evident and there appeared to be a tiny darker
hole in the center with a brighter rim but no hint of a central star. NGC 6565 is situated within a rich
Sagittarius star field with a few faint stars within 1' and several brighter
stars in the field.
13.1"
(8/17/85): at 166x and UHC filter; moderately bright, small, round, clearly
non-stellar, 10" diameter, high surface brightness. Easy at 360x without filter, appears
slightly elongated NW-SE, no central star visible. Similar view on 8/11/85.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6565 = HN 42 on 14 Jul 1880 with the 15-inch refractor at
Harvard College Observatory. NGC
6565 was the second of 17 planetaries he found using a direct-vision
spectroscope attached to the large refractor. He announced the discovery of the first dozen in Sidereal
Messenger, Oct 1882. Compared to NGC
6644, which was discovered the next night, NGC 6565 was "somewhat fainter,
but with a larger disk" (The Observatory, 1881).
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6565 as "a minute
oval ring 10"x8" in p.a. about 5°. Considerably fainter along the major axis, and the center is
relatively vacant."
******************************
18 07 00.6 +52
15 37
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(7/19/90): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 15 star is 0.6' W of center and an extremely faint mag
16 star is at the NW edge.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6566 on 27 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His single position is
1.4' too far north. He mentions a
mag 16 star is near. This may be
either of the stars mentioned in my observation.
******************************
18 13 45.2 -19
04 33
V = 10.9; Size 11"x7"
18"
(8/14/07): picked up at 94x as a "bloated" blue star of 11th
magnitude. Easy to verify with a
UHC blink though only a moderate contrast gain. Situated in a beautiful star field on the southwest side of
the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud.
A very long dark lane (part of
17.5"
(7/8/94): bright very compact planetary at 220x with a mag 13 star at the east
edge. Excellent contrast gain with
OIII filter. A high surface
brightness small disc is visible at 280x that is cleanly resolved from the
following star. Has a brighter
center but no central star seen.
Located in a very rich Milky Way field on the SW side of the Small
Sagittarius Star Cloud (
8"
(8/15/82): appears as a mag 11 "star" at 100x. Slightly non-stellar at 200x. A slightly elongated disc N-S is
visible at 400x. Forms a close
pair with a mag 12 star just east.
Situated in a rich star field.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6567 on 18 Aug 1882 using a direct-vision spectroscope with the
15-inch refractor at the Harvard College Observatory. NGC 6567 was the 9th of 17 planetaries he found using this technique. His RA, though, was 1.5 minutes too
small. The discovery was announced
in AN 2459 and Sidereal Messenger, Oct 1882.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6567 as "an oval
dic, growing rapidly brighter toward the center; 8"x5" in p.a. 150°
in the shorter and about 11"x7" in the longer exposures. Exceedingly faint ansae are suspected
in the prolongation of the major axis, making the total length 20", but
these may be very faint stars..."
******************************
18 12 44 -21 37
42
Size 13'
17.5"
(8/1/92): at 82x, 75 stars mag 11-14 in 15'x10' region elongated N-S. Appears as a large enhancement of the
Milky Way with no sharp edges.
Most stars are at the periphery and the central region is devoid of
stars. Irregular outline is formed
by winding arcs of stars in a "S" pattern with most stars 13th
magnitude. The densest region is a
very winding lane along the NW edge.
8"
(6/27/81): faint, rich dusting of mag 11-13 stars, forms a nice arc. A mag 5.5 star is 30' SE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6568 = H VII-30 = h1998 = h3735 on 26 May 1786 (sweep 566) and
recorded "a cluster of pS, scattered stars; above 15' diameter." His position is good. From the Cape of Good Hope, JH called
this object a "cluster VIII class; loose; scattered; fills field; is
decidedly richer than any part of the milky way that has occurred
tonight."
******************************
18 13 38.8 -31
49 35
V = 8.7; Size 5.8'; Surf Br = 1.6
17.5"
(5/10/91): fairly bright, fairly small, round, 2.5' diameter, weakly
concentrated but no distinct core.
Irregular surface brightness and mottled with darker areas on the east
side but there was no definite resolution into stars. Four stars cradle the globular to the SW and SE and mag 6.6
8"
(7/31/81): faint, small, round, no resolution. A mag 7 star is 9' S.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6569 = H II-201 = D 619 = h3736 on 13 Jul 1784 (sweep 237) and
recorded "F, pL, lbM, r."
His position (CH's reduction) is 9' too far northeast. This globular was the second most
southerly object WH discovered.
James Dunlop observed NGC 6569 on 2 Jun 1826 and recorded "a pretty
well-defined round nebula, about 2' diameter, slight condensation to the
centre." He made 2
observations and his position was 14' too far east.
On 3 Aug 1834,
JH described the cluster as "globular; pB; L; R; glbM; 4' diam, resolved
into stars 15m." He also
noted that on 16 Jul 1836, the cluster was "Found in equatorial [5-inch
refractor] in a zone review for double stars, where it appeared as a F, R neb
1' diam."
******************************
18 11 07.3 +14
05 34
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 30d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, oval SSW-NNE, fairly small, very weak concentration,
rich star field. Bracketed by four
mag 13-14 stars.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6570 = m 363, d'A on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "pF, pL,
R." His position and
description matches
******************************
18 10 49.4 +21
14 19
V = 14.3; Size 0.3'x0.3'
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated, broad concentration. First in the large
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6571 = m 364 on 27 Jul 1864 and noted "eF, vS,
stell." His position is less
than 1' due south of
******************************
NGC 6572 = Blue
Racquetball = Emerald Nebula = PK 34+11.1 = PN G034.6+11.8 = ∑6
18 12 06.3 +06
51 13
V = 8.0; Size 16"x13"
48"
(4/4/11): I only took a quick look at this colorful planetary in the 48-inch at
the end of the last night when the seeing the poor, but I could tell the very
high surface brightness blue/green component was surrounded by much fainter
outer halo that appeared pinkish!
24"
(9/1/16): at 200x, 375x and 500x; extremely high surface brightness, saturated
blue-green disc slightly elongated oval N-S, perhaps 14"x10". A very thin shell appears to encase the
disc and occasionally an extremely low surface brightness outer halo appears to
extend mostly north and south.
18"
(8/2/05): at 225x I noticed an interesting color effect; although the color was
a quite prominent bluish-green, while staring at the center the planetary
decreased in size and the color changed to a deep emerald green.
18"
(8/14/04): at 225x, strikingly bright emerald green oval, slightly elongated
~N-S, ~15"x12".
Increasing to 435x this compact planetary appears elongated 3:2,
~16"x11" and brightens towards the center with direct vision,
although the color becomes bluish and washed out. The surface brightness is too high to pick out a central
star. There appears to be small,
faint envelope encasing the planetary.
18"
(7/19/04): at 225x this small planetary is very bright, with an obvious
blue-green color. Generally, the
color appeared a vivid emerald green and other times there was bluish tint to
the color. The main body is only
~8" in size with a thin halo elongated ~SW-NE increasing the size to
roughly 15"x11". It
appears to have a much larger, very low surface brightness halo, though perhaps
this is scattered light as the planetary has such as a high surface brightness. This halo is still evident at 322x,
roughly 30" in diameter.
17.5"
(6/3/00): at 220x appears as a very bright, small, intense blue oval,
~15"x12". At 280x-500x,
a thin outer envelope is obvious with the inner oval a uniform high surface
brightness. No central star
visible.
13"
(8/24/84): very bright, small, about 15" diameter, slightly elongated N-S,
extremely high surface brightness, blue color. Very faint outer halo is elongated N-S. No central star seen.
8" (7/79):
bright, small, very high surface brightness.
Wilhelm Struve
discovered NGC 6572 = ∑ 6 = h2000 on 18 Jul 1825 with the 9.6" Fraunhofer
refractor at the Dorpat Observatory.
It was included in his list of 9 "Nebulae detectae" in an
appendix to his main catalogue of double stars, which was published in
1827. According to Wolfgang
Steinicke, Bessel earlier measured NGC 6572 in 1822 during his "Zone
observations" at Konigsberg, but didn't mention it as being nebulous.
John Herschel
first observed this planetary on 9 May 1828 and recorded "a beautiful
round, perfectly well defined and brilliant disc, equally a star 8-9 mag. White equably bright. Well seen in broad morning
twilight. A * 9-10m follows, 2'
dist. The sweeping power shows it
as a * of large diameter, which could not escape examination in a good night;
with 240 the disc seen as described.
It cannot be more than 4" diameter." On 19 Aug 1830, JH showed the planetary to Wilhelm Struve at
Slough. Auwers made several
measurements of the size, including 6.4"x5.3", and Secchi (1856)
measured it at 7.5"x7.2" and noted a brighter center. At Birr Castle, the color was described
as "very blue".
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6572 as "an oval
disk, fading out slightly towards edges, 14"x9" in a 5 min exposure
and 16"x13" in the long exposure. No structural details
visible."
******************************
18 13 54 -22 09
48
Size 12'
24"
(7/7/13): at 125x this is a nice 12' field (not a cluster) with the stars
mostly arranged in three distinct groups.
On the west side is an 8' string oriented NW-SE with a clump at the NW
end. On the north side is more
scattered circular group of a couple dozen stars. Finally on the east side is another elongated group oriented
NW-SE with the brighter stars on the SE end. This field is located 25' due west of the rich cluster NGC
6583.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6573 = h1999 on 28 Jul 1830 and reported "A cluster
composed of 2 or 3 clusters of very small stars, and loose large ones. Perhaps this is an outlier of V. 31
[
According to
Harold Corwin, Jeff Corder suggested this was a large scattered clump of stars
right around JH's position, based on an observation with his 17/5-inch. This is the same group of stars
described in my observation.
******************************
18 11 51.2 +14
58 54
V = 12.0; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 160d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.6',
broad concentration. A mag 14 star
is involved at the south end 30" from the center.
8"
(6/19/82): faint, small, slightly elongated N-S.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6574 = m 365 on 9 Jul 1863 and noted "pB, S, R." His position is accurate. Stephan independently rediscovered this
galaxy on 10 Jun 1864 and included it in list VII-21 (later
******************************
18 10 57.6 +31
06 57
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 65d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, bright core. Forms a pair with
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6575 = Sf 33 = St XII-88 on 7 Jun 1866 and recorded "bN
(12m) diam 20"." Édouard
Stephan independently found this galaxy on 1 Jul 1880 and called it "mB,
S, R." As Safford's discovery
was not published until 1887 when the NGC was going to press, Stephan is
credited with the discovery.
******************************
18 11 48.0 +21
25 42
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(7/16/88): extremely faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located 3.3' SW of
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6576 = m 366, along with NGC 6577, 6579 and 6580, on 7 Aug 1864
and noted "eF, vS." His
position is 1' too far north.
******************************
NGC 6577 = UGC
11148 = MCG +04-43-009 = CGCG 142-017 = PGC 61543
18 12 01.2 +21
27 49
V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. A mag 14/15
double star is 1' E.
Located in the NGC 6579/NGC 6580 group with NGC 6576 3.3' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6577 = m 367 = Sf 30, along with NGC 6576, 6579 and 6580, on 7
Aug 1864 and noted "vF, S." His position is accurate. Truman Safford rediscovered this galaxy
on 6 Jun 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn
Observatory. The discovery was not
announced until the 1887 Dearborn Observatory publication.
******************************
18 16 16.4 -20
27 02
V = 12.6; Size 13"x10"
17.5"
(8/17/01): Situated within a clump of stars at 100x and appeared stellar at low
power. At 500x, a small unevenly
lit 4" disc was easily visible close ENE [21"] of a mag 11 star. An
extremely faint star is just off the SE edge and an evenly matched 20"
pair of mag 11 stars lie 1' SE.
Located 7' NW of a mag 7 star.
13"
(6/18/85): just non-stellar at 220x, estimate V = 13.0, 5" diameter. Suspected nebulous at 144x, confirmed
by UHC blinking. Located 7.2' NW
of mag 7.1
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6578 on 18 Aug 1882 using a direct-vision spectroscope with the
15-inch refractor at the Harvard College Observatory. NGC 6578 was found on the same night with NGC 6439 and NGC 6567. His RA, though, was 1.5 minutes too small
(same error as NGC 6567) and his declination was 10' too far north. The discovery was announced in AN 2459
and Sidereal Messenger, Oct 1882.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported NGC 6578 as "nucleus
almost stellar; mag 15. Disk
nearly round, 8.5" in diameter; no ansae or structural details
discernable."
******************************
NGC 6579 = MCG
+04-43-011 = CGCG 142-022 = Holm 775b = PGC 61562
18 12 31.8 +21
25 14
V = 13.5; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.9
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. A mag 15.5 star is 30" SW (this is
a double star on the POSS). Nearly
attached at the SW edge of NGC 6580 (34" separation) in a large group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6579 = m 368, along with NGC 6580, 6576 and 6577, on 7 Aug 1864
and noted "F, Dneb [with NGC 6580]." His position is less than 1' north of
CGCG
misidentifies
******************************
NGC 6580 = MCG
+04-43-012 = CGCG 142-022 = Holm 775a = PGC 61566
18 12 33.7 +21
25 35
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 126d
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, small, elongated NW-SE, small bright core, diffuse halo. A mag 12 star is off the north
edge. Forms a double system with
NGC 6579 off the SW edge 34" from centers. Brightest in the cluster.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6580 = m 369 = Sf 31, along with NGC 6579, 6576 and 6577, on 7
Aug 1864 and noted "F, Dneb [with NGC 6579]." His position matches CGCG 142-022 = PGC
61566. Truman Safford rediscovered
this galaxy on 6 Jun 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn
Observatory. CGCG misidentifies
CGCG 142-020 as NGC 6579/6580.
This error is mentioned in Malcolm Thomson's unpublished "Catalogue
Corrections".
******************************
18 12 18.4 +25
39 44
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 57d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, round. A
mag 14.5 star is at the NE end and a mag 15 star at the south end. Image confused by these two close faint
stars. A wide pair of stars is 12'
SW. Located in the
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6581 = St I-9 on 1 Jul 1870 and recorded "barely visible,
seems hazy, very small, between two faint stars." There is nothing at his position. But Harold Corwin found the coordinates
of his 8th magnitude offset star are off by 11 seconds of RA east and 30"
of dec south. Once that correction
is applied, Stephan's position is just 2 seconds of RA east of
Bigourdan
independently found this galaxy on 1 Jul 1886 while searching for NGC 6581 and
listed it as Big. 222 in his fifth Comptes Rendus list. Dreyer recatalogued the galaxy as IC
1280, so NGC 6581 = IC 1280. MCG,
CGCG and UGC label this galaxy
******************************
18 11 05.2 +49
54 33
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0
24"
(7/28/16): at 260x; the brighter eastern member (
17.5"
(7/22/01): the eastern component of this double system is faint, fairly small,
round, ~30" diameter. Just
off the northwest end is
17.5"
(8/1/89): this is the following member of a double system. Faint, small, round, weak
concentration, faint stellar nucleus.
A companion is very close west just 33" separation between centers
and appears very faint, small, round, low surface brightness.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6582 = Sw IV-67 on 24 Jul 1884 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; in
vacancy, between 6 stars like sickle in Leo, and 4 like alpha, beta, gamma and
delta Ursae Majoris." His
position is 14 seconds of RA west of the double system
MCG and PGC (and
secondary sources including Megastar software) misidentify CGCG 254-021 as NGC
6582. This galaxy is fainter than
UGC 11146 and not between the group of stars described by Swift. UGC has the correct identification.
******************************
NGC 6583 = Cr
370 = ESO 590-SC011
18 15 49 -22 08
18
Size 3'
24"
(7/7/13): excellent, very rich cluster at 175x with at least 50 stars mag
12-15, many of which are arranged in long intersecting lanes. Three distinct strings of stars stand
out. Some brighter stars are off
the south side. NGC 6573
(asterism) lies 25' due west.
17.5"
(8/1/92): fairly faint, small, very rich.
Contains 30 mag 13-15 stars in a 3'x2' field. Appears elongated SSW-NNE due to string of five stars
through the center. Also a curving
string of a half-dozen stars extends out of the cluster to the west. Three mag 11-12 stars are a few arc
minutes off the SE edge.
8"
(7/16/82): few faint stars resolved over haze, appear rich but stars too faint
to resolve well.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6583 = H VII-31 = h2001 = h3739 on 26 May 1786 (sweep 566) and
recorded "a cluster of very small, and pretty compressed stars,
considerably rich; 2 or 3' diam, but twilight too strong to see it
well." From the CGH, JH
logged "oblong cluster, not v rich nor v compressed, but well insulated;
stars 13m; 5' long; 4' broad."
His position is accurate.
******************************
18 18 37.6 -52
12 55
V = 8.6; Size 7.9'; Surf Br = 0.3
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 127x appeared fairly faint, ~3.5' diameter, broadly
concentrated to a 2' core. The
globular seemed slightly elongated ~NNW-SSE. Three mag 11 stars cradle the globular on the S, east and NW
sides but appear to be field stars. A few faint stars are just resolved in the
halo but the central region is unresolved.
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x this globular appeared fairly
bright, moderately large, ~4' diameter with a broad concentration and a fairly
symmetric appearance. Resolved
into a couple of dozen faint stars, mostly in the halo, which is a bit ragged. The central core is very mottled but
unresolved. A few brighter mag 11
stars are just outside the halo, but these appear to be foreground stars. A mag
7.5 star is 13' NW and mag 7.0 star 15' NNE. Located 2.8° SE of mag 3.7 Theta Arae at a distance of
~45,000 light years.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): moderately bright, fairly small, 3' diameter, round, broad
concentration to core. Slight
resolution at edges and three brighter field stars are off the NW, west and SW
sides. Observed at 14° elevation
from Baja.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6584 = D 376 = h3737 on 5 Jun 1826 and described a "pretty
bright round nebula, about 1 1/4' diameter, moderately condensed to the centre;
three very small stars involved in the preceding margin." He claims 4 observations and his
position is 6.5' due west of center.
JH made two observations, first recording on 8 Jul 1834, "globular
cluster; B; R; gmbM; entirely resolved into stars 16m; easily seen."
******************************
18 12 21.6 +39
37 58
V = 12.8; Size 1.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 50d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on SW-NE, weak concentration. Located within a group of 10 mag 10-12
stars including a mag 11 star 1.5' N and a mag 10 star 2.5' NE collinear with
the major axis.
Edward Swift,
the 16 year-old son of Lewis, discovered NGC 6585 = Sw IX-87 on 25 May 1887 and
recorded "eeeF; pS; E; eee diff; between several bright stars." The position is 3' north of
******************************
18 13 38.6 +21
05 24
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is off the south edge
0.6' from center. Forms a pair
with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6586 = m 370, along with NGC 6591, on 27 Jul 1864 and noted
"eF, S, R." His
position is within 1' of
******************************
18 13 50.8 +18
49 31
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, small, almost round, very bright core, stellar
nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.4'
NNW. Located in a rich field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6587 = m 371 on 31 Jul 1864 and noted "F, vS, R,
stell." His position is
accurate to within 30".
******************************
18 20 33 -63 48
30
=several faint
stars, ESO. Not found, Dreyer.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6588 = h3738 on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded "eF; S; among
st. A * 6m sp 10'
distant." There is nothing
but faint stars near his position, which seems to be accurate as a mag 6.2 star
(
******************************
18 16 53 -19 46
42
Size 5'x4'
17.5"
(8/18/01): at 100x (unfiltered) this is a bright, roundish glow, ~4' diameter,
surrounding a wide pair of mag 10/11.5 stars. On the following side, a small 1' glow seems overlapping,
causing the east side to bulge out and extending the diameter to 5'x4'. Forms a prominent pair with
17.5"
(6/20/87): at 88x with UHC filter appears as a bright, prominent nebula
surrounding a mag 9 star. The
nebulosity is more extensive on the following side of the star. Forms a pair with reflection nebula NGC
6595 7' SSE.
13"
(7/16/82): very faint, larger than NGC 6590 to the south. Surrounds two stars.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6589 = Sf 81 = Sw II-63 on 28 Aug 1867 and noted "*10m
[with] pF nebulosity." His
position is 2.6' too far north, but accurate in RA. Lewis Swift independently discovered this reflection nebula
on 12 Jul 1885 and recorded "Another D* in center of an eF, pL nebulosity;
np of 2 [with NGC 6590]. Except for
the inequality of the stars and the excessive faintness of the nebula, it would
resemble the preceding [Sw II-62 = NGC 6590]." Swift's position was 35 seconds of time too far west (same
error as NGC 6590, found the same night).
As Safford's discovery list was not published until 1887 when Dreyer had
already compiled the NGC table, Swift was credited with the discovery. E.E. Barnard measured an accurate
micrometric position, which was published in AN 3101 and repeated in the IC I
Notes section.
Finally, Harold
Corwin suggests that Barnard's
******************************
NGC 6590 = NGC
6595 = IC 4700 = ESO 590-SC15 = Lund 819 = LBN 43 = vdB 119 = Ced 157b
18 17 05 -19 52
00
Size 4'x3'
17.5"
(8/18/01): at 100x, this reflection nebula appears as a bright, round glow
surrounding a similar pair (h2827) of 10th magnitude stars separated by
20". The glow is fairly
large, extending roughly 4' in diameter.
Forms a similar pair of RN with NGC 6589 6' NNW. The entire field is weakly glowing and
this nebulosity is connected to the large region IC 1283/84 to the NE. A dark patch or globule on the NW side
was not seen with certainty.
17.5"
(6/20/87): at 88x with UHC filter appears as a bright, prominent nebulosity
surrounding a pair of mag 10 stars.
Similar or slightly larger than NGC 6589 in field 7' NNW.
13"
(7/16/82): moderately bright, small, surrounds a closely matched double star.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6590 = Sw II-62, along with NGC 6589, on 12 Jul 1885 and recorded
"A nebulous D*; pF; sf of 2.
A D* in center of a pF, pL circular atmosphere, each * of the 8.5 mag
and about 20" distant. A
wonderful object, not diff".
His position is 45 seconds of RA too far west, but his description
clearly applies to this bright reflection nebula.
JH was the
original discoverer on 14 Jul 1830 and it was catalogued as h2002 = GC 4395 =
******************************
NGC 6591 = PGC
61610
18 14 03.5 +21
03 48
Size
0.3'x0.1'; PA = 95d
17.5"
(7/16/88): extremely faint, small, possibly elongated. A mag 15 star is at the south edge and
a wide mag 13.5 pair is 1' NW.
Located 5' SE of NGC 6586 in the NGC 6579/80 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6591 = m 372, along with NGC 6586, on 27 Jul 1864 and noted
"eeF, vS, stell." His
position is 3 seconds west and less than 1' south of
******************************
18 09 50.8 +61
25 19
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6
24"
(7/19/12): fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter, small brighter
core. A mag 12.3 star lies 1.7'
W. First in a group of 8 NGC
galaxies (all discovered by Swift) and one IC.
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, bright core. An extremely faint star is possibly at
the west edge. First in a group of
at least 7 extremely faint galaxies.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6592 = Sw I-86 on 14 Jun 1885 and recorded "vF; vS; R;
nearly bet. 2 stars." His
position is 14 seconds of RA west of
******************************
18 14 03.5 +22
17 02
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 162d
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration, faint stellar
nucleus. A mag 14 star is 30"
N.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6593 = m 373, St VII on 10 Jun 1864 and noted "vF,
vS." His position was 1.8'
south of
******************************
18 10 05.5 +61
08 00
V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 90d
24"
(7/19/12): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 E-W, 24"x18". Second in a group of 8 NGC galaxies
(and one IC), with
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated ~E-W. Located 5.8' SW of mag 7.8 SAO
177948. Second in a group with NGC
6597 8.7' ENE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6594 = Sw I-87, along with NGC 6597, on 14 Jun 1885 and recorded
"vF; vS; R; between a F and a more distant B *. 2nd of 8."
His position is at the north edge of
******************************
NGC 6595 = NGC
6590 = IC 4700 = ESO 590-SC15 = Lund 819 = LBN 43 = Cr 371 = vdB 119 = Ced 157b
18 17 05 -19 52
00
Size 4'x3'
17.5"
(8/18/01): at 100x, this reflection nebula appears as a bright, round glow
surrounding a similar pair (h2827) of 10th magnitude stars separated by
20". The glow is fairly
large, extending roughly 4' in diameter.
Forms a similar pair of RN with NGC 6589 6' NNW. The entire field is weakly glowing and
this nebulosity is connected to the large region IC 1283/84 to the NE. A dark patch or globule on the NW side
was not seen with certainty.
17.5"
(6/20/87): at 88x with UHC filter appears as a bright, prominent nebulosity
surrounding a pair of mag 10 stars.
Similar or slightly larger than NGC 6589 in field 7' NNW.
13"
(7/16/82): moderately bright, small, surrounds a closely matched double star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6595 = h2002 on 14 Jul 1830 and recorded "a double * h2827,
involved in a pB large nebula 50".
See description of that star." He reobserved this object the next two nights as well as
sketched it. The RA was only
measured on one sweep, but his position and description clearly apply the
bright RN surrounding the double star h2827. Lewis Swift independently found this reflection nebula on 12
Jul 1885, though his position for Sw II-62 = NGC 6590 is 45 seconds of RA too
far west. Barnard also mentioned
this object again in AN 4239 and it received the designation IC 4700. Dreyer missed the equivalence with the
previous NGC identifications, but NGC 6590 = NGC 6595 = IC 4700 (see NGC 6590 for more).
Sky Catalogue
2000.0 labels the nebula as NGC 6590/6595 and NGC 6595 is also catalogued as an
open cluster at the same position (from Lynga). The RNGC has an error in declination, placing NGC 6590/6595
9' too far south.
******************************
18 17 33 -16 39
00
Size 5'
17.5"
(8/10/91): about two dozen stars in a 5' diameter. Unusual arrangement as the stars form a perfect ellipse
outline elongated N-S. The
brightest mag 10.5 star is at the north end. A small group is to the southeast of the mag 10.5 star. The ellipse is only broken on the east
side and the center is void of stars.
Two nice faint double stars are on the northwest side. Just barely stands out in a very rich
field with many bright stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6596 = H VIII-55 = h2003 on 27 Jun 1786 (sweep 576) and recorded
"a coarsely scattered cluster of large stars." His position is on the north side of
the cluster. JH made a single
observation and simply noted "a cluster with a triple star in it."
******************************
NGC 6597 = MCG
+10-26-020 = CGCG 301-018 = PGC 61520
18 11 13.4 +61
10 50
V = 14.8; Size 0.9'x0.45'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 99d
24"
(7/19/12): faint, small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W, 18"x12", gradually
increases to a faint stellar nucleus.
Situated 3.3' E of mag 8.2 HD 167347. In a 30' group of 9 NGC/IC galaxies with NGC 6594 8.7' WSW.
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint, very small, elongated ~E-W. Located 3.3' E of mag 7.8
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6597 = Sw I-89, along with NGC 6594, on 14 Jun 1885 and recorded
"vF; vS; R; diff. by proximity to a B *." His position is just 9 seconds of RA too small and the
bright star is mag 8.2 HD 167347.
******************************
18 08 56.0 +69
04 04
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 40d
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 15.5 star is at the east end.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6598 = Sw I-88 on 6 Sep 1883 and recorded "vvF; pS; R; in
vacancy; 3 st in a curve south."
Swift's position is just off the south edge of
******************************
18 15 43.0 +24
54 45
V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, small bright core. Two mag 13 stars are 32" W and
1.1' NW of center and a fainter mag 14 star is 30" WNW. Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6599 = St XII-89 on 27 Jul 1880 and recorded "pF, vS, R,
gbM, tangent to a very small star."
His position matches
******************************
18 15 43.0 +24
54 45
See observing
notes for NGC 6599.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6600 = m 374 on 6 Jun 1864 and noted "F, vS,
stell." The observation is
marked as "verified", but there is nothing at his position. However, 52 seconds of RA further east
is NGC 6602 = UGC 11184 (separation of 12') and 7' due south of his position is
NGC 6599 = UGC 11178. So, either
an error in RA or Dec leads to a galaxy he could have seen. There is nothing (except a pair of very
faint stars) at Bigourdan's "corrected" position of 1 Jul 1886.
The RNGC equates
NGC 6600 with NGC 6602.
However, Harold Corwin suggests NGC 6600 is more likely a duplicate of
NGC 6599, as it is brighter and has a higher surface brightness. Stephan independently found NGC 6599 on
27 Jul 1880, measured an accurate position and reported it in list XII-89. As the identity of NGC 6599 is not in
doubt, that is the primary designation.
******************************
18 11 44.2 +61
27 10
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 42d
24"
(7/19/12): fairly faint, small, elongated 5:3 SW-NE, ~20"x12", very
small brighter nucleus. A group of
stars including two mag 9 and 10 lies 4' N. Fourth of 9, including 8 NGC galaxies discovered by Lewis
Swift.
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, very small, round.
A mag 14 star is 1.1' W.
Fourth in a large group of extremely faint galaxies.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6601 = Sw I-90 on 4 Aug 1883 and logged "eF; R; pS; near
end of a curve of stars. 4th of
8." His position is 13
seconds of RA west of
******************************
NGC 6602 = NGC
6600 = UGC 11184 = MCG +04-43-021 = CGCG 142-035 = PGC 61674
18 16 34.2 +25
02 38
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is attached at the east
end. Located in the field of NGC
6599, which lies 14' SW.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6602 = Big 83 on 1 Jul 1886 and recorded "appears
to be a cluster of 30" dia, consisting of very dim stars, perhaps
interspersed with nebulosity, distinct from GC 5907 [=NGC 6600]. There is nothing at his Comptes Rendus
position but exactly 41 seconds of RA east is
UGC, MCG and
CGCG fail to label this galaxy as NGC 6602. It is labeled NGC 6602 in the RNGC. NGC 6600 may be a duplicate (earlier)
observation of this galaxy (see notes on NGC 6600).
******************************
18 18 27 -18 24
24
Size 5'
13.1"
(8/17/85): excellent resolution into 30-50 faint stars including a string
oriented NW-SE running through the center. The outline forms an arrowhead shape pointing to the
east. Situated in the northeast
corner of M24 in a glorious region of the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud! Located 4' N of mag 8
17.5"
(7/4/86): between 50 and 70 stars are resolved, extremely dense.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6603 = h2004 on 15 Jul 1830 and recorded "a glorious
concentrated part of Milky Way, almost amounting to a globular cluster. Star 14 and 15m. The next night he logged "fine
cluster of stars 15m; R; 6'; the stars are all of a size. The cl seems connected with the Milky
Way. JH gave M24 as a synonym and
this was mistakenly repeated in his GC and NGC, but his description and
position applies to the small, rich cluster within M24 (the Small Sagittarius
Star Cloud). In the NGC, Dreyer
noted "h2004 = M24. h's two
observations hardly consist with this description [!, Cl, vRi, vmC, R, st 15 (M
Way)], and their deviation of nearly +3m from Messier's place makes it very
doubtful whether he really saw this object."
******************************
18 18 03 -12 14
35
V = 6.5; Size 5'
17.5"
(8/10/91): at 140x appears as a prominent 2' arc of five stars including a mag
7.5 star and a double star on the southwest end. Surrounding this arc is a 5' group of roughly two dozen
stars elongated N-S, which includes two faint pairs. My observation of the
surrounding emission complex Sh 2-54 is appended below.
16x80 finder
(8/10/91): very large, very faint emission haze (Sh 2-54 = Gum 84) surrounding
a very large group of stars, improves with UHC filter. The Eagle Nebula was very prominent in
the field to the south. On the
north side of this large HII region is a small brighter knot = Simeis 3-132
that was visible in the 17.5" at 64x using a UHC filter as a moderately
bright, 3'x2.5' glow, slightly elongated N-S. The eastern side of this HII knot has a sharper, linear
border. Also viewed at 220x
unfiltered and a group of a half dozen mag 12-13 stars extended N-S in a string
are superimposed near the eastern boundary. This obscure, but relatively easy nebula is located 30' N of
open cluster NGC 6604 on the north end of Sh 2-54.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6604 = H VIII-15 = h3740 on 15 Jul 1784 (sweep 238) and noted
"a cluster of coarsely scattered stars." His position is roughly 9' too far north-northeast. JH made the single observation (sweep
617) "a poor cl class VIII having coarse stragglers to a great
distance. The chief * 7m
taken."
******************************
18 16 21 -15 00
06
Size 29'
18"
(8/27/05): at 73x, this is a very undistinguished group of 80-100 stars
scattered over 20' and appears to be just a typical Milky Way field. Includes a mag 7.8 star (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6605 = h2005 on 31 Jul 1826 and logged "A loose straggling
cluster of stars 11...12m."
There is nothing at his position but 2 minutes of RA preceding is a
scattered group of bright stars that Corwin identifies as probably NGC 6605. Karl Reinmuth simply reported "no
Cl" and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent (Type 7).
******************************
18 14 41.7 +43
16 07
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W, small very bright
core, stellar nucleus, faint extensions.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6606 = St XIII-88 on 8 Aug 1883 and logged "vF, S, R, gbM,
vf * center." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 12 14.8 +61
19 59
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(7/19/12): faint, small, round, 24", low even surface brightness. In a
trio with brighter
17.5"
(7/21/98): this very difficult object required averted to glimpse a 15"
spot just 2.2' W of brighter NGC 6608.
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint and small, round. Forms a pair with slightly brighter NGC 6608 2.2' E. This galaxy is misidentified as NGC
6608 in the CGCG.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6607 = Sw I-91, along with nearby NGC 6608 and 6609, on 4 Aug
1883, and recorded "eF; pS; R; v
difficult." His
position is 17 seconds of time due west of
******************************
NGC 6608 = MCG
+10-26-024 = FGC 2194 = PGC 61556 = PGC 2615431
18 12 28.9 +61
17 53
V = 15.6; Size 0.8'x0.1'; PA = 42d
24"
(7/19/12): at 375x momentarily glimpsed 3 or 4 times as an extremely thin
ghostly streak, perhaps 20"x5".
Verified, though, as this difficult galaxy popped out just west of the
midpoint of two mag 11 and 11.5 stars oriented NW-SE with a separation of
5.5'. Located 2' SSW of NGC 6609
and 2.7' SE of NGC 6607. The
identification of this faint edge-on with NGC 6608 is very uncertain, though, and
is likely too faint to have been picked up by Swift with his 16"
refractor. This galaxy is misidentified as NGC 6609 in MCG, RNGC and PGC.
17.5"
(7/20/98): not found.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6608 = Sw I-92, along with NGC 6607 and 6609, on 4 Aug 1883 and
recorded "vvS; R; vF; vF * nr."
His position is just 5 seconds of RA preceding NGC 6609 = CGCG 301-021 =
MCG +10-26-024
is an extremely faint, narrow edge-on that I missed in my 18-inch on several
attempts and I doubt Swift could have picked it up in his 16-inch
refractor. Howe missed it with a
20" when he examined the field in 1899-00. Furthermore, there is no "vF * nr" to MCG
+10-26-024 as in the description. Finally, MCG +10-26-024 is extremely thin, so "R" does not
apply. Despite these
inconsistencies, Corwin still favors NGC 6608 = MCG +10-26-024.
As an
alternative, perhaps NGC 6608 is a duplicate of NGC 6609 = CGCG 301-021. His description for NGC 6608 also fits
this galaxy, but that implies Swift was confused and recorded the same galaxy
twice. MCG reverses the
identifications of NGC 6608 and 6609 given here. See Corwin's notes for NGC 6607 for the full story.
******************************
NGC 6609 = NGC
6608? = MCG +10-26-025 = CGCG 301-021 = VII Zw 773 = PGC 61559
18 12 33.6 +61
19 55
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
24" (7/19/12):
fairly faint, very small, round, 18" diameter, weak concentration. Bracketed by a mag 14.5 star 30"
SSW and a mag 15.2 star 35" NE.
A mag 11 star lies 1.5' E.
Brightest in a close trio with NGC 6607 2.2' W and NGC 6608
(identification unlikely) 2.1' SSW.
MCG and PGC misidentify this object as NGC 6608
17.5"
(7/21/98): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, brighter
core. A mag 14.5 star is off the
south edge 30" from center.
17.5"
(6/11/88): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 14 star is 1' S.
Forms a close pair with NGC 6607 2.2' W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6609 = Sw I-93, along with NGC 6607 and 6608, on 4 Aug 1883 and
recorded "vF; lE; pS; F * nr."
His position for NGC 6607 is 17 seconds of RA too far west, so applying
this same offset to his position for NGC 6609, lands at the north edge of CGCG
301-021 = PGC 61559, the brightest of three galaxies in a small group. The "F * nr" applies to a mag
14.5 star off the south side, so this identification is certain.
Herbert Howe
searched for these 3 galaxies in 1899-00 with the 20" at Denver and
reported "a nebula supposed to be 6609 was measured in 2 nights. Its position differs from that given by
Swift only 16 seconds in RA and 0.4' in declination. The "F * nr" is of mag 12, and lies about 25"
south of the nebula, a little preceding.
There is another star of mag 13.5 which is one the opposite side of the
nebula, at about the same distance."
His position matches
MCG and PGC
misidentify CGCG 301-021 as NGC 6608, instead of NGC 6609. CGCG and RNGC have the correct identification. See notes on NGC 6608, which has an
identification problem.
******************************
NGC 6610 = NGC
6574 = UGC 11144 = MCG +02-46-010 = CGCG 084-024 = CGCG 113-026
18 11 51.2 +14
58 54
See observing
notes for NGC 6574. Identification
uncertain.
Édouard Stephan
found NGC 6610 = St VII-21on 13 Jul 1876 and recorded "F, S, E, mbM,
r." There is nothing at
Stephan's position but Esmiol's 1916 re-reduction of Stephan's observations
(http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1916TOMar...4D...9E), replaces NGC
6610 with an "anonymous" nebula, using a different offset star and
separations. The computed position
coincides with NGC 6574 (discovered by Marth on 9 Jul 1863). So, based on Esmiol's corrections, NGC
6610 = NGC 6574, with priority to Marth.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
18 18 48 -13 48
24
V = 6.0; Size 35'x28'
13.1"
(8/17/85): a thin dark "finger" extends towards the cluster,
positioned just south and beyond the two bright mag 9 stars near the
center. This is an extension of
the wider projection seen previously several times and which is better defined
along the south edge.
13.1"
(8/15/82): the "Eagle Nebula" is a fairly bright 30' nebulosity in a
striking outstretched eagle shape with a bright scattered cluster
superimposed. There is a
considerable contrast gain to the nebulosity using a UHC or OIII filter. With a UHC filter, a dark projection
(called the "Star Queen") enters on the SE edge of the nebula and
extends inward to the west. The cluster members surrounding the
"head" of the eagle include ten mag 8-10 stars and a bright pair of
mag 8.5 stars (8.2/8.8 at 27").
A dark triangular wedge is visible off the north side.
13.1"
(5/26/84): dark protrusion fairly easy at 88x.
Philippe Loys de
Chéseaux discovered
Isaac Roberts
discovered the nebulosity in the "Eagle Nebula" on a photographic
plate taken in 1894 and it was catalogued separately as IC 4703. But Wolfgang Steinicke claims that
Étienne Léopold Trouvelot made a visual discovery in 1876 with the 26-inch
refractor at the USNO!
******************************
18 16 10.8 +36
04 43
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, extremely small, slightly elongated. A mag 16 star is involved at the NE
edge, a mag 15 star is 1' NE and a mag 13.5 star is 1.6' SSW. Located 4.5' NNE of a mag 10 star.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6612 around 1886 and communicated the discovery directly to
Dreyer. In the NGC, Dreyer
referenced the yet unpublished list VI, but NGC 6612 was not included in either
list VI or IX, where he published a number of objects found before the NGC. His description reads "eeF; eS; R;
v diff." and his position is 12 seconds of RA west and 3' north of CGCG
200-014 = PGC 61665, the only nearby galaxy. Bigourdan measured an accurate position for this galaxy on 3
Jul 1897. Howe reported "I
was unable to find anything at the NGC position for this "v. diff."
object, but I measured a supposed nebula about 5' away, making at the time of
observation the note "eF, eS"; a little question whether there really
is nebulosity here." Possibly
6612 is identical with [IC] 1279, with an error of 5 minutes in R.A." His position for the measured nebula
matches
******************************
18 19 58.5 -17
06 07
V = 6.9; Size 9'
17.5"
(8/1/92): at 100x, bright, scattered, includes three mag 9 stars and 10 mag 11
stars. The bright stars form a
"V" asterism with the vertex to the NNE. Includes a few wide double stars. At 220x, 40 stars are visible in a 7' diameter, scattered
but distinctive. The bright group
of 15 stars forming the "V" asterism is surrounded by a dark circular
void. The rest of the cluster is
to the south and west of the "V". Only a few faint stars are involved and the cluster appears
fully resolved.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
18 25 07.2 -63
14 53
V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 65d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE,
~40"x30",broad concentration to an ill-defined brighter core. Situated in a rich Pavo star field 14'
S of a mag 6.1 star. There are
several fairly bright stars along with a large number of faint stars in the
field. A mag 11.2 star lies 1.5'
S. To the NW are three collinear
stars; a mag 9.4 star at 3.1', a mag 11.2 star at 4.9' and a mag 12 star at
7.5'. Probably an outlying member of ACO S805 = Pavo II cluster.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6614 = h3741 on 20 Jun 1835 and recorded "eF; S; R; or vlE;
vlbM; it follows a * 9m about 7 or 8 sec of time, and is about 3' S of
it." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 18 33.6 +13
15 53
V = 13.1; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 165d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, round, small bright core, stellar nucleus, in a
rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6615 = m 375 on 9 Jul 1863 and noted "vF, vS." His position is 1.8' too far
south.
******************************
18 17 41.0 +22
14 18
V = 13.8; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 59d
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, small, elongated SW-NE, broad concentration. A mag 13 star is 1.1' W of center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6616 = Sw II-64 on 14 July 1885 and recorded "vF; eS; eE;
forms S equilateral triangle with 2 F st." There is nothing at his position, but 25 seconds of RA west
is
******************************
18 14 02.5 +61
19 10
V = 14.6; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 80d
24"
(7/19/12): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W,
~22"x18", low even surface brightness. Based on my size estimate, I missed the extremely low
surface brightness halo with a ~1' diameter. Located 11' E of NGC 6609 and last in a group of 8 faint NGC
galaxies.
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, round, bright core. Last in a group of 7 faint galaxies. Located 12' E of the NGC 6607/NGC 6608
pair.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6617 = Sw I-94 on 14 Jun 1885 and noted "eeeF; pL; R; ee
diff.; in vacancy. 8th of 8."
in a group. His position is just 8
seconds of RA west of
******************************
18 20 47 -16 10
18
V = 6.0; Size 46'x37'
13.1"
(7/16/82): the "Swan Nebula" is very bright, very large, with
fantastic detail along the bright bar.
Has a turbulent texture with dark areas near the "hook". A nebulous halo surrounds the brighter
star to the south.
8": very
bright, large, very detailed. The
brightest portion consists of a long bright ray that hooks south at the west
end. A fainter section oriented
N-S section follows. The main bar
is mottled. The irregular hooked
portion is clearly mixed with a dark nebula intruding. Fainter nebulosity is visible north and
south of the main bar.
Philippe Loys De
Chéseaux discovered
WH, using his
small 20-ft (12-inch aperture) telescope on 2 Aug 1783, called M17 "a
curious train of light. I cannot
resolve it." On 27 Jun 1786
(sweep 576) he logged "an extensive milky nebulosity of more than 20' in
length, with a hook to the preceding side, bended towards the south; the extent
is from np to sf and looses itself imperceptibly. The hook includes a dark place, almost resembling that in the
nebula of Orion."
On 6 Aug 1823
(sweep 48), JH recorded "A large extended nebula. Its form is that of a
Greek Omega with the left (or following) base-line turned upwards. The curved
(or horse-shoe) part is very F, and has many stars in it. The preceding
base-line hardly visible. The following, which is the principle branch,
occupies nearly half the field (7 1/2').
Its light is not equable, but blotty. Strong twilight."
******************************
18 18 55.7 +23
39 21
V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(7/15/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25"
diameter, increases to a very small, very bright nucleus and stellar
center. A couple of mag 15 stars
are at the edges, including one 25" S of center and one 15" W of
center, and two mag 11-11.5 stars are 1'E and 1.7' S.
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core, faint
halo. Several mag 15 stars are
near including a mag 15 star at the west edge just 15" from the
center. Two mag 12 stars with
faint companions are following.
Pair with NGC 6623 11.4' ENE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6619 = m 376, along with NGC 6623, on 6 Jun 1864 and noted
"F, S, E." His position
is 1' too far south.
******************************
18 22 54.1 -26
49 18
V = 12.7; Size 5"
13.1"
(7/12/86): stellar planetary at 79x located 2.1' NW a mag 10.5 star. Verified with OIII blinking. At 214x and UHC filter appears
moderately bright and a very small disc about 4" diameter is visible. A mag 13 star lies 0.9' E.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6620 = HN 43 on 3 Sep 1880 using a direct-vision spectroscope on
the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. Pickering noted in The Observatory (1881) this is "the
smallest planetary nebula known and could not be distinguished from a 13th
magnitude star in an ordinary telescope." His position is exactly 1 minute of time too far west.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "round; about 5"
in diameter; just distinguishable from a star. No structural details can be made out, although faint ansae
are suspected in p.a. 70-250°..."
******************************
18 12 55.2 +68
21 49
V = 13.1; Size 2.1'x0.8'; PA = 145d
48"
(5/5/16): at 610x and 697x; NGC 6621/6622 is a spectacular interacting system
(
The southeast
end merges with the halo of
On the northwest
end, a broad tidal arm wraps sharply counterclockwise to the southeast (the arm
is easily visible in this part), dims into a narrow tail and extends southeast,
paralleling (about 30" to the east) the major axis of NGC 6621. This
one-sided tail extends ~1.5' in length in the direction of a mag 15 star due
east of NGC 6622 and ends in a slightly brighter knot, ~25" NE of NGC
6622.
48"
(10/22/11): at 488x the main body of NGC 6621, which completely merges with NGC
6622, appears bright, fairly large, elongated nearly 3:1 NNW-SSE,
~1.1'x0.4'. Including NGC 6622 at
the southeast end, the entire glow extends ~1.6'x0.4'. NGC 6621 is fairly sharply concentrated
with a bright 20" core that gradually increases to the center. At 610x, a faint spiral arm is fairly
evident attached at the NNW end and winding around counterclockwise to the
north side of the main glow. On
the HST image this is the beginning of a long tidal tail that wraps around the
north side of both galaxies.
18"
(7/14/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, ~1.0'x 0.4', small
bright core. Brighter of a double
system with NGC 6622 (Arp 81) attached at the southeast end in a common
envelope. The two nuclei of the
galaxies generally appear as two knots near the ends of a single elongated bar
though at moments the pair seems barely resolved.
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, small, irregularly round, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. Forms a double galaxy in
a common envelope with NGC 6622 just 40" SE of center. A mag 15 star is 30" E.
Edward Swift,
the 14 year-old son of Lewis, discovered NGC 6621 = Sw I-95 on 2 Jun 1885. The Swifts' position is 19 sec of RA
too far east. This galaxy is the
brighter of a very close double system, just 40" between centers. Apparently Lewis took another look in
the eyepiece and discovered NGC 6622 = Sw I-96. The note "n of 2" and "s of 2" were
probably added after noticing it was double. Lewis Swift "discovered" this close pair again
just two months later on 11 Aug 1885 and placed them in his second list (II-65
and II-66). He noted "forms a
close double with the preceding.
Very difficult to separate with power of 265. Well seen."
Dreyer combined
the two observations in the NGC, though the position is 14 seconds of RA east
and 2' south of
******************************
NGC 6622 = Arp
81 NED2 = VV 247b = UGC 11175 = MCG +11-22-031 = CGCG 322-036 = VII Zw 778 =
18 12 59.5 +68
21 15
V = 15.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.8
48"
(5/5/16): at 610x and 697x; fairly bright, small, slightly elongated E-W,
25"x20", high surface brightness, very small intense core. A mag 15 star is 0.6' E. NGC 6622 and 6621 form a spectacular
interacting pair (Apr 81 = VV 247) with NGC 6622 fully merged on the southeast
end of this trainwreck. The cores
of the two galaxies are separated by 40". A small knot is clearly visible directly on a line between the
two cores [16" NW of NGC 6622].
The HST image reveals this is a prominent blue star-forming complex at
the edge of the two galaxies. The
amazing tidal tail of NGC 6621 that parallels the galaxy on the east side
extends as far south as NGC 6622.
48"
(10/22/11): at 488x, NGC 6622 appears bright, fairly small, slightly elongated,
30"x25", sharply concentrated with a bright core that increases to
the center. Merged with NGC 6621
on the NW side. A mag 15.5 star
lies 35" due east.
18"
(7/14/07): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Forms the fainter member of an
interacting pair with NGC 6621 (Arp 81) and appears as a knot at the southeast
end of NGC 6621 in a common halo.
At moments this galaxy appeared barely detached.
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, possibly round. Forms an interacting double system with NGC 6621 and
visually both galaxies appear enveloped in a common envelope with NGC 6621 just
35" NW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6622 = Sw I-96 on 2 Jun 1885, although his son Edward was
credited with the discovery of NGC 6621 = Sw I-95. Apparently Lewis took a look in the eyepiece and noticed the
smaller southeast component of this double galaxy. His position is 18 sec of RA too far east. Swift found the close pair again on 11
Aug 1885 and reported the discovery again in his second list (II-65 and
II-66). Dreyer combined both observations
in the NGC. Howe measured an
accurate micrometric position, though called this galaxy NGC 6621 as Swift's
position is slightly south of NGC 6622.
******************************
NGC 6623 = UGC
11203 = MCG +04-43-026 = CGCG 142-040 = PGC 61739
18 19 42.9 +23
42 33
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155d
24"
(7/15/15): fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately large, roundish, ~0.9'
diameter, sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. A mag 14 star is 45" NE of center.
Resides in a rich star field 4.1' NW of mag 8.8
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright core, diffuse
halo. Located 4.1' NW of mag 8.6
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6623 = m 377, along with NGC 6619, on 6 Jun 1864 and noted
"pF, S, R, bM." His RA
is 6 seconds too large.
******************************
18 23 40.6 -30
21 39
V = 8.1; Size 5.9'; Surf Br = 0.9
17.5"
(5/10/91): bright, fairly small, round, 3' diameter. Very symmetric appearance as increases to a sharp, small
bright core and brighter stellar nucleus.
There are hints of resolution in the halo particularly on the north
edge. Approximately six mag 14-15
stars are glimpsed. A close mag
12/14 double star at 10" separation is 1.7' WSW of center. Located 45' SE of Delta Sagittarii in a
rich star field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6624 = H I-50 = h3742 on 24 Jun 1784 (sweep 232) and recorded
"cL, R, vBM. The brightness
appears to be at least 3/4 of the whole visible diameter, but I suppose if the
altitude was more considerable a different proportion would be seen. The nebulosity appears to be of the
milky kind, but from similar phenomena in low situations, I have no doubt that
it is resolvable." JH made
three observations from the Cape of Good Hope, first logging on 3 Aug 1834,
"Globular Cluster; B; S; R; psmbM; diam 6 seconds in RA; barely resolved
so as to be sure it consists of stars." On a later sweep, the cluster was "clearly resolved
into stars 16m; a fine object."
******************************
18 23 01 -12 01
24
Size 39'
17.5"
(8/3/97): at 100x, appears to be a Milky Way field in a large triangular region
roughly bordered by mag 5.7
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6625 = h2009 on 31 Jul 1826 and logged "A loose straggling
cluster of stars 11...12m.".
His position is very close to mag 5.7 HD 169033, although if his
position is accurate I'm surprised he didn't mention the nearby bright star.
Harold Corwin
identifies NGC 6625 with a group of stars (possibly a cluster) to the west of
the bright star or perhaps a larger Milky Way field. Brian Skiff could not make a visual identification on two
attempts and nothing stood out in my observation. Karl Reinmuth also reported no clustering was found on a
Heidelberg Observatory plate. See
Corwin's notes for more.
******************************
18 24 32.8 -24
52 11
V = 6.9; Size 11.2'; Surf Br = 1.2
17.5"
(7/10/99): striking globular at 220x, with the halo appearing ~4.5' in diameter
and a very bright core ~2'x1.5' elongated SSW-NNE. Extensive resolution at 280x and 380x with roughly 50 stars
resolved in the halo. At 380x the
edges of the core really start breaking up into numerous stars and a rich
sprinkling of stars is superimposed on the well-defined core. On the north side of the halo a long
star chain heads directly north and a fainter but richer chain starts to trail
off the east side of the core but abruptly turns in a chain heading NNW.
13.1"
(6/29/84): a prominent star chain extends to the north.
13.1"
(7/16/82): very bright, fairly large, sharp concentration with a lively
unresolved core. A few stars are
resolved at the edges of the core over haze and many stragglers resolved
including long spidery chains. A
total of a few dozen stars resolved. Excellent view at 290x and a star chain to the north is
prominent.
8": bright,
sharp concentration, lively halo just resolves into many faint stars at 200x!
Charles Messier
discovered
JH recorded
(sweep 474 from the CGH) "globular; vB; R; vm comp; gbM, but not to a
nipple; diam in RA = 12 seconds; resolved into st 14...16m; a fine object. Occurs in the milky way, of which the stars
here are barely visible and immensely numerous."
******************************
18 22 39.0 +15
41 52
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 70d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W. Contains a very small brighter core within a diffuse outer
halo. Located in a rich star
field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6627 = m 378 on 13 Jul 1863 and noted "vF, pL." His position is 1' south of
******************************
18 22 21.8 +23
28 41
V = 12.9; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 90d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core, faint
stellar nucleus. Located 3.0' WNW
of mag 8.7
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint, very small, round, small bright core, faint stellar
nucleus.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6628 = m 379 on 6 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, lE,
bM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 25 42.3 -23
12 10
V = 11.4; Size 16"x14"
17.5"
(8/10/91): at 140x, very bright, small, 15" diameter, round, high surface
brightness, crisp-edged. The mag
13 central star is visible with direct vision. Mag 9.4
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6629 = H II-204 = h3744 on 7 Aug 1784 (sweep 245) and reported
"I suspected a pB, S, stellar nebula np a pB star, but there was too much
daylight to verify it." JH
recorded (sweep 793 from the CGH) "pB; vS; 4" at the utmost in
diameter; a good deal furry at the edges, and ? if not a little brighter in the
M. It is not a "Stellar
Nebula", but rather a link between a planetary and a globular; it probably
a v distant and highly compressed globular; has a * 9m 3' dist, sf; night
superb and vision perfect. This is
one the smallest if not the very smallest nebulous objects I remember to have
seen. It is a very remarkable
object."
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick observatory, Curtis (1918) reported "..the
central star is about mag 13. The nebular disk is 16"x14" in p.a.
150°, and is nearly equal density throughout, without ansae or other structural
details."
******************************
18 32 34.5 -63
17 32
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round,
30"x25" diameter, weak concentration. Located 17' SE of mag 7.9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6630 = h3745 on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded "pF; S; R; gbM;
15"." His position is a
perfect match with
David Frew
mentions in a Sky & Space article (Oct 1995) that Harlow Shapley
misclassified NGC 6630 and IC 4723 as a pair of planetaries in his 1936 article
"Five Planetary Nebulae and a Globular Cluster" (Harvard Bulletin No.
902). The same list includes
Shapley 1, Shapley 3 and
******************************
18 27 11.4 -12
01 52
Size 5'
17.5"
(7/1/89): at 220x about 40 stars are resolved in a 5' region over unresolved
background haze. A mag 11 star is
at the NW edge but most stars are mag 13/14. Includes an equal mag 11.5/12 double star off the SE edge.
8"
(7/16/82): a dozen star are resolved over unresolved haze. A double star mag 11/11.5 at 10"
is at the south edge.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6631 = h3746 on 12 Jul 1836 and recorded "cl VII class; p
rich; 5' diam; with appendages, st 12...15m. Much richer than any part of the milky way seen
tonight."
******************************
18 25 03.2 +27
32 07
V = 12.1; Size 3.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, large brighter
core. A pair of mag 12 and 13
stars lie 1.3' W and 1.0' NW of center, respectively. A group of brighter stars are about 7' S including mag 6.3
HR 6904 8.5' S.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6632 = m 380 on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "F, S, R,
gbM." His position is fairly
accurate. E.E. Barnard found it
while sweeping on 30 Jan 1889 with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory
and noted "Faintish, R, vgbM, 2 small stars involved preceding, 1'
diameter." He later added in
his logbook the correct identification.
******************************
18 27 15 +06 30
30
V = 4.6; Size 27'
15x50mm IS
binoculars (6/19/09): this easy naked-eye cluster is more obvious than nearby,
larger
13.1"
(9/9/83): very bright, very large but loose and scattered. At 62x, 150 stars are visible in a 60'
field with several bright stars on the SW side and many bright stars are
outside this field including mag 5.5
Philippe Loys de
Chéseaux discovered NGC 6633 in 1745-46.
Caroline Herschel rediscovered the cluster on 13 Jul 1783. On 30 Jul 1788 (sweep 850), WH called
it "a coarsely sc. cl. of L stars."
******************************
18 29 57 -33 30
48
18"
(6/30/11): this is an unusual asterism of 4 brighter stars mag 8.4-9.2 forming
a near isosceles trapezoid with a longer base of 4.4' and shorter base
1.5'. Three of the stars were
easily resolved in my 80mm finder at 12.5x and all four at 25x. The asterism is striking at 115x in the
18-inch due to the shape and brightness of the stars. The identification of NGC 6634 is uncertain and is
traditionally applied to
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6634 = Lac I-11 in 1751-52 with a 1/2" telescope
at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. Messier thought this entry was
duplicate of M69, though JH assigned it a separate GC designation (5076) and Dreyer
followed in the NGC. If NGC 6634 =
M69, then Lacaille made a one degree error in declination.
But Glen Cozens
argues that M69 is fainter than other objects discovered by Lacaille with his
1/2-inch telescope and the position is further out than others he
discovered. But near Lacaille's
position is a small group of 4 stars that he may have mistook for nebulous with
his small telescope. See Harold Corwin's notes for more on this identification
and Jeff Corder's observations.
RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
18 27 37.1 +14
49 09
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core, stellar
nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.0'
S. Located 7.7' NNW of mag 8.6 SAO
103741 in a rich star field.
Planetary nebula
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6635 = m 381 on 9 Jul 1863 and noted "vF, S, R." His RA is accurate but his dec is 2'
too far south.
******************************
18 22 02.7 +66
36 58
V = 13.4; Size 2.3'x0.35'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 3d
48"
(5/5/16): fairly bright, fairly large, warped edge-on 6:1 ~N-S, 1.8'x0.3',
bright elongated core. The
southern half of the galaxy (including the core region) is slightly bowed out
towards the west. The northern
extension, though, is subtly convex to the east. So the opposite ends seem slightly misaligned and form a
weak integral sign. Adding to the
asymmetry, the outer half of northern extension has a much lower surface
brightness than the southern arm.
24"
(7/21/12): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 ~N-S,
1.1'x0.3', small slightly brighter core.
Forms a contact pair with MCG +11-22-047 = PGC 61780, which is attached
on the east side of the northern half.
The companion was easily visible as a very small "knot",
perhaps 10" diameter with a fairly bright stellar nucleus that sometimes
dominated the small halo. The core
of NGC 6636 (much lower surface brightness than
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated SSW-NNE, even surface
brightness. The compact companion
attached at the northeast side was not seen.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6636 = Sw IV-68 on 23 Jul 1884 and recorded "eeeF; pS; R;
forms triangle with 3 st."
His position is at the west edge of
******************************
18 31 23.2 -32
20 53
V = 7.7; Size 7.1'; Surf Br = 0.6
17.5"
(7/29/92): M69 is bright, moderately large, 3' diameter, round, fairly
symmetric appearance with a large core surrounded by a small halo. A bright mag 12.5 star is embedded in
the core or contains a bright stellar nucleus. Several easy mag 13.3-14.0 stars are resolved around the
edges of the halo and 15-20 very faint mag 14-15 stars are visible in the halo
with averted vision. Additionally,
a few stars are also detected over the core. This is a pretty globular with
averted vision. Located 4.5' SE of
mag 7.9
8": fairly
bright, bright core, lively halo, few stars at edges, difficult to achieve
resolution.
15x50mm IS
binoculars (8/3/11): small, fairly faint glow. The mag 7.9 star 4.5' NW was cleanly resolved from the
globular.
Charles Messier
discovered M69 = NGC 6637 = D 613 = h3747 on 31 Aug 1780 and described "a
nebula without star in Sagittarius... Near to it is a 9 mag star; the light is
very faint; can be seen only in a good sky, and the least illumination of the
micrometer wires extinguishes it... This nebula has been observed by M. de
Lacaille and reported in his catalogue. It resembles the nucleus of a little
comet. Diam. 2'." Glen Cozens
notes that Messier was incorrect in assuming Lac I-11 referred to M69. Lacaille's observation more likely
refers to an asterism. See NGC
6634 or more.
WH observed it
in 1784 and noted "Very bright, pretty large, easily resolvable, or rather
an already resolved cluster of minute stars. It is a miniature of the 53d of
the Connoissance [M53]."
James Dunlop observed it 4 times and described "a pretty bright
round well-defined nebula, about 1 1/4' diameter, gradually condensed to the
centre; there is a small star about 1' south of the nebula." JH made 3 observations from the Cape of
Good Hope. On 1 Aug 1834, he
logged "globular, B, R, vgbM, resolved into stars 14..15m, diam 10 seconds
in RA." Two nights later he
noted "globular, pB, R, 3' diam, stars 14..15m." Christian Peters reported finding it
around 1850 in Naples (AJ 2, 1856) and claimed it do not appear in any of his
books.
******************************
18 30 56.2 -25
29 47
V = 9.2; Size 5.0'; Surf Br = 1.3
18"
(7/22/06): at 435x this globular appeared fairly bright, ~3' in diameter with
an intense 1' core. The core
appears very mottled and just begins to break up into a swarm of faint stars,
particularly around the edges.
Several very faint stars pepper the halo and pop in and out of
visibility. The halo has an
irregular scraggly appearance. I
was able to pick up this globular with 15x50 IS binoculars as a very small,
faint glow along with a mag 9.4 star close south.
17.5"
(5/10/91): fairly bright, fairly small, round, 2.5' diameter, gradually
increases to a bright core. The
halo has a fairly even surface brightness. A few extremely faint mag 15-16 stars are resolved at the
mottled edges. Located 3.6' N of
mag 9.4
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6638 = H I-51 = h3748 on 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236) and recorded
"a pretty cons. easily resolvable R nebula, vBM and faint red
perceivable. A second miniature of
that near the 42nd Comae [M53]."
JH made the single observation "B; S; R; psbM; diam in RA = 4.5s;
barely resolved; a very delicate object; doubtless a globular
cluster." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 30 59 -13 09
18
17.5"
(7/24/95): unimpressive group of two dozen stars at 220x in a 5' region. The brightest mag 11 star is at the
west side, with most stars mag 12.5-13.5.
There are two small elongated subgroups of stars close NE and SE of the
mag 11 star. Located in a rich
field 5' NE of mag 8.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6639 = h2011 on 31 Jul 1826 and noted "A closely clustering
portion of the milky way, which is one continued cluster here." His position is a close match with this
group of stars. Although listed as
a cluster in the RNGC, the RA is 48 seconds too small.
******************************
18 28 08.2 +34
18 10
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 153d
17.5"
(7/7/94): faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.9'x0.6', weak
concentration. A mag 14.5 star is
close east of the core, a mag 13.5 star is 1.5' N and a mag 11 star is 4.0'
SSE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6640 = St XIII-89 on 21 Aug 1884. His position is accurate.
******************************
18 28 57.4 +22
54 10
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 102d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, oval 4:3 E-W, 0.8'x0.6', even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 1.0' NW.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6641 = Sf 47 = St V-2 on 9 Aug 1866 and noted "pB, pS,
vmbM." Édouard Stephan
independently found the galaxy on 20 Aug 1873 and recorded "vF, vS, R,
bM." Both positions are
accurate. Stephan was credited in
the GC Supplement and the NGC as Safford's discovery was published too late.
******************************
18 31 54.2 -23
28 34
V = 9.4; Size 4.5'; Surf Br = 1.2
24"
(8/23/14): at 375x, this fairly bright gc contains a very bright core and an
irregular 2' halo. Stars stream
out to the east and west creating an impression of elongation. The core is very lively and a few
brighter stars are clearly resolved, though packed together very tightly. Roughly 20 stars are resolved in the
halo. At 500x, 30-35 stars are
resolved (many popping in/out of view) including 8-10 in a clump at the center
and close to the core. A single
brighter star is just south of the core and a nice pair (~3" separation)
is in the halo on the NNE side. A
string of stars extends out of the cluster to the north. Easily visible in the 80mm finder at
25x and the finder field contains
18"
(7/14/07): at 393x appears as a fairly small but fairly bright globular with a
very bright 30" core and 2' halo.
The small core is very mottled and partially resolved into 2 or 3
clumps. Roughly 15-20 mag 14.5-16
stars are just visible in the halo including a very close pair on the NNE
edge. Located just 1.1 degrees NW
of M22.
17.5"
(5/10/91): fairly bright, fairly small, round, 2' diameter, bright core seems
slightly offset. Half a dozen mag
14-15 stars are resolved in the mottled halo. A mag 11 field star 2.2' NW and a mag 13.5 star 1.5' NW of
center are collinear with the core.
Located in a field rich in faint stars.
8"
(6/19/82): fairly bright, small, bright core, fainter halo, no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6642 = H II-205 = h2012 = h3749 on 7 Aug 1784 (sweep 245) and
recorded "pB, cL, irregularly E, bM." His position is at the east edge of the globular. From the Cape of Good Hope, JH reported
(sweep 793) "globular cluster; pB; R; gpmbM; 2'; resolved into visible,
but vS stars 15...16m." His
position is good. From Slough
(sweep 275), he logged "a beautiful little globular cluster of excessively
minute stars, 60" diam; seen in twilight. It must be pB when seen in dark sky."
******************************
18 19 46.6 +74
34 08
V = 11.1; Size 3.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 38d
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly bright, large, oval 2:1 SW-NE, broadly concentrated halo. Forms the east vertex of a triangle
with two mag 11.5 stars 1.6' NW and 2.0' W. Also a mag 15 star is off the west edge 1.4' from center.
8"
(6/19/82): faint, diffuse, moderately large, elongated SW-NE. Two mag 12 stars are at the west edge.
Eduard Schönfeld
discovered NGC 6643 = Au 40 = HN 21 in 1858 while measuring stars for the
Bonner Durchmusterung (BD +74 766).
This relatively bright galaxy was missed by both Herschels. Horace Tuttle rediscovered the galaxy
on 1 Sep 1859 using a 4-inch comet-seeker at Harvard College Observatory and
called it "an elongated faint nebula" (reported in AN 1337).
Using the 6-inch Heliometer at Königsberg, Auwers described the nebula as
"fairly bright, gradually brighter in the middle, elongated in PA 50°, 2.5
'l, 1.5' br. Two small star are immediately preceding; the major axis of the
nebula is inclined only slightly with respect to their connecting line."
Around the time
of discovery there was discussion this was possibly a "variable
nebula" (a popular topic in the mid to late 19th century), based on very
disparate descriptions by Tuttle and d'Arrest (4 observations in "Siderum
Nebulosorum"). Wolfgang Steinicke provides the observational history
in his book on the NGC discoveries.
******************************
18 32 34.6 -25
07 44
V = 10.8; Size 2.5"
17.5"
(8/1/86): bright bluish "star" at 105x that brightens dramatically
with OIII blinking. A mag 12 star
(good for blinking comparison) is 1.0' N.
At 286x, a small disc is visible about 3" or 4" diameter. Estimate V=11.0.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6644 on 13 Jul 1880 (Sidereal Messenger, Oct 1882) with the
15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. This was first of 17 planetaries he found using a
direct-vision spectroscope (15 new discoveries in the NGC). Pickering noted in The Observatory
(1881) that "its disk is so small that it can scarcely be detected with an
ordinary eyepiece even if brought into the field of view."
Based on
Crossley photographs taken at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "this objec is
indistinguishable from a star on the Crossley negatives, but visual observations
made by Mr. Moore and Aitken with the 36-inch refractor show that it is a
minute disk 2" to 3" in diameter."
******************************
18 32 37 -16 53
00
Size 10'
17.5"
(8/1/92): at 82x, this is a striking, rich cluster of 20' diameter! Quite rich in faint stars but a
noticeable "hole" in center is devoid of stars. A rich knot of stars is on the south
side of void and a close triple star is on the north side. A string of stars extends out of the
cluster to the east. Three mag 7-8
stars are in the field to the NE.
At 220x on the south side of the void are 8 stars in a "V"
asterism. Roughly 75 stars are
resolved within the central 10' diameter.
A rich clump of 8 stars is just resolved at the south edge of the
circular hole.
8": about
50 stars resolved, moderately large, unresolved haze, including close triple
star, rich in faint stars, several dense patches.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6645 = H VI-23 = h2013 on 27 Jun 1786 (sweep 576) and recorded
"a beautiful cluster of vS stars; very rich, the stars are of various
sizes and some of them form an almost circular row in the middle. About 15' diameter." JH made the single observation "a
rich, p comp cluster; irreg figure having a vacancy in the middle; stars =
11...15m."
******************************
18 29 38.8 +39
51 54
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 50d
24"
(7/19/17): at 375x; fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated SW-NE,
~1.2'x1.0', strong concentration with a bright core that increases to a small
brighter nucleus. Mag 8.8 SAO
67027 lies 4' NNW and mag 9.5
13.1"
(7/20/85): fairly faint, fairly small, small brighter core, diffuse halo. Forms an obtuse angle with mag 8.5 SAO
67027 3.9' NNW and mag 9.5 SAO 67032 3.3' ESE. Forms a trio with IC 1288 9' SSW and IC 1289 7.5' NE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6646 = H II-907 on 26 Jun 1802 (sweep 1109) and recorded
"F, S, iF." This is one
of the last few "nebulae" that WH discovered and the only one that
evening. He probably observed that
evening solely to reach the 500 threshold for a new catalogue, although after
the manuscript was submitted to the Royal Society, Caroline discovered the list
only included 497 new entries. So,
there were a couple of additional sweeps made in late September to bring the
total past 500.
******************************
18 32 49 -17 13
42
24"
(7/7/13): patchy Milky Way star cloud at 125x (50' field). Unimpressive and does not stand out
from the surrounding region except the position is centered on a scattered
group of a half-dozen mag 10-11 stars, spread out over 7' in a SE to NW
orientation. Located ~23' SSE of
the rich open cluster NGC 6645.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6647 = H VIII-14 = h2014 on 18 Jun 1784 (sweep 230) and recorded
"A cluster of scattered stars filling the field; not rich and stars less
than those in the foregoing [
Harold Corwin
identifies this number with a Milky Way field (unknown size) centered about 3'
north-northeast of WH's position.
RNGC classifies the number as a nonexistent cluster. See his identification notes for more.
******************************
18 25 37.8 +64
58 34
Size 11"
18"
(6/30/11): at this position is a 10" double star (∑7) oriented ~E-W with
the brighter component on the east side and a difference of ~2 magnitudes. Easily resolved at 175x. Located 9' NNE of mag 6.9
Wilhelm Struve
discovered NGC 6648 = ∑ 7 = Au 41 in 1825 or 1826 with the 9.6" Fraunhofer
refractor at the Dorpat Observatory.
It was included in his list of 9 "Nebulae dectae" in an
appendix to his main catalogue of double stars. He also listed it in his main catalogue of double stars as
∑2332. Struve's sketch (shown in
Wolfgang Steinicke's book on the NGC) shows a double star encased in an oval
nebula. Using the 6-inch
Königsberg Heliometer in Feb 1861, Auwers found a double star, which he
measured at 10" separation in PA 260°, but no nebulosity. Note: the WDS position for ∑2232 is on
a brighter star 4.5' southwest -- perhaps this is due to Struve's poor
position.
******************************
18 33 27 -10 24
12
V = 8.9; Size 6'
17.5"
(7/1/89): 40-50 stars in a 5' diameter, fairly rich, over unresolved haze. The brightest star is the close double
ADS 11441 with components 9.7/11.4 at 4" located at the south edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6649 = h3751 on 10 Jul 1787 and recorded "a cluster of very
small and pretty compressed stars of various sizes; but it seems to be of the
same nature with the Milky Way, which is at a little distance towards the
south." Because of his
uncertainty, he didn't assign it an internal discovery number or list it in his
catalogues, but the position is a good match.
JH found this
cluster on 27 May 1835 and recorded "cl VIII class; a small well insulated
group of a roundish figure, 5' diam; st 12...13 m; one * 9m, at the southern
edge." His position is
accurate. JH is credited with the
discovery in the GC and NGC.
******************************
18 25 27.9 +68
00 21
V = 13.9; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.8
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, very small, round, only a very small weak concentration at
the center. A mag 14 star is 1.0'
NNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6650 = Sw II-67 on 11 Sep 1883 and noted "vF; vS; R; 2
stars range with it." His
position is just 7 seconds west of
******************************
18 24 19.7 +71
36 06
V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30d
17.5"
(6/11/88): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, bright core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6651 = Sw IV-69 on 18 Jun 1884 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; e
diff.; between a F[aint] nr *, and a distant B[right] one." His position is 24 seconds of RA west
of
UGC and CGCG and
misidentify
******************************
18 35 45.7 -32
59 25
V = 8.9; Size 3.5'; Surf Br = 0.3
17.5"
(5/10/91): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 2.0'x1.5',
sharp small bright core with a substellar nucleus embedded. The mottled halo is not resolved except
for a mag 13 star 1' WSW of the core near the edge of the halo and a mag 14
star at the east edge. Located 7'
SE of mag 6.9
8"
(7/31/81): moderately bright, small, compact bright core. A mag 13 star is at the SW edge but
there is no other resolution.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6652 = D 607 = h3747 with his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector on
28 Jun 1826. He described "a
rather bright well-defined round nebula, about 12 or 14 arcseconds diameter,
following a star of the 6th mag."
He claims 2 observations and the published position is 33' too far
east. The cluster is located 7' SE
of a mag 6.8 star, so his identification seems secure, despite the rather small
estimated size and poor position.
JH observed this
globular on 4 sweeps. On 31 Jul
1834 he logged "B; pmE in parallel; gmbM, 60" long, 35" broad,
all clearly resolved." A few
nights later he wrote "pB; S;
lE; 90" long, 75" broad, stars 15m." On a third sweep he described "vB; S; 40";
resolved. Among close stars, which give it an elongated appearance, but do not
seem to belong to it."
******************************
18 44 38.6 -73
15 48
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 51d
24"
(4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this Pavo galaxy appeared
moderately bright, slightly elongated SW-NE, 1.1'x0.9', weak even concentration
to the center. A faint star is at
the NE edge 32" from the center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6653 = h3750 on 28 Jun 1835 and recorded "vF; lE; glbM;
20"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 24 07.9 +73
10 59
V = 12.0; Size 2.6'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 0d
17.5"
(7/9/88): moderately bright, moderately large, round. Sharply concentrated with a very bright, just non-stellar
nucleus embedded in a large low surface brightness halo. A mismatched mag 11/14.5 double star
lies 2.4' W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6654 = Sw I-97 on 11 Sep 1883 and initially thought it might be
a comet. While searching for this
possible "Comet Swift", Johann Palisa, on 20 Sep 1883, and Ernst
Lamp, on 23 Sep 1883, both found this galaxy (
******************************
18 34 30.8 -05
55 15
V =
13.3/13.3; Size 11"
18"
(7/1/11): The identification of NGC 6655 is uncertain but may apply to an
11" pair of mag 13.3 stars that was easily resolved at 175x. A third star of similar magnitude lies
35" NNW. Located in a rich
Milky Way field near the edge of the Great Rift and 17' E of mag 6.4 HD
171149. Although there is no
non-stellar object near Winnecke's position, his description: pF, S, E,
10"x3", would apply to this pair and the double might appear nebulous
in poor seeing.
August Winnecke
discovered NGC 6655 = Au 42 in June of 1855 with the 9.6-inch Fraunhofer
refractor at the Berlin Observatory and recorded "pF, S, E, 10" x
3". There is nothing near his
position and Arthur Auwers couldn't find this object on two attempts in 1859
and 1860 at Königsberg, but included it in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae. In 1865, Heinrich d'Arrest found a
"small, inconspicuous, easily resolvable star cluster."
Harold Corwin
suggests this may be a 11" pair of mag 14 stars, situated 19 seconds of
time west, and 3.3' north of Winnecke's position. See his identification notes. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
18 36 24.1 -23
54 12
V = 5.2; Size 24.0'; Surf Br = 1.1
24"
(7/21/12): M22 displayed a few distinct orange/red supergiants. Two colored stars are on the southwest
and southeast side of the core. A
third fainter star forming an isosceles triangle to the north (closer into the
core) is also orange/red.
17.5" (8/4/94):
at 220x appears 10' diameter although outliers may significantly increase the
total diameter. The very bright
core is irregularly round and 3.5'-4' diameter but not concentrated to the
center. M22 is extensively
resolved to the center and there is no distinct nucleus. At the NE edge of the core is rich
small clump with 8-10 stars that collectively stands out well and an easy
bright pair is at the SE edge of the core. The very irregular halo appears more extensive on the NE
side and appears elongated SW-NE.
Dark lanes appear to intrude into the cluster and involve the
surrounding region though this may be an optical effect.
8": very
bright, very large, extremely rich.
A few hundred mag 11-13 stars are resolved and the globular appears
highly resolved down to the core.
A bright clump is visible in the NE section of the core. Varying magnitudes to the cluster
members. M22 is the second best
globular for viewing from Northern California (next to M13, although has
brighter members).
Naked-eye (8/19/09
and 8/3/11): fairly easy naked-eye fuzzy (non-stellar) glow. Bracketed by two mag 5.5-6 stars about
35' NE and a similar distance west.
Naked eye: This
is the third brightest globular in integrated magnitude (V = 5.2) and generally a difficult naked-eye
object in a dark sky from northern California. It was a fairly easy naked-eye from Australia, though not as
obvious as I expected.
Abraham Ihle
discovered M22 = NGC 6656 = Lac I-12 = h2015 = h3753 on 26 Aug 1665 while
observing Saturn. It was reported
that Hevelius had seen it earlier, but he didn't include M22 in his list. Edmund Halley observed and included
this globular in his 1715 list of six nebulae. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille observed M22 on 6 Apr 1752 with a
1/2" telescope at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. WH noted it was "All resolved into
stars" on 4 Jul 1783 using his 12-inch reflector (small 20-foot). On 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236), he called
it "a most beautiful extensive cluster of stars of various magnitudes, very
compressed in the middle. R and about 8' dia besides the scattered ones which
do more than fill the extent of the field, L, r."
From the Cape of
Good Hope, JH recorded (sweep 793), "globular cluster; vB; vL; vm comp;
vgvmbM; 7' diam. The stars are of
two magnitudes, viz., 15..16m and 12m; and what is remarkable, the largest of
these latter are visibly reddish; one in particular, the largest of all (=
11-12m) sf the middle, is decidedly a ruddy *, and so I think are all the other
large ones."
******************************
18 33 01.4 +34
03 38
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 138d
13.1"
(7/20/85): fairly faint, diffuse, slightly elongated NW-SE, fairly small, broad
concentration with no distinct core.
Located in a rich star field.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6657 = St VII-22 on 16 Jul 1876. His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
18 33 55.8 +22
53 19
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 5d
17.5"
(7/1/89): faint, small, edge-on N-S, small very bright core with very faint
extensions. A mag 13 star is just
off the east side of the north edge 40" from center. Pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6658 = m 382, along with NGC 6661, on 6 Jun 1864 and noted
"F, vS, lE."
******************************
18 33 59 +23 35
42
17.5"
(8/3/97): at 100x a very unimpressive scattered group of ~15 stars elongated
SW-NE is visible just south of a mag 9 star. This weak collection includes 5 brighter mag 10-11 stars and
a mag 9.5 star on the south end. I
would have passed over this grouping without using a GSC plot centered on the
mag 9.5 star at JH's position. At
220x, ~20 stars were counted in a 7'x3' region over some background Milky Way
haze. A small extension of this
faint glow was seen to the south of the group with a few mag 15 stars
resolved. Looks entirely like a
weak asterism and it is very surprising that it was logged as a cluster. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6659 = h2016 on 12 Jul 1830 and simply noted "A very poor
cluster 8th class." His
position corresponds with a mag 9.5 star, the brightest in a 6'x4' (or larger)
asterism, mostly north of this star.
Karl Reinmuth described "a very loose clustering of a few st
10...15."
******************************
18 34 36.7 +22
54 35
See observing
notes for NGC 6661.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6660 = Swift II-68 on 14 Jul 1885 and recorded "pB; pS; R; mbM;
between 2 stars. Larger and
brighter than [GC] 5918 [= NGC 6658]." There is nothing at his position, but exactly 10' north is
NGC 6661 (discovered by Albert Marth on 6 Jun 1864) and his description applies
(the two stars are north and south).
NGC 6660 is noted as identical to NGC 6661 in the IC 1 Notes (Pechüle,
AN #3259). Herbert Howe measured
an accurate position.
******************************
NGC 6661 = NGC
6660 = UGC 11282 = MCG +04-44-003 = CGCG 143-003 = PGC 62072
18 34 36.7 +22
54 35
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 145d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated
NW-SE. Located just south of a
shallow arc consisting of five mag 12-13 stars and just north of a line of four
mag 11 stars oriented SW-NE. Forms
a pair with NGC 6658 9.7' WSW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6661 = m 383 = St II-20 on 6 Jun 1864 and noted "F, vS,
R." His RA is accurate and
his dec is 1' south. Édouard
Stephan rediscovered the galaxy on 16 Jul 1871 and measured a very accurate
micrometric position. Stephan must
not have had a copy of Marth's discovery list as he independently found quite a
few of Marth's objects. NGC 6660,
found by Lewis Swift on 14 Jul 1885, is a duplicate observation. See that number.
******************************
18 34 11.3 +32
03 51
V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20d
13.1"
(9/3/86): faint, small, very elongated SSW-NNE, brighter core. A mag 11 star [4" pair] is 2.2'
NE. Not identified as NGC 6662 in
the UGC or CGCG.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6662 = St XIII-90 on 7 Aug 1883. His micrometric position is accurate. Neither UGC nor CGCG label this galaxy
as NGC 6662, despite the good position.
MCG, RNGC and RC3 have the correct designation. Malcolm Thomson noted this omission in
his unpublished "Catalogue Corrections".
******************************
18 33 33.8 +40
02 56
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140d
17.5"
(8/1/89): very faint, fairly small, almost round, extremely weak central
brightening, diffuse.
Edward Swift
discovered NGC 6663 = Sw IX-88 on 29 May 1887. The position is 3.4' due north of
******************************
18 36 30 -08 11
V = 7.8; Size 16'
17.5"
(7/1/89): at 220x, about 100 stars in a 15' scattered field including several
mag 11 stars. Many stars are
arranged in strings although no dense parts. Located 29' E of Alpha Scuti (V = 3.9).
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6664 = H VIII-12 = h3754 on 16 Jun 1784 (sweep 228) and recorded
"a cluster of very coarsely scattered stars; or, the milky way uncommonly
crowded. The cl. did more than
fill my field of view." His
position is on the east side of the cluster. JH made the single observation "a cl of L stars. It is the commencement of the bright
milky way, which here comes on suddenly in the main body."
******************************
18 34 30.0 +30
43 14
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d
13.1"
(9/3/86): faint, fairly small, very diffuse, very weakly concentrated
core. Located 24' ENE of mag 5.5
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6665 = St II-21 on 19 Jul 1871. His micrometric position is very accurate. The CGCG fails to label this galaxy NGC
6665, although the identification is certain.
******************************
NGC 6666
18 34 44 +33 35
=Not found, RNGC
and Corwin.
Edward Swift
discovered NGC 6666 = Sw IX-9 on 25 May 1887 and noted "eF; S;
R." This discovery was
directly communicated to Dreyer but it was later included in list IX-89,
published in 1890 after the NGC.
There is nothing near the Swifts' position or Bigourdan's
"corrected" position from 3 Jul 1897. Howe reported "an
unsuccessful search for this was prosecuted on two nights. As it is called "v diff", the
region may well be examined with a larger telescope." No modern catalogue has an entry for
NGC 6666. So for now it is
lost. See Harold Corwin's NGC identification
notes.
******************************
18 30 40.1 +67
59 14
V = 12.7; Size 2.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 105d
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, moderately large, oval 2:1 WNW-ESE, weak
concentration.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6667 = Sw II-69 on 11 Sep 1883 and recorded "vF; pL; lE; vF
D * near." His position is at
the west edge of
******************************
18 30 40.1 +67
59 14
See observing
notes for NGC 6667.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6668 = Sw IV-70 on 31 Jul 1886 and logged "pB; pS;
vE." There is nothing near
his position. Herbert Howe,
observing in 1899-00, reported "this is called 'pB, pS, mE' by its
discovered, and therefore ought to be an easy object. I have searched for it on 3 nights
unsuccessfully, and conclude that no such nebula exists in or near the place
given for it. It may be identical
to [NGC] 6677, which follows about 3 min at about the same
declination." Bigourdan was
also unable to find NGC 6668.
Dreyer noted in the IC 2 Notes that NGC 6668 was probably identical to
Instead, Harold
Corwin suggests NGC 6668 is a duplicate observation of NGC 6667. This galaxy is exactly 50' north of
Swift's position and his description "vE" applies (the NGC
description is "mE"). It
is also possible that Swift's NGC 6678 is another observation of NGC 6667, in
which case NGC 6667 = NGC 6668 = NGC 6678, all found by Swift. See Corwin's identification notes. RNGC classifies NGC 6668 as
nonexistent.
******************************
18 37 15.1 +22
11 45
18"
(7/21/04): at 225x, this is just an inconspicuous, 20" hazy patch that is
lively. A couple of extremely
faint stars are on the verge of visibility. Several bright and faint pairs are in the field including a
faint, close pair 2.4' NW.
17.5"
(8/7/02): at 100x, I noticed a very faint, small hazy patch at the plotted
position. At 263x, the glow was
still faint, ~1' diameter, with an irregular surface brightness with three very
faint stars resolved (two of these are on opposite sides of the glow). Located 10' NE of a mag 6.8 star.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6669 = m 384 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted 'eF, pL." Just 1' north of his position is a very
faint, rich knot of stars that could fit his description. Harold Corwin equates NGC 6669 with
this group of stars.
RNGC and PGC
probably misidentify
******************************
18 33 37.3 +59
53 22
V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5
48"
(11/2/13): this fascinating interacting pair was observed at 488x and 813x. NGC
6670B, the western component, appeared as a moderately bright, very thin
edge-on, 5:1 WSW-ESE, 0.6'x0.12'.
24"
(7/21/12): the main two components of this interacting triple were easily
resolved at 322x. The western
component (
Nearby is CGCG
030-032 5' SE,
17.5" (7/20/90):
very faint, very small. With close
inspection resolves into two galaxies oriented WSW-ENE (actually a triple
system). The ENE member is larger
and brighter and a mag 13 star is 30" SE of the ENE component. Forms a trio with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6670 = Sw IV-71 on 31 Jul 1886 and recorded "eeF; S; cE; e
diff.; between a F and a pB *, nearer the former." His position is fairly accurate and the
"pB *" is mag 9 HD 238901, located 4.7' due west. Swift did not resolve this double
system.
******************************
18 37 26.2 +26
25 01
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5"
(8/2/86): moderately bright, small, high surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is at the ENE edge
28" from center. A line of
brighter mag 11-12 stars begins with a mag 11.5 star 0.7' NW and extends to the
NW. Situated in a rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6671 = m 385 = St II-22 on 6 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, vS, R." His position is accurate. Édouard Stephan rediscovered the
galaxy on 19 Jul 1871 and measured a very accurate micrometric position.
******************************
18 36 14.4 +42
56 51
=close double
star, Thomson and Gottlieb.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6672 = St X-37 on 24 Jul 1879 and recorded "Two faint
stars, the northern one appears wrapped in almost imperceptible
nebulosity." At his position
is a 12" pair of star, with the northern star a close double (~3"),
matching his description.
Bigourdan measured an object just 1' from Stephan's position and also
described it as "a double star which appears to have a trace of
nebulosity."
The RNGC and
CGCG misidentify
******************************
18 45 06.5 -62
17 49
V = 11.6; Size 2.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 26d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE,
sharply concentrated with a very bright core. A star is just off the east edge and at the south tip. A mag
9 star (
Forms a pair
with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6673 = h3755 on 7 Aug 1834 NGC and recorded "pF; R; psbM;
r; 25"." His position
(measured on two nights) is accurate.
******************************
18 38 34.0 +25
22 30
V = 12.2; Size 4.0'x2.2'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 143d
17.5"
(7/1/89): fairly faint, fairly large, very diffuse, elongated NW-SE, bright
core, faint stellar nucleus or a faint star is superimposed. Several faint stars are near.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6674 = m 386 = Sf 32 = St II-23 on 6 Jun 1864 and noted "F,
pS, bM." Truman Safford
rediscovered the galaxy on 6 Jun 1871 and noted "pB, pL". A month later Édouard Stephan found it
again on 18 Jul 1871 and measured a very accurate micrometric position. Stephan is credited with the discovery
in the GC Supplement and both Marth and Stephan are listed in the NGC. Safford's discovery was not published
until 1887.
******************************
18 37 26.6 +40
03 28
V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130d
17.5"
(7/5/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, mottled,
broad concentration.
13"
(7/27/84): faint, fairly small, almost round, fairly low even surface
brightness.
Auguste Voigt
discovered NGC 6675 = Sf 54 = St VII-23 in 1865 with the 31-inch
silver-on-glass Marseille reflector.
Truman Safford independently found this galaxy on 28 Sep 1866 with the
18.5-inch Clark refractor at Dearborn Observatory and noted "pB, pS,
gbM." Édouard Stephan found
it again on 27 Jul 1870 and measured an accurate micrometric position. Voigt's discovery was never published
and Safford's was published late, so Stephan was credited with the discovery in
the GCS and NGC.
******************************
18 33 09.9 +66
57 32
V = 14.4; Size 1.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 142d
17.5"
(6/11/88): extremely faint, fairly small, edge-on NNW-SSE, requires averted
vision. Located 10' S of NGC
6677/
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6676 = Sw IV-72 on 30 May 1886 and recorded "eeeF; pS; lE;
lbM; ee diff.; 2 or 3 others in field.". His position is 13 seconds of RA west of
******************************
NGC 6677 = UGC
11290 = MCG +11-22-057 = CGCG 322-047 = CGCG 323-002 = PGC 62035
18 33 36.1 +67
06 36
Size
0.9'x0.35'; PA = 102d
48"
(10/22/11): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:1 ~E-W, 0.9'x0.3',
broad concentration with a slightly brighter core. A mag 14.5 star is just
south of the eastern end. NGC 6679
lies 1.7' NNW. This galaxy is
identified as
24"
(8/27/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, very weak
concentration, ~40"x16".
A mag 14.5 star is barely off the SE end.
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, small, very elongated WNW-ESE. A mag 14 star is off the SE end
18" from center. Forms a
close pair with NGC 6679 1.7' NNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6677 = Sw I-98 on 8 Jun 1885 and logged "pF, pS,
R." His position is 17 sec of
RA west and 2' north of
Bigourdan's
position from 5 Sep 1891 matches UGC 11290 as well as Kobold's in 1899 with the
18-inch refractor at Strasbourg. Herbert Howe, observing in 1899-1900 with the
20" refractor at Denver reported "The NGC says "bet. * v close
and vF D *." I did not notice
the very faint double star; the other is mag 12, and follows the nebula 2
seconds, 10" south." His
position corresponds with UGC 11290, though Dreyer did not publish his
corrected position in the IC 2 Notes.
So, NGC 6677 = UGC 11290.
UGC and CGCG
misidentify NGC 6677 as IC 4763, though RNGC appears to have the correct
identification. Malcolm Thomson
discusses the identification in his unpublished "Catalogue
Corrections". Harold Corwin
arrives at some different conclusions for identifications of NGC 6677, NGC 6679
and IC 4763.
******************************
NGC 6678 = NGC
6667? = NGC 6668? = UGC 11269 = MCG +11-22-053 = CGCG 332-044
18 30 40.1 +67
59 14
See observing
notes for NGC 6667.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6678 = Sw I-99 on 8 Jun 1885 and noted "pF; pS; R." There is nothing obvious near his
position that he might have picked up and the closest galaxy is NGC 6667 = UGC
11269, situated 2.5 minutes of RA west and 8' further north. Harold Corwin suggests that NGC 6678
may be a duplicate observation of NGC 6667, which Swift discovered earlier on
11 Sep 1883. In addition, Swift's
IV-70 = NGC 6668 may be a third observation of this galaxy (his position is off
by 50' in declination). So, it's
possible NGC 6667 = NGC 6668 = NGC 6678 refer to UGC 11269. Due to Swift's poor position, neither
Bigourdan nor Herbert Howe could find NGC 6678. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.
******************************
NGC 6679 = IC
4763 = UGC 11288s = MCG +11-22-055 = CGCG 322-046s = CGCG 323-001s = VV 672 =
18 33 30.3 +67
08 13
Size 0.4'x0.3'
48"
(10/22/11): bright, fairly small, round, high surface brightness, 20"
diameter. A 14th magnitude star is
attached at the southwest edge and a mag 16.5 star is 20" NE. In a close trio with NGC 6677 1.7' SSE
and
Zwicky described
the pair (VII Zw 814) with MCG +11-22-056 as "post-eruptive blue patchy
compacts interconnected by a broad uniform bridge, separation = 30"
NNE-SSW."
24"
(8/27/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, 18" diameter,
fairly high surface brightness. A
mag 14.5 star is attached at the southwest edge.
MCG +11-22-056 =
17.5"
(6/11/88): fairly faint, very small, elongated SW-NE. One or two extremely faint stars are possibly involved or
close off the edge. Forms a close
pair with NGC 6677 1.7' SSE. MCG
+11-22-056, a nearly stellar galaxy just 38" N was not seen.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6679 = Sw IX-90 on 24 Jun 1887 and described "an extremely
close double with [NGC] 6679; suspected with 132, confirmed with 200; perfectly
separated with 250." This was the third time he visited the field, the
previous nights on 8 Jun 1885
(I-98) and 25 Oct 1885 (III-100).
Dreyer concluded the first two numbers referred to NGC 6677, which is
probably UGC 11290, the largest in the compact triplet. Swift's position for IX-90 also matches
UGC 11290, but in a 1894 issue of Popular Astronomy, Swift clarified that NGC
6679 is a close double, which is a better fit with
Dreyer made an
error in the declination of NGC 6679, placing it nearly 10' further north than
Swift's position in list IX.
Confusing the issue further is that NGC 6679 is a double system with an
extremely faint component 35" north.
Bigourdan made an observation on 5 Sep 1891. He couldn't find NGC 6679
at Dreyer's incorrect place, but accurately measured
The double
system
******************************
18 39 44.0 +22
18 58
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.5'
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, small, round, diffuse, weak concentration. An extremely faint star is possibly
involved. Located within a line of
six mag 14-15 stars in a very rich star field!
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6680 = m 387 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "eF, S, close to a
small *." His position is
accurate. This system appears to
have at least two components and several superimposed stars and knots. Perhaps one of these components is Marth's
"small *".
******************************
18 43 12.6 -32
17 31
V = 8.1; Size 7.8'; Surf Br = 0.2
17.5"
(7/14/99): At 220x,
13": very
small bright core, faint stars are resolved at the edges. A bright string of stars at the
following side trails to the NNE.
8": few
faint stars resolved at high power, bright core. The halo appears flattened on the east side.
15x50mm IS
binoculars (8/3/11): very small, fairly faint glow, brighter center, not
difficult.
Charles Messier
discovered M70 = NGC 6681 = D 614 = h3756 on 31 Aug 1780 and described "a
nebula without star, near the preceding [
******************************
18 39 37 -04 48
48
17.5"
(8/12/01): this appears to be a large Milky Way field in the Scutum Star Cloud,
at the eastern edge of the great rift.
At 64x (31 Nagler), there is no obvious cluster but two large, fairly
rich, elongated condensations were noted.
The larger southern group is about 20' in size, extended NW-SE. Connected on the following end to the
north is another Milky Way patch, perhaps 15' in size. Both groups are fairly rich with a
background of haze. The star
density dramatically drops just east of this cloud (part of Great Rift) and
then the Milky Way bursts into view again on the opposite side of the
rift. So the grouping only barely
stands out due to location in an absorption hole at edge of the Great
Rift. Listed as a nonexistent
cluster in the RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6682 = h2017 on 25 Jul 1827 and recorded "A L p rich cl of
straggling stars, having a vacuity in M and broken into 2 or 3 clusters. Fills field. 70 or 80 stars of all magnitudes from 10 to 18 counted. Extended, in parallel. The most comp part f." There is nothing at his position, but 2
minutes of time west is a large, scattered group fitting his description. The positional error was repeated in
the NGC, though Harold Corwin notes that Bigourdan gave a corrected
position. The RNGC classifies this
object as nonexistent at the erroneous NGC position. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
18 42 13 -06 12
42
V = 9.4; Size 4
17.5"
(7/1/89): about 20 faint mag 13-15 stars in two converging rows in a very rich
field. The edge of the "Great
Rift" is just 10' W (part of dark nebula
8"
(7/5/83): 10 faint stars in an elongated group over unresolved haze. The "Great Rift" is obvious
just 10' W. In a rich field.
8"
(7/16/82): elongated group of about 12 stars mag 11 and fainter in a rich star
field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6683 = h2018 on 28 Jul 1827 and recorded "A more than
usually condensed portion of the enormous cluster of the Milky Way. The field has 200 or 300 stars in it at
once." His position is
accurate. Based on Heidelberg
plates, Karl Reinmuth noted "irregular clustering in extremely dense
region, not well defined."
******************************
18 48 57.9 -65
10 23
V = 10.4; Size 4.0'x2.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x this galaxy appeared fairly bright
and large, slightly elongated SW-NE, 2.0'x1.6'. Sharply concentrated with a strikingly bright core and a
large, slightly oval halo. The
core brightens evenly to a stellar nucleus with direct vision. A mag 11 star is off the south side,
2.5' from center. Located 6' SSE
of mag 5.7 Theta Pavonis! Member
of the
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6684 = h3757 on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded "vB; R; first vg,
then psmbM; 90"; a * 6-7m, 7' sp." The RNGC misclassifies this galaxy as a globular
cluster.
******************************
NGC 6685 = UGC
11317 = MCG +07-38-015 = CGCG 228-021 = PGC 62220
18 39 58.6 +39
58 54
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 30d
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core. Located 8.7' SSE of mag 8 SAO
47678. Member of a trio with IC
4772 2.8' N and NGC 6686 9.5' NNE.
RNGC, UGC, CGCG misidentify
Edward Swift
discovered NGC 6685 = Sw IX-91 on 29 May 1887 and recorded "eeF; vS; R; e
diff; sp of 2 [with NGC 6686]; in finder field with Epsilon Lyrae." The positions for both objects are 3'
too far north, though Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 2 Aug 1888
(published in his 8 Jul 1901 Comptes Rendus paper).
Unfortunately,
Swift's published position falls close to a fainter third galaxy (IC 4772 = PGC
62217), which was discovered by Herbert Howe on 7 Sep 1898 and placed
accurately. The CGCG (228-021),
MCG (+07-38-015) and UGC (11317) reverse the identifications of NGC 6685 and IC
4772, calling the NGC 6685 the fainter third galaxy. The RNGC also misidentifies IC 4772 as NGC 6685. These errors were noted in my RNGC
Corrections #2 as well as by Malcolm Thomson in his CGCG corrections.
******************************
NGC 6686 = MCG
+07-38-017 = CGCG 228-022 = PGC 62224
18 40 07.0 +40
08 15
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(7/5/86): faint, small, round, bright core. Located 4.8' ENE of mag 8
Edward Swift,
the 16 year-old son of Lewis, discovered NGC 6686 = Sw IX-92 (along with NGC
6685) on 29 May 1887. The
discovery was communicated directly to Dreyer and wasn't published until 1890,
after the NGC. The declination for
both galaxies is 3' too far north and several seconds of RA too far west. Bigourdan measured an accurate position
(matching
******************************
18 37 22.3 +59
38 33
V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4
17.5"
(7/20/90): very faint, very small, roundish, low even surface brightness. Collinear with two mag 11 stars to the
east. There are several stars mag
10-12 to the SW in a group.
Situated in a rich and bright star field!
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6687 = Sw I-100 on 11 Jul 1883 and recorded "eF; pL; R; bet
2 st; also bet 2 coarse clusters; np of 2 [with
******************************
18 40 40.3 +36
17 22
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(7/5/86): moderately large, diffuse, round, prominent small bright core,
possible stellar nucleus. Pair
with
13"
(7/27/84): faint, small, low surface brightness, faint stellar nucleus. Located 30' ENE of ∑2362.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6688 = m 388 = Sf 35 = St II-24 on 3 Aug 1864 and noted "F,
pS, R, bM." His position
matches
******************************
18 34 50.0 +70
31 27
See observing
notes for
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6689 on 22 Aug 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position and
description (he measured the offset to mag 7.7
******************************
NGC 6690 = NGC
6689 = UGC 11300 = MCG +12-17-026 = CGCG 340-050 = KAZ 210 = PGC 62077
18 34 50.0 +70
31 27
V = 12.5; Size 3.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 171d
17.5"
(6/11/88): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated NNW-SSE. A mag 14 star is just off the west side
0.6' from center. A brighter mag
13 star is east of the north tip and an extremely faint mag 15-15.5 star is
involved at the NNW end.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6690 = Sw V-86 = Sw V-85 on 16 Aug 1884 and recorded "pF; L; R;
bet 2 st." His position is
just east of the core of UGC 11300 and the two stars are southwest and
northeast. He found this galaxy on
31 Oct 1886, assumed it was new, and logged V-85 as "vF; pS; lE; nearly
bet. 2 near st." His second
position is 2.5' too far northwest, although clearly applies to the same
galaxy. Dreyer combined the two
Swift entries into NGC 6690.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered this galaxy on 22 Aug 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and listed it as #188 in his AN 1500 list. His position (measured twice) is accurate and Dreyer also
catalogued this galaxy as NGC 6689, despite the very similar positions. So, NGC 6689 = NGC 6690. UGC 11300 is usually identified as NGC
6690, although by d'Arrest's prior discovery it should be labeled NGC 6689.
Herbert Howe
observed NGC 6690 in 1899-00 and reported "this is given as "R"
in the NGC. But it really has two
faint wings stretching out north and south from the much brighter centre,
making the nebula 1.5' long. At
its northern end is a star of mag 12."
******************************
18 39 12.3 +55
38 30
V = 12.9; Size 1.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(7/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, round, low surface brightness, broad
concentration. Located 2.9' N of
mag 9.1
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6691 = Sw IV-73 on 16 Aug 1884 and recorded "vF; pL; R; pB
* nr s[outh].". His position
is 2' south-southwest of
******************************
18 41 41.6 +34
50 37
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 110d
17.5"
(7/5/86): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration, slightly elongated
~E-W. A bright double star (∑2372
= 6.4/8.1 at 25") is 8' SE.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6692 = St XIII-91 on 11 Aug 1883 and recorded "vF, vS, irr
elongated E-W, sev vf * inv."
His micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
18 41 32 +36 54
54
=Not found,
Corwin. =*, RNGC.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6693 = m 389 on 3 Aug 1864 and simply noted "vF". There is nothing nebulous near his
position and as expected Bigourdan reported a negative sighting. RNGC classifies NGC 6693 as a star as
there are only stars near his position.
See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
18 45 18 -09 23
00
V = 8.0; Size 15'
17.5"
(6/30/00): this rich, distinctive cluster stands out well in the field at
100x. At 220x, ~60 stars are
resolved in a 7' diameter. A mag 9
star marks the SW end. About a
dozen stars are arranged in a striking arc (concave to the west) just north of
the mag 9 star. A dark lane
oriented N-S bisects the cluster just following this star chain and extending
past the bright star. On the east
side of this lane is a rich group of stars, roughly arranged into two irregular
ovals.
13"
(7/27/84): about 40 stars mag 9-14 are resolved in a 7' diameter at 220x. The brightest star is mag 8.8 SAO
142584 at the SW end. A faint
group of mag 13.5-14 stars is just east of the main section. Located in a rich field.
8": 20
stars mag 11-13, fairly small.
Consists mostly of faint stars except for the four brighter central
stars that form a "kite" asterism. Some dense sections of faint stars lie north and south in
strings.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
18 42 42.9 +40
21 59
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 12d
48"
(10/24/11): this excellent two-armed barred spiral appeared fairly bright,
moderately large with a slightly curving "bar" that is elongated 2:1
SSW-NNE, ~0.6'x0.3'. Contains a
slightly brighter, elongated core.
An arm emerges from the NNE end of the bar and curves clockwise, bending
northwest towards a mag 15.5 star and fading out just before intersecting the
star. The second arm is attached
at the soiuth-southwest end extending south, though dimming out rapidly before
reaching a mag 16 star off the south end.
Overall, the galaxy has an elongated "S" appearance.
17.5"
(7/5/86): faint, elongated lens, fairly diffuse, slightly brighter along the
major axis.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6695 = St XIII-92 on 22 Aug 1884 and recorded "eF, S, irr,
lE N-S, vlbM." His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6696 = MCG
+10-26-047 = PGC 62215
18 40 05.0 +59
20 02
V = 15.1; Size 0.8'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 0d
17.5"
(8/25/95): extremely faint, very small, elongated 3:2 N-S, very low surface
brightness. Not seen initially but
once the position was determined using a finder chart, the galaxy was visible
about 75% of time with averted vision and concentration. Located 2.1' N of a mag 13 star.
17.5"
(6/24/95): extremely faint and small, round (elongated N-S on the POSS),
requires averted vision. Forms a
right angle with a mag 13 star 2.1' S and a mag 14.5 star 1.3' E.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6696 = Sw II-70 on 17 June 1884 and recorded "eeeF; in(?)
vacancy pL; sev B st f and p it, e diff." There is nothing close to his position but 1.0 minute of RA
west and 3' south is
******************************
18 45 15.1 +25
30 44
V = 12.7; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5"
(8/1/89): faint, very small, round, 25" diameter, small bright core. A mag 15 star is just off the SW edge
14" from center, rich star field.
Several bright stars near including three mag 10 stars 1.9' ESE and 4.2'
ESE on a line and also 2.3' SSW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6697 = m 390 on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "F, vS,
stell." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 48 12 -25 55
18"
(9/3/05): at 115x there was nothing notable at William Herschel's position. Harold Corwin suggests a denser
grouping about 25' N and at this location there is a very scattered Milky Way
field of stars, ~20'-25' in diameter, but this star field does not stand out at
the eyepiece. In fact, the only
object in the area that caught my eye was a small glowing 2' knot of stars at
~18 48.0 -25 43.7 (10' N of Herschel's position), though this knot doesn't
match his description of "A suspected cluster of vF stars of considerable
extent". At 225x, ~10 stars
were resolved within 1.5'-2'. The planetary M3-33 (see description) is situated
within the grouping observed 25' N of the NGC position. Listed as nonexistent in the RNGC.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6698 = H VI-15 on 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236) and recorded "A
suspected cluster of vF st of considerable extent." There is no particular clustering at
his position, although a 2' group of five mag 11-13 stars is 4' north. JH did not make an observation, so
there is little else to go on.
RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent (Type 7).
Harold Corwin
suggests NGC 6698 may be a group of stars about 27' north of WH's
position. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
18 52 02.1 -57
19 14
V = 12.0; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.7
30" (10/12/15
- OzSky): at 303x and 394x; bright, large, round, 1.25' diameter, sharply
concentrated with a very small, very bright nucleus and a fairly smooth
halo. The field is fairly rich in
fainter stars and mag 8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6699 = h3759 on 12 Jul 1834 and logged "pF; lE in parallel;
pslbM; 40" l, 30" br."
His position is 1' too far north.
******************************
18 46 04.5 +32
16 46
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 115d
17.5"
(8/2/86): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, diffuse,
weak concentration. A mag 13.5 is
at the west edge 37" from center.
Located 2.8' WSW of mag 8.9
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6700 = St V-3 on 17 Aug 1873 and recorded "eF, lE, diffuse,
iR." His micrometric position
is very accurate.
******************************
18 43 12.6 +60
39 12
V = 12.1; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 25d
17.5"
(8/13/88): bright, moderately large, elongated SW-NE, bright core, substellar
nucleus. A mag 11 star is at the
SE end 40" from the center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6701 = Sw II-71 on 6 Aug 1883 and recorded "pB; pS; vE; F *
close to f[ollowing] end."
His position and description matches
******************************
18 46 57.6 +45
42 20
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 65d
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, bright core,
very small or stellar brighter nucleus.
Forms an optical pair with
8"
(8/12/83): very faint, diffuse, small, almost round, even surface
brightness. Located 10' NNW of NGC
6703.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6702 on 8 Sep 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. His position (measured
on two nights) is accurate. Just 4
nights earlier he discovered NGC 6703.
******************************
NGC 6703 = UGC
11356 = MCG +08-34-020 = CGCG 255-014 = PGC 62409
18 47 18.9 +45
33 01
V = 11.3; Size 2.5'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5"
(8/1/89): fairly bright, fairly small, round, very bright core, stellar
nucleus. Located within a string
of four mag 12/13 stars (two are south and two are north) including two mag
12.5 stars 1.3' S and 1.7' NNW of center.
Forms an optical pair with NGC 6702 10' NNW, but NGC 6703 lies in the
foreground at roughly half the distance.
8"
(8/12/83): fairly faint, small, fairly high surface brightness, bright
core. Collinear with two mag 12
stars to the SSW. NGC 6702 lies
10' NNW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6703 on 4 Sep 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He noted a bright
stellar nucleus of 12th magnitude and measured an accurate position. NGC 6702 was discovered 4 nights later
on a second observation.
******************************
18 50 45 -05 12
18
V = 9.2; Size 6'
17.5"
(7/1/89): at 220x, 40 stars mag 12-15 are visible over unresolved haze,
elongated N-S. Three collinear mag
12.5 stars oriented NNW-SSE are equally spaced near the center. Located 55' N of
Friedrich August
Winnecke discovered NGC 6704 = Au 43 on 23 Jul 1854 at age 19 with his personal
3-inch Metrz comet seeker at Gottingen.
In AN 1072 he reported "In July 1854 I discovered a faint nebula in
Scutum with the comet-seeker. In
the Berlin refractor [9.6-inch Fraunhofer] it appears as a faint star cluster,
but the place might be interesting, because it looks cometary in a small scope." Arthur Auwers measured an accurate
position with the Konigsberg Heliometer (AN 1392) and described the cluster as
elongated in the meridian (N-S), 3'x2'.
He included it in his 1862 list of new nebulae.
******************************
18 51 05 -06 16
12
V = 5.8; Size 14'
13.1"
(7/16/82): at 140x, several hundred stars mag 11-15 and a brighter mag 8 star
(
8": this is
the most impressive open cluster with this aperture. Appears as an extremely rich carpet of faint stars and dense
clumps in an arrowhead shape.
Gottfried Kirch
discovered M11 = NGC 6705 = h2019 on 1 Sep 1681 in Leipzig, Germany and made a
rough sketch (the bright mag 8 star is prominently drawn but no other
stars). William Derham first
resolved it around 1733 with an 8-foot (focal length) reflector and described
"..not a nebulose, but a cluster of stars, somewhat like that which is in
the Milky Way" (PT XXXVIII, 70).
De Chéseaux also resolved it into "a wonderful cluster of small
stars."
WH observe the
cluster with his 10-ft telescope (4-inch aperture) around 1780 and noted the
cluster was visible naked-eye. JH
wrote (23 Jul 1827), "A beautiful irregularly R cl 10' or 12' diam. The
stars are all 11m except one = 9m whose place is taken. Examined with high
magnifiers [I have often viewed it with 800 and even 1200]; it is broken into 5
or 6 distinct groups with rifts or cracks between them." Observing with a 9.5" refractor
around 1856, Father Secchi described the cluster as having three leaf-shaped
dark lanes (AN 43, 157).
The nickname
"Wild Duck Cluster" is from Admiral Smyth's 1844 guidebook "A
Cycle of Celestial Objects".
He describes the telescopic appearance as "A splendid cluster of
stars ...which somewhat resembles a flight of wild ducks in shape, is a
gathering of minute stars, with a prominent 8th-magnitude in the middle, and
two following".
******************************
18 56 51.1 -63
09 58
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 123d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, very
elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, 1.4'x0.5', broad concentration to a small, brighter
core.
IC 4800 appeared
fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 1.6'x0.8', well
concentrated with a small bright core and fainter halo. The major axis is collinear with a mag
14.3 star and a mag 12.8 star, 0.8' and 1.3' NNW of center, respectively. At the southern vertex of a large
isosceles triangle with mag 6.5 HD 174877 23' NW and mag 6.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6706 = h3760 on 8 Jun 1836 and simply noted "Nebula. No description." His position
matches
******************************
18 55 22.2 -53
49 08
V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 143d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1
NW-SE, 1.8'x0.9', broad concentration to a large, elongated core. Located 2' SSW of a mag 11 star and 15'
E of mag 8.4
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6707 = h3761 on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded "vF; vS; R; gbM;
12"." On a later sweep
his size estimate was 80".
His mean of two position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6708 = ESO
183-027 = AM 1851-534 = LGG 425-002 = PGC 62569
18 55 35.6 -53
43 25
V = 12.7; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 167d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated
N-S, 1.0'x0.9', moderately concentrated to a small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 6707 6' SSW. Situated in a fairly rich star field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6708 = h4021 on 9 Jun 1836 and recorded "F; S; R; 15";
the following of a group." On
6 Jun 1837 he logged "pB; R; 90"; gpbM." This observation was not included in
the main table of the Cape of Good Hope catalogue but added in a
"supplementary nebulae" list at the end (h4016 to h4021), which
Dreyer identified as "h o n" (Herschel Omitted Object) in the NGC.
******************************
18 51 18 +10 19
06
V = 6.7; Size 13'
18"
(8/14/04): excellent open cluster at 115x with roughly 100 stars mag
10-13. Appears triangular, ~20'
diameter with an additional loop of stars bowed out to the south attached at
the ends of the southern side of the triangle. At the eastern end is a distinctive 22" pair of mag
9.2/9.7 stars (Burnham 1464) oriented SSW-NNE, with the SW star an orange
color. A closer 10" pair lies
1' E (h870 = 9.8/11.3 at 12") and forms a quadrilateral with this brighter
pair. The stars are irregularly distributed with some vacant regions and there
appears to be dust throughout the field, particularly west of the cluster but
also intruding into the cluster. A
N-S string of a half-dozen stars is on the west side forming one of the bases
of the triangle.
17.5"
(8/1/86): over 100 stars mag 9-14 resolved in a 15-20' field but not
dense. Appears best at
83x-105x. An easy mag 10 double
star at 22" separation is at the east side and a close fainter pair
follows. Visible in 16x80 finder.
13": fairly
large, about 70 stars in cluster, includes some close double stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6709 = h2020 on 29 Jul 1827 and recorded "a p considerable
cl; 15' diam; irreg fig, 50 or 60 stars, large and scattered. The place is that of the double star
No. 870 [HJ 870] of my third catalogue." His position is accurate.
******************************
18 50 34.2 +26
50 16
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 40d
13.1"
(7/20/85): fairly faint, broad concentration, elongated SW-NE, possible faint
stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is
1.6' SSE of center. Located 26'
NNE of ∑2406 = 6.9/10.9 at 5" in a rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6710 = m 391 = St II-24 on 3 Aug 1864 and noted "vF, S, R,
bM." Édouard Stephan
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 18 Jul 1871. His accurate micrometric position is
accurate. Both are credited in the
NGC, though Dreyer referenced Stephan's first list, instead of list II.
******************************
18 49 01.1 +47
39 29
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4
13.1"
(7/20/85): faint, fairly small, diffuse, weak concentration, slightly elongated
WSW-ENE. Located 8.6' N of mag 7.5
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6711 = Sw II-72 on 5 Aug 1885 and logged "vF; pS; R;
lbM." His position is 7
seconds west of
******************************
18 53 04.3 -08
42 21
V = 8.2; Size 7.2'; Surf Br = 1.4
24"
(8/12/15): at 450x (10mm ZAO + 2x Powermate); nearly fills 5' field, excellent
resolution over the entire surface with well over 50 stars resolved. A dense group of easily resolved stars
is on the west side of the halo. A
large number of fainter resolved stars is alsoon the south side. The outer halo is ragged and
straggling, with no distinct border but shot with numerous stars. A well resolved, detached elongated
section (separated by a lane) is on the south and southeast side of the halo. Set in a beautiful low power field with
planetary nebula
18"
(7/23/06): situated in a gorgeous low power Milky Way star field at 115x with a
dense background mat of faint stars filling the 45' field and planetary IC 1295
24' ESE. At 435x roughly three
dozen stars are resolved in a 6' region, mostly on the western half of the
cluster. The core is moderately
bright but not sharply concentrated.
The irregular halo is peppered with faint stars though at the periphery
it was impossible to really distinguish from these from the numerous faint
field stars that surround the cluster.
A dark lane is quite obvious on the south side, appearing to detach the
outer section of the halo on the southeast side. The outer halo is poorly resolved on the eastern end.
18"
(8/23/03): at 435x, approximately three dozen stars can be counted, although
the eastern edge of the halo resists resolution. A dark lane cuts through the cluster on the south side
running SW-NE and detaching a small piece of the halo on the SE side and
flattening the central blaze which begins just north of the lane. IC 1295 lies 24' ESE and both are
nicely framed within the field of the 20mm Nagler.
17.5" (6/29/00):
at 220x this is a bright, moderately large cluster, ~6' diameter in a very rich
Milky Way field. Contains a
relatively large, intense 3' core with a number of very faint stars peppered
over the background glow. A small,
partially resolved piece is detached at the southeast end by a dark lane. The surrounding halo includes a number
of brighter stars, though it is difficult to untangle the maze of stars in the
halo from the rich Milky Way background.
Roughly 30 stars are resolved at 280x, although it is difficult to
accurately count. The core has irregular appearance with a flattened side
caused by a sharp light cut off on the south side. PN IC 1295 lies 24' ESE.
17.5"
(7/1/89): about two dozen stars resolved over haze. A very rich clump is visible at the west side and a detached
clump is at the southeast end. The
outline is irregular.
13"
(7/27/84): about 15 stars resolved including several extremely faint stars,
very mottled, ragged edges, non-symmetric (flattened on the southeast side).
8"
(7/24/82): grainy, very lively but only a few stars resolved over haze at high
power. Strong impression that in
excellent seeing or a bit more aperture would resolve more fully.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6712 = H I-47 = h3762 on 16 Jun 1784 (sweep 228) and recorded
"B, vL, easily resolvable, with many stars visible in it; of an irregular
form." JH made a single
observation on 27 May 1831 (sweep 591): "globular cluster; pL; F; R;
rather irreg; vglbM; 6' or more in diam; all resolved. A fine object, the stars being very
close and numerous."
******************************
18 50 44.6 +33
57 34
V = 13.6; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.1
17.5"
(7/5/86): faint, very small, round, even surface brightness, rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6713 = m 392 on 3 Aug 1864 and noted "vF, S, R,
bM." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 46 50 +66 44
42
Size 1
18"
(7/2/11): at 285x, I initially noticed at this position a low surface
brightness glow, ~1' diameter, mimicking a nebulous object. When the seeing sharpened, though, the
glow resolved into 4 extremely faint stars mag 15-16 (difficult to hold all simultaneously). Nearly on a line with mag 8.6
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6714 = Sw IV-74 on 27 May 1886 and noted "eeeF; pS; ee
diff.; sev B st nr north."
There is nothing near his position though several brighter stars are in
the field. RNGC classifies the
number as nonexistent.
Jeff Corder
suggests NGC 6714 may be this small asterism of extremely faint stars 1 minute
of time following Swift's position and 1' north. Harold Corwin lists this asterism as a good candidate. It fits Swift's description and three
mag 8/9 stars (
******************************
18 55 03.2 -30
28 43
V = 7.7; Size 9.1'; Surf Br = 0.5
17.5"
(8/2/86): very bright, increases to a sharp bright core, fairly large. Five brighter stars easily visible
around the edges are probably field stars. The cluster has a mottled, grainy appearance but there was
no additional resolution. Visible
in the 16x80 finder. Brightest
members only V = 15.5.
15x50mm IS
binoculars (8/3/11): easily visible as a small fairly faint glow.
Lies close to
the center of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (SagDEG discovered in 1994)
and is possibly the remnant nucleus of the disrupted galaxy. This is also the most distant Messier
globular, roughly 87,000 light years away.
Charles Messier
discovered
James Dunlop
found it "a very beautiful nebula, with a very bright round well-defined
disk or nuclei, about 15 arcseconds diameter, surrounded by a gradually
decreasing light or chevelure, about 1 1/4' diameter, this is exceedingly
bright immediately at the centre."
He made 4 observations of the globular and his published position is 28'
east of center (not an unusually large error). JH made several observations and noted on 1 Aug 1834 from
the Cape of Good Hope, "Globular cluster; B; pL; vlE; gbM; 2 1/2' diam;
resolved into st 15m, with a few outliers 14m."
******************************
18 54 34 -19 54
06
V = 6.9; Size 7'
17.5"
(5/10/91): about 40 stars visible in a 9' diameter, bright, fairly large but
scattered. Divided in two groups;
the SSW group includes a mag 8 star and two mag 10 stars. A mag 9 star is at the NE edge of the
NNW group, which also includes several mag 10-12 stars in a curved arc. Pretty empty between these two groups
with just four stars in the center.
Not very impressive.
8": 20
stars mag 10-13 including a row of stars at the north edge.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6716 = h2021 on 14 Jul 1830 and recorded "a p rich cluster,
figure like the letter S, 7' in extent.
Stars 9...13m. Counted 40
of them." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 55 06.0 -22
42 06
V = 9.2; Size 3.9'; Surf Br = 0.7
24"
(8/23/14): this unusual globular, located just 2' S of Nu2 Sgr, was viewed at
375x and 500x. The
"core" appears as a fairly circular, fairly smooth glow, ~1'
diameter, with a half-dozen stars superimposed. With extended viewing a very low surface, irregular halo was
noticed that increased the diameter to perhaps 2.5'. At the center is an unequal pair oriented N-S (~5"
separation), with the southern component, brighter and quasi-stellar. A second pair of mag 14 stars at
~5" separation is on the NE side (this is
18"
(7/15/07): at 280x, stands out prominently just 2' S of mag 5 Nu2
Sagittarii. The globular appears
as an unconcentrated, low surface brightness hazy glow just 1' in diameter but
with five likely field stars superimposed, giving the appearance of a small
open cluster over unresolved background haze. At 393x, four out of these five mag 13 and fainter stars are
grouped into two close pairs with roughly similar separations and orientations. One pair is near the center (oriented
~N-S) and another is at the NE edge oriented NNW-SSE (catalogued as IC 4802) while the 5th star is at the WNW
edge. The glow of the cluster is
irregularly round (slightly elongated E-W) and has a well-defined edge, unusual
for a globular.
18"
(7/19/04): at 225x the view is quite unusual as the glow of the globular is
just 2' S of mag 5 Nu 2 Sag. The
globular is just a fairly faint, round 1' glow with a low surface brightness
and no evident concentration.
Quite striking, though, are several superimposed stars including a close
pair of mag 14 stars at the NE edge.
At 434x, a star near the center is also clearly double and the halo of
the globular has a ragged periphery.
17.5"
(7/20/98): very unusual small, faint glow located 2' S of mag 5 Nu 2
Sagittarii! The very faint
background glow is ~1' diameter but more notable are several superimposed
stars. A close pair of mag 13.5
stars is at the NE edge 25" from center (this is IC 4802!) and a similar
star is at the WNW edge 20" from center. A very small bright core appears on closer inspection to be
a close pair of mag 12.5 stars or possibly a bright stellar core and nearby
star. Other than the central
"knot", the unconcentrated 1' background patch has a low surface brightness
and is much smaller than the listed diameter of 4'.
13"
(6/18/85): fairly faint, very small.
This globular appears as a hazy patch easily visible just 1.8' S of Nu 2
= 35 Sagittarii (V = 5.0)! About
half a dozen stars are either superimposed or resolved including two close
pairs.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6717 = H III-143 = h2022 = h3766 on 7 Aug 1784 (sweep 245) and
recorded "two or three minutes south of 35 Sagittarii are three vS stars
which I suspect to contain nebulosity; but it is probably a deception,
circumstances are not favourable enough to determine it." His position is accurate. From the Cape of Good Hope, JH recorded
"Close, to the south of, Nu2 Sagittarii; a very small clustering knot,
with perhaps nebula. A doubtful
object. I see 3 or 4 of the st,
but there is also a nebulous appearance."
According to
Harold Corwin, Bigourdan's IC 4802, described as "neb *13, 15" nf III
143 [NGC 6717]" refers to a clump of stars northeast of the nucleus of NGC
6717 but part of the cluster.
George Abell found the cluster again while inspecting plates for the
POSS1 before 1955 and didn't make the connection with NGC 6717. As a result, this globular is also
known as Palomar 9!
******************************
19 01 28.7 -66
06 36
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 172d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1
N-S, 1.0'x0.5', strong concentration with a small bright core that increases
gradually. A star is possibly
superimposed at the north edge of the core. Located 5.3' NNE of mag 8.6
2MASX
J19023094-6601086 = PGC 3903657 lies 8.4' NE. It appeared faint to very faint, very small, round, 10"
diameter. Situated 27" ESE of
a mag 11 star. A mag 15-15.5 star
is off the south side, 20" from center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6718 = h3764 on 23 Jun 1835 and recorded "vF; R; glbM;
20"; a * 9m 5' dist; pos = 220°." The star is mag 8.6 HD 175607.
******************************
19 03 07.5 -68
35 17
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 107d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2
WNW-ESE, 1.5'x1.0', broad concentration but no distinct core or nucleus. A faint star is at the SW edge. Located 10' NNW of mag 5.9 HD
175986. A wide pair of mag 10
stars lie 6.4' ENE and 8.7' ENE and a few other 10th magnitude stars are in the
field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6719 = h3765 on 23 Jun 1835 and recorded "vF; L; R; vgvlbM;
60"; RA:: being by an auxiliary star." Nevertheless, his position is close to
******************************
18 53 35.1 +33
01 45
V = 8.8; Size 86"x63"
48"
(10/24/11): at 488x and 610x the central star was easily visible continuously
in fair seeing. Using 287x and an
NPB filter, a much fainter large outer halo was easily visible surrounding the
main bright ring (86"x63").
It appeared much more circular than the ring and ~2.5' diameter (roughly
doubling the size), so appeared to extended further out in the direction of the
ring's minor axis. This outer
shell was surprisingly evident and even displayed a slightly ragged or
irregular edge.
28"
(7/8/13): viewed the Ring Nebula at 658x using a 4mm ZAO and an "inverse
OIII" or central star filter, which dramatically dimmed the
nebulosity. The central star was
visible most of the time once acquired, though quite dim. Surprisingly, a second interior star
close northwest of the central star would occasionally pop and it was confirmed
in the same position. Finally, a
third star was seen embedded in the brighter portion of the rim on the NNW edge
(along the minor axis), though often it looked like a quasi-stellar knot. In my 24" the central star was
nearly continuous and the second interior star was highly suspected with the
filter, although I didn't compare with the non-filtered view.
24"
(5/25/14): observed M57 at 1000x (4.5mm Delos + 2x Powermate) in excellent
seeing. The Ring itself was stunning with mottling, textured surface, and
brightness variations across the ring clearly visible. The central star was very faint, but
visible ~75% of the time (sometimes as a quasi-stellar brightening). Often, though, it was seen as a sharp
stellar point. Overall, this was
certainly one of the finest views of the Ring I've experienced.
18"
(6/21/03): I took a look at the Ring Nebula at very high powers in steady seeing for the first time
using my Starmaster w/Zambuto optics.
With the 2.5x Powermate, I used 538x, 807x and finally 1087x! At 538x and 807x, the mag 15.7 central
star flicked on and off several times, but only momentarily. At 1087x, the central star was visible
more consistently, flickering on/off regularly and cleanly visible for a few
seconds at a stretch.
17.5"
(6/5/99): Viewed under very steady seeing at 380x. The halo is elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE and clearly brighter along
the north and south sides (minor axis).
The ends of the major axis are clearly "thinner" and slightly
fainter at the following end. The interior has a pale gauzy appearance. The edge of the ring has a
"wooly" appearance with a strong impression of small irregular wisps
or filaments hinting at the extremely faint outer halo. The central star popped in and out of
view a few times. A mag 13 star is
close off the east side and a very faint mag 15.7 star is a similar distance
off the west end. Another mag 15.6
star is 1' due south of center. At
high power a 3" pair of mag 14-15 stars ~1.3' NNW of center are just
resolved with a difficult mag 16.1 star ~30" further north. On 8/6/02 I didn't see the mag 16.6
star on the visual sequence chart.
17.5"
(7/1/89): extremely faint central star visible for moments at 412x just east of
center. The central star was held
steadily for a few seconds at best with averted vision. Forms an unusual pair with the
extremely faint galaxy
13": very
bright, moderately large, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, high surface brightness,
best example of annularity although interior not dark. Slightly fainter at ends of major
axis. Central star not seen.
6" (7/78):
first view in a dark sky (Bryce Canyon), high surface brightness, ring-shape
obvious, easily takes high power, slightly elongated. Visible in 8x50 finder as a faint "star".
15x50mm IS
binoculars (6/19/09): fairly faint but clearly non-stellar, appearing as a very
small but definite disc.
Antoine Darquier
discovered M57 = NGC 6720 = h2023 using a 2.5-inch refractor in Jan 1779. He wrote, "it is pretty dull, but
perfectly outlined; it is as large as Jupiter and resembles a fading
planet." This description perhaps inspired the name "planetary
nebula". It is assumed
Messier independently discovered M57 later that month, but in the June 2017 issue
of Sky & Tel, Don Olson and Giovanni Maria Caglieris found that Messier
definitely observed the Ring
Nebula on 31 Jan 1779 while searching in the region of Bode's comet while
Darquier's wasn't even aware of Bode's comet until at least 9 Feb, so Messier
deserves discovery credit. In any
case, it was the second PN discovered, after
In 1785 William
Herschel logged, "A perforated Nebula, or Ring of Stars. Among the
curiosities of the heavens should be placed a nebula, that has a regular, concentric,
dark spot in the middle, and is probably a Ring of stars. It is of an oval
shape, the shorter axis being to the longer as about 83 to 100; so that, if the
stars form a circle, its inclination to a line drawn from the sun to the center
of this nebula must be about 56 degrees. The light is of the resolvable kind
[i.e., mottled], and in the northern side three very faint stars may be seen,
as also one or two in the southern part. The vertices of the longer axis seem
less bright and not so well defined as the rest. There are several small stars
very near, but none seems to belong to it."
The discovery of
the challenging central star (V = 15.7 according to
http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611543) is generally attributed to Friedrich von
Hahn in 1795 using a 12" f/20 reflector (mirror from William Herschel).
Though he subsequently reported the "small star is no longer
visible" I find the original observation suspect as his telescope was
probably equivalent to a modern 8" or 9" reflector. William and John Herschel never
reported seeing the central star, nor Lord Rosse in his 36-inch. Rosse found the central star
"pretty bright" with the 72-inch (first seen in 1848) and William
Lassell sketched the central star with his 48" in 1860 (unpublished). Father Secchi claimed an interior star
was seen with the 9.5" refractor in Rome around 1865. Multiple interior stars were observed
through the Lick 36-inch refractor.
******************************
19 00 50.8 -57
45 34
V = 12.0; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 155d
30"
(11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3
NW-SE, sharply concentrated with a very small bright core increasing to a
bright, stellar nucleus, halo appears as an irregularly shaped oval.
IC 4806 appeared
fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.2', sharply
concentrated with a very small, bright core and stellar nucleus. A brighter star is superimposed on the
SE edge and a very faint star is at the NNE tip. Located 14' NNE of the large spiral NGC 6721 and 6' SE of
mag 9.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6721 = h3767 on 12 Jul 1834 and logged "pF; R; psbM;
30"; the central brightness comes almost to a nucleus." His position is accurate.
******************************
19 03 40.4 -64
53 41
V = 12.7; Size 2.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 166d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, very elongated 9:2 NNW-SSE,
fairly large, 1.8'x0.4', contains a small brighter core within a bulging
middle. Two stars are on the north
end (one superimposed and the other barely off). A mag 11.8 star is 2' NW of center. Located 10' due east of mag 8.3 HD
175882 and 7' WNW of mag 7.6
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6722 = h3768 on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded "pF; S; E; glbM;
15"; 2 st 8m precede; the nearest about 8'. Both are nearly on the parallel, or a little south of the
neb, by diagram." His
position and description is a perfect match with
******************************
18 59 33.1 -36
37 53
V = 7.3; Size 11.0'; Surf Br = 0.1
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): very bright, beautiful symmetric globular
at 128x. The halo measures 7' with
a sharply concentrated, blazing 3' core. Roughly 100 stars are resolved with a
strong impression the core would more fully resolve using a higher
magnification. A single mag 10.5
star is at the NE edge of the halo.
17.5"
(6/30/00): this is a beautiful, symmetric GC at 220x. The halo extends to ~6' and is sharply concentrated with a
very bright 3' core. This core is
highly resolved into a dense overlay of faint stars with a single brighter star
just north of center. The extent
of the halo is ill-defined and consists of numerous brighter stragglers (or
field stars) mixed with a sprinkling of dim stars. Perhaps 70 stars are resolved in total. In a remarkable region with a complex
of unusual reflection nebulae (
17.5"
(7/29/92): at 220x, bright, fairly large with about 50 stars visible in a 4'-5'
diameter. Fairly symmetric
appearance with no distinct edge.
Beautifully resolved into several dozen stars. A mag 10.5 star is off the NE edge 3' from the core. Mildly concentrated but no distinct
nucleus although a star appears embedded at the center of the core. The outer halo is well-resolved and a
peppering of stars is resolved over the core. In the same low power field with bright nebula NGC 6726, NGC
6727,
13.1"
(8/24/84): at 220x many faint stars resolved beyond the main disc.
13.1"
(5/26/84): bright, large, mottled, many faint stars resolved across disc and at
edges of halo.
13.1"
(8/15/82): a number of very faint stars resolved around the periphery at 140x.
8"
(7/31/81): bright, large, bright core, mottled, some resolution of extremely
faint stars around edges.
10x30 (8/8/04 -
Haleakala Crater): fairly bright in binoculars, situated just north of the top
of the looping curve forming Corona Australis.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6723 = D 573 = h3770 on 2 Jun 1826 and described "a
beautiful bright round nebula, about 3.5' diameter, moderately and gradually
condensed to the centre. This is resolvable. The moderate condensation, and the
bluish colour of the stars which compose it, give it a very soft and pleasant
appearance. This is rather difficult to resolve, although the condensation is
not very great." Dunlop made 6 observations and his position is 16' too
far east.
JH credited
Dunlop with the discovery despite the poor position and recorded on 31 Aug 1834
a "globular cluster; B; L; R or vlE; vgbM; diam 5'; perfectly resolved
into stars 14..16m, with stragglers extending to 8' diam." Christian Peters independently found
the globular around 1849 at the Capodimonte Observatory in Naples and it was
reported as new in AJ 2, 1856.
Apparently Peters didn't have access to JH's Cape Catalogue.
******************************
18 56 46 +10 25
42
Size 3'
17.5"
(7/24/95): at 100x appears as a small indistinct group in a rich Milky Way
field. Stands out better at 220x
which increases the number of stars to 15 in a 2.5'x2.0' region (slightly
elongated E-W). There are five
brighter mag 12-13 stars and 10 faint stars in this group and visually it
appears to be an asterism.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6724 = h2237 on 5 Sep 1828 with a 5-inch Tully refractor (7-ft
focal length) purchased in 1828 from James South and normally used for
measurements of double stars. This
is the only object JH discovered using this refractor. Only a rough RA (to the nearest minute
of time) is given in the Slough Catalogue and there is no description. Harold Corwin found there is no
additional information in the Herschel Archive DVD material.
Karl Reinmuth
states "no cluster" based on Heidelberg plates and this is repeated
in Dorothy Carlson's 1940 paper.
RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. Corwin mentions NGC 6724 may refer to a small, unimpressive
group of stars about 5' northwest of his (rough) position. But based on my 18-inch observation, I
doubt this group of stars would have caught JH's attention in a 5-inch. See Harold Corwin's identification
notes.
******************************
19 01 56.6 -53
51 47
V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 40d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE,
1.8'x0.45'; contains a bright, very elongated core, tapered at the tips
(spindle shape). A group of mag
12-13 stars extends to the north.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6725 = h3769 on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded "eF; pL;
R." The RA was only
approximated but his position is 4' south of
******************************
NGC 6726 = ESO
396-N013 = Ced 165b
19 01 39 -36 53
30
Size 2'x2'
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the south-southwest
component of two very bright, similar reflection nebulae oriented SSW-NNE and
both surrounding bright stars and each 1.5'-2.0' in diameter with a separation
of 57" (the two stars form the pair
17.5"
(7/29/92): two bright, round nebulae oriented SSW-NNE: The SSW component (NGC
6726) surrounds a mag 7.2 star and the NNE component (
8"
(7/31/81): two fairly bright, round patches in contact surrounding a wide pair
(B 957) consisting of a mag 7.2 star and the variable TY CrA (8.8-12.5) at
58". A closer double star BRS
14 (6.5/7.0 at 13") to the SW.
In a stunning low power field with NGC 6729 and gc NGC 6723.
Julius Schmidt
discovered NGC 6726, along with NGC 6727 and 6729, on 15 Jun 1861, while observing
NGC 6723 with a 6.2" refractor at Athens Observatory. Albert Marth rediscovered this bright
reflection nebula on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "* 7m in a F, pL, white
envelope."
******************************
NGC 6727 = ESO
396-N014 = Ced 165b
19 01 42 -36 52
36
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the north-northeast
component of two very bright, similar reflection nebulae oriented SSW-NNE. Surrounds the variable star TY CrA and
1.5'-2.0' in diameter. The nebulae
are in contact with overlapping halos forming a figure 8.
17.5"
(7/29/92): bright, round, 1.5' diameter, surrounded variable star TY Coronae
Australis (mag 9-10). Forms a pair
with NGC 6726 in contact at the SSW end.
See NGC 6726 for description.
8"
(7/31/81): fairly bright circular halo surrounds star in contact with NGC 6726.
Julius Schmidt
discovered NGC 6727, along with NGC 6726 and 6729, on 15 Jun 1861, while
observing NGC 6723 with a 6.2" refractor at Athens Observatory. Albert Marth rediscovered
this bright reflection nebula on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "* 7.5m in a F, pL,
white envelope."
******************************
18 58 44 -08 58
00
Size 7'
17.5"
(7/27/95): large, scattered group of mag 11-14 stars in a 7' triangular
outline. Fairly easy to pick out
at 100x. There are no rich clumps
but many stars are arranged in strings and loops, forming the outline. A small equilateral triangle of mag 12
stars with sides ~30" is situated at the center of the group. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6728 = H VIII-13 on 16 Jun 1784 (sweep 228) and noted "A
coarsely scattered clusters of stars; the stars nearly of an equal magnitude." There is nothing of note at his
position. Karl Reinmuth reported
"no Cl, a dense region" in his photographic survey at Heidelberg. RNGC classifies the number as
nonexistent.
Harold Corwin
suggests WH's object may be a group of stars (Isserstedt 662), a little over a
minute of RA west near 18 58.8 -08 58 or a larger, more scattered group at 19
00 28 -08 59 (2000).
******************************
NGC 6729 = ESO
396-N*015 = R Coronae Australis = HH 104 = PP 87 = Parsamyan 2 = Ced 165c
19 01 55 -36 57
30
Size 1'
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this remarkable variable
reflection nebulae has a distinct cometary or fan-shape similar to Hubble's
Variable Nebula. The cometary
nebula extends from mag 10 erratic variable R CrA (9.7-13.5) at the NW end and
fans out towards the SE towards a fainter star (mag 11.7-13.5 T CrA) at the SE
edge of the fan.
R CrA is a
pre-main sequence star with 2 to 10 times the mass of the sun and is embedded
in the Corona Australis molecular complex, one of the closest star-forming
regions. The region to the SE
(Bernes 157) is remarkably void of stars!
17.5"
(7/29/92): fairly faint, elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE, 2.0'x0.5'. Variable star T Coronae Australis (mag
11.7-13.5) is attached at the SE end and the nebulosity extends to WNW. Variable star R Coronae Australis (mag
9.7-13.5), which illuminates the nebula, is at the NW end. The unusual cometary appearance is
similar to Hubble's Variable Nebula.
The brighter reflection nebulae NGC 6726/NGC 6727 lies 5' NW. Located in a remarkable field of
nebulosity and the bright globular cluster NGC 6723.
13.1"
(8/15/82): at the edge of the field with NGC 6723 is this cometary nebula. Elongated with a star attached at the
tip.
8"
(7/31/81): faint, elongated nebulosity attached to R Coronae Australis
(9.7-13.5) with a comet-like appearance.
Located 5' SE of brighter NGC 6726/6427 in a remarkable field.
Julius Schmidt
perhaps discovered NGC 6729, along with NGC 6726 and 6727, on 15 Jun 1861,
while observing NGC 6723 with a 6.2" refractor at Athens Observatory. He noted a faint, but clearly visible stellar nebula involved
with a star identified as "nx", but the RA is 4 minutes too large.
Albert Marth rediscovered this bright reflection nebula on 2 Jul 1864 and noted
"*13m with a vF, nebulous tail." His position is accurate.
The illuminating
star is variable R CrA (T Tauri type).
Schmidt also reported the variability of the star and the nebula.
******************************
NGC 6730 = ESO
072-009 = PGC 62796
19 07 33.8 -68
54 46
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, irregularly
round, 1.1'x0.9', high surface brightness elliptical. Located 2.2' SW of mag 7.1
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6730 = h3771 on 23 Jul 1835 and recorded "vF; S; R; pmbM;
10" diam; south preceding a * 7.8m; a great many st 12 and 13m in
field." His position is
accurate.
******************************
18 57 13.5 +43
04 36
=**?,
Corwin. Not found, RNGC.
Gerhard Lohse
discovered NGC 6731 around 1886 using the 15.5-inch refractor at the private
Wigglesworth Observatory in England.
The discovery was communicated directly to Dreyer. There is nothing at
his position and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
Harold Corwin
tentatively identifies NGC 6731 as a 10" double star near Lohse's
position, though this is just a best guess without additional information.
******************************
18 56 24.1 +52
22 38
V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 100d
24"
(7/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, small, irregularly round, 20"-24"
diameter, very weak concentration.
A mag 12.6 star is 40" NNW of center. At 500x, an extremely faint and small glow (quasi-stellar)
often popped momentarily into view just off the east end. This very compact companion [20" E
of center] is catalogued as
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, extremely small, round, fairly high surface brightness. A star is possibly involved or a
stellar nucleus is offset stellar.
On the POSS
there is an extremely compact companion with dimensions 0.1' x 0.1' just off
the east end, and this is probably the "star" noted in the
observation.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6732 = Sw V-87 on 16 Oct 1886 and logged "pB; vS; R; F *
preceding close north." His
RA was 19 seconds too small.
Bigourdan measured an accurate RA on 8 Sep 1888. Herbert Howe, observing
in 1899-00, reported "this is star-like, and of mag 12.5. The "F * nr" is of mag 11,
and precedes 1 second, 0.6' north."
******************************
19 06 10.8 -62
11 48
V = 12.4; Size 1.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 110d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; bright, moderately large, oval 4:3 NW-SE,
0.8'x0.6', small bright core, increases to a bright stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is just off the north
edge and a mag 15 star in involved in the halo on the west side. A distinctive quartet of mag 13-14
stars lies 3'-4' SE, with one of the stars a 5" or 6" double. Outer member on the northeast side of
the Pavo II cluster = ACO S805.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6733 = h3772 on 8 Aug 1834 and logged "eeF; vglbM; 20; a
very difficult object." His
position is accurate.
******************************
19 07 14.3 -65
27 42
V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): brighter and slightly larger of a pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6734 = h3773, along with NGC 6736, on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded
"vF; R; glbM; 20"; the preceding of 2 [with NGC 6736]." His position is accurate.
******************************
19 00 37 -00 28
30
V = 7.5; Size 14'
17.5"
(8/1/92): about 50 mag 13 stars in a 10' field which are very uniform in
brightness. The exception is a mag
7.2 multiple star (SA0 142915 = h874) on the north side, which has three faint
companions including a mag 13.4 star at 10" and a mag 12 companion at
22". This is a large but basically
faint group. The outliers form a
circular pattern and the west to north side is well-defined by a semicircle of
stars. Planetary nebula
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6735 = h2025 on 18 Jul 1827 and described "a considerable
cluster; not rich, but fills the field. *'s = 12m; place that of a double * No.
874 of my third catalogue."
His description and position matches a group of ~30 stars surrounding
SA0 142915 = HJ 874. RNGC
classifies the number as a nonexistent cluster.
******************************
NGC 6736 = ESO
104-037 = AM 1902-653 = PGC 62792
19 07 29.3 -65
25 43
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 73d
30"
(11/3/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): slightly smaller and fainter of a close pair
with NGC 6734 located just 2.5' SW.
Appeared fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, 0.7'x0.55'. Located 4.7' E of a mag 10.4 star and
11' NW of mag 7.6 HD 177345.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6736 = h3774, along with NGC 6734, on 8 Jun 1836 and recorded
"eF; R; glbM; 25"; the following of 2 [with NGC 6734]. His position is just off the southeast
side of the galaxy.
******************************
19 03 03 -18 32
12
18"
(7/21/04): at 115x, ~30 stars are visible in an 8' diameter including two mag
8.5-9 stars and a wide pair of mag 10.5 stars. The majority of the stars are 13th-14th magnitude including
a group of faint stars to the north of the eastern mag 8.5 star. There is also a group of stars
following this brighter star and trailing to the east. Not impressive but stands out
reasonably well at low magnification.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6737 = h2026 on 14 Jul 1830 and noted "A *10 in p rich,
roundish cluster 8' dia; stars 12...15m." His position corresponds with mag 9
Karl Reinmuth
called it "a dense region, but no Cl.", based on its photographic
appearance. ESO also notes
"concentration of stars only".
Dorothy Carlson followed Reinmuth and says "No Cl" and this is
repeated in the RNGC. See Corwin's
notes.
******************************
19 01 21 +11 36 54
Size 15'
17.5"
(7/20/90): at 82x, 125 stars are visible.
This cluster is bright and very large but scattered. Located between a mag 7.5 star and a
mag 8 star with a 30' separation N-S. A nice string of fairly bright stars is
between these two bright stars.
Most of the cluster is west of this string but also a faint stream of
stars is just following.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6738 = h2027 on 29 Jul 1829 and noted "the central star
(double) in a coarse and poor cluster." His position corresponds with HJ 1359, a wide unequal pair
(9.1/12.6 at 18").
This is an
optical alignment of stars seen through various amounts of dust (see "NGC
6738: Not a real open cluster" in 2003A&A...406..893B).
******************************
19 07 48.9 -61
22 04
V = 12.2; Size 2.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 171d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; bright, moderately large oval, elongated 5:2 ~N-S,
1.5'x0.4'. Contains a relatively
large very bright core! The 15'
field contains several mag 13 and fainter stars, but no brighter stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6739 = h3775 on 7 Aug 1834 and recorded "pF; vS; E; psbM;
12" l; has 3 stars preceding."
His position (also measured the next night) is accurate. The RC2 position of 19 08 03 -61 23 40
(2000) is incorrect.
******************************
19 00 50.5 +28
46 16
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7
17.5"
(7/15/93): very faint, very small, round, 30" diameter, low surface
brightness, weak concentration.
Located within a 8' string of stars oriented SW-NE near the intersection
point with another string which is perpendicular. Situated within an extremely rich Milky Way field! Not identified as NGC 6740 in UGC or
MCG.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6740 = m 396 on 28 Jun 1864 and noted "eeF, S." His position is an excellent match with
******************************
NGC 6741 =
Phantom Streak = PK 33-2.1 = PN G033.8-02.6 = J 475
19 02 37.0 -00
26 57
V = 11.4; Size 9"x7"
24"
(9/1/16): easily picked up at 200x as a very small, soft bluish glow. At 500x (unfiltered) the planetary
appeared fairly bright, small, slightly elongated E-W, ~8"x6",
brighter along the rim on the north side.
There was no sign of a central star or any superimposed stars. A mag 13 star is 34" NW, a mag 14
star is 18" W and a mag 14.5 star is 25" SSW. Located 16' N of ∑2434, a wide pair of
mag 8.5 stars at 27" separation.
18"
(8/25/06): picked up at 115x by blinking with an OIII filter. Appears light blue and soft at this
magnification, making the identification as a planetary evident. At 323x a small, crisp-edged disc is
fairly bright, ~8" diameter.
Excellent view at 565x and the planetary appears slightly elongated ~E-W
with a faint, very thin outer envelope with total size of ~10"x8".
17.5"
(7/16/93): fairly bright, very small, round, clearly non-stellar at 220x,
fairly high surface brightness, greenish tinge. Set in a rich field with several stars near including a mag
12 star 35" NNW, a mag 14 star 20" W and a mag 15 star 30"
SW. A striking equal magnitude
double star ∑2434 = 8.5/8.5 at 24" is located 15' S. At 410x, the easily visible disc is
slightly elongated ~E-W. The PN
forms the SE corner of a rough parallelogram with three brighter mag 11-12
stars 2.7' N, 4' WSW and 4' WNW and several other faint stars are near. The planetary has an irregular surface
brightness but no clear structure.
Estimate V = 11.0-11.5.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6741 on 19 Aug 1882 using a direct-vision spectroscope with the
15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. The discovery was announced in AN 2459 and The Observatory,
Vol 5, for Oct 1882.
Robert
Jonckheere listed this planetary as a double star (J 475) in 1911
(http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/Obs../0039//0000134.000.html)
although in 1915 he noted that J 475 was the planetary NGC 6741
(http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1915Obs....38..478J).
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "No central
star. A small bright oval,
9"x7" in p.a. 95°. It
shows traces of an indistinct ring structure, being somewhat fainter along the
major axis. There is a small,
scarcely perceptible protuberance at the western end."
The nickname
"Phantom Streak" is from John Mallas' article "Visual Atlas of
Planetary Nebula V" in the June/July 1963 issue of "Review of Popular
Astronomy". He writes: The "Phantom Streak." First you see it and then you
don't...In the 4-inch looks like a broad silver line. Almost uniform in brightness, the ends appear broken and
diffused...My visual impression agrees with H.D. Curtis's description of this
object. He states "It shows
some trace of a ring structure, being somewhat fainter along the major
axis."
******************************
18 59 19.7 +48
27 57
V = 13.4; Size 32"x32"
24"
(10/4/13): picked up unfiltered at 200x but an excellent contrast gain adding
an OIII filter. Appeared fairly
bright, round, 30"-35" diameter, slightly unevenly lit. At 280x and 375x unfiltered, an
extremely faint star (mag 16?) is barely inside the west edge and a mag 15 star
is just off the NNE edge. Adding
an NPB filter the rim appear to be slightly brighter, particularly along the
north side.
18"
(6/11/07): picked up unfiltered at 174x as a round, moderately bright,
crisp-edged disc of ~30" diameter.
Excellent contrast gain with UHC or OIII filter.
18"
(8/25/06): excellent view at 323x without a filter. The planetary appeared slightly elongated E-W,
~30"x25" with a slightly brighter rim giving a weakly annular
appearance. A very faint 15th
magnitude star is just off the NNE edge and a 16th magnitude star occasionally
pops out at the west edge.
18"
(7/19/04): beautiful view at 322x, appears moderately bright, fairly small,
round, crisp-edged, ~30" diameter.
The rim is slightly brighter giving a weak but definite annular
appearance. A mag 15 star is just
off the NNE edge and a mag 15.5-16 star is intermittently visible right at the
west edge of the halo. Located
3.5' NE of mag 8.8
17.5"
(7/22/01): moderately bright, fairly small, perfectly circular. Easily picked by scanning region at
100x just 3.5' NE of mag 8.9
17.5"
(5/10/86): at 220x without filter appears fairly faint, round, fairly
small. At 105x using an OIII
filter the planetary is bright and compact with crisp round edges.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6742 = H III-742 on 8 Jul 1788 (only object in sweep 849) and
noted "vF, stellar, 300 verified it." He included this planetary in class III of "Very Faint
Nebulae". d'Arrest's single
position is accurate to within 1'.
******************************
19 01 20 +29 16
36
17.5"
(8/4/94): about 35 stars in a 6' diameter group centered on a bright wide
double star h1361 = 8.3/10.6 at 18".
The boxy outline stands out reasonably well at 100x. There are no dense spots and the group
appears fully resolved. A mag 10
star is at the NW end 4' from h1361.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6743 = h2028 on 6 Jul 1828 and reported "A pL, poor cl of
stars forming irreg groups or patches, 11..12m; dia =8'." His position is close to mag 8.4 HD
176970, a wide, unequal double (HJ 1361) and just following a wide triple star.
Karl Reinmuth
called it "not well defined loose Cl around BD +29°3445." RNGC classifies it as nonexistent and
it may be a random asterism. In
any case, the identification is certain.
******************************
NGC 6744 = ESO
104-042 = AM 1905-635 = PGC 62836
19 09 46.2 -63
51 27
V = 8.3; Size 20.0'x12.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 15d
30"
(11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): I primarily scanned NGC 6744 looking for very
small HII regions. The offsets stated
here are relative to a very small bright nucleus, which was sharply
concentrated within the core. A
non-stellar knot was noted 2.5' NW of the nucleus at 19 09 38 -63 49.1. A second knot was seen 2.9' ESE of the
nucleus at 19 10 10 -63 52.3 and a third was just 1.6' NE of center. Roughly a dozen "stars" are
superimposed on the galaxy and some of the fainter ones may be stellar HII
knots.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this massive barred spiral
appeared fairly bright, large, oval 3:2 ~N-S, roughly 8'x6' with a large,
bright core. About a half-dozen stars are superimposed over the face of the
galaxy - some of these are possibly small HII regions. A hint of spirality was
suggested within the outer region but no definite spiral structure was
observed.
20"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): bright, large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, ~9'x6'. A
bright, oval core or bar is surrounded by a moderately low surface halo with an
impression of "motion" or arcs embedded within the outer glow.
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6744 = D 262 = h3776 on 30 Jun 1826 with his 9" reflector
from Parramatta (20 km W of Sydney).
He described "a pretty large very faint nebula, about 5' or 6'
diameter, slightly bright towards the centre; a minute star is north of the
nebula, and two stars of the 7th mag preceding." His position is 1 min 45 sec of time too far west (12'
error). On 20 Jun 1835, JH
recorded "pB; R; at first vg, then svmbM; total diam 2', but that of the
bright part = 15"." His position is accurate.
******************************
19 01 41.7 +40
44 45
V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 24d
48"
(10/24/11): we observed the "Bird's Head" galaxy at 488x and 610x and
the same detail visible in the April observation was seen. In addition, I took notes on the
detached companion (
48"
(4/1/11): this interacting galaxy pair or triple was a fascinating sight at
488x. The main body is bright,
very asymmetric, extending 2:1 N-S, ~1.1'x0.5'. The brighter east side is noticeable curved or bulging to
the east and bends on the north end towards the west. A thin strip along the eastern edge glows brighter. The western edge of the main galaxy is
relatively straight and dimmer.
The south end has a fairly blunt or rectangular appearance. At the north end, a very unusual bright
spike or "bird's beak" with a high surface brightness juts out of the
main body, perhaps 12"x4" (catalogued as NGC 6745 NED03 = PGC 200362
= KTG 69B). A very faint, very
small detached glow, ~5" diameter, is just north of the "beak"
(catalogued as NGC 6745 NED02 = PGC 200361 = KTG 69C).
13.1"
(7/20/85): fairly faint, edge-on SSW-NNE.
At 220x appears to bend on the NNE end to the west. This is a disrupted interacting system
on the POSS and the extension seen at the NNE end may be the contact pair.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6745 = St X-38 on 24 Jul 1879 and noted "vF, lE north and
south." His micrometric
position is accurate.
******************************
19 10 22.3 -61
58 07
V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 173d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately bright or fairly bright, fairly small,
elongated 5:3 N-S, ~50"x30".
Contains a brighter core that occasionally appears elongated (bar?). Situated in a dazzling star field with
four brighter stars in the 15' field including mag 8.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6746 = h3777 on 11 Aug 1836 and logged "eF; R; glbM;
30"." His single
position is accurate.
******************************
18 55 21.5 +72
46 18
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4
17.5"
(7/9/88): very faint, very small, round, bright core. The galaxy is located SW of a 1.6' string of four mag 14
stars oriented SW-NE, the closest being 1.0' NE. A brighter mag 10 star is 3.1' SE.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6747 = Sw V-88 on 31 Oct 1886 and recorded "eeeF; eee
diff.; pB * nr sf; 3 vF course D st in line near nf point to it." His position is 1.9' northwest of CGCG
341-012 = PGC 62564, but his description is a perfect match." Howe claims he searched for this object
in vain on two nights. I'm
surprised he could not find it in the 20-inch refractor at Denver as Swift's
position is not far off.
******************************
19 03 48 +21 36
See oberving
notes for
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6748 = St II-26 on 17 Jul 1871 and recorded "pB, vS,
bM." There are no nonstellar
objects close to Stephan's position despite 5 measurements from his reference
star. This object was considered
lost until 2016. Then Harold
Corwin found that Stephan's offsets from one observation (of 2) of NGC 6751 on
17 Jul 1871 given in Esmiol's 1916 re-reduction of Stephan's offsets, matched
the calculated offsets Stephan gave in his second discovery list (II-26). Esmiol simply left NGC 6748 off of his
published paper and made no special note of the 1871 observation, but clearly
NGC 6748 = NGC 6751. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
NGC 6749 =
Berkeley 42 = C1902+018 = OCL-91 = Lund 876
19 05 15.2 +01
54 03
V = 12.4; Size 6.3'; Surf Br = 4.6
24"
(7/20/12): NGC 6749 was surprisingly easy to sweep up at 200x and it was
immediately noticed in the field as a fairly faint, fairly large, irregular
glow, ~2.5' diameter. Still, the surface brightness is low for a
globular, there was no noticeable concentration, and it somewhat blends into a
rich Milky Way star field. At 325x several very faint stars were
resolved, mostly around the edges. The easiest group to resolve are four
or so along the north and northeast side. Another couple of stars are at
the south and southeast edges. Brighter (field?) stars are off the
southwest and east edges.
18"
(8/2/11): this challenging NGC globular is highly obscured and just stands out
clearly from the rich Milky Way background glow. At 225x it appears as a very faint diffuse glow, roughly 2'
diameter, with a low surface brightness and a small brighter core. A 12th magnitude star is superimposed
and the slightly brighter core of the globular is located about 45" SW of
this star. The edge of the
globular is not well defined but appears to just reach a mag 12.5 on the south
end. Additional mag 11-13 stars
are clearly off the east, west and south side of the halo. Four mag 12-13 stars
just off the south side form a small trapezoid that helps to pinpoint the
location of the globular. Located
26' ENE of mag 5.8
17.5"
(7/1/00): very faint, very low surface brightness globular in a dusty portion
of the Aquila Milky Way (dimmed by at least 4.5 magnitudes of extinction). The core is 15"-20" slightly
brighter spot less than 1' SW of a mag 12 star. The surrounding halo is just a weak glow with averted
vision, 2'-2.5' in diameter with an ill-defined edge, and just brighter than
the Milky Way background. The glow
encompasses the mag 12 star on its northeast side but does not reach two mag
13.5 stars off the south side. This cluster would most likely be overlooked if
just quickly scanning the field and along with NGC 6380 it is one of the two
most difficult NGC globulars!
17.5"
(7/24/95): very faint, ~3' diameter, unusually low surface brightness for a
globular cluster with only a very weak central brightening. A mag 12 star is superimposed on the
north side and two mag 13.5 stars are at the south end (not members). The core appears to be located ~1' SW
of the mag 12 star. Does not appear like a globular but rather a diffuse nebula
in a rich Milky Way field.
Difficult to determine exact outer extent.
13"
(8/11/85): extremely faint, moderately large, very low surface brightness and
fades at high power. Near the
visual threshold this is one of the two faintest NGC globulars along with NGC
6380. Estimate V = 14. Located at the NW edge of an elongated
group of six mag 12/13 stars and 25' ESE of mag 5.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6749 = h2029 on 15 Jul 1827 (single observation) and recorded
"a cluster of loose small stars of various magnitudes; fills the
field." His position is 8'
south-southwest of this highly reddened globular cluster. But, I'm not convinced JH was referring
to the globular, which is only ~3' diameter visually and unresolved in most
telescopes. The visual appearance
doesn't correspond with a object that "fills the field" with
"loose small stars of various magnitudes. His description seems to apply
to the general Milky Way field here, which is very rich. JH catalogued a number
of rich Milky Way fields that caught his eye and this may be another case.
Bigourdan
examined the area on 24 August 1891 and wrote (Corwin's translation),
"Extended region, slightly rich in stars, but which offers nothing
remarkable. "Using
Heidelberg-Königstuhl plates, Reinmuth remarked "a dense region, but no
distinct cluster." Dorothy
Carlson repeated "No Cl" in her 1940 paper on NGC identifications and
this is referenced in the RNGC, although the classification is globular
cluster. Lynga classified it an
open cluster and labeled it Berkeley 42.
The position given in Sky Catalogue 2000, Luginbuhl & Skiff, NGC
2000.0, Uranometria 2000, and Deep Sky Field Guide (first edition) are all
wrong (for the globular), mostly off by ~7' in declination (probably from the
JH and NGC position).
Harold Corwin
writes, "A more appropriate scattering of stars actually overlaps the
globular but extends well to the southwest...even if this is JH's intended
object, I think that it is no more than a random clumping of Milky Way
stars."
******************************
19 00 36.0 +59
09 59
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 5d
17.5"
(7/20/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE, weak
concentration. A line of three mag
10/11 stars oriented WNW-ESE (length 4.3') lies 5'-6' S.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6750 = Sw II-73 on 10 Sep 1885 and noted "vF; vS;
R." His position is unusually
accurate.
******************************
NGC 6751 = PK
29-5.1 = PN G029.2-05.9 = NGC 6748
19 05 55.4 -05
59 32
V = 11.5; Size 21"
24"
(9/30/16): symmetric, very attractive planetary at 450x (unfiltered). The edge of the 20" rim is crisply
defined. The mag 14.5 central star
is easily visible. Annularity is
evident with a brighter rim except for a section of the south edge. The center is slightly darker around
the central star. In a rich star
field with carbon star V Aql 30' NW.
18" (8/26/06):
excellent view at 257x. The
central star was easily seen and the rim appeared brighter with the center
slightly darker. There also
appeared to be a thin outer shell.
A mag 14.5 star is close off the east edge and two mag 14/15 stars off
the west side. At 435x, the
planetary is perhaps slightly elongated ~E-W and one or extremely faint stars
occasionally sparkle, with one possibly on the west edge. The stunning carbon star V Aql is in
the same low power field 30' NW and dark nebula
18"
(7/19/04): at 322x, this is a beautiful 20" fairly bright disc with an
easy mag 14.5 central star. At
435x, the surface brightness is irregular and there is an impression that an
extremely faint star or knot is superimposed on the north side or perhaps the
rim is irregularly brighter along the north side. The planetary is bracketed by two stars just off the leading
and trailing sides.
18"
(9/20/03): moderately bright, round, 20" planetary. Excellent view at 435x; the halo has a
subtle irregular surface brightness and seems slightly fainter near the center
and it also appears to fade slightly at the edge of the halo. The mag 14.5
central star shines steadily.
Situated in a rich star field with a mag 13.5 star at the east edge with
fainter stars off the west side.
The dark nebula B134 lies 20' SE and the deep red variable V Aquilae in
30' NW.
17.5"
(6/3/00): fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter. At 500x, the surface brightness is
uneven and the planetary appears darker on the SE side of the center. The mag 14.5 central star is obvious at
500x. Two stars just off the east
and west edge (fainter star is at the preceding side) bracket the planetary. Situated in a rich Milky Way star
field.
13.1"
(8/16/81): fairly faint, small, round.
The mag 15 central star is suspected at high power. A mag 13.5 star is right at the east
edge and a mag 12.5 is 55" ESE of center. Located 30' SE of the striking deep red variable V Aquilae
(6.6-8.4).
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6751 = m 397 = St XII-90 on 20 Jul 1863 using Lassell's 48-inch
equatorial reflector on Malta and noted "pB, S." His position is 2' too far south. Édouard Stephan found it on 17 Jul 1871
and logged St II-26 (later NGC 6748) as "bright, small, round, central
condensation, seems resolvable."
He misidentified his reference star, though, and NGC 6748 was lost onto
2016 when Harold Corwin noticed the offsets for an observation of NGC 6751
given in Esmiol's re-reduction matched Stephan's computed offsets for NGC
6748. So, NGC 6748 = NGC
6751. Stephan made a second
observation (St XII-90) of NGC 6751 on 3 Aug 1881 and measured an accurate
micrometric position. In the notes
section to list XII, he mentions a 2' error in Marth's polar distance, so he
was aware of the prior discovery.
Williamina Fleming first recognized it as a planetary nebula in 1907.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "central star about
mag 12. The nebular disk is
21" in diameter, nearly round, and shows indistinct evidences of a very
irregular ring formation."
******************************
19 10 51.7 -59
58 55
V = 5.5; Size 20.4'; Surf Br = 0.1
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): NGC 6752 is one of the top
globular clusters (4th brightest in integrated magnitude and 2nd in terms of
brightest members) and was spectacular from Magellan Observatory. At 128x, this naked-eye cluster seemed
fully resolved with an uncountable number of stars densely packed over a large
region. Streamers in the halo
greatly increase diameter to roughly 20'.
The central region is well-compressed to a very bright core. There is a strong 3-dimensional effect
as the core is covered with scores of fairly bright stars seemingly
superimposed over a rich mat of fainter stars and all set over a background
glow. The nucleus is small and
very bright. Many 11-12th
magnitude stars in the halo form complete loops and long chains. A mag 7.7 double star is superimposed
on the SW edge of the halo (h5085 = 7.7/9.2 at 2.8"). This was one of my favorite objects
from Australia!
12"
(6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): this naked-eye cluster ranks second in terms of
brightest members (mag 11.5). The 4' core has several dozen mag 12-13 stars,
many arranged in streaming curves and chains layered over a dense central
glow. The halo is large but
irregular with knots of mag 11-12 stars over a diffuse background. The brighter members, particularly in
the outer halo give the visual appearance of a globular embedded in a larger,
open cluster!
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): very bright, fairly large, 10' total diameter with a 2'
brighter core that increases to very bright nucleus. The large halo is very mottled and partially resolved
although viewed at only 6 degrees elevation as the brightest stars are mag
11. 15-20 stars mag 11-12 are
visible around the edges of the core and within the halo in curved
strings. Mag 7.7
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6752 = D 295 = h3778 on 28 Jul 1826 at Parramatta Observatory
(near Sydney) with his homemade 9-inch f/12 reflector. His full description reads: "a
pretty large and very bright nebula, 5' or 6' diameter, irregular round figure,
easily resolved into a cluster of small stars, exceedingly compressed at the
centre. The bright part at the center is occasioned by a group of stars of some
considerable magnitude when compared with those of the nebula. I am inclined to think that these may
be two clusters in the same line; the bright part is a little south of the
centre of the large nebula." He recorded the cluster on 5 times.
JH also made
multiple observations. On sweep
480 (7 Aug 1834), he recorded "globular cluster; B; rich; psmbM; 7'. The stars are of 2 magnitudes, the
larger 11m, run out in lines like crooked radii. The smaller, 16m, are massed
together in and round the middle."
******************************
19 11 23.8 -57
02 58
V = 11.1; Size 2.5'x2.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 30d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; very bright, large, slightly elongated N-S,
~2.2'x1.8', fairly sharply concentrated with an intense elongated core that
gradually increases to the center.
A mag 12 star is at the southeast edge, 1.0' from center and a fainter
star is off the southwest side.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): moderately bright and large at 127x, round, 1.2' diameter,
fairly well-concentrated to a small bright core. A mag 12 star is off the SE edge of the halo and a mag 13
star is off the SW side (1.3' from center). Located 3.2' S of mag 10
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6753 = h3779 on 5 Jul 1836 and logged "pB; R; gbM;
80"." His position is
accurate.
According to
Sandage (1975), this galaxy is a member of the
******************************
19 11 25.7 -50
38 31
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 80d
30"
(11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1
WSW-ENE, 1.4'x0.6', weak concentration to a slightly brighter core. Surrounded by a number of stars
including a mag 11.6 star 2' N.
Forms a close
pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6754 = h3780 on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded "eF; pmE in
parallel; glbM; 90" l."
On a second observation he logged "pB; pmE in pos 63°, vglbM;
60"."
******************************
19 07 49 +04 16
00
V = 7.5; Size 15'
24"
(8/27/14): although the listed diameter is 15', the most eye-catching region
extends only 5' and is described as the southern group in the earlier
observation. The stars are arrange
in two main groups. On the west
side is a "U" shaped group of a dozen stars, open to the northwest,
with the brightest mag 10.3 star at the southwest end of the loop. A nice unequal pair (~12"
separation) is ~40" SE.
Another couple of pairs (one very close) is along the east side of the
loop. A smaller (~2' dia) but
richer group of a dozen stars is 2'-3' NE. A long looping string of ~20 stars, including two 10th
magnitude, begins close southeast of this group and curves to the south and
west, ending in a small knot of 4 stars. The region between this loop and the
two groups described above contains 10-12 mag 15 stars.
17.5" (8/8/91):
at 140x this is a bright group of 80 stars mag 10-14 in a 10' diameter. The stars are arranged in two groups
separated by a fairly wide, obvious dark rift oriented SW-NE. The southern star group is larger and
richer (about 50 stars) and contains several stars in two rich subgroups. The northern group is also catalogued
as Czernik 39. A mag 10 star is at the west edge of the northern group.
8"
(8/28/81): large, scattered, two parts are resolved into rich clumps.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6755 = H VII-19 = h2030 on 30 Jul 1785 (sweep 416) and recorded
"a pretty compressed cluster of pS scattered stars, of various magnitudes
and colour, 12 or 15' diameter.
On 21 Aug 1791 (sweep 1017), he recorded "a cl of stars of various
sizes, considerably rich, the condensed part of it is divided in
two." On 13 Aug 1830, JH
described a "vL, v rich cluster, composed of 2 or 3 clustering groups
running together; place that of the most condensed part." His position matches the richest part
of the cluster.
******************************
NGC 6756 = Cr
398 = Lund 879 = OCL-99
19 08 42 +04 42
18
Size 4'
17.5"
(7/27/92): at 280x, about two dozen mag 11.5 and fainter stars in a 6'x4' field
surrounding a bright knot just east of center. A mag 13 star is at the NE edge of the knot. With concentration the central knot
resolves into half a dozen very tightly packed mag 14 stars. The brightest mag 11.5 star in the
cluster is 3' S of this knot. Set
over unresolved background haze.
Located 30' NE of open cluster NGC 6755.
8"
(8/28/81): few faint stars at 100x over background haze.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6756 = H VII-62 = h2031 on 21 Aug 1791 (sweep 1017) and recorded
"a small pretty compressed cl. of stars, not very rich." JH made a total of 4 observations. On 13 Aug 1830 (sweep 278), he called
it "pretty rich; S; m compressed; oval or rather fan-shaped. The stars 11...12m, 4' in extent; the
nf side most compressed."
******************************
19 05 06.3 +55
43 02
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 105d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, faint stellar nucleus or
very faint star superimposed.
Unusual appearance as a mag 14.5 star is at the west end and a very
faint star or knot is at the ENE end!
On the POSS there is a knot at the ENE end of the central bar as well as
at the west end just following the mag 14.5 star.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6757 = Sw II-74 on 15 Aug 1884 and recorded "pF; vE; 3 vF
stars curiously placed in it on the line of major axis, which also point to a
double star." His position is
24 seconds of time preceding
******************************
NGC 6758 = ESO
184-037 = LGG 426-003 = PGC 62935
19 13 52.5 -56
18 36
V = 11.6; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 121d
30"
(10/14/15 - OzSky): at 303x; bright, large, oval 4:3 WNW-ESE, 1.5'x1.2',
sharply concentrated with an intense core that increase to a very small,
extremely bright nucleus. A
9" pair of mag 15-16 stars lies 1' NNE of center. Brightest in a group with
ESO 184-033 is
moderately bright, fairly small, round, 0.6' diameter. ESO 184-026 appeared fairly bright,
fairly large, elongated 5:3, sharply concentrated with a small very bright
core.
11" (8/8/04
- Haleakala Crater): at 127x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8'
diameter, broad concentration, very small brighter core. Three IC galaxies are within 20' (IC
4829, 4832, 4840), but I didn't search for these. Viewed at an elevation of 13°.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6758 = h3781 on 9 Jun 1836 and noted "pB; R;
20"." His position is
fairly accurate.
******************************
19 06 57.1 +50
20 51
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Two extremely faint 16th magnitude
stars are involved at the south edge and two mag 13/14 stars are 1' SW.
Auguste Voigt
discovered NGC 6759 = Sw V-89 in 1865 with the 31-inch silvered glass reflector
at Marseille Observatory. Lewis Swift independently discovered this galaxy on
16 Mar 1886 and recorded "vF; S; R: vF D* close sp." His position is fairly accurate. Voigt's 7 discoveries at Marseille were
not published until 1987 so Swift was credited with the discovery in the
NGC. Herbert Howe, observing with
the 20-inch refractor in Denver in 1899-00, commented "the "vF D*
close sp" noted by Swift is of mags 11.5-12.5, and distance
15"."
******************************
19 11 12.0 +01
01 50
V = 9.0; Size 6.6'; Surf Br = 2.4
24"
(8/12/15): viewed at 564x in excellent seeing and I was impressed with the
resolution compared to previous views.
The 2' core was extremely mottled and lively with roughly two dozen very
faint stars popping in and out of view, but only a relative few constantly
visible. Another couple of dozen
stars were resolved in the halo, mostly in a 180° arc along the entire southern
side. The stars along this arc are
confined to a fairly thin strip that appeared detached from the core. Also a sparse string of stars extends
northeast of the core.
18"
(7/19/04): at 225x, moderately bright and large, round. The halo extends to 4'-5' and increases
fairly rapidly to a fairly bright 2' core. The cluster has a very mottled appearance and some very
faint stars are resolved in the halo.
At 435x, the core is extremely lively and several extremely faint stars
pop in and out of visibility for moments.
There are several stars in the halo that are easily resolved, mostly
notably on the east and southeast side.
Also the globular appears slightly elongated at this magnification.
18"
(8/23/03): at 323x this globular appears moderately bright, round, nearly 4'
diameter, broad concentration to a slightly brighter 2' core. A half-dozen stars are resolved around
the periphery with several of these on the southeast and east side. With averted vision a few additional
stars sparkle over the center. At
538x, 10-12 stars are resolved around the edges of the halo and the core is
very lively and on the verge of resolution.
17.5"
(8/8/91): moderately bright, round, 3' diameter slightly elongated E-W, very
mottled or granular appearance. A
few very faint stars are resolved over the core and at the edge of the
core. With averted vision the
faint halo increases in size to 4' diameter. Several stars bracket the halo including a mag 13.5 star off
the east edge. A rich mostly
unresolved clump of extremely faint stars is close west.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, small, no resolution, very diffuse.
John Russell
Hind discovered NGC 6760 = Au 44 on 30 Mar 1845 using a 7-inch Dollond
refractor, while employed at George Bishop's private observatory in
London. He reported "On the
night of 1845 March 30, I found a faint nebula of a circular form... There does
not appear to be any previous notice of this nebula, and Sir James South
informs me that he can find no registered nebula within two degrees of this
place. This somewhat singular as
the present object was found while searching for comets with our 11 foot
refractor." Heinrich d'Arrest
independently discovered the cluster again in 1852 (announced in AN 809) while
searching for comets with the 4.6-inch Fraunhofer refractor in Leipzig, though
he later corrected his announcement.
Arthur Auwers reported that in the 6" Heliometer it was "quite
bright, R, gbM, 2-3' diameter." but once it was "surprisingly faint." At Birr Castle, Dreyer reported it as
"vB, L, iR, vgpmbM, like a distant glob. Cl, although not distinctly
resolved with the higher powers.
eF curved branches go out from the south side."
JH noted in the
GC that this nebula was suspected of variability due to the widely disparate
visual brightness estimates.
******************************
NGC 6761 = ESO
231-028 = PGC 62957
19 15 04.7 -50
39 24
V = 13.4; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 19d
30"
(11/6/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, moderately large,
irregularly round, 1.3'x1.0', broad concentration except for a very small
brighter core. Unusual appearance
as several mag 15 stars are superimposed in the halo. Located 10' W of mag 8.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6761 = h3782 on 8 Jul 1834 and logged "eF; R; pL;
50"." On a second
observation, he noted "vF; irr R; 40"."
******************************
19 05 37.1 +63
56 03
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 119d
17.5"
(8/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, small bright
core. A mag 14.5 star is 1.0' NW
and a mag 12 star is 2.0' NW.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6762 = Sw II-75 on 30 Apr 1884 and noted "eF; vE." His position and description is nearly
identical to
******************************
NGC 6763 = NGC
6762 = UGC 11405 = CGCG 323-009 = PGC 62757
19 05 37.1 +63
56 03
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 119d
See observing
notes for NGC 6762.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6763 = Sw II-76 on 30 Aug 1883 and recorded "eF; vS; cE; F
* nr; D * in field. n of
2" His position is 14 seconds
of time due west of
******************************
19 08 16.4 +50
56 00
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 62d
24"
(6/29/16): at 260x; moderately bright, very elongated 5:1 WSW-ENE (central
bar), ~1.7'x 0.35', broad weak concentration, sharp stellar nucleus. After careful viewing, a very low
surface brightness halo surrounds the bar and increases the size to
~1.7'x0.6'. Three mag 14-15 stars
are at the south side including a 10" pair parallel to the major axis
[25" south of the nucleus]. A
faint non-stellar knot was visible at the ENE end of the bar. Occasionally it was elongated and
angled towards the north. A
matching knot was suspected (lower contrast) at the WSW end of the bar.
Forms a pair
with
13.1"
(10/20/84): fairly faint, diffuse, fairly small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE,
very diffuse edges. Two or three
faint stars are superimposed on the halo south of center although one of these
may be a faint stellar nucleus. A
nice double star is 6' WNW (mag 11/12 at 20"). Located on the Cygnus-Draco border.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6764 = Sw II-77 on 4 Jul 1885 and recorded "pF; pL; cE; sev
vF stars involved." His
position is on the west side of
******************************
19 11 06.4 +30
32 45
V = 13.1; Size 38"
18"
(7/16/07): this unusual planetary was picked up at 174x unfiltered as an
elongated glow. The view is
confused, though, as a star or knot in directly involved at the NE end along
with 1 or 2 additional stars around the edges. Excellent contrast gain with an OIII filter as the edges
sharpened up and the halo appeared elongated 2:1 SW-NE, ~0.6'x0.3'. At 225x, a mag 14-15 star is just off
the NE end and the involved knot seemed to occasionally resolve into a couple
of faint stars just north of center near the NE edge. Finally, an extremely faint star occasionally sparkled at
the SW end.
17.5"
(9/5/99): picked up at 100x as a small, irregular glow in a rich star field by
moving 20' NW of ∑2483 = 7.9/9.0 at 10". At 220x, the PN is clearly elongated ~2:1 SW-NE. The appearance is odd with a much
brighter NE end and a fainter extension to the SW end. A mag 14.5-15 star is just off the NE
end in the direction of the elongation.
At 380x, a very faint star was intermittently glimpsed within the NE
end. If this is the central star
it is very eccentrically placed.
13"
(6/18/85): faint, elongated SSW-NNE, appears similar to a diffuse galaxy. A faint mag 14.5 star is at the NE
tip. Located 20' NW of ∑2483 =
7.9/9.0 at 10".
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6765 = m 398 = Sf 42 = St II-27 on 28 Jun 1864 with Lassell's
48-inch on Malta and noted "F, S, mE or ray." His position is accurate. Truman Safford independently
rediscovered this object on 12 Jul 1866 using the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at
Dearborn Observatory in Chicago (he also found the planetary
******************************
20 10 23.6 +46
27 40
See observing
notes for
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6766 = HN 53 on 8 May 1883 by means of a spectroscopic sweep
with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. The discovery was announced, along with
Ralph Copeland
independently discovered this planetary on 20 Sep 1884 at Dun Echt, Aberdeen
using an objective-prism sweep with a 6.1-inch refractor. His position is
accurate. His observation was
catalogued as NGC 6884. So, NGC
6766 = NGC 6884. Although
Pickering's NGC 6766 was the earlier discovery, the primary designation is NGC
6833 due to its unambiguous NGC position.
RNGC classifies NGC 6766 as nonexistent.
******************************
19 11 33.9 +37
43 31
=**,
Corwin. Not found, RNGC.
Gerhard Lohse
discovered NGC 6767 around 1886 using the 15.5-inch Cooke refractor at the
private Wigglesworth Observatory in Scarborough, England. The discovery was communicated directly
to Dreyer and reported as "vF, S, R, stellar, S* nr N". There are no nebulous objects near his
position and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
Harold Corwin
identifies NGC 6767 as a 12" pair of mag 14/15 stars very close to Lohse's
position.
******************************
19 16 32.6 -40
12 33
Size
1.2'x1.1'; PA = 36d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 394x; bright, fairly large, 1.1'x0.9', sharply
concentrated. Contains a very
bright, relatively large core! A
mag 11 star is 4' WSW. Forms an
excellent double system with
17.5"
(7/20/96): faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, low surface brightness
(due to low elevation). ESO
337-017 was not seen in these conditions.
A string of three mag 14 stars are close preceding. I had a very difficult time identifying
the correct field.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6768 = h3786 on 4 Aug 1834 and logged "vF; S; R;
pslbM." His position is 1'
north of
******************************
NGC 6769 = VV
304a = ESO 141-IG048 = AM 1914-603 = KTS 59A = LGG 427-008 = PGC 63042
19 18 22.7 -60
30 04
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 123d
25"
(10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; brightest member in a group and interacting with
NGC 6770. It appeared bright,
fairly large, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 1.6'x1.2'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright elongated core. A mag 12.2 star is at the east edge,
0.9' ENE of center. NGC 6771 lies
3.5' SE, forming a striking triplet in a rich star field with IC 4842 11.5' SE
and IC 4845 16' NE.
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the brightest member and first of
four in an interesting galaxy group!
It appeared moderately bright and large, slightly elongated NW-SE,
1.5'x1.2'. In a close trio with
NGC 6770 1.9' E and NGC 6771 3.5' SE with a 4th galaxy, IC 4842, 11' SE. On the DSS image this galaxy is clearly
distorted from interacting with NGC 6770 with streamers, plumes, loops and H II
regions in the outer arm. IC 4842
appeared appears fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE,
1.2'x0.8', slightly brighter core.
IC 4845 lies 16' NE.
The trio is
listed as an isolated southern triplet (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6769 = h3783, along with NGC 6770 and 6771, on 11 Aug 1836 and
recorded "vF; R; lbM; 20".
The first of 3." His
RA is 1.0 minute too small. DeLisle Stewart provided an accurate RA (given in
the IC 2 Notes), based on plates at Harvard's Arequipa Station in Peru.
******************************
NGC 6770 = VV
304b = ESO 141-IG049 = AM 1914-603 = KTS 59B = LGG 427-009 = PGC 63048
19 18 37.3 -60
29 47
V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 20d
25" (10/17/17
- OzSky): at 244x; NGC 6770 is the disrupted, eastern member of an interacting
pair with NGC 6769 (1.8' between centers). It appeared moderately bright or fairly bright, roundish,
sharply concentrated with a bright elongated core or bar oriented NW-SE. In a rich star field with a mag 12.2
star is just off the west side [0.9' W of center] and a mag 13 star is at the
east edge of the halo. NGC 6771 is
3' S and IC 4845 lies 14.5' NE.
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this close companion to NGC 6769 is just
1.9' following and appears fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter
with a small brighter core. On the
DSS a straight spiral arm points directly towards the southeast end of NGC
6769, apparently as a result of the interaction. NGC 6771 lies 2.9' S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6770 = h3784, along with NGC 6769 and 6771 on 11 Aug 1836 and
logged "eF; 15". The 2nd
of 2." His RA is 1.0 minute
too large and he probably reversed the declinations of this galaxy and NGC
6767. DeLisle Stewart provided an
accurate RA (given in the IC 2 Notes), based on plates at Harvard's Arequipa
Station in Peru.
******************************
NGC 6771 = ESO
141-IG050 = AM 1914-603 = KTS 59C = LGG 427-006 = PGC 63049
19 18 39.5 -60
32 46
V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 118d
25"
(10/17/17 - OzSky): at 244x; fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated
4:1 WNW-ESE, ~1.25'x0.3'. Contains
a bright, elongated core. Three
mag 13.5 stars are close south.
Southern member of a triplet with interacting NGC 6769 and 6770 ~3' N.
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): third of three galaxies with NGC 6769 3.5'
NW and NGC 6770 3.2' N in a tight trio.
Fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.4', small
brighter core. Forms the southern
vertex of an isosceles triangle with NGC 6769 and NGC 6770.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6771 = h3785, along with NGC 6769 and 6770, on 11 Aug 1836 and
logged "eF; 20". The 3rd
of 3." His RA is 55 seconds
too large (similar offset as the two others). DeLisle Stewart provided an accurate RA (given in the IC 2
Notes), based on plates at Harvard's Arequipa Station in Peru.
******************************
19 14 36.2 -02
42 24
V = 12.6; Size 70"x56"
24"
(8/30/16): at 225x and 375x (unfiltered); moderately bright and large, slightly
elongated ~N-S, ~70"x55".
The rim is slightly brighter, particularly along the east and west side
and weaker on the south end. The
surface brightness is irregular or mottled and there appeared to be a small
knot [the DSS reveals two faint, very close stars] embedded on the northeast
side. A mag 15.7 star is just off
the east side [44" from center] and a mag 16.3 star is just off the north
end [52" from center].
18"
(8/26/06): excellent view at 323x and UHC filter. Appears moderately bright, round, fairly large, ~60"
diameter. The rim is sharply
defined and slightly brighter with a subtly darker center giving a weak annular
impression.
18" (8/23/03):
at 215x with a UHC filter, this planetary appears as an irregular, 60"
disc, slightly elongated N-S. The
rim is slightly brighter, particularly along an arc from the southwest to the
north side, giving a weakly annular appearance. At 538x the view is too dim but I noticed a couple of
extremely faint stars along the edge of the rim.
17.5"
(9/5/99): easily picked up at 100x as a 1' disc, appearing slightly
irregular. Best view at 220x and
280x using a UHC filter. The disc
was quite irregular in surface brightness and slightly elongated N-S. Most notably, the rim is generally
brighter along the northern side in a broad "U" shape with the center
weakly annular. The south rim of
the planetary is fainter and less well defined. No central star seen at 380x.
13"
(8/8/86): moderately bright, slightly elongated N-S, estimate V = 13.0. Pretty view at 214x and UHC filter with
a slightly mottled or uneven surface brightness.
8"
(7/31/81): faint, diffuse, moderately large.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6772 = H IV-14 = h2032 on 21 Jul 1784 (sweep 242) and recorded
"vF, r, nearly of equal light throughout; about 1' in diam. In the midst of numberless stars of the
milky way." His position was
7' too far west-northwest. On 23
Jul 1827, JH noted "vF; R; vlbM; r; 30"." His position (also measured the next
sweep) is fairly accurate.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "the nebula is a a
very faint and vague oval ring 75"x56" in p.a. about 173°. Brightest on the east and west edges;
considerably fainter along and at the ends of the major axis."
******************************
19 15 08 +04 51
24
17.5"
(7/27/95): unimpressive coarse group of ~20 stars in a 7'x2' rectangular
outline elongated N-S and appears to be nothing but an asterism. Includes six brighter mag 9-11
stars. The stars in this weak
asterism simply form the border and there are no stars inside. The extent of the group is arbitrary
but I included a few mag 11 stars to the south giving the elongation. A mag 8.5 star located 14' NE is
closely surrounded by a group of six faint stars. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6773 = h2033 on 13 Aug 1830 and noted "Coarse, not very
rich, eighth class." His
position corresponds to the brightest mag 9.5 star at the west end of the
group. Karl Reinmuth, based on its
photographic appearance, wrote "no Cl, a few st pretty much sc." Dorothy Carlson repeated "No
Cl" in her 1940 paper on NGC corrections as well as the RNGC.
******************************
19 16 18 -16 15
Size 20'
13.1"
(8/5/83): large, scattered field of 50 stars mag 11 and fainter in a 20'
diameter although no real borders.
Does not contain any rich spots.
Possibly not a true open cluster.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6774 = h2034 on 27 Jul 1830 and recorded "a very large
straggling space of loose stars, 8, 9, and 10m." On a second sweep (27 Jul 1830), he logged "a fine, L,
loosely scattered cl of large with some small stars. Fills 2 or 3 fields." His single good position matches mag 8.4
******************************
19 16 42 -00 56
00
Size 12'x4'
24"
(9/30/16): at 200x; the most compressed grouping is at the east end and
includes a half-dozen brighter stars including a nice linear string. Perhaps 20 stars are resolved in a 2.5'
region. A nice sprinkling of 13th
and 14th magnitude extends to the east for ~10'. There are no dense clumps, but just enough stars to catch
the eye. Combined, the group is
somewhat detached in the wider field and extends ~12'x 5', roughly elongated
WNW-ESE, with the main clump at the ESE end.
17.5"
(8/19/95): at 220x appears as a small, faint group of about a dozen stars mag
12.5-14.5 in a 2.5' region. Most
striking is a rich string of six stars oriented E-W just 1.5' in length. Stands out reasonable well at 100x but
higher power brings out a few fainter stars. Listed as a nonexistent cluster in RNGC and not in Lynga 5.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6775 = h2035 on 19 Jul 1828 and logged "A cluster, poor,
loose, irreg fig, stars 10 and 11m."
At his position is a distinct group of 10-12 stars described in my
observation. This may be an asterism
and RNGC lists the cluster as nonexistent (Type 7).
******************************
NGC 6776 = ESO
104-053 = AM 1920-635 = PGC 63185
19 25 19.2 -63
51 37
V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d
30"
(10/18/17 - OzSky): at 264x; fairly bright, moderately large, slightly
elongated N-S, ~0.9'x0.75'.
Sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to a
very bright stellar nucleus. A mag
14.8 star is off the south side, 1.2' from center and a mag ~14.5 star is at
the northwest edge [25" from center]. Mag 9.8
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, fairly small, roundish,
0.8'x0.7'. A faint star is just
off the northwest side, ~30" from the center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6776 = h3787 on 20 Jun 1835 and logged "pB; R; psbM;
15"." There is nothing
at his single position, but 1.7 minutes of RA east and 1.5' north is ESO
104-053 = PGC 63185. There are no
other bright candidates nearby, so this identification is fairly secure. DeLisle Stewart's corrected RA (given
in the IC 2 Notes) is 1.6 minutes further west, instead of east
******************************
19 26 32 -71 27
54
V =
8.0/8.3; Size 2
=** (mag 8-8.5
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered NGC 6777 = Lac I-13 in 1751-1752 with a 1/2" telescope
at 8x, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. He noted "it resembles the
preceding [a small nucleus of a comet]." Based on plates taken at Harvard's Arequipa Station, DeLisle
Steward reported "Not seen, 2 st 8 or 9 mag nr, but no neb." This is a 2' pair of mag 8-8.5 stars
(
The RNGC
classification is galaxy, but the position falls on a blank piece of sky just
4' east of Lacaille's. As an
alternative, Harold Corwin states "NGC 6777 may be NGC 6752 (first
suggested by Owen Gingerich in a Sky and Telescope article which appeared in
the February 1960 issue on page 207). If so, there is a large error in
Lacaille's position."
******************************
19 18 24.8 -01
35 47
V = 12.1; Size 25"x19"
18"
(8/26/06): at 115x appears as a fairly bright but small, round disc with a
blue-grey color. Excellent view at
435x with an irregular shape slightly elongated ~E-W, ~25"x20". A brighter knot at the west end gives
the appearance of being double or bipolar. At 565x the surface brightness is noticeably irregular and
an extremely faint "stellaring" was occasionally visible at the west
edge and I caught fleeting glimpses of a centrally located star.
17.5"
(9/5/99): fairly bright, but small disc picked up at 100x. Easily takes high power. Nice view
unfiltered at 280x - the PN has an irregular surface brightness with a brighter
center but no central star and appears slightly elongated WNW-ESE, perhaps
20"-25" in diameter. At
500x the outer edge of the rim fades and is not sharply defined. At moments a sparkle was visible at the
center with this magnification.
Located 5.0' WSW of mag 9
13"
(8/8/86): bright, fairly small, estimate V = 12.0-12.5. Very nice view at 214x with a UHC
filter and slightly elongated WNW-ESE with a fainter rounder halo suspected.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6778 = m 399 on 25 Jun 1863 and noted "S, E, ill defined
whitish disc." His position
is 1.8' off the southwest. JH was
probably the original discoverer on 21 May 1825, but his position for h2038 is
poor so the identification
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "the brighter part of
the nebula takes an hour-glass shape; is 19"x13"; faint ansae in p.a.
18° bring the total length to 25".
Fainter along the major axis."
******************************
19 16 35.4 +30
11 04
V = 8.3; Size 7.1'; Surf Br = 0.8
24"
(8/12/15): superb view at 564x (10mm ZAO + 2.5x Powermate) in excellent seeing
and transparency. This bright
globular was highly resolved over the entire large central region and within a
straggling, irregular halo that filled the 5' field. Roughly 100 or more stars were resolved, though it was
difficult to judge the extent of the halo as it thinned into the density of the
surrounding Milky Way star field.
The unresolved background glow of the halo was more evident on the south
side.
17.5"
(8/27/87): about 30 stars resolved including many mag 15 stars at 280x. Resolution is evident over the entire
disc and at the edges of the ill-defined halo. Situated in a rich star field.
13.1"
(5/26/84): many faint stars and some brighter stars near the west edge.
13.1"
(8/16/82): a number of faint stars resolved, particularly at the west edge.
8"
(10/4/80): very grainy, ragged, few faint stars resolved.
80mm (8/27/87):
easily visible at 11x.
Charles Messier
discovered
******************************
NGC 6780 = ESO
184-062 = AM 1918-555 = LGG 426-005 = PGC 63151
19 22 51.0 -55
46 33
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 168d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 303x; moderately bright, elongated 5:4 N-S, 1.5'x1.2',
broad concentration and grows to a slightly brighter core and quasi-stellar
nucleus. Weak spiral structure is
just visible in the halo. Located
8.8' SE of mag 8.1
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6780 = h3788 on 9 Jun 1836 and recorded "vF; L; R; vglbM;
90"." His single
position is accurate.
******************************
19 18 28.2 +06
32 23
V = 11.6; Size 111"x109"
24"
(6/30/16): at 322x and 500x; fairly bright and large, round, just under 2'
diameter. Contains a relatively
thick, much brighter rim, except on the north side. The annulus is unevenly in surface brightness, but brighter
along a 180° arc, centered on the side south and dimming gradually but
extending ~240°. This gives the
planetary a "C" shape appearance. The remaining 120° arc, centered on the north edge, is
noticeably fainter. A mag ~13.5
star is at the northeast edge, a mag ~14.5 star is just off the north-northwest
edge and a mag 15.5+ star is barely off the south edge. An extremely faint star is superimposed
just north-northeast of center (probably not the central star).
18"
(7/14/07): at 225x appeared fairly bright, fairly large, round, perhaps 1.8'
diameter. A brighter rim is
evident, particularly along the entire south half and extending for nearly 180
degrees. The rim is weaker on the
north side giving a partial thick "C" or crescent appearance. A mag 13.5 star is at the northeast
edge.
18"
(8/14/04): at 225x, appears moderately bright, fairly large, round, at least
1.5' diameter. A mag 13.5 star is
at the NE edge of the rim with a fainter star off the NNW edge. The rim is clearly brighter,
particularly along the entire south side, with the rim fading on the north side
giving an asymmetric or crescent appearance. A large central "hole"
appears slightly darker. At 160x, one or possible two extremely
faint stars flickered on and off within the interior of the disc but neither
appeared to be the central star.
17.5"
(6/30/00): at 220x unfiltered this fairly bright PN has a 1.5' round halo. The rim is brightest and more
well-defined along an arc on the south and southeast rim. The central 45" hole is slightly
darker and irregular in surface brightness. A mag 13 star is at the northeast edge and once or twice I caught
a fainter glimmer of an interior star north of center.
17.5"
(7/12/99): at 100x appears fairly bright, round, ~1.6' diameter with a darker
center. I used a variety of
magnifications and filters but the most interesting view was at 220x using a
UHC filter. With this combination
the PN is slightly elongated E-W and clearly brighter along the southern rim
with the brightening tapering towards the ends so this brighter portion had a
crescent appearance. Because of
this asymmetric rim the darker center seems offset and only weakly brightens at
the NW rim. A mag 13 star is just
off the NE edge 1' from center.
17.5"
(8/2/86): at 222x and UHC filter; very large, about 1.8' diameter, much
brighter on the SW portion of the rim, darker center. A mag 13 star is just off the NE edge.
13.1"
(6/29/84): the rim is brighter mainly on the SW side giving a slightly annular
appearance. A faint star is off
the east edge.
13.1"
(8/15/82): brighter rim mostly evident on the south side and a darker center
just visible at 140x-200x.
8"
(7/24/82): large and easily viewed but the annularity was not seen with any
certainty.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6781 = H III-743 = h2037 on 30 Jul 1788 (sweep 850) and recorded
"cF, iF, 3 or 4' diam, resolvable." JH made a detailed observation on 15 Aug 1830: "A most
beautiful, vL, F planetary nebula.
Diameter in RA = 6.5 seconds = 1' 37"; its light nearly uniform,
only very little hazy at the edge and perhaps rather brighter at the southern
limb. It nature seems to have been
overlooked or mistaken by my Father, who has placed it in his third class [Very
Faint Nebula]. In Milky Way. Many stars in field, one 11m near the
nf limb." On 28 Aug 1850, LdR
(or assistant) described the planetary as "annular or perhaps spiral, star
distinctly seen in dark part n of centre, others seen at moments. The dark space is undoubtedly irr in
form." E.E. Barnard described
the planetary as annular using the Yerkes 40" refractor in 1899.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "this object is
`06" in diameter from east to west, and a little longer than this along a
major axis in approximately p.a. 5°.
Exceedingly faint at the north; brightest at east and west edges, and
fainter along the major axis.
Indistinct ring structure shown around edges."
******************************
NGC 6782 = ESO
142-001 = LGG 427-011 = PGC 63168
19 23 58.0 -59
55 21
V = 11.8; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 45d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 303x; bright, large, oval 3:2 N-S, ~1.2'x0.8', sharply
concentrated with an intense core that increases steadily to a very bright
stellar nucleus. Located 3' N of
mag 9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6782 = h3789 on 12 Jul 1834 and logged "not vF or pB; R;
psmbM; 30"." His mean
position (3 observations) is fairly accurate.
******************************
19 16 47.6 +46
01 02
V = 14.3; Size 0.3'x0.3'
17.5"
(8/10/91): very faint, small, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, weak concentration. A mag 15.5 is at the SE edge 13"
from the center and a mag 15 star is 20" off the NW edge.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6783 = St IV-2 on 4 Aug 1872. His offset points to
******************************
19 26 34 -65 37
24
Size
0.9'x0.5'; PA = 160d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 303x; NGC 6784 is a close pair of similar galaxies
oriented SW-NE that were both easily visible.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6784 = h3790 on 23 Jun 1835 and recorded "eeF; pL; among
small stars." He made three
observations (all called "eeF"), but made no reference to it being
double. So, as Harold Corwin
notes, its impossible to tell whether he saw one or the other, or both.
******************************
NGC 6785 = NGC
6778? = PK 34-6.1 = PN G034.5-06.7
19 18 24.8 -01
35 47
See observing
notes for NGC 6778.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6785 = h2038 on 21 May 1825 and recorded "An eS stellar neb
= a * 15m; it is 2/3 of a diam of field (=10') from a double star which it
follows, to S[outh]. Pos from the
star = 240 deg +/-. The RA is excessively loose." There is nothing near his position nor
at Bigourdan's "corrected" position from 22 Jun 1884 (repeated in the
IC2 Notes). Harold Corwin states
Bigourdan found a close trio of stars.
Instead, Corwin
feels NGC 6785 more likely is a duplicate observation of NGC 6778, which was
independently found by Albert Marth in 1863. This requires that JH's RA was 2 minutes too large, and that
his declination was 30' too far north.
There is a double star 10' from this planetary, but the orientation is
also reversed (NGC 6778 is 10' WSW in PA 250°)
******************************
19 10 54.0 +73
24 36
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 40d
24"
(7/23/14): using 200x and 375x, appeared moderately bright and large, slightly
elongated N-S, 0.6'x0.45', contains a small bright core. A mag 12.2 star is 1.8' N and a similar
star is 1.2' NE.
Forms a close
pair with
17.5"
(7/9/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Two mag 12 stars are 1.8' N and 1.2' NE
of center. The mag 12 star just
1.2' NE is superimposed directly on the center of UGC 11415, so the halo was
not visible.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6786 = Sw V-90 on 3
Oct 1886 and recorded "eeF; S; R; south-preceding of and near 2
stars." His position and
description is an excellent match.
Herbert Howe, observing with the 20-inch refractor in Denver in 1899-00,
commented "the 2 stars north-following are of mag 10. The nearer one follows 11 seconds, 1.0'
north. The more distant is very
nearly north of the nebula, at a distance of about 2'. The NGC description is "eeF",
but the nebula appears to be only "F"."
******************************
19 16 10.6 +60
25 03
V = 13.9; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5"
(8/13/88): faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is at the NW side.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6787 = Sw II-78 on 10 Sep 1885 and recorded "eeeF; pS; 4
stars in semi circle sf; e diff."
His RA is 12 seconds too small and the "4 stars in semi-circle
sf" lie 5' southeast, so the identification is certain. Herbert Howe measured an accurate
micrometric position in 1899-00 and commented that "the '4 stars
south-following' form a rude square."
******************************
19 26 49.8 -54
57 03
V = 12.0; Size 2.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 71d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 303x; bright, large, edge-on 4:1 WSW-ENE, 2.0'x0.5',
sharply concentrated with a very bright core. A bright mag 12 star is near the WSW end (0.8' WSW of
center) and somewhat detracts from viewing the outer halo on this end. Located south of a line connecting mag
7.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6788 = h3791 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "pB; pmE; S;
follows a * 11m." His RA was
accurate on one sweep and 1 minute too small on the other. He assumed the erroneous one was
correct. DeLisle Stewart gave the
correct RA as measured on an Arequipa plate.
******************************
19 16 42.1 +63
58 17
V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 60d
17.5"
(8/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, round, broad concentration. Appears fainter than CGCG mag =13.7.
NGC 6789 is the
nearest blue compact dwarf galaxy and resides at a distance of 2.1 Mpc (close
to the Local Group).
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6789 = Sw IV-75 on 30 Aug 1883 and noted "eeeF; pL; R; ee
diff." His position is 1.4'
south-southwest of
******************************
19 22 56.9 +01
30 47
V = 10.7; Size 10"x5"
17.5"
(7/28/92): at 82x, very bright, stellar, surprisingly prominent, estimate V =
10.0. Blinks well with an OIII
filter. At 280x appears very
bright and a very small but definite disc about 5" diameter is visible
with a bluish color. A mag 11.5
star lies 35" W.
13" (7/85):
bright, just non-stellar 220x, estimate mag 10, easy blinker with OIII. A mag 11 star is 30" W. Forms the east vertex of a thin rhombus
of mag 10 stars.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6790 on 16 Jul 1882 using a direct-vision spectroscope with the
15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. He noted "very bright and minute." The discovery was announced in AN 2454
and The Observatory, Vol 5, for Oct 1882.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) reported "Indistinguishable
from a star on the Crossley negatives, but shown to have a minute disk visually
with the 36-inch refractor."
******************************
19 20 53 +37 46
18
V = 9.5; Size 16'
24"
(8/12/15): gorgeous field at 200x (1/2°) using a 13mm Ethos, but this rich
cluster was superbly resolved at 200x using a 10mm Zeiss Ortho. Roughly 100 stars were visible in an
irregular oval outline, slightly elongated NW to SE. The stars are remarkably uniform but slightly brighter along
the southeast edge. Interestingly,
a large percentage of the resolved stars form the outline as the center is
richer and contains more fainter stars (like a very weakly compressed globular
cluster). A string of stars
extends roughly through the center, bisecting the oval and a "void"
is created by this string on the southeast interior. The outline is fairly well-defined, with some brighter field
stars beyond, including a couple of mag 10-10.5 stars off the south side and a
mag 9.5 star 11' NW of center.
Excellent cluster!
13.1"
(9/11/82): fairly faint, moderately large, many faint stars are resolved over
haze with averted, low surface brightness.
8": moderately
large, very faint hazy patch like a low surface brightness galaxy, no
resolution.
NGC 6791 is one
of the very oldest open clusters, along with Berkeley 17, with an age of 8 to
10 Gyr!
August Winnecke
discovered NGC 6791 = Au 45 in December 1853 with his 2.8-inch Merz
refractor. At the time he was an
18-year old astronomy student at Gottingen University. He described the cluster (repeated in
Auwers' 1862 list of new nebulae) as "very faint; a miniature image of
******************************
19 20 57.5 +43
07 59
V = 12.1; Size 2.2'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 25d
13.1"
(7/20/85): fairly faint, prominent bright core, faint extensions SW-NE. Located 1.5' SE of a mag 10 star. Forms a pair with
Gerhard Lohse
discovered NGC 6792 around 1886 using the 15.5-inch Cooke refractor at the
private Wigglesworth Observatory in Scarborough, England. The discovery was communicated directly
to Dreyer. His position is 1.7'
south of
******************************
19 23 14 +22 08
30
Size 6'
17.5"
(9/7/91): three dozen stars mag 10.5-14 in a 8' field. Fairly distinctive in the field. Located within a 30' loose, indistinct
group with a mag 8 star at the west edge.
The core of the cluster contains a 1' triangle of mag 10.5-11 stars with
the north vertex a nice double star (h886 = 10.5/11.5 at 8"). Just south is a 1' quadrilateral
consisting of four mag 13 stars.
No other distinct groups are in the cluster, although 4' N and 4' E are
two small groups of seven and four stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6793 = H VIII-81 = h2039 on 18 Jul 1789 (sweep 932) and recorded
"a sc. cl. of cL stars, pretty rich, iF, above 15' in extent." His position is accurate. On 24 Aug 1827 (sweep 90), JH logged
"place that of a double star (HJ 886) at the northern extremity of the
more condensed part of a L, loose, poor cluster of st 10...15m."
******************************
19 28 03.8 -38
55 08
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 80d
17.5"
(7/20/96): very faint, fairly small, round, ~40" diameter. Low surface brightness with no
concentration although may be hampered by very low elevation. A mag 14 star is 1.4' ENE. Located 3.7' E of a mag 10 star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6794 = h3792 on 24 Aug 1834 and logged "eF; R; vgvlbM;
40"." His position is
2.4' northwest of
******************************
19 26 22 +03 30
54
17.5"
(6/24/95): about 40 stars in a 8' elongated group WSW-ENE. At the west end of the group is mag 8.3
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6795 = h2040 on 24 Aug 1827 and recorded "The first of 3
stars 9m, nearly in parallel, joined by a rich clustering portion of the Milky
Way." His position
corresponds with mag 8.3 SAO 124619 at the west end of the group.
Karl Reinmuth
says "no cl", based on the appearance on Heidelberg plates, and
Dorothy Carlson repeated this in her 1940 NGC Correction paper and the
RNGC. See Harold Corwin's
comments.
******************************
19 21 31.1 +61
08 42
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 179d
17.5"
(8/13/88): moderately bright, moderately large, pretty edge-on 4:1 N-S,
1.4'x0.3', bright core.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6796 = Sw II-79 on 5 Jul 1885 and recorded "vF; pS; vE in
meridian [N-S]." His RA is 13
seconds too small but the description matches. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 8 Sep 1888. Herbert Howe, in his series of
observations of NGC and IC nebulae in MNRAS, commented "this is very much
elongated at 0°, and certainly contains one bright spot of mag 13.5; perhaps
there are others. There is a
resemblance to the great nebula in Andromeda."
CGCG
misidentifies this galaxy as
******************************
NGC 6797 = ESO
525-**10
19 29 00.7 -25
39 59
=line of 4*,
Corwin.
Christian Peters
discovered NGC 6797 around 1860 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton
College in New York and noted "star 9m attached following." At his position is a double or triple
star (wider pair at ~8" separation) situated 25" west of a mag 10
star. ESO/Uppsala identifies this
multiple star as NGC 6797 ("Triple star; B star 0.5' f.")
The CGCG
misidentifies NGC 6796 as NGC 6797.
Malcolm Thomson noted this error in his unpublished "Catalogue
Corrections".
******************************
19 24 03.2 +53
37 29
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 150d
17.5"
(7/20/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, bright core, stellar
nucleus. A mag 14 star is off the
SE edge 43" from center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6798 = Sw II-80 on 5 Aug 1885 and recorded "F; vS; R; * v
nr; in field with 51 Draconis."
His position is just 9 seconds of time west of
Howe searched
unsuccessfully for IC 1300 on two nights at Swift's position and afterwards
communicated with Swift, who responded that the IC position was one degree too
far south. This implies IC 1300 =
NGC 6798. In the same letter Swift
state that the declination of
******************************
19 32 16.8 -55
54 29
V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 110d
30"
(10/12/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, fairly small, round, 40"
diameter, contains a small bright core that increases to a stellar
nucleus. Cradled by three stars
around the edge of the halo; a mag 12.3 star is 0.5' SE of center, a mag 14.4
star is 0.6' W of center, and a mag 13.5 star is 0.7' SW. Situated in a busy star field (20'
diameter) with many brighter and fainter stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6799 = h3793 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R; within
[partly within] a small triangle formed by 3 st 11, 13 and 14m." His position and description is a
perfect match.
******************************
19 27 07 +25 08
24
Size 5'
17.5"
(9/7/91): over 100 stars in a 25' field.
Bright, very large, fairly rich in spots but not concentrated and very
weak in the center. Bordered by a
circular outline of mag 10-11 stars.
A rich double group of about ten stars each is at the south side and
includes a few bright stars and many faint stars. Off the west side is mag 7.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6800 = H VIII-21 = h2041 on 10 Sep 1784 (sweep 263) and logged
"a cluster of coarsely scattered L stars intermixed with small
stars." His position is on
the northwest edge of the cluster.
On 17 Jul 1785 (sweep 415), he called it "a coarsely scattered cl
of considerately L stars, not rich."
JH made a single observation, noting "vL; p rich; very straggling;
stars 10m; fills field."
******************************
19 27 35.9 +54
22 21
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 44d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, bright core. A mag 13.5 star is off the SW end.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6801 = Sw IV-76 on 5 Aug 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; R; F *
nr s." His position and
description matches
******************************
19 30 35 +20 15
42
V = 8.8; Size 3'
13.1"
(8/11/85): about two dozen stars are visible over extensive unresolved haze in
an elongated N-S group. Located
just east of the "Coathanger" asterism, in line with the long base of
the Coatthanger.
8"
(10/4/80): bar-shaped N-S, faint, even surface brightness. A few mag 13 stars are resolved. Surrounded by two double stars to the
west and north.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6802 = H VI-14 = h2042 on 11 Jul 1784 (sweep 235) and recorded
"a cluster exceedingly small and v compressed stars, in the form of a
parallelogram, about 4' l and nearly 2' broad; in the direction nearly of the
meridian. But the weather is very
hazy. On 18 Jul 1789 (sweep 932)
he logged "a compressed cl of considerably small stars, very rich, about 5
or 6' l, 3' br, E nearly in the meridian." On 8 Aug 1831 (sweep 364), JH called it a "rectangular
cluster; v m comp; 3' or 4' l; 2' br; stars 14...18m; among B stars."
******************************
19 31 16.4 +10
03 22
V = 11.5; Size 6"
17.5"
(9/5/99): picked up by blinking with an OIII filter at 100x as a mag 11.5
"star". At 220x, appears
just non-stellar and is situated ~2' S of a mag 10.5-11 "comparison"
star, which is a half magnitude brighter than the PN (unfiltered). Good response to blinking with a UHC
filter. At 280x and 380x, the PN
is very small but clearly nonstellar, <5" diameter with a blue-grayish
color. Easily takes 500x but no
other details were visible except for two mag 15 stars which are close west and
northwest forming a tiny equilateral triangle with the PN.
13": fairly
bright stellar planetary at 88x, good OIII blinker in a rich star field,
estimate V = 11.5. Just
non-stellar at 350x and about 3" diameter. A mag 11 star is 1.8' N.
8"
(8/5/83): appears slightly non-stellar at 385x. A similar field star is just 2' NW.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6803 = HN 52 on 17 Sep 1882 using a direct-vision prism attached
to the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. His position in Sidereal Messenger, Vol
1. No. 6 (Oct 1882) is accurate to within 1'.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote, "a minute round disk,
5.5" in diameter, just distinguishable from a star; fades out a little at
the edges."
******************************
19 31 35.3 +09
13 31
V = 12.2; Size 62"x49"
24"
(6/30/16): at 501x (unfiltered): bright, irregular planetary with interesting
structure! The overall shape is
roughly oval, extending WSW-ENE, ~0.7'x0.5'. The 14th magnitude central star is very easy. A brighter mag 12.5-13 star is along
the rim on the northeast side and a fainter mag 14-14.5 star is at the west
edge of the rim. The latter star
has a mag 15-15.5 companion 12" SSW.
Also a 10" pair of mag 14/15 stars is off the northeast side. The rim is brightest along thin 90°
strips centered on the southeast and northwest side and weak or open on the
southwest side. Along with the
brighter star on the northeast end, this creates a "C" or horseshoe
appearance with a darker center.
18"
(7/11/07): at 450x this striking planetary appeared elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE,
~60"x45". Three stars
are involved including the 14th magnitude central star. A mag 12.5-13 star is at the northeast
edge of the halo and a mag 14.5 star is at the west edge with a mag 15
companion close southwest. The
surface brightness is irregular; weakest on the southwest side and slightly
brighter along the east side, giving a "horseshoe" appearance.
17.5"
(7/11/99): at lower powers appears moderately bright, irregularly round, ~1'
diameter with several stars involved or nearby. At 280x, the view is very unusual with three stars involved
and others nearby. The brightest
is a mag 12.5-13 star at the NE edge.
The mag 14 central star is visible with direct vision. Finally, a mag 14.5-15 star is at or
just off the west side. The planetary
is slightly elongated 4:3 SW-NE with an irregular surface brightness. The rim appears brighter along the east
and northeast side and weakest at the west edge. Nearby stars include a mag 13 star ~1.5' NE (nearly on a
line with the central star and the star on the northeast edge) and a mag
15-15.5 star close south-southwest of the star at the west edge.
13"
(8/5/83): moderately bright, elongated WSW-ENE. Unusual appearance as four faint stars are very near or
involved including the faint mag 14 central star visible with averted
vision. A mag 13 star is at the NE
edge 27" from the center, a very faint mag 15 star is at west edge and a
similar star is just NW. The rim
is possibly slightly brighter on the east edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6804 = H VI-38 = h2043 on 25 Aug 1791 (sweep 1018) and recorded
"cB, S, iF, easily resolvable.
Some of the stars visible."
He placed this planetary nebula in classification class VI = "Very compressed and rich
clusters of stars." JH also assumed it was a cluster, though on his first
of four observations (21 Aug 1827), he logged "doubtful if a resolved cl
or a neb of first class. pL; R;
bM; 60"; with 2 or 3 accidental stars of the Milky Way." Confirmed as a planetary by Francis
Pease in 1917.
Based on Crossley
photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote, "an irregular ring 33" from
north to south and 30" from E to W; brightest on north and south and fades
out along an axis in p.a. 48°. The
oval disk of much fainter matter outside is 63"x50" in p.a. 0°, and
stronger at western and southern edges."
******************************
19 36 45.7 -37
33 16
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 163d
17.5"
(7/20/96): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~N-S, slightly brighter
core. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.7'
ESE. Viewing suffers due to low
elevation.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6805 = h3796 on 24 Aug 1834 and logged "eF; R;
vgbM." One week later, he
returned to the field and noted "well looked for, but only a small
star-group found." There is
nothing at his position (used in the NGC), but exactly 1° north is
******************************
19 37 05.0 -42
17 47
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 24d
30"
(10/14/15 - OzSky): at 303x; moderately bright, fairly small, slightly
elongated E-W, contains a brighter elongated core. The halo appears to spread out somewhat on the east
side. A mag 13.8 star is attached
at the west edge. Situated 3.7' SE
of mag 8.4
18"
(8/19/09): at 175x appeared as a very faint, small oval glow with a mag 13.5
star superimposed on the west end.
Probably due to the very low elevation (10-11 degrees), no additional
structure was evident. Located
3.6' SE of mag 8.4 HD 184556. A
loop of mag 14-14.5 stars elongated SW to NE is between the galaxy and the
bright star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6806 = h3795 on 5 Sep 1834 and recorded "eF; vS; appended
to a * 14m." His position is
accurate.
******************************
19 34 33.4 +05
41 02
V = 12.2; Size 2"
17.5"
(7/20/90): at 140x appears as a mag 12 stellar object. Shows an excellent contrast gain with
OIII filter. A brighter mag 10.5
comparison star 1.5' NE is similar to the planetary with the OIII filter (so
there is a two magnitudes contrast gain with the filter). Increasing the magnification to 286, it
appeared to be quasi-stellar with a tiny disc surrounding the central star.
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6807 = HN 51 on 4 Sep 1882 using a direct-vision spectroscope
attached to the 15-inch Merz refractor at Harvard College Observatory. His position in Sidereal Messenger, Vol
I, No 6 (Oct 1882) is ~30" too far north.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote, "indistinguishable from
a star on the Crossley negatives, but shown to have a minute disk visually with
the 36-inch refractor."
******************************
19 43 54.6 -70
37 57
V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 40d
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x appears moderately bright and
large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.5'x0.7', weak concentration. Located 9' W of mag 7.1
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6808 = h3794 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "Not vF; lE; gbM;
25"." On a second sweep
he logged "pB; pmE; gb to one end (or by diagram a double nebula). A star 8m [HD 185618] follows on the
parallel." His mean position
is at the south edge of
******************************
19 39 59.3 -30
57 44
V = 6.4; Size 19'; Surf Br = 0.3
24"
(9/2/16): at 200x; superb, very highly resolved showpiece globular of several
hundred stars, spreading out at least 15' in diameter. Contains a very large, very bright core
that is uniformly covered with similar, relatively bright resolved stars. The core has a loose appearance and
doesn't increase to a nuclear peak.
The central portion has a distinct 3-dimensional appearance with the
brighter stars overlaying a second dense layer of fainter stars against an
unresolved background glow. The
halo is very large and well resolved with a mix of brighter and fainter
stars. The periphery of the halo
is irregular or scraggly, but roughly symmetrical.
17.5"
(7/14/99): at 100x this a beautiful, highly resolved cluster with outliers
extending out to at least 12' in diameter. At 220x, there is uniform covering of easily resolved stars
across the halo and the broadly concentrated core. In addition the central region is contains a layer of very
faint stars over unresolved haze.
The star density drops off rapidly in the outer halo and becomes very
scraggly around the periphery. The
core also seems indented on the SE side with a void in the halo on this edge.
13"
(9/3/83): bright, large, superb resolution of at least 75 stars mag 12 and
fainter. Loosely compressed with a
broadly brighter core, irregular background glow. One of the easiest resolved globulars.
8": at
100x; faint stars resolved across entire disc, no compact core, over unresolved
haze. Highly resolved at 165x.
Nicolas-Louis de
Lacaille discovered
William Herschel
mentions in Philosophical Transactions for 1818: "30 Jul 1783, small 20
feet telescope (12-inch). With 250 power fairly resolved into stars; I can
count a great many of them, while others are too close to be distinguished
separately. 1784, 1785, 20 feet telescope (18.7-inch). A rich cluster of very
compressed stars, irregularly round, about 8' long."
James Dunlop
described the cluster as "a beautiful, large round bright nebula, about 6'
or 7' diameter, gradually condensed to the centre, easily
resolvable." His position is
24' too far east. On 3 Aug 1834
(sweep 478), JH recorded "Globular cluster; pB; vL; R; vglbM; diam in RA
30.0s; all resolved into separate st 13...16 m; not so comp M as to run
together into a blaze or nipple. "
******************************
19 43 34.4 -58
39 21
V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 176d
18" (7/9/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x appears moderately bright and
large, elongated 3:1 N-S, 2.0'x0.7'.
The bright core is concentrated to a stellar nucleus with direct vision. On the DSS image, this Seyfert galaxy
shows an absorption lane along the eastern side but this was not seen visually.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6810 = h3797 on 10 Jul 1834 and recorded "B; mE, in
position 169.2°; psbM; 90"."
His position is accurate.
On the next sweep he called this object "R; vgbM; 30" haze
thickening rapidly." The
second (poorer) description was given in the GC and NGC, and DeLisle Stewart
reported (based on plates taken at Harvard's Arequipa Station), "not
round, but cF, S, eE 179°, stell ncl."
******************************
19 37 17 +46 23
18
V = 6.8; Size 13'
17.5"
(7/1/00): large, beautiful cluster at 100x. The central section is ~8' in diameter, roughly triangular
and contains a scattering of ~20 10-11th magnitude stars. There are no prominent members - the
brightest star (at the west edge) has a faint companion. Perhaps 85 stars are resolved in the
unconcentrated central region (there is nearly a void in the center) over
haze. The richest knot of stars is
on the northeast side. An isolated
5' tails of stars extends NW and another curving string of stars can be traced
8' to the east.
13"
(9/3/83): fairly large and rich group of approximately 60 stars including many
mag 11-12 stars. A long trail of
stars follows and a bright group of stars is WNW. Prominent in 16x80 finder, some resolution with averted.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6811 = h2044 on 29 Aug 1829 and recorded "a double star in
the southern part of a fine, large, pretty rich coarse cluster of about 100
stars 11...14m; it fills the field."
His position is near a mag 11 star on the southeast end of the
cluster. The next sweep (2 Sep
1829) he logged "The centre of the more condensed part of a considerable
cluster, 10' diameter, of irregularly scattered stars." His position, though, is about 45
seconds of RA too large. Harold
Corwin mentions "Unfortunately, the position JH adopted for the GC carries
the RA of the second, and a Dec 10 arcmin further on north. I think he meant to
use only the second observation (he notes that the first observation refers to
"A double star in the southern part ..."), so the incorrect Dec must
be a transcription or typographical error." The end result is the GC and NGC position is 15' too far
northeast, well outside the confines of the cluster.
******************************
19 45 24.0 -55
20 50
V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 94d
25" (4/5/16
- Coonabarabran, 318x): moderately bright oval, elongated ~3:2 E-W,
0.7'x0.45'. Almost immediately I
noticed the shape was either irregular or perhaps there was an attached
companion. On careful examination,
an extremely faint, compact companion (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6812 = h3799 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "pB ; pmE; glbM;
40" l, 30" br." His
position is accurate.
******************************
19 40 22.4 +27
18 34
Size 3'
18"
(7/12/07): picked up at 115x as a small, hazy glow surrounding a mag 13.5
star. Adding an OIII filter, this
emission nebula appeared as a moderately bright, round, 1.5' glow surrounding
the star. At 174x the center
"star" appears double and the nebulosity responds well to an OIII
filter. At 225x, the two close central
stars are cleanly resolved and a third fainter star is just at the northern
edge. Adding a UHC filter, the
shape is irregular and the overall outline shifts with averted vision, though
it does not appear to be larger than 1.2'-1.5' visually despite a catalogued
diameter of 3'.
17.5"
(6/15/91): at 140x, fairly faint emission nebulosity, round, 1.5'
diameter. Surrounds a very close
mag 14 double star. Using an OIII
filter the nebulosity is very prominent and increases to 3' in size. Located 3' SE of mag 9
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6813 = m 400 on 7 Aug 1864 and noted "D* in vF, S
neb." His position is
accurate.
******************************
19 42 40.6 -10
19 23
V = 11.2; Size 3.0'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
24"
(8/7/13): fairly bright, fairly large, round, ~1.5' diameter. Well concentrated with a bright core
that increases to a very bright nucleus.
A mag 13 star lies 1' NW and two mag 14/14.4 stars are a bit further
northeast. Spiral structure is strongly suggested in the halo with an
ill-defined segment of a curving arm on the east side and a counterpart on the
west side. A very faint star (V =
15.6) is superimposed on the western arm.
13.1"
(7/20/85): this Seyfert galaxy appears fairly faint, round, 2.0' diameter,
broad concentration, stellar nucleus, diffuse outer halo.
8"
(8/15/82): faint, small, slightly brighter core, larger faint halo with
averted.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6814 = H III-744 = h2045 on 2 Aug 1788 (sweep 851) and noted
"vF; pL; R; vgmbM." His
position is accurate. JH made the
single observation "Not vF; pL; R; bM; r; 50"."
******************************
19 40 44 +26 45
30
17.5"
(6/15/91): at 100x, ~100 stars mag 10-14 in a large 30' field elongated
~E-W. Includes six brighter mag
10-11 stars although most members are mag 12-13. Scattered appearance with no rich sections although over
unresolved background haze. A mag
8 star is off the NW edge.
Difficult to define borders as basically appears as a Milky Way field
enhancement.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6815 = h2046 on 18 Aug 1828 and recorded "vL, p rich,
straggling cluster; it mores than fills the field. Stars 10...15m."
His position (marked as uncertain in both RA and NPD) is in a rich Milky
Way field, though Harold Corwin defines the center as ~3.5' southwest. Does not appear to be a true cluster.
******************************
19 43 59.1 -28
29 11
V = 13.4; Size 2.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 105d
24"
(9/23/17): at 200x-375x; faint or fairly faint, moderately large, elongated
~4:3 WNW-ESE, fairly low surface brightness, small slightly brighter nucleus,
~45"x35".
24"
(9/29/16): at 375x; fairly faint, elongated 5:3 WNW-ESE, ~40"x24",
broad concentration with a brighter core.
A faint star is off the NW edge [Note: there no star here but a compact
companion is at the ESE end - probably my directions are reversed].
In a group with
ESO 460-030 6' NNE. This galaxy
(usually identified as NGC 6816) appeared fairly faint to moderately bright,
small, round, 20"-24" diameter, very small bright nucleus, higher
surface brightness than NGC 6816. Two mag 13.5-14.5 stars attached at the west
edge interfere a bit and a mag 10.8 star is 1' SW.
17.5"
(6/8/91): very faint, fairly small, very low surface brightness. Forms an
equilateral triangle with two mag 13 stars 2.8' SW and 2.8' SSE of center. A close mag 14.5 star is 1' NNE (?). Located 4.5' S of a mag 10.5 star.
Forms a pair
with ESO 460-030 = MCG -05-46-006 6' NNE.
ESO 460-030 is identified as NGC 6816 in RNGC, ESO, PGC, NED and
HyperLeda. It appeared very faint,
very small, round. Two mag 13.5
stars at the west and northwest edge confuse the observation as well as a mag
10.8 star 1' WSW that is detracting.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6816 = h3800 on 30 Jul 1834 and recorded "eF; R; vlbM;
40"; a *9m north of it; at 6' distance has what may be easily taken for a
nebula attached to it, but it is only a little group of vS stars." There is nothing his position, which is
4' due south of
The question
remains that if NGC 6816 = ESO 460-029 how did JH miss brighter ESO 460-030 =
All modern
sources, including RNGC, ESO, RC3, PGC, NED and HyperLeda, misidentify ESO
460-030 as NGC 6816. I listed this
error in RNGC Corrections #5. See
Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
19 37 22.3 +62
23 00
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5
24"
(8/13/15): this double system was resolved at 375x and 500x. The brighter galaxy is on the east side
and appeared fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, ~24"x18". A mag 15.5 star is close
north-northeast [26" from center] and a mag 16.1 star lies 39"
NW. The companion galaxy is just
off the west side [16" between centers] and extremely to very faint (V =
15.7, B = 16.5), round, only 6"-8" diameter! On the SDSS the halos of the two
galaxies are merged and the brighter eastern component is tidally disturbed.
17.5"
(8/13/88): very faint, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is off the NE edge and an
extremely faint mag 16 star is off the NW edge. This is a very close double system oriented E-W, although
apparently the individual components were too faint to resolve separately.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6817 = Sw II-81 on 10 Sep 1885 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; a
curve of stars west like Northern Crown." His position is 12 seconds of RA too far west. Bigourdan measured an accurate position
on 30 Aug 1889 as well as Howe in 1899-00 at Denver. The "curve of stars" in the description begins
3.5' WSW.
******************************
NGC 6818 =
Little Gem Nebula = PK 25-17.1 = PN G025.8-17.9
19 43 57.7 -14
09 11
V = 9.4; Size 22"x15"
24"
(7/19/17): at 375x, 500x, 750x and 1000x: small, very high surface brightness
oval, slightly elongated N-S, with a blue color at 375x, takes up to 1000x! The
planetary is encased in a thin outer shell. Occasionally the center seemed to sharpen to a point, but I
couldn't confirm the central star with confidence. The rim seemed to sparkle with slightly brighter
regions. Located 40' N of
Barnard's Galaxy (
18"
(7/23/06): this very high surface brightness blue planetary takes high
magnification well and 565x provided an excellent view. Appears slightly elongated N-S,
~20"x15". Most striking
is an annular structure with a brighter rim and darker center. The rim has an irregular surface
brightness and is brighter along the southeast and east side. Although the contrast of rim and darker
center is fairly low, the relative thickness of the rim is comparable to M57. Barnard's Galaxy lies just 40' S.
17.5" (7/12/99):
at 100x this striking PN is bright and small with an obvious blue color. The high surface brightness easily
allows high power. At 380x, there
is subtle but obvious structure with a darker center and an irregular
brightness to the halo. Most noticeably
the PN is brighter on the east end and mildly annular. Appears slightly elongated N-S,
~20"x15" in size. Three
mag 13-13.5 stars are nearby at 40" NW, 1.0' E and 1.3' SW.
17.5"
(7/16/88): at 412x appears very bright, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S,
blue color, very high surface brightness.
Appears brighter along the east side and slightly brighter along the
west side compared to the center.
Has a darker elongated center but the annularity has a pretty low
contrast. Barnard's galaxy NGC 6822
lies 40' SSE.
13"
(9/3/83): very bright, slightly elongated N-S, fairly small.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6818 = H IV-51 = h2047 on 8 Aug 1787 (sweep 749) and recorded
"a small beautiful planetary nebula, but considerably hazy upon the edges;
it is of uniform light throughout, considerably bright. Perfectly round, 10 or 15" in
diameter. My brother Jacob being
in the gallery, I showed it to him."
His position is very accurate.
JH reported that
"It is exactly like a planet and two satellites. Distance of A, the
nearer, 20", Pos 45° np; of B, 25", 20° nf." JH was interested in the idea that in
some cases PN were accompanied by satellites (
On 28 Aug 1850,
LdR (or assistant) recorded "vB, blue planetary neb, edges not sharp, a
little darker in the middle."
A year later, assistant Bindon Stoney logged "the dark part is a
little np middle." In 1856
Father Secchi noted (and sketched) a darker center in the shape of a cross
using a 9.5" refractor at 1000x.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote "A rather irregular oval
ring 22"x15" in p.a. 10°, fainter along and at the ends of the major
axis. A fainter narrow ring shows at east and west outside of the inner bright
ring."
******************************
19 41 18.1 +40
11 12
V = 7.3; Size 5'
17.5"
(7/1/00): this is a rich, beautiful cluster at 100x. The central 6' contains 80-90 stars over unresolved haze and
has an irregular outline with the brighter stars forming a squared off
"U" shape open to the north.
The cluster extends to ~8' diameter with many faint stars on the SW
side. The outline appears elongated
SW-NE with the inner bars of the "U" on the NE border delineating a
distinct border. Located 8.5' SE
of mag 6.3
13"
(8/24/84): over 40 stars resolved at 166x including two intersecting
strings. Striking very rich group
situated in a rich star field. A
mag 10 star is off the SW end and several bright stars are in the field at low
power.
13.1"
(9/11/82): striking cluster at 144x.
Nearly three dozen stars are resolved over haze mainly in two rows. This is a very rich, dense group.
8": rich,
well-resolved, pretty.
Caroline
Herschel discovered NGC 6819 = h2048 on 12 May 1784. William didn't record the cluster during his sweeps, so it
doesn't carry an H-designation.
Karl Harding independently found it in 1823, reported the discovery to
Johann Bode, and it was listed as new in Astronomisches Jahrbuch for 1827
(published in 1824). JH
rediscovered it again on 31 Jul 1831 and logged "a beautiful cluster, v
rich, vL; stars 11...15m and l = 7m nf, a reticulated mass, central part = 4',
but fills field with its loose stars.
A very fine object."
His position is accurate.
******************************
19 42 28.0 +23
05 17
17.5"
(8/10/91): at 100x using OIII filter, open cluster
The observation
above refers to Sh 2-86, the usual identification of NGC 6820. But based on Marth's position and
description, NGC 6820 more likely refers to a compact knot to the southwest of
the cluster at this position. At
220x, it appeared as a small, 20" knot surrounding a faint stellar or
quasi-stellar core. Interestingly,
this object dimmed with OIII, UHC and H-beta, so it's likely a reflection nebula
that is detached from the main mass of nebulosity to the northeast.
13.1"
(8/15/82): cluster NGC 6823 is encased in nebulosity (Sh 2-86) using a filter
and averted vision. Very difficult
to identify the nebulosity unfiltered.
8"
(10/4/80): Sh 2-86 extremely faint nebulosity in field of NGC 6823. Involves four stars in the north and
two stars in the south side.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6820 = m 401 on 7 Aug 1864 and noted "F, S, R, bM."
This number is usually associated with the large HII region Sh 2-86 = LBN 135,
but Marth's position (and Bigourdan's measurements) point to
******************************
19 44 24.3 -06
50 02
V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 135d
17.5"
(9/15/90): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, broad mild
concentration, fairly diffuse.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6821 = m 402 on 8 Aug 1863 and noted "F, pL, R." His position is accurate to within 1'.
******************************
NGC 6822 = MCG
-02-50-006 = DDO 209 = IC 4895 = Barnard's galaxy = PGC 63616
19 44 58.3 -14
48 03
V = 8.8; Size 15.5'x13.5'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 5d
48"
(5/16/12): the four HII regions on the north side of the galaxy were carefully
observed.
18"
(8/12/10): under superb conditions at Lassen (8200'), I tracked down Hubble
VII, the brightest and oldest globular cluster in Barnard's galaxy, situated
near the center of the galaxy. At
285x, the globular was visible ~50% of the time as an extremely faint (~16th
magnitude) and small glow, ~10" diameter. I couldn't resolve an extremely faint star attached on the
SSE edge, but the glow was definitely non-stellar. I also viewed this challenging object at 393x and it
appeared roughly similar in terms of visibility.
18"
(7/16/07): very easily picked up at 73x as a very large, low surface brightness
glow with no central concentration and extending ~5:2 N-S, ~11x4.5'. The two HII knots at the north end (IC
1308 and Hubble V) were blinked with an OIII or UHC filter and showed a good
response. Surprisingly the galaxy
was quite evident in my 80mm finder at 25x as a faint, elongated glow and it
was just at the edge of visibility in my 15x50 IS binoculars.
17.5"
(7/14/99): the exact position of the HII ring Hubble III on the NW side of the
galaxy was examined carefully at 280x without a filter and on several occasions
an extremely faint, round, 15" glow popped into view with averted vision
~1.5' W of a mag 13.5-14 star. A
mag 15.5 star is visible a similar distance SSE of the reference star. This HII knot was clearly nonstellar,
although it didn't have the annular ring appearance seen on images. Viewed on an evening of exceptional
transparency at the Sierra Buttes.
17.5"
(5/10/91): at 82x, this Local Group Member appeared fairly faint, very large,
low but uneven surface brightness, elongated 5:2 N-S, 14'x6'. Diffuse appearance and the boundary is
difficult to define, requires low power.
Several faint stars are superimposed with a couple of brighter stars on
the north side. Using an OIII
filter two small, faint HII knots (Hubble X = IC 1308 and Hubble V) stand out
well on the north and NW edges.
Both of these knots are 2' NW of mag 12 stars. Planetary nebula NGC 6818 lies 40' NNW.
17.5" (7/16/88):
easily visible as a large, elongated, low surface brightness glow.
8"
(8/28/81): very faint, elongated N-S, similar to a faint Milky Way patch.
E.E. Barnard
discovered NGC 6822 on 17 Aug 1884 with either his 5-inch refractor or possibly
the 6-inch refractor at Vanderbilt University. The discovery was
announced in Sidereal Messenger, vol 3, p 254. In AN 2624 he reported
"it is some 2' diameter, and very diffuse and even it its light. With 6-inch equatorial it is very
difficult to see, with 5-inch and a power of ~30 (field about 1.25°), it is
quite distinct. This should be borne in mind in looking for
it." Later in 1886 (Sidereal
Messenger, vol 5, p 31) he commented "it certainly seems to be much larger
and much denser than last year and I certainly think it has increased in
density and size since that time." He gave a size estimate of 10' to 15'
and concluded "probably this is a variable nebula."
When Max Wolf
photographed this galaxy on 16 Jul 1906 and 8 Aug 1907, he assumed the two
brighter HII regions at the north end were NGC 6822 and IC 1308 (the mistake
originates by Ormond Stone at the Leander McCormick observatory) and he thought
the galaxy itself was as a new discovery (AN 4207). Dreyer later
catalogued it as
******************************
NGC 6823 = Cr
405 = Lund 903 = OCL-124 = LBN 135
19 43 09 +23 18
00
V = 7.1; Size 12'
17.5"
(8/10/91): about 50 stars in the central 5' diameter, bright, moderately large,
fairly rich. Includes four bright
mag 9.5-11 stars in a tight group at the core of the cluster plus two or three
very faint stars in a 20" diameter.
Most of the stars form a distinctive 5' oval ring, elongated ~E-W. Emission nebulosity Sh 2-86
(misidentified as NGC 6820 in most sources) is entwined.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6823 = H VII-18 = h2049 on 17 Jul 1785 (sweep 415) and recorded
"an elongated cluster of irregularly scattered stars of various sizes,
considerably rich; the place taken is that of the brightest part of it, which
is towards the south." JH
made the single observation "p rich, irreg R; 5' diam; a cl of loose
stars; the chief = 10m, the rest = 11...12. Four or five in centre [multiple star BD + 22 3782] form a
lozenge."
******************************
19 43 40.9 +56
06 33
V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 60d
24"
(9/16/17): I observed SN 2017glx (Type Ia-91T), discovered on 9/3/17 just
3" W and 2" N of center of NGC 6824. It was highly suspected at 375x, as the galaxy appeared to
have a double nucleus with a superimposed "star" attached on the NW
side of the core. It took 500x, though, to clearly confirm and distinguish from
the nucleus. When the seeing
steadied, the supernova appeared as a sharp stellar point, perhaps mag
14.5-14.8, superimposed at the NW edge of the small, but nonstellar nucleus.
17.5"
(6/8/91): moderately bright and large, 1.5'x1.1', elongated 4:3 SW-NE, bright
core with a substellar nucleus, high surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is just off the south
edge 34" from the center and a pretty yellow/blue double (Stein 2452 =
9.0/11.1 at 15") is 3.5' N. Unusually
bright for a galaxy in a Milky Way field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6824 = H II-878 on 16 Sep 1792 (sweep 1028) and logged "pB,
iF, bM, has 2 stars in it."
CH's reduction is 5' south of
******************************
19 41 54.8 +64
04 23
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 174d
17.5"
(8/13/88): faint, small, oval NNW-SSE, small bright core. A mag 13.5 star is off the NNW edge
35" from center.
Edward Swift,
the 13 year-old son of Lewis Swift, discovered NGC 6825 = Sw II-82 on 18 Sep
1884 and recorded "eF; vS; F * nr; v diff." The position is 15 sec of RA east of
NGC 6825 is
classified as a multiple galaxy in NED and the DSS2 reveals four nearly stellar
objects in a 12" circle, though one or more may be a faint star(s).
******************************
19 44 48.1 +50
31 31
V = 8.9; Size 30"
48"
(10/27/16): at 610x and 813x; both internal FLIERS (see observation below) were
visible on the NW and SE sides of the central disc. The disc has a slight bulge
on the northwest and southeast ends creating a slightly elongated, irregular
oval NW-SE. A fainter inner halo
was visible at 610x, roughly doubling the size. At 244x and NPB filter, a third large outer shell was fairly
prominent forming a well defined 2' circular halo.
24"
(9/13/12): at 325x the main 30" disc appeared slightly brighter in the
east-southeast region. Adding an
H-beta filter, a very small knot was sometimes visible near the rim at the east
edge. This difficult knot is
prominent on the HST image as a red FLIER (Fast Low-Ionization Emission
Region). The corresponding knot on
the west edge was not visible. The
red color of these FLIERS is from ionized nitrogen and it disappeared switching
to an OIII filter, although the large outer halo became visible.
24"
(8/16/12): at 300x and an OIII or NPB filter, the main high surface brightness
disc (slightly elongated) is surrounded by a very faint, fairly uniform giant
halo, extending 2' diameter and quadrupling the size of the bright 30"
disc! The outer halo seemed
perfectly round with a well-defined edge and was easily visible.
18"
(7/17/07): at 500x the "Blinking" Planetary is slightly elongated
~E-W, ~30"x25" with a bright 10th mag central star surrounded by a
small, slightly darker annulus.
The disc is pretty evenly lit but slightly weaker on the west or
west-southwest side.
17.5"
(8/17/01): beautiful view at 500x; the disc is slightly elongated WNW-ESE, with
subtle structure. There is small,
slightly darker region around the bright 10th magnitude central star. The halo appears to dim slightly along
the preceding edge and this edge is not as sharply defined. Located 28' E of the double star 16
Cygni.
17.5": very
bright 25" roundish nebula surrounding a bright 10th magnitude central
star, slightly elongated ~E-W, high surface brightness. With direct vision the planetary
appears brighter on the south side.
The planetary is too bright with this aperture to have the striking
"blinking" effect seen with smaller apertures.
8": the
famous "blinking" planetary blinks well with this aperture. Contains a bright mag 10 central star
(
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6826 = H IV-73 = h2050 on 6 Sep 1793 (sweep 1049) and recorded
"a beautiful phenomenon. A
bright point, lE, like two points close to one another; as bright as a star of
the 8-9 magnitude surrounded by a very bright milky nebulosity suddenly
terminated, having the appearance of a planetary nebula with a lucid center. The border, however, is not very well
defined. It is perfectly round and
I suppose about 1/2' in diameter.
It is of a middle species between the planetary nebula and nebulous
stars." JH recorded "a
most curious object. A * 11m
surrounded with a vB, perfectly R planetary nebula, of equal light
throughout. Diameter in RA = 3.5
sec. Perhaps a little hazy at the
edges. With 320x the * is not seen
double."
On 28 Aug 1850,
Bindon Stoney recorded at Birr Castle, "A very remarkable object, probably
analogous to h450 [
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote "The central star...is
surrounded by an oval disk of bright matter 27"x24". Within this are rather obscure evidence
of a brighter ring formation, the condensations at the ends of which are
22" apart in p.a. about 125°."
The Herschels
never mentioned a blinking effect, though it is less prominent in larger
scopes. The blinking effect was
noted by James Mullaney and Wallace McCall in the August 1963 issue of Sky
& Tel, though the nickname was coined by Mullaney.
******************************
19 48 53.4 +21
12 54
Size 4'
17.5"
(9/7/91): in a very rich Milky Way field is a faint, smooth, 2' unresolved glow
similar to a low surface brightness galaxy. A mag 13 star is at the west edge. A slightly brighter knot or a 15th magnitude star is
superimposed but no other resolution.
Located just west of a very large, scattered group that just stands out
due to many stars mag 11/12 at the edges.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6827 = St IX-25 on 16 Oct 1878 and recorded "eF, E, sev
faint stars inv." His
position matches this faint open cluster.
******************************
19 50 17.5 +07
54 09
17.5"
(8/25/95): group of stars about 8' diameter surrounding mag 6.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6828 = H VIII-73 = h2051 on 30 Jul 1788 (sweep 850) and recorded
"A coarsely scattered cluster of stars, with a pB one in the
center." JH made two
observations and logged on sweep 89, "a *8 in a poor cl; hardly to be
called a cluster (night very bad)."
His position corresponds with mag 6.5 SAO 125116 at 19 50 17.5 +07 54 09
(2000). At Birr Castle on 14 Aug
1876, Dreyer called this a "Rich part of the heaven, many S, P, lC
Clusters, none remarkable."
Karl Reinmuth
reported a very dense region, no distinct cluster. Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 NGC correction paper, called it
nonexistent and this is repeated in the RNGC. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
19 47 07.5 +59
54 24
V = 14.1; Size 1.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 31d
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, small, very elongated 3:1 or 4:1 SSW-NNE. A mag 10.5 star is attached at the SE
edge 41" from the center, which detracts from viewing. Pair with
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6829 = Sw IV-77, along with NGC 6831, on 3 Sep 1886 and recorded
""eF; pS; R; pB * close s; p of 2 [with NGC 6831]." His RA is 15 seconds too large. Bigourdan measured an acurate position
on 30 Aug 1889. Herbert Howe noted in 1900 "the "pB *" mentioned
by Swift is of mag 9, is 0.7' south of the nebula, and follows 2
sec." Howe also measured an
accurate position.
******************************
19 50 59 +23 06
00
V = 7.9; Size 12'
17.5"
(8/8/91): 30-35 stars in the central 5' diameter. Most stars are mag 11-12 and arranged in two rows forming a
rough "X" shape. The
richest group is at the NW corner and a very faint group is off the SW
corner. The brightest star is just
SW of the intersection point of the "X". Located 30' N of 4.9-magnitude 12 Vulpeculae.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6830 = H VII-9 = h2052 on 19 Jul 1784 (sweep 241) and simply
noted "a cluster of stars."
On 17 Jul 1785 (sweep 415), he called this "a L cl of p compressed
st, most of the same size, with many adjacent scattered ones." JH made the single observation
"fine large coarse cl; fills field.
Stars 11...12m, some outliers = 9, 10m." His position is in the center of the cluster.
******************************
NGC 6831 = UGC
11483 = MCG +10-28-011 = CGCG 303-011 = PGC 63674
19 47 57.2 +59
53 33
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.0
17.5"
(6/15/91): faint, fairly small, round, small bright core, sharp stellar
nucleus, faint halo. Pair with NGC
6829 6.3' WNW.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6831 = Sw IV-78, along with NGC 6829, on 3 Sep 1886 and recorded
"eF; S; R: f of 2 [with NGC 6829]." His position is 1.5' too far northeast. Bigourdan measured an accurate
micrometric position on 30 Aug 1889 as well as Howe in 1899-00.
******************************
19 48 15 +59 25
24
17.5"
(8/25/95): this group consists of roughly two dozen stars in a 6' region
surrounding mag 6.7
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6832 = h2053 on 11 Aug 1831 and noted "A *7 in midst of a
field full of 40 stars 10...12m."
His position corresponds with mag 6.7 SAO 32016 at 19 48 15.4 +59 25 23
and matches the group of stars described in my notes. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. This is likely an asterism (not in the
Lynga catalogue), but certainly the group JH noted.
******************************
NGC 6833 = PK
82+11.1 = PN G082.5+11.3
19 49 46.6 +48
57 40
V = 12.1; Size 2"
13.1"
(7/30/85): visible as mag 11.5-12 stellar object without a filter and verified
with OIII blinking. A mag 10.5
star lies 2.8' NE and mag 9.0
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6833 = HN 54 on 8 May 1883 using a direct-vision prism with the
15-inch Merz refractor at Harvard College Observatory. His discovery position in AN 2517 was
accurate.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote "indistinguishable from
a star on the Crossley negative, but shown to have a minute disk visually with
the 36-inch refractor."
******************************
19 52 12 +29 24
30
V = 7.8; Size 5'
17.5"
(8/7/91): 40 visible stars in a 8' diameter. A mag 10 star is in the middle of a line of seven mag 13
stars oriented SW-NE and also at the center of four mag 11/12 stars on a line
oriented E-W. Sprays of stars
emanate from the bright star to the SW and SE. A small clump of five stars lies 4' S of the mag 10
star. Planetary nebula NGC 6842
lies 38' ESE.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6834 = H VIII-16 = h2054 on 17 Jul 1784 (sweep 239) and recorded
"a cl of not very compressed stars; closest in the middle. It may be compared to a cluster which
is forming or gathering and not yet arrived to the state of those that are more
advanced, or contain more stars."
JH logged this cluster as "coarse irreg R; with detached portions
of smaller stars. Those in the
main cluster = 11 or 12 mag."
His position was accurate.
******************************
19 54 33.1 -12
34 09
V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 70d
13.1"
(9/3/83): faint, small, edge-on WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Forms a pair with
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6835 = St XII-91, along with NGC 6836, on 2 Aug 1881 and
recorded "small spindle, very faint, elongated SW to NE, 1.5'
l." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6836 = MCG
-02-50-010 = PGC 63803
19 54 40.4 -12
41 16
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 140d
13.1"
(9/3/83): extremely diffuse, visible with averted only, round, fairly small,
very low surface brightness.
Located 7.4' S of NGC 6835.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6836 = St XII-92, along with NGC 6835, on 2 Aug 1881 and
recorded "vF, pL, R, diff, no central condensation." His position is accurate. Herbert Howe reported "In this
nebula, or just on its f edge, is a star of mag 13.5, apparently not noticed by
its discoverer."
******************************
19 53 08 +11 41
54
Size 3'
17.5"
(6/24/95): this asterism only stands out reasonably well at 100x. Consists of roughly 15 mag 12-14 stars
in a 4' group elongated E-W. There
is a small rich subgroup bulging out on the north side in a semi-circular
arrangement (better resolved at 225x).
Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6837 = H VIII-18 = h2055 on 4 Sep 1784 (sweep 256) and recorded
"a small (forming) cluster of stars, not rich." His offset with respect to 61 Aql is 19
53 20 +11 43.4 (2000), just 12 seconds of time east of the small clump of stars
described in my observation. JH
simply noted "Viewed. In
place by working list? It is a
coarse straggling part of the Milky Way."
RNGC classifies
the number as nonexistent. See Harold Corwin's comments.
******************************
19 53 46.1 +18
46 42
V = 8.1; Size 7.2'; Surf Br = 0.8
24"
(9/2/16): at 200x and 375x; beautifully rich cluster mostly defined by an
intense triangular central or core region with vertices on the north, southwest
and southeast corners and sides ~3', 3' and 2.3'. Roughly 100 stars are densely packed over the background
glow within this triangular outline, though the north end is less well defined. The surface brightness falls off
rapidly outside this core, though the halo includes some brighter stars, and
the cluster blends into the fairly rich field density beyond a diameter of
5'. Open cluster Harvard 20 lies
28' SSW.
17.5"
(8/5/94): roughly 75 stars resolved in a 5' diameter but has a very irregular
ill-defined outline to the halo.
The brightest section is elongated SSW-NNE with dimensions 3'x2'. The brightest star is on the east side
of the core and is a close double.
Located in a rich field with likely many field stars superimposed around
the halo. Located just south of
the midpoint between Gamma and Delta Sagittae.
Harvard 20, less
than 30' SSW, contains about three dozen stars in a 6'x3' field, elongated
~E-W. Two bright mag 9 stars are
off the west side but the cluster is dominated by 20 mag 12/13 stars. Also includes a scattering of faint mag
14-15 stars. A pretty evenly
matched mag 12.5/12.5 double star is at the east end and an uneven mag 12/14
double star is to the west of the well matched double.
13"
(7/16/82 and 8/22/87): a few dozen stars are resolved over haze, only weakly
concentrated, non-symmetrical shape.
Impression that many faint field stars may be superimposed. Located in a very rich star field.
8"
(10/4/80): many faint stars were resolved with averted. The west edge is brighter.
15x50mm IS
binoculars (6/19/09): bright, obvious glow is elongated with a brighter center.
Philippe de
Chéseaux discovered
WH first
observed the cluster on 30 May 1783 using his 8-inch (10-ft focal length) and
noted it was "resolved into stars.
I can count between 20 and 30 of them." He viewed it several times in his larger scopes and logged
"a very compressed cl of stars." on 18 Aug 1784 (sweep 252) and
"a cl. of stars; the stars pretty large, nf is a part seemingly
separated" on 18 Sep 1784 (sweep 276). JH recorded on sweep 90, "vL; loose; fills field; a
fine object; stars 11...16m; the most condensed part = 3', of an acute
triangular figure, the angle northwards."
******************************
19 54 06 +17 57
17.5"
(9/23/95): at 100x there is a very weak enhancement of stars within 10' of mag
8.6
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6839 = H VI-16 = h2057 on 18 Aug 1784 (sweep 252) and noted as
"a very small cl of compressed stars." There is nothing of special interest near his position. JH made two observations and described
(sweep 92) "an insignificant bunch of little stars in the milky way. Hardly more marked than the general
mass, which is astonishingly rich here" and "A quantity of Milky Way
stars, immensely close, one small patch of which may be the cluster VI
16." (Repeats his father's
position with +/- signs in sweep 362).
So, the identification is quite uncertain and WH's intended group of
stars may be lost.
Karl Reinmuth
calls this "a very dense region, no distinct Cl", based on Heidelberg
plates and both Dorothy Carlson and RNGC repeat this assessment.
******************************
19 55 14 +12 07
06
17.5"
(7/27/95): fairly poor group of 20-25 mag 11-15 stars in a 6'x4' rectangular
group. Includes about 10 brighter
mag 11 stars. There are no rich
groupings but a very distinctive 3' string or stars oriented NW-SE marks the NE
side of the group. Stands out
reasonably well at 80x but not distinguishable at 220x. Located 11' N of mag 8.1
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6840 = H VIII-19 = h2058 on 4 Sep 1784 (sweep 256) and recorded
"another much larger [than NGC 6837] but coarsely scattered and not
rich." JH called this "a
small, poor cluster; the preceding of two distinct clusters [with NGC
6843]. The stars 11m." Dreyer, as an observing assistant at
Birr Castle in 1876, noted "a S group of F st with 2 of 10-11m."
Reinmuth
reported "a very loose clustering of a few st 12...15." RNGC classifies this object as
nonexistent (Type 7) and it may be an asterism, but the identification is
certain.
******************************
19 57 49.1 -31
48 39
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4
24"
(10/18/12): moderately bright, fairly small, round, sharply concentrated with a
20" bright core that gradually increases to the center. The outer halo is very faint and
extends ~35" (fades into background).
Brightest in a
trio with
17.5"
(8/10/91): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE. Evenly concentrated to a small bright
round core.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6841 = h3802 on 28 Sep 1834 and recorded "pF; R; psbM;
15" on a highly stipled or dotted ground." His position is less than 1' too far southeast.
******************************
NGC 6842 = PK
65+0.1 = Sh 2-95 = LBN 149 = PN G065.9+00.5
19 55 02.2 +29
17 21
V = 13.5; Size 57"
24"
(9/1/16): at 375x and 500x (unfiltered); moderately bright and large, round,
~50" diameter, crisp edge to the rim, fairly evenly illuminated. The mag 15.5-16 central star was
visible, along with several nearby stars; a mag 15.5 star is just off the NE
edge [38" from center], a mag 15 star is off the south edge [47"] and
a mag 14 star is off the east edge [50"]. Using 220x with a UHC filter, the planetary is fairly bright
and the rim appears slightly brighter in sections.
18"
(8/26/06): a sketch was made at 435x showing the numerous faint stars that
huddle nearby this planetary. A
mag 14 star is off the east edge [50" from center] and a mag 14.5 star is
just off the south end [47" from center]. A mag 15-15.5 star is barely off the NE edge [38" from
center] and an extremely faint mag 16 star is at the NNW edge. A mag 13.5 star
is 1.1' SE. Finally a very faint
central star is often visible.
17.5"
(8/7/91): fairly bright, moderately large, irregularly round, soft edges. A very faint mag 15.5 central star is
visible and a second extremely faint mag 16.0 star is near the east edge
star. Several stars are at the edges
including a mag 15-15.5 star at the NE edge and two mag 13-14 stars off the
east side. Appears brighter around
the central star.
13.1"
(7/12/86): at 62x and OIII filter appears moderately bright, moderately large,
estimate V = 13.0. A mag 14.5 star
is off the east edge. NGC 6834
lies 38' WNW.
8" (9/81):
I was surprised to glimpse NGC 6842 from home in El Cerrito (limiting mag of
4.5) using a Daystar 300 filter at 125x, even with black hood, averted vision
and concentration. Walter Scott
Houston wrote about this observation in detail in his Deep Sky Wonder's column
of November 1982.
8"
(7/31/81): extremely faint, fairly small, diffuse. Located in a rich star field.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6842 = m 403 = Sf 43 on 28 Jun 1863 and noted "vF, pL,
R." Heinrich d'Arrest
independently discovered it the following year on 26 Aug 1864 while searching
for WH's II-202 = NGC 6847. Truman
Safford found the planetary again on 12 Jul 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark
refractor at Dearborn Observatory .
See
******************************
NGC 6843
19 56 06.1 +12
09 49
17.5"
(9/23/95): A very unimpressive scattered group of about two dozen stars mag
11-14 in a 8' region. Generally
elongated N-S in a string with a separate line of six stars at the north end
oriented E-W. There is one close
isolated double star and the fainter stars are at the south end of the
string. Appears to be a very weak
asterism of no special interest except follows NGC 6840 by ~10' in the same
field, a better asterism. Listed
as nonexistent in RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6843 = h2059 on 29 Jul 1829 and recorded (single observation)
"A poor, small cluster. The following of two [with NGC 6840], just
alike." Karl Reinmuth stated
"no distinct Cl, milky way." in his photographic survey and RNGC classifies
the number as nonexistent.
******************************
20 02 50.0 -65
13 46
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d
30"
(10/9/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 N-S,
~50"x36", sharply concentrated with a very bright core that increases
to a stellar nucleus. A collinear
trio of mag 11.5/13/12.5 stars oriented E-W extends to the west beginning 1.5'
WNW. Located 4.8' NW of mag 8.2 HD
189274.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6844 = h3801 on 22 Jun 1835 and recorded "eF; R; vS; psbM;
has a * 11th mag 90" north-preceding, and one 8th mag 6' dist,
south-following." His
position is accurate.
******************************
20 00 58.4 -47
04 13
V = 13.1; Size 2.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 70d
25"
(10/21/17 - OzSky): at 244x and 397x;
NGC 6845B, just
1.4' NE, appeared very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 15"-20"
diameter.
18" (7/10/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the brightest component of a
compact interacting quartet. At
128x it appeared fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.7', very
weak concentration. Two companions
are resolved - NGC 6845B at 1.4' NE (at the end of a long tidal tail) and NGC
6845C at 0.8' SW.
NGC 6845B
required averted vision and appeared extremely faint and small, round, 0.3'
diameter, very low surface brightness.
NGC 6845C appeared very faint, small, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, 0.6'x0.15'. On the DSS image, faint tidal plumes
appear to connect NGC 6845A with this companion. The catalogued B mag in RC3 (B = 16.3) is probably in error
as the galaxy was not difficult.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6845 = h3803 on 7 Jul 1834 (sweep 467) and recorded "eF;
lE; glbM; 30"." In a
second observation he logged "vF; R; bM; 15". Found and viewed by the place of sweep
467." This is a compact
interacting group of four galaxies (Klemola 30) and RC3 identifies the
brightest member as NGC 6845A.
******************************
19 56 28.1 +32
20 58
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'
17.5"
(9/7/91): at 225x appears as a small, faint clump of stars over unresolved
haze. Elongated about 3:2 E-W with
dimensions 1.5'x1.0'. A mag 13.5
star is off the NW edge, a mag 14 star is at the west edge and three additional
mag 14 stars in a clump are just visible over of the haze although clean
resolution is difficult.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6846 = St V-4 on 17 Aug 1873 and recorded "eF, vS,
surrounds 3 faint stars." At
his position is a small knot or cluster of faint stars.
RNGC places this
open cluster at 2° too far south and I unsuccessfully searched for the cluster
at this position with my 17.5" scope. The same error is in the Lynga catalogue (source of the
original error?) and repeated in NGC 2000, Deep Sky Field Guide, and the first
edition of the Uranometria 2000 star atlas. Listed in my RNGC Corrections #6. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 6847
19 57 09 +29 21
12
=Not found,
Carlson. See discussion by Corwin.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6847 = H II-202 on 17 Jul 1784 (sweep 239) and recorded "a
resolvable nebulous patch; there are great numbers of them in this neighborhood
like forming nebula, but this is the strongest of them; they are evidently
congeries of small stars."
There is really nothing that stands out on the DSS near his position and
Dreyer notes in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that "according to
Bigourdan there is no second class nebula here; a region rich in stars, but if
there is any nebulosity about, it is very diffused."
WH's position is
2.0 minutes of RA east of NGC 6842.
Could WH have observed this planetary nebula? Harold Corwin suggests that H II-202 may apply to the
"cluster and HII region [Sh 2-97] 1 degree north and 30 seconds west of
WH's single position." I've
classified this object as lost.
******************************
20 02 47.5 -56
05 22
V = 12.1; Size 2.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 157d
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x, fairly faint, fairly
small, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.4', broad concentration to a brighter
core. Two mag 13 stars 1' NE and
1.5' SE of center run parallel to the major axis! Forms a trio with
ESO 185-054 is
moderately bright and large, elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 1.3'x1.0', broad
concentration. A mag 13 star is
just off the south edge, 1.1' from center. This galaxy appears slightly
brighter than NGC 6848, which lies 10' SW, so it's curious that JH missed
it. ESO 185-053, just 3.6' to the
west, appeared faint, small, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, 0.6'x0.15'. A mag 13 star is just off the NNW
extension 50" from center and a fainter mag 14 star lies 30" W of
center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6848 = h3804 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "F; L; R; vglbM;
90"; forms a triangle with 2 st 11 and 12m, following it." His position (and description) is
accurate.
******************************
20 06 15.6 -40
11 54
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 18d
17.5"
(10/5/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, weak concentration, diffuse
halo fades into background. A mag
13 star is off the east side 1.4' from center. Located 3.5' S of a mag 10 star. Low elevation detracts from viewing. John Herschel's position was exactly 5
tmin of RA to the west so this identification not certain.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6849 = h3805 on 4 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB; S; R: has a vS
star np." There is nothing
near his position matching this description, but exactly 5.0 minutes of RA east
is
******************************
20 03 30.0 -54
50 43
V = 12.5; Size 2.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 153d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, irregular
halo elongated NW-SE, ~1.4'x0.7'. The central region is broadly concentration
then sharply increases at the center to a very small bright core and stellar
nucleus. The outer halo has a
fairly low but irregular surface brightness. Within a triangle of stars including a mag 12 star 1.9' N.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x, fairly faint, fairly
small, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.5', pretty even surface brightness. Forms a pair with IC 4933 8.0' S but I
didn't look for the IC companion.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6850 = h3806 on 9 Jun 1836 and noted "vF; R; bM;
25"." His single
position is accurate. It is very
surprising that he didn't notice IC 4933, a fairly bright galaxy just 8' south.
******************************
20 03 34.3 -48
17 05
V = 11.8; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 160d
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x, it appeared moderately
bright and large, oval 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.9'. The galaxy is well-concentrated with a bright core and is
collinear with two mag 9.5 stars 5' SE and 13' SE. NGC 6851 is a member of the loose Telescopium Group (ACO
S851) with dominant members
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6851 = h3807 on 5 Sep 1836 and recorded "pF; pS; R or vlE;
psbM; 15"." His position
is at the north edge of the halo.
******************************
20 00 39.1 +01
43 41
V = 12.9; Size 28"
24"
(6/30/16): at 501x (unfiltered); very bright compact planetary, fairly small,
slightly elongated ~N-S, ~25"x21". A darker center and bright knots in the rim give a bipolar
annular appearance. A very small bright knot is at the southeast end, close to
a mag 14.4 star that is just off the edge [22" from center]. A matching knot (slightly less
contrasty) is along the northwest edge of the rim. A mag 13 field is less than 30" W of this knot. The rim is slightly weaker on the
southwest and northeast sides (the south edge is not well defined), so in
effect a darker strip or bar extends through the center in a SW-NE orientation,
nearly slicing the planetary into two sections.
18"
(8/26/06): at 435x, this planetary appeared moderately bright, fairly small,
elongated 3:2 NW-SE, ~25"x18".
A mag 14.5 star is close off the SE end. At this magnification the planetary was occasionally bipolar
with a well-defined, very small bright knot just NW of the mag 14.5 star and a
second less defined knot that forms the NW end of the planetary. The two knots appear resolved though I
never had a steady view of both simultaneously. Located less that 5' ENE of a mag 7.5 star.
17.5"
(7/16/88): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, no
annularity noted. A mag 13.5 star
is 34" WNW and a mag 14.5 star is 23" SE of center. Located 4.6' ENE of mag 7.5 SAO
125338. Estimate V = 12.5.
13"
(7/20/85): moderately bright, slightly elongated NW-SE, diffuse, no
structure. Two stars are off NW
edge about 40" and a faint star is at the SSE edge. Located 5' NE of a mag 8 star.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6852 = m 404 on 25 Jun 1863 and noted "F neb, within a
group of small stars." The
same night he also discovered the planetary NGC 6778.
******************************
19 59 36.3 +22
43 16
V = 7.1; Size 480"x340"
18"
(8/23/03): breathtaking view at 215x; with the fainter but larger outer lobes
increasing the dimensions to nearly 7.5'x6' and the ends of the major axis
(southeast and northwest) appear to open up and bulge out further. With careful viewing, ~10 superimposed
stars can be counted including the easy mag 14 central star.
17.5"
(6/15/91): very bright, very large, 7'x6', bright dumbbell lobes are oriented
SSW-NNE. The SSW lobe is brighter
with a bright outer rim. Large
fainter sweeping side lobes fill in the dumbbell and reverse the major axis to
WNW-ESE. The planetary has an irregular surface brightness with a darker
center. At high power 5 or 6 stars
are superimposed including the easy mag 13.8 central star. Overall, this is the most impressive
planetary.
8"
(9/25/81): central star visible at 200x. The fainter side lobes are prominent.
15x50 IS
binoculars (multiple dates): easily the most prominent planetary visible in
binoculars.
Charles Messier
discovered M27 = NGC 6853 = h2060 on 12 July 1764. This was the first planetary nebula discovered. Caroline Herschel independently found
it on 30 Sep 1782. WH reported
"My sister discovered this nebula this evening in sweeping for comets; on
comparing its place with Messier's nebulae we find it is his 27. It is very
curious with a compound piece; the shape of it though oval as M. [Messier]
calls it, is rather divided in two; it is situated among a number of small
stars, but with this compound piece no star is visible in it. I can only make
it bear 278. It vanishes with higher powers on account of its feeble light.
With 278 the division between the two patches is stronger, because the
intermediate faint light vanishes more." This discovery may have spurred WH to search for new
nebulae.
On 19 Jul 1784,
WH recorded "The nebula in Vulpecula I suppose to be a double stratum of
stars of a very great extent. The
ends next to us are not only resolvable nebulosity, but I really do see very
many of the stars mixt with the resolvable nebulosity; farther on the
nebulosity is but barely resolvable and ends at last in milky whitishness of
the same appearance as that in Orion.
The idea I form of the shape of the nebula is ...[diagram
follows]." LdR's sketch on 21
Sep 1843 with his 36" was published in his 1844 PTRAS paper. He noted "Cannot say positively
whether resolvable, but see through it an immense number of st apparently
united with nebulous matter. If
they are st seen through the neb and unconnected with it, it is strange they
should be so much more numerous than in the adjoining part of the
heavens." George Stoney's 1849 sketch with the 72" was published in
the 1850 PT paper.
As far as the
nickname "Dumbbell" nebula, JH wrote on 24 Aug 1827 "A most
extraordinary object; vB; an unresolved nebula, shaped something like an
hour-glass, filled into an oval outline with a much less dense nebulosity. The central mass may be compared to a
vertebra or dumb-bell". In
another sweep he describes the shape as "like a double-headed shot or a
dumb-bell."
******************************
20 05 38.8 -54
22 33
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 166d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2
NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.8', broad concentration, brighter along the major axis. A mag 14 star lies 1.4' NE and PGC
161899 lies 35" N of this star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6854 = h3808 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "vF; S; R; glbM;
12"." His mean position
(2 observations) is accurate.
******************************
20 06 49.9 -56
23 24
V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.2'
diameter, sharply concentrated to a very small bright core, hint of structure
in the outer halo. A very faint
star is superimposed just southeast of the core. An extremely faint star is just visible near the west edge of
the halo. Forms a close pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6855 = h3809 on 10 Jul 1834 and logged "Not vF; S;
R." His position is accurate.
******************************
19 59 17.1 +56
07 29
17.5"
(7/24/95): 15 stars mag 12-15 in a 2' diameter. Stands out well as this group is very detached in the
field. Appears to have unresolved
background haze but there are no dense spots or concentration and the stars are
pretty evenly distributed. About
3' north is a triangle of mag 10.5-11 stars, a bit larger than the
cluster. Incorrectly listed as
nonexistent in the RNGC.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6856 = h2063 on 24 Sep 1829 and recorded "A small pretty
close cluster, irreg R, 3' dia, stars 12...16m." At his position is a small group or asterism of 15 stars,
matching his description. Karl
Reinmuth reported the photographic appearance on Heidelberg plate as "Cl,
S, iR, pB, st 12..." Jack
Sulentic reported "No cluster" in the RNGC and classified the number
as nonexistent.
******************************
20 01 47.6 +33
31 38
Size 1.0'x1.0'
18"
(7/14/07): at 174x and OIII filter appears as a small but high surface
brightness nearly circular knot, just 1' in diameter and sharply defined in a
very rich star field. Without a
filter a mag 13 (illuminating?) star is visible at the center and two stars are
at opposite edges (SW and NE). At
280x the outline surface brightness is slightly irregular. Located just inside a beautiful partial
ring or loop of stars that includes a couple of double stars. While viewing this object I noticed a
fairly large, 3' low surface brightness hazy region about 10' W in the field. This glow matches the location of Sh
2-99 (11' W of NGC 6857). There
was no structure to this HII region and the surface brightness was
uniform.
18"
(9/25/06): easily swept up at 115x as a small, high surface brightness nebula,
roughly 1' in diameter, situated in a rich star field. Excellent contrast gain with an OIII
filter and appears quite bright with this combination. At 300x, the nebula appears as a
1'-1.5' bright glow that spreads out mostly to the south of an embedded
(possibly illuminating) mag 13.5-14 star in an irregular shape. This HII region is located along one
side of a near equilateral triangle of mag 12-13 stars with a mag 12 star just
40" SW. A close, faint equal
pair of mag 13.5 stars follows by 4'.
17.5"
(8/7/91): very bright, moderately large, about 1' diameter, irregular outline,
roughly circular but edges difficult to define, irregular surface
brightness. The mag 13.5 central
star is quite prominent offset north of center. Surrounded by four fours; a mag
12 star at the SW edge [40" from center], two mag 13 stars off the NE end
[40" from center] and off the NW end [52" from center], a mag 14 star
at the SE end. Located in a rich
star field. Excellent contrast
gain with OIII filter. Extremely
faint nebulosity may extend to the west.
This is a compact HII region within Sh 2-100, which mainly spreads out
towards the west. CGCG
misclassifies as a planetary nebula.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6857 = H III-144 = h2062 on 6 Sep 1784 (sweep 258) and recorded
"a patch containing some nebulosity.
240 confirmed it, irregularly long." JH made 3 observations and logged on sweep 198 "a
nebulous looking patch; 12" diam; in Milky Way; ill-defined; perhaps only
some e minute stars mixed with larger which as distinct."
******************************
20 02 59 +11 15
36
17.5" (9/23/95):
this is an elongated group of 35 stars in a 10'x4' group oriented N-S which
precedes a mag 9 star at 20 03 16 +11 16.4 (2000). Fairly uniform in brightness and distribution with no dense
spots but includes a couple of nice doubles. Most stars are mag 12-13 with a scattering of fainter stars.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6858 = h2061 on 29 Jul 1829 and recorded "A pretty rich
oblong cl; 10' l, 5' br; stars equal and of 13th mag. In Milky Way.
Place that of double * [HJ 1466." The visual appearance is similar to JH's description and his
position is fairly accurate, so the identification is definite.
Karl Reinmuth
described its photographic appearance as "a very loose clustering of st
13...., no distinct cluster."
Jack Sulentic stated "No cluster" in the RNGC and classified
the number as nonexistent (Type 7).
******************************
20 03 49.0 +00
26 43
=***, Corwin.
George Bond
discovered NGC 6859 = HN 6 = Au 46 on 24 Nov 1852 with the 15-inch Merz
refractor during the Harvard Zone Survey of stars near the celestial
equator. He noted a "faint
nebula follows star #11 [10th mag] by 1 sec [of time] and north of it by 1'
29" north of it." Dreyer
(at Birr Castle), d'Arrest and Schönfeld only reported finding faint
stars. At Bond's precise offset
are two mag 12.6/14.0 (12" separation) stars with a third mag 15 star
~16" east.
******************************
20 08 47.1 -61
06 01
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 34d
30"
(10/9/15 - OzSky): at 303x; moderately to fairly bright, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE,
~50"x30", broad concentration.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6860 = h3810 on 11 Aug 1836 and logged "F; R; gbM;
40"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
NGC 6861 = ESO
233-032 = LGG 430-003 = IC 4949 = PGC 64136
20 07 19.4 -48
22 12
V = 11.1; Size 2.8'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140d
30" (10/18/17
- OzSky): at 429x; very bright, large, fairly large, beautiful lenticular,
elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.8'x0.8' , sharply concentrated with a very bright oval
core. There was a hint of a dust
lane. Two 12th mag stars are 1.6'
NE and 2' E of center.
18" (7/7/05
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, moderately bright, moderately
large, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 1.3'x0.8', fairly well concentrated with a small
brighter core. Forms the SW vertex
of a triangle with two equal mag 12 stars just 1.6' NE and 2' E.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x this galaxy appeared
moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE with a brighter core. Two nearby mag 12 stars, 1.6' NE and
2.0' E run parallel to the major axis of the galaxy. Brightest of four galaxies in field with IC 4943 8.5' W, NGC
6861B 14' SW and an anonymous galaxy 2.8' N of IC 4943. This is one of the brighter galaxies in
the Telescopium Group = ACO S851.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): faint, small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, bright core. Forms the western vertex of an
isosceles right triangle with two stars following [mag 12 star 1.6' NE and mag
12.5 star 2.0' E]. NGC 6868 lies
25' E. Brightest along with NGC
6868 in a group including IC 4943 8.5' W (not seen).
James Dunlop
discovered NGC 6861 = D 425 = h3811 on 30 Jul 1826 and recorded "a very
small faint nebula, about 15" diameter." His published position is roughly 1 degree too far north of
this galaxy, but Glen Cozens found he made a 1° error in transcribing his
original position. On 7 Jul 1834,
JH recorded "B; S; lE; pgmbM; 20"." On a second sweep he called it "B; S; E; gpmbM;
25" dia. If a misprint of 42°
12' instead of 41°12' be presumed in Mr. Dunlop's catalogue, this object is
identified with No. 425."
JH's mean position from two observations matches
******************************
NGC 6862 = ESO
186-002 = LGG 429-004 = PGC 64168
20 08 54.8 -56
23 31
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 149d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, moderately large, round, 1'
diameter, broad concentration .
Situated between a mag 14.5 star 1' W and a mag 15 star 1.4' E. NGC 6855 lies 17' W.
NGC 6862 has a
redshift of z = .014 (~200 million l.y.) and is superimposed in the foreground
of
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6862 = h3812 on 9 Jul 1834 and logged "vF; lE; glbM;
20"." His position is
accurate. Member of
******************************
20 05 07.3 -03
33 18
Size 1'
17.5"
(9/23/95): at 225x five mag 14-15 stars are resolved within a 1' region. Detached in field and nebulous at low
power but unimpressive at high power. Appears fully resolved and just an
asterism though may be a possible "open cluster remnant". There are no brighter stars within the
20' field at 225x.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6863 = h2065 on 25 Jul 1827 and recorded "A little compact
knot of 7 or 8 stars taken at first for a nebula (and liable to be taken as one
hereafter). Stars 19m." There
is a knot of four faint stars within 35" of JH's position (see visual
description). Karl Reinmuth, in his
1926 photographic survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", describes "4-5 vS
st alm in line 85d; *14 n nr." and Harold Corwin also identifies this as a
group of 8 stars. Moni et al
(2010, A&A, 510, 44) conclude this is not a cluster but a random
enhancement of field stars.
******************************
20 06 04.7 -21
55 16
V = 8.6; Size 6.0'; Surf Br = 0.5
17.5"
(7/14/93): bright, moderately large, 3' diameter, round, very bright striking
core 30" diameter, very mottled.
Several extremely faint 15th mag stars pop in and out of view with
averted vision in the outer halo.
A mag 14 star is in the inner region just NE of core. The cluster almost reaches four mag
12.5-13 stars, which cradle the globular on the south and NE sides, and a
fainter star is off the NW side.
This cluster is quite concentrated and is the only Shapley-Sawyer class
I globular in the Messier catalogue.
13.1"
(8/25/82): bright intense core surrounded by a fainter halo that is slightly
mottled but with no obvious resolution.
15x50 IS
binoculars (9/26/11): easily picked up as a very small, round glow with a
bright, nearly stellar center and a small fainter halo.
Pierre Méchain
discovered
******************************
20 05 56.5 -09
02 28
V = 14.9; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 130d
17.5"
(9/15/90): faint, very small, elongated 2:1 E-W, very small bright core,
stellar nucleus.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6865 = m 405 on 28 Jun 1863 and noted "F, S, E." His position is accurate.
******************************
20 03 55 +44 09
30
V = 7.6; Size 15'
17.5"
(9/7/91): about 100 stars in a 20'x10' region are visible at 100x. Appears rich and very appealing. The main string is very elongated
roughly E-W and contains a brighter intersecting subgroup 8'x2' NW-SE of about
45 stars with a close triple star on the NW end consisting of a mag 10 star and
two very faint companions. Two mag
10-10.5 stars are at the SE end of this string. The western end of the main string curves north into a nice
semi-circle.
Caroline
Herschel discovered NGC 6866 = H VII-59 = h2066 on 23 Jul 1783. WH found the cluster on 11 Sep 1790
(sweep 959) and recorded "a very rich cl of L stars, considerably
compressed, above 15' diam. By the
size of the stars, it is situated among the milky way towards us." His position is accurate. Karl Harding found the cluster again in
1823, reported it to Johann Bode and it was listed as new (#8) in
Astronomisches Jahrbuch for 1827 (printed in 1824). JH made the single observation on 21 Aug 1829: "a
coarse rough cluster. Taken for
VII. 59, but the place does not agree." His position is on the double star HJ 1478 = 10.3/10.9 at
2.2", which is situated 10'
south of the cluster.
Brian Skiff
found the Lund catalogue has a -10' error in declination, and this error may be
carried over into over sources (misplotted on the Millennium Star Atlas).
******************************
20 10 29.7 -54
47 00
V = 13.1; Size 2.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 156d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated at
least 4:1 NNW-SSE, 1.5'x0.35', tapers at the NNW and SSE tips, broad weak
concentration. Nearly collinear
with a mag 9.5 star 3.5' ENE and a mag 10.5 star 6.6' NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6867 = h3813 on 9 Jun 1836 and recorded "eeF; L;
pmE." His position and
description matches
******************************
NGC 6868 = ESO
233-039 = AM 2006-483 = LGG 430-004 = PGC 64192
20 09 54.3 -48
22 43
V = 10.7; Size 3.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 86d
30"
(10/18/17 - OzSky): at 429x; this giant elliptical is the brightest member of
the Telescopium Group = ACO S851. It appeared very bright, fairly large,
slightly elongated 5:4 WSW-ENE, ~1.8'x1.5' sharply concentrated with an
intensely bright core that increases to the center, halo gradually fades. 2MASX J20095889-4821262 is off the NE
edge, 1.6' from center, and was fairly faint to moderately bright, round,
20" diameter, weak concentration, with a fairly high surface
brightness. NGC 6770 lies 6.3'
NNE,
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this giant elliptical is one of
the brightest members of the Telescopium Group (ACO S851), at a distance
of roughly 120 million
light-years. At 128x, NGC 6868
appeared moderately bright and large, slightly elongated E-W, ~1.5'x1.2'. Contains a bright core that is
concentrated to the center. Forms
the southern vertex of an equilateral triangle with members
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 4:3 N-S,
bright core. Pair with NGC 6870
6.2' NNE and brightest with NGC 6861 in a group.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6868 = h3814 on 7 Jul 1834 and recorded "vB; S; R: pgmbM;
20"."
******************************
20 00 42.4 +66
13 39
V = 12.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5"
(8/13/88): moderately bright, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Two mag 10 and 11 stars lie 4.5' SSE
and 2.8' SSE, respectively.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6869 = Sw II-83 = Sw IV-79 on 26 Aug 1884 and recorded "pB;
R; pS; 2 B stars and it form an arc of a circle" Swift found this galaxy again two years later on 6 Sep 1886
and recorded it as "pB; pS; R; bM." Dreyer combined both entries in the NGC. Herbert Howe measured an accurate
micrometric position in 1899-00 as well as Kobold at Strasbourg in .
******************************
NGC 6870 = ESO
233-041 = LGG 430-005 = PGC 64197
20 10 10.7 -48
17 13
V = 12.3; Size 2.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 85d
30"
(10/18/17 - OzSky): at 264x and 429x; bright, large, very elongated 5:2 E-W,
~1.5'x0.6'. Strong concentration
with a very bright elongated core.
Forms a striking pair in the Telescopium Group (ACO S851) with NGC 6868
6.2' SSW. NGC 6861F, located 10'
E,
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): last in a trio with NGC 6868 6'
SSW and ESO 233-035 7.5' W within the core of the Telescopium Group (ACO
S851). At 128x it appeared
moderately bright, very elongated 5:2 E-W, ~1.5'x0.6', with a bright core.
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): extremely faint, small, oval 2:1 WSW-ENE. Forms a pair with NGC 6868 6.2' SSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6870 = h3815 on 7 Jul 1834 and recorded "F; pmE in
parallel; gbM; 30" l."
His position is accurate.
******************************
20 05 59.4 +35
46 38
V = 5.2; Size 20'
18"
(9/26/11): bright, large, rich cluster but not isolated in the field, so the
catalogued diameter of 20' seems somewhat arbitrary. At 175x, roughly 200 stars are visible within the region,
though there are really too many to count. The dominant feature are two bright multiple stars near the
center: SHJ 314 = 6.8/7.3 at 35" with 4 faint companions and SHJ 315 =
7.9/8.8 at 20" with 8 companions including a trio of mag 11 stars close
west, a 15" pair of mag 10.5 stars close east and a tight string of 3 or 4
fainter stars close southeast. NGC
6871 forms a close pair of clusters with Biurakan 1 (centered on a mag 7.3
star), just off the southeast side.
The little-known Wolf-Rayet shell surrounding W-R 134/135 lies 45' NE.
13.1"
(8/25/84): dominated by two bright multiple stars: SHJ 314 = 6.8/7.3 at
35" with four additional close companions and SHJ 315 = 7.9/8.8 pair at
20" surrounded by several mag 11 stars. The bright pairs are oriented N-S and separated by about
2'. The cluster itself is in a
bright, rich field with no apparent boundaries.
8" (6/81):
two sets of multiple stars in a very rich field including ß440 = mag 7, 12, 11,
9.5, 11.5, 8 at 7", 11", 11", 28" and 36". Located 13' SW of a mag 5.5 27 Cygni.
Wilhelm Struve
discovered NGC 6871 = h2067 in 1825 or 1826 using the 9.6" refractor at
the Dorpat Observatory and included the double star ∑2630 in his main catalogue
of double stars. On 5 Aug 1831, JH
recorded "A double star ∑2630, in a cluster of 5 bright and many small
stars." His position is near
the two bright double stars in the center of the cluster and he credited Struve
with the discovery.
But by analyzing
William Herschel's early "reviews" of bright stars (before his systematic
sweeps), which resulted in the discovery of many double stars, Wolfgang
Steinicke found (email Oct '16) that Herschel first discovered the cluster on
23 Sep 1783 using his 6.2" reflector.
******************************
20 16 56.9 -70
46 04
V = 11.8; Size 6.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 66d
30"
(10/13/15 - OzSky): NGC 6872 is an absurdly stretched spiral with extremely
distended arms spanning roughly 750,000 light years. At 303x it appeared very bright, fairly large, elongated 5:3
SW-NE, 1.2'x0.7', sharply concentrated with a bright core encasing an extremely
bright nucleus. A mag 10.4 star is
off the west side of the halo, just 1.1' WSW of center. The initial portions of the spiral arms
are visible as thin, very low surface brightness wings, extending ~1' southwest
on the south side and northeast on the north side. The tidal extensions were not seen. A mag 13 star lies 2.4' ENE.
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): second brightest in the Pavo-I
Group with brightest member
IC 4970 appeared
faint, very small, slightly elongated, 20"x15". Images reveal a distorted bridge and
plumes due to interaction with NGC 6872.
PGC 64439, nearly at the midpoint of NGC 6872 and NGC 6876, appeared
very faint and small, round, 0.3' diameter, low surface brightness.
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, elongated 2:1 SW-NE
towards a mag 10.5 star off the SW edge, 1.2'x0.5'. Fairly well concentrated with a small bright core.
In 1979A&A,
79, 22, the abstract for "NGC 6872 - A remarkable barred spiral"
states, "The extent of the arms is probably greater than in any other
spiral known; it is concluded that NGC 6872 is a conventional barred spiral in
which severe tidal interaction took place."
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6872 = h3816 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "F; R; glbM;
30"; has a vS * preceding.
first of 4 [with NGC 6876, 6877 and 6880]." On a second observation he called it
"F; E; 40" l; has a * 9m 10.5 seconds preceding."
******************************
20 07 13 +21 06
06
17.5"
(8/25/95): fairly rich region but there is no noticeable clustering. There is a 15' string starting from the
mag 10 star at the NGC position heading due west and ending at the bright
double ∑2631 = 8.4/9.8 at 4.6".
This star is very possibly the double referred to in John Herschel's
description with a 1.0 tmin error in RA -- Corwin concurs.
17.5"
(7/7/94): the low power field (100x using 20 Nagler) surrounding the pretty
double star Theta Sagittae = ∑2637 (6.5/9.0 at 12") includes several
bright stars but appears too sparse to be a cluster. But 5' NE of Theta is a neat elongated group of 15 stars mag
12-13 forming a "?" asterism about 6' in length. Theta Sagittae is located 1.7 tmin east
and 11' S of Herschel's position so this identification is less likely than the
one given above.
Wilhelm Struve
discovered NGC 6873 = h2068 in 1825 or 1826 using the 9.6" refractor at
the Dorpat Observatory and catalogued the principal double star ∑2631 in his
main catalogue of double stars. On
5 Aug 1831, JH recorded "A double star the chief of a coarse straggling
group of stars 10...13m, hardly entitled to be called a cluster." He credited Struve with the discovery,
though his position (copied into the GC and NGC) is exactly 1.0 minute of RA
east of the double star (∑2631 = 8.4/9.8 at 4.6"). Coincidentally this position falls very
close to a wide 1.1' pair of mag 10/11 stars. Reinmuth called this "a dense region; no Cl; double
star 11.8 in Dreyer's place."
He may have been examining the erroneous NGC position.
******************************
20 07 33 +38 14
48
V = 7.7; Size 8'
17.5"
(8/25/95): large, fairly rich and uniform triangular group. Consists of about 60 stars in a 10'x5'
triangular region with the longer 10' base oriented NW-SE along the following
side of the cluster. The brightest
mag 10 star lies at the east end and most stars are between mag 12-13. Only stands out at low power due to
large size.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6874 = H VIII-86 = h2069 on 15 Sep 1792 (sweep 1027) and
recorded "A coarsely sc. cl. of L st, of a rectangled triangular
shape." JH reported (single
sweep) "a coarse scattered cluster of about 60 stars. The largest (10m)
taken." JH's position corresponds to a brightest 10th mag star on the east
side of the group at 20 07 50.1 +38 14 27.
Brent Archinal
notes the probable equivalence with Basel 6, although the Lynga RA is at least
1 cluster diameter west-northwest . RNGC misclassifies the number as
nonexistent (Type 7). See Harold
Corwin's comments.
******************************
20 13 12.3 -46
09 42
V = 12.1; Size 2.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 22d
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located on a line between mag 8 SAO
230105 3.5' SE and mag 9.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6875 = h3819 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded "F; vS; R; vgmbM;
10"; a * 7m sf dist 5'."
His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6876 = ESO
073-IG035 = LGG 432-001 = PGC 64447
20 18 19.1 -70
51 30
V = 11.1; Size 2.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 80d
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the brightest member of
the Pavo-I Group (mean redshift 3800 km/s). At 171x, it appeared moderately bright and large, slightly
elongated ~E-W, 1.5'x1.3', containing a brighter core. A star is at the south edge 0.5' from
center. Forms a close pair with
NGC 6877 just 1.5' following. I also observed these additional members of the
group: NGC 6872, NGC 6877, NGC 6880, IC 4970,
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, round, 1.5'
diameter. Broadly concentrated
with a slightly brighter core. A
star is superimposed on the south edge.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6876 = h3817 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "pB; S; R; r;
15"." On a second
observation he logged "pF; R; 20"; a vS almost invisible star sf; 2nd
of 4 [with NGC 6877 and 6880]."
******************************
NGC 6877 = ESO
073-036 = LGG 432-004 = PGC 64457
20 18 36.2 -70
51 11
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 169d
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this Pavo-I Group member is
located just 1.5' E of the brightest member, NGC 6876, and is just outside the
halo. At 171x it appeared faint,
very small, oval N-S, 0.3'x0.15'. NGC 6880/IC 4981 lies 4.4' following.
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, small, elongated 4:3 N-S,
0.7'x0.5'. Forms a close pair with
NGC 6876 to the west. A close
equal mag double star follows by 1'.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6877 = h3818 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "eF; eS; the 3rd
of a group of 4." On a second
observation, he noted "vF; vS; R."
******************************
20 13 53.3 -44
31 33
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 125d
30"
(10/9/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated
E-W, ~1.2'x1.0', irregular, contains a small bright round core. Weak spiral structure is evident in the
halo. A mag 14.5-15 star is at the north edge [35" from center] and a mag
16.4 star is on the south edge [25" from center]. Mag 9.2
A number of ESO
galaxies are within 30', but the only two I took notes on were
24"
(9/15/12): at 175x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. The view was severely hampered by low
altitude (less than 10° elevation), poor seeing and sky glow low in the
south. Located 5.5' NNE of mag 9.2
HD 191827. A wide 40" pair of
mag 12.5-13 stars is on line with the brighter star ~2' SSW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6878 = h3821 on 27 Jul 1834 and recorded "vF; L; R; glbM;
90"." His position is on
the west side of the galaxy.
******************************
20 10 26.7 +16
55 22
V = 12.7; Size 5"
24" (9/2/16):
picked up at 200x unfiltered as a slightly soft, pale blue
"star". Excellent
response to an OIII filter. A
slightly brighter 12th mag star is 1.4' SW, though with the filter the
planetary dominates this star.
Improved view at 286x and 375x.
A small 5" disc is easily resolved. Nearby a mag 13.5 star is 50" WNW and a mag 14 star
50" SSE. At 500x, a 15-15.5
mag star is just off the north side (15" separation) and another 15th mag
star is 30" SSE. The center
is brighter but the seeing wasn't steady enough to resolve the central star.
17.5"
(9/5/99): picked up at 100x with OIII blinking as a mag 12 "star" by
star hopping from the double star ∑2634 = 7.9/9.4 at 5" which is 14'
SW. A good comparison star for
blinking is situated just 1.5' SW.
At 280x, the PN has a slight bluish tinge with a "soft"
edge. At 380x, a very disc
~4" is resolved with a brighter center. The disc is easier at 500x and a mag 16 star is occasionally
visible at the north edge.
13" (7/85):
observation from El Cerrito: stellar planetary at all powers, confirmed by OIII
blinking, estimate V = 12.0. A
similar mag 12 star is 1.4' SW.
Located 14' NE of ∑2634 = 7.9/9.4 at 5".
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6879 = HN 55 on 8 May 1883 using a direct-vision spectroscope
with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. The discovery was communicated directly
to Dreyer (probably in 1885) and not published until 1908 (Harvard Annals
60). Ralph Copeland independently
rediscovered it on 9 Sep 1884 at Dun Echt, Aberdeen using an objective-prism
with a 6.1-inch Simms refractor.
He remarked "equal in brightness to a star 10.2 mag. Diameter 4.6" by micrometric. It has an 11 mag star at 222.27°,
distance 83.2"." His
micrometric position in Monthly Notices XLV 2 is very accurate. Both Pickering and Copeland are listed
as discoverers in the NGC.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote "A minute disk, 5"
in diameter, just distinguishable from a star. Fades out slightly at the edges."
******************************
NGC 6880 = ESO
073-037 = LGG 432-002 = PGC 64479
20 19 29.7 -70
51 34
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 21d
18"
(7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this galaxy in the Pavo-I Group
appeared faint, small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 0.5'x0.2'. A mag 13 star is at the west edge. Forms a close pair with IC 4981 off the
NE edge 1.1' from the center. NGC
6877 lies 4.4' W.
IC 4981 appeared
very faint, very small, 20" diameter.
18" (7/8/02
- Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, 0.8'x0.4'. A 13th magnitude star is at NW edge of
the halo and a fainter star is superposed on the south end.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6880 = h3820 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "pF; S; R; r;
15"; the last of 4 [with NGC 6872, 6876 and 6877]." His position is accurate.
******************************
20 10 52.4 +37
24 42
V = 13.6; Size 5"
13.1"
(8/7/85): visible as a mag 13.5 "star" without a filter. Verified with OIII blinking and appears
brighter than a mag 12 just 44" SE.
Stellar at 144x. Located in
a rich Milky Way field. Several
bright stars are near including mag 8.7
Edward Pickering
discovered NGC 6881 = HN 44 on 25 Nov 1881 using a direct-vision spectroscope
attached to the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. His position in Sidereal Messenger, Vol
1, No 6 (Oct 1882) and The Observatory 1882 is accurate.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) noted, "Probably has a
central star. Just distinguishable
from a star; a minute disk 5" in diameter, with very faint ansae in
150-330°."
******************************
20 11 58 +26 29
00
Size 18'
17.5"
(9/7/91): conspicuous subgroup at the NW corner of
8"
(8/23/84): in the field of NGC 6885 to the north with a mag 7 star surrounded
by five faint stars. Two
additional mag 7 stars are nearby.
William Herschel
found NGC 6882 = H VIII-22 on 10 Sep 1784 (sweep 263) and recorded "a cl.
of coarsely scattered stars." There is nothing at his position, but ~15'
south is NGC 6885 = H VIII-20, which WH discovered just the previous
night! Corwin suggests that WH
made two observations of this cluster and made an error with the dec on the
second night. Brent Archinal
concurs with this solution. So, NGC 6882 = NGC 6885. NGC 6882 is often taken as a richer subgroup on the NW side
of NGC 6885.
******************************
20 11 19.8 +35
49 55
Size 15'
18"
(10/8/05): at 115x, 60 stars over haze are visible in a 6' group that is set in
an incredibly rich Milky Way field.
Five of the brighter stars on the south side form an elongated
"Y" or "Wishbone" asterism with a bright pair of mag 9.5/10
stars (17" separation) at the base of the wishbone. The west side of the cluster is defined
by a gently curving string of 10 faint stars. At 220x, up to 80-90 stars can be counted in an 7'x5' region
as a number of faint stars emerge from the background. At low power this region is surrounded
by other concentrations or asterisms including Ruprecht 172, which spreads out
to the southeast. About 30' NW is
the WR 134/135 Nebula, an uncatalogued but relatively bright Wolf-Rayet shell
nebula.
17.5"
(8/19/95): two dozen stars in a 4' diameter surrounding a prominent
"Y" asterism of five mag 10 stars with twenty additional mag 13-14.5
stars. The brightest star at the
base of the "Y" is a mag 9.5/10 double at 17" and the center star
about 1.5' NE is an unequal closer pair.
Surrounding this group is a oval border of 7' diameter consisting of
several strings of mag 13 stars, which increase the total to roughly 50 stars. Appears to be an asterism in a rich
Milky Way field and best view at 100x.
Attached to Ruprecht 172.
8"
(8/15/82): elongated string of stars N-S, moderately large, over background
haze. Situated in a very rich star
field and difficult to identify.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6883 = h2070 on 19 Aug 1828 NGC 6883 and recorded "a double
star in a cluster of a good many stars 10...13m." Dreyer, the observing assistant
at Birr Castle on 23 Aug 1876, simply noted "rich field, no remarkable
cluster."
******************************
NGC 6884 = NGC
6766 = PK 82+7.1 = PN G082.1+07.0
20 10 23.6 +46
27 40
V = 11.0; Size 6"x5"
17.5"
(9/7/91): bright, very small, very high surface brightness. Appears as a slightly out of focus mag
11 bluish star at 100x. Moderate
contrast gain using an OIII filter.
At 412x appears prominent with a very small 5" blue disk.
13"
(9/29/84): fairly bright, very small, high surface brightness, definite bluish
disk at 166x, excellent contrast gain with OIII filter. Easily takes 350x due to surface
brightness.
Ralph Copeland
found NGC 6884 on 20 Sep 1884 at Dun Echt, Aberdeen, using an objective-prism
sweep with a 6.1-inch refractor.
He remarked "planetary nebula; most of the light in a single
line" and measured a very accurate micrometric position (MN XLV).
Edward Pickering
discovered this planetary earlier on 8 May 1883 using a direct-vision
spectroscope (same technique) at Harvard College Observatory. Unfortunately, Pickering made a 1 hr
error in RA (later corrected), so Dreyer catalogued it as NGC 6766 at the wrong
position and this number is usually listed as nonexistent. By historical precedence, this
planetary should be called NGC 6766, but it is now known as NGC 6884.
Based on
Crossley photographs at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) noted "no central star
can be distinguished. A minute, bright, round disk, of nearly equal brightness
throughout, with a suggestion of an elongated brighter central portion in p.a.
135°; 7.5" in diameter in a 5 min exposure."
******************************
NGC 6885 = NGC
6882: = Cr 417 = Lund 933 = OCL-132
20 11 58 +26 29
00
V = 8.1; Size 18'
17.5"
(9/7/91): about 80 stars mag 6-13 in 15' triangular group, bright. Includes the bright star 20 Vulpeculae
(V = 5.9) surrounded by seven very faint stars in the SE corner of the cluster. Weak in the center of the triangle
except for about 10 other stars. A
wide bright pair is at the east vertex and a wide unequal double star is at the
SW side. Most stars are located
along the west side particularly at the NW corner (this subgroup is catalogued
as NGC 6882, although it may refer to the entire scattered group).
8"
(8/23/84): about 50 stars at 100x, triangular-shaped, large, scattered,
includes 20 Vulpeculae (V = 5.9).
NGC 6882 is superimposed 5' N.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6885 = H VIII-20 = h2071 on 9 Sep 1784 (only discovery in sweep
261) and recorded "a cl of coarsely scattered stars, not very
rich." His position is 6'
west of 20 Vul, within the boundaries of the cluster. This same cluster was probably observed the next night and
recorded as H VIII-22 = NGC 6882, but with a 15' error in declination. So, NGC 6882 = NGC 6885, though NGC 6882 is often taken as
a richer subgroup on the northwest side of the cluster. JH made the single observation
"Splendid cluster. More than
fills the field; loose and straggling; poor in stars, one = 6.7m, whose place
is given; the rest 9, 10, 11."
Karl Harding found the cluster again in 1823 (probably with a 8.5-inch
reflector built by WH, according to Wolfgang Steinicke) and included it in a
list of discoveries he sent to Johann Bode.
******************************
20 12 42.8 +19
59 23
V = 11.4; Size 9"
17.5"
(11/6/99): this compact planetary was easily identified by blinking at 100x
using an OIII filter as a "soft" mag 11 star. A small disc, less than 10"
diameter is visible at 220x without filter. Situated at the NW vertex of a small isosceles triangle with
a mag 11 star 0.8' SSE and a mag 10 star 1.6' E. The nearer star is double with a faint companion close
north. NGC 6886 is clearly
non-stellar at 280x-380x and slightly oval.
13"
(9/29/84): fairly bright, very small, just non-stellar at 166x. At 415x, easily visible small disc
elongated ~E-W. Forms the NW
vertex of a thin isosceles triangle with a mag 10.5 star 45" SSE and a mag
10 star 1.5' E. These two brighter
stars form a parallelogram with two mag 12 stars to the SE with sides of 1' and
1.5'.
Ralph Copeland
discovered NGC 6886 on 17 Sep 1884 at Dun Echt, Scotland, using a direct vision
objective-prism or Secchi prism attached to a 6.1-inch refractor. He recorded "Nebula about 2
1.2" diam, equal to a 9.8 mag star." His micrometric position in Monthly Notices XLV is very
accurate.
Based on
Crossley photographs taken at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) noted, "no central
star can be made out. A round disk
6" in diameter, of nearly equal brightness throughout, forms the central
part. Two wings (of ring
structure) in p.a. 135-315° bring the total length to 9"."
******************************
20 17 17.5 -52
47 49
V = 12.1; Size 3.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 102d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, larger, nearly edge-on 7:2 WNW-ESE,
2.5'x0.7', broad concentration with a brighter core. The galaxy has a sharp linear edge along the north edge with
a suggestion of a dust lane just beyond.
Located 7' SW of mag 8.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6887 = h3822 on 24 Jul 1835 and recorded "pF; L; pmE; glbM;
2' l, 1' br." His description
and position matches
******************************
20 12 06.5 +38
21 17
Size 20'x10'
18"
(8/23/03): Using a 6-inch off-axis mask with a 31 Nagler (73x) and an OIII
filter, a faint curving arc is visible which begins SW of the mag 7.2 star on
the north edge and curves around to the mag 8.2 star on the NE side, extending
nearly 90° of arc along the annulus of the Crescent Nebula. No other nebulosity was visible.
17.5"
(6/29/00): Stunning view at 100x (20mm Nagler) using an OIII filter. The outline appears as a huge,
irregular cosmic egg, ~18'x11', floating in a very rich Cygnus star field. The complete annulus is easily
visible. The brightest section is
along the north side and passes through a mag 7.2 star at the north edge. This piece displays much structure with
several knots and wispy tendrils.
An isolated bright knot is within the weakly glowing interior and is
collinear with the mag 7.2 star and the mag 7.4 central star. The interior has
an irregular surface brightness with wispy striations that appear to radiate
from the central star towards the NW rim at the end of the bright arc. The rim is widest on the SW end with
more nebulosity filling in towards the center. The fine texture and structure of the nebulosity creates a
3-dimensional feel and an "electric" effect.
17.5"
(7/5/86): the "Crescent Nebula" is one of my favorite large
nebulosities at 100x with a OIII filter (excellent contrast gain). Appears as a bright, 16'x11' oval or
egg-shaped annulus elongated SW-NE.
The rim is virtually complete except for a small piece of the east side
and exhibits a great deal of turbulent, wispy structure. Brightest just SW of mag 7.2
13"
(9/11/82): bright, large, oval shell, nearly complete loop visible with UHC,
striking unusual appearance!
8"
(8/9/80): faint, elongated arc of nebulosity connecting two mag 7.5/8.5 stars
and extending SW of the brighter star.
Set in a very rich star field.
Only the brightest portion at the north end of the nebula was noticed.
80mm finder
(6/7/08): using 25x and an OIII filter, the brighter eastern side of the shell
was clearly visible and appeared locally brightest in an elongated arc on the
north side passing through mag 7.2 HD 192182. A very faint hazy glow with no structure completed most of a
large oval.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6888 = H IV-72 on 15 Sep 1792 (sweep 1027) and recorded
"8m. Double. A faint milky ray south preceding joins
to the double star; it is about 8' long, and is 1 1/2' broad." His position is within the interior of
this Wolf-Rayet shell, but Bigourdan's corrected RA from 18 Oct 1895 (copied to
the IC 2 notes) matches the brightest arc. Dreyer made three detailed observations and a sketch using
the 72", which was published in plate V of the 1880 publication
"Observations of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars".
NGC 6888 is
illuminated by the Wolf-Rayet star
HD 192163 = SAO
69592 at 20 12.1 +38 21. This
emission star was "discovered" spectroscopically by Copeland while
sweeping with a Secchi prism at Dun Echt, Aberdeen and listed in MN 45,
p91. Copeland noted "this is
the 7.1 mag star DM +37°3821. It
has a spectrum of several bright lines near D, and a very bright band in
wavelength 464 mmm."
******************************
20 18 52.8 -53
57 27
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 63d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 303x and 394x; fairly bright, moderately large,
0.9'x0.6', broad concentration, elongated 3:2 or 4:3 SW-NE, weak core, mottled
appearance, hint of spiral structure in the halo. Two mag 15 stars are very close; one is 0.6' ESE of center
and other is at the northeast edge of the halo, 0.3' from center. I also noted an extremely faint mag
17.5 star at the north edge of the halo, 21" from center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6889 = h3823 on 9 Jun 1836 and recorded "vF; L; lE; 2' l,
90" br." His position is
accurate.
******************************
20 18 18.1 -44
48 24
V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 152d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 or
4:3 NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.9', sharply concentrated with a well defined bright core
that gradually increases to the center. Located 13' WSW of mag 8.2
24"
(9/15/12): at 175x appeared moderately bright and large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE,
1.2'x0.9', brighter core. The view
was compromised by low altitude (less than 10° elevation), fairly poor seeing
and sky glow near the horizon. A
number of ESO galaxies are within 1° NW, though they were too faint to be seen
in these conditions except for NGC 6878 50' NW. Possibly a member of the Telescopium Group.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6890 = h3824 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded "F; R; vglbM;
15"." On a second sweep
he logged "pB; S; R: gbM; 25"." His position is accurate. In a group with NGC 6878 50' WNW.
******************************
20 15 08.8 +12
42 15
V = 10.4; Size 15"
24"
(7/1/16): at 375x; very bright bluish disc slightly elongated NNW-SSE, perhaps
10"x8". A fainter outer
halo increases the diameter to roughly 18". The mag 12.5-13 central star was steadily visible. A mag 14.5 star is close off the NE
edge [17" from center]. At
750x the brighter inner disc seemed more elongated with tapered ends like a lens.
18"
(9/10/07): Using 225x; the bright, blue disc of high surface brightness
surrounds the central star. At
300x the very bright oval disc of 8"x6" diameter is surrounded by a
fainter, round outer envelope that increases the diameter to ~15". With direct vision the central star is
visible embedded in the center of the high surface brightness disc. A mag 12.5 star lies 1' WNW and a mag
13 star is a similar distance ESE with NGC 6891 nearly at the midpoint.
18"
(7/15/07): at 174x this small blue disc has a high surface brightness and is
very prominent in the field. With
direct vision the mag 12.5-13 central star is easily visible. At 280x appears as a very bright, small
disc with an unusually high surface brightness and the central star shines
steadily. At 700x, the extremely
bright inner region is slightly elongated or lens-shaped N-S and is surrounded
by a fainter outer halo or envelope that is still quite evident.
17.5"
(8/27/87): very bright at 140x and OIII filter. Appears as a small high surface brightness bluish oval of
10"-15" diameter. At
410x, a brighter center or mag 13 central star is visible. At this magnification, the planetary
appears as a bright oval with a fainter outer halo.
8"
(6/29/84): fairly high surface brightness, small blue disk.
80mm (9/10/07):
visible as a faint "star" at 12.5x in the 80mm finder and easy to verify
as a planetary by blinking with an OIII filter.
Ralph Copeland
discovered NGC 6891 on 22 Sep 1884 at Dun Echt, Scotland, using a direct vision
objective-prism (Secchi prism) sweep with a 6.1-inch refractor. He remarked "this seems to be
identical with the 9.5 mag star DM +12°4266. It is in reality a planetary nebula about 4" in
diameter with a nearly monochromatic spectrum."
Based on
Crossley photographs taken at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) noted, "mag 11.8
central star (Burnham). A round
disk 15" in diameter, of which the central 7" is considerably the
brighter. From this brighter
center extend indistinct traces of wings in p.a. about 135-315°."
******************************
20 16 56.7 +18
01 10
Size 15"
24"
(7/16/15): at 375x, this asterism consists of three mag 13.5-14.5 stars
resolved in a small 15" knot, including a 5" pair. A brighter mag 13.0 star is 30"
SW.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6892 on 19 Jul 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen. He described it as a
very faint star or cluster involved in nebulosity, but it was not resolved at
231x. Just 1' southeast of his
position is a small knot of 3 or 4 stars within 15". Karl Reinmuth identified NGC 6892 as
"3 or 4 eF st + ? eeeF pL neb?, identif doubtful; *13 sp, *12.5 and *15
np, *13.3 nf;
******************************
20 20 49.7 -48
14 21
V = 11.8; Size 2.6'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10d
8" (7/13/91
- Southern Baja): very faint, small, almost round, gradually brightens. Located 4.0' NNW of mag 9
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6893 = h3825 on 7 Jul 1834 and recorded "pF; R; svmbM to a
* 12m; 20"." His
position is accurate.
******************************
20 16 24.0 +30
33 55
V = 12.5; Size 44"
24"
(7/1/16): at 375x; striking annular planetary ~45" diameter, the annulus
is relatively thin giving a nice 25" darker "hole". The rim in slightly irregular in
brightness and thickness and appears weakly enhanced along the northern
side. A faint star is visible on
the inside edge of the ring at the NNW side.
18"
(7/15/07): excellent annular planetary at 280x, ~40" diameter with a
relatively large 25" darker central hole. The rim appears unevenly lit and possibly brighter along the
north side although there are a couple of extremely faint stars involved on the
north or NW portion of the rim that may have affected this impression. At 700x the rim is clumpy and a bit
weaker on the west side.
17.5"
(9/14/85): moderately bright and large, round. Annular appearance at 105x using an OIII filter and exhibits
an obvious darker center at 222x and 294x with a UHC filter.
13"
(9/9/83): fairly faint but easily visible at 88x. Darker center just visible at 144x-176x with averted vision.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6894 = H IV-13 = h2072 on 17 Jul 1784 (sweep 239) and recorded
"pF, exactly R, of equal light throughout. I believe it is resolvable, but am not certain, about 1' in
diameter." He published a
sketch in his 1811 paper (Fig. 33) as an illlustration of "nebulae that
are of an almost uniform light."
John Herschel
made several observations. On 4
Sep 1825, he logged "planetary nebula; diam [by inexperienced estimation]
= 1'; light equable; exactly round; vF, a mere ghost." On 1 Aug 1829, he recorded "eF;
annular; pretty sharply defined; a very little elliptic; the northern limb is
the brightest; the darkness in the middle requires some attention to see; but
once seen it cannot be mistaken. A
most curious object, resembling much the annular nebula in Lyra, but rounder,
small (not above half the diameter) and far fainter."
LdR (or
assistants) also described NGC 6894 as "annular" on 23 Aug 1851
(first observed on Aug 1 1848): "fine annular nebula like that in Lyra, R,
the dark space is E pf, * easily seen in np edge and others suspected."
Based on
Crossley photographs taken at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) called NGC 6894
"The Annular Nebula in Cygnus".
He reported "the central cstar is about mag 16. A very vague and indistinct ring,
44" in diameter along a major axis in p.a. 50°. Quite faint; the brightest patch is at the north, near the
14th mag star involved in the ring."
******************************
20 16 29 +50 13
48
24"
(7/29/16): at 124x (49' field): this Milky Way field includes mag 6.4 HD
192983. A 4' circular group with
over a dozen mag 11-12.5 stars is ~5' W.
An elongated group of mag 11-13 stars is 5' SE of the bright star. A
larger "U" shaped group of stars (open to the north), including mag
8.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6895 = H VIII-83 on 30 Sep 1790 (sweep 960) and recorded "A
cl of sc stars, above 15' dia, pretty rich and joining to the milky way, or a
projecting part of it." There
is nothing distinctive the DSS near his position though I observed a scattering
of brighter stars northeast and west of his position, with an overall size of
at least 15'. The field includes
mag 6.4
******************************
20 18 03.6 +30
38 23
=**, Corwin. Not
found, Reinmuth and Carlson.
Heinrich
d'Arrest discovered NGC 6896 on 16 Apr 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at
Copenhagen and noted (3 observations) a small, nebulous group of stars. There is no nebulosity or cluster at
his position, which is close to 16" pair of mag ~14/15 stars. Karl Reinmuth reported "no Cl +
neb found" based on Heidelberg plates and both Dorothy Carlson, in her
1940 NGC Errata paper and the RNGC repeat Reinmuth's negative assessment. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
20 21 01.3 -12
15 18
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 39d
17.5"
(10/5/91): faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE. A mag 11.5 star is just west of the SW tip 1.1' from the
center. Pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6897 = m 406 = Sf 80, along with NGC 6898, on 28 Jun 1863 and
noted "vF, S." Truman
Safford independently rediscovered this galaxy on 24 Aug 1867 with the
18.5-inch refractor at Dearborn Observatory, though his position is poor.
******************************
NGC 6898 = MCG
-02-52-002 = PGC 64517
20 21 08.0 -12
21 34
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 150d
17.5"
(9/7/91): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, brighter middle, small
bright core. A mag 12 star is just
off the SSE edge 39" from center.
Pair with NGC 6897 6.5' NNW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6898 = m 407 = Sf 79, along with NGC 6897, on 28 Jun 1863 and
noted "F, S, irr R."
Truman Safford independently rediscovered this galaxy (along with NGC
6897) on 24 Aug 1867 with the 18.5-inch refractor at Dearborn Observatory. He logged "pB, S, R, N =
12m."
******************************
20 24 22.4 -50
26 02
V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 112d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 394x; fairly bright, moderately large, oval 5:3 WNW-ESE,
1.4'x0.8', contains a relatively large bright core, mottled with a hint of
structure in the halo. Appears to
have a brighter knot (or part of an arm) on the west side. A mag 10 star (
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6899 = h3826 on 24 Jul 1835 and recorded "F; R; S; glbM;
15"; among stars."
******************************
20 21 35.1 -02
34 09
V = 12.1; Size 1.0'x0.9'; PA = 85d
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, very diffuse, even
surface brightness.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6900 = m 408 on 1 Oct 1863 and noted "vF, S, R."
******************************
20 22 21.5 +06
25 48
V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 63d
17.5"
(7/20/90): faint, fairly small, oval 2:1 WSW-ENE, overall diffuse with a low
even surface brightness. A mag 13
star is 30" off the NW side and 1.4' from the center.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6901 = m 409 on 15 Aug 1863 and simply noted
"eF". There is nothing
at his position, although the observation is noted as verified. But 1 additional minute of time lands
on
RNGC identifies
UGC 11542 as NGC 6901, though the New Description reads "not
found". Assuming Marth made a
1.0 minute clerical error in RA, this identification is reasonable. The CGCG mislabels UGC 11542 as IC 1316
and the UGC wrongly states IC 1316 = IC 5000. RC2 and RNGC equate all three numbers. I included this number in my RNGC
Corrections #5.
******************************
20 24 28.0 -43
39 12
V = 10.9; Size 5.6'x3.9'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 153d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 394x; bright, large, elongated 5:3 NNW-SSE, ~4'x2.5'. There are three distinct zones; a very
large, low surface bright halo (spiral arms) that contains several stars, a
large brighter core ~60"x45", and a small bright nucleus. Five or six mag 14.5-15.5 stars are
superimposed on the large halo, the closest is 45" W of center.
18"
(8/19/09): fairly faint, fairly large, oval 3:2 NW-SE, 1.8'x1.2'. Contains a large, brighter core with a
higher surface bar running along the major axis.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6902 = h3827 on 2 Sep 1836 and recorded "F; R; psbM;
25"." His position is
accurate. Harold Corwin suggests
that Lewis Swift made an 18 minute error in recording the RA of Sw XII-15 = IC
4946 as well as Sw XII-16 = IC 4948, as his descriptions and relative positions
are a reasonable match for these two galaxies, particularly IC 4946. Making this correction, NGC 6902 = IC
4948. But Swift lists the
discovery date for
******************************
20 23 44.9 -19
19 31
V = 11.9; Size 2.7'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5"
(8/5/91): fairly faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Very unusual appearance as a mag 10
star is attached at the NNE end.
The main body of the galaxy just extends up to the bright star but an
extremely faint larger halo was suspected to encompass the bright star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6903 = h2073 on 14 Jul 1830 and recorded "a * 10m, with a
considerable nebulous appendage sp, in which by glimpses may be fancied a star
15m." A total of 3
observations were made.
******************************
20 21 48.1 +25
44 29
17.5"
(8/25/95): appears to be a random scattering of brighter stars mainly
noticeable because it includes mag 8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6904 = h2074 on 18 Aug 1828 and recorded "A small
straggling cluster of stars 10...11m.
One of the 9m, whose place is taken." His position corresponds with mag 8.8 SAO 88571 at 20 21
42.9 +25 45 02. Reinmuth described
this asterism as "a very dense region, no distinct Cl".
Dorothy Carlson
noted "No Cluster" in her 1940 paper on NGC misidentifications and
RNGC claims the number is nonexistent.
See Harold Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 6905 = PK
61-9.1 = PN G061.4-09.5 = Blue Flash Nebula
20 22 23.0 +20
06 16
V = 10.9; Size 47"x37"
24"
(8/14/15): the "Blue Flash" planetary was observed at 500x and 750x
in excellent seeing. The main body
is oval 5:4 NNW-SSE, ~48"x40" and annular. The rim is brightest along a thin strip on the east side and
enhanced in a slightly brighter triangular wedge (roughly 60°-80°) extending
east from the mag 15.7 central star.
The opposite western rim is also brighter, but the north and south ends
are not enhanced. The interior is
mottled with a slightly darker, irregular central "hole",
particularly on the south and west side of the central star, but not to the
east. Mag 10.4
An extremely
faint outer halo or wing was occasionally glimpsed off the north-northwest end,
tapering in the direction of the major axis and extending 10"-12" in
length. The corresponding
extension off the south-southeast side and ending at the mag 12 star
(completing a lens-shaped outline out of a truncated ellipse on deep images)
was not seen, although Jimi Lowrey felt it was equally visible.
48"
(5/16/12): beautiful blue oval planetary with a fairly bright central
star. Very nice annular appearance
with an irregular darker interior.
A bright arc is along the east or northeast rim and a slightly weaker
counterpart was on the west or southwest edge. The ends are somewhat chopped off, creating a rectangular
appearance.
18"
(7/2/08): at 565x, this interesting planetary had a very irregular surface
brightness and appeared weaker on the north and south sides and slightly
brighter in a triangular wedge that fanned out to the east from the central
star. The edge of the western rim
was also very slightly enhanced but there wasn't a complete brighter wedge on
the west side of the central star, which would have created a subtle bipolar
dumbbell shape. The faint central star was visible continuously at this
magnification.
18"
(8/23/03): beautiful planetary at 320x and 538x. The mag 15.7 central star is easily visible continuously.
The interior seems unevenly lit and there appears to be a very slightly darker
"hole" to the north of the central star. Bracketed by a mag 11 star off north edge and a mag 12 star
just off the south edge and the planetary is slightly elongated N-S in the
direction of these stars.
17.5"
(8/31/86): very pretty planetary at 280x.
Fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated. A very faint central star (V = 15.7) is
visible. Takes 440x well. Just off the north edge is a mag 11
star 1.4' from center and a mag 12 star is just off the south edge 39"
from center.
8"
(6/29/84): moderately bright, uniform, slightly elongated N-S, two stars at the
northeast and south edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6905 = H IV-16 = h2075 on 16 Sep 1784 (sweep 275) and recorded
"pB, perfectly R, pretty well defined, about 3' in diameter." The
next night he noted "I do not doubt but it consists of very much
compressed stars." His size estimate was much too large, but his
position is just 6 seconds too far west. JH made 3 observations and
logged on sweep 364, "Fine planetary nebula; B; exactly R; rather hazy at
the edges, but not materially brighter in the middle, but no hollow. It
has four small stars near it like satellites." The nearby stars were
micrometrically measured as the possibility of physical satellites of
planetaries intrigued JH and he mentioned it regarding NGC 6818 and 7662.
On 10 Aug 1850
Lord Rosse's assistant reported, "* or B nucl nf the middle. A dark
curved line p[receding] this plainly seen, which at moments I fancied went
round the sf part". Two years later, George Johnstone Stoney stated
"this planetary nebela is a beautiful little spiral". This is a
case of imagined spiral structure as it was a primary focus at Birr
Castle. R.J. Mitchell's sketch
from 12 Aug 1855 with a spiral appearance was included in the 1861 publication
(Plate XXVIII, figure 34). Father
Secchi noted a bi-polar brightening or mottling, particularly on the east side
(1856, 9.5" refractor). Vogel
made an excellent sketch of the planetary in Sep 1883 with the 27" Vienna
refractor with a dark lane oriented ~N-S, tapering towards the central star and
two brighter triangular "wings" on the east and west side, with the
eastern wing more prominent.
Based on
Crossley photographs taken at Lick, Heber Curtis (1918) reported "the main
portion is a very patchy truncated ellipse 44"x37" in p.a. 163°. Very faint cone-shaped ansae extend
from each end. A star of mag 12
lies nearly at the end of the southern ansa."
The nickname
"Blue Flash" was probably first used by John Mallas, in his series of
articles titled "Visual Atlas of Planetary Nebulae" in Review of
Popular Astronomy in the early '60's. He described NGC 6905 as "The
Blue Flash. After turning a telescope on this object one will notice the small
triangle of stars superimposed upon it. Glimmering and flashing between
the triangle is the little planetary. Using about 120x on a 4-inch
reveals all that can be seen in small apertures."
******************************
NGC 6906 = UGC
11548 = MCG +01-52-003 = CGCG 399-006 = LGG 435-001 = PGC 64601
20 23 34.0 +06
26 38
V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 36d
17.5"
(6/20/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated SW-NE, small bright
core. NGC 6901= IC 1316 lies 18'
W. A mag 9.5 star lies 3.6' SW.
13"
(7/27/84): fairly faint, fairly small, very small bright core, diffuse outer
halo, elongated SW-NE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6906 = m 410 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "pF, pL,
R." His position is 1' north
of
******************************
20 25 06.6 -24
48 33
V = 11.2; Size 3.3'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 76d
48"
(10/25/14): the central 1.2' bar of NGC 6907 runs E-W and contains a bright
core and very bright nucleus that increases to the center. The more prominent spiral arm is
attached on the east end of the bar and the section that hooks north contains
24"
(8/14/15): the companion galaxy superimposed on the eastern arm was clearly
visible and fairly well defined, elongated 5:2 N-S, ~20"x8".
24"
(7/25/14): striking example of a barred spiral with a prominent 1.5'x0.5'
central bar oriented directly east-west.
The bar contains a bright 30" core, which increases to a
quasi-stellar nucleus. A bright
arm is attached at the east end of the bar and extends due north for 0.7', at a
right angle to the bar. A bright,
elongated N-S "knot" is embedded in the middle (superimposed
companion NGC 6908). At the north
end, the arm curls west a short
distance while dimming out. A
difficult, ill-defined arm is attached at the west end of the bar. It vaguely curves south and west, but
quickly disappears into very low surface brightness haze.
24"
(9/15/12): excellent barred spiral with the 1.5' central bar oriented E-W. The bar has a small, brighter core that
increases to a faint stellar nucleus.
On the east side of the bar a prominent spiral arm is attached that
hooks at a 90° angle to the north for ~45". The arm dims and curves clockwise to the west a short
distance, creating a "comma" appearance in the eyepiece with north
down and west left. There is a
noticeable elongated brightening or N-S streak in the arm at the northern end
(before curving west). This streak
is NGC 6908, a superimposed companion.
On the west side of the bar, the beginning of a low surface brightness
arm (hazy extension) bends southwest a very short distance and dims out.
18"
(9/3/08): beautiful view at 280x using an 8mm Ethos. A large 2' "bar" is oriented E-W with a broad,
weak concentration but suddenly rises to a very small, bright core and faint
stellar nucleus. On the east side
of the bar, a spiral arm is attached that hooks directly to the north and just
begins to sweep clockwise around on the north side of the galaxy towards the
west. There appears to a
brightening (faint knot) near where the arm is attached to the bar. Off the west side is faint haze on the
south side, but the arm structure is very weak. A mag 11.5 star lies 2.8' due east of center on line with
the central bar. An elongated
galaxy (NGC 6908) oriented N-S is superimposed on the eastern arm as it hooks
north though visually the galaxy and the arm appear indistinguishable.
17.5"
(8/8/02): beautiful view at 220x.
This barred spiral appeared moderately bright and large with a fairly
bright bar elongated "bar" oriented ~E-W with a small bright core. At the following end of the bar an
obvious arm is attached is attached sweeping north of the galaxy in a
comma-like appendage. On the
preceding end there seems to be a faint knot and there is a very short
extension bending south that quickly fades out.
17.5"
(9/14/85): at 192x appears moderately bright, bright core, elongated E-W. Barred spiral structure is evident;
fainter extensions form the bar and an arm at the eastern end of the bar curves
north and then hooks slightly back to the west. This spiral arm appears to end at a faint knot. Two mag 11.5 stars lie 3' E and a
similar distance south.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6907 = H III-141 = h2076 on 12 Jul 1784 (sweep 236) and recorded
"a pretty considerable vF nebula, lE, vlbM than at the extremes. 240 showed the same appearance; it
makes a trapezium with 3 stars and is at the northern and following corner of
it." JH made the single
observation (from Slough), "vF; L; R; vglbM; 3' diam; r; the sky
hazy." His position is
accurate. In a 5-inch
refractor at Vanderbilt, Barnard called it "faint and somewhat faint; it is close preceding a
9-magnitude star, and is gradually pretty much brighter in the middle."
******************************
NGC 6908 = PGC
4581797
20 25 09.0 -24
48 04
Size
0.3'x0.12'; PA = 3d
48"
(10/25/14): at 610x; the elongated brightening in the northeast spiral arm
appeared fairly bright, elongated 3:1 N-S, ~21"x7", very small bright
core. This was the first time this object appeared as a superimposed galaxy and
not just as a weak brightening in the arm itself.
24"
(8/14/15): the companion galaxy superimposed on the eastern arm was clearly
visible and fairly well defined, elongated 5:2 N-S, ~20"x8".
24"
(7/25/14): A bright arm is attached at the east end of NGC 6907's bar and
extends due north for 0.7', at a right angle to the bar. A bright, elongated N-S
"knot" is embedded in the middle (superimposed companion NGC
6908). At the north end, the
arm curls west a short distance
while dimming out.
24"
(9/15/12): the spiral arm that extends north on the eastern end of the bar of
NGC 6907 contains a noticeable brightening on the north end that is actually a
superimposed galaxy. The companion
is elongated 3:1 N-S, 0.3'x0.1' and appears as a short streak within the arm. NGC 6908 may apply to the entire spiral
arm or this elongated brightening (galaxy).
18"
(9/3/08): this number refers to the prominent spiral arm on the NE side where
an anonymous galaxy (elongated N-S) is superimposed on the arm in roughly the
same orientation! Visually the
spiral arm hooks directly to the north from the east end of the central bar,
just where the galaxy is located, though the galaxy was not distinguishable.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6908 = m 411 on 24 Sep 1864 and noted "eF, vS, lE, (close
to h2076 [= NGC 6907]." His
position corresponds with the brighter trailing spiral arm, or more
specifically the elongated companion that is superimposed on the northeastern
arm. The companion is clearly
visible on a deep image.
******************************
20 27 38.9 -47
01 37
V = 11.7; Size 2.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 68d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE,
1.4'x0.6'; sharply concentrated with a very bright and small core, increasing
to bright stellar nucleus. A mag
15 star lies 0.6' S of center and a mag 13 star is 1.3' SE. Two mag 9-9.5 stars lie 8' NE and
another mag 9.5 is 12' NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6909 = h3828 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded "pB; pL; gbM; near
2 st 10m." His position is
accurate.
******************************
20 23 12 +40 46
42
V = 7.4; Size 8'
17.5"
(8/7/91): about 40 stars mag 7.5-15.5 in a 7' diameter dominated by two mag 7.5
stars oriented NW-SE. A mag 7.4
star (
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6910 = H VIII-56 = h2077 on 17 Oct 1786 (sweep 612) and recorded
"a small cluster of coarsely scattered stars, of various sizes; of an
extended form; like a forming one [cluster]." On sweep 183 (1 Oct 1828), JH logged "a poor and coarse
but rather brilliant cl, 2 st 9m (the np taken) and 30 or 40 more
10...12."
******************************
20 19 38.7 +66
43 40
V = 14.3; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 115d
17.5"
(8/13/88): very faint, moderately large, very diffuse, slightly elongated
NW-SE. A mag 11 star is 2' W.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6911 = Sw II-84 on 9 Jun 1885 and recorded "eF; L; lbM; pB
* nr." His position is at the
west edge of
******************************
20 26 52.1 -18
37 03
V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 55d
17.5"
(8/5/91): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 WSW-ENE, no significant central
brightening, edges fade into background.
Two mag 13.5 star are off the NE edge collinear with galaxy 1.4' and
2.2' from the center. A bright
wide pair of stars mag 8.6 (
13"
(7/20/85): faint, extremely diffuse, almost round, two faint stars 2' NE, two
brighter stars 5' NE are collinear.
Pair with IC 1319 12' NW.
Edward Holden
discovered NGC 6912 on 14 Aug 1881 at Washburn Observatory with the 15.6-inch
Clark refractor. He noted
"vF, 8th mag star follows nebula 16 seconds. There is a pair of stars 14-15 mag a few seconds np the nebula." His position is accurate.
******************************
20 23 57 +38 30
30
V = 6.6; Size 7'
13.1"
(9/9/83):
Charles Messier
discovered M29 = NGC 6913 = h2078 on 29 July 1764. Caroline Herschel observed this group on 6 Apr 1783 and
logged "About 1 deg under Gamma Cygni; in my telescope 5 small stars thus
[diagram]. My Brother looked at them with the 7 ft and counted 12. It is not in
Mess. catalogue." According
to Michael Hoskins, the position and diagram applies to M29, despite her
comment. On 15 Sep 1792 (sweep
1027), WH recorded "a cluster of very coarsely sc. vL stars; not
rich." JH reported "a coarse cluster of 8 large stars (10m) and a
dozen or 20 smaller in a roundish form."
******************************
20 24 43.3 +42
28 57
Size 13'x12'
18"
(8/12/07): at 73x, this rich Milky Way region contains three sections of
reflection nebulosity. The
brightest piece (GN 20.22.9) was discovered by Stephan and is located 11' SW of
mag 6.9
A third weak
reflection nebula (VdB 131) is located 12' SSW of the brighter (northern)
section of NGC 6914. It involves a
group of 10-15 stars (Dolidze 8) including two mag 9.5 stars and a nice curving
arc of stars is just off the southeast side. Overall, the Milky Way is very patchy or dusty in this
region so these reflection nebulae do not stand out prominently, though the
contrast was improved using a Deep Sky filter.
To the SE of the
NGC 6914 complex is a very faint, hazy HII region (LBN 279), situated just east
of mag 7.5
17.5"
(8/7/91): at 100x appears as a fairly bright field of reflection nebulosity
locally brightest surrounding two pairs of fairly bright stars. Two mag 11 stars are at the north end
with a separation of 51" and a mag 9 (
8"
(7/24/82): fairly large nebulous field locally brighter surrounding a wide
faint double star and to the south surrounding a double star mag 9. The brightest section is elongated N-S.
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6914 = St XII-93 on 29 Aug 1881 and recorded "vF, vL, iR,
dif, 2 st att p[receding]." [NGC description]. His position is accurate. The patch ~6' south is sometimes called
******************************
20 27 46.1 -03
04 37
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 100d
17.5"
(7/16/88): moderately bright faint, small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, large
brighter core with a small faint halo.
Bracketed by two mag 13 stars 1.2' SW and 1.5' N of center. An extremely faint mag 15.5 star is at
the NE edge.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6915 = m 412 on 24 Jul 1863 and noted "pB, S, R." His position is 2' north of
******************************
20 23 32.9 +58
20 39
V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 90d
17.5"
(8/7/91): very faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W. A mag 14 star is at the west end 25" from center.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6916 = Sw IX-94 on 26 Jun 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; F *
close p; 2 single and 2 D stars in line n point to it." The discovery was communicated directly
to Dreyer and not published until his 9th list in 1890, though Dreyer assumed
it would be included in the 6th list.
Swift's position is 2.3' too far northeast, although his description is
a perfect match. According to
Wolfgang Steinicke, this was the last discovery to make it into the NGC
(published in 1888). Herbert Howe
measured an accurate position in 1899-00 and noted the "F * close p"
was 12th magnitude.
******************************
20 27 28.4 +08
05 53
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 40d
13.1"
(7/27/84): very faint, low even surface brightness, almost round, 0.8'
diameter. A mag 14 star is at the
south end 22" from the center.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6917 = m 413 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "vF, S, attached to a
small *." His position and
description matches
******************************
20 30 47.0 -47
28 26
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 0d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2
N-S, 0.6'x0.4', weak concentration.
A mag 13.7 star is barely off the southwest edge, just 24" from
center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6918 = h3830 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded "vF; attached to a
* 12m sf [N.B. - By a diagram made at the time, the star is s p." The note is correct.
******************************
20 31 38.0 -44
12 58
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 148d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately bright and large, relatively low but
uneven surface brightness with a broad and weak concentration to a slightly
brighter core. I had a strong
impression of spiral structure in the halo. Three stars are around the edges (at least one may be an HII
knot in the halo) including a mag 15.5 star 0.8' NNW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6919 = h3831 on 2 Sep 1836 and recorded "eF; pL; R; vgvlbM;
40"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
20 43 57.2 -80
00 03
V = 12.3; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x, this far southern galaxy
appeared moderately bright, fairly small, round, sharply concentrated with a
very small intense core, 35" diameter. This is one of only 7 NGC galaxies south of -80° declination.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6920 = h3829 on 21 Jul 1835 and recorded "pB; R; psmbM;
25"."
******************************
20 28 28.8 +25
43 24
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 141d
17.5"
(8/5/91): fairly faint, very small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, faint stellar
nucleus. One or two very faint
stars are at the edges. Unusual as
located in the midst of a very rich Milky Way field over unresolved background
glow. Located only 7.6° from the
galactic equator and less than 3° SW of open cluster
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6921 = m 414 on 6 Sep 1863 and noted "F, S, E." His position is 1.4' southeast of UGC
11570 and the description applies.
According to Wolfgang Steinicke, Auguste Voigt independently
rediscovered this galaxy in 1865 with the 31-inch silvered-glass reflector at
the Marseilles Observatory.
******************************
20 29 53.0 -02
11 29
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 150d
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, round, diffuse, fairly even surface brightness
17.5"
(8/1/86): moderately large, almost round, diffuse, pretty low even surface
brightness with no core. A very
faint star is at the west edge and mag 8.7
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6922 = m 415 on 24 Jul 1863 and noted "vF, pL,
R." His position (noted as
verified) is accurate.
******************************
20 31 38.7 -30
49 58
V = 11.9; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 78d
13.1"
(9/9/83): faint, small, elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is close to the NW edge
1.2' from center.
8"
(8/12/83): not found.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6923 = h3832 on 31 Jul 1834 and recorded "F; S; lE; bM;
15" l, 12" br." He
made a total of 4 observations and on sweep 619 logged "pB; R; gbM; has 2
or 3 st very near it."
******************************
20 33 19.2 -25
28 29
V = 12.8; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 154d
17.5"
(7/21/90): fairly faint, small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, bright core. A mag 13 star is at the south tip. NGC 6924 is at the southwestern end of
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6924 = LM I-231 on 8 Jul 1885 with the 26-inch
refractor at the Leander McCormick Observatory and noted "mag 13.2, pS, R,
sbMN, * 1.0' N, neb * in field?, env 14.0." His rough position (nearest min of RA) is 45 seconds due
west of
******************************
20 34 20.6 -31
58 48
V = 11.3; Size 4.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5d
17.5"
(8/5/91): moderately bright, fairly large, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, 3.0'x0.8', thin
long arms extend from the core. A
mag 13 star is at the north tip 1.4' from center.
8"
(7/16/82): very faint, elongated SW-NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6925 = h3834 on 31 Jul 1834 and recorded "B; mE; pslbM; 2
1/2' l, 40" br." His
mean position (3 observations) is accurate. Harold Corwin suggests that Lewis Swift's XII-20 = IC 5015,
found on 18 Aug 1897, may be a duplicate observation. Swift's description "pB, pS, R, nearly bet 2 st with
dist. companion" is a reasonable fit, though his position is typically
(for those made in 1897) well off.
******************************
20 33 06.2 -02
01 40
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0d
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated NNW-SSE, broad
concentration. Brighter of pair
with
17.5"
(8/1/86): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated, slightly brighter core.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6926 = H III-142 = h2079 on 21 Jul 1784 (sweep 242) and recorded
"vF, E, nearly of equal light throughout and about 2' long. A patch of not very close small stars
north following." His RA is
poor (too large), but clearly applies to
******************************
20 32 38.2 +09
54 59
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 9d
24"
(9/1/16): faint, small, elonated 3:2 N-S, 0.3'x0.2', stellar nucleus. Faintest and smallest in a trio with
18"
(7/11/10): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 15"x12" (not
as elongated as appears on the DSS).
This is the faintest of the three NGC galaxies in the group.
18"
(9/10/07): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S,
18"x12". Located 3' WSW
of NGC 6928 and faintest in a trio with NGC 6930.
18"
(7/29/03): very faint, extremely small, slightly elongated ~N-S,
~15"x12", low surface brightness. Either I viewed the core only or this galaxy is much smaller
than this listed dimensions. Faintest in a trio with edge-ons NGC 6928 and NGC
6930. Located 3' WSW of NGC 6928.
17.5"
(9/14/85): very faint, very small, almost stellar at 222x. Thin faint extensions 3:1 N-S are
visible at 294x. Located 3.0' WSW
of NGC 6928 and 5.7' NW of NGC 6930 in a group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6927 = m 416, along with NGC 6928 and 6930, on 15 Aug 1863 and
noted "eF, lE." His
position, although marked as verified, is 1.7' too far south. Herbert Howe measured an accurate
position in 1899-00 with the 20-inch refractor at the University of Denver.
The RNGC new
description for NGC 6927 appears to describe NGC 6928, although the position is
correct.
******************************
NGC 6928 = IC
1325 = UGC 11589 = MCG +02-52-017 = CGCG 424-021 = LGG 438-003 = PGC 64932
20 32 50.4 +09
55 37
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 106d
18"
(7/11/10): moderately bright, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE, 1.5'x0.35', bright
core. A mag 13.5 star is pinned
against the north side, just north of the core. Forms the northern vertex of a
trio with fainter NGC 6927 3' WSW and NGC 6930 3.8' SSE.
18" (9/10/07):
fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 WNW-ESE, 1.2'x0.3', weak
concentration with a 0.4'x0.3' brighter core and faint, thin extensions. A mag 13.5 star is close NE of the core
(15" from the center) and a mag 12.5 star lies 1.4' ENE. Brightest in triplet with NGC 6927 3'
WSW and NGC 6930 3.8' SE.
18"
(7/29/03): moderately bright, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 WNW-ESE,
1.1'x0.25', small brighter core. A
13th magnitude star is at the north edge of the core. Brightest in a trio with NGC 6927 and NGC 6929.
17.5"
(9/14/85): moderately bright, pretty edge-on WNW-ESE, bright core. A mag 13 star is superimposed north of
the core just 20" from center.
Brightest in a group with NGC 6927 3' WSW and NGC 6930 4' SE.
13"
(6/29/84): fairly faint, elongated E-W.
An extremely faint star is at the north edge.
8"
(8/12/83): extremely faint, averted only, elongated ~E-W, small bright
nucleus?, fairly bright wide double star in field to NW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6928 = m 417, along with NGC 6927 and 6930, on 15 Aug 1863 and
noted "pB, pL, mE." His
declination is 1' too small.
Engelhardt and Howe measured a precise micrometric position.
Lewis Swift
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 23 Sep 1888 and reported Sw VIII-98
(later
******************************
NGC 6929 = MCG
+00-52-035 = CGCG 373-035 = Holm 781b = PGC 64949
20 33 21.6 -02
02 14
V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 95d
17.5"
(7/16/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core, two mag 15
stars follow. Located 4' E of NGC
6926.
17.5"
(8/1/86): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright stellar nucleus or a
star is superimposed. Two mag 15
stars oriented E-W are collinear close following and this may enhance the impression
of elongation. Elongated at a
right angle to NGC 6926 3.9' W.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6929 = h2080 on 21 Jul 1827 and recorded "vF; vS; the
s[outh] f[ollowing] of 2 [with NGC 6926]." His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6930 = IC
1326 = UGC 11590 = MCG +02-52-018 = CGCG 424-022 = LGG 438-004 = PGC 64935
20 32 58.8 +09
52 28
V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 8d
24"
(9/1/16): at 220x, moderately bright and large, very elongated 4:1 N-S,
0.9'x0.2', brighter core. A mag
15.5 star is at the south end [38" S of center]. At 322x, a companion (
18"
(7/11/10): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 N-S,
~50"x12". An extremely
faint star (V = 15.7) is barely off the south tip. Occasionally there appeared to be a very small brightening
at the north tip (this is 2MFGC 15598 = LEDA 200365). In a small group with brightest member NGC 6928 3.8'
NW. Located 4.3' NNE of mag 8.6 HD
195765.
18"
(9/10/07): faint, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.25', very weak
concentration, low surface brightness.
Located 2.2' NW of a 40" pair of mag 10/11 stars and 4.3' NNE of
mag 8.6
18"
(7/29/03): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 ~N-S, 0.9'x0.2', weak
concentration. A mag 11 star is
off the south edge, 1.1' SSW of center, and a pair of mag 10/11 stars lie 2.3'
SSE. Second brightest in a trio
with a similar edge-on NGC 6928 4' NW and NGC 6927 6' NW. Located 4.4' NNE of mag 8.7
17.5"
(9/14/85): faint, thin streak ~N-S, weak concentration. A mag 11 star is 1.4' SSW. Elongated at right angles to NGC 6928
4.0' NW. NGC 6927 lies 5.7' NW.
13"
(6/29/84): very faint, elongated ~N-S.
A mag 11 star is off the south edge. Member of the NGC 6928 group.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6930 = m 418, along with NGC 6927 and 6928 on 15 Aug 1863 and
noted "F, mE." His
declination is 1' too small.
Lewis Swift
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 23 Sep 1888 and reported Sw VIII-99
(later IC 1326) as "eeeF; S; eE; spindle; pF * nr south; wide D * nr sf;
ee diff; nf of 2 [with IC 1325]."
His position is 1' too far north-northeast and he confused the
orientation of the two galaxies, which is northwest [NGC 6928 = IC 1325] and
southeast [NGC 6930 = IC 1326].
Herbert Howe suggested the NGC/IC equivalences and measured an accurate
position.
******************************
20 33 41.3 -11
22 06
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 125d
17.5"
(9/15/90): very faint, very small, elongated ~E-W, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is off the NW edge.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6931 = LM I-232 on 4 Jun 1886 and recorded "mag
15.0, 0.6'x0.2', E 120°, gbM, divided into 2 parts?" His rough position (nearest minute of
RA) is 20 seconds east and 1.5' south of
******************************
20 42 08.8 -73
37 10
V = 12.3; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 115d
24"
(4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this galaxy appeared fairly
bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~E-W, 1.0'x0.7', sharply concentrated
with a very small bright core. A
nice string of 5 stars begins with a mag 10 star 2.8' W of center and extends
to the south. On the DSS, this is
a striking ring galaxy.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6932 = h3833 on 29 Jun 1835 and logged "F; S; R; glbM;
follows a hook of 5 stars."
His position is 40" too far south and the "hook of 5
stars" is southwest.
******************************
20 33 38.2 +07
23 14
=*,
Reinmuth. =**, Carlson.
Herman Schultz
discovered NGC 6933 = Nova VII on 14 Sep 1865 with the 9.6-inch refractor at
Uppsala Observatory. He recorded
"1/2 minute [of time] preceding h2081 [
******************************
NGC 6934
20 34 11.4 +07
24 15
V = 8.9; Size 7'; Surf Br = 0.3
18"
(6/25/04): at 300x, partially resolved into a couple of dozen stars,
particularly on the south side of the very ragged 3' halo which surrounds the
bright 50" core. At 538x,
perhaps 3 dozen stars are resolved mostly in the halo, but also several are
superimposed on the very mottled core including one very close to the geometric
center. The halo is irregular, but
clearly elongated N-S with more extension resolution on the south side. A number of extremely faint stars pop
in and out of view with the seeing and the cluster seems of the verge of more
extensive resolution.
17.5"
(8/5/94): bright, 3.0' diameter, round.
Fairly sharp concentration with a 1.5' diameter very bright core. The halo has about two dozen stars
peppered in the outer regions; the brightest star is on the NE side of the
core. The core is very lively and
just starts to break up in to several very faint stars and a single obvious
star. A mag 9.5 star is just 2' W
of center.
17.5"
(7/9/94): bright, fairly small, 3.5' diameter, very bright core. At 225x, 20-25 stars are resolved in
the halo mostly in the southern portion.
Contains an intense 1.5' core with a much fainter halo to 3.5' which
extends almost to a mag 9.5 star 2' W of center. The bright core itself is very lively and mottled with a few
faint stars resolved and a single brighter star just east of the geometric
center.
13"
(6/29/84): fairly bright, moderately large, bright core, small outer halo
resolved into approximately 15 stars mainly south of the core, mottled. A mag 9 star is 2' W.
8":
mottled, fainter halo, clumpy at 400x but no resolution.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6934 = H I-103 = h2081 on 24 Sep 1785 (sweep 440) and recorded
"vB, L, gmbM, er. A beautiful
object." His position is 36 sec
of RA too far west and 7' too far north.
The large error was apparently the result of using "a new Polar
distance machine contrived to shew the polar distance of the tube in every
situation" that was not finished.
JH called it "A beautiful, v compressed, B, R, globular cluster, 3'
diam, well resolved. Stars =
16...20m." On 19 Aug 1855,
R.J. Mitchell (LdR's assistant) recorded "very fine glob Cl, comes up to a
blaze in centre. From f side of
Nucl a stream of stars runs np, rather brighter and more condensed than in the
rest of the border."
******************************
20 38 20.1 -52
06 39
V = 12.0; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 8d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): brighter of a striking pair with
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6935 = h3835, along with NGC 6937, on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded
"pF; L; R; glbM; 2'; the preceding of 2 [with NGC 6937]." On a second sweep he noted "B; pL;
R; gbM; r; 80"."
******************************
NGC 6936 = ESO
528-022 = MCG -04-48-021 = PGC 65033
20 35 56.3 -25
16 48
V = 12.8; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 4d
17.5"
(7/21/90): fairly faint, small, round, gradually increases to a small bright
core. This is the dominant galaxy
in AGC 3698, which appears to be a loose, poor cluster on the DSS. It also a member of SSRS Group 74
triplet with NGC 6924 37' SW and ESO 528-021 12' SW.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6936 = LM I-233 on 1 Sep 1885 and recorded "mag
13.8, vS, R, slbMN, env 14.0."
His rough position (nearest minute of RA) is ~36 seconds east of ESO
528-022 = PGC 65033. Ormond Stone
measured a "corrected" position, but he made an error and placed the
galaxy 1 minute of time too far west.
Herbert Howe measured an accurate position with the 20-inch refractor at
Denver.
******************************
NGC 6937 = ESO
234-060 = AM 2035-521 = PGC 65125
20 38 46.0 -52
08 35
V = 12.9; Size 2.3'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 105d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 429x): fainter of a pair with NGC 6935 4.4' NW. Fairly bright, fairly large, elongated
4:3 SW-NE, 2'x1.5'. There are
three distinct zones. At the
center is a small, very bright nucleus ~15" diameter. This is surrounded by a bright, round,
40" core. Finally the core is
surrounded by a much fainter halo up to 2' with an irregular surface
brightness, though no distinct arms.
Located 50' WSW of mag 4.5 Eta Indi.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6937 = h3836, along with NGC 6935, on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded
"vF; R; 40"." On a
second sweep he noted "F; R; glbM; 30"."
******************************
20 34 42.2 +22
12 55
Size 5'
17.5"
(8/19/85): at 220x there are 20 scattered stars in a 5' region with the
brightest mag 9.2
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6938 = H VIII-17 = h2082 on 18 Jul 1784 (only discovery in sweep
240) and recorded "A cl of scattered stars more than 20' in diameter, not
very crowded and containing a great many large ones." A scattered group of stars matching his
description is ~1 min of time east.
On 17 Aug 1828, JH logged "Place of the chief * 10m of a coarse,
poor, straggling cluster."
His position is fairly accurate.
At Birr Castle, Ralph Copeland described this group as "Cl, very
poor, scarcely richer than neighborhood." This may not be a true cluster but RNGC misclassifies the
number as nonexistent.
******************************
20 31 30 +60 39
42
V = 7.8; Size 8'
18"
(10/9/04): beautifully rich cluster of ~150 stars in a 10'-12' triangular
region over haze. Beyond the ends
of the triangular vertices are four 10th magnitude stars with the star towards
the ENE an easy double. The
cluster is fairly uniform with a rich clump of a half-dozen stars near the
center. A number of the stars are
in chains, including a string of equally spaced 12-13th magnitude stars along
the south side that is oriented NW-SE.
18"
(8/17/04): this triangular-shaped rich cluster is beautifully framed in the
160x field (24'). The cluster is enclosed within a kite asterism of four mag 10
stars with two of these stars near the east and west vertices of the triangular
outline. ~125 stars are visible in
a 10' diameter, with most of the stars mag 12-14. Just west of center is a very rich 3' group and just
following this group is a small knot of 4 very faint stars. The west side is well-defined by a
string of mag 12 stars oriented NW-SE.
17.5"
(9/14/85): about 100-140 stars mag 12-15 are resolved. Difficult to count as stars fill the
22' field at 220x with no distinct boundaries. NGC 6946 is located less than 40' SE.
13"
(7/27/84): ~80 stars resolved but richness makes an accurate count difficult.
13"
(7/5/83): ~70 stars resolved at 166x, very rich, beautiful in faint stars.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6939 = H VI-42 = h2083 on 9 Sep 1798 (sweep 1077) and described
"a beautiful compressed cluster of small stars, extremely rich, of an
iF. The preceding part of it R and
branching out on the following side; both towards the north and towards the
south; 8 or 9' diam." JH made
4 observations and logged on sweep 366 "very fine rich cluster; 5' diam;
stars 12m and nearly equal; shape rather convex towards the preceding side."
******************************
NGC 6940 = Cr
424 = Mel 232 = Lund 961
20 34 26 +28 17
00
V = 6.3; Size 31'
13.1"
(7/27/84): beautiful rich star field although not dense. About 100 stars mag 9-14 resolved
including the orange semii-regular variable star FG Vulpeculae near the center. The double star ∑2698 = 8.8/9.7 at
4.5" is off the southwest edge.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6940 = H VII-8 on 17 Jul 1784 (sweep 239) and recorded "a
vL cl of scattered stars, very rich and most of the stars nearly of a size and
pretty small. About 20' in
diameter." His position is
close to mag 8.3
******************************
20 36 23.6 -04
37 08
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 115d
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, small, round, bright core. Incorrectly listed as a globular cluster in the RNGC, NGC
2000 and U2000.
Truman Safford
discovered NGC 6941 = Sf 83 = St IV-3 on 29 Aug 1867 with the 18.5-inch
refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. Édouard Stephan independently
rediscovered the galaxy on 1 Sep 1872.
His micrometric position matches
NGC 6941 was
misclassified as a globular cluster in the RNGC and this error as repeated in
NGC 2000.0 as well as early versions of the Uranometria 2000 star atlas. This error was listed in my RNGC
Corrections paper #3.
******************************
20 40 37.8 -54
18 11
V = 11.8; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE,
1.8'x1.2', well concentrated with a small bright core surrounded by a smooth,
fainter halo. No brighter stars
are nearby, though a mag 13 star lies 2' NE.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6942 = h3837 on 9 Jun 1836 and recorded "pB; R; pslbM;
60"." His position is
accurate.
******************************
20 44 33.6 -68
44 51
V = 11.4; Size 4.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 130d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, large, elongated ~5:2 NW-SE,
3.5'x1.5', sharply concentrated with a very small bright elongated core. Spiral structure is evident in the
halo, though I couldn't trace distinct arms. A mag 9.5 star lies 5' NE. Located 26' W of mag 5.4 Sigma Pavonis (2' pair with mag 7
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6943 = h3838 on 27 Jun 1835 and recorded "pF; L; mE; vgbM;
3 1/2' l; 1 1/2' br; has a barely perceptible point in the middle."
******************************
20 38 23.8 +06
59 47
V = 13.8; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 57d
24"
(7/16/15): moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:3 SW-NE,
sharply concentrated with a prominent, small round core, ill-defined low
surface brightness halo ~50"x30". Located 2.6' SSE of mag 8.4
18" (9/10/07):
faint, small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.45'. Weak even concentration to the center with a faint stellar
nucleus. Located 2.5' SSE of mag
8.5 HD 196612. This star is at the
southwest vertex of a quadrilateral (roughly a parallelogram) with three other
mag 10-11 stars.
17.5"
(7/4/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, very small bright core. Located 2.5' S of mag 9 SAO
126045. This bright star is the
southwest vertex of a 3.5'x1' parallelogram with three other mag 10 stars. Forms a pair with
13"
(6/29/84): faint, very small, almost round, weak concentration. A bright rectangle of stars is in the
field to the north. Located 43' E
of a mag 6.5 star.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6944 = m 419 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "pF, S, R." His position is fairly accurate.
******************************
20 39 00.6 -04
58 21
V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 30d
17.5"
(7/16/88): moderately bright, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 28" SW of
center. Located 2.9' SW of bright
mag 6.6
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6945 = m 420 = St I-10 on 12 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, vS, R,
stellar or neb. *." Édouard
Stephan independently rediscovered the galaxy (though Marth's position was
good) on 1 Jul 1870. Stephan's
micrometric position is very accurate.
******************************
NGC 6946 = Arp
29 = UGC 11597 = MCG +10-29-006 = CGCG 304-006 = PGC 65001
20 34 52.3 +60
09 14
V = 8.8; Size 11.5'x9.8'; Surf Br = 13.8
24"
(5/20/17, 5/22/17 and 6/23/17): Type II Supernova 2017eaw in NGC 6946 was
easily identified as a 13th magnitude "star" 2.7' NNW of the nucleus
using a photographic finder chart.
I was surprised the supernova was only slightly fainter in June, over a
month later than first viewed.
This is the 10th known supernova in the galaxy.
48"
(10/23/11): this very bright, showpiece face-on spiral stretches roughly 9'x7'
E-W. At 375x, four arms were
visible, each containing one or more HII regions. The brightest arm is attached on the west side of the
central region and curves counterclockwise to the north and then heads east,
passing just south of a mag 13.5 star and spreads out to the NE of the central
region. At the eastern tip (4.2'
from center) is a bright HII knot of 12" diameter, catalogued as #3 under
NGC 6946 in Paul Hodge and Robert Kennicutt's 1983 "Atlas of HII Regions
in 125 Galaxies" (HK83-3) and #1 in Hodge's 1969 paper "HII regions
in twenty nearby galaxies" (H69-1).
A second shorter arm emerges from the core on the north side, and
rotates more sharply around the galaxy on the north side, passing south of the
brighter arm, and curving around to the east side. It contains HK83-63/76 = H69-6, an elongated knotty HII
complex at its tip, 2.5' due east of center.
On the west side
are two additional arms, though the brighter inner arm is better defined. It begins on the south side of the
central region and curls sharply to the north on the west side. It passes through a few mag 14
foreground stars and nearly fades out 3.2' NW of center. A dim extension finally ends 3.5' N of
center at HK83-285 = H69-20, a very faint, very small knot inside a triangle of
stars. An outer arm on the south
side rotates towards the west and intersects HK83-503/507 = H69-33, a very
bright, round knot of 20" diameter, that rivals the inner core in
size. Using a DGM Optics
"Galaxy Contrast" filter, the core was dimmed more and the knot appeared
nearly as bright. Studies reveal
this feature is a circular bubble containing numerous, tightly packed small
clusters and a bright supermassive star cluster that resembles a young
globular. After this point, the arm becomes more patchy as it spreads to the
northwest, but near the end is HK83-527/528, an extremely faint knot just west
of a mag 14 star 3.5' NW of center.
24"
(9/13/12): the bright, long, outer spiral arm on the north side passes very
close south of a mag 13.5 star before terminating near the small knot HK83-3 =
H69-1. Besides the knot at the
end, this arm is a bit clumpy with two slightly brighter regions roughly 1.7' N
of center, HK83-213 = H69-11, and 2.4' NE of center, HK83-123/124 = H69-10. The spiral arm extending north on the west
side has several mag 14 stars superimposed. A very small brighter nucleus is
embedded the very broadly brighter central region.
18"
(8/1/08): I took another look at the bright, circular knot that contains a
young massive globular. This knot
is located 2.8' WSW of the core of NGC 6946. It was fairly easy to identify using a pair of mag 13/13.5
stars [18" separation] with the cluster situated 1.5' NW of this fairly
wide double. At 280x it appeared
as a very faint, hazy glow, ~15" diameter (nearly the separation of an
unequal double star to the southeast).
18"
(7/31/05): using the photographic finder chart in the 2000 Astrophysical
Journal (535,748) paper titled "A Young Globular Cluster in the Galaxy NGC
6946", I tracked down this "knot" which contains numerous star
clusters as well as a 15 million year old supermassive star cluster or young
globular. This object is located
2.8' W of the core and 1.5' NW of a wide, unequal pair of stars. On the DSS, it appears to be located
near the end of a faint arm (not seen) that attaches to the core on the south
side and extends to the west.
Using the image, I quickly pinpointed the location and at 323x a very
faint, small, roundish glow of ~15" diameter was visible. This very low surface brightness spot
was visible 80-90% of the time with averted vision once identified and appeared
similar to a faint Abell planetary.
Without the finder chart, I would probably have passed over this object
without noticing it, and in fact missed it in my observation from the White
Mountains in 8/29/02. Using
ALADIN, the position of the young globular is 20 34 31.7 +60 08 17.
18"
(10/9/04): viewed type II supernova 2004e, discovered 9/27/04 (13 days ago) and
appearing at approximately mag 12.8.
It was easily identified using a photographic finder chart. The supernova is located 4.1' E and
1.9' S of the nucleus, just west of a pair of mag 13/13.5 stars at 12"
separation and was comparable to the brighter star of this pair. A fainter mag 14.4 star is close WSW
and the three stars plus supernova form a small wedge or Sagitta shaped
group. This is the 8th supernova
discovered in NGC 6946 since 1917.
NGC 6939 and 6946 were both easily visible in 15x50 IS binoculars and of
similar size, but NGC 6939 is brighter with a higher surface brightness.
17.5"
(8/29/92, White Mountains at 12,000 ft): bright, very large, 6' diameter to
main body, elongated 3:2 ~E-W.
Three arms are visible. A
long bright arm is attached at the north side of the core and trails to the
east. This eastern arm splits; a
short fainter branch bends south following the core and a long curving bright
arm terminates with a very faint, very small HII knot HK83 #3. On the west side a fainter arm shoots
sharply to the north from the core.
These outer arms significantly increase the diameter of the main
body. The galaxy has a very large
brighter middle but the core is just a very small brighter region close SW of
the geometric center. A very faint
stellar nucleus was seen with direct vision.
17.5"
(8/13/88): main spiral arm very prominent and easily seen to split.
17.5"
(9/14/85): bright, large, brighter central core. A prominent arm attached on the NE side of the core and
trailing to the east. This arm
splits - the shorter arm is close to the core and a brighter region or arm to
the west.
13.1"
(7/27/84): bright arm on the east side highly suspected to branch or split into
two arms. Also an arm or brighter
region seen on the opposite side of the galaxy pointing west a short way.
13.1"
(7/16/82): the central region is elongated and fairly low surface brightness though
a spiral arm clearly trails off to the east from the main body creating a
non-symmetrical appearance.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, large, diffuse, brighter core. Situated in a rich star field.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6946 = H IV-76 = h2084 on 9 Sep 1798 (sweep 1077) and recorded
"cF, vL, iF, a sort of BNM. The nebulosity extends 6 or 7'.
The N seems to consist of some vS stars; the nebulosity is of the milky
kind. It is a pretty object." JH made 3 observations and on 11
Aug 1831 logged "vF; eL; vglbM; r; 5' or 6' dia; irreg fig. A
curious object; no doubt a great cluster of eF stars. Requires the eye to
be well prepared for seeing it."
Bindon Stoney,
LdR's assistant on 6 Sep 1850, described a "New spiral, very fine but
faint; 3 branches, of which two terminate in knots, a fourth branch north
preceding very doubtful." Two night later he made an excellent
sketch (Plate XXX, fig. 36) that was included in the 1861 publication. On
6 Sep 1855, R.J. Mitchell recorded "The two following branches unite
in one before meeting the nucleus; I certainly see a fourth branch preceding
which seems to join the other preceding branch in the same way before reaching
the nucleus. Of the four, those which terminate in knots are the
brightest."
E.E. Barnard reported
(Sidereal Messenger, vol. 5, p286) he first viewed NGC 6946 around 1881 with
the 5-inch refractor and marked it as "vvF". But on 28 May 1885
he found it "almost bright, certainly not faint. It is moderate in
size, round, vgbM with some small stars grouped around it. Its brightness
is a little less than cluster GC 4590 [NGC 6939]."
******************************
20 41 15.0 -32
29 11
V = 13.4; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 51d
17.5"
(8/5/91): faint, small, irregularly round, low even surface brightness,
ill-defined edges. A mag 12 star
is just off the NW edge 1.3' from the center and a mag 11 star is 2.8' SW.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6947 = h3839 on 28 Sep 1834 and recorded "vF; L; R; gbM; on
a faintly stippled ground."
His position is accurate.
******************************
20 43 29.0 -53
21 26
V = 12.9; Size 2.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 115d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2
WNW-ESE, 1.6'x0.7', broadly concentrated to a brighter, elongated center but no
distinct zones. A 6' line
connecting four mag 12-14 stars mag oriented SW to NE intersects the halo on
the NW side.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6948 = h3840 on 24 Jul 1835 and recorded "vF; E; lbM;
35" l." On a second
sweep he logged "eF; pL; lE; 60" l; 50" br."
******************************
20 35 07.1 +64
48 09
V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.9
17.5"
(8/13/88): faint, small, oval WNW-ESE, even surface brightness except for a
very faint stellar nucleus.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6949 = Sw V-91 on 20 Sep 1886 and noted "eF; pS;
iR." His position is at the
northeast edge of
******************************
20 41 05 +16 37
18
17.5"
(9/23/95): very scattered group of mag 9.5-13 stars in roughly a 10'-15'
region. Barely stands out in the
20mm Nagler field and not worth noting as a cluster. There are no specific borders but the stars have the
appearance of being aligned in strings or groups. Most prominent is an elongated group oriented WNW-ESE
through the two brightest mag 9-10 stars (brightest star at 20 41 10.5 +16
38.9). A small line of three mag 13 stars is near the western end of the
string. Appears to be a random
grouping and listed as nonexistent in RNGC.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6950 = H VIII-23 = h2085 on 15 Oct 1784 (sweep 290) and recorded
"A Cl of coarsely sc. stars."
JH described this group of stars as a "Poor, large, scattered cl,
the brightest * 10m." His
position is very close to a mag 9.5 star at 20 41 10.5 +16 38 55. Karl Reinmuth reported "a very
loose clustering of st 10...15 in a dense region.", based on a Heidelberg
plate. This may not be a true
cluster, but RNGC misclassifies the number as nonexistent.
******************************
20 37 14.2 +66
06 20
V = 10.7; Size 3.9'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d
48"
(10/23/14): large spiral with a brighter central region extending ~1.8'x1.2'
~E-W and the outer spiral arms increasing the dimensions to 2.8'x2.0', with the
arms reaching north and south.
Well concentrated with an intensely bright, circular core that is
embedded with a bright, elongated oval "bar" extending E-W. A fairly narrow spiral arm is attached
at the west end of the central region and curves strongly counterclockwise to
the north, passing between two mag 15.8 stars 1.3' WNW and 0.8' NW of
center. This fairly low surface
brightness arm is widely detached from the glow of the central region as it
curls to the east, ending about 1.5' NNE of center. On the east side of the elongated core region a faint,
shorter spiral arm curves south, passing near 3 or 4 faint stars oriented N-S
and fades out ~1' SSW of center.
24"
(7/23/14): fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated, ~2' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a small, very
bright core. A fairly broad
"bar" extends east-west through the central region. Weak spiral structure is definite with
careful viewing. An eastern arm
appears as a subtle arc curving counterclockwise and passing west and then
south of a mag 12.7 star 1.4' east of center. I expected the western arm to be more obvious, but it was
only visible as a slightly brighter curving "edge" of the outer halo
from west to north.
18"
(8/17/04): at 225x appears moderately bright and large, oval 3:2 WNW-ESE,
~1.8'x1.1'. On the east end is a
mag 12.5 star. The galaxy suddenly
brightens to a very small, brighter core.
The edge of the halo fades and increases in size with averted vision. Appears slightly brighter along the
major axis with a hint of structure.
17.5"
(10/30/99): observed SN 1999el, which was discovered 11 days ago (Oct 20). Appeared as a mag 14.5-15 star just
following the core (22" E and 8" S) and easily visible at 280x. The galaxy is fairly faint, moderately
large. Sharply concentrated with a
small bright core surrounded by a diffuse halo elongated 3:2 E-W. A mag 12 star is 1.5' following the
center and a mag 15 star is just visible a similar distance WNW.
17.5"
(8/13/88): bright with a very bright core surrounded by a fainter large oval
halo 3:2 E-W. A mag 13 star is
just off the east edge 1.4' from center and a mag 15 star is off the NW end.
8"
(6/22/81): faint, small, bright core.
A mag 13 star is at the east edge.
Lewis Swift
found NGC 6951 = Sw II-85 with a 4.5-inch refractor (date unknown). Using his 16-inch refractor he noted
"pB; pL; lE. Discovered many
years ago with 4 1/2 inch".
His position is 13 tsec of RA preceding
Jérome Coggia
discovered this galaxy sometime before 1878 at the Marseilles Observatory and
it was catalogued as
******************************
NGC 6952 = NGC
6951 = UGC 11604 = MCG +11-25-002 = CGCG 325-003 = PGC 65086
20 37 14.2 +66
06 20
See observing
notes for NGC 6951.
Jerome Coggia
discovered NGC 6952 around 1877 at the Marseilles Observatory, probably using a
7.2-inch refractor. The discovery was apparently communicated directly to
Dreyer and first appeared in the GC Supplement. There is nothing at his
position, but 20' south is UGC 11604 = PGC 65086 and Coggia's description of a
mag 15 close following matches this galaxy. According to Steinicke, this was Coggia's only NGC
discovery. Lewis Swift
independently rediscovered this galaxy on 14 Sep 1885 and placed it accurately
in list II-85 (later catalogued as NGC 6951). William Denning noted the equivalence
NGC 6951 = NGC 6952 in 1892 (The Observatory, 15, 106) and Dreyer listed the
identity in the IC 1 Notes section.
******************************
20 38 00 +65 46
=Not found,
Corwin and RNGC.
Lewis Swift
discovered NGC 6953 = Sw II-86 on 14 Sep 1885 with his 16" refractor and
noted "eeeF, pL, R, ee difficult." There is nothing near his position other than a mixed
variety of stars.
Herbert Howe
examined the field in 1899-00 with the 20-inch refractor at the University of
Denver and reported "I could not find this, which is called by Swift 'eeF,
pL, vdiffic.' 17 seconds preceding
and 0.2' south of the place given by Swift is a small group of at least four
stars of mag 14, which was scruntinised for nebulosity, but in vain." Bigourdan also identified the same
stars, at 20 37 45 +65 46 00 (2000), as NGC 6953. This identification is very
uncertain and perhaps Swift made a large error in his position. See Harold Corwin's comments for more
on this number.
******************************
20 44 03.2 +03
12 33
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 68d
18"
(9/10/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, irregular oval
0.5'x0.35', weak concentration to a very small brighter core and occasional
stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5 star
lies 1.6' S.
17.5"
(8/1/87): fairly faint, small, oval WSW-ENE, small bright core, faint stellar
nucleus.
13"
(6/29/84): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, weakly
concentrated.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6954 = m 421 on 28 Jun 1863 and noted "F, S,
vlE." His position is a good
match.
******************************
NGC 6955 = UGC
11621 = CGCG 374-005 = PGC 65287
20 44 17.9 +02
35 41
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 30d
17.5"
(8/1/87): extremely faint, fairly small, very diffuse, low surface brightness,
requires averted vision. Pair with
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6955 = m 422, along with NGC 6957, on 28 Jun 1863 and noted
"eF, pL, R." His
position is fairly accurate.
******************************
20 43 53.7 +12
30 43
V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6
24"
(8/5/13): moderately bright to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated ~3:2
NW-SE, 60"x40". The view
is somewhat hampered by a mag 11 star that is superimposed on the east edge and
a mag 14.5 star is ~20" E of the bright star. This galaxy appears to be a barred spiral with a brighter
bar oriented ~N-S extending down the middle of the glow. The brighter nucleus is quasi-stellar
(~5") and similar to the mag 14.5 star in brightness. A faint extension (spiral arm) curves
east from the south end of the bar, extending south of the mag 11 star. Brightest in a trio (
18"
(9/10/07): fairly faint, moderately large, round, weak concentration except for
a quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 10.5 star is superimposed on the east edge of
the halo and somewhat hampers the view.
17.5"
(10/13/01): this moderately bright glow appears unusual as a mag 10.5 star is
attached at the east side and interferes with viewing. The surface brightness of this barred
spiral is pretty uniform except for a faint stellar nucleus. A mag 14 companion star (double)
follows the brighter star.
Brightest in a trio with UGC 11620 and 11623 situated 7' SSE and 8' ESE,
respectively.
13"
(6/29/84): faint, diffuse, even surface brightness, possibly slightly elongated
E-W. A mag 10.5 star is attached
at the east edge 26" from center and detracts from viewing. Brightest of three with UGC 11620 6.7'
SSE and UGC 11623 8.0' E.
8"
(7/16/82): faint, small. A mag 10
star at the east edge interferes.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6956 = H III-219 = h2086 on 19 Oct 1784 (sweep 299) and noted
"eF; vS; stellar; just preceding a small star, 240 verified it with
difficulty." JH made a single
observation and recorded "vF; S; 15" precedes and is attached to the
double star No. 1566 of my 4th catalogue." His position for HJ 1566 matches the two stars mentioned in
my 24" observation, altlhough the WDS identifies a pair that is off the
east side of UGC 11620.
******************************
NGC 6957 = CGCG
374-007 = PGC 65302
20 44 47.6 +02
34 52
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5"
(8/1/87): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 1.1' SE. Pair with NGC 6955 7.4' W.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6957 = m 423, along with NGC 6955, on 28 Jun 1863 and noted
"vF, S, R." His position
is fairly accurate.
******************************
20 48 42.5 -37
59 52
V = 11.4; Size 2.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 107d
17.5"
(10/5/91): fairly faint, fairly small, gradually increases to a very small
bright core. Forms the SE vertex
of an equilateral triangle with a mag 11 star 2.5' WSW and a mag 10 star 2.8'
NW. There are four stars total in
this V-shaped asterism.
8"
(7/24/82): faint, small, round, just nonstellar at low power. Located at the edge of a small
"V" asterism of stars.
Located 25' WSW of a mag 5.5 star.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6958 = h3841 on 24 Aug 1834 and recorded "B; R; pgmbM:
25"; follows 4 stars; of which one is 9m." His position is accurate. Using his 5-inch refractor at Vanderbilt, Barnard described
NGC 6958 as "close following three or four small bright stars. The light from these stars makes it
difficult to see the nebula, which small pretty suddenly much brighter in the
middle to a flickering, ill-defined nucleus. I can not see why it should be called bright in G.C.,
probably in the southern hemisphere it is much brighter."
******************************
20 47 07.2 +00
25 49
V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 57d
18"
(8/1/05): fairly faint, small, very elongated SW-NE, 0.6'x0.2', weak
concentration to a slightly brighter core. Nestled within a semi-circular arc of stars including three
collinear stars to the SW.
17.5"
(8/31/86): fairly faint, elongated WSW-ENE, brighter along the major axis,
small bright core.
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint, small, very elongated SW-NE, brighter along the major
axis. A line of three mag 13/14
stars lies 2' SSW. This is the
fourth brightest in the
13"
(8/23/84): slightly fainter than NGC 6967 but easily visible at 220x, small,
very elongated WSW-ENE. Three
stars are close SW.
13.1"
(7/27/84): faint but easily visible with averted vision, very small, elongated
WSW-ENE. A small arc of three
stars is just SW.
R.J. Mitchell,
LdR's observing assistant, discovered NGC 6959 = Big. 84 on 27 Aug 1857, while
observing the NGC 6962 group. He
noted "[labeled object] a is lE, bM" and the sketch confirms the
identity with
The RNGC
misidentifies 2MASX J20470331+0026126 = PGC 162626 as NGC 6959. The RNGC then mislabels the correct NGC
6959 as
******************************
20 45 58 +30 35
42
Size 70'x6'
13.1"
(5/21/82): this is the prominent western section of the "Veil nebula"
and is spectacular with an OIII filter.
Bright, extremely large, very elongated N-S, stretches across the entire
low power field while passing through the bright unequal double 52 Cygni =
4.3/9.5 at 6". Fans out to
the south and splits into two delicate branches and fainter wisps. The bright curving nebulosity north of
52 Cygni has a remarkable "electric" quality. It has an abrupt bend about midway and
then tapers down to a narrow tip towards the north end gently bowing out
towards the west side. Fantastic
detail using a 20mm Nagler and OIII filter.
11x80 (5/26/84):
both sections of Veil are easily visible in the 11x80 finder using a filter.
15x50 IS
binoculars (8/27/11): the entire Veil was visible (eastern section was
striking) using a pair of UHC filters threaded over the objectives. The western section through 52 Cygni
took more care to view and the forked southern half was the most difficult
section to pick up.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6960 = H V-15 = h2088 on 7 Sep 1784 (sweep 259) and recorded
"Extended from one number to the other [in declination]; pB, taking in 'k'
[52] Cygni in its extent. The
milky ray is convex towards the following side in that part which lies north of
k, pretty compact and equally bright.
On the southern side of 'k' it is less bright and at last loses itself
with some extension, perhaps in two braches, but it is not bright enough that I
may determine this circumstance with certainty. The breadth of the northern parts is near 2', the southern
branch is less defined."
JH recorded 3
observations. On sweep 178 he
noted "The place is that of k Cygni, through which the nebula passes. It is very long and winding and runs
northward from k full 2 fields breadth (30'). One branch is pretty conspicuous, even in a little
moonlight. The nebulosity is
milky, and does not seem to arise from small stars of the Milky Way."
******************************
NGC 6961 = CGCG
374-014 = PGC 65372
20 47 10.4 +00
21 48
V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 134d
18"
(8/1/05): very faint, very small, round.
Contains a faint stellar nucleus with direct vision surrounded by a very
low surface brightness halo perhaps 15" diameter. A very faint star is off the north end.
Located 3.3' NW of NGC 6962 and collinear with
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, round, very small.
A mag 15 star is off the NE edge.
Located 3.3' NW of NGC 6962 in a group and the fifth brightest of
six. NGC 6959 lies 4.1' NNW.
17.5"
(8/31/86): very faint, very small, round, a mag 15 star is less than 30"
NE but cleanly resolved.
13.1"
(8/23/84): faint star very close highly suspected.
13.1"
(7/27/84): extremely faint, very small.
A very faint star appears to be very close.
J.L.E. Dreyer,
as the observer at Birr Castle, probably first discovered NGC 6961 on 23 Aug
1876. His offset from NGC 6962
(195" in PA 322.7°) is a close match with
******************************
NGC 6962 = UGC
11628 = MCG +00-53-003 = CGCG 374-015 = PGC 65375
20 47 19.0 +00
19 14
V = 12.1; Size 2.9'x2.3'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 75d
18"
(8/1/05): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter. Contains a bright core that increases
to a quasi-stellar nucleus with direct vision. Brightest in the group and collinear with NGC 6964 less than
2' SE and NGC 6961 3' NW. A
distinctive obtuse triangle of mag 11 and 12 stars is a few arcminutes to the
SW.
17.5"
(7/16/88): brightest in the NGC 6962 group. Moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core, stellar
nucleus. On a line with NGC 6964
1.8' SE and NGC 6961 3.3' NW. Also
forms an equilateral triangle with NGC 6959 7.1' NW and NGC 6967 6.6' NE.
17.5"
(8/31/86): moderately bright, roundish, strong bright core, stellar nucleus.
13"
(7/27/84): fairly bright, fairly small, small bright core, almost round. Largest and brightest in a group.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6962 = H II-426 = h2087, along with NGC 6964, on 12 Aug 1785
(sweep 425) and recorded "Two, the preceding [NGC 6962] F, S, iR,
mbM... 240 showed the same. The time and NPD is that of the
preceding." His position is
within the halo. On sweep 81, JH logged "pF; S; R: gbM;
15...20"." His mean position (2 measures) is accurate.
******************************
20 47 19.3 +00
30 33
18"
(8/1/05): this is a very faint double star at 12" separation, which was
cleanly resolved at 160x and 225x.
The components are mag 15.0-15.5.
Located 1.5' N of NGC 6965.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6963 = Big 85 on 12 Aug 1885 and recorded "mag
13.4; a star involved in nebulosity." According to Harold Corwin, his micrometric position falls
precisely on a double star 1.5' north of NGC 6965.
The RNGC, CGCG,
UGC and MCG misidentify NGC 6965 = CGCG 374-016 as NGC 6963. See my article in Deep Sky, Fall 1985
and Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 6964 = UGC
11629 = MCG +00-53-005 = CGCG 374-017 = PGC 65379
20 47 24.2 +00
18 03
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 171d
18"
(8/1/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~N-S, 0.5'x0.4'. Moderate even concentration to a small
bright core and quasi-stellar nucleus.
A mag 13.5 star is just of the SE end of the galaxy. Forms a close pair with NGC 6962 1.8'
NW and this galaxy is just slightly smaller and fainter than its companion.
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, slightly elongated
NNW-SSE, small bright core. A mag
13.5 star is 38" SE of center.
This is the second brightest in the NGC 6962 group and located just 1.8'
SE of NGC 6962.
17.5"
(8/31/86): moderately bright, strong bright core, substellar nucleus, almost
round.
13.1"
(8/23/84): slightly fainter than NGC 6962 in size and brightness, a faint star
follows.
13.1"
(7/27/84): second brightest in the NGC 6962 group. Moderately bright, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, weak
concentration.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6964 = H II-427 = h2089, along with NGC 6962, on 12 Aug 1785
(sweep 425) and recorded "Two, the following [NGC 6964] vF, vS, lbM, about
3 or 4' from the preceding and a little more south. 240 showed the same." JH's mean position (2 measures) is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6965 = MCG
+00-53-004 = CGCG 374-016 = IC 5058 = PGC 65376
20 47 20.4 +00
29 00
V = 14.1; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4
18"
(8/1/05): faintest of six in the NGC 6962 group. Appeared very faint, very small, round, 15"-20"
diameter. At first I thought it
had a faint stellar nucleus with direct vision, but with careful viewing this
was a mag 15-15.5 star at the south edge.
Located 1.3' N of a mag 13 star and on a line with two mag 14 stars a
similar distance to the east and west.
This galaxy is misidentified as NGC 6963 in most modern catalogues.
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, broad concentration,
barely visible continuously with direct vision. Located 10' N of NGC 6962 within a triangle of mag 13-14
stars including a mag 14 star 1.4' E and a mag 13 star 1.3' S. Faintest of six in NGC 6962 group. This galaxy is misidentified in the
RNGC, UGC, MCG, CGCG as NGC 6963.
17.5"
(8/31/86): very faint (requires averted), small, slightly elongated ~N-S, faint
stellar nucleus.
13"
(8/23/84): requires averted vision to confirm, similar to NGC 6961.
13.1"
(7/27/84): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 10' N of NGC 6962 within a small equilateral
triangle of faint stars.
R.J. Mitchell,
LdR's observing assistant, discovered NGC 6965 on 27 Aug 1857 in the NGC 6963
group. He labeled this galaxy as
"b" and noted "S, nearly R, bM.". The sketch clearly indicates NGC 6965 = CGCG 374-016. In compiling the NGC, Dreyer had to
estimate the position and placed this galaxy 3' too far south. This was caused by a poorly drawn
direction of drift (west) in the sketch.
Bigourdan later reobserved this galaxy, gave an accurate position, and
Dreyer catalogued it as
RNGC, UGC, CGCG,
and MCG all misidentify this galaxy as NGC 6963. The galaxy labeled as NGC 6965 in RNGC is actually NGC 6959
= CGCG 374-013. UGC, MCG, CGCG all
mislabel NGC 6967 = CGCG 374-018 as NGC 6965. In Deep Sky, Fall 1985 I
incorrectly concluded that NGC 6965 is a duplicate entry for Bigourdan's NGC
6963, but NGC 6963 is just a double star.
******************************
20 47 26.8 +00
22 03
18"
(8/1/05): this difficult double star appears as an extremely faint, sub-stellar
object at 225x (only a few arcseconds in size) that was slightly elongated like
an unresolved double. At 323x it
was occasionally resolved but it was easy to see how this might be assumed to
be a nebulous object. Located 3.4' NE of NGC 6962 and at the midpoint of NGC
6962 and NGC 6967 3.2' further NE.
Heinrich
d'Arrest probably discovered NGC 6966 = Big 86 on 26 Jul 1865. About 1' north of his (single) position
is a close double star at 20 47 26.8 +00 22 04 (2000) with a separation of
3"-4" (currently).
Guillaume Bigourdan rediscovered the same pair on 27 Jul 1884. His micrometric position is
unambiguous. Dorothy Carlson
perhaps first made the identification with a double star.
******************************
NGC 6967 = UGC
11630 = MCG +00-53-006 = CGCG 374-018 = PGC 65385
20 47 34.0 +00
24 42
V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 105d
18"
(8/1/05): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 0.7'x0.3'. Contains a very small brighter
nucleus. A mag 10 star is close
following and the galaxy is elongated nearly in the direction of the star.
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated
~E-W. A mag 9.5 star is just
44" E of center. Third
brightest in the NGC 6962 group.
Forms the NE vertex of an equilateral triangle with NGC 6962 6.6' SW and
NGC 6959 6.7' WNW. Misidentified
as NGC 6965 in the UGC, CGCG, MCG.
17.5"
(8/31/86): fairly faint, small, elongated ~E-W, brighter core. A bright star follows closely that
detracts from viewing.
13.1"
(8/23/84): fairly faint though the mag 10 star interferes with viewing, small
E-W streak, lens-shaped.
13.1"
(7/27/84): faint, small, very elongated E-W. A mag 10 star is off the SE edge.
R.J. Mitchell,
LdR's observing assistant, discovered NGC 6967 on 27 Aug 1857, while observing
the NGC 6962 group. He labeled
this galaxy as "c" on the sketch and noted "c is lE, bM and has
a conspicuous * close nf."
The description and sketch clearly establishes NGC 6967 = CGCG 374-018.
MCG (+00-53-006)
and UGC (11630) misidentify this galaxy as NGC 6965. RNGC and CGCG give the correct identification. See my article in Deep Sky, Fall 1985
and Harold Corwin's identification notes.
******************************
20 48 32.4 -08
21 37
V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 135d
17.5"
(7/1/89): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright
core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13
star is 55" NW of center. A
faint double star (
Édouard Stephan
discovered NGC 6968 = St XIII-93 on 11 Aug 1883. His position corresponds with
MCG
misidentifies this galaxy as IC 5062.
Bigourdan found IC 5062 on the same night as one of his two observations
of N6968 and his description and position matches a wide pair of stars a few
arc minutes west of the bright galaxy.
So N6968 ≠ IC 5062.
******************************
20 48 27.7 +07
44 25
V = 14.0; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 15d
17.5"
(8/1/86): faint, small, edge-on streak SSW-NNE, small bright core. Located 21' WSW of 14 Delphini (V =
6.3).
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6969 = m 424 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "F, pL, E." His position and description is good.
******************************
20 52 09.5 -48
46 42
V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 105d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3
WNW-ESE, sharply concentrated with a very small, bright core punctuated by a
quasi-stellar nucleus. A very
faint star is superimposed on the halo.
A scattered group of mag 12-14 stars lies 5' S.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6970 = h3842 on 2 Oct 1834 and recorded "pB; S; lE; gmbM;
18" l." His position is
on the west side of the halo.
******************************
20 49 23.8 +05
59 44
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d
17.5"
(8/1/86): fairly faint, moderately large, pretty diffuse, weak concentration,
slightly elongated WSW-ENE.
Located 7.1' SE of mag 7.7
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6971 = m 425 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "vF, S, R." His
position is accurate to within 1'.
******************************
20 49 58.9 +09
53 57
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 143d
18"
(9/10/07): fairly faint, small, oval NW-SE, 0.4'x0.25', very small brighter
core, stellar nucleus. Situated
within a oval ring of 8 stars (4.5'x2') mag 11-13.
13.1"
(6/29/84): very faint, brighter core, irregular shape, slightly elongated
NW-SE. A mag 12 double star at
23" separation is 2' WSW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6972 = m 426 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "F, S, R." His declination is 1' too large.
******************************
20 52 06.0 -05
53 42
=*, Corwin.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6973 = Big 87, along with
******************************
20 51 04 +31 49
42
18"
(8/3/11): although the NGC position (from the 4th Earl of Rosse) is 74' further
south in an empty section of the Veil, this number is generally applied to the
southeast end of the 25' section of nebulosity between the north end of
Pickering's Triangular Wisp and the north end of
18"
(7/31/08): at 73x (31mm Nagler) and an OIII filter, this is a locally brighter
patch at the SE end of a 25' elongated section of the Veil to the east of the
northern end of Pickering's Wedge.
Although not plotted on Megastar, Uranometria or MSA, very faint
nebulosity continues to stream to the SE throughout most of the 1.1° field of
the 31mm Nagler and ending near a slightly brighter patch (see notes on piece
G) at 20 51.1 +32 23 (2000).
17.5"
(9/7/91): smaller southern portion of a very faint elongated patch with NGC
6979 in the Veil Nebula. Several
faint stars are superimposed.
Located east of the north edge of the widest section of the huge
triangular wedge of nebulosity in the center of the Veil. Also see NGC 6979.
The NGC
identification is very uncertain as the 4th Earl of Rosse's position was 74'
further south and there is no nebulosity near his position.
Lawrence
Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 6974 on 20 Aug 1873 and
described a "Nebulous *, neby cE pf, 20h 45.5m NPD 59d 50'±." This position precesses to 20h 50.8m
+30d 38'± (2000) and places it somewhere in the central region on the Veil.
The RNGC
position is on the southeast end of the section that includes NGC 6979, over a
degree due north of Parsons' position.
Also, this piece of nebulosity is not "cE pf", but extended
generally north-south."
Still, Corwin feels this is a plausible candidate (digit error in the
declination). In any case, the
identification of this number is uncertain because of these discrepancies.
******************************
20 52 25.9 -05
46 19
See observing
notes for
Guillaume
Bigourdan found NGC 6975 = Big. 88 on 23 Sep 1886 and noted "30" -
40" in diameter." There
is nothing at his position in his second Comptes Rendus list, but in the
remarks section of his 6 May 1901 Comptes Rendus list he stated Big. 88 was
identical to NGC 6976 and this was repeated in the IC 2 Notes/Corrections
section. See Corwin's
identification notes.
RNGC, MCG, PGC
and RC3 misidentify
******************************
NGC 6976 = HCG
88C = NGC 6975 = MCG -01-53-015 = PGC 65620
20 52 25.9 -05
46 19
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5d
18"
(8/3/05): very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, very low surface
brightness, no concentration.
Furthest southwest in a string with brighter
18"
(7/21/04): very faint, small, round, ~25" diameter, very low even surface
brightness. Faintest of collinear
trio with NGC 6977 and NGC 6978 and furthest SW.
18"
(6/25/04): faintest and further SW of a trio on line with NGC 6977 and NGC 6978
~2' and 4' NE, respectively [
17.5"
(7/16/88): extremely faint, very small, round, very diffuse. This is the furthest south of three
galaxies on a line in
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6976 = m 427, along with NGC 6977 and 6978, on 12 Jul 1864 and
noted "eF, irr R." His
position is less than 1' north of
******************************
NGC 6977 = HCG
88B = MCG -01-53-016 = PGC 65625
20 52 29.6 -05
44 46
V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 162d
18"
(8/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5', broad
concentration with a slightly brighter core, occasional very faint stellar
nucleus with direct vision.
Located 1.8' NE of slightly brighter NGC 6976. A very faint star lies between NGC 6977 and NGC 6976.
18"
(7/21/04): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, ~35"x30", broad
weak concentration. A mag 14.5 or
15 star lies between NGC 6977 and brighter NGC 6978 just 2.6' NE. Second brightest in HCG 88 along with
NGC 6976 just 1.8' SW.
18"
(6/25/04): faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, very weak concentration
to a slightly brighter core.
Middle of a collinear triplet (HCG 88) with slightly brighter NGC 6978
2.6' NE and fainter NGC 6976 1.8' SW.
A mag 15 star lies midway between NGC 6977 and NGC 6978.
17.5"
(7/16/88): very faint, fairly small, round, diffuse, even surface
brightness. Second of three on a
line with NGC 6976 1.8' SW and NGC 6978 2.5' NE.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6977 = m 428, along with NGC 6976 and 6978, on 20 Jul 1863 and
noted "vF, S, irr R."
His position is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6978 = HCG
88A = MCG -01-53-017 = PGC 65631
20 52 35.4 -05
42 39
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 125d
18"
(8/3/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.4', broad
concentration to a small brighter core and an occasional very faint stellar
nucleus with direct vision. A very
faint star lies midway between NGC 6977 and NGC 6978. This galaxy is the brightest in HCG 88 and furthest NE in a
string of three. Located 14' SE of
mag 5.5
18"
(7/21/04): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.35',
moderate concentration to a very small brighter core and occasional stellar
nucleus that seems offset to the NW side.
Brightest of collinear trio in HCG 88 with NGC 6977 and NGC 6976.
18"
(6/25/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.4', broad
weak concentration. Largest and
brightest of a collinear triplet with NGC 6976 4.4' SW and NGC 6977 2.6' SW.
17.5"
(7/16/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, elongated 2:1 NW-SE. Brightest and farthest NE of three on a
line (HCG 88 group) with NGC 6977 2.5' SW and NGC 6976 4.3' SW.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6978 = m 429, along with NGC 6976 and 6977, on 20 Jul 1863 and
noted "vF". His position
is accurate.
******************************
NGC 6979 = Veil
Nebula
20 50 28 +32 01
36
Size 5'x3'
18" (8/3/11):
this number is generally applied to the NW end of a fairly faint 20'x4' section
of the Veil, located the NE of the northern end of Pickering's Triangular
Wisp. The NW end is roughly 5'x3'
and involves a few stars including a couple on the SW side and a couple on the
north side. An isolated filament
(section "F") oriented NNW-SSE is situated 10' ENE of NGC 6979. To the south of NGC 6979 the nebulosity
thins and a faint thread extends to the SE before spreading out again on the SE
end (see NGC 6974), about 15' from NGC 6979.
18"
(7/31/08): this is the north end of a very elongated section of the Veil to the
NE of Pickering's Wedge. Although
the entire section is reasonably prominent at 73x using an OIII filter, the
northern end which corresponds to the position of NGC 6979 doesn't really stand
out, other than ending here and involving a few mag 10 stars. The north end of Pickering's Wedge is
in fact much brighter with a wealth of filamentary detail.
17.5"
(9/7/91): very faint, fairly large, elongated ~NNW-SSE, detached patch in the
Veil Nebula. The SSE portion of
this patch (identified in the RNGC as NGC 6974) is smaller and has several
faint stars superimposed. The
northern part (NGC 6979) is larger and wider but less well-defined and has some
brighter stars superimposed. This
patch is located NE of the northern end of the huge triangular wedge
("Pickering's Wedge") that forms the north central section of the
Veil.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6979 = H II-206, along with NGC 6960, on 7 Sep 1784 (sweep 259)
and noted "F, S, crookedly elongated, r[esolvable]". Dreyer mentions in Scientific Papers
that this section of the Veil nebula was not found at Birr Castle on three
occasions although on one observation eF nebulosity was noted.
RNGC and Uranometria
2000 use the NGC position, though this points to extremely low surface
brightness filaments. Harold
Corwin's position matches the northeast section of a fairly faint 20'x4'
filament situated northeast of the north end of Pickering's Triangular Wisp.
******************************
NGC 6980
20 52 48.9 -05
50 17
=*, Corwin.
Guillaume
Bigourdan discovered NGC 6980 = Big. 89, along with NGC 6973, on 5 Jul 1886 and
noted a mixed star and nebulosity, 30" diam." His position corresponds with a mag
14.6 star at this position.
******************************
20 53 27.9 -12
32 13
V = 9.2; Size 6'; Surf Br = 0.1
17.5"
(7/17/01): at 380x, the halo is very irregular and the globular has a very
uneven surface brightness. The
non-symmetrical halo is elongated ~E-W, perhaps 4'x3'. The brighter 1.5' core is covered with a
sprinkling a 8-10 faint stars.
From the core there are short ragged extensions to the SW and NW with a
few resolved stars. More prominent
is a nearly detached clump on the east side which is extended ~N-S and contains
roughly 8 easily resolved stars over haze. In total, perhaps two dozen stars are resolved in moments of
good seeing.
17.5"
(8/13/88): very mottled at 280x, 3' diameter. About 20 stars are resolved at the edges and over the core.
17.5"
(8/2/86): very mottled, ragged irregular appearance. 15-20 stars resolved over
the disc.
13.1"
(9/29/84): very mottled non-symmetrical appearance with a bright core. Roughly a dozen stars are resolved
mostly on the east side of the core.
A brighter mag 13.5 star is in the NE side of the halo.
Pierre Méchain
discovered
******************************
20 57 18.5 -51
51 45
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 152d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE,
30"x20". In a trio with
Fairall 927 was
not plotted on my Megastar chart as there was no listed magnitude, so I was
surprised to find a reasonably bright galaxy completing a trio. It appeared fairly faint (slightly
fainter than NGC 6982), fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, 30"x20". Located 5.6' NNE of NGC 6984 and 9' NE
of NGC 6982.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6982 = h3843, along with NGC 6984, on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded
"eF; S; R; the preceding of 2 [with NGC 6984]."
******************************
20 56 43.4 -43
59 09
V = 13.3; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 147d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 394x; fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small,
0.5' diameter, irregularly round, contains a very small brighter core. Located
13' NW of mag 6.5
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6983 = h3844 on 2 Sep 1836 and recorded "eF; S; R;
45"." He missed ESO
286-010, 26' WSW, which is just as prominent.
******************************
NGC 6984 = ESO
235-020 = AM 2054-520 = PGC 65798
20 57 54.1 -51
52 12
V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 101d
30"
(11/5/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): brightest in a trio with NGC 6982 5.5' W and
PGC 65805 (Fairall 927) 5.6' NNE.
Fairly bright, moderately large, oval 4:3 ~E-W, 1.2'x0.9', broadly
concentrated halo, then sharply brightens to a small bright nucleus. A mag 10.6 star lies 4' NW and a mag 12
star is 1.4' E.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6984 = h3845, along with NGC 6982, on 8 Jul 1834 and recorded
"F; L; lE; glbM; 90" l; the following of 2 [with NGC 6982]."
******************************
20 45 02.3 -11
06 19
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 90d
24"
(7/28/16): at 260x; fairly faint, oval 4:3 ~E-W, ~30"x20", small
bright core. A mag 15.2 star is
just off the ENE side [36" from center]. Situated 2.5' WNW of mag 8.7
17.5"
(8/3/94): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 E-W, weak concentration to a small
brighter core. A mag 15 star is
just 40" ENE and a mag 13 star 1.2' W of center. Located 2.5' WNW of mag 8
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6985 = LM I-234 on 11 Jun 1886 and noted "mag
16.0, 0.2' dia, iR." There is
nothing anywhere near his very rough position (nearest minute of RA). Harold Corwin identifies NGC 6985 with
The Uranometria
Deep Sky Field Guide (first edition) has no listing for NGC 6985 and RNGC
classifies the number as nonexistent.
MCG does not label this galaxy as NGC 6985.
******************************
20 56 30.6 -18
33 59
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 8d
17.5"
(7/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, small bright core. A small group of five mag 13 stars is
2'-3' SE.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6986 = LM I-235 on 2 Sep 1885 and recorded "mag
14.0, vS, R, glbMN." His
rough position (nearest minute of RA) is just 16 seconds west of
******************************
20 58 10.4 -48
37 49
V = 12.4; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): moderately to fairly bright, sharply concentrated with a
very bright core surrounded by a relatively large, slightly elongated NW-SE
halo extending 1.1'x0.8'. A mag 13
star is near the west edge, 40" from center. A mag 12 star is 2' S and an 11th mag star 3' SW. In addition mag 8.8
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6987 = h3846 on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "pB; S; lE; gbM;
among B stars." His position
(2 observations) is fairly accurate.
******************************
20 55 48.9 +10
30 28
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5"
(7/20/90): very faint, very small, oval NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 15 star is at the SE end 23"
from center.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6988 = m 430 on 15 Aug 1863 and noted "eF, pL,
R." His position is nearly 2'
southeast of
******************************
20 54 06 +45 14
24
17.5"
(9/23/95): at 100x appears to be simply a large Milky Way field about 20'
diameter in the "Canada" portion of the "North American"
nebula. Weakly more enhanced than
the surrounding star field and only distinguished because of four bright stars
off the south side including mag 5.5
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6989 = H VIII-82 on 11 Sep 1790 (sweep 959) and recorded "A
large cl of pS stars of several sizes." His position is 10' northeast of mag 5.5
******************************
20 59 57.0 -55
33 43
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 0d
30"
(10/10/15 - OzSky): at 394x; moderately bright, very elongated 3:1 N-S,
0.9'x0.35', slightly mottled appearance but no well defined core. A mag 12 star is at the south tip, 0.6'
from center.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6990 = h3847 on 9 Jul 1834 and recorded "a * 10m, to which
is attached or almost so, by its extremity an eF, vS nebulous ray; vmE in
meridian 15" l; 4" br; night superb, and without this condition it
were useless to look for this object." His position (measured twice) is accurate.
******************************
20 54 56 +47 19
18
Size 5'
17.5"
(10/24/92): at John Herschel's position and matching his description for h2091
is a scattered group of approximately 20 stars in a 6' field which is located
about 10' SW of
At William
Herschel's original position and description (VIII 76) is a scattered group of
stars involved with IC 5076 and mag 5.7
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6991 = H VIII-76 = h2091 on 27 Sep 1788 (sweep 866) and recorded
"A st 6m not in H. A L star surrounded with many considerable stars,
forming a brilliant though much sc[attered] cluster; the star 6m is not in the
center but towards the following side." His offset points to mag 5.7
So, there are
two candidates for NGC 6991. My notes described both candidates.
Lynga and RNGC identify WH's group as NGC 6991. Also see Harold
Corwin's identification notes and Brent Archinal's monograph on the nonexistent
RNGC open clusters.
******************************
NGC 6992 = Veil
Nebula = SNR G74.0-08.5 = Ced 182b
20 56 19 +31 44
36
Size 60'x8'
17.5"
(7/5/86): this section of the Veil nebula is probably the most detailed and
exciting emission object to explore in the 17.5" using a 20mm Nagler and
OIII filter. Appears very bright,
extremely large, very elongated, about 1° length, crossed by darker rifts. Feather-like side branches are at the
south edge running off towards the west.
Breathtaking filamentary detail at 83x is too intricate to describe
using an OIII filter particularly on the southern half! The filaments appear like intertwined
threads or twisted ropes giving a striking 3-dimensional appearance along the
length! Attached to
13"
(5/21/82): incredibly detailed at the south edge. Wispy structure with two long tails. Darker rifts and filamentary structure
along the entire length.
8": bright
at 50x with UHC filter. Some
structure seen with darker rifts and branches at the south edge.
15x50 IS
binoculars (8/27/11): NGC 6992/6995 is striking at just 15x using a pair of UHC
filters threaded over the objectives as a long, curving filament. Although NGC 6960 through 52 Cygni was
also visible in the same binocular field, it's is a tougher object,
particularly the fainter (forked) southern portion.
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6992 = H V-14 = h2092 on 6 Sep 1784 (sweep 258) and recorded
"eF, above 3/4° long and 6, 8 or 10' broad. The whiteness entirely of the milky kind, brighter in 3 or 4
places than in the rest. The
position of the ray or extent is from np to sf, making an angle of 30 or 40°
with the meridian. The stars of
the galaxy are scattered over it in the same manner as the rest of the
heavens. The time and number is
taken in the brightest part of the nebula. The ray is faint enough to have been overlooked had it not
been for the brighter places in it."
The following night (sweep 259), he also logged "Branching
nebulosity of the extent of the number that is 53' in polar distance, and in RA
reaches through 5 or 6 fields that is near 1 1/2 degrees. The following part of it is divided
into several streams and windings which after separating meet each other again
towards the south."
Herschel's rough sketch was publication in his 1811 paper (Fig. 1) as an
example "of extensive diffused Nebulosity". NGC 6992 is generally applied to the northern portion of the
eastern half of the Veil Nebula.
******************************
20 53 54.1 -25
28 21
Size
1.3'x1.1'; PA = 108d
17.5"
(8/4/02): at 220x appeared very faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter,
low even surface brightness. Not
noticed initially near position, but once identified could just hold steadily
with concentration. The
identification of this galaxy with NGC 6993 is uncertain because of a very poor
discovery position but it roughly matches Leavenworth's field sketch and
description.
Francis
Leavenworth discovered NGC 6993 = LM I-236 on 8 Jul 1885 and recorded "mag
14.0, vS, R, sbMN." His very
rough position (nearest minute of RA) happens to correspond with extremely
faint
******************************
20 58 56 -12 38
07
V = 9.7; Size 3'
17.5"
(9/7/91): four stars in a "Y" asterism. On the west side are the two fainter stars mag 11.5 and 12
oriented WNW-ESE which form the stem of the "Y". A mag 10 star is on the SE branch and a
mag 10.5 star is on the NE branch.
This is an unimpressive asterism.
8": four
stars mag 10.5, 10.5, 11.0 and 12.0 in a small group, easily resolved at 100x.
Charles Messier
discovered
The Hipparcos
data places the four stars at different distances, so this is an optical
quadruple -- a true asterism.
******************************
NGC 6995 = Veil
Nebula = Ced 182c = SNR G74.0-08.5
20 57 10 +31 14
06
Size 12'
17.5"
(7/5/86): feather-like side branches on the south end run off towards the west. Using an OIII filter at 83x, the breathtaking filamentary
detail is too detailed to fully describe but the filaments appear like
intertwined threads or twisted ropes giving a striking 3-dimensional
appearance!
13.1": this
is the amazingly detailed southern end of the eastern section of the Veil
Nebula attached to NGC 6992 and contains beautiful feather-like side branches
to the west, especially using an OIII filter. See description of NGC 6992.
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6995 = h2093 on 7 Sep 1825 and recorded "A most wonderful
phenomenon. A very large space 20'
or 30' broad in PD and 1m or 2m in RA, full of nebula and stars mixed. The nebula is decidedly attached to the
stars and is as decidedly not stellar.
It forms irregular lace-work marked out by stars, but some parts
decidedly nebulous, wherein no stars can be seen. A figure (from which the drawing for the engraving was
copied), represents the general character, but not the minute details of this
objects, which would be extremely difficult to give with any degree of
fidelity." His position is
exactly 1° too far south, but the description and sketch, clearly refer to the
southern portion of the eastern half of the Veil Nebula. The northern half carries the number
NGC 6992 from H V-14.
******************************
NGC 6996
20 56 30 +45 28
24
Size 5'
18"
(8/12/07): at 115x, ~40 stars mag 10-14 in a 6' region are mostly arranged in a
"C" arrangement (or three sides of a rectangle), opening on the NW
side. Stands out somewhat in the
field but not striking. Located on
the north (Canada) side of the North America Nebula. More interesting is that on the east side of the group and
curving around the north side is a well-defined fairly high contrast dark
nebula (
17.5"
(9/23/95): about 50 stars mag 10 and fainter within an 8'-10' group in the
northeast part of the North American nebula. Fairly well-detached and distinguishable in a low power
field but appears to be a typical Milky Way cloud with no particular dense
spots. Situated about 10' NW of a
striking equilateral triangle of mag 8/9 stars with sides 2' (center at 20 57.0
+45 19). Barnard 353 (low
contrast) is just following. The RNGC misidentifies
John Herschel
discovered NGC 6996 = h2094 on 28 Oct 1828 and noted "viewed. A mere clustering portion of the Milky
Way." No position was
given. On sweep 293 he logged
"Coarse, poor, pL cluster, stars small." His position corresponds
with a scattered group of stars in the northern portion of the North America
nebula. He was apparently looking
for his father's H VIII- 82 = NGC
6989 and was uncertain if they were equivalent. NGC 6996 and 6989 are two different Milky Way fields, based
on JH's single position.
The RNGC
misidentifies NGC 6997 (50' further south) as NGC 6996 (error originated by
Hogg). See Corwin's notes.
******************************
NGC 6997 =
(R)NGC 6996
20 56 39 +44 37
54
Size 8'
18"
(8/12/07): very nice group of ~75 stars at 73x in a 12' diameter. A number of the stars are arranged in
an oval outline extended ~E-W. The
cluster is fairly rich although there is no clear border and another smaller
grouping is nearly adjacent to the NW.
Located towards the "East Coast" (west side) of the North
America Nebula (on images the cluster is closer to the position of Lake
Erie). Several mag 6-7 stars are
within 15'-20' of the cluster including mag 6
17.5"
(7/17/93): about 50 stars in a 10' diameter. Located in the eastern U.S. portion of the North America
Nebula. Includes many mag 10.5-12
stars. There are no rich portions
and the group is somewhat scattered.
Roughly circular outline, weak concentration in center.
13.1"
(6/30/84): fairly prominent scattered group at the west edge of
William Herschel
discovered NGC 6997 = H VIII-58, along with NGC 7000 (next entry in the sweep),
on 24 Oct 1786 (sweep 620), and recorded "a cl of stars." On 11 Sep 1790 (sweep 959) he logged
"a cl of considerably L stars." and measured a good position. This
star group is situated within the East Coast part of the North America nebula
and is possibly superimposed in the foreground of the North America nebula. The
RNGC and Lynga misidentify the group as NGC 6996. See Corwin's notes.
******************************
21 01 37.7 -28
01 55
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5"
(7/16/93): extremely faint, very small, round, extremely low surface
brightness, requires averted vision.
Forms a pair with
17.5"
(8/27/92): not found from Grandview (8400') in the Eastern Sierras.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6998 = m 431, along with NGC 6999, on 19 Oct 1864 and noted
"eeF, vS." His position
is less than 1' north of
******************************
NGC 6999 = ESO
464-015 = PGC 65940
21 01 59.6 -28
03 32
V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d
17.5"
(7/16/93): very faint, very small, round, low even surface brightness. Located 2.2' N of a mag 10.5 star. Brightest member of AGC 3733. Forms a
difficult pair with NGC 6998 5.1' WNW.
(R)NGC 6999 = 2MASXi J2102037-275216 lies 10' NE.
17.5"
(8/27/92): not found from Grandview campground in the White Mountains.
Albert Marth
discovered NGC 6999 = m 432, along with NGC 6998, on 19 Oct 1864 and noted
"eeF, vS." Although
Marth's position (copied correctly into the NGC) is accurate, the RNGC
misidentified
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