15 47 45.9 +28 38 31; CrB
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 162°
17.5" (6/15/91): fairly faint, fairly small, round,
very weak concentration. Located
10' N of mag 7.5
William Herschel discovered NGC 6001 = H. III-371 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 397). He recorded "very faint, small, round. 240x showed it very distinctly." His position is accurate to within 1'. This was last of 72 objects discovered on 11 Apr 1785, his most productive night!
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15 47 44.4 +28 36 35; CrB
= *?, 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.
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15 49 25.6 +19 01 55; Ser
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. 10-28 on 27 May 1875. His rough position was 3' too far SE. His published position (list 10, #28) was made on 19 Jun 1879.
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NGC 6004 = UGC 10056 = MCG +03-40-051 = CGCG 107-046 = PGC 56166
15 50 22.7 +18 56 21; Ser
V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 105°
17.5" (5/14/88): moderately bright, moderately large, round, broad concentration. NGC 6003 lies 15' WNW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6004 = St. 10-29 on 29 May 1869. On 12 Jun 1872 he measured an accurate position. His reduced published position (list 10, #29) was made on 14 Jun 1879 with description "very faint, pretty large, little elongated, little brighter in the middle."
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15 55 49 -57 26 12; Nor
V = 10.7; Size 4'
14" (4/5/16 - Coonabarabran, 178x): ~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. His summary description (based on 3 observations) is "a faint round nebula, about 1.5' diameter, very slightly bright towards the centre. A small star is south, rather preceding the nebula [mag 10.9 star 2' SSW], and Iota Normae is south following."
John Herschel first observed the cluster on 9 Jul 1834 (sweep 469) and recorded "a milky way cluster; but so densely concentrated as to merit as a fine cluster VI class; irregularly round, gradually brighter in the middle, stars 11..15th mag." In Apr 1836 (sweep 694) he noted "cluster, small, irregularly round, gradually brighter in the middle, a group or rather a small oval pretty much compressed cluster of stars 16..17th mag. A few = 15th mag."
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15 53 02.5 +12 00 19; Ser
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 157°
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).
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NGC 6007 = UGC 10079 = MCG +02-40-018 = CGCG 078-095 = PGC 56309
15 53 23.3 +11 57 33; Ser
V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 65°
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. Stephan made observations (unpublished) on 16 May 1869, 23 May 1871 and 12 Jun 1877. Only Marth was credited in the NGC.
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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; Ser
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).
13.1" (6/29/84): faint, small, round, diffuse.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6008 = St. 11-39 on 14 Jun 1871. He measured a poor position 11' to the N with description "very faint, round, pretty large, small brighter core.". Stephan's published micrometric position (list XI, #39) was made 9 years later on 10 Jun 1880.
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NGC 6009 = CGCG 078-096 = PGC 56312
15 53 24.2 +12 03 30; Ser
V = 15.0; Size 0.65'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 168°
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.
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15 54 19.2 +00 32 34; Ser
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 105°
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). He
recorded "very faint, small, extended, resolvable." His position is less than 1' south of
John Herschel made an observation on 13 Apr 1828 (sweep 144): "pretty bright; small; little extended in parallel [E-W], gradually brighter middle."
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15 46 32.9 +72 10 09; UMi
V = 13.5; Size 2.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 110°
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." This was the first night he swept with the telescope
pointing north (above the pole), instead of south, and his reduced position is
within 3' of
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15 54 13.9 +14 36 04; Ser
V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 168°
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 SAO 101806 2.0' S and a mag 10 star just 1.4' NE of center.
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."
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15 52 53.0 +40 38 48; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 174°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. 7-1 on 4 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 7' too far south. He viewed it again two night later (position 5' S). He published an accurate micrometric position based on an observation on 17 Jun 1876 with description "extremely faint, very small, irregularly round, little brighter middle."
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15 55 57.5 +05 55 56; Ser
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." Édouard Stephan observations 12 Jun 1877, 22 May 1878 and on 30 May 1878. On the second night it was the last of at least 32 galaxies that he logged that evening.
Lewis Swift found this galaxy again on 19 Aug 1897 and
listed it as #13 in his 12th discovery list (later
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15 51 25.2 +62 18 35; Dra
V = 11.1; Size 5.4'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 28°
13.1" (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). He recorded "very faint; round; about 3' diam; very gradually brighter middle; easily resolvable." At the declination of NGC 6015 he was observing with the telescope pointing due north and he used a "Double eye glass", essentially a binocular view.
Dreyer also gives d'Arrest's summary description
"bright, much extended" in the NGC as it differs so much from
Herschel's. In the
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15 55 54.9 +26 57 59; CrB
V = 14.3; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 26°
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.
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15 57 15.5 +05 59 54; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 140°
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.
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15 57 29.8 +15 52 23; Ser
V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 75°
17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated
SW-NE, weak concentration. A mag
15 is 1' S. In a trio with NGC
6021 5.1' N and
William Herschel discovered NGC 6018 = H. III-646 = h1942 on
19 Mar 1787 (sweep 720) and noted "vF, lE, S."
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15 52 09.1 +64 50 26; Dra
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. 4-18, 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
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15 57 08.1 +22 24 16; Ser
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140°
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.
Édouard Stephan found NGC 6020 = St. 7-2 on 17 Jun 1876, with a later observation on 3 Jun 1878. Stephan was credited with the discovery in the NGC.
Truman Safford made the original discovery of NGC 6020 on 9 May 1866 with the 18.5" refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. The discovery list wasn't published until 1887, too late to be included in the main table of the NGC. When Dreyer obtained Safford's list, he apparently missed the equivalence with NGC 6020 and catalogued Sf. 10 as IC 1148. So, NGC 6020 = IC 1148.
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NGC 6021 = UGC 10102 = MCG +03-41-005 = CGCG 108-017 = PGC 56482
15 57 30.7 +15 57 22; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 160°
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 AGC 2147.
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.
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15 57 47.7 +16 16 56; Ser
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5
14.5" (7/27/22): at 158x; extremely faint, very small,
required averted vision to occasionally see it pop. Located 1.7' SSW of
17.5" (5/13/88): extremely faint, small, oval. Located 1.6' SSW of NGC 6023 in AGC 2147.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6022 = St. 12-76 on 19 May 1881. An earlier observation was possibly made on 18 Jun 1876, though Stephan only recorded a single position 1' NW of NGC 6023.
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NGC 6023 = UGC 10106 = MCG +03-41-010 = CGCG 108-021 = WBL 597-002 = PGC 56492
15 57 49.6 +16 18 37; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70°
14.5" (7/27/22): at 158x and 226x; faint, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 30" diameter, very small bright nucleus. Brighter of pair with much fainter NGC 6022 1.7' SSW.
17.5" (5/13/88): faint, small, round, gradually
increases to a brighter core.
Brightest in
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6023 = St. 12-77, probably along with NGC 6022, on 18 Jun 1876. His position was 1' to the NW. An accurate micrometric position (list 12, #77) was made on 19 May 1881.
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NGC 6024 = MCG +11-19-026 = CGCG 319-032 = PGC 56294
15 53 07.8 +64 55 05; Dra
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 130°
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. 4-19, 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
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16 03 18 -60 25 54; TrA
V = 5.1; Size 12'
18" (7/7/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 76x
using a 27mm Panoptic, this cluster was a very pretty sight. It appeared loose but bright and large,
~13' diameter, with 50-60 stars resolved.
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! Using 128x, ~80
stars were visible but the cluster was really too large for a good view. Two brighter mag 7 and 8 stars are at
the SE end (
The cluster straddles TrA and Norma and was just visible
naked-eye.
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered NGC 6025 = Lac III 10 = D 304 = h3616 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."
James Dunlop made 5 observations (first on 8 May 1826) with summary description, "(Lambda Circini, Bode) 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."
John Herschel lists 4 observations in the Cape Catalogue: on 22 Apr 1835 (sweep 575) he logged "VII.; loose; scattered; brilliant; stars large; much more than fills field; 46 stars counted above 12th mag; chief star 7th mag taken."
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16 01 20.9 -34 32 39; Lup
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, 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.
13.1" (7/6/83): 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"; gradually pretty much brighter middle. 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 1932 Shapley-Ames catalog, with dimensions 1.0'x0.8' and mag(p) = 12.5. In the course of a photographic survey of bright southern galaxies at Mt. Stromlo, Gérard de Vaucouleurs noticed the appearance suggested 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). de Vaucouleus omitted it from the 1964 Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies as well as Alan Sandage in the 1981 revised Shapley-Ames catalogue.
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15 59 12.5 +20 45 49; Ser
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.
13.1" (many dates from 5/26/84 to 4/10/86): faint, very small, irregularly round, weak concentration. The three brightest components were just resolved at 220x.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6027 = St. 12-78 on 17 Jun 1876. His published position was made on 20 Mar 1882 with description "eF, vF* inv, 2 vF st near." Although Stephan recorded only a single entry for this ultra-compact group, his description 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.
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16 01 28.9 +19 21 34; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30°
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" (5/28/89): 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 = Big. 76 on 4 May 1886. His position matches this ring galaxy.
William Herschel discovered this galaxy on 14 Mar 1784 and it was catalogued as H. III-33 = NGC 6046 (see notes), but with a 3.5 minute error in RA. NGC 6028 is the primary designation because of Bigourdan's unambiguous position.
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16 01 58.9 +12 34 27; Ser
V = 15.0; Size 0.55'x0.4'; 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
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16 01 51.4 +17 57 27; Her
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 43°
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. 13-84 on 4 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 4' too far NNE. On 17 Jun 1884 he measured an accurate micrometric position with description "pretty faint, very small, round, bright middle." William Herschel recorded nearby 5th magnitude 5 Her on several sweeps but missed this galaxy.
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16 07 35 -54 00 54; Nor
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. John Herschel 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."
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16 03 01.1 +20 57 23; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 0°
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. 11-40, along with NGC 6035, on 14 Jun 1871. His single position was 2' SE of NGC 6035 and he noted that NGC 6032 was about 35 seconds of time to the west and 2' N. Stephan's published micrometric position (list XI, #40) was made 9 years later on 9 Jun 1880.
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16 04 27.9 -02 07 15; Ser
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 90°
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.
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16 03 32.1 +17 11 55; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 64°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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. 4-20 on 19 Jun 1886
and logged "eeeF; vS; R; eee diff." His position is 1.5' north of
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NGC 6035 = UGC 10154 = MCG +04-38-018 = CGCG 137-024 = PGC 56864
16 03 24.2 +20 53 29; Her
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. 11-41, along with NGC 6032, on 14 Jun 1871. His single position was 2' SE of NGC 6035 and he noted that NGC 6032 was 35 seconds of time to the west and about 2' N. Stephan's published micrometric position (list XI, #41) was made 9 years later on 9 Jun 1880.
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16 04 30.8 +03 52 06; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 146°
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." Édouard Stephan made an observation on 2 May 1878, the last of 30 galaxies recorded that night.
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NGC 6037 = MCG +01-41-009 = CGCG 051-031 = PGC 56947
16 04 29.8 +03 48 54; Ser
V = 14.5; 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."
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16 02 40.5 +37 21 34; CrB
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). He noted "very faint, small, round. I saw it in the field while I was gauging otherwise it would have certainly been overlooked. 300x showed the same plainly." His RA was 22 seconds too large. John Herschel made 3 observations and measured an accurate position.
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16 04 39.5 +17 42 03; Her
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3
See observing notes for
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6039 = Sw. 4-21 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
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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; Her
V = 14.2; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 47°
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. NGC 6040B, just 26" S of center, appeared fairly faint, small, round, 12" diameter. Easily visible due to relatively high surface brightness.
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
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. 1-1, along with
NGC 6041 and NGC 6042, on 4 Jun 1869.
His single rough unpublished position was 4' NNE of NGC 6041 (same offset
as NGC 6030) and he mentioned 3 nebulae.
His published position in list 1 (#1) was reduced on 27 Jun 1870 and
matches the brighter northern component of this pair (
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NGC 6041 = VV 213a = NGC 6041A = UGC 10170ne = MCG +03-41-078 = CGCG 108-101ne = PGC 56960
16 04 35.8 +17 43 18; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 46°
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
17.5" (5/13/88): very faint, very small, oval SW-NE. Forms a double system with NGC 6041B attached at the southwest end. The fainter companion appeared extremely faint and small or stellar. In a quadruple subgroup with NGC 6040 2.7' NW (another double system!), NGC 6042 1.5' SE and IC 1170 0.9' W ("extremely faint and small, elongated E-W, requires averted vision"). A mag 11 star lies 1.5' S. Located on the west side of the rich central region of AGC 2151.
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. 1-2, along with
NGC 6040 and 6042, on 4 Jun 1869.
His single rough unpublished position was 4' too far NNE (same offset as
NGC 6030). On 27 Jun 1870 he
measured an accurate micrometric position (along with nearby NGC 6040 and NGC
6042) that matches the galaxy often called
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NGC 6042 = NGC 6039? = MCG +03-41-079 = CGCG 108-104 = PGC 56972
16 04 39.6 +17 42 03; Her
V = 14.2; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 60°
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" (6/30/84): extremely faint, at visual threshold, very small, round.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6042 = St. 1-3, along with NGC 6040 and 6042, on 4 Jun 1869. His single rough unpublished position was 4' NNE of NGC 6041 (same offset as NGC 6030), though he noted 3 nebulae. On 27 Jun 1870 he measured an accurate micrometric positions for the trio.
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16 05 01.4 +17 46 32; Her
V = 14.3; Size 0.65'x0.5'; PA = 35°
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. 4-22 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
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NGC 6044 = IC 1172 = MCG +03-41-084 = CGCG 108-110 = PGC 57015
16 04 59.7 +17 52 13; Her
V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0
24" (8/1/19): at 322x; faint, small, round, 20"
diameter, very small brighter nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1.4' WSW.
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. 4-23 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
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NGC 6045 = Arp 71 = UGC 10177 = MCG +03-41-088 = CGCG 108-112 = PGC 57031
16 05 07.9 +17 45 28; Her
V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 82°
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. 4-24 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 of RA preceding
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16 01 28.9 +19 21 34; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30°
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 157x and the suspicion strengthened by 240x; 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 Herschel's offset, but based on his description of the nearby stars, Harold Corwin identifies NGC 6046 as NGC 6028 (discovered by Bigourdan in 1886 and placed correctly). NGC 6028 is nearly 3.5 minutes of RA west of Herschel's position but his description and sketch (shown in Steinicke's book on Herschel) is an excellent match. The "still brighter star" is mag 9.0 HD 143614. RNGC classifies NGC 6046 as nonexistent (Type 7). Herschel's number should apply to this ring galaxy, but due to late identification, it is known as NGC 6028.
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NGC 6047 = MCG +03-41-087 = CGCG 108-111 = 4C 17.66 = PGC 57033
16 05 09.0 +17 43 47; Her
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. 4-25 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 of RA too small (a similar offset in RA as NGC 6043 and 6045) and the comment about the faint star applies.
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15 57 30.2 +70 41 21; UMi
V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140°
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." Caroline's reduced position is 37 sec
of RA following
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16 05 37.9 +08 05 46; Ser
= *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, R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, noted the "star looked quite sharp and well defined in the finding eyepiece". But, twenty years later (26 May 1875) Dreyer reobserved the star and 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 visited Birr Castle and was also shown the star. 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.
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NGC 6050 = Arp 272 = VV 220a = IC 1179A = UGC 10186 = MCG +03-41-092 = CGCG 108-118 = PGC 57058 = PGC 57053
16 05 23.4 +17 45 32; Her
V = 14.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 132°
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. 4-26 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 his 7th discovery list, #71 (later 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!
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16 04 56.6 +23 55 57; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165°
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. 12-79 on 23 May 1871 and measured an initial position 3' to the SSE. His published micrometric position was made 10 years later on 20 Jun 1881 with description "faint, small, round, gradually brighter middle, bright nucleus, *10 close SE."
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16 05 13.2 +20 32 33; Her
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 171°
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 =
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" (5/28/89): 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 (Arp 209). A mag 14.5 star is 1' W.
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 [
William Herschel 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. Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy on at least 5 nights (first on 14 Jun 1871) likely aware of Marth's and Herschel's discovery. Dreyer concluded in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that this number "is no doubt = NGC 6052 (Marth 302). Herschel 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."
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16 05 32.5 +18 09 34; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 40°
See observing notes for
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6053 = Sw. 3-86, along with NGC
6055, on 8 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeeF, S, R, ee diff; 1st of
4". His position is 8 seconds
of RA west and 1.5' south of
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.
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NGC 6054 = IC 1183 = MCG +03-41-103 = CGCG 108-128 = PGC 57086
16 05 38.1 +17 46 04; Her
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70°
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. 4-27 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 CGCG
108-121, and MCG, PGC and RNGC misidentify
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NGC 6055 = MCG +03-41-106 = CGCG 108-130 = PGC 57090
16 05 39.6 +18 09 52; Her
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. 3-87 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.
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16 05 31.3 +17 57 49; Her
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 56°
24" (8/1/19): at 324x; moderately bright, fairly small,
oval 3:2 WSW-ENE, 0.9'x0.6', bright core.
PGC 57070: extremely faint (V = 15.5), very small, slightly elongated, 18"x12".
MCG +03-41-096: very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 24"x12". A very faint mag 16.1 star is 28" SE of center.
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 MCG +03-41-096 3' SSW. This is one of the brighter galaxies in AGC 2151.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6056 = Sw. 3-88 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 and MCG label this galaxy as
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NGC 6057 = NGC 6053 = UGC 10191 = MCG +03-41-101 = CGCG 108-123 = PGC 57076
16 05 32.6 +18 09 34; Her
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 40°
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. 3-89 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. 3-86 = NGC 6053 and Sw. 3-87 = 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.
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16 04 26.4 +40 40 59; Her
V = 12.9; Size 24"x21"
24" (7/14/18): at 375x; bright mag 13.5 central star encased in a well defined 0.4' halo. At 500x the halo was clearly elongated N-S, ~25"x20", and slightly fainter at north and south end. A very faint mag 15.9 star is close off the north edge.
18" (7/20/06): picked up at 115x as a mag ~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 were 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 13.5 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). He recorded "very faint, extremely small, 300x showed two very close stars affected with nebulosity, a very small star in the field with it was perfectly free from that nebulosity." John Herschel made two observations on consecutive sweeps, calling it "pB, vS, R, almost stellar or pretty suddenly brighter middle; diam 10"."
Lord Rosse assistant George Johnstone Stoney observed it on 5 May 1850 and wrote, "strongly suspect to be an annular neb with a star near the center. On 5 Apr 1851, either George Johnstone or his brother Bindon Blood wrote, "like [NGC 2392], dark ring plainer seen on preceding part of neb; vS * north, 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 that was included at the last minute in the 1861 publication (Plate 28, Fig. 31].
The PN spectrum was recognized by Campbell and Moore. Based on a Crossley photograph 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°."
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16 06 48 -06 23 36; Oph
= Not found, Corwin and RNGC. =**?, Gottlieb.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6059 = Sw. 3-91 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.
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16 05 52.0 +21 29 05; Her
V = 13.1; Size 2.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 105°
17.5" (5/28/89): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated WNW-ESE, large brighter core, fainter extensions.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6060 = St. 7-3 on 31 May 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position (3.5' too far north). He measured another position on 23 May 1871, which was 2' to the S. On 18 Jun 1876 he recorded an accurate micrometric position with description "extremely faint, elongated, small bright core."
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NGC 6061 = UGC 10199 = MCG +03-41-118 = CGCG 108-145 = PGC 57137
16 06 16.0 +18 15 00; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95°
24" (8/1/19): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 35" diameter, small bright core, occasional faint stellar nucleus. Forms a near equilateral triangle with two mag 10.5 star 2.8' S and 3.1' SW.
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. 3-90 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; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 10°
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" (5/28/89): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE, weak concentration, fairly diffuse.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6062 = St. 13-84 on 23 May 1871 and logged an initial position 3' to the S. A second position on 19 Jun 1876 was accurate to within 1'. His published position was made 13 years later on 20 Jun 1884 with description "extremely faint, round, very little condensation, seems resolvable."
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16 07 13.1 +07 58 44; Ser
V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 159°
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. 12-80 on 3 May 1870. His unpublished position was less than 1' S of center. His accurate published position was made 12 years later on 10 Jun 1882 with description "faint, round, about 1' diameter, very little concentration."
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NGC 6064 = NGC 6052 = UGC 10182 = MCG +04-38-022 = CGCG 137-032 = VV 86 = Mrk 297 = Arp 209 = PGC 57039
16 05 13.2 +20 32 33; Her
V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 171°
See observing notes for NGC 6052.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6064 = H. III-140 on 11 Jun 1784 (sweep 225). He 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 Bigourdan failed to find H. III-140. But 1 min 47 sec of RA preceding his position is NGC 6052, which was discovered by Marth and also observed by Édouard Stephan on at least 5 occasions. Dreyer concludes in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that this number "is no doubt = NGC 6052 (Marth 302). H[erschel] 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.
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16 07 22.9 +13 53 16; Ser
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2
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. 9-53, 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 6 in the NGC), but Swift didn't publish the discovery until 1890 in his 9th discovery list. The NGC positions (communicated directly to Dreyer) are good but Swift's 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; Ser
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3
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. 9-54, 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 6 in the NGC) in 1887, but wasn't published until 1890 in his 9th list, where he accidentally switched the declinations.
******************************
NGC 6067 = Cr 298 = ESO 178-012
16 13 11 -54 13 06; Nor
V = 5.6; Size 13'
25" (10/27/22 - OzSky): at 244x; spectacular view with hundreds of stars nearly filling the 25' field from edge to edge. The cluster contains numerous pairs and curving strings including a fairly bright double star (HJ 4835 = 8.6/9.1 at 10") a bit south of center with yellow or orange-hued components. A much fainter third component (not in WDS) is ~10" S of the secondary. A denser central "core" is ~15' in diameter with many brighter stars forming a "halo".
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 (HJ 4835 = 8.6/9.1) is in the center. The western star is the classical Cepheid V340 Nor (8.3-8.6) and displays a noticeable orange color . Just south of the eastern star is a fainter, third close companion. Several other pairs are in the vicinity including a 12" pair of 10th mag stars 1' E (C/D components). 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. NGC 6067 appeared comparable to one of 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 with a bright mag 8.6/9.1 pair at 10" nearly in the center. The duo is collinear with a much closer and fainter equal mag pair. At 228x, the cluster appeared much more irregular and most of the stars seemed to be arranged in elegant loops and chains that enclosed 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 (HJ 4835 = 8.8/9.4 at 10"). Many stars are 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. His description (based on 5 observations) reads, "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."
John Herschel made 3 observations: On 9 Jul 1834 (sweep 469) 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." In Apr 1836 (sweep 694) he wrote, "place of a neat 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."
In 1962, Andrew David Thackeray studied the cluster with the 64-inch at Pretoria, South Africa, and reported "The contrast in colours of blue and red stars can be readily perceived [visually] with the Radcliffe 64-inch reflector, and the cluster perhaps deserves the desigmation "jewel-box" even more than k Crucis which contains only one bright red star.""
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15 55 26.5 +78 59 48; UMi
V = 12.8; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 155°
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). He recorded
"very faint, small, little extended in the meridian [N-S],
resolvable." Herschel's
position is 2.3' SSE of
******************************
16 07 41.7 +38 55 51; CrB
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. 12-81 on 21 Jun 1871. His initial position was 2' too far E. His published micrometric position was made exactly 11 years later (21 Jun 1882) with description "vF stellar nucleus surrounded by faint nebulosity; very small; round."
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16 09 58.6 +00 42 32; Ser
V = 11.8; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 62°
48" (5/9/18): at 375x (poor seeing);
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" seen near the northeast tip is actually a compact
HII region labeled as region IV in the 2010 paper. Located 8' SE of mag 6.7
NGC 6070 is the brightest in a trio with NGC 6070B = CGCG
023-018 (double) 4.2' NE and
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
13.1" (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' broad." John Herschel called this galaxy "F; L; pmE; very gradually brighter middle; 2 1/2' long." Édouard Stephan made an observation on 3 May 1878, the last 29 galaxies recorded that night, as well as 20 Jun 1878.
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NGC 6071 = MCG +12-15-047 = CGCG 338-041 = PGC 56767
16 02 07.0 +70 25 01; UMi
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.8'; 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." Caroline's reduced position is 1 tmin east and 1.5' south
of
UGC, PGC, HyperLeda, etc. misidentify
******************************
16 12 58.1 -36 13 48; Sco
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 appeared mottled with slightly darker and brighter regions though I couldn't definitively say it was annular. Inside the rim there appeared to be a darker zone or darker patches that did not extend 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.
13.1" (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; very gradually very little brighter middle; 60"; with left eye slightly mottled; but not resolved."
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16 10 10.8 +16 41 58; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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." His position was 2' to the NNE of UGC 10235. It was looked for once at Birr Castle, but not found.
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16 11 17.2 +14 15 32; Her
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,
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" (5/28/89): 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. 7-4 on 18 Jun 1876 with a follow up observation the next night. His micrometric position is an exact match with the northern component of this double system.
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16 11 22.6 +23 57 53; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 93°
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, very small, broad
concentration, faint stellar nucleus.
Located 8' N of mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6075 = St. 12-82 on 27 Jun
1881 (date the position was reduced).
Stephane Javelle found the galaxy again on 20 Jul 1903, but he reversed
the sign on the declination offset from his comparison star so his position for
J. III-1393 (later
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16 11 13.3 +26 52 21; CrB
V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 63°
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 SAO 84233. A mag 14 star is 45" NE. This double system was not resolved.
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6076 = m 303, along with NGC 6077, on 24 Jun 1864 and noted "vF, S, E." His position was accurate. Stephan made an observation on 11 Jun 1869, with a rough position 3' to the SE.
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NGC 6077 = UGC 10254 = MCG +05-38-024 = CGCG 167-035 = PGC 57408
16 11 14.1 +26 55 24; CrB
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
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, suddenly brighter middle." His position is accurate.
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NGC 6078 = MCG +02-41-017 = CGCG 079-076 = PGC 57460
16 12 05.4 +14 12 32; Her
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
UGC 10287, located 29' ENE, appeared fairly faint, irregular oval ~3:2 SW-NE, ~45"x30", relatively large brighter central region that was brighter along the central axis (this is the bar) and an ill-defined low surface brightness halo that faded out. A mag 13.5 star is 45" E of center.
17.5" (5/28/89): 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 SAO 101996. NGC 6074 is 12' WNW.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6078 = St. 7-5 on 17 Jun 1876 with a follow up observation two nights later. His micrometric position was accurate (recorded on 21 Jun).
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NGC 6079 = IC 1200 = UGC 10206 = MCG +12-15-050 = CGCG 338-043 = PGC 56946
16 04 29.0 +69 40 05; UMi
V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150°
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 included it in his 7th discovery
list, #77 (later
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16 12 58.6 +02 10 38; Ser
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 90°
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. 6-87 on 30 Mar 1887
and recorded "pB; pS; R; mbM."
His position is 6 seconds west of
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16 12 56.8 +09 52 02; Her
V = 13.1; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 131°
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, small brighter core, very faint extensions.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6081 = St. 2-1 on 4 Jun 1869
using the 31-inch silvered glass reflector at Marseilles Observatory. His rough unpublished position was 6'
too far north and he made a 1 minute error in time (RA) too large. The next night he corrected the error
in RA and made another observation on 5 May 1870. On 26 Jul 1870 he measured an accurate micrometric positions
and noted "very faint, small, round, bright middle.". Lewis Swift
found the galaxy again on 7 Apr 1888 and reported it as new in his 7th
discovery list (#79). Dreyer
missed the equivalence and recatalogued the galaxy as
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16 15 36 -34 15; Sco
= IC 4597??, Corwin. Not found, Dreyer and ESO. =**?, Gottlieb.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6082 = h3621 on 7 Jun 1837 and
recorded "eF, E, little brighter middle, 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 his position and another small group is 1' further
west. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 6082 may be identical to
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NGC 6083 = MCG +02-41-020 = CGCG 079-080 = PGC 57520
16 13 12.6 +14 11 07; Her
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.55'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 33°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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. 7-6 on 19 Jun 1876. His micrometric position was reduced two days later and is accurate.
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16 14 16.6 +17 48 27; Her
V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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. 3-92 on 6 Jun 1886 and
logged "eeeF, pS, R, eee diff."
There is nothing at his position, but 1.1 minutes east is
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16 12 35.2 +29 21 54; CrB
V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165°
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. An 11th magnitude star lies 1.9'
E. 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
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NGC 6086 = UGC 10270 = MCG +05-38-035 = CGCG 167-045 = PGC 57482
16 12 35.5 +29 29 05; CrB
V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 0°
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.
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16 18 51 -57 56 06; Nor
V = 5.4; Size 12'
8" (7/13/91 - Southern Baja): about three dozen stars mag 7-11 were resolved at 63x. Very bright, large, ~15' diameter. The cluster contains several bright stars, including S Normae (Cepheid that varies from 6.1-6.8 over 10 days) and three mag 8-9 stars just south. Many of the stars in the cluster form an arrowhead outline with the vertex at the north end. Also a bright string of stars is off the SW end of the arrowhead aligned N-S. Impressive cluster although there are no dense spots.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6087 = D 335 = h3622 on 8 May 1826. He made 3 observations 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." His pubished position was 1° too far south (copying error?).
John Herschel made two observations: on 22 Apr 1835 (sweep 575) he logged "Cluster VIII class, large, loose, brilliant, irregular figure, fills field, chief star about 7th mag taken." On 9 Jul 1836 (sweep 717) he called it "Cluster VIII; large, coarse, bright, fills field, stars 7, 8, 9, 10th mag; a star about 7th mag taken."
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16 10 42.6 +57 27 59; Dra
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 138°
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
17.5" (6/15/91): very faint, small, elongated 2:1
NW-SE, weak concentration. Located
6.6' E of mag 8.6
William Herschel discovered NGC 6088 = H. III-812 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and noted "vF, vS, lE." His RA (Caroline's reduction) is 30 sec preceding MCG +10-23-029/030 = PGC 57383. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 27 Apr 1886 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
This double system (oriented northwest-southeast) is listed
in the RNGC as
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16 12 40.5 +33 02 10; CrB
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0
24" (7/1/19): at 225x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, ~40"x35", appears to have a brighter core/nucleus that is offset to the SW side. The galaxy forms the northern vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 13.5/14.5 stars 1.7' WSW and SSW.
At 375x; a contact companion occasionally "popped" on the NE end of the galaxy. The centers are separated by 18".
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; very gradually little brighter middle." John Herschel made a single observation: "vF; S; R: bM".
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16 11 40.5 +52 27 24; Dra
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.
NGC 6090 is the 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
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6090 = Sw. 9-56 on 24 Jun 1887
and recorded "vF; S; R."
His position is 8 seconds west of
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16 07 53.0 +69 54 17; UMi
V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.6'
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 discovered NGC 6091 = Sw. 2-39 on 8 Jul 1885
and noted "vF; vS; R; * nr north." Lewis Swift's son was 14 years old
at the time. Lewis credited his son with the discovery in the errata to his 6th
discovery list. MCG missed
identifying
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16 14 04.6 +28 07 32; CrB
= **, 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
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16 17 02.5 -22 58 30; Sco
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 100-150 stars from edge to edge and the core
region is well resolved. The
cluster appears asymmetric with the halo more extensive to the west (core
offset to the east). Mag 8.5
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,
13.1" (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 halo resolves into a few dozen faint stars over haze.
8" (7/5/83): a few faint stars resolved at moderate to high power at edges, very grainy, difficult to resolve.
Charles Messier discovered
John Herschel observed M80 on 24 May 1835 (sweep 588): "Glob. Cl.; very much compressed in the middle; pretty suddenly very much brighter middle; diam 12.0'; st = 14 m; all resolved. Fine object."
Arthur von Auwers discovered a nova (T Sco = Nova Scorpii 1860) in M80 on 21 May 1860 at Konigsberg Observatory. The magnitude was estimated between 6.5 and 7.0, as bright as the entire cluster. It was seen by N.R. Pogson on 28 May, while observing the variables R and S Sco, which share the same field. He reported being startled by the appearance of a mag 7.6 star in the place of the cluster! Pogson assumed it was a new variable precisely along our line of sight to M80. T Sco is probably the first known variable star to be associated with a cluster.
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16 06 33.9 +72 29 40; UMi
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 120°
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). This was the
first night he swept with the telescope pointing north (above the pole),
instead of south. He recorded
"eF, vS, lE, may be only a patch of a few eF small stars." His position is 8' SE of
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16 11 11.2 +61 16 04; Dra
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. 3-93 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
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16 14 46.7 +26 33 32; CrB
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 122°
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.
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16 14 26.2 +35 06 33; CrB
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 156°
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. 11-42 on 13 Jun 1871 and measured an initial position 2' to the NNE. His published micrometric position was made 9 years later on 7 Jun 1880 with description "nebulous star of mag 13."
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16 15 34.2 +19 27 42; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3
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 NGC 6099 0.6' SE. The halo of NGC 6098 seems slightly larger.
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, very small, slightly elongated,
stellar nucleus. Located 10.2' WSW
of mag 7.7
Truman Safford discovered NGC 6098 = Sf. 76 = Sw. 6-88, 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.
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NGC 6099 = VV 192a = UGC 10299se = MCG +03-41-146 = CGCG 108-170 = PGC 57640
16 15 35.5 +19 27 11; Her
V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 13.9°
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" (5/28/89): 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. 6-89, 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.
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16 16 52.5 +00 50 27; Ser
V = 13.0; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 120°
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. 4-28 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
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16 25 48.5 -72 12 05; Aps
V = 9.2; Size 10.7'; Surf Br = 0.1
18" (7/6/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x; fairly large but apparently loose globular with about two dozen stars resolved and little central concentration. At 228x at least three dozen stars mag 14 and fainter stars were resolved including a clump of faint stars near the center. At this power the periphery was 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 had an unusual appearance, as there was only a weak concentration except for a very small brighter nucleus. At 228x, many mag 14-15 stars were superimposed over the background glow, while a number of faint stars huddled around the edges of the halo. Several of the faint, resolved stars reside very near the center and togethers they may have formed the "very small brighter nucleus" I noticed at only 128x.
12.2" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): at 140x this moderately faint globular spans ~4' diameter with just a weak concentration. A scattering of mag 14 stars peppered 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 from his backyard observatory in Paramatta NSW. He described "A pretty large rather faint round nebula, about 3.5' or 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." The "very small nebula on the N.p. side" is probably a few 12th magnitude stars. Dunlop's position was off by a relatively small 4'.
On 18 Jun 1835 (sweep 598), John Herchel 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 (sweep 605) 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."
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16 15 37.0 +28 09 30; CrB
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 70°
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.
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16 15 44.6 +31 57 50; CrB
V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 80°
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). He recorded "extremely faint; very small; round; 300x showed it very plainly and of a considerable size." John Herschel described it as "vF; very gradually little brighter middle; 30...40"."
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16 16 30.8 +35 42 28; CrB
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. John Herschel made two observations and measured a more accurate position.
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16 17 09.3 +34 52 44; CrB
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
17.5" (5/10/86): faint, very small, slightly elongated, small brighter core. Located 2.6' SW of NGC 6107 in cluster.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6105 = St. 11-43, along with NGC 6107, on 20 Jun 1871 and noted they differed by 12 seconds in RA and 1.5' in declination. His published micrometric position (list XI, #43) was made 9 years later on 1 Jul 1880. Stephan discovered all 7 NGC galaxies on this date though his logbook mentions 8 galaxies.
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16 18 47.3 +07 24 40; Her
V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 140°
48" (5/10/18): at 375x; bright, large, elongated ~2:1 NW-SE, ~1.6'x0.8', large bright core, faint stellar nucleus. The large halo appeared as two irregular "wings", but there were no distinct spiral arms.
17.5" (5/28/89): 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." John Herschel's description reads "F; pL; lE; very gradually brighter middle; 50" l, 40" br."
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NGC 6107 = UGC 10311 = MCG +06-36-014 = CGCG 196-024 = WBL 612-002 = PGC 57728
16 17 20.1 +34 54 05; CrB
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40°
18" (7/13/07): the largest and possibly brightest of 12 members of a cluster appeared faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broad concentration and then suddenly increased to a very small brighter nucleus. Situated just 0.9' SE of a mag 9 star that detracted from viewing. NGC 6105 and a 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. 11-44, along with NGC 6105, on 20 Jun 1871 and noted they differed by 12 seconds in RA and 1.5' in declination. His published micrometric position (list XI, #43) was made 9 years later on 1 Jul 1880.
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16 17 25.6 +35 08 09; CrB
V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 124°
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. 11-45, along with 7 or 8 other cluster members, on 20 Jun 1871. His published micrometric position (list XI, #45) was made 9 years later on 10 Jul 1880.
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16 17 40.5 +35 00 15; CrB
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. 11-46, along with 7 or 8 other cluster members (shown on a diagram), on 20 Jun 1871. Another observation was made on 3 Jun 1878. His published micrometric position (list 11, #46) was made 9 years later on 7 Jul 1880.
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NGC 6110 = CGCG 196-027 = WBL 612-005 = PGC 57751
16 17 44.0 +35 05 13; CrB
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 105°
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. 11-47, along with 7 or 8 other cluster members (shown on a diagram), on 20 Jun 1871. His published micrometric position (list XI, #47) was made 9 years later on 10 Jul 1880.
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16 14 22.4 +63 15 38; Dra
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 11°
24" (6/30/19): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, round, ~30" diameter, fairly high surface brightness. This is a double (merged) system with a
double nucleus and occasionally a faint "knot" was visible on the E
or SE edge (directly opposite
Forms a close pair with MCG +11-20-006, just 1.2' WNW. The companion appeared faint, fairly small, round, 20" diameter, diffuse with a very low even surface brightness.
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. 9-57 on 31 May 1887
and recorded "vF; pS; lE; D * nr south points to it." The NGC position, based on personal
correspondence from Swift to Dreyer, is in error. His published position in his 9th discovery list is nearly a
degree further north and corresponds with
MCG and CGCG fail to label CGCG 320-014 as NGC 6111 and the
first edition of the Uranometria 2000 Atlas misplots NGC 6111. RNGC misidentifies
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NGC 6112 = MCG +06-36-017 = CGCG 196-028 = WBL 612-006 = PGC 57762
16 18 00.5 +35 06 37; CrB
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. 11-48, along with 7 or 8 other cluster members (shown on a diagram), on 20 Jun 1871. His published micrometric position (list XI, #48) was made 9 years later on 7 Jul 1880.
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16 19 10.5 +14 08 01; Her
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 147°
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, very small, elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core. This galaxy is not identified as NGC 6113 in the CGCG or MCG.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6113 = Sw. 9-59 on 24 Jun 1878. His uncorrected position was 2' to the west. Stephan never published the discovery, though.
Lewis Swift rediscovered NGC 6113 on 19 Jun 1887 and recorded "eF; S; R." The discovery was communicated directly to Dreyer and referenced as list 6 in the NGC, but it was not published until his 9th list (#59) in 1890. His position is 2' northeast of CGCG 080-004 = PGC 57807. Swift was credited with the discovery.
Neither CGCG nor MCG label this galaxy as NGC 6113.
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16 18 23.6 +35 10 27; CrB
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 100°
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. 11-49 on 20 Jun 1871. His published micrometric position (list XI, #49) was made 9 years later on 10 Jul 1880.
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16 24 26 -51 56 54; Nor
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.
This cluster is unimpressive, though, as it sits in a glorious rich
Norma star field that overwhelms the cluster! Ruprecht 116, a scattered group of bright stars (brightest
is mag 8.6
James Dunlop probably discovered NGC 6115 = D 379 = h3625 on 26 Jun 1826. He noted "a small faint round nebula, with a bright centre, slightly condensed to the center" and his position is just 5' NE the cluster.
John Herschel independently discovered NGC 6115 on 8 Jul 1834 (sweep 468) and recorded "A part of the milky way, so immensely rich as to be one vast cluster of clusters." His single position matches Ru 118. Sky Catalogue 2000.0 labels the cluster as Ru 118 and RNGC misclassifies the NGC 6115 as nonexistent (Type 7).
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NGC 6116 = UGC 10336 = MCG +06-36-021 = CGCG 196-032 = WBL 612-009 = PGC 57800
16 18 54.6 +35 09 14; CrB
V = 14.3; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 12°
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. 11-51, along with 7 or 8 other cluster members (shown on a diagram), on 20 Jun 1871. His published micrometric position (list XI, #51) was made 9 years later on 10 Jul 1880.
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16 19 18.2 +37 05 43; CrB
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. The surface 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
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6117 = m 309 on 5 Jul 1864 and noted "vF, S, R." His declination is 1' too far south.
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16 21 48.6 -02 17 03; Ser
V = 11.7; Size 4.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 58°
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." John Herschel made a single observation on 15 Apr 1828 (sweep 146): "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.
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16 19 41.9 +37 48 23; CrB
V = 14.6; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 72°
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.
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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; CrB
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). He noted "very faint, very small, north of 2 stars. 300x confirmed it." John Herschel made 3 observations (first on 24 Apr 1827) and measured an accurate position. Nearby NGC 6119 and 6122 were discovered by John Herschel and Bigourdan, respectively.
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16 23 35.3 -26 31 32; Sco
V = 5.9; Size 26.3'; Surf Br = 1.1
24" (7/21/12 and 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 and 8/16/82): 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" (7/3/80): at 100x-125x; superb resolution of mag 11-13 stars. A brighter bar of stars extends N-S in the core. Somewhat straggling halo with some star-poor area.
Philippe Loys de Chéseaux discovered M4 = NGC 6121 = Lac I-9 by 1745-46 from Switzerland. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille independently discovered it in 1751-1752 with a 1/2" telescope at 8x during his observations at the Cape of Good Hope. Messier observed the cluster the 4 May 1764 and called it a "cluster of very small stars; in an inferior telescopeit appears like a nebula." M4 is the only globular that Messier described as a star cluster!
William Herschel made a few observations though didn't include M4 in his three catalogs as he avoided repeating the Messier objects. According to Steinicke, his first view was on 5 May 1783 with his new 10-foot reflector (9" aperture): "all resolved into stars. I can count a great number of them [at 250x], while others escape the eye by their minuteness." M4 was observed on sweep 223 (22 May 1784) with his 18.7". He reported "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. But he described several globular clusters as displaying a faint red color and he described many double stars discoveries as having a red or dusky red coloration. Perhaps this was due to his personal color perception or related to his speculum mirror.
John Herschel has no entry in his Cape of Good Hope catalogue, though he undoubtedly observed this showpiece.
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NGC 6122 = MCG +06-36-032 = PGC 57858
16 20 09.5 +37 47 53; CrB
V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 156°
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.
Édouard Stephan probably discovered NGC 6122 = Big. 78 on 10 Jun 1874 during an observation of NGC 6120, although he didn't record a separate position in his notebook. Guillaume Bigourdan discovered it again on 6 May 1886. Although there is nothing at his Comptes Rendus position for #78 (from 5 Dec 1887), his corrected position is 6' further north (published in the Corrections table of his 1 Jul 1901 Comptes Rendus paper) and matches MCG +06-36-032. The MCG doesn't identify this galaxy as NGC 6122. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.
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16 17 19.7 +61 56 21; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 4°
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. 2-40 in 1884-85 (exact date unknown) and recorded "pF; vS; E; * nr." His position was 15 seconds of time too far west. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 31 Aug 1888 as well as Hermann Kobold in Mar 1894.
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16 25 20 -40 39 12; Sco
V = 5.8; Size 29'
25" (4/5/19 - OzSky): gorgeous open cluster at 102x (31mm Nagler) and 244x (13mm Ethos). with several hundred resolved stars within a 25' field. Contains a very large number (perhaps 30) of 9th and 10th magnitude stars. There is a condensed group of roughly 3 dozen stars in the center, many forming easy but eye-catching pairs. The central stars are distributed irregularly with a nearly vacant lane running roughly NW to SE. The "halo" stars are spread out fairly evenly and a roughly circular outline of ~25'. Two 10" pairs forming a wide "double-double" is close east of the central group.
13.1" (6/18/85): bright, fairly rich, large, roughly 125 stars are resolved.
8" (6/27/81): fairly large but scattered, richer in center.
16x80mm (6/18/85): this bright cluster appears partially resolved even in my 16x80 finder.
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered NGC 6124 = Lac I-8 = D 514 = h3626 in 1751-1752 with a 1/2" telescope at 8x. It described it as "a fairly big tailless comet."
James Dunlop observed the cluster on 5 nights (first on 10 May 1826) with summary description, "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."
On 5 Jun 1834 (sweep 456), John Herschel 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."
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16 19 33.4 +57 36 55; Dra
V = 12.0; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7
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 on 28 Jan 2013, Steinicke wrote, "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 and
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16 21 27.9 +36 22 36; CrB
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. 12-8 on 19 Jun 1871. His initial position was 3' to the NNE. Stephan's accurate micrometric position was made exactly 9 years later on 19 Jun 1880 with description "F, vS, R, bM, small nucleus."
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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; Dra
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. 4-29 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. 4-30 = 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 William Herschel discovered this galaxy and logged it as H. II- 810 (later NGC 6125) with a 20' error in declination. But Wolfgang Steinicke has shown that William could not have seen this galaxy, as it is too far north in his sweep. Instead, H. II-810 applies to NGC 6130.
******************************
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; Dra
V = 12.0; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7
See observing notes for NGC 6127.
Lewis Swift found NGC 6128 = Sw. 4-30 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. 4-29 = 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.
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16 21 43.2 +37 59 45; CrB
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, little brighter in the middle. 300 confirmed it with great ease." His position was accurate.
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NGC 6130 = UGC 10347 = MCG +10-23-066 = CGCG 298-030 = PGC 57828
16 19 33.4 +57 36 55; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 25°
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. 4-31 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.
But according to Wolfgang Steinicke, William Herschel discovered this galaxy on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 928) and noted II-810 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.
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16 21 52.5 +38 55 56; CrB
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. 12-84 on 11 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 5' too far SSE. On 15 Jun 1882 he measured an accurate micrometric position with description "very faint, pretty large, irregularly round, diffuse."
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16 23 38.8 +11 47 10; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 127°
17.5" (7/2/89): faint, small, elongated WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 15 star is 1' SE.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6132 = St. 7-7 on 17 Jun
1876. His micrometric position
(recorded on July 16th) is very accurate.
Lewis Swift apparently found this galaxy again on 22 Jul 1897 and
recorded Sw. 11-183 = 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 = IC 4602. See
Harold Corwin's identification notes for more on
******************************
16 20 17.2 +56 39 08; Dra
= ***??, Corwin. =**?, Gottlieb.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6133 = Sw. 5-69 on 23 Oct 1886
and recorded "eeeF; S; cE; ee diff." There is nothing at his position. One possible candidate is
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16 27 46 -49 09 06; Nor
V = 7.2; Size 7'
18" (7/9/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
128x, NGC 6134 is a bright, fairly large open cluster, at least 10' diameter,
with roughly 150 stars resolved from mag 10 and fainter. Many of the stars are arranged in
chains, loops and rings although there was no central concentration. The brightest mag 9.3 star (
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6134 = D 412 = h3627 on 10 May 1826. His summary description reads "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." He claimed 4 observations, though his notebook reveals he made a total of 7.
On 5 Jul 1834, John Herschel 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."
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16 14 24.9 +64 58 58; Dra
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 45°
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. 4-32 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 PGC 57580 as NGC 6135.
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16 20 59.4 +55 58 14; Dra
V = 14.6; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 95°
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. 4-33 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
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16 23 03.2 +37 55 19; CrB
V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 175°
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). He recorded "very faint, small, bright middle, bM. Discovered with 300x." The previous two discoveries in the sweep (NGC 6038 and 6120) were found at 157x, but confirmed at 300x, so he swept for the next several minutes at the higher power.
On 9 May 1826 (sweep 73) John Herschel noted, "F; S; R; bM." Édouard Stephan made observations on 2 Jun 1878 and 20 Jun 1878, though I don't know if he picked up the companion to the north.
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17 22 40.0 +41 06 06; Her
See observing notes for
18" (7/29/08): very faint, small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 25"x12", weak concentration.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6138 = St. 2-2 on 28 Jun
1869. His uncorrected position was
within 2' of NGC 6363, but his published position was roughly 25' west of NGC
6145 (within
RNGC and PGC (as well as secondary sources) misidentify MCG
+07-34-020 = PGC 58070 as NGC 6138.
This is an edge-on galaxy located 7' north of
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16 27 40 -38 50 54; Sco
V = 9.0; Size 5.5'; Surf Br = 2.3
18" (7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this globular appeared moderately bright and well concentrated to a bright 1' core. The halo spanned ~3.5' and the overall structure was symmetric. A number of very faint stars winked in and out of view with the seeing and the cluster appeared on the verge of extensive resolution at 171x. I didn't examine it, though, at higher power.
8" (6/27/81): faint, small, even concentration to core. Although easily visible, there was no resolution.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6139 = D 536 = h3628 on 13 May 1826. His summary description (based on two observation) reads, "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." His position was pretty poor -- 23' east of center.
John Herschel acknowledged Dunlop's discovery despite the poor position and observed the globular on 4 nights. On 24 Jun 1834 (sweep 459) he logged "vB, R, pL, pretty gradually much brighter middle, 2.5'. Evidently a globular, but moonlight very bright and near full, and I cannot see the individual stars." Four nights later (sweep 461) he wrote "pB, R, pretty gradually brighter middle, resolvable, with left eye I can barely discern a few of the stars."
Using the Great Melbourne Telescope on 2 Jun 1877, Joseph Turner called it "very finely stippled but too faint for any stars to be seen distinctly" (p. 137 in logbook).
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16 20 57.3 +65 23 23; Dra
V = 11.3; Size 6.3'x4.6'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 95°
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 was 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 discovery in sweep 845). He logged "considerably faint, pretty large, little extended." It was discovered using a "Double eye glass", essentially a binocular view, and the derived RA was 95 seconds too small. Dreyer noted this error in his 1912 Scientific Papers.
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16 23 06.4 +40 51 30; Her
V = 14.8; 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
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 NGC 6147 = MCG +07-34-023 as NGC 6141. This galaxy is located 2.7 minutes of time east and 4.8' north of Bigourdan's position. See my RNGC Corrections #2 and Harold Corwin's identification notes.
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16 23 21.1 +37 15 29; CrB
V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165°
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
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16 21 42.4 +55 05 09; Dra
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, irregularly round, very gradually very
little brighter middle." His
position (Caroline's reduction) is 20 sec of RA east of
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16 27 14.0 -26 01 25; Sco
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" (6/5/81): 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). He recorded "a very close, considerably large 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." Herschel described several globulars, as well as stars as a "dusky red" color in his double star discoveries, though this was a spurious perception. John Herschel called the globular "pL; oval; gradually brighter in the middle; resolved."
David Frew suggested that
******************************
NGC 6145 = MCG +07-34-021 = CGCG 224-017 = Holm 747a = PGC 58074
16 25 02.4 +40 56 48; Her
V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 2°
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 NGC 6146 3.6' SSE within AGC 2197.
17.5" (7/24/95): faint, fairly small, 1.0' diameter,
slightly elongated N-S. Similar
size to
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). He logged it as "F; R; bM; sky
very clear." and his position was 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; Her
V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 75°
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." His RA was 7 seconds too large, but the identification is definite.
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NGC 6147 = MCG +07-34-023 = Holm 747b = PGC 58077
16 25 05.8 +40 55 44; Her
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, Lord Rosse'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 PGC 58078 as NGC 6147 and mislabels NGC 6147 as NGC 6141.
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16 27 04.0 +24 05 36; Her
V = 16.1; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60°
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
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16 27 24.3 +19 35 50; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 22°
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, very small, round, bright core,
stellar nucleus. Located 3.8' N of
mag 8.7
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6149 = Sw. 6-90 on 3 Apr 1887 and
recorded "vF; pS; R; pB * nr south." His position is just 6 seconds west of
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16 25 50.0 +40 29 19; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.4'; PA = 61°
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." Caroline's reduced position is 10 seconds of RA east of CGCG 224-022 (double system). John Herschel recorded on 28 Apr 1827 (sweep 73), "F; S; R."
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16 38 25.2 -73 15 09; Aps
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
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16 32 46 -52 38 36; Nor
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.
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16 31 30.5 -40 15 13; Sco
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. Although prominent, this planetary is very far south for viewing 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. In 1926, Willem van den Bos at the Cape Observatory, reported "This object is a planetary as seen through the 26 1/2-inch reractor. Major axis 28", Minor axis 22" in PA 7°-187°." The same year, W.S. Finsen called it a ring nebula.
Williamina Fleming found it again in 1894 based on its photographic spectrum on a plate taken at Harvard's Arequipa station and reported it was new (corrected in later Harvard lists).
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16 25 30.6 +49 50 24; Her
V = 12.7; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.1
24" (6/30/19): at 282x and 375x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, ~50" diameter, strong concentration with a very small bright nucleus. Two mag 12.3/14.4 stars close NW are nearly collinear with the galaxy.
17.5" (7/2/89): 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." Caroline Herschel's
reduction was 10 sec of RA east and 2' north of
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16 26 08.5 +48 21 59; Her
V = 12.2; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 145°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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; gradually brighter in the middle; 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).
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16 34 52.3 -60 37 06; TrA
V = 11.6; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 0°
14" (4/3/16 - Coonabarabran, 178x): 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; gradually little brighter middle; 50" long." A second observation called this galaxy "pF; R; gradually pretty much brighter middle; 45"; in a field full of small stars."
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16 25 48.4 +55 21 38; Dra
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.5'; PA = 19°
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. 4-34 on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; v diff." His position is fairly accurate.
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16 27 40.9 +39 22 59; Her
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 81°
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). He recorded "faint, small, irregular figure. Discovered with 300x [which he was sweeping with], but I could see it very well with the [usual] sweeping power [of 157x]. The time inaccurate." His rough RA was one minute too large. NGC 6158 was seen again on 30 May 1791, and less than a minute afterwards he discovered the cD member NGC 6166. Herman Schultz measured an accurate position (used in the NGC) at the Uppsala Observatory.
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16 27 25.1 +42 40 47; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (7/2/89): fairly faint, easy with direct vision,
small, round, bright core.
Collinear with mag 8.8
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6159 = St. 10-30 on 2 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 10' too far south. On 20 Jul 1879 he measured an accurate micrometric position with description "very faint, small, irregularly round, little brighter middle."
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16 27 41.2 +40 55 36; Her
V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 65°
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:
2MASX J16282511+4051298 (9' SE): faint, small, round (elongated on DSS), 22" diameter, very small brighter core.
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." His RA was 10 seconds too large. John Herschel made two observations and measured an accurate RA.
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16 28 20.6 +32 48 38; Her
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 159°
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" (7/2/89): 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. 1-4, along with NGC 6162 and 6163, on 11 Jun 1869. He only mentioned 2 nebulae in his notebook (NGC 6162 and 6163), but reduced the positions of all 3 on 30 Jun 1870, so NGC 6161 was also likely observed.
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NGC 6162 = HCG 82A = UGC 10403 = MCG +06-36-047 = CGCG 168-014 = PGC 58238
16 28 22.3 +32 50 57; Her
V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30°
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 NGC 6263 lies 1.2' E.
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 = HCG 82B just 1.2' E and a right triangle with NGC 6161 2' S.
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" (7/2/89): 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. 1-5, along with NGC 6163 and 6161, on 11 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 4' too far SE. His published position was reduced on 30 Jun 1870. He made a second observation on 5 Jun 1878 and probably discovered NGC 6161.
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NGC 6163 = MCG +06-36-048 = CGCG 168-015 = HCG 82B = PGC 58250
16 28 27.8 +32 50 47; Her
V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.45'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 54°
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" (7/2/89): 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. 1-6, along with NGC 6162 and 6161, on 11 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 4' too far SSE. On 30 Jun 1870 he measured an accurate micrometric position and described the trio (with NGC 6161) as "very small and faint, a little brighter middle. (NGC 6161) and (NGC 6163) are nearly equal. (NGC 6162) a little less faint.
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16 33 52.4 -48 06 40; Nor
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 (rRE magnetic O-type
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.
In 1959, Karl Henize announded this object as "A new planetary nebula NGC 6164-65 (Cederblad 135a, b)." He wrote "This object is clearly a planetary nebula from a morphological viewpoint, but spectroscopic observations of the nebula and central star are required to determine whether or not it fits this description from an evolutionary point of view." As a result Sulentic and Tifft's RNGC misclassified NGC 6164.6165 as a planetary nebula. The illuminating star is a massive, evolved O-star, losing mass from its outer layers through a strong stellar wind.
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NGC 6165 = ESO 226-014 = Gum 52 = RCW 107 = Ced 135b
16 34 03 -48 09 12; Nor
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 NGC 6188/6193 a similar distance SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6165 = h3634 on 1 Jul 1834, along with NGC 6164, and recorded "F; S; lE; very gradually little brighter middle; 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.
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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; Her
V = 11.8; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 35°
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 AGC 2199. Several faint companions are near.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6166 = H. II-875 = h1961 on 30 May 1791 (sweep 1015). He recorded "pretty bright, small, little extended, very gradually much brighter middle." His position was poor - roughly 20 seconds of RA too far west and 3' too far north. John Herschel made a single observation, "F; S; R." and measured an accurate position.
Édouard Stephan made several observations, though I don't know which companions he saw as he only gave a single position (though noted 3 new on 16 Jun 1876). See Harold Corwin's identification notes for a discussion of the close companions and the letter suffixes.
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16 34 35 -49 46 18; Nor
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.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6167 = D 400 = D 401 = h3635 on 26 Jun 1826 with his 9-inch reflector from Parramatta, New South Wales. His description for D 400 reads, "a pretty large faint nebula, about 6' diameter, easily resolvable, round figure, with two rows of small stars following." and his position is 15' too far NE. D 401 (from 26 Jun) was described as "A very faint cluster of small stars, with a branch extended; the head of the cluster is rich in small stars." His position was 16.5' too far ESE.
On 15 Apr 1836 (sweep 693), John Herschel 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."
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16 31 21.4 +20 11 06; Her
V = 14.3; Size 1.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 111°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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. 1-46 on 21 May 1884
and recorded "eeF; vE; F * at p[receding] end; v diff." There is
nothing at his position, and
A more likely candidate, though, is
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16 34 05 -44 02 42; Nor
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.
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16 27 36.4 +59 33 45; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 90°
See observing notes for
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6170 = Sw. 4-35 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.
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16 32 31.9 -13 03 13; Oph
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. Roughly 35-40 stars were resolved in the halo and 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 were scattered throughout the outer halo at 280x and a couple of dozen densely packed stars overlay the core of the globular in steady moments.
13.1" (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 (7/26/06): faint but not difficult.
Pierre Méchain discovered
William Herschel independently discovered the globular on 12 May 1793 (sweep 1043), unaware of the earlier discovery. He called it "a very beautiful extremely compressed cluster of stars, extremely rich, round, about 5 or 6' dia, gradually more compressed toward the center." It was found again by Karl Harding around 1823 and reported as new. John Herschel, observing from the Cape of Good Hope on 5 Jun 1836, recorded "Globular; v rich; gradually pretty much brighter middle; diam in RA = 20.0s; that of the most compressed part 4.5s; stars well separated."
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16 22 10.2 -01 30 54; Oph
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. 13-86 on 30 Mar
1870 and logged a rough unpublished position 2' too far NW. On 21 Jun 1884 he measured a micrometric
position but due to a misprint in Stephan's 13th discovery list, the RA is 10
minutes of time too large. The
position for his comparison star (
Lewis Swift rediscovered NGC 6172 on 19 Apr 1890, and reported it as new in his 9th discovery list (#61, later IC 1213) although his RA was 9 seconds too small. So, NGC 6172 = IC 1213 with historical priority to the NGC number. But because of the erroneous position in the NGC, the RNGC misclassified NGC 6172 as nonexistent. Furthermore, NGC 6172 was labeled IC 1213 in UGC, MCG and CGCG. RC3 has the correct identification.
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16 29 45.0 +40 48 40; Her
V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 140°
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). He noted "vF, vS."
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NGC 6174 = MCG +07-34-085 = IV Zw 63 = PGC 58351+ 58350
16 29 47.7 +40 52 19; Her
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, Lord Rosse's observing assistant, discovered two new nebulae in the field of NGC 6173, on 26 May 1849. The 1861 LdR publication mentioned "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."
John Herschel 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 =
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NGC 6175 = UGC 10422 = MCG +07-34-087 = CGCG 224-050 = PGC 58362
16 29 57.6 +40 37 50; Her
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 100°
24" (7/10/18): at 375x; moderately bright, fairly
small, elongated 4:3 or 3:2 E-W, 0.6'x0.4', slightly brighter core. A mag 15.8 star is just off the west
edge.
A number of members of AGC 2197 are nearby including MCG
+07-34-092 4' NE,
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.
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." NGC 6175 and 6173 were the only two cluster members that Herschel discovered. Édouard Stephan made an observation on 19 Jun 1876.
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NGC 6176 = NGC 6170 = MCG +10-23-076 = CGCG 298-038 = PGC 58188
16 27 36.4 +59 33 45; Dra
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. 5-70 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
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16 30 39.0 +35 03 22; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 10°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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; little brighter in the middle." John Herschel 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.
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16 35 47 -45 38 36; Sco
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.
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NGC 6179 = CGCG 196-073 = PGC 58401
16 30 47.0 +35 06 08; Her
V = 15.3; Size 0.35'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5" (7/2/89): extremely faint and small, stellar nucleus, very small halo with averted. Located 3.2' NE of NGC 6177.
R.J. Mitchell, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 6179 on 19 Apr 1855. While observing NGC 6177, he noted "another neb 4' nf, vF, S, has a nucl."
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16 30 34.0 +40 32 21; Her
V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 9°
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. 7-8, along with
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16 32 21.2 +19 49 32; Her
V = 11.9; Size 2.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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
seconds of RA west and 3' north is
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16 29 34.2 +55 31 03; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 146°
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 (Caroline's reduction) is 25 sec of time
following
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16 41 41.9 -69 22 21; TrA
V = 13.8; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 36°
14" (4/3/16 - Coonabarabran, 178x 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; gradually brighter in the middle; 10"." His single position is accurate.
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NGC 6184 = MCG +07-34-109 = CGCG 224-070 = PGC 58432
16 31 34.5 +40 33 56; Her
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 128°
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. 7-9, along with NGC 6180, on 18 Jun 1876. His positions for both galaxies are accurate.
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16 33 17.8 +35 20 32; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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; gradually brighter in the middle; has a * 11m 75° np
(by diagram)." His position
is just off the east side of
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16 34 25.5 +21 32 26; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (5/28/89): 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." Eleven minutes later he noted the "moon very bright" and ended a short sweep. John Herschel made no observations although Stephan took a look on 23 May 1871, 13 Jun 1871 and 3 Jun 1878.
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16 31 36.6 +57 42 24; Dra
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
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-inch Clark refractor (erected the previous year) at Princeton University. While observing Comet Pons-Brooks he found a "minute nebula" that was "very faint, slightly brighter in the middle". His discovery position, published in Sidereal Messenger, Vol II, p. 252, is accurate.
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NGC 6188 = Ced 136a = Gum 53 = RCW 108 = ESO 226-019
16 40 06 -48 39 42; Ara
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 NGC 6193 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." His rough position (nearest minute of RA and nearest minute of dec) was poor; it lands to the southwest of the nebulosity, about 22' SW of NGC 6193, although he states the "brightest part of precedes the cluster about 1 min of time."
Despite many attempts, Joseph Turner (on 2 Jun 1877 and 16 Oct 1878) and Robert Ellery were unable to find this nebula with the Great Melbourne Telescope. This might be due to Herschel's poor position or the GMT's field of view was too small at the lowest power of 234x with a 14' field.
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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; Dra
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 20°
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 is superimposed [a star is superimposed close SSE of center].
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6189 = Sw. 2-41 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
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16 32 06.6 +58 26 20; Dra
V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60°
17.5" (6/18/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6190 = Sw. 2-42 on 30 Oct 1883
and recorded "vF; pS; R; F * nr." His position is at the west edge of
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NGC 6191 = NGC 6189? = UGC 10442 = MCG +10-23-081 = CGCG 298-043 = CGCG 299-003 = PGC 58440
16 31 40.9 +59 37 35; Dra
V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 20°
See observing notes for NGC 6189. Identification uncertain.
Lewis Swift found NGC 6191 = Sw. 4-36 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 is a second discovery of NGC 6189, though the two stars near this galaxy are east, not west. Swift discovered this galaxy on 3 Aug 1885 and catalogued it in his second discovery list (#41). As expected, Bigourdan was unable to find NGC 6191 at Swift's position. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. So, possibly NGC 6191 = NGC 6189, with much uncertainty. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for additional candidates.
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16 40 24 -43 22 00; Sco
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 for viewing from Northern California.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6192 = D 483 = h3641 on 13 May 1826. His summary description (based on 3 observations) reads "a cluster of very minute stars, of a round figure, about 4' diameter, following v Normae." D 470 is probably another observation but his position was off by 19' to the east.
On 1 Jun 1834 (sweep 454), John Herschel logged "Cluster VII, pretty rich, irr R, gradually brighter in the middle, 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.
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NGC 6193 = Cr 310 = ESO 226-020 = Gum 53 = Ced 136b
16 41 20 -48 45 48; Ara
V = 5.2; Size 15'
18" (7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at
117x, ~75 stars were visible in a 15' field surrounding the ionizing source DUN
206, a bright 10" double consisting of mag 5.6 O3-type
8" (7/13/91 - Southern Baja): 45 stars in a 15'
diameter at 63x. Includes a bright
mag 5.6/6.8 double star at 10" separation and mag 7
8" (7/17/82): three bright stars including DUN 206 (6.0/7.0 at 10"). Many faint stars are visible with averted vision. Includes emission/reflection nebula NGC 6188. This star-forming region is extremely far south for viewing from the Sierra foothills (only 2.5° above the horizon)!
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6193 = D 413 = h3640 with his 9-inch f/12 reflector on 14 May 1826. He made 3 observations and recorded on 5 June, "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 didn't mention any nebulosity.
On 15 Apr 1836 (sweep 693), John Herschel 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."
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16 36 37.1 +36 12 01; Her
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; suddenly much brighter middle to a * 12m;
12"." There is nothing
at his single position, but 44 sec of RA west is
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16 36 32.6 +39 01 41; Her
V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 45°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. John Herschel made 3 observations, first logging "vF; S; between 2 stars."
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NGC 6196 = IC 4615 = UGC 10482 = MCG +06-36-058 = CGCG 196-088 = PGC 58644
16 37 53.9 +36 04 22; Her
V = 12.9; Size 2.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140°
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.
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NGC 6197 = IC 4616 = MCG +06-36-059 = CGCG 196-089 = PGC 58655
16 37 59.8 +35 59 43; Her
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 38°
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, MCG and UGC label this galaxy as IC 4616, though NGC
6197 technically should apply by historical precedence. RNGC misidentifies
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16 35 30.6 +57 29 12; Dra
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90°
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. 4-37 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
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16 39 29.0 +36 03 32; Her
= *, 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.
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16 44 07 -47 27 48; Ara
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.
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16 40 14.4 +23 45 55; Her
V = 14.7; Size 0.35'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.0
17.5" (5/28/89): 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
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16 36 12 +61 57; Dra
= Not found, RNGC. =NGC 6226?, Corwin
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6202 = Sw. 4-38 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 6226 as this galaxy has a mag 11.5 star 2' east and the declination is within a couple of arc minutes. But this implies his RA was 7 minutes too small, perhaps a typo or copyilng error. I've left this number as lost.
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NGC 6203 = MCG +04-39-019 = CGCG 138-055 = PGC 58729
16 40 27.4 +23 46 29; Her
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (5/28/89): 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.
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16 46 09 -47 01 00; Ara
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 SAO 227189 (catalogued as Hogg 22).
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. Based on two observations he described "seven or eight small stars in a group, about 1' diameter, with a minute line of stars on the north side." His position was 15' too far NE (typical of his rough positions), but the identification is not in doubt.
John Herschel first recorded NGC 6204 on 1 Jul 1834 (sweep 463) 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 20 Apr 1836 (sweep 695) 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.
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16 41 41.6 +36 27 27; Her
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" (many dates starting July 1980): 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 itself 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) during his Second Star Review. Using a 4-inch reflector (7-ft focal length) on 22 Aug 1779 he noted M13 was "without stars" at 222x. Herschel made several observations before beginning his sweeps for nebulae. With his 18.7" 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." Just over a minute after this observation, he discovered NGC 6207.
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 Blood Stoney's sketch on 26 May 1851 (Plate 28, Fig. 33 in the 1861 Monograph) clearly showed three dark "lanes"in a "Y" configuration. The dark lanes, sometimes referred to as the "propeller" nowadays, were mentioned in numerous observations with the 72". Mark Harrington, director of the Detroit Observatory in Ann Arbor, made a study of the dark rifts for a month in 1887 with the 6" and 12.5" refractors. Comparing Stoney's sketch with his observations and a drawing made with the aid of H.C. Markham, Harrington mistakenly concluded the rifts "have shifted their position slightly" since Stoney's drawing.
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16 40 08.1 +58 37 02; Dra
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.6'; 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. 5-71 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
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NGC 6207 = UGC 10521 = MCG +06-37-007 = CGCG 197-007 = PGC 58827
16 43 03.9 +36 49 57; Her
V = 11.6; Size 3.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 15°
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.
8" (8/11/80): faint, fairly small, elongated
William Herschel discovered NGC 6207 = H. II-701 = h1969 on 16 May 1787 (sweep 739). His description reads, "pretty bright, pretty small, elongated from sp to nf, very gradually much brighter middle." The galaxy was discovered just after making his first observation of M13 while sweeping with the 18.7".
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16 49 28 -53 43 42; Ara
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.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6208 = h3648 on 8 Jul 1834 from the Cape of Good Hope. He recorded, "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."
James Dunlop's D 364 may be an earlier discovery on 28 Jul 1826. He found a"A round, faint nebula, about 1' diameter, with three small stars in it; a bright star south of the nebula." His position is 8' SSW of the center of the cluster, but the size estimate is much too small. He also possibly made an observation on 26 June: "a large faint nebula with a small star near the center, about 20' long and 10' or 12' broad, slight condensation, easily resolvable." The description is a much better fit and the position matches, but he crossed out the declination in his notebook and changed it to 10° further north.
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16 54 57.7 -72 35 12; Aps
V = 11.8; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 10°
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; very gradually very little brighter middle; 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.
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16 44 29.4 +23 48 00; Her
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; it 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 and 7/22/06): 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 STF 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" that was added as an appendix in his 1827 catalogue of double stars. 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, George 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! Sir William Huggins observed the emission line spectrum in 1865-66 and resolved three bright lines. James Keeler clearly sketched the wings using the Lick 36-inch refractor on 15 May 1890.
Sherburne Burnham observed the planetary in 1891 while at Lick Observatory, but did not notice the central star. Later at Yerkes (1908) he commented, "At the present time it could not be overlooked with any moderate aperture. It is nearly 12th magnitude, and appears with favorable atmospheric conditions as a sharp, brilliant point. Doubtless this has been seen by others. If it is not variable, I cannount account for my failure to see and measure it with the 36-inch at Mt. Hamilton.
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."
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16 41 27.6 +57 47 01; Dra
V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 105°
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 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. 9-63, 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 6 in the NGC, but it wasn't published until his 9th list in 1890. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 27 Aug 1888 and Dreyer published the correct position in the IC 2 Notes.
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16 43 23.2 +39 48 23; Her
V = 14.1; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6
17.5" (7/8/89): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, gradually brightens but no well-defined core.
Édouard Stephan probably discovered NGC 6212 = St. 2-3 on 7
Jun or 8 Jun 1869, though his uncorrected position was poor. In any case, on 26 Jul 1870 he measured
a micrometric position matching brighter
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NGC 6213 = MCG +10-24-030 = CGCG 299-017 = PGC 58778
16 41 37.2 +57 48 54; Dra
V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 57°
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.
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. 9-64, 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 6 in the NGC, but wasn't published until his 9th list in 1890.
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16 39 31.9 +66 02 22; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150°
17.5" (7/9/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6214 = Sw. 1-47 = Sw. 4-39 on 2
Aug 1884 and recorded "vF; S; R: coarse double star in field
north." His position is an
excellent match with
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16 51 06.9 -58 59 32; Ara
V = 11.5; Size 2.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 78°
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 NGC 6221 19' SE.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6215 = h3647 on 9 Jul 1836 and recorded "pF; R; very gradually little brighter middle; 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. First resolved as a "spiral nebula" on a plate taken at Harvard's Arequipa station with the 24-inch Bruce refractor around 1900.
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16 49 25 -44 43 36; Sco
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. Based on 6 observations his summary reads, "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."
On 1 Jun 1834 (sweep 454), John Herschel 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 (sweep 463), he recorded "a round cl of stars 13m; gradually brighter in the middle; 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
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16 32 39.3 +78 11 54; UMi
V = 11.2; Size 3.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.2
48" (10/22/11 and 4/27/22): at 375x and 488x; beautiful, two-armed barred spiral, spanning ~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 [14" separation]. The bar contains a brighter, mottled patch at its NNW end. A long spiral arm is attached at this patch and wraps counterclockwise around the N and NW side. A thinner second arm is rooted near the E side of the nucleus. It curls counterclockwise from east to south and contains a slightly brighter knot where the bar intersects the arm at the SSE end. The arm extends west of the bar for ~0.6'.
18" (7/5/08 and 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).
13.1" (8/24/84): fairly bright, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus, fairly diffuse outer halo.
8" (8/24/84): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6217 = H. I-280 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1071 under the pole). He logged "considerably bright, considerably large, elongated, little brighter in the middle. The extent points almost to 2 north-preceding pretty bright stars, or rather a little on the following side of them." This is one of the later galaxies he discovered while searching in the far north to finish up his third catalogue. He observed it again on 20 Dec 1797 (sweep 1075) and called it "very bright, considerably large, little extended. The two stars mentioned in 1071 sweep are about 7 to 9' distance [NW] from the nebula." A last observation was made on 6 Dec 1801 (sweep 1104). Hermann Kobold measured a precise micrometric position in 1892 with the 18-inch refractor at Strasbourg Observatory
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16 47 14.5 -01 56 52; Oph
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 was highly
resolved over the entire disc.
Appears smaller than
13.1" (many dates 6/19/82 to 6/30/84) : 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" (7/3/80 to 6/19/82): 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
William Herschel first observed the globular on 21 May 1783, along with several other clusters, using his 9-inch (10-ft focal length) reflector and noted a "cluster of close stars of different sizes. All resolved into stars without nebulosity." He observed it again during his sweeps on 14 Apr (1785), noting "a brilliant cluster of stars visible, very much condensed in the center, the straggling stars that seem to belong to it extend to 7, 8 or 9' diameter." Another observation was made on 3 May 1786 (sweep 562): "a beautiful cluster of very compressed and vS stars; they are however of various magnitudes. The most compressed part takes up about 2'; the whole not less than 7 or 8'. Very gradually most compressed in the middle."
John Herschel's first observation was on 30 May 1821, while being instructed on sweeping (2nd night) by his 82 year old father. His Aunt Caroline recorded the observation. On 15 Apr 1828 (sweep 146), he described a "v rich globular cluster. The stars 10...16m; very gradually much brighter middle, 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."
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16 46 22.5 +09 02 16; Her
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 157°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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
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16 47 13.2 -00 16 32; Oph
V = 13.6; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 135°
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 SSW edge of the halo [30" from center] and a mag 16 star was highly suspected at the south edge of the halo [25" from center].
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6220 = Sw. 9-65 and recorded
"eeF; pS; iR; 3 F stars south point to it." His position is 1.5' northeast of
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16 52 46.1 -59 13 07; Ara
V = 9.9; Size 3.5'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 5°
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 along 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; gradually little brighter middle; 80"." On a second sweep (5 Jul 1836), he logged it as a "Globular cluster; pB; pL; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 2 1/2' dia; barely resolvable." First resolved as a "spiral nebula" on a plate taken at Harvard's Arequipa station around 1900.
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NGC 6222 = NGC 6259 = Cr 322 = Mel 158
17 00 45 -44 39 18; Sco
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.
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16 43 04.4 +61 34 44; Dra
V = 11.8; Size 3.5'x2.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 88°
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.
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 = Sw. 2-43, along with
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16 48 18.6 +06 18 43; Her
V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. 9-66, 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 6 in the NGC, but wasn't published until after the NGC in his 9th list.
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NGC 6225 = UGC 10556 = MCG +01-43-003 = CGCG 053-011 = PGC 59024
16 48 21.7 +06 13 21; Her
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 156°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. 9-67, 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 6 in the NGC, but the discovery wasn't published until 1890 (after the NGC) in his 9th list.
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NGC 6226 = UGC 10532 = MCG +10-24-043 = CGCG 299-022 = PGC 58847
16 43 23.2 +61 59 02; Dra
V = 13.2; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 68°
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
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16 51 33.7 -41 13 50; Sco
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.
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16 48 02.9 +26 12 46; Her
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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
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16 46 58.8 +47 31 40; Her
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 popped in and out of view in the halo. At 435x, a number of very faint stars were clearly visible in the halo (roughly two dozen) and the core was 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). He recorded "very bright, round, about 4' diameter. The whole of it is almost equally bright with a faint, resolvable margin." It was misplaced in class IV, for planetary nebula and other miscellaneous objects. The globular was less than 5° from the zenith as it crossed the meridian in his field of view.
Giuseppe Bianchi independently found this globular on 11 Jun 1839 and announced the discovery in an Astronomische Nachrichten letter, unaware of Herschel's prior discovery.
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16 50 46.7 +04 36 17; Her
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1
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" (7/2/89): very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 15 star is off the south edge. NGC 6234 lies 22' SE.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6230 = Sw. 4-40 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
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NGC 6231 = BBW 31100 = Gum 55 = RCW 113 = Cr 315 = Mel 153 = False Comet Cluster
16 54 11 -41 49 30; Sco
V = 2.6; Size 240'
11" (8/8/04 - Haleakala Crater): NGC 6231 is a remarkable naked-eye cluster sits just north of Zeta Scorpii. At 103x this stunning grup contained a half-dozen stars brighter than 7th magnitude and a dozen of mag 8 or brighter. This bright subset is set over a rich carpet of 100-150 fainter stars in a roughly 20' field. Extending to the north following a 1° chain of stars is the sprawling open cluster Tr 24 (60' diameter) that includes IC 4628, a large irregular HII region (see notes below). NGC 6231 is the core of the young Sco OB1 association.
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.
13.1" (7/6/83): 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 appeared 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.
7x50mm binocs (7/6/83): partially resolved, very large region of ~2° with fairly bright stars.
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 first observed NGC 6231 = Lac II-13 = D 499 = h3652 telescopically by 1646 from Sicily. He mentioned it was "highly remarkable, because of the coordination of 17 stars, and with an adjoining nebulosa..." The "nebulosa" is probably NGC 6231. Edmond Halley independently discovered the cluster in 1677 whle cataloging southern stars from the island of St. Helena.
The 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". James Dunlop made 3 observations in 1826 and 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." John Herschel wrote, "a fine bright, large cluster; pretty rich; class VII; 10'; stars 10...13 mag. Place of a double star 5m, the preceding but one of 7 bright stars in the middle."
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.
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16 43 20.1 +70 37 57; Dra
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
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6232 = Sw. 1-48, along with NGC
6236, on 28 Jun 1884 and recorded "pF; pL; lE. 1st of 4 [with NGC 6236, 6237, 6245]." His position RA was 15 seconds too
small, but at this declination the separation is just 1' west of UGC
10537. Hermann Kobold measured an
accurate micrometric position in 1892 with the 18" refractor at
Strasbourg. See notes on
MCG mislabels NGC 6232 as NGC 6237. The RNGC has the correct identification.
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16 50 15.6 +23 34 47; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 33°
17.5" (5/28/89): faint, small, almost round, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6233 = St. 11-51 on 21 Jun 1871. His initial position was off the NW side. His published micrometric position (list XI, #51) was made 9 years later (12 Jul 1880).
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NGC 6234 = MCG +01-43-007 = CGCG 053-018 = PGC 59144
16 51 57.3 +04 23 01; Oph
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7
17.5" (6/8/91): very faint, very small, round, low
surface brightness. Located 9.4'
WNW of mag 8.8
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6234 = m 318 on 17 Jun 1863 and noted "F, S, R." His position is 1' too far south.
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16 53 25.3 -22 10 39; Oph
V = 10.2; Size 5.0'; Surf Br = 1.0
24" (8/29/19): unusual observation of NGC 6235 with Jupiter just 8' of the globular and Callisto superimposed on the outer south portion of the halo of the globular! Using 260x, with Jupiter off the edge of the field and Callisto resolved as an obvious 1.3" disc, the core of NGC 6235 was seen as a small, hazy patch and the halo was occasionally seen as a low surface brightness glow.
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 were 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 popped 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). He described it as "pretty bright, considerably large, gradually brighter in the middle, easily resolvable. No doubt that it consists of stars." John Herschel made a single observation: "pretty compressed; S; 2'; rather triangular than R; mbM; resolved into stars 14...16m."
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NGC 6236 = UGC 10546 = MCG +12-16-008 = CGCG 339-019 = Kaz 88 = PGC 58891
16 44 34.4 +70 46 52; Dra
V = 11.9; Size 2.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 15°
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. 1-50, 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
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16 44 06 +70 38; Dra
= Not found, Gottlieb and Thomson. =NGC 6232?, Corwin. (R)NGC 6237 = NGC 6248.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6237 = Sw. 1-49 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
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16 47 16.7 +62 08 50; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 17°
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. 4-41, 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.
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16 50 05.6 +42 44 22; Her
V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 118°
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" (5/28/89): moderately bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, bright core.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6239 = H. III-727 = St. 7-10 on 12 Apr 1788 (sweep 831) and recorded "cF, S, E in the parallel [E-W]." Caroline made a 1° error in declination which was copied by John Herschel into his General Catalogue (#4247). Arthur Auwers reduced the position correctly in his catalog. Stephan found the galaxy on 10 Jun 1874 with follow up observations on 20 Jun 1876, 11 Jun 1877, 5 Jun 1878 and 24 Jun 1878 (was he searching at Auwers' position?). He reported it as new in his 7th discovery list (#10), published in 1876, with an accurate position. Dreyer cataloged St. 7-10 separately in the GC Supplement (#5832), but identified NGC 6239 = GC 4247 = GC 5832.
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16 52 58.9 +02 24 04; Oph
V = 12.9; Size 2.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 20°
48" (4/6/13): NGC 6240, a highly disrupted merger, appeared fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, ~1.2'x0.8', irregular shape! 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 it increased in size with averted vision. The surface brightness is irregular, with a mottled texture. The brightest portion had an offset nucleus or knot on the east side. On the northeast side, a faint narrow wing extended 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. 2-4 = Big. 80 on 2 Jun 1869, with an additional observation on 8 Jul 1871. His reduced position in list 2, #4 was made on 12 Jul 1871 and ~6' too far southeast, an unusually large error. A later observation was made on 3 Jun 1878. 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 rediscovered this galaxy on 7 Jul 1888 and
noted (in his observing log) "Ran upon a nebula close south-preceding a
10m star. 2 seconds p[receding]
the star and 1/4' +/- south."
Assuming Barnard's object was probably new, Dreyer recatalogued it as IC
4625 though added the note "? = 6240" Barnard's position was 2' too far north, but
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16 50 11.0 +45 25 15; Her
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" =
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
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16 55 33 -39 27 42; Sco
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 (K2-type
11" (8/8/04 - Haleakala Crater): 80-100 stars in a 12' cluster including a mag 7.3 orange star (HD 152524) on the SE side. There is an elongated group (N-S) of ten mag 10 stars to the NW of the bright star. These brighter stars are set over a rich carpet of mag 13-14 stars. A couple of curved chains of stars forms the southern boundary of the cluster.
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 made 3 observations with his 9-inch f/12 reflector in 1826. His description from 13 May reads, "a cluster or group of small stars, about 4' diameter, with extensive branches extending S.p. and N.f. A pretty bright star south of the center. Considerable compression of the stars towards the centre of the group."
John Herschel first observed the cluster from the Cape on 5 June 1834 (sweep 456) and logged "a p rich brilliant cluster of stars 10...12th mag, with one 7-8th mag near middle." On 28 Jun (sweep 461) he recorded "cluster VI class, B, L, rich, discrete, 12', irregular figure, very little brighter middle, 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."
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16 52 26.4 +23 19 57; Her
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 154°
17.5" (5/28/89): very faint, small, elongated NW-SE, weak concentration.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6243 = St. 11-52 on 19 Jun 1871. His initial position was 3' to the ENE, consistent with other errors that night. Stephan's accurate micrometric position (list XI, #52) was made exactly 9 years later on 10 Jun 1880 with description "vF, vS,irregular, diffuse, slightly brighter nucleus.
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NGC 6244 = UGC 10568 = MCG +10-24-059 = CGCG 299-032 = Kaz 96 = PGC 59009
16 48 03.8 +62 12 01; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140°
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. 4-42, along with NGC 6238, on 28 Jun 1886, and recorded "vF; vS; R; bet 2 stars; nf of 2 [with NGC 6238]."
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16 45 24 +70 48; Dra
= Not found, Gottlieb or Corwin. =NGC 6236?, Corwin.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6245 = Sw. 1-51 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 PGC 58917 (at 16 45 19.2 +70 49 53) as NGC 6245. HyperLeda still identifies this galaxy as NGC 6245, though with B magnitude of 18.0, it is clearly much too faint to have been seen by Swift.
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16 49 53.4 +55 32 34; Dra
V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 43°
17.5" (7/4/86): at 222x; 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. 4-43 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.
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16 48 20.2 +62 58 35; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 58°
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. 9-70 (later
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NGC 6248 = UGC 10564 = MCG +12-16-009 = CGCG 339-020 = PGC 58946
16 46 22.8 +70 21 20; Dra
V = 13.1; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 150°
17.5" (7/9/88): very faint, fairly large, very diffuse, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, weak concentration.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6248 = Sw. 2-44 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
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16 57 41 -44 48 42; Sco
V = 8.2; Size 6'
14" (4/5/16 - Coonabarabran, 145x and 178x): 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 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. He 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.
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16 57 56 -45 56 12; Ara
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.
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16 32 32.0 +82 32 16; UMi
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
William Herschel discovered NGC 6251 = H. III-974, along with NGC 6252, on 1 Jan 1802 (late sweep 1106, under the pole). He recorded both as "Two, the preceding [NGC 6251] considerably faint, small, brighter middle. The following [NGC 6252] very faint, very small. 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." His description is accurate, though the reduced position is 2.8' too far north. The pair are the two most northerly galaxies that Herschel discovered. It wasn't until the later sweeps that the large 20-ft was used to search for nebulae this near the pole as it was mechanically difficult to observe and accurately record positions as no side movement was possible observing above the pole.
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NGC 6252 = MCG +14-08-011 = CGCG 367-014 = PGC 58456
16 32 40.5 +82 34 36; UMi
V = 14.2; Size 0.75'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 62°
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). He recorded both as "Two, the preceding [NGC 6251] considerably faint, small, brighter middle. The following [NGC 6252] very faint, very small. 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 Herschel discovered. Previously, he had observed at the pole (+90°, 1800 coordinates) on two unregistered cloudy sweeps in 1787.
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16 59 05 -52 42 30; Ara
V = 10.2; Size 5'
14" (4/4/16 - Coonabarabran, 73x, 178x 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 73x. 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. His summary description (based on 4 observations) reads "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).
John Herschel observed it on 8 Jul 1834 (sweep 468) as "a small triangular cl 2' diameter; stars = 13m."
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16 57 08.9 -04 05 58; Oph
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" (many dates 6/19/82 to 6/30/84): very bright, fairly large, intense core richly covered with fairly bright stars. Scores of stars are resolved in the outer halo.
8" (7/3/80 to 6/19/82): bright lively core highly resolved. The outer halo is highly resolved with several long, distinct streamers (strings of stars).
Charles Messier discovered M10 = NGC 6254 = h1972 on 29 May 1764. He called it a "Nebula, without stars, in the belt of Ophiuchus; near the 30th star of that constellation, of sixth magnitude, according to Flamsteed. This nebula is beautiful & round; one can only see it with difficulty in an ordinary telescope of 3-feet [focal length]."
William Herschel first observed the globular in April and
May of 1783 (before starting his sweeps).
He 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 called it "A beautiful
cluster of extremely compressed stars; it resembles the 53d [
On 1 Jun 1831 (not registered as a sweep), John Herschel logged, "a superb cluster of very compressed stars, gradually brighter in the middle. The stars are 10...15m, and run up to a blaze in the centre, but I see no nucleus. Diam about 6'; a noble object." His first observation was on 30 May 1821, the second night he was learning how to sweep.
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16 54 47.1 +36 30 07; Her
V = 12.7; Size 3.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 85°
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 a very small, nearly stellar knot was visible just off the east end of the main glow. The knot had a higher surface brightness than the main galaxy.
17.5" (7/8/89): 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." John Herschel 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.
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16 59 32.6 -37 07 17; Sco
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.
13.1" (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; very gradually little brighter middle; 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; very gradually little brighter middle; 4'." His position is fairly accurate.
Sky Catalogue 2000.0 misidentifies Terzan 12 as NGC 6256.
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16 56 03.5 +39 38 44; Her
V = 15.1; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 123°
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" (7/8/89): not seen in fairly poor seeing and transparency.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6257 = h1974 on 16 May 1831 (sweep 357) 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)." There is nothing at his position. It was looked for once at Birr Castle, but not found.
RNGC, CGCG and PGC identify
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16 52 29.9 +60 30 51; Dra
V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70°
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. 4-44 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
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NGC 6259 = NGC 6222 = Cr 322 = Mel 158
17 00 45 -44 39 18; Sco
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. He made two observations and described it as "a very large patch of strong nebula, about 20' long, and 16' broad, rich in small and extremely minute stars." One observation estimates the size as 10' or 12'. His position (only to the nearest minute of time in RA) was 11' too far southeast.
On 1 Jun 1834 (sweep 454), John Herschel called it "a superb, vL, v rich cluster, which fills field; R, very gradually little brighter middle, stars 11..12th mag, thickly sown at intervals from each other from 10" to 20"." On 27 Jul 1834 (sweep 472) he called it "vL, v rich, fills more than a field, has one or two straggling appendages p and s; stars 11 and 12th mag, nearly equal." Herschel 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.
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16 51 50.6 +63 42 52; Dra
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. 4-45 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
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16 56 30.5 +27 58 39; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 88°
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. 11-53 on 20 Jun
1871. His initial position was 3'
too far NE. His published
micrometric position (list XI, #53) was made on 13 Jul 1880 with description
"extremely faint, very small, irregular, brighter nucleus. It is quite distinct from those
cataloged in Dreyer from [NGC 6263] to [
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16 53 36 +56 56; Dra
= Not found, RNGC and Corwin.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6262 = Sw. 5-72 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.
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NGC 6263 = UGC 10618 = MCG +05-40-008 = CGCG 169-014 = PGC 59292
16 56 43.1 +27 49 19; Her
V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3
17.5" (7/2/89): 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 (AWM 5) with
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6263 = m 319 = St. 2-5 on 28 Jun 1864, along with NGC 6264, 6265, 6269, 6270, and noted "eF, vS, R." His position is accurate. Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy again, along with the other four, on 22 Jul 1871, probably aware of Marth's earlier discovery. He reported it as new in his second discovery list (#5). Both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) were credited in the NGC.
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NGC 6264 = MCG +05-40-009 = CGCG 169-015 = Holm 763a = WBL 625-001 = PGC 59306
16 57 16.1 +27 50 59; Her
V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 15°
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 (AWM 5 = USGC U782).
17.5" (7/2/89): 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. 2-6 on 28 Jun 1864. Truman Safford rediscovered this galaxy, along with NGC 6265 and 6269, on 11 Jul 1866 at the Dearborn Observatory. Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy again, along with the other four, on 22 Jul 1871, probably aware of Marth's earlier discovery. But he reported it as new in his second discovery list (#6). Both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) were credited in the NGC.
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NGC 6265 = UGC 10624 = MCG +05-40-011 = CGCG 169-017 = WBL 625-002 = PGC 59315
16 57 29.0 +27 50 39; Her
V = 14.2; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 35°
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 (AWM 5 = USGC U782). Forms a pair with NGC 6264 2.9' WNW.
17.5" (7/2/89): 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 = Sf. 39 = St. 2-7 on 28 Jun 1864. Truman Safford rediscovered this galaxy, along with NGC 6264 and 6269, on 11 Jul 1866 at the Dearborn Observatory. Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy again, along with the other four, on 22 Jul 1871, probably aware of Marth's earlier discovery. But he measured an accurate position and reported it as new in his second discovery list (#7). Both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) were credited in the NGC.
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17 01 12.5 -30 06 44; Oph
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" (6/19/82): 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
William Herschel first observed the globular on 28 May 1783
with his 9-inch reflector (10-foot f.l.) and noted "With 250 power, a
strong suspicion, amounting almost to a certainty, of its consisting of stars
though I can distinguish none."
Observing during his sweeps on 11 May 1785 (sweep 410) he wrote,
"resolvable or a miniature of the 3d [
James Dunlop was next to observe it from Paramatta on 13 May 1824. One observations reads, "a pretty bright round nebula, gradually faint to the margin - suddenly bright at the center and very much condensed at the center, about 2 1/2' diameter, pretty well defined at the margin."
On 8 May 1834 (sweep 451), John Herschel was the first to note its off-center core: "globular, vB, L, R, pretty gradually very much brighter in the middle, 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."
Observing with the Great Melbourne Telescope on 8 Oct 1874, Joseph Turner called it a "superb object and almost a miniature of Omega Centauri". He noted "this condensed portion is not quite central, but (offset) toward the north-following side, the cluster branching out considerably in the south-preceding direction."
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16 58 08.8 +22 59 05; Her
V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35°
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, little brighter in the middle. Following and near a star; with several other stars in the field following." His position was 2' too far NE.
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17 02 10 -39 43 42; Sco
Size 6'
8" (6/5/81): 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. He 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 another observation on 4 August and noted a 5' diameter.
On 3 Jun 1834 (sweep 456), John Herschel 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."
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NGC 6269 = UGC 10629 = MCG +05-40-012 = CGCG 169-019 = WBL 62-003 = PGC 59332
16 57 58.0 +27 51 16; Her
V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 80°
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 = USGC U782).
17.5" (7/2/89): 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 = Sf. 40 = St. 2-8 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 2 June 1869 (probably aware of Marth's earlier discovery). He measured an accurate micrometric position on 22 Jul 1871 and reported it as new in his 2nd discovery list (#8). He made a late observation on 10 Jun 1877. Both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) were credited in the NGC.
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16 58 44.0 +27 51 33; Her
Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 93°
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. 2-9 on 28 Jun 1864. His position was 5' too far north. Édouard Stephan observed this galaxy again, along with the other four, on 22 Jul 1871, probably aware of Marth's earlier discovery. He reported it as new in his second discovery list (#9). Both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) were credited in the NGC.
The RNGC and PGC misidentify
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16 58 50.8 +27 57 53; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5
17.5" (7/2/89): extremely faint, very small, round. Seventh of 8 in the NGC 6269 group and forms a close pair with NGC 6272 3' SSE.
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.
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NGC 6272 = CGCG 169-022 = PGC 59367
16 58 58.3 +27 55 51; Her
V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.2'
17.5" (7/2/89): 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 CGCG 169-022 = PGC 59367.
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17 02 37.6 -26 16 05; Oph
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 (foreground?) is on the northeast side.
13.1" (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" (7/17/82): lively, two or three very faint stars are resolved at the north edge.
Charles Messier discovered
William Herschel 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." John Herschel, 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 [NGC 5634] and M10 or M12."
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17 00 35.2 +29 43 33; Her
V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170°
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
17.5" (7/8/89): 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 NGC 6282.
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. UGC 10643 is a double system (with PGC 59381) situated 11' north and 15 seconds of RA west of Marth's position, so it's a pretty poor match. Karl Reinmuth first gave this identification in his 1926 photographic survey "Die Herschel-Nebel".
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16 55 33.4 +63 14 32; Dra
V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 120°
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. 4-46 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
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17 00 45.0 +23 02 39; Her
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2
24" (9/5/18): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small,
slightly elongated, ~25"x20" diameter, weak concentration to the
center but no distinct nucleus. In
a trio with
UGC 10650 (misidentified as NGC 6276 in the RNGC) appeared very faint, moderately large, extremely thin edge-on SSW-NNE, ~45"x5", low surface brightness, slightly brighter core. A mag 15.2 star is at the SSW tip.
17.5" (5/28/89): very faint, small, round. Forms a pair with NGC 6278 2.3'
SE. Two faint mag 14.5/15 stars
are 2' E. The northern of these
two stars is
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6276 = m 328 = St. 2-10 on 10
Jun 1864. His position was 1' to
the northwest. Édouard Stephan
observed it on 6 June 1869, 20 Jun 1871 and 5 Jun 1878. He reduced an accurate micrometric
position on 13 Jul 1871 reported as new in his 2nd discovery list (#10). Was he aware of Marth's earlier
discovery? Finally, Bigourdan
found this galaxy on 19 Jun 1887, reported it as a "nova" in Comptes
Rendus list 5 (#213), and Dreyer catalogued again as
RNGC misidentified UGC 10650 as NGC 6276. In addition, CGCG and RNGC mislabel NGC 6276 as NGC 6277 and MCG and UGC refer to it as NGC 6276 = NGC 6277. The identifications were sorted out in the Webb Society Quarterly Journal #87, Malcolm Thomson's unpublished Catalogue Corrections, my RNGC Corrections #4 (on the NGC/IC Project site) and Harold Corwin's identification notes.
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17 00 48.8 +23 02 22; Her
V = 15.6
17.5" (5/28/89): 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. 2-11 on 20 Jun 1871 while measuring the positions of NGC 6276 and 6278. His micrometric position (reduced on 13 Jul 1871) 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.
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NGC 6278 = UGC 10656 = MCG +04-40-011 = CGCG 139-029 = Holm 765a = WBL 629-003 = PGC 59426
17 00 50.3 +23 00 40; Her
V = 12.4; Size 2.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130°
24" (9/5/18): at 375x; bright, fairly large, oval 5:3 NW-SE, ~1.2'x0.7', sharply concentrated with a very bright core that increases to a sharp stellar nucleus. The halo has a fairly low even surface brightness. Third and brightest in a trio (WBL 629) with NGC 6276 2.4' NW and UGC 10650 10' NW.
17.5" (5/28/89): 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 = St. 2-12 on 15 May 1784 (sweep 217) and logged "vF, stellar, 240 verified it." His RA (copied into the GC) was 25 seconds too large. Stephan observed the galaxy again on 6 Jun 1869, with additional observations on 20 Jun 1871, 16 Jun 1876, 10 Jun 1877 and 5 Jun 1878. He measured an accurate micrometric position on 13 July 1871 and reported it as new in his second discovery list (#12), though commented that it was probably identical to Herschel's object. Stephan's position was used in the NGC.
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16 59 01.3 +47 14 14; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 10°
17.5" (8/1/89): faint, small, round, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6279 = Sw. 5-73 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
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17 01 57.5 +06 39 58; Oph
V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140°
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
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17 04 41 -37 59 06; Sco
V = 5.4; Size 8'
18" (6/12/10): this bright 10' diameter cluster was even resolved in my 80mm finder at 25x. Excellent in my 18" at 175x with roughly 50 resolved stars to mag 14 including two dozen brighter mag 9-10.5 stars in a distinctive, well-defined outline. Several double stars are involved including 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 (NW edge of the cluster). NGC 6281 is located 2.5 degrees east of Mu1/2 Sco.
8" (6/5/81): 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 (summary), "a curiously curved line of pretty bright small stars, with many very small stars mixt." Dunlop made 3 observations but his published position was 20' too far E.
John Herschel made a single observation on 28 Jun 1834 (sweep 461) 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.
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NGC 6282 = CGCG 169-029 = PGC 59418
17 00 47.2 +29 49 15; Her
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; PA = 36°
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" (7/2/89): 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.
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16 59 26.4 +49 55 18; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.2'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." Caroline's reduction is an excellent match with
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17 04 28.8 -24 45 53; Oph
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 Cape of Good Hope, John Herschel recorded "globular cluster; B; R: gradually brighter in the middle; diam = 7.0s; resolved into stars 16m."
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16 58 24.0 +58 57 22; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95°
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" (7/2/19): at 282x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 E-W, broad and mild concentration. The spiral arms extending north on the west end of the bar and south on the east end were not noticed.
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) could 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 his 6th discovery list, which was under preparation when the NGC was published. But Swift didn't include it in either his 6th or later 9th list, which included several objects Swift discovered prior to the publication of the NGC. His position is just 7 seconds west and 1' north of this galaxy. Nearby NGC 6286 was discovered earlier on 13 Aug 1885.
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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; Dra
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" (7/2/19): at 282x; moderately bright and large,
very attractive edge-on 5:1 SW-NE with a bright core.
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. UGC 10641, an extremely low surface brightness superthin 4.4' SW, was just glimpsed and only the core region, ~15"x5", extending E-W was seen with confidence. Situated 0.4' NW of a mag 13.7 star.
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. 2-45, along with NGC 6290 and 6291, on 13 Aug 1885 and recorded "eF; pS; R." His position was just 5 seconds of time too small. He missed nearby NGC 6285 on this observation, but discovered it on a later observation.
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17 05 09.3 -22 42 29; Oph
V = 9.3; Size 5.1'; Surf Br = 1.9
18" (7/24/06): I was surprised to find this fairly faint 3' cluster was 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). He recorded "pretty bright, considerably large, irregularly round, little brighter in the middle." John Herschel made the single observation from the Cape of Good Hope on 24 May 1835 (sweep 588): "globular cluster; irreg R; gpm comp M; 3' diam; barely resolved into stars 16...18m."
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16 57 24.5 +68 27 26; Dra
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 105°
17.5" (7/9/88): very faint, very small, round, very
small bright core. Forms a pair
with
Edward Swift discovered NGC 6288 = Sw. 1-52, along with NGC 6289, on 19 Aug 1884. Lewis' son was only 13 years old at the time. The description reads "vvF; vS; R; vF * nr; sp of 2 [with NGC 6289]." The published RA was 12 seconds too large.
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NGC 6289 = MCG +11-21-007 = CGCG 320-056 = PGC 59322
16 57 44.9 +68 30 53; Dra
V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.6'; PA = 13°
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 discovered NGC 6289 = Sw. 1-53, 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 RA is ~0.4 minutes too large (small distance at this declination).
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17 00 56.4 +58 58 13; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30°
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. 2-46, 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.
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NGC 6291 = MCG +10-24-086 = CGCG 299-042 = PGC 59435
17 00 55.9 +58 56 16; Dra
V = 13.9; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3
17.5" (6/18/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Forms a close pair with brighter NGC 6290 2.0' N and part of a group (LDCE 1228) that includes NGC 6285/6286 (Arp 293).
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6291 = Sw. 2-47, 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.
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17 03 03.7 +61 02 37; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105°
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. 2-48 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
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17 10 10.4 -26 34 54; Oph
V = 8.2; Size 7.9'; Surf Br = 1.1
14.5" (7/23/22): fairly bright globular with a very
bright core region and a very mottled halo. At 395x; numerous stars flicker on and off, 10 or so are
nearly visible continuously and perhaps 15-20 total (difficult to count).
17.5" (6/6/86): small, compact, 10-20 stars resolved at 286x and on the verge of more extensive resolution.
13.1" (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). He noted "a miniature cluster of stars of the former cluster [M19]; such as described sweep 223 [NGC 6284], but rather coarser." From the Cape of Good Hope, John Herschel recorded "globular cluster; B; R; pretty suddenly brighter middle; diam 7.0s; resolved into stars 16m."
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17 10 16.2 -26 34 29; Oph
V = 13/13.5; Size 11"
14.5" (7/23/22): NGC 6294 is an 11" pair of mag 13/13.5 on the east side of the halo of globular cluster NGC 6293 [1.4' ENE of center]. It was easily resolved while examining the globular at 264x and 395x.
John Herschel discovered NGC 6294 = h1978 on 16 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; S; very suddenly brighter in the middle; 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"."
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17 03 15.4 +60 20 16; Dra
V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; PA = 77°
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. 4-47 on 9 Jun 1886 and
recorded "eF; S; cE; F * nr."
His position is 10 seconds east and 2.5' north of
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17 08 44.6 +03 53 37; Oph
V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130°
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 was 2' too far north.
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17 03 36.4 +62 01 32; Dra
V = 13.6; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 90°
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. 2-49 on 8 Jul 1885 and
recorded "pB; pS; R; bet 2 stars; np of 2 [with
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NGC 6298 = NGC 6297 = UGC 10690 = CGCG 299-050 = PGC 59525
17 03 36.4 +62 01 32; Dra
See observing notes for NGC 6298. Incorrect identification (and RA typo) in the RNGC.
Lewis Swift found NGC 6298 = Sw. 2-50 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. 2-49. His two positions are nearly identical and there is only 1 galaxy here "between 2 stars", though on the first observation he described this object as "pretty bright". Swift must have 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.
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17 05 04.3 +62 27 28; Dra
V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.6'; 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.
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17 16 59.4 -62 49 14; Ara
V = 10.2; Size 4.5'x3.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 118°
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
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6300 = h3668 on 30 Jun
1826. He described (handwritten
notes) a "faint round nebula, about 1 1/4' diameter, slightly condensed
very gradually to the center - not very well defined at the edge. Preceding and forming a triange with
two stars of the 7 and 8th mag."
He made 4 more observations in July and Aug., but the discovery is
missing in his catalogue, which I assume was an oversight (
John Herschel rediscovered NGC 6300 on 7 Aug 1834 and recorded "F; vL; R; very gradually very little brighter middle; 3'; has several stars, one = 11m; involved but being on a rich ground, there appears no connection." Herschel was credited with the discovery in the NGC.
NGC 6300 was first photographed by DeLisle Stewart at Harvard's Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and noted as a large 2-branched spiral with a double nucleus.
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17 08 32.9 +42 20 19; Her
V = 13.4; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 115°
17.5" (8/1/89): faint, moderately large, oval
WNW-ESE. A mag 13.5 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). He recorded "suspected stellar; but too faint to be
verified." His position was
5' too far north using
Johann Palisa apparently independently rediscovered this
galaxy at Vienna. It was announced
in AN 143 (#3412), and later catalogued a second time as
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17 13 44.6 -37 06 12; Sco
V = 9.7; Size 83"x24"
48" (5/3/19): amazing view of the Bug Nebula at 375x! The central section was elongated roughly N-S and displayed an extremely high surface brightness. Four distinct "wings" were attached; two to the west and two to the east. A surprisingly long wing is on the southwest side. It has a noticeable bright section after dimming. The wing tapers and then fades, stretching to the WNW for a total length of near 2'! A mag 12 star is ~30" NW of the end of the wing. The lowest surface brightness wing is on the NW side and extends in the direction of the mag 12 star for about 1' in length, but extends ~1.5' with averted vision. The third extension on the southeast side is the narrowest and tapers at the east end. It appeared fairly uniform in surface brightness. Finally, the 4th and brightest wing is on the northeast side. It extends towards the ENE but curls to the SE forming the shape of a "pincher claw" with the southeast wing.
18" (7/22/06): fascinating view unfiltered at 325x. A very high surface brightness "core" of only 10"-12" in diameter brightens slightly to the center and is encased in a larger, fainter envelope. Two remarkable wings oriented WSW-ENE extend from the central core! 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" (7/6/83): 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" (6/5/81): 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 wrote, "A small flickering indefinite nebula slightly elongated (east and west) 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. As far as the popular nickname, Barnard commented, "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 "D 567 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.
Williamina Fleming found it again in 1896 based on its emission spectrum and classified it as a new gaseous nebula. The discovery was listed in Harvard College Observatory, Circular 12, in a table of stars having a peculiar spectra.
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17 05 02.9 +68 49 40; Dra
V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60°
17.5" (7/9/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6303 = Sw. 1-54 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
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17 14 32.3 -29 27 43; Oph
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 or southeast 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, gradually much brighter middle, between 2 & 3' dia. A very pretty object. A miniature of M62." His position is accurate. John Herschel made two observations from the Cape of Good Hope and described the cluster on sweep 478 as "B; R; at first s, the very gradually very little brighter middle; brighter part 2' diam; but there is a much fainter portion which extends a good deal further; stars 16-17 mag."
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17 18 00.5 -59 10 18; Ara
V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 133°
14" (4/3/16 - Coonabarabran, 178x 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 178x. 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; gradually little brighter middle; 12"." RNGC classifies this galaxies as an unverified southern object.
Joseph Turner sketched this object on 14 Jul 1876 with the Great Melbourne Telescope. He noted "the nebula has a stellar center as shown above [in sketch] and looks like a star of 14th magnitude surrounded by a slight haze." (page 110 in his logbook and unpublished lithograph plate VII, figure 73)
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NGC 6306 = UGC 10724 = MCG +10-24-098 = CGCG 299-053 = Holm 769b Kaz 5 = PGC 59654
17 07 37.1 +60 43 42; Dra
V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 166°
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. 2-51 on 8 Jul 1885 and
recorded "vF; vS; lE. Close
to 4278 [
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NGC 6307 = UGC 10727 = MCG +10-24-099 = CGCG 299-054 = Holm 769a = PGC 59655
17 07 40.6 +60 45 02; Dra
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 145°
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.
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17 11 59.8 +23 22 47; Her
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150°
17.5" (5/28/89): 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, suddenly brighter middle." These were the first three galaxies he discovered with William Lassell's 48-inch on Malta.
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17 14 04.2 -12 54 39; Oph
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 a pear shape. A bright, roundish lobe is on the NNW side, with a 12th magnitude star just 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", creating an asymmetric appearance.
24" (7/16/15): excellent view at 450x unfiltered. The larger and brighter lobe on the NNW end appeared roughly circular and slightly brighter along the outer rim. The smaller knot on the SSE 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.
14.5" (7/27/22): at 660x; bipolar appearance but not symmetric. The brighter, roundish lobe is on the NNW side, adjacent to the mag 12 star. At the SSE end is a very small and faint lobe.
13.1" (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. 1-46 = T. 5-31 in 1876 (specific date unknown) using the 11" refractor at the Arcetri Observatory in Florence. He only gave a rough position in his first discovery list I (AN 93, p. 59) but measured an accurate position in 1878 that was published in his fifth list. NGC 6309 is the only planetary discovered by Tempel.
Edward Pickering independently found the planetary on 15 Jul 1882 with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory using a direct-vision spectroscope, though he reported it was the "nebula found by Tempel (GC 4851). Tempel's description 'between 2 stars' does not seem applicable." There is only one close star. In Jun 1888, Baron von Engelhardt noted a "12th mag star and an oval nebula", using his 12-inch Grubb refractor. In 1898 Herbert Howe described NGC 6309 as a close double nebula, using the 20-inch Saegmuller refractor in Denver. Guillaume Bigourdan made 4 observations between 1891 and 1895 with the Paris Observatory's 12.4-inch refractor. 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."
The nickname "Box Nebula" was probably coined by
Ron Morales in an August 1984 Sky & Tel article, though both this planetary
and
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NGC 6310 = UGC 10730 = MCG +10-24-100 = CGCG 299-055 = PGC 59662
17 07 57.6 +60 59 24; Dra
V = 13.1; Size 2.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 69°
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 = Sw. 2-52, 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 rediscovered this galaxy on 8 Jul 1885 and reported it as new in his second discovery list (#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.
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17 10 43.7 +41 39 04; Her
V = 13.2; 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. 7-11 on 2 Jun 1869 and recorded a rough position 6' too far south. On 30 Jun 1876 he reduced an accurate micrometric position with description "pretty bright, very small, round." A later observation was made on 20 Jun 1878.
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17 10 48.1 +42 17 15; Her
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.75'; Surf Br = 13.0
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. 10-31 on 5 Jul 1877. His micrometric position (reduced on 25 Jul 1879 and published in 1880) was accurate.
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17 10 20.9 +48 19 53; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 156°
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. 9-74 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 6 in the NGC, though Swift published the discovery in 1890 (after the NGC) in his 9th list.
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NGC 6314 = UGC 10752 = MCG +04-40-022 = CGCG 139-044 = PGC 59838
17 12 38.7 +23 16 12; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175°
14.5" (8/31/21): at 264x; fairly faint, elongated ~5:2
N-S, ~45"x20", well concentrated with a small bright nucleus. A wide double star (POU 3263 =
10.2/12.5 at 16") is 3' ENE and
17.5" (5/28/89): 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.
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NGC 6315 = MCG +04-40-023 = CGCG 139-045 = PGC 59843
17 12 46.1 +23 13 25; Her
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9
14.5" (8/31/21): at 182x and 264x; extremely faint glow (requires averted), very low surface brightness, ~0.4' diameter. A mag 14.2 star is 0.8' NW. Located 3.3' SSE of brighter NGC 6314.
17.5" (5/28/89): 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.
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17 16 37.0 -28 08 24; Oph
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 marginally resolved with a few 16th magnitude stars visible. A brighter mag 12 field star is off the SE edge by 1' and a mag 13 field stars is at the SW side and another 2' W of center.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6316 = H. I-45 = D 621 = h3671 on 24 May 1784 (sweep 224). His description reads, "B, R, much brighter middle 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. The "faintish dusky red colour" is spurious.
James Dunlop observed the globular on 13 May 1826. He logged "a very small faint round nebula, about 8" or 10" diameter, bright in the centre. There is a very small star south [and following] of the nebula, distant about 10" from it, but it is not involved or connected with the nebula." Although his single position was 36' too far ESE, the description matches.
John Herschel made two observations from the Cape of Good Hope. On 30 Jul 1834 (sweep 475) he recorded "globular, B, R, gradually brighter in the middle, resolvable, 90", has 2 small stars very near." Again on 15 Jul 1836 (sweep 723) he logged "globular, pB, S, R, pretty gradually very much brighter in the middle, 2', resolved into stars 16..17th mag."
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17 08 59.5 +62 53 53; Dra
V = 14.5; Size 1.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 44°
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. 1-55 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. This was one of his first discoveries at Warner Observatory, made while still testing and adjusting the telescope. The discovery date for NGC 6319 was nearly two years later, so the comment "south-preceding of 2" was apparently added when his table was prepared. 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.
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17 16 12 -39 25 30; Sco
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. He made 4 observations, describing it on 31 July as "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.". His published position was 18' too far east, though one position was off by "only" 8'.
John Herschel observed the cluster on 5 Jun 1834 (sweep 456)
and wrote "cluster VII class. Rich, pL, R, gradually brighter in the
middle, stars 12...14th mag, not a globular." He gave a very approximate position (nearest minute +/- in
RA and arcmin of Dec). In the GC,
Herschel improved the position, but it was still 1.5 minutes of time too
large. Gösta Lynga (open cluster
catalogue) and
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NGC 6319 = UGC 10744 = MCG +11-21-010 = CGCG 321-015 = PGC 59717
17 09 44.1 +62 58 23; Dra
V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2
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. 1-56 on 14 May 1885 and noted "vS; vF; little brighter middle; 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.
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17 12 55.8 +40 15 58; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 85°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 4-1 on 2 Jun 1869 and logged a rough unpublished position 4' too far SSE.. On 27 Jul 1872 he measured an accurate micrometric position with description "extremely faint, *13 preceding 0.5 seconds." A later observation was made on 20 Jun 1878, along with NGC 6311, another Stephan discovery on 2 Jun 1869.
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17 14 24.3 +20 18 50; Her
V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 2-13 on 6 Jul 1871. His initial position was nearly 4' too far SE. His published micrometric position (list 2, #13) was made a week later on 14 Jul 1871 and he noted it was about 40" diameter.
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17 18 26 -42 56 00; Sco
V = 6.0; Size 10'
14" (4/5/16 - Coonabarabran, 73x and 178x): 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."
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17 13 18.1 +43 46 57; Her
V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 172°
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. 7-12 on 12 Jul 1876 (date the position was reduced). The original discovery was possibly made on 20 Jun 1876.
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17 05 25.1 +75 24 26; UMi
V = 12.8; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 78°
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 in the north, under the pole). He logged "very faint, small, elongated. 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
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17 17 59.2 -23 45 58; Oph
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; gradually brighter in the middle; r; 60". No doubt it is a globular cluster." His single position is good.
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17 20 46.3 -51 45 16; Ara
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.
Joihn Herschel 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."
In 1868, Lieutenant John Herschel, son of John Herschel, strongly suspected that NGC 6326 was an emission line object in an early spectroscopic investigation of southern nebulae while he was stationed in Bangalore, India.
Joseph Turner sketched the planetary on 16 Aug 1874 using the 48" Great Melbourne Telescope. His sketch (unpublished plate VII, figure 74) shows the two nearby stars and no additional features though he noted a softness at the edges and a slight "curdling" appearance.
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NGC 6327 = CGCG 225-074 = WBL 635-001 = PGC 59889
17 14 02.3 +43 38 58; Her
V = 15.0; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8
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. 7-13, possibly during the 20 Jun 1876 observation of NGC 6329. His pubished position in list 7 (#13) was reduced on 18 Jul 1876.
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17 23 41.0 -65 00 37; Ara
V = 12.3; Size 2.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 157°
14" (4/5/16 - Coonabarabran, 178x): 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; gradually brighter in the middle; 15". He logged it again on 20 Jun 1835 and
noted, "vF; vS; lE; little brighter middle; 15" l, 12" br." His position matches
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NGC 6329 = UGC 10771 = MCG +07-35-051 = CGCG 225-077 = WBL 635-002 = PGC 59894
17 14 15.0 +43 41 05; Her
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. 7-14 on 20 Jun 1876. His micrometric position (measured on 11 Jul 1876) in his 7th discovery paper was accurate.
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17 15 44.6 +29 24 13; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 160°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 11-54 on 14 Jun 1871 and measured an initial position 3' to the E (similar offset as his other discoveries that night). His published micrometric position on the east side of the galaxy was made 9 years later on 12 Jun 1880.
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17 03 34.1 +78 37 48; UMi
V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 126°
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, 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
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 AGC 2256 galaxy cluster and a triple system in a common halo.
William Herschel discovered NGC 6331 = H. III-951 on 20 Dec 1797 (northern sweep 1075, under the pole). He noted "extremely faint, small, better with 320 power." The previous object in the sweep was NGC 6217, logged about a half hour earlier. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 22 Jul 1884.
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.
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NGC 6332 = UGC 10773 = MCG +07-35-054 = CGCG 225-082 = WBL 635-003 = PGC 59927
17 15 02.9 +43 39 36; Her
V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 42°
24" (9/5/18): at 225x; moderately bright, fairly large, elongated nearly 3:1 SW-NE, ~1.2'x0.4', bright elongated core, moderate surface brightness. A mag 12.4 star is 2.1' NE of center, while two 14th mag stars lie 1.3' NW and 1.7' WNW. Member of a group (WBL 635) with NGC 6329 9' WNW.
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. 7-15 on 4 Jun 1869 with a second observation on 20 Jun 1876. On 11 Jul 1878 he measured a micrometric position with description "very faint, oval, little brighter middle", though his declination was slightly off. Emmanuel Esmiol corrected the position in his 1916 re-reduction ("Réduction des Observations de Nébuleuses Découvertes par M. Stephan").
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17 19 11.7 -18 30 59; Oph
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" (6/19/82): very mottled, few stars resolved at edges
at high power especially on the east side. Dark nebula B64 is close SW.
Charles Messier discovered
William Herschel first observed this globular on 3 May 1783 with a new 9-inch Gregorian reflector (10-foot focal length). He logged it using 250x: "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." During sweep 230 with his 18.7-inch on 18 June 1784, he recorded at 157x: "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 (sweep 569): "A cluster of extremely compressed, excessively small stars, with a very few scattered one chiefly to the north of it."
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17 20 53 -36 04 21; Sco
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 (
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 of mag 10.7 stars (
A group of smaller pieces forming the NE toe (Gum 64b) is
12'-15' N of the brighter SE section.
An obvious 2' glow surrounds 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" (7/6/83): 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; very gradually little brighter middle; 5'x4', out of middle 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" is apparently 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."
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17 19 32 -30 09 54; Sco
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.
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17 16 16.6 +43 49 14; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 170°
24" (9/5/18): at 375x; fairly faint, moderately large,
slightly elongated N-S, broad weak concentration but no distinct core or
nucleus. An extremely faint star
(mag 16.5) is at the west edge. A
mag 10 star (
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
17.5" (8/2/89): 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 SAO 46594.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6336 = St. 7-16, possibly as early as 4 Jun 1869 or certainly on the 20 Jun 1876 observation. His published position in list 7 (#16) was reduced on 11 Jul 1876.
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17 22 15.6 -38 29 01; Sco
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" (7/6/83): 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."
Using his 48-inch from Malta, William Lassell also sketched a thin, perfectly symmetric ring with a star "perhaps 10.5 or 11 magnitude" on the north side and a faint one embedded on the south rim. Joseph Turner made a similar sketch in 1874 with the 48-inch Great Melbourne Telescope (plate VII, figure 75, unpublished) as well as Pietro Baracchi in Sept. 1884 with the GMT.
The 5 superimposed stars were described in the 1921 Helwan Observatory list (based on photos taken in 1914-16) as follows: "Along a diameter of the ring in p.a. 25° is a line of stars, so straight as to suggest some connection with the nebula rather than a chance superposition. The two brightest stars are at opposite ends of this line, that to the north being just inside the ring and the south one on the ring itself. Between the central star and this south star is first (distant 5" from the former) a star 17-18 mag, and then either a still fainter star or possibly a small piece of nebulosity."
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17 15 23.0 +57 24 40; Dra
V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15°
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). He noted "faint, small, round, very gradually little brighter middle. The increase at a distance from the center." A small sketch was included in his 1811 PT paper (fig. 15) as an example "of nebulae that are gradually a little brighter in the middle."
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. This error was noted by Malcolm Thomson.
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17 17 06.5 +40 50 41; Her
V = 12.7; Size 2.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 10°
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. 9-78, 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
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17 10 25.1 +72 18 17; Dra
V = 11.0; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 120°
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, very gradually much brighter middle, R." John Herschel made the single observation "vF; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 25" sf a small double star 2' dist."
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17 17 07.2 +43 08 11; Her
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.
13.1" (many dates 7/16/82 to 6/30/84): highly resolution over entire disc, dozens of stars resolved in bright core. A bright knot in the core is partially resolved at 416x. Overall a couple of hundred stars were resolved.
8" (7/9/80): at 125x-160x; very bright, moderately large. Well resolved into many long streamers from the small bright nucleus and some core resolution. One string heads south from the core and curves north on the east side of the core.
Johann Bode discovered M92 = NGC 6341 on 27 Dec 1777. Charles Messier independently discovered M92 on 18 Mar 1781. He noted "it contains no star; the center is clear & brilliant, surrounded by nebulosity & resembles the nucleus of a large Comet: its brightness, its size, approache much that of the nebula which is in the girdle of Hercules [M13]."
William Herschel made an early observation on 25 Aug 1783 using his 12-inch (small 20-foot), calling it "A most beautiful sight. I can count 50 or 60 stars besides numberless that only distinguish themselves by twinkling..." It was encountered during his sweeps on 11 Jun 1787 (sweep 746) and called "a very brilliant cluster of extremely compressed small stars." Surprisingly, John Herschel recorded no observations in his Slough Catalogue.
Christian Peters reported finding it around 1850 at Capodimonte Observatory in Naples and claimed it did not appear in any catalogue.
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17 21 10.1 -19 35 15; Oph
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 SSW side of the halo [1.2' from
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.
Pietro Baracchi observed the GC on 3 Sep 1885 with the Melboure telescope and showed a separate small clump or knot on the NE side.
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NGC 6343 = MCG +07-35-060 = CGCG 225-095 = PGC 60010
17 17 16.3 +41 03 10; Her
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. 9-79, along with NGC
6339, on 21 Apr 1887. He recorded, "vF; S; lE; nf of 2 [with NGC
6339]." His position is 10
seconds of time too large and 1.4' north of
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17 17 18.2 +42 26 03; Her
V = 12.5/13.5
24" (6/28/19): relatively bright mag 12.5/13.5 pair of
stars at ~20" separation.
These are situated only 1' S of
17.5" (8/2/89): this is a pair of mag 12/13 stars just
1' S of PGC 60004 (misidentified as NGC 6344 in the RNGC). PGC 60004 appeared extremely faint and
small, round. Located 2.1' SW of
mag 8
Gerhard Lohse discovered NGC 6344 around 1886 with the 15.5-inch refractor at the private Wigglesworth Observatory in England. The discovery was communicated directly to Dreyer and never published separately. 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, near", 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. Hermann Kobold measured an accurate position for the double star in 1898 (identified as NGC 6344).
RNGC and PGC misidentify PGC 60004 as NGC 6344. This distant galaxy (merging system with a light-travel time of 2.3 billion years!) 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.
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NGC 6345 = MCG +10-24-115 = CGCG 299-065 = WBL 636-005 = PGC 59945
17 15 24.3 +57 21 01; Dra
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 33°
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. 6-91, 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.
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NGC 6346 = MCG +10-24-114 = CGCG 299-064 = WBL 636-004 = PGC 59946
17 15 24.5 +57 19 21; Dra
V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90°
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 communicated the position (2' south of NGC 6345) directly to Dreyer. Dreyer referenced Swift's 6th discovery list, which was still being prepared when the NGC went to press, but Swift only included a separate entry for nearby NGC 6345 and NGC 6346 never appeared in any of his dozen discovery lists.
Malcolm Thomson notes that MCG mislabels NGC 6345 as NGC 6346. Then it misidentifies NGC 6346 as IC 4650.
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17 19 54.7 +16 39 39; Her
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 100°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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.
Édouard Stephan found NGC 6347 = St. 11-55 on 14 Jun 1871 (probably aware of Safford's discovery) and measured an initial position 3' to the E (similar offset as his other discoveries that night). He measured an accurate micrometric position on 6 Jul 1880 and reported it as new in his 10th discovery list, #55.
Truman Safford made the original discovery of this galaxy on
6 Jun 1866 and his position for Sf. 29 is accurate. Stephan was credited in the NGC as Safford's discovery
wasn't published until 1887, too late to be incorporated into the main NGC
table. Dreyer made an error of 2°
in declination when he precessed Safford's (correct) position and so he missed
the equivalence with NGC 6347 and listed Sf. 29 as
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17 18 21.2 +41 38 51; Her
V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (8/2/89): very faint, very small, slightly
elongated. A mag 15 star is
30" SW. Pair with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6348 = St. 11-56 on 5 Jul 1877 during an observation of NGC 6350. He perhaps observed it earlier on 17 Jun 1876 though only gave a single position (3' NE of NGC 6350) in his notebook. A final reduced position was made on 29 Jun 1880 and reported in his 11th discovery list in 1881.
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17 19 06.5 +36 03 39; Her
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 81°
17.5" (8/2/89): faint, very small, round, weak
concentration. Forms a close pair
with
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6349 = St. 10-32, along with NGC 6351, on 4 Jun 1869. His single rough unpublished position was 14' too far south. On 15 Jul 1879 he measured micrometric positions for the pair with the description "very faint, extremely small, round, vF, eS, R, little brighter middle, preceding of 2."
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NGC 6350 = UGC 10800 = MCG +07-35-064 = CGCG 226-001 = PGC 60046
17 18 42.3 +41 41 39; Her
V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 11-57, probably along with NGC 6348, on 17 Jun 1876. A follow up observation (in which NGC 6348 is specifically mentioned) was made on 5 Jul 1877, as well as 21 Jun 1878. His published reduced position (list 11, #57) was measured on 29 Jun 1880.
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NGC 6351 = MCG +06-38-017 = PGC 60063
17 19 11.1 +36 03 37; Her
V = 15.0; Size 0.5'x0.5'
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 10-33, along with NGC 6349, on 4 Jun 1869. His single rough unpublished position was 14' too far south. On 15 Jul 1879 he measured a micrometric positions for the pair with the description "very faint, very small, fainter than the preceding [NGC 6349]."
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17 25 29.1 -48 25 22; Ara
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 were just resolved directly over the core.
18" (7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, fairly large. Even at 128x, the cluster was fairly well-resolved into roughly 75 stars. It displayed a rather loose concentration class with a broad central concentration to a moderately bright 3' core. The irregular halo extended 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.
13.1" (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 I've observed from Northern California with an elevation of only a couple of degrees.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6352 = D 411 on 14 May 1826. He described (summary) "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." Dunlop made 6 observations and his published position was ~15' too far east. John Herschel didn't observe this globular from the Cape, so it doesn't have a General Catalog designation.
E.E. Barnard independently found it on 7 Jul 1885 (Sidereal Messenger 4, page 223) and assumed it was new since it was missing from the General Catalog, but Lewis Swift informed him of Dunlop's prior discovery. Probably based on E.E. Barnard's recovery, it received a NGC designation.
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17 21 12.5 +15 41 19; Her
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).
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17 24 34 -38 32 30; Sco
= 4 stars, Corwin and Dorothy Carlson.
E.E. Barnard discovered NGC 6354 in 1884 with the 6-inch refractor at Vanderbilt University. His description in Sidereal Messenger Vol 3, page 184, 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.
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17 23 58.6 -26 21 12; Oph
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, John
Herschel made the single observation "vF; L; R; gradually brighter in the
middle; 2' diam; resolved into stars 18m." In early catalogues NGC 6355 was described as an open
cluster, with designations
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17 23 34.9 -17 48 47; Oph
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 is slightly elongated N-S, although the halo is circular or slightly elongated WSW-ENE. At 220x it was lively and mottled but there was no obvious resolution. At 280x and especially 380x, the edge of the halo was very ragged and the surface extensively mottled. Around the periphery some threshold stars popped 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). He recorded "a large, bright, round, easily resolvable nebula, brighter in the middle 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, John Herschel recorded it as a "globular, vB; R; very gradually very much brighter in the middle; 90" resolved into stars barely resolvable with left eye. A beautiful softly shaded object."
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17 24 44 -34 12 06; Sco
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 improved this HII region (G353.19+0.91) and showed a bright, elongated nebulosity oriented WSW-ENE, ~5'x2', which appeared 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 was slightly brighter and clumpy in the middle on the south side and a couple of very small slightly brighter knots were 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 HD 157528 and this star is the northernmost of a 27' line of four mag 6-7 stars that extends to the south (nicknamed "Las Cuatro Juanitas" in Chile). NGC 6334, the Cat's Paw Nebula, lies 2° SW.
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!
Pismis 24 contains ~14 stars in a 4' diameter, including a
close double star 11/12 at 4" and a mag 10.4 star (HDE 319718 = Pismis
24-1) at 15". A group of
10-12 very faint stars lies within 4' to the south. The mag 10.7 Wolf-Rayet star
John Herschel discovered NGC 6357 = h3682 on 8 Jun 1837 and recorded "F; L; E; very gradually little brighter middle; 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.
NGC 6357 was photographed in 1920 at the Helwan Observatory near Cairo with the 30" Reynolds reflector and described as "F, 4' long, irr.nebula, mE 90° ±; a line of structureless nebulosity, looped around two small stars at preceding end. There are indications of fainter outlying nebulosity, and possibly absorption to the south."
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17 18 53.0 +52 36 55; Dra
V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 110°
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. 6-92 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
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17 17 53.0 +61 46 50; Dra
V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 145°
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 SAO
17423. Forms a pair with
Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 6359 = Sw. 2-53 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 included it in his second discovery list as "vF; vS; R; forms arc of a circle with 2 stars; nebula between."
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17 24 28 -29 52 18; Oph
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 minute of RA W of Herschel'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."
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17 18 41.1 +60 36 29; Dra
V = 13.1; Size 2.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 54°
24" (9/25/19): at 260x; moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, 1.6'x0.4', contains a large brighter, elongated central region but no nucleus. The outer extensions are thin and low surface brightness. Located 16' ESE of bright orange VW Draconis.
Forms a close pair (
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 companion MCG +10-25-003, increasing the total length to 2.0'. MCG +10-25-003, 1.8' SW of center, appeared fairly faint, very small, oval 3:2 ~N-S, ~15"x10", very small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 15.9 star lies 24" NW.
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 (Arp 124) with extremely faint MCG +10-25-003 1.8' SW. The companion is extremely faint and small, round. A mag 15 star lies 25" NW.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6361 = Sw. 4-48 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
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17 31 54.8 -67 02 52; Ara
V = 7.6; 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 S side, 3.5' from center.
12.2" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): at 186x, this fairly loose globular appeared moderately bright and large and broadly concentrated. It was resolved into 25-30 stars with several arranged in a line bisecting the cluster. The ragged halo was roughly 8' in diameter. Located 1.2° 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." He also mentioned in his handwritten notes that a star of 7th mag was north preceding and the identification is certain.
On 22 Jul 1835, John Herschel recorded "globular cluster, B; L R; very gradually much brighter middle; diam. in RA = 50 second; diam 7' or 8'; stars all seen, 12..16th mag with outliers extending a good way."
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NGC 6363 = NGC 6138 = UGC 10827 = MCG +07-36-005 = CGCG 226-008 = PGC 60164
17 22 40.0 +41 06 06; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 140°
17.5" (8/2/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, gradually increases to a small bright core.
Édouard Stephan found NGC 6363 = St. 10-34 on 24 Jul 1879 (date position reduced). Stephan discovered this galaxy nearly 7 years earlier in 1872 and catalogued it as St. 2-2 (later NGC 6138). But he transposed the digits of the offset star and his published position (and the NGC) are in error. I don't know whether NGC 6363 was based on a second observation or he just rereduced the 1879 observation. Emmanuel Esmiol corrected the position of NGC 6138 when he re-reduced Stephan's positions in 1916. So, NGC 6138 = NGC 6363. Nevertheless, modern sources such as the RNGC misidentify NGC 6138, using the erroneous NGC position.
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17 24 27.4 +29 23 23; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 5°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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 = Voigt 6 = Sf. 49 = St. 10-35 = Sw. 2-54 on 15 Jul 1865. Observing with the 31-inch Silver-on-glass Marseilles reflector, his logbook position was just off the W end of the galaxy. Voigt's own discovery list (with 10 entries) wasn't published until 1987. Truman Safford found this galaxy again on 5 Sep 1866, though his discovery list wasn't published until 1887. Next, Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 13 Jun 1871 and 21 Jun 1871 (perhaps notified of Voigt's or Safford's prior observation?). His published position in list 10 (#35) was reduced on 21 Jul 1879 and is accurate. Finally, Lewis Swift found the galaxy on 11 Sep 1885 and reported it in his second discovery paper as "pF; vS; R; F * close; stellar." His RA was 20 seconds too small. Dreyer credited Stephan in the NGC.
This galaxy was independently "discovered" 4 times
before the NGC was published, and is tied for the most independent discoveries,
along with
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17 22 43.7 +62 10 12; Dra
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. 4-49 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 MCG +10-25-018 or -019 as NGC 6365.
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17 27 44.3 -05 04 36; Oph
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 seemed spread out over the entire disc, which was only weakly concentrated. The outline of the halo was quite irregular and ill-defined and may have extended more 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" (7/6/83): 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" (6/5/81 and 5/21/82): large, very diffuse, unresolved. Located 15' E of a mag 4.5 star that detracts from viewing.
Friedrich August Winnecke discovered NGC 6366 = Au 36 on 12 Apr 1860 with his personal 3-inch Merz refractor, while at the Pulkovo Observatory. He described it as "faint, 2 to 3' diam, no significant central brightening." Auwers included this globular cluster in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae.
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17 25 08.9 +37 45 35; Her
V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 161°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 11-58 on 19 Jun 1871. His initial position was 5' to the NE, consistent with other errors that night. Stephan's accurate micrometric position (list XI, #82) was made exactly 9 years later on 5 Jul 1880 with description "vF star in vf, vS, R nebula."
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17 27 11.6 +11 32 33; Oph
V = 12.3; Size 3.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 42°
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 STF 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." Édouard Stephan made observations at Marseilles Observatory on 20 Jun 1876, 6 Jun 1877 and 20 Jun 1878, though did not include it in one of his discovery papers.
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17 29 20.4 -23 45 35; Oph
V = 11.5; Size 30"
24" (7/14/18): at 500x; gorgeous annular planetary with a prominent 30" ring and a relatively large, dark central hole. The rim is noticeably brighter along an arc running from the west side counterclockwise to the northeast. The rim's surface brightness is quite irregular with at least a couple of sharp brighter spots, the brightest on the northwest rim.
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). He recorded "a curious round, tolerably defined pretty bright nebula 30 or 40" in diameter." The description was included in his 1785 PT paper ("Construction of the Heavens") . On 26 May 1786 (sweep 566), he called it "pretty bright, round, small, of equal brightness throughout." Of Herschel's 35 PNe discoveries, NGC 6369 is the furthest south.
From the Cape of Good Hope, John Herschel gave a more 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." His published sketch is on Plate VI, figure 4. Joseph Turner also sketched the planetary in Sep 1874 using the Great Melbourne Telescope (unpublished plate VII, figure 76).
Arthur Searle confirmed a gaseous spectrum at Harvard Observatory in 1879. 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."
John Mallas coined the nickname "Little Ghost" in his Apr/May 1963 article "Visual Atlas of Planetary Nebula-IV", published in the "Review of Popular Astronomy".
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17 23 25.4 +56 58 26; Dra
V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6
24" (6/30/16): at 322x; moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25"-30" diameter, bright core. Situated just 2.2' SSE of mag 6.5 HD 158013. The extremely low surface brightness outer halo was not seen.
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. 1-57 on 19 Apr 1885
and recorded "vF; vS; R; B * nr n." His position is just off the west side of
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17 27 20.6 +26 30 18; Her
V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 162°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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 = Sf. 45 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 discovered this galaxy again on 1 Aug 1866 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory and listed it as new in the 1887 publication. Stephan made an observation on 23 Jun 1871, probably aware of the prior discovery.
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NGC 6372 = UGC 10861 = MCG +04-41-013 = CGCG 140-028 = PGC 60330
17 27 32.0 +26 28 29; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 90°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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." Caroline's reduction is 2' northwest of
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17 24 08.2 +58 59 42; Dra
V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 90°
17.5" (6/18/88): extremely faint, fairly small, very diffuse. Appears very faint for V = 13.6.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6373 = Sw. 1-58 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
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17 34 43 -32 35 00; Sco
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
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17 29 21.8 +16 12 24; Her
V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0
17.5" (8/2/89): 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.
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17 25 19.2 +58 49 01; Dra
V = 15.1; Size 0.6'x0.3'; PA = 172°
24" (7/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, small, slightly
elongated ~N-S, 15"x10", no core or zones. NGC 6376 is the 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. 4-50, 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.
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NGC 6377 = UGC 10855e = MCG +10-25-026 = VII Zw 712 = KAZ 136 = PGC 60264
17 25 23.2 +58 49 22; Dra
V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 58°
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. 4-51, along with NGC 6376, on 1 Sep 1886, and recorded "eF; eS; R; little brighter middle; 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".
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17 30 42.1 +06 16 55; Oph
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 5°
24" (7/18/20): at 260x and 375x; fairly faint, fairly
small, oval 3:2 N-S, ~45"x30", brighter elongated core but overall
pretty diffuse. Situated in a very
rich Ophiuchus star field with two mag 11 stars 1.5' W and 1' S.
CGCG 55-2 appeared faint, small, oval 5:3 SW-NE, 20"x12, just held continuously.
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. 7-17 on 19 Jun 1876. His published position (list 7, #17) was made on 13 Jul 1876.
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NGC 6379 = UGC 10886 = MCG +03-44-010 = CGCG 111-044 = CGCG 112-002 = PGC 60421
17 30 35.0 +16 17 19; Her
V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9
17.5" (8/2/89): 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.
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17 34 28.2 -39 04 10; Sco
V = 11.3; Size 3.9'; Surf Br = 3.6
12.2" (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.
13.1" (5/30/87): extremely faint, small, very low
surface brightness, visible only 20% of time with averted. Mag 9.7
13.1" (7/6/83): not found.
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." Joseph Turner searched for it carefully on two clear nights without success using the 48-inch Great Melbourne Telescope in Sep/Oct 1874, although in the process he discovered the planetary H 1-26. Pietro Baracchi made an accurate sketch in Sep 1885. Paris Pismis reported it as new in her 1959 paper of 24 new clusters and 2 new globular clusters found with the Schmidt camera at the Tonantzila observatory. Some onine sources claim that this cluster was first discovered by James Dunlop and cataloged as Dunlop 538. Although his position is just 23' to the NW (not an unusual discrepancy), I seriously doubt he could have picked up NGC 6380 in his 9-inch speculum reflector and his desription makes no mention of being involved with a bright star.
Herschel's and Pismis' positions were accurate, but the RA was 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.
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17 27 16.7 +60 00 50; Dra
V = 12.9; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 25°
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 UGC 10870 1.2' SW. The companion appeared faint, small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.3'x0.2', low even surface brightness.
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
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
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6381 = Sw. 1-59, 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
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17 27 55.2 +56 52 08; Dra
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 discovered NGC 6382 = Sw. 1-60 on 2 Jun
1883. The description reads
"pF; pS; R; * near."
Lewis Swift's son Edward was only 12 years old at the time. This was his first discovery of 25
objects in the NGC (two of these are lost --
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NGC 6383 = NGC 6374 = ESO 393-7 = Cr 335 = Gum 67 = Ced 147 = RCW 132
17 34 43 -32 35 00; Sco
V = 5.5; Size 5'
14.5" (7/23/22): at 264x; the central region is
dominated by mag 5.7
17.5" (8/27/92): 20 stars mag 12-14 surround mag 5.7 HD 159176. Elongated WNW-ESE in a 5' string. The bright star has 4 or 5 faint companions within 1' (HJ 4962 = 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" (6/5/81): 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 large * 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.
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17 32 24.4 +07 03 37; Oph
V = 10.4; Size 6.2'x4.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 30°
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 wasn't 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. 2-14 on 10 Jun 1863. He noted "pB, S, vlE" and his position was 4' too far north. NGC 6384 is the brightest of Marth's discoveries. Heinrich d'Arrest rediscovered NGC 6384 on 8 Apr 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. Édouard Stephan observed it again on 9 Jun 1869, 6 Jul 1871, 17 Jun 1876 and 24 June 1878! Was he aware from Lassell's publication in 1867? He reported it as new in his 2nd discovery list (#14), published in 1871. Dreyer credited all three observers in the NGC, though listed d'Arrest first instead of Marth.
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17 28 01.5 +57 31 19; Dra
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. 4-52, 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.
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17 28 51.7 +52 43 24; Dra
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. 1-61 on 8 Jun 1883 and
logged "vF; pS; R; be 2 st."
His position is just 10 seconds east of
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NGC 6387 = CGCG 300-037 = I Zw 189 = PGC 60355
17 28 23.8 +57 32 44; Dra
V = 14.4; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8
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. 4-53, 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
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17 36 17.0 -44 44 06; Sco
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 within the main halo. The appearance was very symmetric and strongly concentrated with a blazing core that ranks as one of the highest surface brightness globular cluster cores. I didn't use higher power to try and resolve.
13.1" (7/12/86): bright at 214x, moderately large, increases to a small very bright core. Has a grainy, lively appearance but no resolution. Elevation at most 7°.
8" (6/19/82): bright, moderately large, intense core, fainter halo, no resolution. Very far south (altitude less than 8°).
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6388 = D 457 = h3690 on 13 May 1826. His summary description based on 7 observations reads, "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 - Figure 18." His position is just 1.5' south of center.
John Herschel, observing on 5 Jun 1834, recorded "globular, vB, R, at first pretty gradually, then pretty suddenly very much brighter middle 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 pretty gradually, then pretty suddenly very much brighter middle, 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."
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17 32 39.8 +16 24 06; Her
V = 12.1; Size 2.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 130°
17.5" (8/2/89): 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). He recorded "faint, small, irregular figure, easily resolvable, about 2' long." His RA was 20 seconds too small. Stephan made observations on 23 Jun 1871 and on 20 Jun 1878. Christian Peters measured an accurate position on 7 Jul 1878 while observing Comet 1878a.
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NGC 6390 = UGC 10881 = MCG +10-25-047 = CGCG 300-040 = WBL 641-004 = PGC 60356
17 28 28.1 +60 05 39; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 1.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 8°
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. 1-62, 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
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17 28 49.0 +58 51 03; Dra
V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 85°
17.5" (6/18/88): very faint, very small, round, bright core, very faint stellar nucleus.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6391 = Sw. 4-54 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.
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17 43 30.3 -69 47 06; Aps
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; gradually little brighter middle; 20"; 50 stars in
field." His position
(measured on two nights) matches
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17 30 08.5 +59 31 55; Dra
V = 15.3; 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. 1-64, 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.
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NGC 6394 = UGC 10889 = MCG +10-25-055 = PGC 60410
17 30 21.4 +59 38 23; Dra
V = 14.4; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 42°
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.
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17 26 31.1 +71 05 43; Dra
V = 12.3; Size 2.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 15°
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 discovered NGC 6395 = Sw. 1-63 on 18 Sep 1884. Lewis Swift's son was only 13 years old at the time. The description reads "vF; pL; lE; double star north; 2 stars near point to it." The RA was 30 seconds of time too large. Bigourdan's measured an accurate position on 8 Aug 1888 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
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17 37 36 -35 01 36; Sco
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.
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17 40 41.3 -53 40 25; Ara
V = 5.7; Size 25.7'; Surf Br = 0.6
18" (7/8/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): The view of this showpiece globular at 171x was amazing at nearly 70° elevation. 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 appeared fully resolved in the halo and even the blazing core was covered wall-to-wall with stars. Many of the stars are arranged in small groups, chains, curves, etc. The concentrated core appeared ~3.5' diameter and at 228x had a 3-dimensional appearance with the mag 10.5-11.5 stars layered over a dense, uneven background carpet of stars. 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 the edges of the core. The cluster 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 and naked-eye (8/8/04 - Haleakala Crater): picked up very easily 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 in June and July and his position was 5' east of center.
John Herschel's first observation (8 Jul 1834) reads, "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."
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17 42 43.9 -61 41 39; Pav
V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 6°
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.
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NGC 6399 = UGC 10896 = MCG +10-25-059 = CGCG 300-047 = PGC 60442
17 31 50.4 +59 36 55; Dra
V = 13.7; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5°
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. 1-66, along with NGC 6393 and 6394, on 7 Jul 1885 and recorded "vvF; vS; R." His position is 1' too far southwest.
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17 40 13 -36 56 54; Sco
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 center of 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 loop of stars on the north end.
8" (6/5/81): faint, fairly small, fairly rich. Many stars are aligned in rows.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6400 = D 568 = h3696 on 13 May 1826. His first (of 3) observations reads "a faint nebula of a triangular igure, about 4' or 5' in length - resolvable into small stars nebulae remaining and further resolvable into very minutes stars." John Herschel observed the cluster on 28 Jun 1834 (sweep 461) and recorded "Cluster class VII, p rich; pL, irr R, 8', stars 9..10m."
The RA in Sulentic and Tifft's RNGC is 0.6 minutes too large.
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17 38 36.9 -23 54 32; Oph
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). He recorded "considerably bright, pretty large, having a kind of nucleus towards the following side." The "nucleus" on the eastern side is certainly the superimposed star mentioned in my observation. On 26 May 1786 (sweep 566), he called it "pretty bright, gradually brighter in the middle, large, resolvable, some of the stars visible." From the Cape of Good Hope, John Herschel logged "pB; R; very gradually brighter middle; 25"; a * 13m involved, following the centre."
Sven Cederblad catalogued this globular as the nebula Ced 149. This incorrect classification is probably from Julius Scheiner, who gave its spectrum as gaseous (before 1912) at the Potsdam Observatory.
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17 37 36.1 -03 14 45; Oph
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.
13.1" (7/6/83): fairly large, broad concentration. About a dozen very faint stars are resolved across the disk. The outer halo fades out smoothly.
Charles Messier discovered
William Herschel, 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." Herschel first observed M14 during his sweeps on 21
Jul 1784 but "daylight is yet too strong" to resolve. Later in the sweeps he resolved
On 29 and 30 May 1821, William (now 82) instructed John (at 29) how to sweep and record objects. The last object lobbed on the 30th was M14, which John described (and recorded by Caroline) "a globular cluster of excessively small stars, barely but certainly resolved with the examining power and difficult with the sweeping power, brighter in the middle." The sweep was registered out of order in his Slough Catalogue as sweep 54.
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NGC 6403 = ESO 139-019 = PGC 60750
17 43 23.7 -61 40 56; Pav
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.
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17 39 37 -33 14 48; Sco
Size 5'
13.1" (7/6/83): 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.
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17 40 21 -32 15 18; Sco
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 = D 612 = h3699 before 1654 and recorded 18 stars. He didn't report coordinates for the cluster but called it "the second and smallest of the two in the Scopion's stinger, westwards." Philippe Loys de Chéseaux independently found the cluster by 1745-46 in Switzerland. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille found the cluster again in 1752 with his 1/2-inch telescope at 8x, during his star survey at 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 was credited with the discovery in the NGC. Although a naked-eye cluster, it apparently was not included in any earlier list.
In his Messier survey, William Herschel observed M6 on 30
Jul 1783 and wrote, "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." He viewed it again on 13 Jul 1784 (first object on sweep
237) as "a cluster of stars of 3 or 4 different sizes coarsely scattered.
Contains a double star of the 2nd class, my field takes in about 60 stars of
the cluster." From his
latitude, M6 culminated at an altitude of only 6.4°. He viewed several other
horizon hugging clusters in the same sweep, including
On 13 May 1826 James Dunlop described M6 as "a cluster of pretty bright small stars in irregular curved and bent lines - no very sensible marks of central attraction, 15' diameter."
According to Sue French, the popular nickname "Butterfly Cluster" may come from "Splendour of the Heavens" (1923) by Phillips and Steavenson. In this book, M6 was described as "somewhat irregular in shape, with central rib of stars, and resembles a butterfly with open wings."
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17 38 19.1 +18 49 58; Her
= **?, 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.
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17 44 57.6 -60 44 22; Pav
V = 12.3; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60°
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: little brighter middle; 15"; near 3 stars." His position is accurate.
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17 38 47.3 +18 52 40; Her
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4
17.5" (8/2/89): 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. 2-15 on 2 Jun 1864 and noted "F, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle." His position is 1' too far north. Édouard Stephan observed the galaxy on 14 Jun and 7 Jul 1871 (probably already aware of Marth's prior discovery). He measured an accurate micrometric position on 16 Jul 1871 and reported it as new in his second discovery list (18 of the 30 objects in the list were discovered earlier by Marth). Dreyer credited both Marth (1) and Stephan (2) in the NGC.
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17 36 35.4 +50 45 57; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60°
17.5" (7/19/90): faint, small, round, broad concentration.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6409 = Sw. 1-67 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).
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17 35 20.5 +60 47 32; Dra
= **?, Gottlieb. = *, RNGC.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6410 = Sw. 6-93 on 2 May 1887 and
recorded "eeF, S, R, nearly between 2 stars, GC 4320 [
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NGC 6411 = UGC 10916 = MCG +10-25-068 = CGCG 300-052 = PGC 60536
17 35 32.5 +60 48 48; Dra
V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70°
17.5" (6/22/90 and 7/21/90): 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.
17.5" (7/10/99): viewed the Type Ia SN 1999da, which was discovered on images taken just 4 days earlier. It appeared mag 15.5-16 and is situated 1.2' W of center of NGC 6411.
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.
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17 29 37.0 +75 42 15; Dra
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 in the north, under the pole). Surprisingly, he described this galaxy as a cluster of class
VI (very condensed and rich clusters of stars) -- "round, resolvable,
about 3' diameter, very gradually brighter middle. 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." A similar error was made with
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17 40 40.7 +12 37 26; Oph
= ***, Gottlieb. = Not found, RNGC.
Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 6413 = St. 2-16 on 28 Jun 1869. His uncorrected position was 4' S of a group of three or four close stars including a 3" double. His published position in list 2 (#16) was reduced on 20 Jul 1870 with description "extremely small and faint, a small star (nucleus) surrounded by a nebulosity". The RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.
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17 30 36.7 +74 22 34; Dra
V = 14.6; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 143°
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. 3-94 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
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17 44 40 -35 03; Sco
= 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. Herschel didn't assign a number in the Cape Catalogue, 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 Herschel'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 h3701' -- D 595 is only 1' diameter and D 596 is 5' x 30".
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17 44 20 -32 21 42; Sco
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.
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17 41 47.9 +23 40 19; Her
V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6
17.5" (8/2/89): 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, very little brighter middle." His position is accurate.
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17 38 09.3 +58 42 54; Dra
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. 1-68 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
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17 36 06.2 +68 09 20; Dra
V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 134°
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 (WBL 644) with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6419 = Sw. 2-55, 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.
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NGC 6420 = MCG +11-21-013 = CGCG 321-025 = WBL 644-004 = PGC 60553
17 36 16.2 +68 03 08; Dra
V = 14.4; Size 0.65'x0.2'; PA = 54°
24" (6/16/20): at 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 25"x20", small bright nucleus. In a group with brighter NGC 6422 1.4' ENE.
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. 2-56, 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
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17 45 44 -33 41 36; Sco
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." Herschel 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 two NGC listings for h3702 (NGC 6416 and NGC 6421).
James Dunlop's D 605 probably applies to this Milky Way field. On 5 Jun 1826 he wrote "The milky way for several degrees in this place is very beautiful. The patches of starry nebulae and alternate(?) black places of the sky - through the telescope very much resembles small cumulus clouds."
Joseph Turner searched unsuccessfully for this object witht the Great Melbourne Telescope on 25 Sep 1875.
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NGC 6422 = MCG +11-21-015 = CGCG 321-026 = WBL 644-005 = PGC 60558
17 36 29.9 +68 03 31; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.75'; PA = 58°
24" (6/16/20): at 260x; between fairly faint and
moderately bright, slightly elongated ~N-S, ~50"x40", contains a
bright core and a low surface brightness halo. A mag 8.9 star (
PGC 60553 appeared faint, round, 20" diameter, fairly low nearly even surface brightness, faint stellar nucleus.
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 =
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6422 = Sw. 2-57, 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 doesn't label +11-21-015 as NGC 6422. See notes for NGC 6419.
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NGC 6423 = MCG +11-21-016 = CGCG 321-027 = WBL 644-006 = PGC 60576
17 36 53.3 +68 10 17; Dra
V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 165°
17.5" (6/11/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 6419 4.5' W. Member of the NGC 6422 group (WBL 644)
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6423 = Sw. 2-58, along with NGC
6422 = Sw. 2-57, on 1 Aug 1885, and recorded "eeF; vS; R; * nr east; v
diff." His position is 12
seconds west and 0.8' south of
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17 36 11.9 +69 59 20; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 0.9'x0.75'; Surf Br = 13.0
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. 2-59 on 5 Aug 1885 and
logged "vF; pS; R." His
position is less than 1' from
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17 47 02 -31 31 48; Sco
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" (6/5/81): 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.
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17 44 54.7 +03 10 13; Oph
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. 7-18 on 3 Jun 1786 (sweep 572) and recorded "faint, considerably large, irregular figure." His position was reasonably accurate. Stephan found the cluster 90 years later on 18 Jun 1876 and reported it as new in his 7th discovery list (#18). As a result, Dreyer catalogued it again in the GC Supplement as #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!
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17 43 38.7 +25 29 38; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 36°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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
Albert Marth discovered NGC 6427 = m 342 = Sf. 48, along with NGC 6429, on 2 Jul 1864. His position was 1' to the N. Truman Safford discovered it again on 28 Aug 1866 and recorded Sf. 48 as "pB, pL, very much brighter in the middle." His position was 20' too far north, but matches in RA (he noted "position not certain" in a footnote).
Édouard Stephan rediscovered this galaxy again on 12 July
1869 with his unpublished position just 2' W (perhaps aware of Marth's
discovery?). He measured a
micrometric position on 23 Jun 1870 and reported it in his first discovery list
(St. 1-7, later
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17 43 52.9 +25 33 23; Her
= *, 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.
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NGC 6429 = UGC 10960 = MCG +04-42-004 = CGCG 141-007 = PGC 60770
17 44 05.4 +25 21 01; Her
V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 23°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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, along with NGC 6427, on 2 Jul 1864 and noted "F, S, stellar." Édouard Stephan made observations on 17 Jun 1876 and 4 Jul 1877, probably aware of Marth's discovery, as he didn't list it as new.
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17 45 14.3 +18 08 18; Her
V = 13.5; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 97°
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".
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NGC 6431 = NGC 6427 = UGC 10957 = MCG +04-42-003 = CGCG 141-006 = PGC 60758
17 43 38.7 +25 29 38; Her
V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 36°
See observing notes for NGC 6427.
Édouard Stephan found NGC 6431 = St. 1-7 on 12 July 1869 and recorded an uncorrected position 2' too far W. His published position in list 1 (#7) was reduced on 23 Jun 1870, but Bigourdan (visually) and Reinmuth (on Heidelberg plates) found nothing at his position. However, Harold Corwin found Stephan misidentified his comparison star and once corrected his position matches NGC 6427 = UGC 10957, which Albert Marth discovered earlier on 2 Jul 1864. 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). Stephan made a later observation on 17 Jun 1876 with a rough position 2' SE, but apparently it wasn't carefully reduced.
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17 47 23 -24 53 12; Sgr
= 4* mag 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."
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17 43 56.3 +36 48 01; Her
V = 13.3; Size 2.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 163°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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." Stephan made an observation on 14 Jun 1871, though did not include it in any of his discovery lists (he was likely using Marth's discovery position).
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17 36 49.0 +72 05 20; Dra
V = 12.4; Size 2.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100°
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]." John Herschel made the single observation "vF; vS; R; bM; 6"; 90" n of a * 8m."
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17 40 11.1 +62 38 29; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5°
17.5" (7/21/90): faint, very small, slightly elongated,
small bright core, stellar nucleus.
Forms a pair with
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6435 = Sw. 9-86 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 6 in the NGC, but the discovery wasn't published until a couple of years later in his 9th list (along with others he didn't include in list 6).
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17 41 13.2 +60 26 59; Dra
V = 14.2; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 173°
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. 5-74 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
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17 48 45 -35 26 00; Sco
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 (Herschel'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.
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18 22 17.7 -85 24 07; Oct
V = 11.4; Size 1.6'x1.3'; PA = 156°
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 (a disrupted peculiar galaxy) is attached on the east side and appeared
as a faint, diffuse glow, elongated SW-NE, ~0.8'x0.5'. This system is the second closest NGC
galaxy to the south celestial pole and is located 4' NE of a mag 9.5 star (an
uncatalogued double star) and 16' NE of mag 8
John Herschel discovered NGC 6438 = h3701 on 2 Jun 1835 and logged "pB; R; very gradually brighter middle. RA rudely taken, and may be very erroneous." His RA was 3 minutes of time too large, though this translate to only 3.6' in the sky at this far southerly declination.
Pietro Baracchi observed NGC 6438 on 3 Oct 1885 with the Great Melbourne Telescope and described a "Double nebula or a small round pretty bright, [?], pretty much brighter middle almost to a star like nucleus, with faint roundish flat appendage south following about 40" in diameter which might be a close companion to [NGC 6438]." His sketch clearly shows a double galaxy with a bright, small nebula on the NW side (NGC 6438) and a larger, fainter glow (NGC 6438A) attached on the SE edge.
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17 48 19.8 -16 28 44; Sgr
V = 12.7; Size 6"x5"
14.5" (7/1/21): confirmed by blinking with an OIII filter at 182x only 1' S of a mag 10.4 star. Excellent contrast gain with the filter and equal to the much brighter star. At 226x a small blue-grey disc was visible, just a few arcseconds in diameter. The best view, though, was unfiltered at 352x and 566x with the disc spanning 4" or 5". Occasionally I had the impression of a brighter central peak (central star?).
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 10.5 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 10.5 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 software (and probably others) 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."
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17 48 52.6 -20 21 35; Sgr
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 was 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 popped 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 NGC 6445 just 21' NNE and is situated within a string of four mag 11-12 stars oriented NW-SE. It appears fairly faint, round, at least 2' diameter. At 280x the diffuse halo increases to a moderately bright, round core. Although the globular appears granular, there was no resolution in good seeing except for a very faint star that was intermittently visible off the north edge of the core.
13.1" (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, very gradually much brighter middle, about 1 1/2' diameter."
Based on early Crossley plates of the region, Heber Curtis wrote a note in 1918PASP...30..161C titled "A Spiral Nebula in the Milky Way." He stated "The nebula NGC 6440 appears to form practically the only known exception to this rule [that spiral nebulae are never found in the Milky Way itself]. Although this object is some distance from the center of all available Crossley plates of this region, rendering its details somewhat indistinct, there seems to be no doubt that it is a rather bright, nearly round, very compact, spiral nebula 1.5' in diameter. Its unusual interest lies in the fact that it is less than 2° from the galactic plane." Before this erroneous note was published a footnote was added stating another plate was taken and "the probabilities are that it is a compact star-cluster showing evidences of spiral formation." Based on photographs taken at the Helwan observatory in 1919-20, the description also reads "some indication of the stars being in spiral formation".
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17 50 12.8 -37 03 04; Sco
V = 7.4; Size 7.8'; Surf Br = 1.4
17.5" (7/14/99): NGC 6441 is situated just 4.5' following mag 3.2 G Scorpii! At 220x it appeared moderately bright, round, ~2.7' diameter, fairly sharp concentration with a prominent 1' core. A mag 11 field 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. There was no definite resolution into cleanly visible stars, although the globular had a granular appearance. H 1-36, a symbiotic star (mimics a stellar planetary), is located just 1.3' NW of the mag 3.2 star!
13.1" (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 was easily visible at 21x in the finder.
James Dunlop discovered NGC 6441 = D 557 = h3705 on 13 May 1826. He made 5 observations and published the description "a small well-defined rather bright nebula, about 20 arcseconds diameter, a very small star precedes it, but it is not involved; following gamma (G) Telescopii."
John Herschel first recorded on 28 Jun 1834 (sweep 461), "globular cluster, B, R, 90", very gradually brighter middle, resolvable (barely so), a very regularly graduating neb or cluster; in field with gamma Telescopii." The next night (sweep 462) he logged "globular, B, R, very gradually brighter middle, 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).
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17 46 51.3 +20 45 40; Her
V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.8
17.5" (8/3/89): 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, gradually brighter in the middle." His position is 1' too far north. Édouard Stephan made an observation on 6 Jun 1877. The previous object he recorded was NGC 6368, also a Marth discovery.
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17 44 33.9 +48 06 50; Her
V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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. 5-75 on 22 Oct 1886
and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; e diff." His position is less than 1' north of
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17 49 35 -34 49 12; Sco
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 Dun 597 as 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.
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NGC 6445 = PK 8+3.1 = ESO 589-9 = PN G008.0+03.9 = Box Nebula
17 49 15.3 -20 00 34; Sgr
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 NW end is slightly bowed out and has a well-defined boundary edge in the interior. The rim at the SE 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.
13.1" (8/5/83 and 6/30/84): 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" (6/5/81): 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). He recorded "pretty bright, small, irregular figure" and it was catalogued in class II of "Faint Nebulae". John Herschel called this planetary "pB; pL; R; r; 40"."
At Birr Castle 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 portion 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..." Based on Helwan photographs in 1919-20, it was reported as "trapezium-shaped object with very sharp corners; the two parallel sides are considerably brighter than the other pair and lie in p.a. 60° and 240°; the NE corner is a right angle; no indication of a central star."
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
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17 46 07.5 +35 34 10; Her
V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 29°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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).
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NGC 6447 = UGC 10975 = MCG +06-39-019 = CGCG 199-019 = PGC 60829
17 46 17.2 +35 34 20; Her
V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 145°
17.5" (8/3/89): 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).
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17 43 42.8 +53 32 44; Dra
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
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6448 = Sw. 2-60 on 16 July 1885 and logged "vF, pS, R, little brighter middle." 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.
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17 43 46.3 +56 48 14; Dra
V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 135°
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. 1-69 on 19 Apr 1885 and recorded "vF; pS; R; bM." His position is at the northeast edge of the galaxy.
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17 47 30 +18 35; Her
= Not found, Dreyer.
Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6450 = Sw. 2-61 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.
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17 50 44 -30 12 42; Sco
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" (6/5/81): 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." The cluster culminated at the altitude of only 8.4° from his location.
On 3 Aug 1834 (sweep 478), John Herschel 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.
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17 47 58.5 +20 50 16; Her
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
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17 50 52 -34 36 00; Sco
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 round nebula; pretty much brighter middle; resolvable." His RA was 28 seconds too large, but it was reported as rounded to the nearest minute (marked as +/-) and the description fits.
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17 44 56.6 +55 42 17; Dra
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. 1-70 on 19 Apr 1885 and noted "vF; pS; R; little brighter in the middle." His position is 18 seconds of RA too small. Bigourdan remeasured an accurate RA on 4 Oct 1890 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).
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17 51 08 -35 20 18; Sco
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.
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17 42 31.7 +67 35 33; Dra
V = 14.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 45°
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. 5-76, along with NGC
6471, 6472 and 6477, on 25 Sep 1886 and recorded "eeeF; eS; R; ee diff;
between 2 stars; 1st of 6."
His position is 11 sec of RA west and 1' north of
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17 42 53.0 +66 28 33; Dra
V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 140°
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. 1-71 on 8 Jun 1885 and recorded "F; vS; R; bM." The position matches
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NGC 6458 = UGC 10994 = MCG +03-45-029 = CGCG 112-051 = PGC 60911
17 49 10.9 +20 48 15; Her
V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 155°
17.5"