110 Best NGC Objects

110 BEST OBJECTS IN THE NEW GENERAL CATALOG

by A.J. Crayon and Steve Coe

Version 1.0, dated Thu 01-04-1990

This list is used by members of the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix, Az.

Constellation abbreviations are the IAU standard.

Type abbreviations
GC	globular cluster
OC	open cluster
PN	planetary nebula
EN	emission nebula
SNR	supernova remnant
RN	reflection nebula

Galaxies are identified by their Hubble type.
Sizes are in arc minutes unless noted otherwise.

Click on an NGC number for observation notes.

NGC number	Con	Type	RA_2000	Dec	Mag	Size	Comments
891	AND	Sb	02 22.6	+42 21	11.5	14.0×3.0	edge-on with dust lane
7662	AND	PN	23 25.9	+42 33	8.6	17″x14″	use high power for detail
6781	AQL	PN	19 18.5	+06 32	11.8	111″x109″	large, pale
7009	AQR	PN	21 04.2	-11 22	8.3	28″x23″	Saturn, small green oval
7293	AQR	PN	22 29.6	-20 48	6.3	960″x720″	Helix, large, diffuse
772	ARI	Sb	01 59.4	+19 00	11.5	8.0×5.0	diffuse spiral
1907	AUR	OC	05 28.0	+35 19	8.2	7.0	30* mags 9…
1931	AUR	OC	05 31.4	+34 15	11.3	3×3	haze around 4*
1501	CAM	PN	04 07.0	+60 55	12	55.8″x48″	faint, dark center
2403	CAM	Sc	07 36.8	+65 37	9.5	17.8	visible in binocs
2655	CAM	S	08 55.6	+78 13	11.5	6.5×5.8	stellar nucleus
185	CAS	dE0	00 39.0	+48 20	9.7	12×10	distant companion to M31
281	CAS	OC	00 52.8	+56 37	7.4	4.0	responds to UHC filter
457	CAS	OC	01 19.1	+58 20	6.4	13.0	rich, 80*
663	CAS	OC	01 46.0	+61 15	7.1	16.0	NGC’s 654 + 659 nearby
7789	CAS	OC	23 57.0	+56 44	6.7	16.0	very rich, many dim*
5128	CEN	SOp	13 25.5	-43 01	8.0	18×15	equatorial dust lane
5139	CEN	GC	13 26.8	-47 29	3.7	36	Omega Centauri!
40	CEP	PN	00 13.0	+72 32	10.7	60″x40″	central* 11.6mag
6939	CEP	OC	20 31.4	+60 38	7.8	8.0	rich, 80*, near NGC 6946
6946	CEP	Sc	20 34.8	+60 09	10.5	14	diffuse, face-on
7129	CEP	RN	21 41.3	+66 06	11.5	7×7	faint reflection neby
246	CET	PN	00 47.1	-11 53	8.5	240″x210″	low surface brightness
936	CET	SBa	02 27.7	-01 09	11	5.6×4.5	near M77
2359	CMA	EN	07 17.8	-13 13	—	8.0	Duck Neb, UHC helps
4274	COM	Sb	12 19.9	+29 37	11.1	7.3×2.7	many other NGC’s near
4414	COM	SC	12 26.4	+31 14	10.9	4.8×3.2	stellar nucleus
4494	COM	E1	12 31.3	+25 47	10.7	4.5×4.3	small, compact
4559	COM	SC	12 35.9	+27 58	10.7	13.0×5.2	coarse structure
4565	COM	Sb	12 36.3	+26 00	10.3	15.5×1.9	superb edge-on, dust lane
4725	COM	Sb	12 50.4	+25 33	10.2	12.0×9.0	bright, large spiral
4361	CRV	PN	12 24.5	-18 48	10.3	80″	small, bright
4111	CVN	S0	12 07.1	+43 05	11.4	4.3×0.8	bright lens shape
4214	CVN	Ir	12 15.7	+36 20	10.3	11×9.0	large irregular
4244	CVN	S	12 17.5	+37 49	10.8	18.5×2.3	huge edge-on
4449	CVN	Ir	12 28.2	+44 06	10	6.0×4,5	bizarre rectangular shape
4490	CVN	Sc	12 30.6	+41 39	10.1	7.0×3.5	bright spiral
4631	CVN	Sc	12 42.1	+32 33	9.8	17.0×3.5	huge edge-on
4656	CVN	Sc	12 43.9	+32 11	10.6	22.0×3.0	companion is NGC 4657
5005	CVN	Sb	13 11.0	+37 03	10.6	6.3×3.0	near Alpha CVn
5033	CVN	Sb	13 13.5	+36 36	10.9	11.5×5.5	near NGC 5005
6819	CYG	OC	19 41.3	+40 11	7.3	5.0	rich, 150*
6826	CYG	PN	19 44.8	+50 31	8.8	27″x24″	Blinking PN, 10mag*
6960	CYG	EN	20 45.6	+30 43	—	70×6	Veil, west half
6992	CYG	EN	20 56.3	+31 42	—	60×8	Veil, east, use UHC
7000	CYG	EN	20 58.8	+44 20	—	120×100	North Am., low power
7027	CYG	PN	21 07.1	+42 14	9.6	18″x11″	proto-planetary, unique
5907	DRA	Sb	15 15.9	+56 19	11.4	12.8×1.8	fine edge-on, dust lane
6503	DRA	Sb	17 49.4	+70 09	11.5	8×2.6	bright, elongated
6543	DRA	PN	17 58.6	+66 38	8.3	22″x16″	11th mag central*
1232	ERI	Sc	03 09.7	-20 34	10.5	8×7	face-on spiral
1535	ERI	PN	04 14.2	-12 44	10.4	20″x17″	bright bluish disk
2158	GEM	OC	06 07.5	+24 06	8.6	5.0	near M35, compact
2392	GEM	PN	07 29.2	+20 55	8.6	47″x43″	Eskimo, use high power
6207	HER	Sc	16 43.1	+36 50	12.5	3.3×1.2	no definite nucleus
6210	HER	PN	16 44.5	+23 49	9.7	20″x13″	small, bluish
3242	HYA	PN	10 24.8	-18 38	8.6	40″x35″	Ghost of Jupiter
7209	LAC	OC	22 05.2	+46 30	6.7	25.0	50*
7243	LAC	OC	22 15.3	+49 53	6.4	21.0	40*
2903	LEO	Sb	09 32.2	+21 29	10	13.3×6.0	bright, elongated
3384	LEO	E7	10 48.3	+12 38	10	5.4×2.8	in field of M105
3521	LEO	Sc	11 05.8	-00 02	10.1	13.5×7.0	large, bright
3607	LEO	E1	11 16.9	+18 03	10.2	4.5×4.0	other galxy’s nearby
3628	LEO	Sb	11 20.3	+13 36	11.5	15.5×4.3	edge-on, near M65-66
3344	LMI	Sc	10 43.5	+24 55	11.1	7.5×7.0	diffuse face-on
3432	LMI	Sc	10 52.5	+36 37	11.7	7.5×2.0	edge-on, faint streak
2683	LYN	Sb	08 52.7	+33 25	11	9.2×2.6	bright edge-on
2244	MON	OC	06 32.4	+04 52	4.8	24.0	Rosette, OC + neby
2261	MON	EN	06 39.2	+08 44	—	2×1	Hubble’s Neb, comet like
6369	OPH	PN	17 29.3	-23 46	11	30″x29″	near NGC 6309
6572	OPH	PN	18 12.1	+06 51	9	15″x12″	small, bright
6633	OPH	OC	18 27.7	+06 34	4.6	27.0	large, sparse, bright
1788	ORI	EN	05 06.9	-03 20	—	8×5	comet shaped
1973	ORI	EN	05 35.1	-04 44	—	5×5	near M42
2024	ORI	EN	05 42.0	-01 50	—	30×30	put Zeta out of field
2022	ORI	PN	05 42.1	+09 05	12.8	28″x27″	small, annular
2194	ORI	OC	06 13.8	+12 48	8.5	10.0	rich with faint stars
7331	PEG	Sb	22 37.1	+34 25	10.4	11.4×4.0	elongated in PA 171 deg
869	PER	OC	02 19.0	+57 09	4.3	30.0	Double Cluster w/NGC 884
884	PER	OC	02 22.4	+57 07	4.4	30.0	350*, use low power
1023	PER	E7p	02 40.5	+39 03	11	9×4	lens shaped
1491	PER	EN	04 03.3	+51 18	—	3×3	small, fairly bright
2438	PUP	PN	07 41.8	-14 44	11	65″	on N edge of M46
2440	PUP	PN	07 41.9	-18 13	11.5	54″x20″	almost stellar
2539	PUP	OC	08 10.7	-12 50	6.5	22.0	rich, near M46 + M47
253	SCL	Scp	00 47.5	-25 18	7.1	25×7	large
6712	SCT	GC	18 53.1	-08 42	8.2	7.2	PN IC 1295 in field
3115	SEX	E6	10 05.2	-07 43	10.1	8.3×3.2	Spindle, lens-shaped
6445	SGR	PN	17 49.2	-20 01	13	35″x30″	annular, near M23
6520	SGR	OC	18 03.4	-27 54	7.6	6.0	60*, compact, near B86
6818	SGR	PN	19 44.0	-14 09	10	22″x15″	annular, near NGC 6822
2841	UMA	Sb	09 22.0	+50 59	10.5	7.4×3.5	bright edge-on
3079	UMA	Sb	10 02.0	+55 41	11.2	8.7×1.6	elongated in PA 165 deg
3077	UMA	E2p	10 03.3	+68 44	10.7	6.0×4.5	bright core
3184	UMA	Sc	10 18.3	+41 25	10.4	8.5×7.8	diffuse face-on
3675	UMA	Sb	11 26.1	+43 35	10.4	6.8×3.5	in field of 56 UMA
3877	UMA	Sc	11 46.1	+47 30	11.8	5.6×1.2	elongated in PA 35 deg
3941	UMA	E3	11 52.9	+36 59	11.3	3.6×2.5	small, bright
4026	UMA	E8	11 59.4	+50 58	11.5	4.5×1.1	lens-shaped
4088	UMA	Sb	12 05.6	+50 33	11.2	5.9×2.2	near NGC 4085
4605	UMA	Scp	12 40.0	+61 37	10.8	7.0×2.5	bright edge-on
4216	VIR	Sb	12 15.9	+13 09	11.2	8.5×1.7	near NGC’s 4206 + 4222
4388	VIR	SBc	12 25.8	+12 40	12.2	6.2×1.7	near M84 + M86
4438	VIR	Sap	12 27.8	+13 01	12	9.7×3.9	pair with NGC 4435
4526	VIR	E7	12 34.1	+07 43	10.6	7.0×2.7	betwn 2* of 7th mag
4535	VIR	SBc	12 34.4	+08 13	11.1	7.8×7.0	near M49
4567	VIR	Sb	12 36.6	+11 16	12.5	3.0×2.5	Siamese Twins, galxy pair
4699	VIR	Sa	12 49.1	-08 40	10.5	3.5×2.7	small & bright
4762	VIR	SO	12 53.0	+11 14	11.1	9.0×2.0	flattest galaxy known
5746	VIR	Sb	14 45.0	+01 49	12.3	7.4×1.1	edge-on, near* 109 VIR
6940	VUL	OC	20 34.6	+28 18	6.3	31.0	rich, 60*

Observations by Steve Coe using a 13″ f/5.6, unless noted.

NGC 891 17.5″ — Pretty bright, Pretty large, Very elongated, central bulge obvious, outer arms show sculptured detail at 200 X.

NGC 7662 17.5″ — Pretty bright, Pretty small, Round greenish dot at 100X. 320X, central hole seen easily, central star suspected in good seeing.

NGC 6781 Bright, Large, somewhat elongated at 100X. It is immediately obvious without the UHC filter. This planetary is shaped like the gibbous moon with the south side brighter in an arc. There is one star involved that stands out very nicely. The UHC filter helps some. I estimate its’ size at one arc minute.

NGC 7009 17.5″ — obvious at 100X. 225X (8mm) light green. Ansae visible with averted vision. No central *.

NGC 7293 Good in binoculars, 17.5″ — Very large, Faint, annular, Central star easy at 100X. UHC helps a lot.

NGC 772 17.5″ — Pretty bright, gradually brighter middle, Pretty small at 150X

NGC 1907 pretty bright, pretty small, much compressed and resolved at 165X. Just seen in 11X80 finder, I counted 22 stars in 13″.

NGC 1931 Bright, pretty large and somewhat elongated. Looks like a small comet at very low powers. There is a triple star in the center, it is resolved at 200X.

NGC 1501 17.5″ — Bright, Pretty large, Round Bluish disk at 165X, no * seen

NGC 2403 17.5″-Pretty bright, Large, Somewhat elongated at 135X the spiral arms sparkle with mottling

NGC 2655 Bright, pretty large and little elongated at 135X. This galaxy is much brighter in the middle with a bright central nucleus at 220X.

NGC 185 Pretty faint, large, elongated 1.5×1, somewhat brighter middle, sonewhat mottled at 100X.

NGC 281 Pretty bright, large, irregularly round, with 14 stars involved at 100X with the UHC filter. It is just seen without the UHC. A dark lane intrudes into the nebula on the south side, forming the Pac-man or Giant Comma shape.

NGC 457 Bright, large, pretty rich, compressed. 63 stars counted including Phi Cass, it is a light yellow star at the edge of the cluster at 100X. There is another bright star near Phi that gives the effect of having two glowing eyes looking back at the observer. In the Southwest we call this cluster the Kachina Doll, two sparkling eyes and the rest of the cluster outlines outstreched arms with feathers. Many tribes in the Southwest made
such dolls for their rites.

NGC 663 Counted 69 stars at 100X. Bright, large, very rich, much compressed. Several 8th mag members across the face of the cluster. There is a curved north to south dark lane down the middle of the cluster. This is one of the best Non-Messier open clusters. It is unmistakeable in the 11X80 finder.

NGC 7789 160 Stars estimated by counting 40 in the N to W quadrant. Bright, large, very rich, very much compressed at 100X.
There are many dim members in this excellant cluster. Dark lanes wind through this group from edge to edge and give the impression of spiral structure. At 165X the cluster fills the field with many lovely pairs and delicate asterisms. This cluster has been a favorite since my first observation.

NGC 5128 Very bright, Very large, little elongated, dark band, 17.5″ — Bright, Large, Round, Bright Middle, dark band easy at 100X, several * in foreground

NGC 5139 Omega Centauri SRC-wowie zowie 17.5″ — Very bright, very, very large, extremely rich, very compressed What can I say, the KING of the Globulars

NGC 40 bright, large, and elongated 1.5X1. Central star obvious at 200X. The color is grey at all powers. At 200X and above from one of our best locations, the nebula shows off two brighter ends that look like “polar caps” on Mars. The western cap is larger
and brighter. From a poorer site on a night I rated 5/10 for seeing and transparency, the brighter parts of the planetary make it appear to have a spiral shape. The “polar cap” effect only appears on the best of nights.

NGC 6939 Bright, large, rich, compressed and irregularly round in shape at 135X. I estimated 70 stars, there are lots of dimmer members. This cluster has many lovely chains of stars meandering out into the Milky Way. It is easy in the 11X80 finder.

NGC 6946 This face-on spiral galaxy has a low surface brightness and therefore responds to the atmosphere more than edge-on systems. For that reason I have called this object “pretty faint” on a night I rated 5/10 and then called it “pretty bright” on a night that was 8/10 in the mountains of Northern Arizona. In any case it is pretty large, somewhat elongated and has a bright, almost stellar nucleus. Even at the best of times I have never
seen spiral structure in this object. There is a very dim extension that forms a ‘V’ shape.

NGC 7129 pretty faint, large, roundish nebula with 6 stars involved at 100X. The UHC filter does not seem to help. 7133 is nearby, it is faint, small and round with 2 pretty faint stars involved.

NGC 246 is a very nice planetary to break up all these galaxies.
It is bright, large and round at 100X. There are several dark areas in this nebula and they combine to look like this is a doughnut someone took a bite from. The UHC filter makes this effect more noticeable. There are three stars involved at 165X.

NGC 936 Pretty bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle.
This is a barred spiral, but I could not see any central bar structure.

NGC 2359 Pretty bright, large, Irregular shape. Nebulosity extends out of the 30 minute field at 100X. UHC filter helps the contrast of this object a lot. I have always heard this object called the Duck Nebula because the shape includes a side view of a duck head with a bill.

NGC 4274 bright, pretty large, much elongated, brighter middle at 100X. Has three companions in 40′ field of 20mm Erfle. Brightest of three is 4278.

NGC 4414 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 3X1, much brighter middle at 100X. At 165X, stellar core comes and goes with the seeing.

NGC 4494 bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle at 100X

NGC 4559 bright, large, much elongated 3X1, somewhat brighter middle at 135X. Three stars involved in south arm make this object unique, don’t miss it.

NGC 4565 very bright, very large, extremely elongated 10X1, very bright middle at 135X. Dark lane is easy at a good site, it can be held with direct vision. At 200X some fine detail within the dark lane is visible in moments of good seeing at our best sites
in the mountains of northern Arizona. It has always looked like the classic flying saucer.

At a Saguaro Astronomy Club star party someone called it “God’s Frisbee”. This spectacular edge-on galaxy is also a companion to Comet Coe. The story goes like this: I had just completed a new 17.5″ Dobsonian and had had only few chances to get it out into dark sky. I trucked it to a club gathering at one of the best sites we use. When I observed NGC 4565 it had an obvious companion that I immediately thought was a comet. After showing it to A. J. Crayon and several other club members, I looked it up and it was quite obvious in a photograph in Burnham’s. Oh well, so much for fame and fortune. Several “friends” pointed out that it could be a very long period comet that is coming directly at the earth.

NGC 4725 bright, large, much elongated, very bright middle at 100X. My old 17.5″ would show a hint of barred spiral structure at 125X, but I have not had the chance to use the 13″ on this object from an excellant site to see if the smaller scope will duplicate that feat.

NGC 4361 Bright, large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 90, somewhat brighter in the middle at 100X. Central star is easy at 220X. This planetary has a bizarre “mottled” effect, a grainy quality that is unusual for a planetary nebula.

NGC 4111 Bright, pretty large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 165.
Very bright middle with a bright, stellar nucleus at 165X.
A faint companion is in the field to the east.

NGC 4214 Bright, pretty large, round, much, much brighter in the middle with a bright nucleus at 165X. The nucleus is elongated in PA 45.

NGC 4244 Bright, large, very, very elongated in PA 45 with a gradually brighter middle at 165X.

NGC 4449 Bright, pretty large, elongated 2 X 1 in PA 45 and a little brighter in the middle at 165X. There are several pretty bright stars involved in the mottled arms.

NGC 4490 very bright, much elongated, gradually much brighter in the middle and it appears to touch 4485 in the same field at 150X.

NGC 4631 very bright, very much elongated with a stellar nucleus at 150X. It has a very faint companion galaxy to the east.

NGC 4656 pretty bright and large with a very irregular shape.
It looks like an airplane wing! It shows this bizarre detail at 100X, with a bright area at one end (nucleus?) and a curved fainter body extending away from the brighter point. Put this guy on your observing list for next time.

NGC 5005 Bright, large, much elongated (4X1) in PA 60.
This nice edge-on galaxy has an elongated core with a bright stellar nucleus at 135X. There is a dust lane on the south side of the core.

NGC 5033 Bright, large, very much elongated (4X1) in PA 0 with a bright stellar nucleus at 165X. This is the most narrow galaxy I ever remember observing, it appears razor thin.

NGC 6819 can just be seen in the 10X50 binocs. I counted 52 stars at 165X. Bright, pretty large, much compressed, rich.
There is a nice “oatmeal” effect of dim backround stars even at higher powers.

NGC 6826 is the Blinking Planetary. This medium sized, 9th magnitude planetary can be located at 100X. It appears as a non-stellar blob in the Milky Way. I first saw the blinking effect in an 8″ scope at 200X. If you look directly at the planetary the central star is prominent compared to the greenish nebulosity. Then averted vision will make the nebula appear brighter and overwhelm the star. Alternating between direct and
averted vision will produce a blinking on-then-off effect that is fascinating. In the 17.5″ the effect is unmistakeable. There are several other planetary nebulae that have the right central star to nebula brightness to show off this effect.

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 are the brighter parts of the Veil Nebula.
These two nebulae were created by a supernova about 30,000 years ago and we just happen to be lucky enough to live while it is visible. 6960 passes behind 52 Cygni, a naked eye star off the western wing of the Swan. This section can be seen to split into forked branches.
6992 is about 2 degrees from 52 Cygni and is somewhat brighter than 6960. In my 17.5″ with a 20mm Erfle and a UHC filter, the Veil is amazing. Only about one quarter of either
loop can fit into the field of view and the scope must be scanned to see all that is availible. 6992 has loops and swirls of nebulosity that give a three dimensional effect. There are other pieces to the Veil Nebula, most of them between the two main sections, much of what can be photographed in an 8″ Schmidt Camera can be viewed by a persistant observer. This is the object on which the UHC filter does its best work.

NGC 7000 is the North America Nebula. This large area of nebulosity needs an RFT to be seen in its entirety. A dim glow can be seen in the area with the naked eye and 10 X 50 binoculars at a dark site will show the North America shape.
In a 4 1/4″ f/4 with a 20mm Erfle and a UHC filter, the nebula is very bright and very large, filling the 1.5 degree field with nebulosity. The brightest section is “Mexico” and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5067) can be seen nearby.

NGC 7027 is an emission nebula that gets included with planetaries because it is only 5″ in size, a resonable error. It seems bright, pretty small and somewhat elongated at 135X. The central star is seen occaisonally and it has a nice bluish color.

NGC 5907 Bright, large, very much elongated, bright middle at 100X. At 200X the core is gradually brighter with a stellar nucleus.

NGC 6503 Pretty bright, large, much elongated 3X1, somewhat brighter middle at 100X.

NGC 6543 Bright, large, elongated 1.8 X 1. The central star can be seen at all powers, but is stellar only on the best of nights.
Using 250X to 320X there is much detail within the planetary. Two brighter curved areas give the impression of spiral strucure. The very center of the nebulosity does not get near the central star, somewhat like M-42, where the nebulosity has been blown away from
the central Trapezium.

NGC 1232 17.5″ — Pretty bright, round, bright middle, bright nucleus with arms a soft glow at 100X

NGC 1535 17.5″ — Bright, Pretty large, Round, easy at 100X 2 rings, brighter central and dimmer outer annulus, central * in good seeing, light green at all powers

NGC 2158 is a compact cluster near M35. It is pretty bright, pretty small, very compressed and just resolved at 100X. The cluster is better at 165X. It is very rich with an arrowhead shape.

NGC 2392 is a bright, large and round planetary. It’s central star is obvious at all powers in the 13″. At 200X, the star is encircled by two rings. There are several dark marking within the rings. These markings make the “face” that gave this object the
name “Clown Face” or “Eskimo” nebula. In the 13″ the features are only seen on good nights, they were held steady on most evenings with my old 18″ f/6. This object has been light green in any telescope I have ever owned.

NGC 6207 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2×1, somewhat brighter in the middle at 100X.

NGC 6210 bright, pretty small, elongated, central star easy at 135X. Averted vision makes this planetary grow in apparent size.
I have always seen this beautiful planetary as green, blue-green or aqua in whatever scope I was using. This nebula was discovered by F.G.W. Struve during his double star survey.

NGC 3242 Wow, Looks like CBS eye, greenish at all powers, Central star easy at 300X. Very bright, large, round. AT 650X on a night I rated 8/10 for seeing, there is a small, dark circular area around the central star. A very nice planetary with lots of internal detail at high power.

NGC 7209 Several nice chains faint *, orange * on one edge, not compressed

NGC 7243 Not much, coarse group, triangular shape

NGC 2903 is one of the best non-Messier galaxies. It is easy in 10×50 binocs or a large finder scope. At 175X in the 12.5″ f/6 this galaxy is bright and is mottled across the face with a much brighter core. There is a bright spot about 4 arc minutes from the core.

NGC 3384 is pretty faint, Large, somewhat elongated and does not have a brighter middle in the 12.5″.

NGC 3384 Bright, large, elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 135 with a bright middle at 100X. Looks like a mini-Andromeda galaxy.

NGC’s 3605, 3607 and 3608 form a tight group in the 12.5″ at 100X.
I don’t have a finder chart to know which galaxy is which. Two are pretty bright, round and have a brighter middle. One is small, faint and not brighter in the center.
Burnham’s has “very Bright” for 3607, it must be a misprint or an observation by Lord Rosse with the 72″.

NGC 3628 is the most elongated of the three galaxies. It is pretty bright, large and has a somewhat brighter core in the 17.5″ at 200X. Averted vision will bring out a hint of a dark lane on a sharp, transparent night.

NGC 3344 8″ — faint and somewhat diffuse, no detail, 2 * invl

NGC 3432 8″ — small, faint, narrow streak that appears to connect two *

NGC 2683 bright, pretty large, much elongated east-west and much brighter in the middle at 100X.

NGC 2244 is the star cluster involved in the Rosette. In the 13″ at 60X it consists of 2 parallel lines of about 15 stars. It is very bright, very large and not compressed. Several of the stars are yellow and one is a lovely orange.

NGC 2261 is Hubble’s Variable Nebula. Edwin Hubble took many photos of this comet-shaped nebula that show changes in its form.
The best explanation is dark masses inside the nebulosity that drift in front of R Mon, the star that illuminates the gas. These drifting dark clouds cast shadows on the glowing gas. There is a set of pictures in Burnham’s that show these changes. As a matter of fact, this object is the answer to a good trivia question.

It was the first thing shot with the 200″ telescope when it was put into operation in 1949.

In the 13″ at 135X it is bright, pretty large, much elongated and has a much brigher star involved. It appears as a small comet and the star R Mon is very obvious at the tip. The south side is brighter and the west side is more elongated. At 200X there are some dark markings within the nebulosity. I have inspected this object at high power several
times and I believe that I have seen changes but there are differences in seeing, transparency, observing site and telescope from time to time. I plan to observe this object over a longer period to see if I can pick out obvious differences when some of the other variables are removed.
NGC 6369 is a very nice planetary. It can be spotted in an eight incher at 100X, but large scopes work well on this object. The 18″ at 175X will show a central dark spot and at 300X this object starts to look somewhat like the Ring Nebula. This annulus effect could be seen in a 13″ at 200X on the same night.

NGC 6572 is a pretty small and bright planetary. It is somewhat elongated and the central star will appear during good seeing at 300X in the 18″. Other times the center will just brighten up somewhat. The noteworthy aspect of this gem is its’ color. In every scope I have ever owned, from an 8″ to an 18″ this is the greenest nebula I have ever seen! This guy is as green as an Irishman’s coat on St. Patrick’s day. Alright, alright, it is as green as lime Jello.

NGC 6633 has 15 stars of mags 9 and 10 within a 20′ field. Then there is another 30 to 35 stars of mags 11 and down which form a lovely backround at 100X. This is a nice cluster with a 7th mag star on the south side.

NGC 1788 is pretty faint, pretty large, irregular in shape at 100X. It looks like a paint splatter with a bright star at the edge.

NGC 1973 is a bright, large nebulosity that has several stars involved at 100X. The fainter parts of the nebula extend beyond the 30″ field.

NGC 2024 is a bright, large emmision nebula near Zeta Ori. It is easy in any telescope I have ever used under dark skies and my old 8″ f/6 would show several dark lanes winding across this nebulosity.
The 17.5 incher helps a lot and much detail can be seen in the region at 200X. The UHC helps a lot and so does getting Zeta out of the field. Because of the large, parallel dark lanes, Arizona astronomers have taken to calling NGC 2024 the “Tank Track” Nebula.

NGC 2022 is a pretty small, not very bright planetary. It can be noticed in the 17.5″ at 50X. At 200X, it is a greenish dot with no internal detail.

NGC 2194 is a bright, pretty rich, compressed open cluster that is well resolved in the 17.5″ at 100X. The cluster has a flattened shape.

NGC 7331 is bright, large, very elongated and has a much brighter nucleus at 135X. It is just discernable in the 10X50 Binocs. Has several companion galaxies.

NGC 884 and NGC 869 the Double Cluster is naked eye as a bright spot in the Winter Milky Way from even a somewhat light polluted site.
Hipparchus and Ptolemy both mention it in ancient texts.
These two clusters are both large, bright, rich and somewhat compressed. The fact that they are both within a 1 degree field of view is fascinating. Using a 38mm Erfle eyepiece which gives about 60X in the 13″, I counted 102* in one quadrant of the field of view for a total of at least 400* in the field. The view in the 11X80 finder is spectacular with several orange giant stars sprinkling the clusters, including one almost exactly between the
two clusters. There are also several beautiful chains of stars curving into the Milky Way from within this cluster pair.

NGC 1491 Pretty faint, pretty large, irregularly round at 135X using a UHC filter. The central star appears about 10th magnitude. This nebula is quite faint without the UHC, I just noticed it, even from a dark site.

NGC 1023 Pretty bright, large, much elongated, bright middle at 135X. Raising the power to 200X brings out a small tuft on the Eastern tip of this galaxy.

NGC 2438 Bright, large, irregularly round at 220X. Central star easy at all powers. Going to 440X with the Barlow shows two other stars involved in this nebula. At 100X the nebula is light green, but the color is dim at high power.

NGC 2440 Bright, pretty large, much brighter in the middle at 270X. The central star becomes stellar occaisonally in good seeing. Averted vision doubles the size of this planetary. This object is elongated 3 X 1 in PA 30. It is a very nice lime green at all powers.

NGC 2539 Bright, large, rich, stars 10th to 13th mag.
19 PUP is on the south side. This cluster is elongated 2 X 1.

NGC 253 is the star of the show in Sculptor.
This very large and very bright galaxy was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783 during a comet search. From the Cape of Good Hope, her nephew John Herschel called it ” a superb object” in the 18″ reflector.
This spiral is probably the closest galaxy to the Local Group.

NGC 6712 bright, little elongated, very rich, very compressed.
Resolved at 100X, going to 165X brings out a myriad of dimmer members at the edge of resolution. This globular resides in a beautiful, rich Milky Way field that provides a lovely backround (foreground?).

NGC 3115 17.5″ — Bright, Very elongated, Very bright middle, stellar nucleus at 135X

NGC 6445 is a nice planetary, 20 minutes North Following 6440.
It is pretty bright, Large and has a box shape at 200X. It shows a small dark lane at high power and is definatly not a 13th mag object as listed, I estimate 12.

NGC 6520 is a pretty bright open cluster but it is pretty small with about 20 members at 165X.

NGC 6818 is a bright, pretty small and little elongated planetary.
It is green at all powers. At 320X is looks somewhat like the CBS eye, with a subtle central bright spot that was never stellar. Three dim stars surround the nebula.

NGC 2841 Pretty bright, pretty large, Bright nucleus with several stars involved in northern arm at 135X.

NGC 3079 Bright, pretty large, very much elongated in PA 150, bright middle at 165X. A difficult dark lane comes and goes with the seeing. Two stars are invl on the north end. There is an extremely faint, round companion to the north about 5′.

NGC 3077 Bright, large, somewhat elongated and much brighter in middle at 165X. Very starry field for UMA.

NGC 3184 Pretty bright, pretty large, round, bright middle at 165X. 11th mag star on north side. There is a hint of spiral structure in moments of good seeing.

NGC 3675 Bright, pretty large, much elongated in PA 0 with a much brigther middle at 100X. Going to 165X brings out a stellar nucleus and several stars involved.

NGC 3877 Pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated in PA 35, much brighter middle at 100X. Chi UMA in the field.

NGC 3941 Bright, pretty large, round and much brighter in the middle at 165X. Averted vision helps on this mottled galaxy.

NGC 4026 Bright, large, elongated 3 X 1 N-S, with a somewhat brighter middle, it shows a nice lens shape at 135X.

NGC 4088 Bright, large and assymetrically elongated 3 X 1 in PA 45, somewhat brighter middle at 100X.

NGC 4605 Bright, pretty large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 110.
Has a somewhat brighter middle and a high surface brightness at 135X.

NGC 4216 pretty bright, large, much elongated with a very bright middle at 100X.
The fascinating thing about this object is that it is within a 30′ field of two other edge on galaxies. The northernmost is extremely faint, pretty small, very much elongated and not brighter in the middle. The southernmost is faint, pretty small, much elongated and somewhat brighter in the middle. With 4216 in the center of this array of spindle shaped galaxies, this is a spot that fascinated me.

NGC 4388 pretty bright, large, much elongated 3X1 E-W, brighter middle.
This very distorted edge-on galaxy is in the field of M84 and M86.
I tried some power, up to 220X, in an attempt to see some of the bizarre distortion of this galaxy. I could only see that the central section is quite elongated and that the outer
arms are very mottled.

NGC 4438 bright, pretty large, very much elongated, much brighter in the middle. 4438 and 4435 are elongated in the same PA.

NGC 4526 Bright, large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 110 with a much brighter middle and a stellar nucleus at 165X.

NGC 4535 Pretty bright, large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 0 with a bright middle and a stellar nucleus at 165X. There are several stars involved in this stellar nucleus.

NGC 4567 and 4568 are the famous Siamese Twins galaxies. This pair is pretty bright, pretty large, irregularly round and brighter in the middle at 165X. These two galaxies are joined at the eastern end and form a “V” shape to the west. There is a
companion galaxy to the north.

NGC 4699 Pretty bright, pretty large, round and much brighter in the middle at 100X. Has a high surface brightness central section and averted vision makes it grow in size.

NGC 4762 Bright, large, much elongated (4X1) in PA 30 with a bright middle and a hint of a dark lane at 135X. There is pretty bright, round companion in the field to the west.

NGC 5746 bright, large, much brighter middle, much elongated north-south. There is an obvious central bulge at 135X. A dark lane cuts across the galaxy in moments of good seeing.

NGC 6940 Bright, large, rich, quite compressed at 100X. This cluster is easy in the 11 X 80 finder. I estimated 80 members, many in lovely chains of stars. There is an interresting feature of this cluster, it is bordered in black. A dark lane goes almost all the way around the dense star cluster, as if the stars were gathered up and left behind dark lanes.