BEST OBJECTS IN THE NEW GENERAL CATALOG

by A.J. Crayon and Steve Coe

version 1.0, dated Thu 01-04-1990

Questa lista è utilizzata dai membri del Saguaro Astronomy Club di Phoenix.

I nomi delle costellazioni sono in formato IAU standard.

Di seguito le osservazioni di Steve Coe con un 13″ f/5.6, dove non indicato altrimenti.

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 700917.5″–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 40bright,
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 immediatly 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 6992are 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 3608form 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 869the 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 4568are 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.