Sky & Telescope - March 2022 - 27

objects lie 2.2′ apart in the Coma Cluster, with the slightly
larger, brighter galaxy south-southeast of the of the smaller,
fainter one. Herschel cataloged one of these objects as III 363,
but it's somewhat unclear which of the pair he saw. German
astronomer Hermann Kobold shares the co-discovery of
IC 4051 with Bigourdan even though their individual assignment
of the NGC and IC objects are reversed: Kobold assumed
that the fainter of the two galaxies was Herschel's object while
Bigourdan assumed the opposite. The issue is further confused
by d'Arrest's recorded position for NGC 4908 (listed in the
New General Catalogue), which falls between the two objects
but is closer to the fainter one. John Herschel, William's son,
muddled the situation even more by conflating III 363 with
NGC 4894. Corwin and Gottlieb both conclude that Herschel
(the elder) would have seen the brighter, more southeasterly
object. My solution is to just observe them both and accept
the designations most commonly assigned. Thus,
Herschel's object is the one most often listed as IC
4051 if, as seems quite likely, he noted the more
prominent of the two galaxies.
And lastly, ¾° south-southwest of our old
friend Gamma Comae we find NGC 4393, an
Herschel's Highlights
Object
NGC 4209
NGC 4559
NGC 4448
NGC 4251
NGC 4173
NGC 4169
NGC 4174
NGC 4175
NGC 4278
NGC 4283
NGC 3550
NGC 3552
NGC 4889
NGC 4874
NGC 4952
NGC 3713
NGC 4692
NGC 4798
NGC 4908
IC 4051
NGC 4393
Herschel Class
II 375
I 92
I 91
I 89
II 372
III 358
III 359
III 360
I 90
II 377
III 351
III 352
II 391
II 389
II 396
II 367
II 381
II 382
III 363
-
III 361
object that's often conflated with IC 3323, which Corwin
confirms is a foreground star. Sometimes the star is associated
with IC 3329, but this more correctly applies to a knot
within NGC 4393.
The few errors and duplications that we find in this list -
in fact, in the entire Herschel catalog - hardly detract from
the incredible accomplishments of this remarkable observer.
Certainly, I am not alone in my admiration for him and for
being more than a little awed by his many achievements.
April 11, 1785, is perhaps the most extraordinary night in
a long list of Herschel's extraordinary nights of observing.
After all, it just may be the most productive night in the history
of visual astronomy. One can only imagine the excitement
of that session as the sweep books filled up with new
acquisitions. Resolve to retrace Herschel's steps that night
and you might sense a tiny bit of his excitement and gain an
added appreciation for what was a golden age of visual
astronomy.
¢ Contributing Editor TED FORTE enjoys reliving the
discoveries of the great visual observers of the past
from his backyard in southeastern Arizona.
Type
Stellar
Spiral
Barred spiral
Lenticular
Barred spiral
Lenticular
Spiral
Spiral
Elliptical
Elliptical
Peculiar
Elliptical
Elliptical
Elliptical
Elliptical
Lenticular
Elliptical
Lenticular
Elliptical
Elliptical
Barred spiral
Surface Brightness
-
14.0
12.8
12.4
14.2
12.6
11.4
12.8
13.1
12.9
13.2
13.8
13.3
13.1
13.1
13.0
13.1
13.1
12.9
13.3
14.4
Mag(v)
11.3
10.0
11.1
10.7
13.0
12.2
13.4
13.3
10.2
12.1
13.3
14.5
11.5
11.7
12.4
13.2
12.6
13.2
13.6
13.2
12.1
Size
-
10.7′ × 4.4′
3.9′ × 1.4′
3.6′ × 1.5′
5.0′ × 0.7′
1.8′ × 0.9′
0.6′ × 0.3′
1.8′ × 0.4′
3.8′ × 3.8′
1.5′ × 1.5′
1.0′ × 1.0′
0.7′ × 0.7′
2.9′ × 1.9′
1.9′ × 1.9′
1.8′ × 1.1′
1.2′ × 0.8′
1.3′ × 1.3′
1.2′ × 0.9′
0.8′ × 0.6′
1.2′ × 0.9′
3.2′ × 2.9′
RA
Dec.
12h 15.7m +28° 28′
12h 36.0m
12h 28.3m +28° 37′
12h 18.1m
+28° 10′
12h 12.3m +29° 13′
12h 12.3m +29° 11′
12h 12.4m
+27° 58′
+29° 09′
12h 12.5m +29° 10′
12h 20.1m +29° 17′
12h 20.3m +29° 19′
11h 10.6m
11h 10.7m
+28° 46′
+28° 42′
13h 00.1m +27° 59′
12h 59.6m
13h 05.0m
11h 31.7m
12h 47.9m +27° 13′
12h 54.9m
13h 00.9m
13h 00.9m
12h 25.9m
Angular sizes are from recent catalogs. Visually, an object's size is often smaller than the cataloged value and varies according to the aperture and magnification
of the viewing instrument. Right ascension and declination are for equinox 2000.0.
+27° 58′
+29° 07′
+28° 09′
+27° 25′
+28° 02′
+28° 00′
+27° 34′
sk yand tele scope .o r g * MARCH 2022 27
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Sky & Telescope - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - March 2022
