DECEMBER

CHAPTER 12

The Challenge of the Seven Sisters

On December evenings the most remarkable star cluster in the heavens, the Pleiades (often called the Seven Sisters), rises to prominence. "Even on the coldest winter nights, when time spent at the telescope is better measured in minutes than hours, it would be a very un-amateur act not to look in on the Pleiades," Scotty quipped. As far as he was concerned, the Pleiades were worth looking at every clear night, and for good reason. Seasoned amateur astronomers know that the state of Earth's atmosphere can change from night to night or minute to minute. And the clarity of our atmosphere makes the difference in seeing not only the fainter members of the star cluster with the naked eye — the exact number of which has long been disputed in amateur circles — but also any telescopic traces of the delicate nebulosity that swaddles the entire cluster, like jewels in a bed of vapors. "On an ordinary night," Scotty pointed out, "there are usually a few wisps of nebulosity seen around the Pleiad Merope. But on really exceptional nights (or more likely, half-hours), the glow swells out to encompass the entire cluster in a big cocoon."

December brings winter, and with it many cold but often clear nights. On such evenings, when the stars sparkle like diamonds, there is no sight as spectacular as M45, the Pleiades (Figure 12.1). Currently, this open star cluster rides high in the eastern sky at the end of astronomical twilight. It is delightful in any instrument, from the naked eye to the largest amateur telescope, although I find large binoculars give the most impressive view. Almost every culture, past and present, mentions in its folklore the dazzling stars of this nearby cluster. They have enhanced the imaginations of gifted poet and commoner alike as far as we ^can remember. They are the starry seven of Keats, the fireflies tangled in a silver hraid of Tennyson, the fire god’s flame of the old Hindus, and the ceremonial ^razor of old Japan. No other celestial configuration appears so often on the pages °f the poet.

Astronomers have studied the Pleiades in great detail. The 19th-century author Agnes Clerke wrote that the cluster is “the meeting-place in the sky of mythology and science.” Our present knowledge of stellar evolution suggests that the

Figure 12.1

The incomparable Pleiades and associated nebulosity. North is to the left.

Pleiades are only 20 million years old. Thus, mammals were well established on Earth when the Pleiades’ light first fell upon it. I am always taken by the fact the dinosaurs never saw the Pleiades, for even as the last of those beasts roamed the land 65 million years ago, it would be another 45 million years before the Pleiades would begin to shine.

M45 is a little less than 2° in diameter — too large for the Moon to occult all of its stars at once. Partial occultations of the cluster recur in an 18.6-year cycle, as the Moon’s nodes regress along its orbit.

Have you ever tried to count the Pleiades with the naked eye? Experiments show that light entering the eye from the side reduces sensitivity and contrast. Thus, I made a cardboard tube about a foot long and a foot in diameter that I painted flat black on the inside. Unfortunately it didn’t help me see more stars. In fact, so much light bounced off the sides of the tube that I saw fewer stars with it than without it. Do not consult a chart while you are trying to count Pleiads. Instead, make a careful drawing of what you see and compare it with a chart later.

Depending on light pollution and sky conditions, most persons can see between four and six naked-eye Pleiads. Traditionally, the average eye can sec six stars here, the exceptional eye seven, and 10 bear names or Flamsteed numbers. However, during the 1800s the noted British amateurs Richard Carrington and William Denning both counted 14 stars. The late dean of visual observers. Leslie peltier. told me he could always see 12 to 14 stars there on any good moonless _nj_eht. Perhaps because it has been repeated so many times that the number of naked-eye Pleiads is six or seven, too many observers quit counting before really reaching their limit. Many observers can reach magnitude 7.5 with the naked eye. Were it not for the bright Pleiads, these observers should be able to count upward _of 30 stars in the group.

In 1935 at Tucson, Arizona, I was able to make out 14 Pleiads with ease, despite _my “class 2 eyes,” and as many as 18 under exceptional skies. Forty years later from the same location, deteriorating observing conditions had reduced this number to five. The reason was apparent even before the sky darkened, for heavy clouds of smog from copper smelters had settled into the natural bowl where Tucson is located. In the sooty skies of our populated areas, it is now not uncommon that no stars can be distinguished; the eye sees just a shimmering patch. So the number of Pleiades stars visible is really an index of the transparency of the atmosphere, and the cluster does not make a valid eyesight test. If you look at this cluster only infrequently, one glance will not tell you much about the sky conditions. But with practice you’ll know by the cluster’s appearance whether the night is a particularly good one.

A Nebula Challenge

The stars of the Pleiades were born so recently (by astronomical standards) that some of the lingering dust and gas of their birth still surrounds the stars*, especially Merope (Figure 12.2). As early as 1859, the German astronomer Wilhelm Tempel observed this nebulosity surrounding the Pleiad Merope with a 4-inch refractor in Italy. Others using larger instruments failed to see it, and some doubted its existence. Photography, however, proved that the nebulosity is real, and the quest was on to see as much of it as possible visually.

From Tucson my 4-inch showed it readily. In Connecticut, a 10-inch reflector failed, but in Vermont a 5-inch Moonwatch Apogee telescope succeeded. At the August convention of the Astronomical League in Tennessee, I was surprised to find several observers who had seen the Merope Nebula more than once. It was readily visible in a 6-inch reflector made by Fred Lossing of Ottawa. Once its position southwest of the star Merope was pointed out, others saw the dim glow too. In the 16-inch, the nebula seemed much more obvious, and averted vision was not required.

Recent research suggests that the Pleiades may simply be passing through unrelated nebulosity.

In addition to the well-known glowing “thumbprint” of material south of Merope, the cluster is surrounded by a faint cloud of nebulosity. As with seeing naked-eye Pleiads, its visibility is more a test of atmospheric transparency than observer skill. The 19th-century comet observer Heinrich d’Arrest wrote of the Pleiades, “Here are nebulae, invisible or barely seen in great telescopes, which can easily be seen in finders.” Most amateurs are content to glimpse the wisp near Alcyone. But I have seen nebulosity curdling and weaving well beyond the brightest stars of the cluster. My 6-inch f/4 Cave mirror in Connecticut occasionally gives fine views of this.

With low-power telescopes and the excellent dark skies of Arizona, California, and Kansas, I have easily seen the nebulosity as a bright cotton ball encompassing the cluster. But even the slightest traces of dew on the optics will give the same impression, and I constantly check for this by looking back at the nearby Hyades cluster. Today observers have little trouble seeing the entire Pleiades cluster immersed in nebulosity when observing conditions are right.

A number of amateurs claim to have observed this nebulosity with the naked eye, and I tend to believe them. You might investigate this by carefully comparing the appearances of the Pleiades and the Hyades, to see if there is any differ' ence in what might first be perceived as sky background brightness.

Another feature of the Pleiades is mentioned in a letter by skilled variablestar observer Stephen Knight of East Waterford, Maine. He writes, “There is ^a dimly visible dark ring that encircles the outer boundary of the diffuse nebula. H is irregular in width and darkness. One of the darker and more easily seen parts is just north of Asterope and between it and 18 Tauri. I first spotted the dark ring with my 6-inch reflector and low power, and I followed it all the way around the bright nebulosity. It appears as an area with an absence of faint background stars _or glow from the outskirts of the nearby Milky Way. The most difficult part to see j_s south of Merope and Electra.” Later Knight reported seeing weakly luminous material outside the ring.

At the turn of the century Edward Emerson Barnard photographed this bright outer nebulosity, so its reality is not questioned. But how many people can see it visually? It is certainly more difficult than the California Nebula, and probably on a par with the Sculptor system. I suspect that this will be a test object that will be around for a while.

Taurus: The Observer's Paradise

When December rolled around, Scotty said he often first turned his attention to the famous Double Cluster in Perseus, high overhead. Then, looking to the southeast, he paused for a long look at the brilliant V of the Hyades cluster — the face of Taurus the Bull. 'The 7° field of view in standard 7 x 50 binoculars," he said, "will hold the cluster comfortably along with 1 st-magnitude rose-tinted Aldebaran." The area of sky containing the head and horns of Taurus is a veritable playground for amateurs using binoculars and small, rich-field telescopes. Especially noteworthy are its bright open clusters, and of course, the famous supernova remnant of A.D. 1054, more commonly known as M1 or the Crab Nebula. Taurus also contains another object of historical significance: the planetary nebula NGC 1514. As Scotty explains here, Herschel's discovery of this object "marked a turning point in the thinking of this great astronomer."

The constellation Taurus is well placed in the evening sky this month. Situated along the western edge of the Milky Way, Taurus might be expected to contain the swarms of open star clusters that pepper the constellations of Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Auriga. But this is not the case, and observing guides rarely list more than half a dozen clusters in Taurus. Furthermore, despite being the 17th-largest constellation, it contains no galaxies and only one planetary nebula within the reach of amateur telescopes.

Yet,Taurus is still an observer’s paradise. Objects within its borders range from •he magnificent naked-eye Pleiades and Hyades star clusters to a giant 3° bubble °f glowing gas similar to the Veil Nebula in Cygnus (called S147).The Hyades star cluster is rather close to us, and its stars appear spread over quite a large area. Unlike the Pleiades, there is no nebulosity associated with the group. In fact, whenever I think I’ve sighted the wispy glow between the Pleiades, I quickly turn ^to the Hyades to check for a glow there, too. If I see any, then I know to blame a slight dewing of the optics, even if their surfaces look clear.

Another cluster is NGC 1807.1 estimate it to be about 15' in diameter with a total magnitude a little brighter than 8. However, the 30 or so stars that a 10-inch telescope shows here are so scattered that thc total magnitude has little bearing on thc cluster’s actual visibility. NGC 1807 is seen quite well in my 4-inch Clark refractor, and the view in 60-mm binoculars is also pleasing.

Just 0.4° to the northeast, and in the same field of a low-power eyepiece i« NGC 1817. This open cluster is about 20' across, and some astronomers suspect it may be physically associated with NGC 1807. English observer Kenneth (i|y_n Jones reports that, with an 8-inch reflector at 40x, NGC 1817 looks like two clusters in contact with each other. While a 10-inch telescope may reveal 20 stars here, the number may more than double in a 12-inch. Amateurs with access to large-aperture telescopes should record their counts.

The open cluster NGC 1746 presents a classic problem for visual observers —-what is its apparent diameter? Modern catalogs often list its size as 45'. However estimates range from 25' to 1°, with the larger telescopes usually givim the smaller values.

Figure 12.3 Look for the planetary nebula NGC 1514 near the Perseus/Taurus border. Its central star easily outshines the surrounding nebula.

NGC 1514 is the sole planetary nebula that amateurs can find easily in Taurus (Figure 12.3). It was discovered by William Herschel in 1790, and it marked a turning point in the thinking of this great astronomer. Until then it was widely accepted that nebulae were just clusters of stars either too faint or too distant to be resolved. But Herschel saw NGC 1514 differently:

A most singular phenomenon! A star of about Sth magnitude with a faint luminous atmosphere, of circular form, and about 3 minutes in diameter The star is in the centre, and the atmosphere is so faint and delicate and equal throughout that there can be no surmise of its consisting of stars; nor can there be a doubt of the evident connection between the atmosphere and the star.

Thus, for the first time it occurred to Herschel that there existed a “shining fluid of a nature totally unknown to us." By the mid-19th century, spectroscopy proved beyond a doubt that glowing nebular gas was an astronomical reality, but when you look at NGC 1514 bear in mind that the concept began here.

To me NGC 1514 appears more like a nebulous star, for, unlike other planetaries where the central star is often a challenge, NGC 1514’s luminary almost dominates the view. Years ago in Kansas I saw the star (listed as 9th magnitude) in a 4-inch telescope stopped down to 2 inches. The surrounding nebula is slightly oval and about 2' in diameter. Some observers consider this object difficult for an 8-inch telescope.

NGC 1555, Hind’s Variable Nebula, deserves more attention from amateurs. It is associated with the variable star T Tauri, which fluctuates irregularly between about magnitude 9 and 13. There is no clear relationship between the star’s brightness and that of the nebula. Both objects were discovered in 1852 with a 7-inch refractor by the Englishman John Russell Hind.

He reported NGC 1555 to be 4" southwest of the star. By 1868 the nebula had faded from view. It was rediscovered by Barnard and Sherburne W. Burnham in 1890 with the 36-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. Five years later the nebula had again vanished, but it was recovered photographically in 1899 and has been followed ever since.

NGC 1555 has brightened significantly since the early ’30s. Not only has its brightness changed, but apparently so have its shape and position. Currently it is due west of T Tauri, and photographs suggest that NGC 1555 is part of a shell of material surrounding the star. My last observation of it was in 1977 with the 4-inch Clark at 150x. At lower magnifications it could have been easily overlooked.

Dissecting the Crab

It’s a short hop from the heart of the Hyades to Ml, the Crab Nebula (Figure 12,4). During the 20th century Ml was discovered to be a source of strong radio emission. In the 1950s, Cliff Simpson and I operated several radio telescopes at Manhattan, Kansas. Although they were built from odds and ends, they were carefully assembled and quite sensitive. The signal from Ml was among the half-dozen strongest on our list. Ml has been carefully studied by radio and X-ray astronomers. It is known to be the remains of a supernova which exploded in A.D. 1054, and the pulsar at its center is suspected to be a rotating neutron star. The supernova was visible even in the daytime, but it wasn’t until 1731 that the nebula was first seen, by the English amateur astronomer John Bevis. Messier independently discovered it 27 years later in 1758. Traditionally, it was this object that induced Messier to compile his famous catalog of nebulae and clusters, so these deep-sky features would not again be mistaken for comets in his small telescopes; it was also in the search region for the 1835 return of Halley's Comet.

In December 1852, the English telescope maker and observer William Lassell used a 24-inch speculum-metal reflector to view Ml from Malta. He noted, "With 160x it is a very bright nebula, with two or three stars in it, but with 565* . . . long filaments run out from all sides and there seems to be a number of minute and faint stars scattered over it.” On January 6th of the following year Lassell reobserved the Crab with 565x: “The brightest parts are about 2' j_n length, while the outlying claws are only just circumscribed by the edge of the field of 6' in diameter.”

The Crab can be seen in 2-inch finders. Small telescopes reveal only a shape-less 8th-magnitude blur variously sketched as oval, rectangular, or more often something in between. The Crab Nebula usually shows in small telescopes as a featureless gray ghost. My 4-inch Clark refractor has revealed hints of the nebula's ragged edge that appears so prominently in photographs. These edge serrations are usually apparent in a 12-inch telescope and easy in a 17-inch. Increased magnification does not seem to change the appearance much. Telescopes of 12-inch aperture and larger often reveal delicate filamentary structure in the nebula.

My impression is that large amateur reflectors do not show much more of the Crab Nebula than a 6-inch does, though of course they show it better. Amateurs with access to a 16-inch or larger telescope, perhaps a club telescope, can perform some interesting experiments on how the appearance of Ml varies with different magnifications and telescope f/ratios. The latter can be changed by

Figure 12.4

M1, the Crab Nebula in Taurus, is a supernova remnant that is expanding at a rate of 600 miles per second.

making aperture masks of varying diameters. Mike Mattei of Littleton, Massachusetts, has suggested using a nebula filter in the “flicker” I mode. By rapid-I ly moving it in I and out of the * space between the eyepiece and your eye, it is easy to note the effect of the filter. I tried this technique using a 15 x 65 monocular at my home in East Haddam. The

Crab was easily detected with the flicker method, but I was unable to hold the nebula steadily when viewing either without the filter or with it fixed in place.

Light pollution does affect the visibility of Ml, and many amateurs, especially from the East Coast, report that they have despaired of seeing this nebula, even though it is 9th magnitude and about 4' in diameter. My mail is divided on how well nebula filters work on this object. What do you find?

Targeting the Cetus Seyfert

The key to successful galaxy hunting is being able to read and interpret a star chart. Of course, such a skill is indispensable for finding virtually all deep-sky objects. There is no escaping that fundamental necessity. Fortunately, the sky has its celestial coincidences — such as a bright galaxy lying near a naked-eye star — which benefits beginners looking for a good place to practice their hunting skills. "The job of locating faint deep-sky objects is always made easier if there are nearby finder stars," Scotty once instructed his readers. The constellation Cetus is home to one of these celestial coincidences, for near the 4th-magnitude star Delta Ceti lies the bright Messier galaxy, M77, which is also one of the sky's weirdest. As Scotty explains, the galaxy not only perplexed early telescopic observers but also modern-day astronomers.

A s I gather my thoughts and begin writing this column, it is a musty, rain-soaked

/v August here in Connecticut. But I look at “December” typed at the top of the page and think to myself, “Ah, in December the rains will be long gone and the cold arctic air overhead will let the Milky Way erupt, trailing clouds of glory across the heavens. Then, with the help of a hefty snow shovel, those of us in the Northeast may occasionally dig out our telescopes enough to do some useful work.”

I can only hope that this will be the case, for 1990 has been a particularly poor year for clear skies in New England. Then again, treasured in my old-letter file is a 1930s missive from Leon Campbell, the first recorder for the American Association of Variable Star Observers. In it he complains that during the previous month the weather was so bad that the AAVSO received not a single observation from Massachusetts or Connecticut. So if the weather confounds your observing program, the remedy is simple: live long.

December is a fine month for viewing Cetus, the Whale. This constellation, which swims mostly just under the celestial equator, is presently near the meridian during evening hours. If you work with 8- to 12-inch telescopes, there are many fascinating galaxies in Cetus worth hunting down. In this part of the heavens our gaze is away from the plane of the Milky Way. Indeed, just over the Cetus border in Sculptor is the South Galactic Pole. Here we are looking into the depths of the universe, beyond our own galaxy’s veil.

Those who use 17-inch and larger telescopes will no doubt be able to find many more galaxies than shown on charts like Tirion’s Sky Atlas 2000.0. While many of them can be found in the New General Catalogue of Galaxies and Clusters of Stars (NGC), others will be listed only in specialized catalogs. Correctly identifying these galaxies can be a real challenge, even for the amateur who has a good reference library.

Learning to use a good atlas, preferably one showing 9th-magnitude stars, is another important project. Frequent glances back and forth between eyepiece and atlas, the latter illuminated by a dim red light, will soon tell you how much sky

appears in the eyepiece at one time. Recent psychological studies of pattern recognition have shown the importance of orienting the chart to match the visual field This is easy when a region near the meridian is viewed in a refractor, but some care may be needed with a reflector, or if the region is far from the meridian.

The job of locating faint deep-sky objects is always made easier if there are nearby finder stars. Since most telescopes have a field of view less than 1° j_n diameter when used at lOOx (a good magnification for searching out many small objects), it would be nice to have charts with at least one star in each l°-diame-ter field. You can test your own charts by cutting the correct size circle in a piece of paper and moving it around the charts to see how often there are no stars showing in the 1° opening.

Figure 12.5 The energetic nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy M77 in Cetus is spewing out clouds of gas (each with the mass of about 10 million Suns) at speeds of nearly 400 miles per second.

The galaxy M77 in Cetus is a good practice object near a naked-eye star (Figure 12.5). Put on a low-power eyepiece and center Delta (8) Ceti in the field (perhaps after sighting along the side of the telescope tube). Then, by remembering how large the !4° Moon looks in the same ocular, slide the telescope an estimated 1 southeast. A small, steady glow seen in this region will probably be M77.

If this attempt fails, put Delta back in the center of thc field, then wait 3.2 minutes — the difference in right ascension between Delta and M77 — and scan along a north-south line. You should spot the galaxy south of where thc star had been by some 2T, the difference in their declinations.

M77 is an old friend from my days in Kansas. Even under 400x in my 10-inch reflector, I could never quite distinguish the starlike nucleus that some observers have reported. In viewing extended deep-sky objects, maximum image contrast is essential to discern small differences of tone. But any stray light in the optical system (from dirty or imperfect lenses), sky brightness, or artificial light will compress the scale of recognizable shades by eliminating black and lightening all grays. Light that does not go into the image goes elsewhere to brighten the field. The result is a washed-out image, and near the limit of visibility it may mean the difference between seeing or not seeing the subject.

This fact was emphasized one night when 1 was observing M77 with thc 4-inch Clark refractor. The night was good and the Milky Way especially vivid. Normally, M77 appears as a round patch of light 2' in diameter, fading irregularly near its edge. This night, however, the edge of the galaxy was sharply seen against the background. Also, for thc first time in so small an instrument, I could see mottling in its core. Thc excellent optics and the fine night changed this minor galaxy into a marvelous sight, rivaling much more popular objects.

The Skalnate Pleso Atlas Catalogue puts M77’s visual magnitude at 8.9 and photographic at 9.6. But the Revised New General Catalogue (RNGC) gives 10.5 photographic for it. Such discrepancies between catalogs are not at all unusual, emphasizing the fact that magnitudes assigned to nebular objects depend strongly on the size and type of instrument and the method of observing. Galaxies are roughly one magnitude fainter in blue light (photographic) than in yellow-green (visual). Also an estimate of a galaxy’s magnitude is apt to be brighter with a small telescope than a large one. This effect was noted long ago by comet observers. It is particularly marked for very extended objects of low surface brightness.

M77 inspired a remarkable set of seesaw descriptions by early observers. The galaxy was discovered in October 1780 by Pierre Mechain. Although Mechain initially described it as a nebula, that December Messier called it “a cluster of small stars which contains some nebulosity.” The observation that really surprised me, however, was William Herschel’s in the early 19th century. This skilled observer called M77 “a cluster of stars ... [with a] stellar appearance when it is viewed in a very good common telescope.” (Keep in mind that a common telescope in Herschel’s day was not very good when compared with the average equipment owned by amateurs today.) His son John called M77 “partly resolved.”

At this point one might rightly ask, what gives? Does M77 look like stars or nebulosity? The pioneering English astrophotographer Isaac Roberts indirectly offers a possible answer to the discordant visual descriptions. In the late 1800s his photographs revealed M77 to be a stellar nucleus surrounded by nebulosity “studded with strong condensations resembling stars.” Could others have seen these condensations as stars? I had one such view, but it was with a 36-inch reflector back in the 1930s, and other visual descriptions made with similar-size instruments make no mention of the “stars.” Thus, with proper reverence for Messier and his contemporaries, we must erase any idea that M77 can be resolved like a star cluster.

There’s no question, on the other hand, that the galaxy has a bright nucleus. M77 is in fact among the brightest examples of a Seyfert galaxy, one having a miniature quasar at its core.

Galaxy Chains in Cetus

lust as open clusters dominate our view of the starry band of the Milky Way, galaxies tend to be most numerous in those parts of the sky farthest from this region, where dense star clouds and obscuring dust can block our view of deep space. Such is true for the constellation Cetus, now in the evening sky. "It is a vast stellar desert," Scotty wrote, "but a rich area for galaxy hunters." Amateurs equipped with only a 3-inch or 4-inch telescope can pick out many galaxies, and a 12'Z>-inch will show many more of them. Here Scotty describes a series of galaxy chains in Cetus and a mysterious planetary nebula that should keep novices and seasoned observers busy during the long December nights.

For those who want to sweep the field around M77, several other galaxies are within the range of amateur telescopes. This is an especially good field for beginners, since the 4th-magnitude star Delta (8) Ceti provides an easy starting point just under 1° northwest of M77. The star and the moderately bright Messier object serve as landmarks to return to if you get lost while hunting for the other sights.

Some X° due north of Delta Ceti lies the faint galaxy NGC 1032. Sky Catalogue 2000.0 lists it as a spiral with photographic magnitude 13.2. A good rule of thumb is that such objects will appear a magnitude brighter visually. I’ve estimated NGC 1032’s brightness as 12.1 with the 4-inch Clark. Herschel called it “pretty bright.” This may seem strange in light of his description of nearby 10.5-magnitude NGC 1055 as “pretty faint,” but it may be due to NGC 1032's smaller size (about 3' x 1'), which increases the surface brightness of the galaxy.

This effect is also demonstrated by two other galaxies in the area. Both NGC 1073 and NGC 1087 are listed as magnitude 11.0 in Roger Sinnott’s NGC2000.0. Herschel, however, called the smaller galaxy (NGC 1087. 3.5') “pretty bright” and the larger one (NGC 1073,4.9') “very faint.” I have examined a photograph of the field, and at first glance it would seem that more than a magnitude separates these galaxies. Trying to convert from one system of brightness determinations to another can be an amateur’s nightmare.

Eight degrees south of Delta Ceti, the stars 80 and 77 Ceti mark another clump of galaxies. The three brightest are seen in my 4-inch Clark with averted vision, and once so found they can be glimpsed with only a 3-inch. First try NGC 1022, a barred spiral, l‘A° northeast of the two stars. From Louisiana, back in 1945, my 10-inch reflector showed traces of structure in this 1.4' x 1.8' oval: the night was superb but the dewing was so heavy that I had to use heaters on the main mirror to observe at all!

At my Joseph Meek Observatory, the galaxy was featureless in the 4-inch. I made its magnitude 10.8. while the RNGC gives its value as 12.5 photographically.

NGC 1052’s tiny 1' diameter bears magnification well. In a 10-inch with 200x at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1 once estimated it to be 11th magnitude; the RNGC makes it 12.0 in blue light. About equally dim is NGC 1084, a distinct oval 2' long.

Those equipped with large amateur instruments may want to fill out the grouping with a trio of very faint galaxies.

Even a 10-inch will pick up NGC 991 with little trouble. This is a roundish galaxy less than 2' across and ²A° north of 80 Ceti. According to the catalog, its photographic magnitude is 12.5.

NGC 1048 lies %° south of NGC 1052 and slightly west. Decidedly cigarshaped, it is 4' long and looks about 12th magnitude. The RNGC lists it as a close pair of galaxies, each of photographic magnitude 14.0.

Using lOOx or more, try your luck with NGC 1035, a sliver 2' long (between 80 Ceti and NGC 1052). Here, the photographic magnitude and my visual impression are both 13.

The last three are atmospheric test objects for us in the United States, and even more so for Canadians, where these galaxies culminate somewhat lower in the southern heavens.

Northeast of 4th-magnitude Theta (0) Ceti is a chain of four galaxies just right for 6- to 8-inch telescopes. The chain extends northwest to southeast. The northernmost galaxy is NGC 584, an elliptical whose slightly oval disk is a bit less than 2' across with a visual magnitude of 10.8. It has been seen with a 2‘Z-inch aperture and shows well in my 4-inch Clark refractor. If you are using a large instrument, try looking for 14th-magnitude NGC 586 just 5' to the southeast.

The next galaxy in the chain, 25' southeast of NGC 584, is NGC 596, which lies just west of a faint naked-eye star. The best view of this 11.5-magnitude elliptical will be had if the relatively bright star is kept out of the field. It may also help to rock the telescope gently, as slight motion sometimes improves the visibility of faint objects. I have found that the rocking technique works well when 1 am viewing extended objects like galaxies, but just the opposite is true for stars — the least field motion will wipe out faint stars.

About !6° southeast of NGC 596 is NGC 615. It is a spiral galaxy about 2' long with roughly the same brightness as NGC 596. NGC 615 has a distinctly bright nucleus that seems displaced from the center of the galaxy. This object was easy for my old 10-inch reflector in Kansas.

The last galaxy in the chain is NGC 636. It is about 1° from NGC 615 and displaced slightly to the east of a line connecting the other three. 1 estimate this faint elliptical to be magnitude 12.0 and just under 1' across. NGC 636 looks very much like a small planetary nebula. When I placed an ultrahigh-contrast (UHC) filter between the eyepiece and my eye, however, the object dimmed along with the stars, thus ending any thought that it was a nebula.

It was quite another story when the filter was used on the nearby large plan-

Figure 12.6

The planetary nebula NGC

246 (with four stars superimposed on it) appears bright and round in large telescopes.

etary NGC 246. Flipping the filter in and out of the view caused the stars to blink while the nebula remained conspicuous. In my opinion filter flipping is a much better way to locate small planetaries than the older method of using a prism or spectroscope.

NGC 246 was discovered by William Herschel, who called it large and very faint. I question his description of it as faint, since I can see it with the 4-inch Clark. Modern estimates placed the 4'-diameter planetary at magnitude 8.5. Ronald Morales saw NGC 246 “well” in a 6-inch reflector. With an 8-inch f/5 reflector, he reports that the nebula was “easily seen as a round, diffuse glow behind three stars of similar brightness. A fourth was glimpsed, but the central star was not seen.” Other reports suggest that the planetary is a complete ring in apertures larger than 10 inches, while smaller instruments show the ring as broken.

If you are interested in hunting out some of Cetus’s fainter galaxies, begin with NGC 309, located about 3° northeast of NGC 246. It is a 12.5-magnitude spiral about 2' in diameter. Objects like this show better in long-focus instruments since they tend to scatter less light in the field. My old 10-inch reflector was f/8.6, and it gave fine views of faint deep-sky objects. Some of my best deep-sky views have been with the Stellafane 12-inch Porter turret telescope, which is f/17.1 also suggest using a Barlow lens to obtain higher magnification. A low-power eyepiece and Barlow seem to scatter less light and produce a higher-contrast view than a high-power eyepiece alone.

Less than 1° northeast of NGC 246 is NGC 255, another spiral that is about the same magnitude and slightly larger than NGC 309.1 have glimpsed it with the 4-inch Clark, but a 10-inch would be a more practical instrument to fish it out.

Lastly, there are two faint galaxies about 3° southwest of NGC 246. The brighter is the spiral NGC 210. Its oval disk is about 4' long and catalogs list it a^s magnitude 11.8. While in Louisiana during World War II. I had a fine view of this object with the 10-inch reflector. Less than 1° to the southwest is NGC 178, which was also visible in the 10-inch. However, at 13th magnitude and about 1' in diameter it is a more challenging object.

Another Cetus galaxy, NGC 578, seems never to have been mentioned in this column before, nor is it plotted in Norton’s Star Atlas, but over the years I have seen it several times with apertures ranging from 13 inches down to 4. With averted vision, look a for a dim oval glow, about 4' by 2' in extent. It is best to prepare a finder chart by plotting this position on a map showing stars as faint as magnitude 9, for this object is very difficult to acquire by simply sweeping. If you don’t find NGC 578, you have the consolation that William Herschel missed it too. My estimate of the total magnitude is about 11.2, as seen in the 4-inch.

By the way, I would like to thank all the people at the 1990 Stellafane convention in Vermont who participated in the “Hello, Scotty!” greeting on Saturday evening. That shout may have made it all the way to Connecticut (I’ve learned of unusual happenings in the area that were glibly attributed to weather conditions), but at the time I was enjoying a meal of delicious mussels at a sidewalk cafe in Belgium following the AAVSO’s European meeting. It was the first Stellafane I’ve missed in many years.

A Romp in the December Wonderland

"It is December again and the stars have an extra snap and sparkle. The humidity is down, objectives do not dew up, and the warmly dressed observer is as happy as on June nights." Or so Scotty thought when he wrote from Kansas in 1955. Nearly four decades later he noticed that the skies had steadily deteriorated and wondered what our skies would be like in the future. Despite this growing nemesis, which we now commonly refer to as light pollution, the night sky with all its splendors continues to inspire passionate souls. In this last installment, Scotty takes us on a visual romp to some of December's most astonishing sights, all of which have been covered in more detail throughout this book. Still, they are, as Scotty has called them, the old favorites of our youth. The romp ends with M42, the Orion Nebula. Thus the book comes full circle. In the end, when called upon to reflect on the importance of amateur astronomy, Scotty looked into his crystal ball and saw the promise of progress, mainly because in his heart he cherished a belief in the positive impact of the night sky on the affairs of humanity.

Fifty years ago, any kid in a big city like my old hometown of Milwaukee could set up a telescope in his or her backyard and enjoy really first-rate views of the night sky. This is far from the case today, and the problem facing most urban observers is to find a dark-sky site that can be reached quickly with a telescope that can be stuffed into the back of an automobile. Long-time author and telescope maker Robert E. Cox once noted that amateur telescopes in the 1930s

Figure 12.7

The open cluster M38 (top) and its smaller companion NGC 1907 (bottom) both lie in Auriga.

stayed collimated better than those of today. One reason may be that years ago we didn’t drag our equipment over so many back roads.

As many of us know, the telescope is a wondrous invention, and the heavens contain all manner of marvels that can still astound the imaginative mind, no matter what the smog density may be. Some of the better sights await us in the December evening sky. The Northern Cross is erect in the northwest: Albireo has already set. Pegasus is now a great diamond-shape sloping slowly to the west, as Orion mounts closer to the meridian. This is no time for routine or difficult objects: it is better that we sweep again the old favorites of our youth — the sights that enthralled us with our first homemade reflector.

The Pleiades must come first, that marvelous cluster which in opera glasses is more splendid than most galactic clusters in a 10-inch. But if we have a 10-inch the splendor may keep us at the eyepiece for long moments. Perhaps we can faintly see the Merope Nebula — it is not impossible. Next we pause for a brief glance at the Hyades, bright with piercing sparkle.

After this comes the great Double Cluster in Perseus. To the naked eye it shines with a steady glow between Cassiopeia and Perseus, and in the telescope this tremendous blaze of scintillating suns makes a commanding entrance into the eyepiece field. One can look for a long time at the many doubles, the colors, the winding patterns as the dense cores of the cluster thin out slowly to merge finally into the star-rich background of the galaxy itself.

Moving down the Milky Way we run into such variegated star fields and clusters in Auriga that it is almost impossible to know where to halt, but this might very well be at M38. Evenly compressed into a glowing ball two thirds the diameter of the full Moon are over 100 softly blazing stars (Figure 12.7). Nearby >^s M36, a rich cluster of fainter stars, somewhat smaller but also impressive. It is well to trail the telescope slowly over the whole length of the Milky Way in Auriga, for objects unmentioned in these regions would be major sights in most other parts of thc sky.

Farther to the south, we pause for a moment at Ml. the famous Crab Nebula, although our telescopes will show little more than an oval glow, with little trace of wispy filaments. Less well-known, but still one of my favorites, is the diffuse nebula M78 in Orion, with a few stars apparently superimposed. It has a curious “ink-blob” symmetry.

Next in numerical order is M79 in Lepus, an 8th-magnitude globular cluster eight arcminutes in diameter. Finally, saving the most impressive for last, is the incomparable M42, the great Orion Nebula, about which words fail. No amount of intensive gazing ever encompasses all its vivid splendor.

What Is an Amateur Astronomer?

Fortunately most amateurs don’t bother with the semantics of their title. But it seems appropriate to consider what the name means. For starters 1 turned to the New English Dictionary. This scholarly work informed me that the word “amateur” is rather new to the English language, having appeared in print sometime after 1700. It is taken from a French word meaning “lover.” In thc 1700s, to be an amateur simply meant loving a subject. The word was used in bird-watching, lichen counting, painting, and all such sorts of human devotion. The connotations were always favorable.

Shortly after 1800 a derisive use began to appear. And in astronomy the modern division began to form between admiration for the stars and earning a living. The separation between amateur and professional astronomers became wide and deep. In the 1880s, when New York amateur astronomer and newspaper writer Garrett P. Serviss formed an organization called the American Astronomical Society, Simon Newcomb of the Nautical Almanac Office loudly protested that no amateur group should be allowed to carry so lofty a name.

Other professionals were less disapproving. Edward C. Pickering of Harvard recruited amateurs to monitor variable stars, and his efforts led to the formation of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. This and other organizations helped raise the status of amateurs.

Today the observations of amateurs can redirect efforts at professional observatories around the world. Australia’s Robert Evans, observing from his backyard, has alerted professionals to many supernovae, allowing them to gather data on some very unusual stars in a timely fashion.

In 1931 Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley gave a talk to the Milwaukee Astronomical Society (all 18 members). Afterward, during a discussion that went into the wee small hours, we talked of the role amateur astronomers play. Shapley did not see amateurs as volunteers who only did chores for the professionals. He saw them as a vital link between professionals and the public, a link that must exist if observatories hope to survive.

Lewis Epstein had a slightly different assessment of amateurs, one that he outlined in a talk before the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He sees amateurs as the ones who plant and cultivate the seeds for the next generation of professional physicists, mathematicians, and engineers, as well as astronomers. So it’s with a great sense of pride that we, as amateurs, go outside and enjoy the night sky.

Walter Scott Houston

1912 — 1993

Whether listening to lectures, participating in swap meets, sharing tips on telescopes, or showing off their equipment — as shown in these scenes from the July 1987 Stellafane convention in Springfield, Vermont — amateur astronomers spread their passion for astronomy. It all comes down to the love of the night sky, which Scotty helped to foster. In 1994, the year after Scotty died, Stellafaners showed their love and affection for him with a moment of silence by candlelight. It was a fitting tribute to a man whose words helped so many grow in their own love of the sky.

DECEMBER OBJECTS

DECEMBER OBJECTS

Ast = Asterism; BN = Bright Nebula; CGx = Cluster of Galaxies; DN = Dark Nebulo; GC = Globular Cluster; Gx = Goloxy; OC = Open Cluster; PN = Planetary Nebulo; * = Sfor; * ♦ = Double/Mulliple Star; Var = Variable Star

SOURCES

Listed below by month and year of issue are the Deep-Sky Wonders columns from Sky & Telescope that were mined to create this book. Also listed are the sources who generously provided the images that accompany the text, and whose permission is gratefully acknowledged.

CHAPTER 1 — JANUARY

The Glory of a Thousand Stars in a Thousand Hues

January 1991.

The Nebulous Wonder of Orion

February 1950, January 1952, December 1955, February 1971. September 1980. January 1987. January 1991.

The Quest For Barnard's Loop and the Horsehead

Barnard’s Loop: February 1984, January

• 1987. January 1991.

Horsehead: January 1952, December 1957, January 1969. January 1970, January 1979.

January 1987. February 1990. January 1991.

The Great Triangulum Spiral

July 1949. January 1955. April 1955, October 1958. October 1959. January 1962. November 1962. December 1965.

January 1975.

The Mystery of Nonexistent Star Clusters December 1975, January 1976.

Jewel of the Night

December 1953, December 1955. December 1956, January 1962, December 1964,

November 1979, October 1980. December

• 1982. December 1983. November 1984, December 1985, December 1988.

November 1990.

Winter's Furnace

January 1957, December 1963, January

• 1972. December 1972. January 1986. December 1986, February 1992.

Images: 1.1.1.2,1.3,1.5,1.6.1.10,1.11,1.12: Akira Fujii. 1.4: Chuck Vaughn. 1.7.1.8, 1.9: Sky & Telescope. 1.13: NGS-POSS.* 1.14: DSS-S.**

CHAPTER 2 — FEBRUARY

Wonders in the Void

April 1954. March 1962, August 1963, February 1968. May 1968. December 1970, December 1973. December 1980. March 1985. October 1986, February 1991, November 1991. November 1993, February 1994.

Kemble's Cascade and Pazmino's Cluster

February 1968, December 1973, December 1980, March 1985, February 1991, November 1991, November 1993,

February 1994.

Going to California

December 1981, March 1982, December 1982, November 1983. November 1985, January 1987. October 1988, December

• 1988. September 1989. January 1993.

The Little Dumbbell

December 1947, November 1954, December 1963, May 1969, December 1976, January 1979. December 1981,

December 1982, January 1984, December 1988, November 1993.

Probing the Depths of Perseus

December 1947, November 1954, December 1956, November 1960, January 1964. December 1976. December 1982.

November 1983, December 1984, December 1988, January 1989.

Navigating the Celestial River

April 1954, February 1962, December 1966, November 1967, January 1971.

January 1972, January 1973, December

• 1978. January 1980. January 1984. December 1986, January 1992, March 1994.

Averted Vision and the Celestial Jellyfish March 1949, February 1962, April 1964, May 1966, November 1967, May 1979, January 1980. November 1981.

Images: 2.1: Preston Scott Justis. 2.2,2.7: Martin C. Germano. 2.3,2.9: NGS-POSS. 2.4,2.5: DSS-N.*** 2.6: George Greaney. 2.8: George R. Viscome. 2.10: Akira Fujii. 2.11: Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories, courtesy the California Institute of Technology. 2.12: Dennis di Cicco.

CHAPTER 3 — MARCH

The Elusive Winter Wreath

March 1962. February 1974, November

• 1983, February 1987. January 1988, February 1990, January 1993.

The Gem of Gemini

April 1957, March 1960, March 1964. January 1966, March 1977, February 1980, March 1982, December 1983, February

• 1984, January 1985, December 1985, February 1986, March 1989, March 1992.

M35's "Comet" Companion

April 1957. March 1960. March 1964. March 1977, February 1980. March 1982, February 1984, January 1985, February 1986, March 1989.

The Domain of Castor

February 1961, February 1970, February 1971, February 1972, February 1980, March

• 1981, February 1983. February 1986. March 1989, March 1992. December 1993,

The Great Corridor of Open Clusters January 1947, February 1954. December 1955, February 1960, January 1961. January 1974, February 1975. March 1977, December 1979. December 1985. January 1990

The "Leader of the Host of Heaven" and Its Neglected Entourage

March 1947, February 1955, January' I960 February 1973, February 1978. February

• 1982, February 1988. February 1993, December 1993. January 1994.

Columba and the March Hare

January 1954, February 1956, February 1969, January 1973, January 1980.

Images: 3.1: Chuck Vaughn. 3.2,3.7.3.9: Akira Fujii. 3.3: Preston Scott Justis. 3.4: John Chumack. 3.5: Sky & Telescope. 3.6: NGS-POSS. 3.8: DSS-N. 3.10: DSS-S. 3.11: Martin C. Germano.

CHAPTER 4 —APRIL

Intergalactic Wanderer and Extragalactic Wonders

March 1949. March 1956. March 1971, March 1975, April 1978, February 1980, February 1981. April 1984, April 1985, February 1989.

The Dynamic Duo

April 1947. March 1955, May 1987. June 1987, May 1988. May 1992.

Seeing Double, and a Mysterious Planetary in Lynx

February 1981.

The Beehive Challenge

March 1951, February 1959, April I960, March 1961, March 1963, March 1965.

March 1976. March 1981. February 1983. March 1984, February 1985, March 1988, April 1989, March 1990. January 1993.

Hydra Hysteria

March 1963, February 1967. March 1 ^{1 ll}-April 1971. March 1972, April 1972. March 1978, March 1981, May 1981, February

• 1983. March 1984. April 1984. May 1984. May 1991, May 1994.

The Ghost of Jupiter

May 1947. June 1947. May 1969. March 1970. April 1971. March 1978. March 1984. April 1984.

Images: 4.1: Preston Scott Justis. 4.2: NGS-POSS. 4.3.4.5,4.6: Akira Fujii. 4.4. 4.8: Martin C. Germano. 4.7: DSS-N.

CHAPTER 5 — MAY

The Grandeur of Omega Centauri

June 1956. June 1961, May 1965. May 1970. May 1973. June 1978. May 1979. May 1981, May 1984. May 1987. May 1988, February 1992. May 1994.

Galactic Visibility

May 1951. March 1962. April 1968, April 1969. March 1974. April 1976. March 1981.

April 1982. March 1983. April 1984. April

• 1985. March 1987, March 1988.

The Dwarfs that Dwell in Leo

March 1980. April 1990.

Hunting Galaxies in Leo

April 1948. March 1954. February 1958, April 1961. April 1963. March 1973. April 1977, March 1980, April 1982, March 1983. May 1983. April 1986, April 1987, April 1988, April 1989.

Lure of the Little Lion

May 1951. February 1952. March 1962.

April 1968. April 1969. March 1971. March

• 1974. April 1976. March 1981, April 1982.

March 1983. April 1984. April 1985, March

• 1987. March 1988.

Navigating Sextans

April 1964. April 1970. April 1971, March 1981. April 1982. April 1984. April 1985, March 1991.April 1992.

Images: 5.1a, 5.1 b. 5.2,5.8.5.10: Akira Fujii. 5.3,5.6: NGS-POSS. 5.4.5.5: DSS-N. 5.7. 5.9: Chuck Vaughn. 5.11: Jeffrey Jones.

CHAPTER 6 —JUNE

The Bowl of Night

April 1959, January 1963, May 1974. April

• 1980. May 1987, May 1992.

The Mystery of M102

February 1948. March 1952, February 1967. July 1980, July 1986. May 1991.

The Northern Deep-Sky Triangle

June 1977. May 1986. June 1986. April 1991.

The Wonder of M106

February 1948. April 1991.

Forgotten Corridors

May 1953, June 1964. May 1967. May 1972. June 1982. May 1985.

Cup and Crow

May 1948, April 1962, May 1966. April 1979, April 1981, May 1981. April 1983.

May 1985, May 1987. May 1988, June 1992. April 1994, June 1994.

Images: 6.1,6.2,6.3,6.4,6.5,6.6: Akira Fujii. 6.7: Kim Zussman. 6.8: National Maritime

Museum, London. 6.9,6.10: NGS-POSS.

6.11: DSS-N. 6.12: Harvey Freed. 6.13: Martin C. Germano. 6.14: George R. Viscome.

CHAPTER 7 —JULY

Peering into the Cat's Eye

August 1949, July 1967. May 1969, June 1969. June 1979, March 1982. July 1985. July 1986. May 1991.

The Crown Jewels

July 1988, July 1991. July 1993.

Dueling Globulars

MH: June 1958, June 1963, June 1976, September 1982. June 1983, January 1985, August 1986. June 1987, September 1989. July 1992, July 1993.

M5: June 1950. July 1958. June 1965, July

• 1973. July 1974, June 1980. June 1986.

The Orphans of Ophiuchus

August 1961.July 1979, July 1980. June

• 1981. August 1982. July 1983, June 1985, July 1985.

More Surprises in the Serpent Bearer

July 1967. August 1970. July 1971,September 1978, July 1980, June 1984. August 1984.

Naked-Eye Globular Clusters

July 1994.

Images: 7.1,7.7: Martin C. Germano. 7.2,7.4, 7.8: Akira Fujii. 7.3: Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories, courtesy the California Institute of Technology. 7.5: From The Scientific Papers of William Parsons, Third Earl of Rosse, 1800-1867. Collected and republished by the Hon. Sir Charles Parsons, K.C.B.. F. R. S., 1926. 7.6: Roger Sliva.

CHAPTER 8 — AUGUST

Scanning the August Pole and More Sights in Cepheus

September 1970, November 1972, December 1973, October 1974, November

• 1975, July 1985, December 1985. November 1986, November 1988, June 1992.

The Great Planetaries of Summer

August 1953, August 1962, August 1976. August 1980, July 1984, August 1987, July

• 1988. August 1989, August 1990.

The Dumbbell's Many Faces

September 1957, September 1963, August 1978, July 1984, July 1986, September 1986, September 1987, August 1990.

Houston's Uncertainty Principle

August 1989.

Telescopic Delights in Delphinus

October 1956, October 1961. August 1963, August 1967, October 1980, September 1991, August 1993.

Images: 8.1: NGS-POSS. 8.2: Robert Bickel. 8.3,8.10: Preston Scott Justis. 8.4,8.6: Martin C. Germano. 8.5,8.7,8.8: Akira Fujii. 8.9: DSS-N.

CHAPTER 9 — SEPTEMBER

Wandering Through Lacerta, the Lizard October 1971, September 1972, January

• 1976, October 1977, October 1981, November 1982, August 1983, September

• 1989, November 1991. October 1992.

Cruising Through Cygnus

August 1948, September 1948. October 1948, September 1956, August 1965, September 1968. August 1972. September 1973. October 1973. August 1980, September 1980, October 1980, September 1981. September 1982. August 1983, October 1984. December 1985. September 1989. November 1991.

Unveiling the Veil

September 1966, December 1967. November 1969, September 1980, August 1983, July 1984. October 1984, September 1987. December 1987.

The Mystery of NGC 6811

September 1968, September 1973, October 1986. November 1988, December 1991.

Hunting Cosmic Pearls in Aquila September 1979, September 1982. September 1993.

Images: 9.1,9.2,9.5,9.7, 9.8: Martin C. Germano. 9.3: DSS-N. 9.4: Paul Lind. 9.6: Chuck Vaughn.

CHAPTER 10 —OCTOBER

The Great Square of Pegasus

October 1961, October 1962. November 1977, October 1978, December 1978.

October 1983. November 1985, October 1988. January 1994.

Two Spectacular Autumn Globulars October 1952, October 1955, September 1962, November 1974, October 1978. October 1979, October 1980, July 1982, October 1982. October 1983. November 1985. December 1985, October 1988. November 1992.

Sweeping Through Sagitta

September. 1956, September 1958. August 1966. July 1979, September 1985. July 1986, September 1986.

Unraveling the Helix

October 1968. October 1969. October 1979, October 1984. December 1987.

November 1992.

A "Field Day" in the South

October 1985. October 1987.

Images: 10.1, 10.5: Akira Fujii. 10.2, 10.6, 10.10: Martin C. Germano. 10.3: Lee C.

Coombs. 10.4: DSS-S. 10.7: Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories, courtesy the California Institute of Technology. 10.8: NGS-POSS. 10.9: George R. Visconte.

CHAPTER 11 — NOVEMBER

The Cassiopeia Milky Way

January 1948, October 1953, October 1954. September 1967, December 1968, December 1969, November 1976, November 1981, September 1982, October 1983.

The Great Andromeda Galaxy

November 1946, November 1955, October 1958, January 1962, December 1976, December 1977, September 1980, November 1980, September 1981, November 1981, December 1981, November 1985, January 1986.

Sizing Up the Fish

November 1954, September 1959, December 1959, November 1973, November 1977.

The Splendors of Sculptor

October 1963, November 1970. August 1971, November 1972, October 1976, November 1988. December 1991.

The Naked-Eye Milky Way

November 1990.

Images: 11.1: Gerald Manley. 11.2.11.5,

11.7: Martin C. Germano. 11.3,11.4, 11.10a, 11.10b: Akira Fujii. 11.6: Preston Scott Justis. 11.8: Andrew Peters. 11.9: Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.

CHAPTER 12 — DECEMBER

The Challenge of the Seven Sisters October 1950, January 1967, December 1971, October 1972, January 1975, December 1976, December 1977, December

• 1979. November 1980. December 1980, December 1982. November 1983. December 1983, December 1984, January 1985, December 1985. January 1988, November 1990, January 1994.

Taurus: The Observer's Paradise January 1979. December 1979. January 1981, December 1983, October 1992.

Targeting the Cetus Seyfert

January 1966. November 1974, December 1974, December 1984, December 1990.

Galaxy Chains in Cetus

November 1971, December 1974, December 1984, December 1990.

A Romp in the December Wonderland

December 1955, December 1983, November 1988.

Images: 12.1,12.2.12.3.12.4: Chuck Vaughn. 12.5: Dale E. Mais. 12.6: Martin C. Germano. 12.7: Preston Scott Justis. 12.8a-h: Dennis di Cicco.

* From the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, courtesy the California Institute of Technology.

** From the Digitized Sky Survey, Southern Hemisphere, courtesy U. K. Schmidt Telescope Unit and NASA/AURA/STScI.

*** From the Digitized Sky Survey. Northern Hemisphere, courtesy the Palomar Observatory and NASA/AURA/STScI.

This bibliography lists the books, atlases, journals, and other published materials cited in the text. If a work is currently available in a new edition, the most recent bibliographical information is given.

Allen, R. H., Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, New York, 1963: Dover Publications.

Alfonsine Tables. A set of astronomical tables widely used during the Middle Ages. Named after Alfonso X. King of Castille and Leon (1252-1284).

Archinal, B. 77ie “Non-Existent” Star

Clusters of the RNGC, Typeset and printed in Great Britain by Don Miles, Portsmouth: The Webb Society, 1993.

Aristotle, Meteorologica. In Greek, with English translation by H. D. P. Lee, Cambridge, 1952: Cambridge University Press.

Barns, C. E„ 1001 Celestial Wonders, as observed with home-built instruments, Morgan Hill, CA. 1927: Science Service Press; released in 1929 by Pacific Science Press.

Be^var, A., Atlas Coeli 11 Katalog 1950.0 (Atlas of the Heavens Catalogue 1950.0), Prague, 1960: Ceskoslovenske Academie.

Becvar. A., Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens, Cambridge. MA. 1964: Sky Publishing Corporation.

Bonner Durchmusterung Catalog. Bonn. Germany, 1855: Universitats-Sternwarte zu Bonn.

Brocchi. D. F., AAVSO Star Atlas, Cambridge, MA. 1936: American Association of Variable Star Observers.

Burnham, R., Jr., Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, (3 vols.) New York, 1978: Dover Publications.

Burritt, E. H.. Geography of the Heavens, New York. 1873: Sheldon and Company. (First published in 1833.)

Chambers, G. F., Descriptive Astronomy, Oxford. 1867: Clarendon Press.

Cragin. M., J. Lucyk, and B. Rappaport, The Deep-Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0, Richmond. VA. 1993: Willmann-Bell.

The Deep-Sky Observer, Journal of the Webb Society. Typeset and printed in Southsea, Hampshire. Great Britain for The Webb Society.

Dreyer, J. L. E., New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (1888). Index Catalogue (1895), Second Index Catalogue (1908), London, 1962: Royal Astronomical Society.

Encke. J. F., cd.. Astronomisches Jahrbuch fur 1834, Berlin, 1832: Druckerei der Konigl, Akademie der Wissenschaften.

Galilei, G„ The Sidereal Messenger (Sidereus nuncius). Translated, with introduction, conclusion, and notes by

Albert van Helden. Chicago, IL. 1989: University of Chicago Press.

Harrington, P.. Touring the Universe Through Binoculars. New York. 1990: John Wiley & Sons.

Hartung, E. J.. Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes. Cambridge, England, 1968: Cambridge University Press. (Republished in 1995 as Hartung’s Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes, 2nd ed., rev. and illus. by David Malin and David J. Frew.)

Hirshfeld. A.. R.W. Sinnott, and

F. Ochsenbein, eds.. Sky Catalogue 2000.0, Volume I: Stars to Magnitude 8.0, 2nd ed., Cambridge, MA. 1991: Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.

Hirshfeld. A., and R. W. Sinnott, eds..

Sky Catalogue 2000.0, Volume 2: Double Stars, Variable Stars, and Nonstellar Objects, Cambridge, MA, 1985: Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.

Hogg, H. S., Bibliography of Individual Globular Clusters, Publications of the David Dunlap Observatory, Vol. 1. No. 4. (1939), Vol. 11, No. 2 (1955). Vol. HI. No. 6 (1973),Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

Jones, K. G., Messier’s Nebulae and Star Clusters, Cambridge, England, 1991: Cambridge University Press.

Jones, K. G., ed., Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook, Vol. 1. Double Stars, Short Hills, NJ, 1979: Enslow Publishers.

Jones, K. G., ed.. Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer’s Handbook, Vol. 2, Planetary and Gaseous Nebulae, Hillside, NJ, 1979: Enslow Publishers,

Jones, K. G., ed.. Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer’s Handbook, Vol. 3, Open and Globular Clusters, Hillside, NJ, 1980: Enslow Publishers.

Jones. K. G., ed., Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook, Vol. 4, Galaxies, Hillside. NJ, 1981: Enslow Publishers.

Jones, K. G.. ed., Webb Society Deep-Skv Observer’s Handbook, Vol. 5, Clusters of Galaxies, Hillside, NJ, 1982: Enslow Publishers.

Jones. K. G., ed., Webb Society Deep-Skv Observer’s Handbook. Vols. 6-8, Anonymous Galaxies, Hillside. NJ, 1975: Enslow Publishers

Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Richmond Hill. Ontario: David Dunlap Observatory.

Kukarkin, B. V.. General Catalog of Variable Stars, Leiden.The Netherlands, 1949: Sternberg Astronomical Institute and International Astronomical Union.

Luginbuhl, C. B. and B. A. Skiff, Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects, 2nd ed., Cambridge, England 1998: Cambridge University Press.

Mallas, J. H., and E. Kreimer, The Messier Album, Cambridge, MA, 1978: Sky Publishing Corporation.

McKready, K., A Beginner’s Star-Book, New York. 1923: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Mitchell, L., Mitchell’s Anonymous Catalog, self-published.

National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, Pasadena. CA. 1954,1958: California Institute of Technology.

Olcott, W.T.. Field Book of the Stars. New York. 1907: G. P. Putnam's Sons.

Perek, L., and L. Kohoutek, Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae, Prague. 1967: Academia Publishing House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.

Ridpath, I. A. Norton’s Star Atlas and Reference Handbook, 19th ed., Essex. England. 1998: Addison Wesley Longman. (First edition published in 1910.)

Ross, F. E.. and M. R. Calvert. Atlas of the Northern Milky Way, Chicago. 1934: University of Chicago Press.

Sagot. R.. and J. Texereau. Revue des constellations, Paris. 1964: Society astronomique de France.

Scovil, C. A.. AAVSO Star Atlas, Cambridge. MA, 1990: American Association of Variable Star Observers.

Serviss. G. P., Astronomy with the Naked Eye, New York. 1908: Harper and Brothers.

Serviss, G. P., Astronomy with an Opera-Glass, New York. 1888: D. Appleton and Company.

Serviss, G. P.. Pleasures of the Telescope, New York, 1901: D. Appleton and Company.

Shapley, H., Galaxies, Harvard Books on Astronomy, revised ed.. Cambridge, MA. 1961: Harvard University Press.

Shapley, H. and A. Ames, A Survey of the External Galaxies Brighter than the 13th Magnitude, Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College. Vol. 88. No. 2.. Cambridge. MA.1932: Harvard College. (Note: this was revised in 1981. See Sandage. A., and G. A. Tammann, A Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies, Washington. DC, 1981: Carnegie Institution, and again in 1987.)

Sinnott. R. W._ ed., NGC 2000.0: The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogues of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer, Cambridge. MA. 1988: Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.

Sinnott, R. W., and M. A. C. Perryman, Millennium Star Atlas, Cambridge. MA, and Noordwijk.The Netherlands, 1997: Sky Publishing Corporation and European Space Agency.

Smyth, W. H.. The Bedford Catalogue, from A Cycle of Celestial Objects,

Vol. 2.. Richmond, VA. 1986: Willmann-Bell.

Smyth. W. H.. A Cycle of Celestial Objects, Vol. 1. London. 1844: J. L. Parker: Oxford. 1881. Clarendon Press.

Star Atlas (Workbook of the Heavens), Middletown, CT, 1968: American Education Publications.

Sulentic. J. W.. and W. G. Tifft. The Revised New General Catalogue of Nonstellar Astronomical Objects, Tucson. AZ, 1980: University of Arizona Press.

Tirion. W.. and R. W. Sinnott, Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd ed., Cambridge. MA. 1998: Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.

Tirion, W., B. Rappaport, and G. Lovi, Uranometria 2000.0, 2 vols., Richmond, VA, 1987: Willmann-Bell.

Vehrenberg, H., Atlas of Deep-Sky Splendors, 4th ed., Cambridge, MA, 1983: Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.

Webb, T. W.. Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, Vol. 2. New York, 1962: Dover Publications.

Scotty loved to set challenges for observers, so it is appropriate that this distillation of his Sky & Telescope columns proved something of a challenge to index.

Scotty peppered his writing with references to past observers; how such deep-sky greats as Charles Messier; William, John and Caroline Herschel; Lord Rosse; William H. Smyth; and Thomas W. Webb described this or that object was an essential ingredient of his mix. To record every mention of the names that appear so often would have generated an unwieldy batch of index entries, so for these only a representative selection has been chosen. (The most frequently quoted of Scotty’s own correspondents have not been trimmed in this way.)

Included in this index are the use of various accessories (indexed individually) and important general tips and techniques (collected under “observing tips and techniques”). Telescope types are not indexed. Many specific instruments that Scotty and others used are indexed under the names of the observatories where they are located. Not included are Scotty’s own telescopes — he mentions his trusty 4-inch Clark refractor far too often.

In a sense, every Deep-Sky Wonders column threw out tests to its readers. A selection of these have been indexed under “challenges," along with a variety of targets historically regarded by amateur astronomers as tests of either their observing skills or equipment. (Many of these objects have been rendered less daunting over the years by advances in amateur telescope technology.) The “challenges” entry, along with some others that contain a dozen or more page references, has not been divided into subentries.

Every deep-sky object Scotty describes in the book is indexed here under its most familiar label. Thus, for example, the main entry for the Orion Nebula is under that name, rather than M42 or NGC 1976; such catalog numbers will also be found as cross-references. Stars mentioned in the text simply as guideposts are not indexed. There are no generic entries for types of deep-sky objects, such as spiral galaxies or dark nebulae. Again, this would have made for a number of unwieldy entries.

Object designations such as Theta (9) Orionis, FI Hydrae, and 19 Lyncis, which contain the genitive form of a constellation name, are indexed under thc constellation, in these cases under Orion. Hydra, and Lynx. Each constellation entry starts with the numbers of pages on which these and differently designated objects in that constellation are described.

Page numbers in boldface refer to photographs or illustrations and their captions. Numbers in italics refer to the tables of objects at the end of each chapter. The suffix n indicates a footnote.

"4-H cluster” see NGC 1664

AAVSO see American Association of

Variable Star Observers

Abbey, Leonard B„ Jr., 57

Abell, George, 113

Abell 426 see Perseus Cluster

Abell 1367,113,72/

Abell 2065 see Corona Borealis cluster of galaxies

Acamar (Theta Eridani) see Eridanus Achcrnar (Alpha Eridani) see Eridanus

Adams, R., 11

Alfonsine Tables, 16m

Allen. Richard H.,60,85,188 al-SUfl, 204,246

Altair (Alpha Aquilae) see Aquila Alvan Clark & Sons, 6n amateur astronomy, 277-8 development of, 39-40,49,50-52, 105-7,114,155-6,211,219

Ambrosi, Dave, 11

American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), 27,45,269, 277

American Astronomical Society, 277 Ames, Adelaide, 81m

Amici prism, 237

Andromeda, 95, 245-8

Andromeda Galaxy (M31), 45,204,

245-8,245,259

Antares (Alpha Scorpii) see Scorpius Antennae see Ring-tail Galaxy Antlia, 92

Aquarius, 224-6, 230-33,235

Aquila, 210-13,227

Altair (Alpha [otj Aquilae), 185.

187,211,227

Aratus, 85,118

Archinal, Brent, 12

Aristotle, 63

Arizona, University of, 36-inch reflector, 131

Aselli, 85n

Ashbrook, Joseph, 82

Astrofest (convention), 210 Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 278

astrophotography, 6-7, 111, 226 photographs vs. visual appearance, 3,5-6,8,38,43,110, 111,125,134,142,153,158, 160,163,180-81,209,227. 246,263

atmosphere, quality of see sky conditions

atmospheric absorption, 75,79,101

Auriga, 64-8.65

averted vision, 44-6

Baade, Walter, 247

Barker, Ed, 167,229-30

Barlow lens, 69,88,126,153-4,176, 183,223,274

Barnard, E. E., 5,7.34,60,165,182.

228,264,267

Barnard’s Loop (Sh2-276), 5-6,6,25

Barnard 33 see Horsehead Nebula

Barnard 64,164,77/

Barnard 168,203,214

Barnard 201,19,25

Barnard 259, 165,77/

Barnhart, Stephen, 7

Barns, Charles E., 16,124,206

Bartek, Mr., 11

Bartels. John F., 6,51,207,219

Bayer. Johann, 85, 100

Bc^var, Antonin, 12n

Beehive (Praesepc, M44), 84-7, 85. 87.

96

Belt of Orion. 8

Beowulf, 84—5

Berkeley 10.32.32,47

Berlin Observatory, 81

Bevis, John, 267

Big Dipper, 108,123.123-7

"Big Four" of Perseus (NGC 869 and

884. M34. M76, NGC 1499), 36

Bigourdan, Guillaume, 105

Birr Castle Observatory (of Lord

Rosse)

36-inch reflector, 4

72-inch reflector (“Leviathan of

Parsonstown”), 37n, 180

Boardman, L. J„ 45

Bochart de Saron, Jean-Baptiste-

Gaspard, 134

Bode. Johann, 38,81.195

Bond, George P., 246

Bortle, John, 8,35,159

“Box Nebula" see NGC 6309

Bradley, James, 59

Branchett, Brenda, 116. 117

Branchett, D., 164

Brashear. John, 142

Brennan. Pat, 11-15,31,165,199,229

Brocchi, Dalmiro F., 27.76

Brocchi’s cluster, 229

Brooks. William R.,28

Brown, Douglas, 29

Brown, James P., 195

Buffham, W„ 224

Burnham. Robert, Jr., 19,28,176

Burnham, Sherburne W., 61,77,83,

119,142,188,267

Burnham 576, 82, 96

Burritt, Elijah H., 75

Burton, Tom, 231

Buta, Nancy, 83

Buta. Ronald, 81, 83

Caelum, 69

Cain, Lee, 207

California Nebula (NGC 1499), 33-6,

• 34,47

Camelopardalis, 14,27-33,177

SZ Camelopardalis, 31

Campbell, Leon, 269

Cancer, 84-9

Canes Vcnatici, 125,131-5,179

Cor Coroli (Alpha [ex] Canum Venaticorum), 132; see also “Deep-Sky Triangle”

Canis Major, 61-5

Sirius (Alpha [a] Canis Majoris), 61-4,62. 73,83,257

Cannon 3-1,167,171

Capricornus, 234-5

Carpenter, Dr., 11

Carrington. Richard, 263

Cassiopeia, 16.17,241-5

Castor (Alpha Geminorum) see Gemini

catalogs, descriptions in vs. visual appearance, 12-15,29,36,55-6, 80,103,116-17,173,174.229,246, 251,266,271,272

cataracts see under visual acuity

Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), 151-4, 152.777

Centaurus, 93,99-102

Alpha (a) Centauri, 62 Omega (to) Cen (NGC 5139), 99-102,100,101. 722

Cepheus, 87,173-9

Cetus, 46,269-75

challenges, 5-11.23. 33-6,49,51-2.

57-60,102-5,131-2,180-81,198, 204-8,209-10,213.229,255, 263-5

Chambers, George F.. 160

Chapin, Bruce, 95

Chaple, Glen, Jr., 163

Cheseaux, Phillippc de, 52

Christensen, Tommy, 208-9 circumpolar, 79

Clark, Alvan G.. 6n. 61

Clark, Jeannie, 37

Clark, Tom, 37,99

Clerke, Agnes, 261

Cochran. Harry, 231

Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146), 202-3,274

Coe, Steve, 226,253,256

Colfax Observatory, 8

Collindcr 256, 136,147

Columba, 68-70

Coma Berenices, 136-7

Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies, 136

Combs, Christine, 151 common proper motion, 177 constellations

(changes to) boundaries, 75,82, 160,175,226

history, 114-15,117-18,195 as signposts, 218

Cooke, S. R. B., 11

Copeland, Leland S., 77

Cor Coroli (Alpha Canum

Venaticorum) see Canes Venatici

Corn, James. 11,29.46,103,204

Corona Borealis cluster of galaxies (Abell 2065), 156.156,171

Corona Borealis, 154-6

R Coronae Borealis, 154-5,155, 172

T CrB, 127,155,155,772

Corvus, 140, 142-5

Cox, Robert E., 275

Crab Nebula (Ml), 267-8.268,277.

281

Crater, 142-5

craters, terrestrial, 105

Cuffey, J., 66

Curtis, Heber D., 218.229

Cygnus, 175,200-210

52 Cygni, 206,207,214

Deneb (Alpha [a] Cyg), 185

SS Cyg, 127

Cyrus. Charles, 82

Cysat, Johann, 3

Darquier, Antoine. 179 d'Arrest. Heinrich, 29.40,88,224, 264

Davey, William, 55

Dawes. William, 177

Dawes limit, 82

De Chesaux's comet, 222

Dearborn Observatory, 61 deep-sky filters see nebula filters “Deep-Sky Triangle” (Eta [r|] Ursae Majoris. Alpha [oc] Canum Venaticorum, Gamma [y] Bootis), 129.130

Delphinus (Job's Coffin), 186-91, 187

Alpha (a) Delphini, 189. 792 Beta (P) Del, 82,96,188-9, 792 Gamma (y) Del. 188,792 Theta (6) Del. 191,193

Delporte, Eugene, 175

Deneb (Alpha Cygni) see Cygnus Denning, William, 29,263 di Cicco, Dennis, 18, 159

Dorpat Observatory, 31m

Double Cluster (h and Chi [%j Persei, NGC 869 and 884), 15-19,16,17,25,276,287

Double Double (Epsilon [e] Lyrae) see Lyra

Draco, 151—4

Draper, Henry, 4

Dreyer, J. L. E., 11,234

Dumbbell Nebula (M27), 182-4,183. 792,204-5

Dunlop, James, 23

ecliptic, 151-2

Epstein, Lewis, 278

Eratosthenes, 226

Eridanus, 41-6

Acamar (Theta [0] Eridani), 42 Achernar (Alpha [a] Eri), 41-2,

• 42,47

ESO 351-G30 see Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy

ESO 356-4 see Fornax System

Espin. Thomas E., 202

Evans. Robert. 167.277

Everhart. Edgar, 202,207 extinction see atmospheric absorption

eyepieces see also Barlow lens

Erfle, 67,207

Konig, 131

monocular, 35

Nagler, 113,224 occulting bar in, 114 orthoscopic, 35 Plossl, 54,153,207 wide-field, 19,54

eyesight see visual acuity

Farrar, Leonard P., 8,231

Feijth. Hank, 247

filters see nebula filters

Finkelstein. Jan, 232

Flammarion, Camille, 88,92,146

Flamsteed, John. 63

Flynn, E. D„ 101

Fornax Group of galaxies, 20-23,21

Fornax System (ESO 356-4), 22-3.25

Fornax, 20-24,20

Alpha (a) Fornacis, 21,25

Frederici Honores, 195

Galbraith. William. 103

Galileo Galilei, 3,16,85

Gardner, Michael, 153

Gauthier. G., 242,243

gegenschein, 52

Gemini, 52-61

Castor (Alpha [a] Geminorum),

57-61.58,59, 72

Pollux (Beta [p] Gem). 57

YY Gem, 60;

Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242), 93,94.

94,98

Gingerich. Owen, 90. 111-12,125

Gleason, Geoffrey, 59

Gottlieb. Steve, 232

Grabenhorst, Fred, 103

Grunwald. Mark, 7, 231,232

Grus. 237-8

H20,229.239

h3752,71.72

Hahn. Friedrich von, 180

Halbach, Ed. 40

Hale Telescope see Palomar Mountain

Observatory

Halley, Edmond, 100,132,157

Halley’s Comet, 53,185,233,267

Hansen, Todd, 23,229

Harrington, Philip, 119. 191,233

Hartung. Ernst J., 23,166

Harvard Observatory, 15-inch refractor, 4,246

Hastings, Charles. 142

HB 12,247

HB 64. 247

HB 90. 248

HB 254,247

H-beta (HP) filters see nebula filters

Heartwell, Bryce, 207

Heidelberg Observatory, 16-inch refractor, 114

Heintz, Wulff D„ 177

Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), 230-33,

239

Henzl filters, 207

Hercules, 157-60

Herring, Alika, 231

Herschel, Caroline, 90,243,244,253

Herschel. John. 4,15.22,23,58.70-71,

83-4.94,100, 133,161, 173, 176,

179, 253,271

Herschel. William, 3-4, 15, 49, 50, 52, 58,67,76,83-4,92,111,137,137, 205-6,266-7,271

Hevelius, Johann. 75. 114,118

Hind, John Russell, 164,267

Hind’s Variable Nebula (NGC 1555),

267,281

Hipparchus, 16.85

Hogg, Helen Sawyer, 129,134

Holden. Edward S„ 181,234

Holden. William, 92

Holetschck, Johann, 111-12, 113

Horsehead Nebula (B33), 5,6-9,7.25,

51

“Houston’s Uncertainty Principle,” 186

Hubble, Edwin, 11,247

Hubble’s Variable Nebula (NGC 2261), 25

Huggins, William, 4,46,152

Hurst, Guy. 66,67,198

Huygens, Christiaan, 3

Hyades (Melotte 25), 265,276,281 Hydra, 89-95: FI Hydrae, 92,96 “Hydra Hysteria," 89-93

IAU see International Astronomical Union

IC 342,29,47

IC410.66, 72

IC418.71, 72

IC 434,7.7,25

IC 591,107,727

IC 1296,182, 792

IC 1318,202,214

IC 1434,198,274

IC 1459,237,259

IC 1470. 178,792

IC 2156.57. 72

IC2157,57, 72

IC 2196,61, 72

IC 3568,29.47

IC 4665.163,171 ■

1C4756, 163.171

IC 4997,229,259

IC 5070 see Pelican Nebula

IC 5146 see Cocoon Nebula

IC5217, 199,199,274

IC 5269,237,259

IC 5271,236,259

IC 5273,237,259

Ilile, Abraham, 170

International Astronomical Union (IAU), and constellation boundaries, 75,82

IRAS-Araki-Alcock, Comet, 184

James, Thomas, 86

Job’s Coffin see Delphinus

Johnson. Gus E„ 168

Johnson, Richard, 6

Jonckheere. Robert, 246

Jones, Kenneth Glyn, 57,90,161. 226,266

Kaier, James B„ 23

Karnes, Stephan, 232

Kemble. Lucian J„ 30,33.35

Kemble's Cascade, 30-32.31,47

Keystone of Hercules, 158

Kinney, William, 247

Kirch, Gottfried. 160,168

Klein, Fred, 23

Knight, Stephen, 264

Kobayashi-Berger-Milon, Comet, 225

Koken, Harry, 101

Komorowski.Ted, 7,231

Konecny, Marton, 210

Konst, Joanne. 208,232

Krumenaker, Larry, 7

Lacaillc, Nicolas-Louis de, 92

Lacerta, 15,195-9

8 Lacertae, 196.274

Lassell, William, 46.50.182.222,267

Le Gentil, Jean-Baptiste, 202

Leo, 105-14

Regulus (Alpha |cx] Leonis).

106,107

Leo 1.105, 106, 107,121

Leo II, 107,107-8,72/

Leo Minor, 78.102-5,114-17

Leonard, Arthur, 19,54,87

Lepus, 68,70-71

“Leviathan of Parsonstown" (72-inch reflector) see Birr Castle Observatory

Lick Observatory, 36-inch refractor, 267

Liddell, J. P„ 18

light-pollution reduction filters see nebula filters

Lima, Ray, 231

Ling, Alister, 35,201

Little Dumbbell (M76), 36-8,37,47

Local Group of galaxies, 29,107

Lossing, Fred, 51,232,263

Lovi, George, 75

low surface brightness (LSB), 34-5, 249,271

LSB see low surface brightness

Luginbuhl, Christian, 146

Lumicon filters, 6,8,49,51,95,169, 199,208.213,224

Lundmark, Knut, 10

Lynx, 75-9,82-4

19 Lyncis, 82,96 Alpha (a) Lyn, 78

Lyra, 179-82,186

Delta (8) Lyrae, 186,792 Double Double (Epsilon [e] Lyr), 186,792

Vega (Alpha [a] Lyr), 185,186, 193

Zeta (Q Lyr, 186.193

Ml see Crab Nebula

M2, 170,777,224-6,225,239

M3,170.777

M4, 157, 169. 169. 777,258

M5, 139. 139.147,160-61.161. 168. 77/

M9, 162,164,164,171

M10.157,162

M12,157,162

M13,157-60,158,159.168.777,224

M14. 157

M15,170,777,222-4,223,239

M19,157,162,165.77/

M22.169,777

M27 see Dumbbell Nebula

M29,203,203,2/4

M30.235.235.239

M31 see Andromeda Galaxy

M32,245,248.259

M33 see Triangulum Spiral

M34,38-9,39.47

M35,52-5,53,57, 72

M36,64,66. 72,277,287

M37,64,65.65-6, 72

M38,64,66, 72,276,271,281

M39,202,274

M41.62.62-3.64, 72

M42 see Orion Nebula

M44 see Beehive

M45 see Pleiades

M48,90,96

M51 see Whirlpool Galaxy

M52,79,244,259

M53,136, 747

M57 see Ring Nebula

M62,157,162

M63 see Sunflower Galaxy

M65,111-12,112, 727

M66,111-12,112,121

M67,87,87-8,96

M68,92,96

M70,93,96

M71,227-9,227.239

M72,235,239

M73,235,239

M74.249. 249,250,259

M76 see Little Dumbbell

M77. 270-72, 272,281

M78,211.281

M79, 70-71,70, 72,211,281

M80,157

M81.79,80, 80,81,82,96

M82,79,80, 80,81,96,125

M83,92,93,96

M92, 157,170,777

M95,108-9,109, 727

M96,108-9,109, 727

M97 see Owl Nebula

M100. 168

M101,127,128,129,747

M102,127

Ml 03,79

M104 see Sombrero Galaxy

M105,109-10,109,727

M106.125,134-5,135, 747

M107,157,162

M108,124,124, 125,747

M109,125,147

M110, 245, 248.259

Machholz, Don, 89,126 magnitudes of deep-sky objects, reasons for differences in, 271

Mallas, John, 5,92,93,112,131,146,

160,165. 183,224,226,228

Maraldi, Jean-Dominique, 222,225

Marseilles Observatory, 31-inch reflector, 182

Marth, Albert, 49-50,182,222

Mattei, Mike, 95

McDonald, Lee, 105,107

McDonald Observatory, 30-inch telescope, 81

McMahon, James H., 231

Mechain, Pierre, 70,92, 108,109-10, 111,128-9,227,249-50,271

Meek, Joseph, 27,127

Meier, Rolf, 51

Meketa, Jim, 232

Melotte 25 see Hyades

Melotte 1 1 1 see Collinder 256

Meropc (23 Tauri) see Taurus

Merope Nebula (NGC 1435), 263-5, 264, 276

Messier catalog

additions to, 125,127-9, 145-6 origin of. 267

Messier marathon, 235

Messier, Charles, 16,38, 52,90,92-3,

108, 111, 127-8,134-5,225,227, 267,271

micrometer, 59-60

Milky Way, 36,44-5.65.66, 139.185.

217.241,247.257.277 boundaries, 184-5.186 in Eastern legend, 258 individual stars, visibility of, 86 as naked-eye object, 256

Milton. Russell, 102

Milwaukee Astronomical Society,

277

13-inch reflector. 39.40,55,235 "missing” objects see “nonexistent” objects

Mitchell, Larry. 38

Monnig. Oscar, 127

Monoceros, 12,49-51

12 Monocerotis, 50 Morales, Ronald, 44,78,91,95, 111, 115,116,131,135,143,145. 156-7,166,167,191,245,252, 253,274

Moseley, Robert, 213

Mount Wilson Observatory, 5,127

60-inch reflector, 153

100-inch reflector, 224

Nakamoto, Tokuo, 95,111,115,237, 248

naked eye, faint objects visible to, 10-11,49,52-3,63,80,84-5,86, 139,161,181.218-19,223,224-5, 256,264

nebula filters (light-pollution reduction filters), 34,38,49,52,84,

230,232,268 deep-sky, 169

H-beta (HP). 8-9

O 111,6,34,84,199.213,224 ultrahigh-contrast (UHC), 6,49, 51-2,95,201,207.208.232, 273

nebulium, 153

Newcomb, Simon, 18,277

NGC 1,221,239

NGC 2,221,239

NGC 16,219,239

NGC 40,178.178,192

NGC 55,254-5,254.259

NGC 128,250,259

NGC 129,244,259

NGC 133,244,259

NGC 134,253,259

NGC 146,243,259

NGC 147,248,259

NGC 178,275,287

NGC 185,248.259

NGC 188,87,175-6,792

NGC 205 see Ml 10

NGC 210,274.28/

NGC 221 see M32

NGC 224 see Andromeda Galaxy

NGC 225,244,259

NGC 246,46,47,274,287

NGC 253,252,252.259

NGC 255,274,237

NGC 288,252,252.259

NGC 300,253,253,259

NGC 309,274,287

NGC 362,224

NGC 436,242.259

NGC 457,242, 242,259

NGC 470.250-51,259

NGC 474,250,259

NGC 524,250,259

NGC 578,275,237

NGC 584.273,281

NGC 586,273,281

NGC 596.273,237

NGC 598 see Triangulum Spiral

NGC 604. 11.25

NGC 615,273,23/

NGC 628 see M74

NGC 636,273,287

NGC 650-51 see Little Dumbbell

NGC 782,42,47

NGC 869 see Double Cluster

NGC 884 see Double Cluster

NGC 991,273,237

NGC 1022,272,28/

NGC 1032,272,281

NGC 1035,273,237

NGC 1039 see M34

NGC 1048,273,287

NGC 1049,22,23,25

NGC 1052,273,237

NGC 1068 see M77

NGC 1073,272,237

NGC 1084,273,232

NGC 1087,272,232

NGC 1129,40.47

NGC 1130,40,47

NGC 1131,40,47

NGC 1232,43-4,47

NGC 1275,40-41,41,47

NGC 1297.43.47

NGC 1300,43.43,47

NGC 1316,22,25

NGC 1317,22,25

NGC 1318,22,25

NGC 1325,44

NGC 1325A, 44,47

NGC 1332.44.47

NGC 1360,23-4,25

NGC 1365,21,22,25

NGC 1435 see Merope Nebula

NGC 1440,44,47

NGC 1499 see California Nebula

NGC 1501 see Oyster Nebula

NGC 1502.30-31,31.47

NGC 1514, 266. 266,252

NGC 1531.43,47

NGC 1532.43,47

NGC 1535,45-6. 46,47

NGC 1555 see Hind’s Variable Nebula

NGC 1569,29,47

NGC 1637.44.47

NGC 1662,12,25

NGC 1664 (“4-H cluster"), 67-8, 72

NGC 1708,14-15,14,25

NGC 1746,266,252

NGC 1792.69,69. 72

NGC 1807,265-6,282

NGC 1808,69,69, 72

NGC 1817.266.282

NGC 1851,69, 72

NGC 1857,67, 72

NGC 1883,68, 72

NGC 1893.66, 72

NGC 1904 see M79

NGC 1907.68. 72,276

NGC 1912 see M38

NGC 1931,66, 72

NGC 1952 see Crab Nebula

NGC 1960 see M36

NGC 1976 see Orion Nebula

NGC 2024,7,25

NGC 2063,14,25

NGC 2068 see M78

NGC 2090,69. 72

NGC 2099 see M37

NGC 2126,68, 72

NGC 2158.53.54,55-7,56. 72

NGC 2168 see M35

NGC 2169,12.25

NGC 2180,13.14,25

NGC 2184.13-14,13,25

NGC 2237-39 see Rosette Nebula

NGC 2244,49-51.50. 72

NGC 2251,12,25

NGC 2261 see Hubble’s Variable

Nebula

NGC 2276,173-4.192

NGC 2859, 78, 78. 97, 116,121

NGC 2889. 91,97

NGC 2903, 110. 110-11,72/

NGC 2905.110-11,121

NGC 2962.90, 97

NGC 2967, 90. 97

NGC 2976,81,97

NGC 2985,81.97

NGC 2992.91,97

NGC 2993,91,97

NGC 2997,92.97

NGC 3003,116-17.72/

NGC 3021,116-17,121

NGC 3031 see M81

NGC 3034 see M82

NGC 3077,81,97

NGC 3109,91,97

NGC 3115 see Spindle Galaxy

NGC 3130,113-14,121

NGC 3145,91,98

NGC 3158,105. 727

NGC 3162,113,121

NGC 3163,105,727

NGC 3172 see Polarissima

NGC 3177,113, 727

NGC 3184,115,727

NGC 3185,113, 727

NGC 3190,113,121

NGC 3193,113,121

NGC 3200,92,98

NGC 3242 see Ghost of Jupiter

NGC 3245,116, 727

NGC 3294,117,727

NGC 3344,115,115-16, 72/

NGC 3351 see M95

NGC 3368 see M96

NGC 3379 see M105

NGC3384.110,72/

NGC 3389,110,121

NGC 3395,117, 727

NGC 3396,117, 72/

NGC 3414,103,104. 722

NGC 3486,103,104. 722

NGC 3504. 103, 104, 722

NGC 3556 see Ml08

NGC 3587 see Owl Nebula

NGC 3588, 113, 722

NGC 3593. 112. 722

NGC 3610.126,147

NGC 3613, 126,147

NGC 3619,126.147

NGC 3623 see M65

NGC 3627 see M66

NGC3628.112.113,722

NGC 3634.142,147

NGC 3635.142,747

NGC 3637,142,147

NGC 3642,126,147

NGC 3672,142,147

NGC 3683,126,147

NGC 3690,126,147

NGC 3732,142,147

NGC 3738,126,147

NGC 3756,126, 747

NGC 3842,113,722

NGC 3865,142,147

NGC 3887,141,141, 747

NGC 3894,126,147

NGC 3898,126,147

NGC 3945,126,147

NGC 3982,126.147

NGC 3992 see Ml09

NGC 4027,145,148

NGC 4036,126.148

NGC 4038-39 see Ring-tail Galaxy

NGC 4041,126,748

NGC 4147,137,748

NGC 4153,137,748

NGC 4217,125,748

NGC4258see Ml06

NGC 4321 see Ml00

NGC 4361,142-4,143, 748

NGC 4590 see M68

NGC 4594 see Sombrero Galaxy

NGC 4605.126.748

NGC 4782.145,748

NGC 4783, 145.148

NGC 4792. 145. 748

NGC 4794, 145.148

NGC 4814. 126,148

NGC 4868.132, 748

NGC 4914, 132,148

NGC 5005,132,148

NGC 5024 see M53

NGC 5033,132,148

NGC 5053,136,148

NGC 5055 see Sunflower Galaxy

NGC 5085.92,98

NGC 5101,92,98

NGC 5139 see Omega (w) Centauri

NGC 5150,92,98

NGC 5194 see Whirlpool Galaxy

NGC 5195.130.148

NGC 5198,132,148

NGC 5236 see M83

NGC 5253,93,98,253

NGC 5272 see M3

NGC 5296,179

NGC 5350,133,148

NGC 5353,133,148

NGC 5354,133,148

NGC 5371,133, 748

NGC 5390,133

NGC 5457 see M101

NGC 5694,93,98

NGC 5740, 138,148

NGC 5746,138.138.748

NGC 5846,139.748

NGC 5850.139, 748

NGC 5866,128-9,748

NGC 5904 see M5

NGC 6093 see M80

NGC 6121 see M4

NGC 6144,169.777

NGC 6205 see M13

NGC 6217, 174, 792

NGC 6218 see M12

NGC 6254 see M10

NGC 6266 see M62

NGC 6273 see M19

NGC 6284. 165.77/

NGC 6293. 165.77/

NGC 6309.167,/7/

NGC 6333 see M9

NGC 6341 see M92

NGC 6342,165,/7/

NGC 6356,165,171

NGC 6366,164,/72

NGC 6369,166,/72

NGC 6371 see Ml07

NGC 6402 see M14

NGC 6517,163,/72

NGC 6535,163-4,/72

NGC 6539,163,/72

NGC 6543 see Cat’s Eye Nebula

NGC 6572,167,/72

NGC 6633,167,172

NGC 6656 see M22

NGC 6681 see M70

NGC 6700,182,192

NGC 6713,182,792

NGC 6720 see Ring Nebula

NGC 6802,229,239

NGC 6803,213,274

NGC 6804.212,212-13,2/4

NGC 6811,208-210,209.2/4

NGC 6819.203,2/4

NGC 6822,107,122

NGC 6826,204,2/4

NGC 6838 see M71

NGC 6853 see Dumbbell Nebula

NGC 6866.203,2/4

NGC 6871,201,274

NGC 6879,229,289

NGC 6886,229,289

NGC 6891,191,792

NGC 6894,204,2/4

NGC 6902,233,289

NGC 6905,190.792

NGC 6910,201,2/4

NGC 6912.234,289

NGC 6913 see M29

NGC 6928. 191.792

NGC 6934. 190.190. 792

NGC 6939.174. 792

NGC 6946. 175. 792, 204.214

NGC 6956. 191,792

NGC 6960 see Veil Nebula

NGC 6979 see Veil Nebula

NGC 6981 see M72

NGC 6992-5 see Veil Nebula

NGC 6994 see M73

NGC 6997,201,214

NGC 7000 see North America Nebula

NGC 7006,189,189-90, 792

NGC 7009 see Saturn Nebula

NGC 7023,177.178,792

NGC 7078 see M15

NGC 7089 see M2

NGC 7092 see M39

NGC 7099 see M30

NGC 7129,179,192

NGC 7142,176,792

NGC 7172,233,234,239

NGC 7173,233,234,239

NGC 7174,233,234,239

NGC 7176,233.234,239

NGC 7209,196,197,197-8,214

NGC 7243.196.196-7,274

NGC 7245,198,274

NGC 7293 see Helix Nebula

NGC 7296,198,274

NGC 7317 see Stephan's Quintet

NGC 7318A see Stephan's Quintet

NGC 7318B see Stephan’s Quintet

NGC 7319 see Stephan's Quintet

NGC 7320 see Stephan's Quintet NGC 7331,199.274

NGC 7380.175.175, 792

NGC7394.15.15.26.199,2/5

NGC 7410.237,239

NGC 7418,237,239

NGC 7421.237

NGC 7424,237,239

NGC 7448, 220.239

NGC 7454,220.239

NGC 7456.237,240

NGC 7462,237.240

NGC 7469,220.240

NGC 7479.219-20. 220.240

NGC 7510,176,792

NGC 7534,251,259

NGC 7541,250,259

NGC 7552,237-8,240

NGC 7582,238,240

NGC 7590,238,240

NGC 7599.238.240

NGC 7619,221,240.251,259

NGC 7626.221,240.251,259

NGC 7635,244-5.259

NGC 7654 see M52

NGC 7662,95,98

NGC 7678,221,240

NGC 7772,221,240

NGC 7789,243.243.260

NGC 7819,221,240

NGC 7839,221,240

NGC 7840,221

•'nonexistent” objects

Messier objects, 90,127-9,235 NGC objects. 11-15,133,221, 226-7

North America Nebula (NGC 7000).

201,201-2,274

Northern Cross see Cygnus Nutley, Anthony, 8

O III filters see nebula filters

O'Brian, William, 231 observing tips and techniques

aperture mask. 83

for beginners, 45,129 binocular vision, 208

charts and their limiting magnitude, 140,211,269-70

clusters, drawing. 33 defocusing, 56

double stars. 83, 189

faint and diffuse objects, locating, 45

filter "flicking” or “flipping,” 51, 95,213,268,274

image contrast, maximizing, 271 iris diaphragm, 8

low-surface brightness objects,

34-5,36

occulting mask, 67

planetary nebulae, 153—4,166 rocking telescope to see faint objects, 29,246

scattered or stray light, reducing, 86,146,219,250

spectroscopic, 166-7 star-hopping, 118-19

strip method, 137-9

sweeping, 35 suboptimal skies, locating objects in, 17

telescopes, choice of, 242 see also averted vision occulting bar see under eyepieces Olcott, William Tyler, 114,140 O'Meara, Donna Donovan, 186 O'Meara, Stephen J., 86 Omega Centauri, 99.100,101,102,122 Ophiuchus, 162-7

70 Ophiuchi. 166, 777

BF Oph, 165,777

Orion, 1-9,2,12,13-14,257

Betelgeuse (Alpha [a] Orionis), pronunciation, 188

T Ori, 4,26

Theta (0) Ori see Trapezium

Zeta (0 Ori. 7,8

Orion Nebula (M42), 2-5,3.26,277,282 Orion’s Belt, 8

Orion's Sword, 3,8

Otto Struve 44 (OZ 44). 39,48

Owl Nebula, 124,124,148 Oyster Nebula (NGC 1501), 29,30,47 Palomar Mountain Observatory

48-inch Schmidt telescope, 12n.

77,105, 107, 133

200-inch Hale Telescope, 134 Pannekoek. Antonie, 185

Paris Observatory, 12-inch refractor 105

Parsons, William see Rosse, 3rd Earl of

Pasterfield, Dunstan, 167,176

Pazmino, John, 32

Pazmino's Cluster (Stock 23), 32-3,

• 33,48

Pease 1,224,240

Pegasus, 199-200,217-24

Peiresc, Nicolas, 3

Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), 201,201.

275

Peltier, Leslie C„ 7,28,127,225,263

Pennington, Harvard, 89

Perkins, Billy, 232

Perseus. 15-19,33-41

h and Chi (%) Persei see Double Cluster

Xi (£) Per, 35

Perseus A, 41

Perseus Cluster (Abell 426), 41.41.

48

Peterson, A. D„ 11

Peterson, Harold, 10 photography see astrophotography Pickering. Edward C„ 277 Pickering, William H., 5

Pisces, 248-51

Piscis Austrinus, 233,236

PK 38+12.1 see Cannon 3-1

PK 45-2.2,213,275

PK 52-2.2,213,275

PK 52-4.1,213,275

PK 164+31.1.83,83.98

PK 171-25.1,46,48

Pleiades (Seven Sisters. M45). 1. !"•

26,261-6,262,264.276.282

Pleinis, Michael, 231

Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris) see

Ursa Minor

Polarissima (NGC 3172), 173, 174, 193

Pollux (Beta Geminorum) see Gemini

Porter turret telescope see Stellafane

Praesepe see Beehive

precession, 2,152 prisms, 166,229,274

Amici prism, 237

Proctor, Richard A„ 185

Ptolemy, 16,16n, 100,118

Pulkovo Observatory, 31>!

Rachal. Darian, 8

radio observations, amateur, 40-41,267

Rattley, Gerry, 105,107,126

Regulus (Alpha Leonis) see Leo

Reiland, Tom, 178

Riddle, David, 232

Ring Nebula (M57), 179,189.193

Ring-tail Galaxy (Antennae, NGC

4038-39), 140,144. 144-5,149

Roberts, Isaac, 271

Rolwicz, Frank, 145

Romer. Jan. 159-60

Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237-39),

49-51,50. 73

Rosse, 3rd Earl of (Lord Rosse), 4,

37-8,37n, 76,83^1,105,124,131,

158,159,179,180,236,247

Royer, Augustin, 195

SI 47,205

Sagitta, 226-30,227

S Sagittae, 230,240

Theta (0) Sge, 230,240

Zeta (0 Sge, 230,240

Sagittarius. 233

Sagot, Robert, 23,54,95,174,197,243

Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009), 235-6,

236,240

Schlyter, Paul, 86

Schmidt. Joseph, 117

Schmidt. Robert, 77

Scorpius

Antares (Alpha [a] Scorpii), 83. 169,171.258

Scotten. George, 37

Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy (ESO 351-G30), 255,255.260

Sculptor group of galaxies, 254 Sculptor, 251-6

seeing see sky conditions

Serpens, 160-61,163

Serviss, Garrett P., 4,18,52,136,160.

258,277

Sextans. 117-20

Alpha (a) Sextantis, 117

Sh2-276 see Barnard's Loop Shapley. Harlow, 81n. 277

Simmons, Harold, 8

Simpson, Cliff, 40,267

Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) see Canis Major

Skalnate Pleso Observatory, 12/z Skiff, Brian, 17,51.52.56,63^1.67,88,

146,170

sky conditions, 17,35,82,84,185-6 measures of, 19.38,53,84-5,174, 218,236,246,261,263,273 see also atmospheric absorption

Smyth, William H„ 3,18,54,65,88.90, 94,110, 111, 128,153,158,160-61, 200,206,222,243

Snow, Margaret, 8,9,51

Sombrero Galaxy (Ml04), 145-6,146.

149

South Galactic Pole, 251

southern objects visible to northern observers, 19-24,41-4,68-71,93, 99-102,233-8,251-6

spectra

of meteors, 127

of NGC 1535,46

of Orion Nebula 4

of planetary nebulae, 152-3, 166, 213

spectroscope, direct-vision see prisms Spindle Galaxy (NGC 3115), 118-20,

119.120, 722

Square of Pegasus, 217-221,218 star-hopping, 118-19

Stebbins, Joel, 246

Stein. Mark K., 56.160

Stellafane (convention), 11,19,37,133,

275,279-80

Porter turret telescope, 12-inch, 19,117,125,159,181,183, 203,219-20,226,274,243 Stephan. Edouard, 182,186 Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317,7318A,

7318B, 7319,7320), 199-200 Steward Observatory, 36-inch reflector, 4, 11,224

Stock 23 see Pazmino’s Cluster

Stockton, Edward, 232

Stoney, Bindon, 4.158-9

Stony Ridge Observatory, 30-inch reflector, 95,248

Struve, Otto, 31n

Struve, Wilhelm, 31n, 167,177,188 Struve 484 and 485 (E484 and £485),

• 31,48

Struve 1694(11694), 177,193

Struve 2894 (Z2894), 196,2/5

Struve 2923 (£2923), 177,193

Struve 2924 (Z2924), 177,193

Sulentic, Jack W., 11,14

Summer Triangle. 185,210.211.257 Sunflower Galaxy (M63), 132.132.147 Swift. Lewis, 23,50.91,113

Sword of Orion, 3,8

Taurus. 46.205,261-8

Merope (23 Tauri), 263-8.264

T Tau, 267,282

Taurus Poniatovii, 166

Taylor, N.. 231

Telescopium Herschelii, 76

Tempel, Wilhelm. 263

Tempest, Buddy, 231

Tennyson. Alfred. Lord, In test objects see challenges tests see sky conditions, visual acuity Texas Star Party, 34,151, 170.208.

256

Texereau, Jean, 9,23,54.95,174,197,

243

Thomson. Malcolm J.. 179

Thoreau, Henry David, 30

Tifft, William, 11

Tirion, Wil, 162

Tombaugh, Clyde, 63

Tombaugh 1.63-4, 73

Tombaugh 2.64, 73

Trapezium (Theta [0] Orionis). 3,26 Triangulum. 9-11,9

Triangulum Spiral (M33), 9-11,9.10.

25

Trouvelot. Leopold, 4

Tycho’s star. 244

U. S. Naval Observatory, 26-inch refractor, 181

U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, 45 ultrahigh-contrast (UHC) filters see nebula filters

universe, age of, 175n

Ursa Major. 79-82.115,123-7,173

10 Ursae Majoris, 82,96

Ursa Minor, 173-4

Polaris (Alpha [a] Ursae Minoris), 173,177,193

Van Vleck Observatory see

Wesleyan University

Vanderbilt University, 6-inch refractor, 34

Vega (Alpha Lyrae) see Lyra

Vehrenberg, Hans, 164,232

Veil Nebula (NGC 6960. 6979. 6992-5). 204-8. 205,2/5

Vince, Samuel, 225

Virgo, 137-9,145-6 visual acuity, 10,45,52,63,206 binocular vision, 232 effect of cataract surgery, 94-5,

143,153 tests for, 34 variation in, 223

Vulpecula, 182^1

Wallcnquist, Ake, 39

Warner Observatory, 16-inch refractor, 91

Washburn Observatory, 234,246 6-inch refractor. 77.188 15/2-inch refractor, 92

Webb. Thomas W., 18,38,39,55.59, 63,159.169,183,191,200,222, 224

Welch. Doug, 247

Wesleyan University (Van Vleck Observatory), 20-inch refractor, 91,111,116,142,161,164.169, 181.225,228.242

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). 130.131-2.

147

Wilds, Richard, 206

Wilson, Barbara, 190,254

Wilson, Thomas W„ 248

Winnecke, August, 23

Winter Star Party, 37.42,99,169

Wolf, Max, 114

Wolfe. Agnes, 204

Wooten, Wayne, 8

zodiacal band/light. 52,211

Walter Scott Houston was an amateur's amateur, a man who could grind a mirror as well as he could estimate the magnitude of a cataclysmic variable or explain how to see dim details in a galactic nebula. Scotty, as he was known to everyone, was a groundbreaker and a ground shaker — generally the first to announce an observing trend and predict its promise or demise. He filled his Deep-Sky Wonders columns with observational magic and fueled the imaginations of countless skywatchers.

From the introduction by Stephen James O'Meara

ISBN 0-933346-93-X

9

¹

Scotty was referring to the poem Locksley Hall by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. One stanza in particular is a favorite of stargazers:

"Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising through the mellow shade,

Glitter like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid."

²

From Serviss's 1901 book Pleasures of the Telescope. Serviss was a well-known science popularizer and early science-fiction writer.

³

Renowned optical firm Alvan Clark & Sons of Cambridge, Massachusetts, supplied finely crafted telescopes to both amateur and professional astronomers from 1850 to 1958.

⁴

The National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey is an atlas of 1,830 photographs taken with the 48-inch Schmidt telescope on Palomar Mountain.

⁵

Now out of print, this atlas, compiled by Antonin Begvar and his colleagues at the Skalnate Pleso Observatory (in the former Czechoslovakia), was first published in 1948 under the Latin name Atlas Coeli 1950.0. Sky Publishing released it with an English title in 1962. Its successor is Sky Atlas 2000.0 (now in its second edition) by Wil Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott.

⁶

The Alfonsine Tables comprise some of the earliest-known lists of planetary positions for various dates, based on Ptolemy's models of planetary motions. They were named after the 13th-century King Alfonso X of Leon and Castile, a devoted patron of astronomy.

⁷

The closest point of approach of two stars during their orbit around their center of mass.

⁸

mentioned earlier. The planetary is slightly oval and about 8" long (Figure 9.3). Although it should be visible in a 6-inch telescope, larger apertures will make the ^lask of locating this object easier. Il will show as a disk at magnifications of lOOx ^Or more. There is a central star of magnitude 14.6, but 1 know of no amateur sight-^ln8^s of it. With a Lunticon O III filter I have seen IC 5217 with the 4-inch Clark.

There are no bright Lacerta galaxies, but NGC 7331 lies just over the line in ^egasus. It is a lOth-magnitude spindle about 10' x 2' in extent. A 2-inch finder ^^veals it with effort, but it shows well in my 5-inch Japanese binoculars. NGC

I is of current astronomical interest because of a possible link with Stephan’s