NGC 4000 = UGC 6949 = MCG +04-28-103 = CGCG 127-118 = WBL 368-006 = LGG 261-005 = PGC 37643

11 57 57.0 +25 08 39

V = 14.5; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 3d

24" (3/22/14): faint, fairly small, very thin edge-on, 0.5'x0.1', even surface brightness. Situated 1.7' WNW of mag 8 HD 103913. NGC 4005 is symmetrically placed on the opposite side of the star.

17.5" (3/19/88): very faint, fairly small, very elongated N-S. Located 1.6' WNW of mag 7.8 SAO 82077. Located in the center of the NGC 4007 group with NGC 4007 3.2' ESE.

Lawrence Parsons discovered NGC 4000 on 25 Apr 1878 during one of the six Birr Castle observations of the cluster. Parsons placed this nebula at 100.5" separation in PA 283.9° (WNW) with respect to mag 8 star HD 103913 and described it as "vF, vS, lE ns, gbM." The micrometric offset points directly to UGC 6949.

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NGC 4001 = MCG +08-22-047 = CGCG 243-033 = Holm 314b = PGC 37656

11 58 06.8 +47 20 05

V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 160d

17.5" (4/7/89): extremely faint, very small but elongation visible NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2.1' N and a mag 11.5 star 4.2' NE of center. Located 6' NW of NGC 4010.

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4001 on 13 Apr 1852. While observing NGC 4010 with LdR's 72", he noted "A S, R neb about 7' np [of NGC 4010]."

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NGC 4002 = MCG +04-28-104 = CGCG 127-116 = PGC 37635

11 57 59.3 +23 12 07

V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 75d

17.5" (2/20/88): fairly faint, small, elongated ~E-W, small bright core. A mag 13.5 star is 0.8' SE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4003 4.6' S. Located very close to Coma Berenices border.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4002 = H III-344 = h1034, along with NGC 4003, on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and recorded "Two, both eF and vS. 240x verified them, 5 or 6' from each other." JH measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4003 = UGC 6948 = MCG +04-28-105 = CGCG 127-115 = PGC 37646

11 57 59.0 +23 07 29

V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 10d

17.5" (2/20/88): faint, small, oval, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4002 4.6' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4003 = H III-345 = h1035, along with NGC 4002, on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394). WH provided a single position for both objects, but JH measured fairly accurate positions.

CGCG, UGC and MCG equate NGC 4003 with NGC 4007, but the correct equivalence is NGC 4005 = NGC 4007.

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NGC 4004 = VV 230 = UGC 6950 = MCG +05-28-060 = CGCG 157-065 = Mrk 432 = Holm 312a = WBL 367-003 = PGC 37654

11 58 05.2 +27 52 43

V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 8d

17.5" (4/9/99): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.4', no concentration. A mag 13.5 star is close following [57" SE of center]. Last and brightest of a trio with IC 2982 3.1' W and NGC 3988. IC 2982 appeared faint, very small, elongated 20"x15" SW-NE. Just follows a mag 11 star [45" to center] which is the brightest star in an inverted "L" asterism and which detracts from viewing.

On the DSS, NGC 4004 appears to be an interacting, distorted galaxy (or the result) with a long tidal tail to the south.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4004 = H III-354 = h1036 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "vF, vS. It was in the field I was gaging otherwise it would probably have been overlooked." CH's reduction is 6.5' NNE of UGC 6950. Because of the poor position, JH listed this object as a "nova" (h1036), though questioned if it was identical to III-354 in the GC. JH recorded "pF; lE; gbM; the f of 2 in parallel [with NGC 3988] with a star between." Both Herschels missed nearby IC 2982, next to the star.

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NGC 4005 = NGC 4007 = UGC 6952 = MCG +04-28-107 = CGCG 127-120 = WBL 368-007 = LGG 261-002 = PGC 37661

11 58 10.1 +25 07 19

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 92d

24" (3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 30"x20", bright core. Situated 1.6' SE of mag 8.2 HD 103913. NGC 4011 lies 3.7' ESE.

17.5" (3/19/88): fairly faint, small, oval slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Located 1.8' SE of mag 7.8 SAO 82077. This is one of the brightest members in the cluster.

Otto Struve found NGC 4005 on 16 Mar 1869 with the 15-inch refractor at Pulkovo Observatory while searching for Comet Winnecke (7P/Pons-Winnecke) in Mar-Apr 1869.

WH discovered this galaxy and catalogued it as H III-325 (later NGC 4007), but the declination in the GC and NGC is 2 degrees too far south due to a copying or reduction error (Auwer's reduction has the correct position). This correction was noted by Dreyer in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH." Because of Struve's unambiguous position, this galaxy is identified as NGC 4005 in UGC, CGCG, MCG, RNGC, RC3 but by historical precedence, NGC 4007 should be the primary designation.

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NGC 4006 = UGC 6951 = MCG +00-31-006 = CGCG 013-015 = PGC 37655

11 58 05.8 -02 07 12

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20d

17.5" (5/11/02): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, 0.7'x0.5', very small brighter core, faint stellar nucleus with direct vision. Near the middle of a 13' N-S string of stars concave outwards towards the east. A mag 12 star lies 1.6' NE. Forms a pair with CGCG 013-020 7' ESE. This galaxy appeared faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4006 = h1037 on 15 Apr 1828 and noted "F; S; R; bM; sp a * 11m." His position and description matches UGC 6951. Harold Corwin notes that IC 2983 is not NGC 4006. See his notes on that number.

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NGC 4007 = NGC 4005 = UGC 6952 = MCG +04-28-107 = CGCG 127-120 = WBL 368-007 = LGG 261-002 = PGC 37661

11 58 10.1 +25 07 19

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 92d

See observing notes for NGC 4005

William Herschel discovered NGC 4007 = H III-325 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "eF, vS." His position (Auwer's reduction) is just 1' east of UGC 6952 = PGC 37661, but the North Polar Distance in GC and NGC is two degrees too far south (the offset is 45' south of 4 Comae). This error was caught and corrected by Dreyer in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues. Otto Struve independently found the galaxy on 16 Mar 1869 and Dreyer himself picked it up at Birr Castle in 1878 (labeled as Alpha on the diagram of the cluster), and it was catalogued as NGC 4005 at the correct position.

All major catalogues identify this galaxy as NGC 4005 although you could argue that by prior discovery, H III-325 = NGC 4007 should take historical precedence. In any case, it is clear that NGC 4005 = NGC 4007. Unfortunately, as a result of the two degree error, the NGC position falls close to NGC 4003. So, Karl Reinmuth in his 1926 survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", Dorothy Carlson's NGC/IC Correction list, CGCG, UGC, MCG all misidentify NGC 4007 = NGC 4003, ignoring Dreyer's correction. See Malcolm Thomson's Catalogue Corrections and Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4008 = UGC 6953 = MCG +05-28-061 = CGCG 157-066 = PGC 37666

11 58 17.0 +28 11 33

V = 12.0; Size 2.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 167d

17.5" (4/9/99): moderately bright, very elongated ~N-S with a prominent core., 1.4'x0.5'. The extensions nearly reach an extremely faint mag 15.5 star at the north edge. Initially I thought this galaxy was NGC 4004 which is located 20' SSW.

8" (4/24/82): faint, round, bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4008 = H II-368 = h1038 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "pF, bM." JH made 4 observations and measured an accurate position. A total of 7 observations were made at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4009

11 58 15.1 +25 11 24

=*, Corwin.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4009 with the 72" on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of the cluster at Birr Castle. He placed it 238" in PA 41.5° from mag 8 HD 103913 and at this exact offset (labeled "Iota" on the final compiled sketch) is a mag 15 star (GSC 1985-1944). RNGC and PGC misidentify PGC 37677 as NGC 4009. This galaxy is 7' northeast of the offset star.

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NGC 4010 = UGC 6964 = MCG +08-22-049 = CGCG 243-034 = Holm 314a = PGC 37697

11 58 37.0 +47 15 37

V = 12.6; Size 4.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 66d

17.5" (4/7/89): faint, large, edge-on WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4001 6' NW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4010 = h1040 on 26 Apr 1830 and noted "F; mE; vglbM; 100" l, 25" br." His position is 2' southwest of center of UGC 6964, bu the identification is certain.

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NGC 4011 = CGCG 127-121 = WBL 368-008 = PGC 37674

11 58 25.4 +25 05 51

V = 14.7; Size 0.7'x0.3'; PA = 35d

24" (3/22/14): very faint or faint, small, round, 15" diameter, very weak concentration. Located 3.7' SE of NGC 4005 and 5.4' NW of NGC 4015.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4011 on 24 Apr 1878 in one of the later observations of the cluster with the 72" and labeled as "Epsilon" on the published sketch (constructed from all observations). His notes read "vF, vS, *12m 2.5' np." The nebula was placed +/- 4' in approximately PA 112° from mag 8.3 HD 103913. The actual offsets to CGCG 127-121 = PGC 37674 are 5.4' in PA 117°. The mag 12 star (also shown on the sketch) is 1.4' N. This was apparently the last night that novae were discovered at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4012 = UGC 6960 = MCG +02-31-006 = CGCG 069-009 = PGC 37686

11 58 27.6 +10 01 17

V = 13.4; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 153d

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, low even surface brightness.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4012 = m 225 = Sf 108 on 15 Jan 1865 and recorded "vF, S, lE". His position matches UGC 6960. Truman Safford independently found this galaxy on 12 Jun 1868 with the 18.5-inch refractor at the Dearborn Observatory.

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NGC 4013 = UGC 6963 = MCG +07-25-009 = CGCG 215-010 = PGC 37691

11 58 31.7 +43 56 48

V = 11.2; Size 5.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 66d

17.5" (3/8/97): moderately bright, fairly large edge-on 5:1 WSW-ENE, 3.5'x0.7'. A mag 12 star is superimposed very close to the actual center masquerading as a bright stellar nucleus (similar to M108). The galaxy bulges towards center but is only weakly concentrated, fades towards tips. On the DSS the star is superimposed on a thin equatorial dust lane that was not seen.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4013 = H II-733 = h1041 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and recorded "pB, mE, about 4' long and 3/4' br. A pBSN and vF branches near the meridian." JH made two observations and logged on sweep 248 "B; mE; vsvmbM to a * = 10-11m; pos of extension = 62.3° by measure."

George Stoney, LdR's assistant, recorded it on 17 Mar 1849 as "E with a split or opening in the direction of major axis and a star a little following the center." The dark lane was confirmed on 12 Apr 1861: "Brightest part preceding the star and certainly a narrow split going towards preceding end from the star."

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NGC 4014 = NGC 4028 = UGC 6961 = MCG +03-31-005 = CGCG 098-012 = PGC 37695

11 58 35.8 +16 10 38

V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 120d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.5', weakly concentrated halo, rises suddenly to a very small brighter core. Forms the eastern vertex of an equilateral triangle with a mag 10.8 star 6.5' NW and a mag 12 star 6.4' SW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4014 = h1042 on 26 Apr 1832 and logged "Not vF; R; pgbM; 35". The next sweep is observed it again as"pB; psbM; 25"." His position matches UGC 6961. This galaxy was probably first observed by WH on 26 Apr 1832, recorded as III-3 with an erroneous position and later catalogued as NGC 4028. Because of JH's unambiguous identification, this galaxy is known as NGC 4014.

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NGC 4015 = Arp 138 NED1 = VV 216a = UGC 6965 = MCG +04-28-109/110 = CGCG 127-122 = WBL 368-010 = LGG 260-006 = KPG 314 = PGC 37703

11 58 42.6 +25 02 12

V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.4'

24" (3/22/14): moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, sharply concentrated with a very bright blazing core and a faint halo. The superimposed or interacting companion (VV 216b) was just visible at 375x as an extremely faint, elongated patch jutting out on the north side!

17.5" (3/19/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated bright core. First of three with NGC 4021 5' NE and NGC 4023 6' SE. Located close to the Coma Berenices-Leo border within the NGC 4007 group. This is a double galaxy but the companion on north side was not seen.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4015 (along with NGC 4021 and 4023) on 24 Apr 1878 and described it as "F, vS, E pf, mbM." With respect to NGC 4005, he placed it at a separation of 545.1" in PA 124.9° and it was labeled "Beta" on the constructed sketch of the cluster. At this exact separation is Arp 138 = VV 216 = UGC 6965. The summary table questions if this nebula is H III-323, but this Herschel number applies to NGC 3987. The next night Lawrence Parsons (4th Earl of Rosse) commented "Beta has a tail n[orth] of nucleus." The "tail" refers to the northern component (VV 216b = MCG +04-28-110) of the double system, which did not receive a separate NGC designation.

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NGC 4016 = Arp 305 NED1 = UGC 6954 = MCG +05-28-063 = CGCG 157-068 = PGC 37687

11 58 29.0 +27 31 44

V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d

48" (4/20/17): at 488x; moderately bright and large, slightly elongated but irregular shape. Contains a brighter elongated bar through the center oriented ~E-W with a slightly brighter, very small nucleus. The halo changed shape and size with averted version so I was probably picking up part of the spiral arms that extend north on the west side and south on the east side. The "bowtie" structure visible around the bar on the SDSS was not seen. A mag 17.3 star is superimposed just 15" N of center and a mag 16.2 star is at the southeast edge of the galaxy. Forms a pair (Arp 305) with NGC 4017 6' SE.

17.5" (4/9/99): faint, fairly small, elongated ~ E-W, 0.8'x0.5', no noticeable concentration. A mag 12 star lies 1.3' S of center. First and fainter of pair with NGC 4017 6' SE.

R.J. Mitchell, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4016 at Birr Castle on 30 Mar 1854 and noted "another vF neb about 5' np or nearly north [of NGC 4017]." At this offset is UGC 6954. The following April this galaxy was also noted as "np [NGC 4017] is another F, R neb with stellar centre." The CGCG confuses the identifications of NGC 4016 and 4017.

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NGC 4017 = Arp 305 NED2 = VV 424 = UGC 6967 = MCG +05-28-065 = CGCG 157-069 = PGC 37705

11 58 45.8 +27 27 10

V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.0

48" (4/20/17): at 488x; beautiful 2-armed spiral with a very distinctive "S" shape. Contains a bright, elongated core or bar oriented E-W, though it is not as narrow as a typical bar. It brighter somewhat in the center to a rounder nucleus. Two very easy, graceful spiral arms are visible; the eastern arm is a bit brighter and knotty (HII regions) near its root on the southeast side of the core. It curls clockwise, bending north on the east side of the galaxy and then curling towards to the west, ending nearly due north of the core. The western arm is also easily seen extension south-southeast, while tapering and fading to the south of the core. Forms a striking pair with NGC 4016 6' NW.

17.5" (4/9/99): fairly faint, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.8', weak concentration [face-on SBc spiral]. Forms a pair with NGC 4016 6' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4017 = H II-369 = h1043 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, E, pL. The following part the brightest." CH's reduction matches this barred spiral. JH made three observations, although all positions are rough.

Six observations were made at Birr Castle. On 30 Mar 1854, R.J. Mitchell noted "F, spiral? Another vF neb [NGC 4016] about 5' np or nearly north." The following spring he commented "Query, shaped like an "S"? Its light is certainly patchy and the neb is lE nearly pf. np this object is another F, R neb with stellar centre." Finally on 16 Apr 1855, he wrote "my previous conjectoure as to shape is rather confirmed by Mr. J. Stoney, who saw the p branch turned off sharply to the south, while the f bend is not so sharp, but this latter branch reacher farther round and is rather fainter."

CGCG mislabels NGC 4017 as NGC 4016.

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NGC 4018 = UGC 6966 = MCG +04-28-108 = CGCG 127-123 = WBL 368-009 = LGG 261-003 = PGC 37699

11 58 40.7 +25 18 59

V = 13.8; Size 1.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 163d

24" (3/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.4', broad weak concentration. NGC 4022 lies 7' SE.

17.5" (3/19/88): faint, fairly small, edge-on NW-SE. A pair of mag 13 stars at 25" separation is located 3' SSE. Member of the NGC 4007 group with NGC 4022 7' SE.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4018 on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of the cluster from Birr Castle. He placed it roughly 12' in PA 37° from NGC 4009 and it is labeled "Kappa" on the constructed diagram. The actual separation is 10' in PA 37°, although NGC 4009 is a star. The note"mE np sf, 2 st S" pins down the identification as UGC 6966 = PGC 37699. The two stars are ~3' SSE and shown too close to the nebula on the sketch.

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NGC 4019 = IC 755 = UGC 7001 = MCG +02-31-014 = CGCG 069-024 = FGC 1347 = PGC 37912

12 01 10.3 +14 06 16

V = 13.2; Size 2.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 145d

18" (4/9/05): fairly faint, edge-on NW-SE, 1.0'x0.2', low even surface brightness. A mag 10 star is 5.5' SE and 2' following this star is CGCG 069-029. The identification of this galaxy (IC 755) with NGC 4019 is very uncertain as it matches the description of the brighter star to the SE but is a poor match in position. Listed as nonexistent in the RNGC.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4019 = h1044 on 23 Apr 1832 (the last night he discovered any objects at Slough) and logged, "eF; has a *9m 5' sf". There is nothing near his position. A mag 15 star is 3.5' northwest of his position and a mag 10 star lies 6' southeast of this faint star (a good match with his description), so the faint star is one possible candidate for NGC 4019.

Harold Corwin identifies NGC 4019 as IC 755, an edge-on galaxy 2 min 16 sec of RA east and 6' south of JH's position. It has a mag 10 star 5.5' southeast that matches his description, but it unusually off in both RA and Dec. So, this identification is uncertain.

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NGC 4020 = UGC 6971 = MCG +05-28-066 = CGCG 157-072 = LGG 279-012 = PGC 37723

11 58 56.6 +30 24 42

V = 12.7; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 15d

17.5" (5/4/02): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.8'x0.9', broad concentration but no well-defined core. A mag 10.5 star lies 3.1' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4020 = H II-725 = h1045 on 3 Feb 1788 (sweep 805) and recorded "pB, E, mbM, about 2' long from sp to nf, but nearer to the meridian." JH recorded "Not vF; bicentral or elongated; vgbM to a central axis pos = 199.5°, or pos of the two centres = 19.5°; 14" long and 25" br." Bindon Stoney, observing on LdR's 72" on 26 Apr 1851, not "Bicentral appearance very indistinct. Light mottled, E ssp-nnf."

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NGC 4021 = MCG +04-28-112 = CGCG 127-124 = WBL 368-011 = PGC 37730

11 59 02.6 +25 04 59

V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.5'; PA = 85d

24" (3/22/14): faint, fairly small, round, 24" diameter, slightly brighter core. Located 5.2' NE of NGC 4015 in the NGC 4005 cluster.

17.5" (3/19/88): very faint, very small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.4'x0.3'. Forms the northern vertex of an equilateral triangle with NGC 4015 5' SW and NGC 4023 6' SSE. Member of the NGC 4007 group.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4021 on 26 Apr 1878, the last session "nebulae" were discovered at Birr Castle.   He recorded, "F, S, R or lE and placed this object 58.2" in PA 312.1° with respect to NGC 4015.  It was labeled "Delta" on the final compiled sketch of the cluster.  At Dreyer's micrometric offset is CGCG 127-124 = PGC 37730.  Dreyer made an incorrect assumption that William Herschel's III-323 = NGC 4015 and III-324 = NGC 4021, based on their separations - these numbers apply to NGC 3987 and NGC 3997.

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NGC 4022 = UGC 6975 = MCG +04-28-111 = CGCG 127-125 = WBL 368-012 = LGG 261-004 = PGC 37729

11 59 01.0 +25 13 21

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3

24" (3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, small very bright core increases to the center. Two mag 13 stars lies 2.2' WSW and 2.4' WNW.

17.5" (3/19/88): faint, small, slightly elongated, bright core. Contains a stellar nucleus or a star is superimposed. Member of the NGC 4007 group with NGC 4018 7.3' NW.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4022 on 26 Apr 1878 in the last observation of the cluster from Birr Castle. He placed it approximately 6' in PA 144° from NGC 4018 (Kappa) and noted "pF, vS, stellar". On the final constructed diagram NGC 4022 is labeled "Lambda". The actual separation is 7' in PA 140°.

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NGC 4023 = UGC 6977 = MCG +04-28-113 = CGCG 127-127 = WBL 368-013 = PGC 37732

11 59 05.5 +24 59 20

V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 25d

24" (3/22/14): fairly faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration, slightly irregular surface brightness. Situated 5.9' SE of NGC 4015.

17.5" (3/19/88): faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, weak concentration. Member of the NGC 4007 group with NGC 4015 7' WNW.

J.L.E. Dreyer discovered NGC 4023 on 24 Apr 1878 on a late observation of the NGC 4005 group at Birr Castle. He described the nebula as "pF, pL, diffuse" and placed it at 358.1" in PA 117.8° with respect to NGC 4015. It was labeled "Gamma" on the final compiled sketch of the cluster. At this offset is UGC 6977 = PGC 37732. This was apparently the last night that nebulae were discovered at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4024 = ESO 572-031 = MCG -03-31-004 = LGG 263-006 = PGC 37690

11 58 31.2 -18 20 50

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 70d

18" (3/19/04): moderately bright, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated with a bright 25" core which increases to the center. The fainter, outer halo measures ~1.4'x1.1'. An isosceles triangle of mag 10-11.5 stars (sides 2', 2', 4.8') lies 6' W. Located 1 degree NW of the Antennae (NGC 4038/39) in a large group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4024 = H II-295 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded "F, vS, iF, bM." His position is 30 sec of RA east of ESO 572-031 = PGC 37690. Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 at Denver (given in the IC 2 notes).

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NGC 4025 = UGC 6982 = MCG +06-26-064 = CGCG 186-080 = DDO 107 = PGC 37738

11 59 10.2 +37 47 37

V = 13.6; Size 2.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 15.0; PA = 40d

18" (3/30/05): picked up at 165x as a moderately large but very low surface brightness glow. At 225x, it appears ~1.5' diameter with very little concentration. The DSS images reveals a face-on irregular barred spiral with very low surface brightness arms.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4025 = H III-617 = h1046 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "eF, iR, about 1' in diameter." JH's position is 1' too far north.

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NGC 4026 = UGC 6985 = MCG +09-20-052 = CGCG 269-029 = PGC 37760

11 59 25.0 +50 57 42

V = 10.8; Size 5.2'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 178d

17.5" (3/8/97): bright, large, excellent lens-shape edge-on 5:1 N-S, 4.0'x0.8'. Sharply concentrated with a striking bulging core and non-stellar nucleus. Extensions tapers at ends. Located 7.2' SSW of mag 9.2 SAO 28211.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4026 = H I-223 = h1047 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded "cB, E in the direction of the meridian, BN with vF branches, 3' long." His RA is 20 sec too large, but the NGC position (probably from JH) is accurate.

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NGC 4027 = Arp 22 NED2 = VV 66 = ESO 572-037/036 = MCG -03-31-008/007 = VIII Zw 158 = UGCA 260 = PGC 37773

11 59 30.5 -19 15 44

V = 11.1; Size 3.2'x2.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 167d

24" (4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a strange looking one-armed spiral. Overall it appeared quite bright and large with a very irregular shape, 3'x2', and sharply concentrated with a fairly small, round core. The core gradually increases to the center. Emerging from the core on the NW end is a fairly well-defined arm that initially extends north in the direction of a mag 11.8 star located 3.7' NNW of the center of the galaxy. This arm then sharply curves back counter-clockwise ~135°, bending around to the SW and ends just on the outside of a mag 13.5-14 star situated close NE of the core. On the SE end of the core, a second arm begins to emerge but it suddenly terminates, creating a very asymmetric appearance with the other long, wrapping arm.

A faint companion, NGC 4027A, lies 4' S. At 260x, the companion appeared faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~N-S, 25"x20", low even surface brightness. A very faint star is attached at the south end. The Ring-tail galaxy, NGC 4038/4039, lies 40' NE.

13.1" (2/16/85): fairly bright, round, moderately large, broad concentration, possible stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star is off the ENE edge 1.0' from center. NGC 4027 is an unusual interacting one-armed barred spiral.

13.1" (9/22/84): a spiral arm is suspected north of the nucleus trailing to the east.

8" (3/28/81): faint, moderately large, no details.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4027 = H II-296 = h3371 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 386) and logged "pB, pL." His RA is 1.0 min too large. JH has an interesting description from the Cape of Good Hope: "Globular; F; pL; R; 2'; resolved; stars barely seen; but in a better night for definition would no doubt be clearly resolved into st 16m." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4028 = NGC 4014 = UGC 6961 = MCG +03-31-005 = CGCG 098-012 = PGC 37695

11 58 35.8 +16 10 38

See observing notes for NGC 4014.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4028 = H III-3 on 30 Dec 178 (sweep 72) and recorded "vF, not cometic tho' almost round. It forms an isosceles triangle with 2 small stars [by a diagram these are about 6' sp]. It is probably of the resolvable kind but eF; it may be a very distant compressed cl of stars, but would require a great quantity of light to resolve." There is nothing at his position (an early sweep prone to large errors) and III-3 was not found visually by Bigourdan or photographically by Reinmuth.

Harold Corwin equates NGC 4028 with NGC 4014, which matches WH's description of forming an isosceles triangle with two stars (6' sp and 6' np). He notes this would require WH made offset errors on two different sweeps landing roughly at the same erroneous position.

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NGC 4029 = UGC 6990 = MCG +01-31-008 = CGCG 041-017 = PGC 37816

12 00 03.1 +08 10 54

V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 150d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, small, elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' NE of center.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4029 = m 226 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, lE, with stellar N." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4030 = UGC 6993 = MCG +00-31-016 = CGCG 013-033 = PGC 37845

12 00 23.5 -01 06 01

V = 10.6; Size 4.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 27d

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, moderately large, oval SW-NE, halo increases to a small bright core, mottled halo with structure suspected. Bracketed by a mag 10.5 star 2.2' SSW and a mag 11 star just off the NNW edge 1.6' from the center. Visible in 16x80 finder.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4030 = H I-121 = h1048 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and recorded "vB, cL, mbM. Between, but a little following two pB stars." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 145) "B; R; pL; psbM; r; 70"; has 3 or 4 large stars near."

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NGC 4031 = MCG +05-28-075 = CGCG 157-082 = PGC 37855

12 00 31.3 +31 56 51

V = 14.3; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3

17.5" (2/24/90): very faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE. A mag 15.5 star is at the SW end and a second mag 15 star is 0.7' N of center.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4031 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is an exact match with CGCG 157-082 = PGC 37855. He mentioned the mag 15.5 star at the south end, though his magnitude estimate (17th) is too faint.

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NGC 4032 = NGC 4042: = UGC 6995 = MCG +03-31-010 = CGCG 098-019 = PGC 37860

12 00 32.9 +20 04 27

V = 12.3; Size 1.9'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, round, fairly small, even surface brightness. A mag 12 star is 3.4' NNE. Located west of the NGC 4065 cluster.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4032 = H II-404 = h1049 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded "pB, pL, mbM, R, cometic." His position (CH's reduction) is 2' southeast of UGC 6995. JH observed this galaxy on 6 sweeps and his brightness descriptions vary from "extremely faint" to "bright"!

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NGC 4033 = ESO 572-042 = MCG -03-31-011 = PGC 37863

12 00 34.8 -17 50 34

V = 11.7; Size 2.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 47d

13.1" (4/29/84): fairly bright, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, small bright nucleus. Located 1° north of the "Ringtail" galaxies NGC 4038/NGC 4039.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4033 = H II-508 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and logged "pB, S, lE, bM." Engelhardt measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4034 = UGC 7006 = MCG +12-11-044 = CGCG 335-002 = CGCG 334-058 = LGG 272-001 = PGC 37935

12 01 29.6 +69 19 26

V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 5d

17.5" (3/29/89): extremely faint, small, very low surface brightness. A mag 14 star is 30" off the NW edge. Located 9.5' NE of mag 7.3 SAO 15686.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4034 = H III-903 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "eF, S, iF, vlbM." CGCG misidentifies this galaxy (CGCG 334-058) as NGC 4043.

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NGC 4035 = MCG -03-31-010 = LGG 263-014 = PGC 37853

12 00 29.3 -15 56 53

V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 0d

18" (4/9/05): very faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, very low surface brightness with little or no concentration. Located 5.8' SSW of mag 9 HD 104306.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4035 = H III-279 = h3372 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded "eF, pL. Requires much attention to be seen. I saw it also with 240, but its light was much lessened and the difficulty of seeing increasing." CH's reduction is less than 2' northeast of PGC 37853. JH made the single observation "eeF; pL; R; has a * 9m 0.9 radius of field dist; 45° +/- nf."

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NGC 4036 = UGC 7005 = MCG +10-17-125 = CGCG 292-059 = PGC 37930

12 01 26.7 +61 53 45

V = 10.7; Size 4.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 85d

24" (5/27/17): at 200x beautiful large spindle 4:1 ~E-W, 3'x0.8'. Sharply concentrated with a small, very bright core/nucleus and tapered extensions. Forms a bright pair with NGC 4041 15' NNE.

17.5" (5/2/92): very bright striking galaxy! Fairly large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 3.0'x1.0', halo increases to a bright core, very bright nucleus. The eastern extension appears slightly brighter. NGC 4041 lies 16' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4036 = H I-253 = h1050 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and logged "vB, vL, E." CH's reduced position is 15 sec of RA east of UGC 7005. JH called this galaxy "pB; R; pslbM; 25"." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4037 = UGC 7002 = MCG +02-31-015 = CGCG 069-027 = PGC 37928

12 01 23.7 +13 24 03

V = 11.9; Size 2.5'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5

17.5" (5/19/01): very faint, moderately large, low surface brightness, ill-defined, ~2' diameter, slightly elongated N-S, very weak concentration. Located 5' W of mag 9 SAO 99915.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4037 = H III-77 = h1051 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "eF, pL, R, r." JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4038 = The Antennae Galaxy = Ring-Tail Galaxy = Arp 244 NED1 = VV 245b = ESO 572-047 = MCG -03-31-014 = UGCA 264 = PGC 37967

12 01 53.0 -18 52 05

V = 10.3; Size 3.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 80d

48" (4/1/11): I took a quick look at the Antennae Galaxy to see the faint tidal tails that shoot north and south from the east end of NGC 4038/4039. The tidal tail heading south from NGC 4038 (the northern component) was easily visible, sweeping 2' S but then quickly dimming. The streamer heading north was also visible but appeared detached from the galaxies. It was picked up ~2.5' NE of NGC 4038 and extended 2' N, terminating at a faint star.

24" (4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this was an amazing object in the 24" at 350x. The main, bright northern component (NGC 4038) was partially annular, with a very bright knotty rim and a darker center giving a truly unique appearance for a galaxy. At least 3 knots were visible embedded along its rim. On the SE side is the brightest knot (the nucleus of the galaxy) which appeared faint, small, ~12" diameter. A second fainter knot is on the west side and was only ~6" in size. Finally, a third very faint 6" knot is on the north side. The three knots were roughly spaced out 120° apart along the outer portion of this tortured galaxy. An elongated "arm" (the interacting companion NGC 4039) is attached on the east end and curves around on the south side towards the southwest. Another very faint, but slightly larger 20" knot is embedded along the main portion of NGC 4039, roughly halfway along its length. At the southwest tip of the brighter portion of NGC 4039 was a relatively large, brighter knot (its nucleus) that at times appeared double. Surrounding the southwest portion of NGC 4039 is a much fainter outer halo extended SW-NE. This fainter halo extends further southwest for a few arc minutes and widens to a bulbous shape at the end. This was by far the most detailed view I've seen of the Antennae galaxy. NGC 4027, another disturbed galaxy, lies SW.

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly bright, moderately large. Forms a striking "shrimp-like" or "comma" shape with the tail attached at the east end and extending to the south. Appears clearly darker between the two objects on the west side.

13" (5/21/82): appears as two irregular galaxies connected at the east end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4038 = H IV-28.1 = h1052 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded "pB, L. Two joined together [with NGC 4039], the smallest south; or one opening with a branch very faintly joined." WH gave a single entry in class IV (planetary), though JH separated these into IV 28.1 and IV 28.2 in the Slough catalogue. Bindon Stoney sketched the galaxy pair on 14 Apr 1852 and included it in LdR's 1861 publication. It appears to show one of the long tidal tails.

The long "Antennae" tidal tails were first photographed by Lampland with the 40-inch Lowell reflector in 1917. J.C. Duncan remarked "Most remarkable of all, two faint extensions, like antennae" in the 1923 "Photographic studies of nebulae.III." Bill Keel referred to the system as the "Antennae" in his 1993 article in Mercury magazine "The real astrophysical zoo - Colliding galaxies".

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NGC 4039 = Antennae Galaxy = Arp 244 NED2 = VV 245a = Ring-Tail Galaxy = ESO 572-048 = MCG -03-31-015 = UGCA 265 = PGC 37969

12 01 53.6 -18 53 11

V = 10.6; Size 3.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 130d

24" (4/10/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): Attached on the east end of NGC 4038 (see detailed notes) is a long "tail" or arm (this is the interacting companion NGC 4039) that curves around on the south side towards the southwest. Another very faint, but slightly larger 20" knot is embedded along the main portion of the tail roughly halfway. At the tip of the main tail was a relatively large, brighter knot that at times appeared double. Surrounding the SW portion of the tail is a much fainter outer halo extended SW-NE. This fainter halo extends beyond the tail for a few arc minutes and widens to a bulbous shape at the end. This was by far the most detailed view I've seen of the Ring-tail galaxy.

17.5" (5/14/88): this is the southern member of the striking "Ring-Tail galaxy". Attached at the east side of NGC 4038 and forms a "tail" elongated NW-SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4039 = H IV-28.2 = h1053, along with NGC 4038, on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and assigned a single H-designation (IV-28). See that number for more.

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NGC 4040 = UGC 7013 = MCG +03-31-018 = CGCG 098-028 = PGC 37993

12 02 05.4 +17 49 23

V = 13.3; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 145d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 0.8'x0.7', broad weak concentration. An isosceles triangle with sides 2'/2'/1' consisting of mag 12.5 stars is 2' SE.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4040 = Sw VI-41 on 30 Mar 1887 and noted "forms nearly a square with 3 stars". His position and description is a good match with UGC 7013.

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NGC 4041 = UGC 7014 = MCG +10-17-129 = CGCG 292-061 = PGC 37999

12 02 12.2 +62 08 14

V = 11.3; Size 2.7'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.2

24" (5/27/17): at 200x; bright, large, roundish, nearly 2' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a large, low surface brightness halo and an intensely bright core. The core brightness towards the center but there was no distinct nucleus. Forms a bright pair with NGC 4036 15' SSW.

17.5" (5/2/92): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 2' diameter, broad concentration with an overall fairly high surface brightness. Two mag 11 and 12 stars at 1.0' separation are 3.5' SSE. NGC 4036 lies 16' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4041 = H I-252 = h1054 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and recorded "vB, cL, R." CH's reduced position is 2' north of UGC 7014. JH made two observations and logged (sweep 411) "B; R; at first g, the psvmbM to a nuclear mass which seems resolvable." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4042 = 2MASX J12024674+2009478

12 02 46.8 +20 09 49

V = 15.7; Size 0.3'x0.2'

24" (3/22/14): very faint, very small, round, 12" diameter. Cannot hold steadily at 375x but not difficult to see knowing the position. The identification of this number is uncertain.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4042 = m 227, along with NGC 4056 and NGC 4060, on 18 Mar 1865 using William Lassell's 48" on Malta. There is nothing near his position and his description "vF, vS" is not helpful. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4042 = LEDA 3781394 = 2MASX J12024674+2009478. This galaxy is located 26 tsec of RA east and 1.8' N of Marth's position. This offset in declination would also match the offsets for suggested identifications for NGC 4056 and 4060, though NGC 4042 is still further off in terms of RA. See Corwin's notes.

Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", suggests the possible equivalent with NGC 4032, but this galaxy is 1.8 tmin of RA west and 4' south of Marth's position. Carlson and RNGC also give this possible equivalence.

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NGC 4043 = UGC 7015 = MCG +01-31-012 = CGCG 041-026 = PGC 38010

12 02 22.9 +04 19 47

V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 135d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, very small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4043 = h1055 on 9 Apr 1828 and recorded "S; R; preceds a double star about 30 sec, and is 3' south of it. RA is a rough estimate only from the double star. On the next sweep he logged "Not B; S; R; psbM; 15"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4044 = UGC 7018 = MCG +00-31-020 = CGCG 013-043 = PGC 38018

12 02 29.5 -00 12 45

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, almost even surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4044 = H III-491 = h1056 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "vF, S". His position matches UGC 7018.

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NGC 4045 = NGC 4046 = UGC 7021 = MCG +00-31-022 = CGCG 013-046 = Todd 13b = Holm 320a = WBL 372-001 = PGC 38031

12 02 42.3 +01 58 38

V = 12.0; Size 2.7'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 95d

17.5" (5/10/86): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, stellar nucleus offset to the SW of faint superimposed star. Forms a close pair with NGC 4045A 1.5' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4045 = H II-276 = h1057 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted "pF, S, R, lbM." JH made the single observation "F; R: sbM; 25"; a star sf." and measured an accurate position.

Heinrich d'Arrest found this galaxy on 10 Apr 1863, but his declination was 15' too far south. Although he questioned if it was equal to h1057, Dreyer assumed it was new and catalogued it as GCS 5602 = NGC 4046. This galaxy was found a 3rd time by David Todd (#13a) on 2 Jan 1878 in his search for a trans-Neptunian planet, along with NGC 4045A and MCG +00-31-023. The RNGC position is 1.0 min of RA too far west.

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NGC 4046 = NGC 4045 = UGC 7021 = MCG +00-31-022 = CGCG 013-046 = PGC 38031

12 02 42.3 +01 58 38

See observing notes for NGC 4045.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4046 on 10 Apr 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single observation (Latin translation copied from Harold Corwin's notes) reads "round; not small. Class II. It makes a triangle with 2 stars mag 13 and mag 16 to the south and following 6.6 sec. However, the question remains if it is h1057 [NGC 4045] with a 15' error in declination." In fact there is nothing at his position, but 15' north is NGC 4045, which matches his description. The mag 16 "star" is likely NGC 4045A. So, NGC 4046 = NGC 4045. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4047 = UGC 7025 = MCG +08-22-058 = CGCG 243-037 = PGC 38042

12 02 50.6 +48 38 10

V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d

17.5" (4/25/98): moderately bright and large, ~1.3'x1.1', halo slightly elongated ~E-W. Fairly well concentrated with a fainter halo surrounding a bright core and nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 3.6' WSW. Sky hazy with smoke.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4047 = H II-741 = h1058 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "pF, S, R, gbM." CH's reduction is 1.6' northeast of UGC 7025. JH logged "B; pL; R; pgbM; 40"." The RNGC position is 1.0 min of RA too far west (see NGC 4045/4045A).

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NGC 4048 = UGC 7023 = MCG +03-31-020 = CGCG 098-030 = VV 384 = PGC 38040

12 02 50.0 +18 00 56

V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 92d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.5'x0.35', even surface brightness. A mag 11.5 star lies 3.0' NW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4048 = h1059 on 23 Mar 1827 and on a second sweep noted "vF; S; R psbM; almost stellar." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4049 = UGC 7027 = MCG +03-31-021 = CGCG 098-031 = PGC 38050

12 02 54.7 +18 45 09

V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 52d

17.5" (5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7', weak broad concentration. A mag 11 star is 2.6' SE and another mag 11.5 star is 5' following.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4049 = H III-390 = h1060 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and simply noted "suspected." His position (CH"s reduction) is 28 sec of RA followoing UGC 7027. JH made 3 observations and measured a fairly accurate RA on one sweep.

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NGC 4050 = MCG -03-31-016 = LGG 263-015 = PGC 38049

12 02 54.0 -16 22 25

V = 12.2; Size 3.1'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 85d

18" (3/19/04): faint, fairly large, oval 4:3 E-W, 2.0'x1.5'. Broad, weak concentration with a 15" brighter nucleus using direct vision. Located 5.8' NE of mag 8.3 HD 104656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4050 = H II-509 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and logged "F, cL, iR, lbM." His re-reduced position matches MCG -03-31-016 = PGC 38049

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NGC 4051 = UGC 7030 = MCG +08-22-059 = CGCG 243-038 = PGC 38068

12 03 09.6 +44 31 53

V = 10.2; Size 5.2'x3.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 135d

17.5" (3/8/97): fairly bright, large, ~4.0'x2.5' NW-SE. Nearly extends to a mag 11 star 2.2' W. Very bright, very small core increasing to a bright stellar nucleus (original Seyfert galaxy list). The galaxy shows signs of spiral structure and there appears to be a short outer spiral arm attached at the SE end hooking north separated by a slightly darker region between the main body (verified on photo).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4051 = H IV-56 = h1061 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and recorded "cB, iR, cBN with extensive chevelure about 5' dia." His position matches UGC 7030.

Bindon Stoney sketched the galaxy on 3 May 1851 as an "S" shaped barred spiral (in LdR's 1861 publication), very accurately capturing the structure. He noted "Spiral. I suspect the f branch extends to [star] alpha [on the northeast end]." On 19 Apr 1857, R.J. Mitchell logged "The p branch seems to me the brighter rather of the two, and more suddenly curved than the f one, both of them look not quite so sharp as given in the drawing."

NGC 4051 is one of the original 6 galaxies studied by Seyfert in his seminal 1943 paper "Nuclear Emission in Spiral Nebulae".

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NGC 4052 = ESO 094-SC10 = Cr 251 = OCL-870

12 02 05 -63 13 24

Size 8'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): this cluster is located in the field, just 10' NW of mag 4.3 Theta 1 and 15' W of mag 4.7 Theta 2 Crucis in the SW portion of the constellation! At 105x, ~60 stars mag 10 and fainter are mostly scattered in a 9' diameter. More striking, though, is a dense 3' subgroup of mostly mag 12-13 stars on the SE end of the cluster over a background of haze from unresolved stars. A neat string of six stars oriented WNW-ESE is located on the south end with a brighter mag 9.5 star about 2.5' further west.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4052 = h3373 on 8 Mar 1837 and logged "Cluster VII class; loose and scattered but pretty rich." There is nothing at his position, but 1 min of RA west is a scattered cluster.

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NGC 4053 = UGC 7029 = MCG +03-31-024 = CGCG 098-032 = PGC 38069

12 03 11.6 +19 43 44

V = 14.0; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 109d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 0.7'x0.3'. Brighter along the major axis and the very small core contains a stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 1.6' W of center. Located 33' SSW of NGC 4065 (brightest in a large group of NGC galaxies).

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4053 = m228 on 9 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 3 nights, matches UGC 7029 and he accurately placed the mag 15 star which precedes by 7 sec of time (though he estimaged its magnitude as 18). Marth independently discovered the galaxy on 18 Mar 1865. His position was good, though on the same night Marth also recorded NGC 4042, 4056 and 4060 which all have very uncertain identifications due to poor positions.

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NGC 4054 = VV 136 = MCG +10-17-131 = CGCG 292-062 = PGC 38078

12 03 12.4 +57 53 36

V = 14.2; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 90d

48" (4/20/17): at 488x; NGC 4054 is a close triple (VV 136) that fits in a 30" circle. VV 136a is the largest component; it appeared moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 or 3:2 E-W, ~24"x15". The galaxy is diffuse with a fairly low surface brightness and only a weakly brighter nucleus. VV 136b = 2MASXJ12031377+5753259 on the southeast side [15" between centers] appeared fairly bright, very small, slightly elongated, ~12"x9". The surface brightness is very high (easily the highest of the trio) and peaks at a stellar nucleus. VV 136c = LEDA 3547623 on the northeast side [20" between centers] appeared faint to fairly faint, very small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, ~15"x8".

24" (6/4/16): at 322x; the western and largest component (VV 136a) of the triple system NGC 4054 appeared faint, small, slightly elongated 20"x15", low surface brightness. The southeast component (VV 136b) is smaller but significantly higher surface brightness and was noted as fairly faint, very small, elongated 12"x9" E-W. The centers of these small galaxies are separated by just 15". VV 136c, the northeast component, was not seen.

16" LX200 (4/14/07): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 20"x15" diameter. This is a triple system, though it initially appeared single. After careful viewing an extremely faint "star" occasionally popped out on the southeast edge. This virtually stellar object is VV 136b = LEDA 3547623.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4054 = H III-794 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "eF, S, verified by 300." His position is 1.5' north of PGC 38078. Bigourdan wasn't able to find this triple system with the 12-inch refractor at the Paris Observatory (too faint?).

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NGC 4055 = NGC 4061: = UGC 7044 = MCG +04-29-006 = CGCG 128-005 = CGCG 098-040 = VV 179 = PGC 38146

12 04 01.5 +20 13 57

See observing notes for NGC 4061.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4055 = h1062 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1063 = NGC 4057 and h1064 = NGC 4059. His coordinates were very uncertain ("PD very doubtful") and given to the nearest degree, although all three objects were described as "B[right]". The description for h1064 also mentions "On meridian with two more". It seems very likely that these three entries are duplicates of brighter galaxies and Harold Corwin suggests (in response to my email about the identifications) NGC 4055 = NGC 4061, NGC 4057 = NGC 4065, and NGC 4059 = NGC 4070. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic survey based on Heidelberg plates, misidentifes MCG +04-29-004 as NGC 4055 although he notes that "no PB nebula in Dreyer's place". See Corwin's discussion under NGC 4055.

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NGC 4056 = PGC 38140

12 03 57.7 +20 18 45

V = 15.8; Size 0.3'x0.3'

24" (3/22/14): extremely faint and small, round, 6"-8" diameter. At 375x, I could repeatedly glimpse this galaxy, though would not have picked it up without knowing the exact location. Located 3.5' SW of NGC 4066 in the NGC 4065 cluster.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4056 = m 229, along with NGC 4042 and 4046, on 18 Mar 1865. All of these objects have uncertain identifications because of imprecise positions and several faint nearby galaxies. His description "eF, vS" adds no new information. RNGC identifies PGC 38140 as NGC 4056. This galaxy is located 12 tsec of RA east and 2.6' north of Marth's position. If m 230 = NGC 4060 = CGCG 128-006 then the declination errors are similar. Although this galaxy is extremely faint, Marth could have picked it up with Lassell's 48-inch. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4057 = NGC 4065? = UGC 7050 = MCG +04-29-007 = CGCG 098-042 = CGCG 128-007 = VV 179 = PGC 38156

12 04 06.2 +20 14 07

See observing notes for NGC 4065.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4057 = h1063 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1062 = NGC 4055 and h1064 = NGC 4059. His coordinates were very uncertain ("PD very doubtful") and given to the nearest degree, although all three objects were described as "B[right]". The description for h1064 also mentions "On meridian with two more". It seems very likely that these three entries are duplicates of brighter galaxies and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4055 = NGC 4061, NGC 4057 = NGC 4065, and NGC 4059 = NGC 4070. RNGC and PGC misidentify PGC 38278 as NGC 4057. PGC 38278 is located 3.0' west of NGC 4090. See Corwin's explanation under NGC 4055.

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NGC 4058 = UGC 7036 = MCG +01-31-017 = CGCG 041-032 = PGC 38124

12 03 49.1 +03 32 53

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 165d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, elongated NW-SE, small bright core. Located 15' W of mag 7.2 SAO 119207.

George Searle discovered NGC 4058 = HN 37 on 24 Mar 1868 with the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory (Annals of Harvard Observatory, Vol 13, #257). His position matches UGC 7036.

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NGC 4059 = NGC 4070? = UGC 7052 = MCG +04-29-009 = CGCG 128-009 = WBL 374-008 = PGC 38169

12 04 11.3 +20 24 36

See observing notes for NGC 4070. Uncertain identification.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4059 = h1064 on 29 Apr 1832, the same night he logged h1063 = NGC 4057 and h1062 = NGC 4055. His coordinates were very uncertain ("PD very doubtful") and given to the nearest degree, although all three objects were described as "B[right]". The description for h1064 also mentions "On meridian with two more". It seems very likely these three entries are duplicates of brighter galaxies and Harold Corwin suggests (in response to my email about the identifications) NGC 4055 = NGC 4061, NGC 4057 = NGC 4065, and NGC 4059 = NGC 4070. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic survey based on Heidelberg plates, misidentifes MCG +04-29-012 as NGC 4059. See Corwin's discussion under NGC 4055.

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NGC 4060 = CGCG 128-006 = WBL 374-004 = PGC 38151

12 04 01.0 +20 20 15

V = 14.6; Size 0.4'x0.3'; PA = 85d

24" (3/22/14): faint, small, round, 15" diameter. Located 2.1' WSW of NGC 4066. Brightest of three companions to NGC 4066 on the southwest side.

17.5" (3/28/87): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 2' WSW of NGC 4066 in the NGC 4065 cluster.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4060 = m 230 on 18 Mar 1865 (same night he found NGC 4042, NGC 4053 and NGC 4056). Due to his poor positions, and density of galaxies in the cluster, only NGC 4053 has a secure identification. Marth's position is 3 tsec of RA west and 2.3' south of CGCG 128-006 = PGC 38151 and this is the identification adopted in RNGC, CGCG and by Corwin.

It is also possible that NGC 4060 = PGC 38140. This is the galaxy identified as NGC 4056 in the RNGC. PGC 38140 is only 0.6' N of Marth's position, though it is noticeably fainter visually and that would leave no candidate for Marth's NGC 4056. Finally, it is possible that NGC 4060 = PGC 38166. PGC 38166 is identified as NGC 4069 in the RNGC and would imply Marth's position was 8 tsec too far W and 1.4' too far S. See Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4061 = NGC 4055: = VV 179b = UGC 7044 = MCG +04-29-006 = CGCG 128-005 = CGCG 098-040 = WBL 374-003 = PGC 38146

12 04 01.5 +20 13 57

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 0d

24" (3/22/14): fairly faint or moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, brighter core but not as strongly concentrated as NGC 4065 just 1.1' ENE. These form a striking pair with NGC 4065. Nearby lies NGC 4072 ~3' SE and NGC 4076 7' ESE.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, almost round, brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4065 1' ENE within the NGC 4065 cluster.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4061 = H III-394 = h1065 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first [III-391, III-392 and III-393]; but I saw three more [10 or 12'] south of them. They were are all vF, vS." I suspected many more besides." The three nebulae which he did not measure positions, are likely NGC 4061, NGC 4065, and NGC 4076 (the three brightest). JH observed NGC 4061 on 3 sweeps and noted on sweep 244 "vF; a double neb by diag, pos 20° sp, nearly equal. They run together."

NGC 4055 = h1062, recorded by JH on 29 Apr 1832 (the same night he logged NGC 4057 = h1063 and NGC 4059 = h1064) is very likely a duplicate observation. See that number for more.

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NGC 4062 = UGC 7045 = MCG +05-29-004 = CGCG 158-008 = PGC 38150

12 04 03.8 +31 53 44

V = 11.1; Size 4.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 100d

17.5" (2/24/90): fairly bright, large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 4.0'x1.6', broadly concentrated.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4062 = H I-174 = h1066 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and noted "cB, E, about 5' l and 1.5' broad." His position matches UGC 7045. JH made 4 observations and logged (sweep 131) "pB; vL; mE; 10° np to sf; vgbM; 3' l, 1' br."

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NGC 4063 = MCG +00-31-026 = CGCG 013-055 = Todd 12d = WBL 372-007 = PGC 38154

12 04 05.9 +01 50 49

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 10d

17.5" (5/10/86): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. In a group with UGC 7042 3.9' NW, NGC 4073 6.0' ENE and NGC 4139 7.5' SE.

David Todd discovered NGC 4063 = Todd 12b on 2 Jan 1878 during his search of a trans-Neptunian planet using the 26-inch Clark refractor at the USNO. Édouard Stephan found the galaxy again on 3 May 1881 and reported the discovery in list XI-15. Stephan's position is accurate (he mentioned it was distinct from [N4073] and [N4077]) and Dreyer credited him with the discovery in the NGC.

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NGC 4064 = UGC 7054 = MCG +03-31-033 = CGCG 098-044 = PGC 38167

12 04 11.2 +18 26 36

V = 11.4; Size 4.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 150d

17.5" (4/6/91): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 3'x1.5', large bright core but no nucleus, sharper light cut-off on the SW side due to dust. Two mag 14 stars are 1.6' SSW and 2.7' E of center.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4064 on 29 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position matches UGC 7054 and he accurately placed the mag 14 star 82" southwest. This is an unusually bright galaxy to have been missed by both Herschels.

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NGC 4065 = NGC 4057: = VV 179a = UGC 7050 = MCG +04-29-007 = CGCG 098-042 = CGCG 128-007 = WBL 374-006 = PGC 38156

12 04 06.2 +20 14 07

V = 12.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7

24" (3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, well concentrated with a small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4061 just 1' W. NGC 4072 lies 2.4' SE and NGC 4076 is 6.5' ESE. NGC 4066 and 4070, two similar ellipticals, lie 6.8' N and 10.5' N.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, brighter core. Brightest in the NGC 4065 cluster (a large group of NGC galaxies) with NGC 4061 1.1' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4065 = H III-395 on 18 Mar 1865 (sweep 403) and recorded "Six nebulae. The places belong to the three first [III-391, III-392 and III-393]..." The three galaxies to the south, which he did not measure positions, are likely NGC 4061, NGC 4065, and NGC 4076 (the three brightest). JH recorded this nebula twice as h1067 and noted "pB" on one sweep and "vF; R; the second of 5" on another. His position on sweep 409 is at the southeast edge of the halo.

NGC 4057 = h1063, recorded on 29 Apr 1832 (the same night he logged h1062 = NGC 4055 and h1064 = NGC 4059), is very likely a duplicate observation. See notes for that number.

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NGC 4066 = UGC 7051 = MCG +04-29-008 = CGCG 128-008 = WBL 374-007 = PGC 38161

12 04 09.4 +20 20 53

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2

24" (3/22/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, high surface brightness, strong concentration with a very bright nucleus that increases to the center. NGC 4070 is 3.7' NNE and a trio of galaxies are close southwest: NGC 4060 2.1' WSW, NGC 4069 1.7' SSW and NGC 4056? 3.4' SW.

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, small, round, strong bright core. In a tight trio with NGC 4060 2' WSW and NGC 4069 1.7' SSW. Also in the field are NGC 4065 7' S and NGC 4070 3.8' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4066 = H III-392 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first (III-391, III-392 and III-393)..." His position is 2.6' SE of UGC 7051 = PGC 38161, a similar offset as NGC 4070 = H III-391. JH observed this galaxy on 4 sweeps, first recording it on 24 Feb 1827 as h1068 and noted "The third of 5." JH equated this nebula with his father's H III-391 and misassigned H III-392 to NGC 4069 = h1070.

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NGC 4067 = UGC 7048 = MCG +02-31-019 = CGCG 069-036 = PGC 38168

12 04 11.5 +10 51 16

V = 12.5; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d

17.5" (1/23/88): fairly bright, fairly small, round, bright core. Brightest in a group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4067 = H III-37 = h1069 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded "eF, vS, in a line with 2 small stars and followed by one that is larger. I had some doubt with the sweeping power, but 240x showed it very plainly and of considerable extent." There is nothing at his position but 1 min of RA west (similar error with several other nebulae discovered that night) and 3' south is UGC 7048. JH made 5 observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4068 = IC 757 = UGC 7047 = MCG +09-20-079 = CGCG 269-031 = PGC 38148

12 04 00.8 +52 35 18

V = 12.5; Size 3.3'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 30d

48" (4/20/17): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated SW-NE. The surface brightness of this galaxy is fairly low but very irregular/patchy with a ragged outline and there is no core or zones. A mag 12 star is superimposed near the center, which is not well defined, and a second mag 14 star is at the southwest end. The brightest section is near the mag 12 star and to the NE. The outline is irregular and spreads out more on the northeast half. NGC 4102 lies 23' ENE.

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE. A mag 12 star is superimposed and a mag 14 star is at the SW end 40" from the center. A string of four mag 11-13.5 stars is just NW. In a low power field with NGC 4102 24' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4068 = H II-781 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded "pF, Stellar." On 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929), a second observation reads "A pS star involved in nebulosity of no great extent; the star does not seem to belong to it." His position is about 15 sec of RA east and 2' south of UGC 7047.

According to Harold Corwin, Bigourdan misidentified a star as NGC 4068 on two nights and "rediscovered" it on 11 Mar 1886, though made an error in his position, and it was catalogued by Dreyer as IC 757. Once the error is corrected, Corwin found NGC 4068 = IC 757.

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NGC 4069 = PGC 38166

12 04 06.0 +20 19 26

V = 15.5; Size 0.3'x0.2'

24" (3/22/14): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Located 1.7' SSE of NGC 4066. NGC 4060 lies 1.5' NW and an extremely faint galaxy (possibly NGC 4056) lies 2.0' SW. Either I missed the mag 16 star just off the southeast edge (~10" from center) or the galaxy and star were merged together

17.5" (5/14/88): extremely faint and small, round. Located 1.7' SSW of NGC 4066. Forms an equilateral triangle with NGC 4060 and NGC 4066 within the NGC 4065 cluster. The NGC identification of this number is not certain.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4069 = h1070 on 24 Feb 1827 and described as "vF, R, 4th of 5; has another on same meridian, north". This is one of the very faint galaxies near NGC 4066 and was not seen by WH, although JH equated h1070 with his father's H. III 392. His position (single sweep) is 6 tsec east of PGC 38166 and the nebula "on the same meridian, north" would refer to NGC 4066. But if he picked up this faint galaxy, it's surprising he didn't also see NGC 4060 = CGCG 128-006, which is is just 1.5' NW. See Harold Corwin's discussion in his identification notes.

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NGC 4070 = NGC 4059? = UGC 7052 = MCG +04-29-009 = CGCG 128-009 = WBL 374-008 = PGC 38169

12 04 11.3 +20 24 36

V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1

24" (3/22/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, high surface brightness, very small bright nucleus. NGC 4066 lies 3.7' S.

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 3.8' NNE of NGC 4066 within the NGC 4065 cluster.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4070 = H III-391 = h1071, along with 5 other nebulae, on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted together as "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first (III-391, III-392 and III-393)..." His position (Auwer's reduction) is 2.4' southeast of UGC 7052, the same offset he made with NGC 4066 = H III-392. JH recorded it as a nova and measured an accurate position on one sweep.

Harold Corwin concludes that NGC 4059 = h1064 may be a duplicate observation of NGC 4070.

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NGC 4071 = PK 298-4.1 = ESO 094-PN12 = PN G298.3-04.8

12 04 15.3 -67 18 35

V = 13.0; Size 80"x51"

18" (7/6/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): I had a difficult time ferreting out this faint PN that is buried within a very rich Milky Way field. It was finally picked up at 76x (27 Panoptic) and OIII filter as a faint, round disc at least 40" in diameter. Removing the filter, a faint star is superimposed on the SW side of a low surface brightness glow. Also viewed unfiltered at 228x which showed the faint star and the disc more easily, though this is quite a faint NGC planetary. The best view was at 128x using an OIII filter, although this is a low-excitation planetary. The disc appeared fairly faint with subtle irregularities in surface brightness and was likely brighter along portions of the rim.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4071 = h3374 on 4 Mar 1835 and recorded "vF; R; 40"; has a vS star in centre; in a field of at least 80 or 90 stars." His position is accurate. The "vS star" he mentions might be the one on the southwest side.

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NGC 4072 = CGCG 098-045 = CGCG 128-010 = WBL 374-009 = PGC 38176

12 04 13.8 +20 12 35

V = 14.8; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 30d

24" (3/22/14): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Not difficult to pick up 2.4' SE of NGC 4065. A mag 13.6 star is 1' NE.

17.5" (3/28/87): extremely faint and small, round, at visual threshold. A mag 13 star is 1.1' NE of center. Located 2.6' SE of NGC 4065. Member of the NGC 4065 cluster.

Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 4072 on 3 Apr 1872 using the 72" during an observation of GC 2686 = NGC 4061 and GC 2689 = NGC 4065. He described "a third and much fainter neb south-following the second [NGC 4065], in pos 128.4°, dist 144.1" At precisely Copeland's offset is CGCG 098-045 = PGC 38176.

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NGC 4073 = UGC 7060 = MCG +00-31-029 = CGCG 013-059 = WBL 372-011 = PGC 38201 = Todd 12a

12 04 27.0 +01 53 45

V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 105d

17.5" (5/10/86): moderately bright, elongated WNW-ESE, moderately large, bright core, stellar nucleus. Brightest of a poor cluster (MKW 4) with NGC 4063 6.0' SW, NGC 4075 11' N, NGC 4077 7.3' SSE, NGC 4139 = IC 2989 6.0' SSE and UGC 7042 8' W, all in the field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4073 = H II-277 = h1072 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted "F, S". David Todd independently found this galaxy (#12a) on 2 Jan 1878 during his his search for a trans-Neptunian planet.

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NGC 4074 = MCG +04-29-011 = CGCG 128-013 = WBL 374-011 = PGC 38207

12 04 29.6 +20 18 59

V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 105d

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Located within the NGC 4065 cluster with NGC 4076 7' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4074 = H III-393 = h1073, along with 5 other nebulae, on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted together as "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first [NGC 4072 = III-391, NGC 4070 = III-392 and NGC 4074 = III-393] which are vF, vS." His position (Auwer's reduction) is 3.1' too far southwest (given the same RA as NGC 4072 = H III-391). JH made a single observation, measured an accurate position, and noted "eF".

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NGC 4075 = MCG +00-31-032 = CGCG 013-064 = PGC 38216 = Todd 11

12 04 37.8 +02 04 22

V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60d

17.5" (5/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, stellar nucleus. Located 11' NNE of NGC 4073 within a group.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4075 = h1074 on 14 Apr 1828 and noted "F; S; R." His position is 6 sec of RA west of CGCG 013-064 = PGC 38216. David Todd found the galaxy again on 27 Dec 1877 during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and reported it as object 11 in his 1885 AN paper.

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NGC 4076 = UGC 7061 = MCG +03-31-034 = CGCG 098-046 = CGCG 128-012 = WBL 374-010 = PGC 38209

12 04 32.5 +20 12 18

V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9

24" (3/22/14): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, small slightly brighter core. Located 6.5' ESE of NGC 4065 (close pair with NGC 4061). NGC 4072 lies 4.4' W.

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, diffuse. Located within the NGC 4065 cluster and the eighth galaxy in the field. LEDA 213924 lies 2' NE and appeared very faint, very small, round. Forms a right angle with NGC 4076 2.1' SW and a mag 13 star to the SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4076 = H III-396 = h1075 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded "Six nebulae. The times and numbers belong to the three first [III-391, III-392 and III-393]..." The three nebulae [10 to 12'] to the south, which he did not measure positions, are likely NGC 4061, NGC 4065, and NGC 4076 (three brightest). JH recorded this nebula on a single sweep (24 Feb 1827) and simply noted "the last of 5." and equated it with H III-396. His position is 2.7' too far south-southeast.

Ralph Copeland, observing with LdR's 72" on 3 Apr 1872, notes "south following these nebulae [NGC 4061, 4065 and 4072] are two others, F, L, R, glbM and eF, L, R, lbM, pos 47.6°, Dist 133.6". The last pair refers to NGC 4076 and PGC 213924.

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NGC 4077 = NGC 4140 = UGC 7063 = MCG +00-31-031 = CGCG 013-063 = PGC 38218

12 04 38.0 +01 47 16

V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d

17.5" (5/10/86): fairly faint, oval ~N-S. A mag 14 star is attached at the north end. Forms a pair with NGC 4139 = IC 2989 1.3' NW. Located 7.5' NNE of NGC 4073 in a group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4077 = H III-258 = h1076 on 20 Dec 1784 (sweep 349) and noted "vF, vS." CH added the noted "goes in the same field with preceding [NGC 4073] conveniently." JH made a single observation, logging "F; R; bM; 20"; the sf of two {with NGC 4073]."

Heinrich d'Arrest independently found this galaxy, as well as NGC 4139, on 10 Apr 1863, but his RA was exactly 5 min too large, and Dreyer recatalogued it as NGC 4140. So, NGC 4077 = NGC 4140. NGC 4077 was found again by David Todd 15 years later (5 Jan 1878) during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and reported as object #16a and #14a . See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4078 = NGC 4107 = UGC 7066 = MCG +02-31-023 = CGCG 069-043 = WBL 375-001 = PGC 38238

12 04 47.6 +10 35 44

V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 18d

17.5" (1/23/88): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core. Located in a group with NGC 4083 6.6' ENE, IC 2991 6.7' NE and NGC 4082 7.4' NE.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4078 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on two nights, matches UGC 7066 = PGC 38238. Albert Marth also found the galaxy just two nights later from Malta. But d'Arrest originally discovered it on 17 Apr 1863, and it was catalogued as GC 5617 = NGC 4107, but he made a 2 minute error in RA. So, NGC 4078 = NGC 4107.

The UGC notes misidentifies NGC 4083 as NGC 4078.

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NGC 4079 = UGC 7067 = MCG +00-31-034 = CGCG 013-067 = PGC 38240

12 04 49.9 -02 22 57

V = 12.4; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 125d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, fairly small, diffuse, slightly elongated NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 13 star is off the NW end 1.7' from center.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4079 = h1077 on 15 Apr 1828 and recorded "not vF; L; R; 40"; has a * 10m, 60" north." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4080 = UGC 7068 = MCG +05-29-006 = CGCG 158-012 = PGC 38244

12 04 51.8 +26 59 33

V = 13.7; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 122d

18" (3/30/05): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.4'. The core appears to be offset SE of center as the galaxy appears to extend to the NW of this spot.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4080 = H III-355 = h1078 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "vF, pmE, S." His position matches UGC 7068. JH made 4 observations.

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NGC 4081 = UGC 7062 = MCG +11-15-015 = CGCG 315-010 = PGC 38212

12 04 33.7 +64 26 13

V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 135d

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.5'. A nice evenly matched mag 10 double star (STI 739) is 4.7' NW.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4081 = Sw I-20 on 18 Jun 1884 and recorded "F; S; vE; D * nr; preceding nearest bright star east 20 sec." His position is 18 tsec E and 1' N of UGC 7062. His description matches.

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NGC 4082 = MCG +02-31-026 = CGCG 069-046 = Holm 324b = WBL 375-004 = PGC 38274

12 05 11.4 +10 40 14

V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 80d

17.5" (1/23/88): extremely faint, very small, round. Forms a faint pair with NGC 4083 3.7' SSE within the NGC 4067 group.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4082 = m 232 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, lE, lbM."

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NGC 4083 = MCG +02-31-024 = CGCG 069-044 = Holm 324c = WBL 375-002 = PGC 38275

12 05 14.0 +10 36 47

V = 14.3; Size 0.9'x0.7'; PA = 45d

17.5" (1/23/88): very faint, very small, round, even surface brightness. Located 2.2' NNW of a mag 10.5 star. Forms a faint pair with NGC 4082 3.7' NNW. Located within the NGC 4067 group.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4083 = m 233 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS."

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NGC 4084 = MCG +04-29-014 = CGCG 128-017 = PGC 38272

12 05 15.3 +21 12 52

V = 14.4; Size 0.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly faint, very small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located less than 1° north of the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4084 on 26 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on two nights, matches CGCG 128-017 = PGC 38272 and he accurately place a mag 13 star that precedes by 2 seconds of time and 3' north.

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NGC 4085 = UGC 7075 = MCG +09-20-086 = CGCG 269-032 = Holm 326b = LGG 258-040 = PGC 38283

12 05 22.9 +50 21 12

V = 12.4; Size 2.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 78d

17.5" (4/13/91): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 WSW-ENE, 2.5'x0.6', weak concentration. Forms an isosceles triangle with mag 7.6 SAO 28237 6' SW and mag 8.4 SAO 28247 7' SE. NGC 4088 lies 11' NNE.

8" (3/28/81): faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE. Two mag 8 stars are in the field to the SE and SW. Located 11' SSW of NGC 4088.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4085 = H I-224 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and recorded "pB, mE, the brightness confined to a small point." His position is poor - about 6' too far southeast. d'Arrest found it on 4 Dec 1861 but his position was nearly 3' too far south (he suspected it was identical to H I-224. JH still assigned two numbers in the GC, but Dreyer combined the two GC designations in the NGC. d'Arrest later made two accurate measurements of NGC 4085

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NGC 4086 = UGC 7076 = MCG +04-29-016 = CGCG 128-018 = PGC 38290

12 05 29.3 +20 14 49

V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 85d

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located 13' E of NGC 4076. Forms a pair with NGC 4090 3.9' N within the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4086, along with NGC 4090, on 2 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is a fairly good match with UGC 7076 and he accurately places a mag 9 star as 7' to the west. In his description he also mentions another nebula is 3' to the north. This refers to NGC 4090, though his RA for this object is 10 sec too large.

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NGC 4087 = ESO 505-010 = MCG -04-29-005 = PGC 38303

12 05 35.3 -26 31 21

V = 12.1; Size 2.1'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 39d

18" (4/29/06): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, small bright core. A mag 10 star 5' SSW has two faint companions (RST 2777); a close mag 13 star at 1.8" and a wider 12" companion. I'm surprised that neither Herschels mentioned this interesting unequal triple. Several brighter stars are scattered in the field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4087 = H III-754 = h3375 on 24 Feb 1789 (sweep 911) and logged "Suspected, eF, too low to be verified, but I have not much doubt." JH made a single observation from the Cape of Good Hope and recorded "pB; R; gbM." Lewis Swift found it on 11 Apr 1898 and reported it as new in his list XI-132. His position and description matches, though he didn't notice the earlier discovery. Howe reported on Sw XI-132, "this must be identical with 4087, since both are pretty bright, and their places agree within three seconds in right ascension and 1' in declination."

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NGC 4088 = Arp 18 = VV 357 = UGC 7081 = MCG +09-20-089 = CGCG 269-033 = Holm 326a = LGG 258-010 = PGC 38302

12 05 34.1 +50 32 23

V = 10.6; Size 5.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 43d

48" (4/4/11): this is a showpiece spiral in the 48-inch with the startling eyepiece view matching the detail in the DSS image. The galaxy extended 5.5'x2.0' SW-NE. Near the center is an elongated, extremely bright core. The very bright central portion extends from the core in a roughly 2'x0.5' region towards the southwest but is concave a bit, bending slightly towards the south. This feature appears similar to a slightly distorted central bar. Just south of this central bar is a dust lane extending SW to NE that parallels the bar, though it is more contrasty to the northeast of the core.

The dust lane separates the bright bar feature from a very long arm that extends the entire length of the galaxy along the south side and vaguely emerges from the southwest end of the bar. This arm is clumpy with a couple of large, bright knots to the south of the core and another prominent knot towards the east end of the galaxy (1.7' NE of the core). Beyond this knot the arm quickly dims, fans out a bit and bends to the north towards a mag 13.5 star.

Emerging from the northeast end of the core is a second prominent arm that immediately doubles back towards the southwest on the north side. This arm nearly parallels the central bar to the north and is separated by a less contrasty darker strip or lane. This clumpy arm contains a fairly prominent knot only 0.6' NW of the core. After this point the arm dims dramatically continuing a bit further southwest. The two main arms, along with the central bar create a squashed irregular "Z" appearance.

MCG +09-20-092, which lies 5' SE in the field, appeared faint, small, round, 20" diameter, fairly low even surface brightness.

18" (3/13/10): using 280x this striking, irregular spiral extends 5:2 SW-NE, rougly 5'x2'. The surface is noticeably mottled and clumpy with a dark patch or dust lane that extends to the south of the core with a weaker darkening to the north of the core. At the northeast end of the galaxy, a portion of what appears to be a spiral arm emerges from the main body and bends to the north. A corresponding feature on the SW end of the galaxy, bending south, is much more subtle.

18" (5/3/08): at 280x appeared very bright, large, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 4.5'x1.8', contains a bright elongated core. The galaxy is very asymmetric, with an unusually mottled or clumpy appearance and an irregular outline. At the NE end is a faint extension (this is a disrupted arm on the DSS) that juts out or dangles from the NE end of the main body and hooks slightly towards a mag 13.5 star located 3.7' NE of center. A more subtle irregular extension is at the SW end. Just east of the north side of the core the surface brightness drops, either due to a dust lane or large dust patch on the east side of the core and then brightens a bit again just following the dust patch. NGC 4085 lies 11' SSW.

17.5" (4/13/91): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 5.0'x2.0', mottled patchy appearance, small elongated brighter core but no nucleus. A mag 15 star is 2' off the NW side. Faint spiral structure is visible with concentration. An extremely faint arm is off the NE end curving towards a mag 14.5 star to the NE 3.7' from center and a second extremely faint arm is just visible off the SW end curving to the south. Forms a pair with NGC 4085 11' SSW.

8" (3/28/81): fairly bright, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration, cigar-shaped. Forms a pair with NGC 4085 11' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4088 = H I-206 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged "cF, E, about 4' long." His summary description from 3 observations reads "cB, E, 45° np sf, 6' long, 4' br, almost equally bright."

Sir Robert Ball, observing assistant at Birr Castle on 28 Mar 1867, recorded "vB, vL, E 53.5°. A new spiral with probably many details of interest, of an S shape. THere is certainly a brighter portion sf the nucleus with a dark lane between them. Likewise, a similar brightness np the nucleus. I thought the darkness did not extend all round the centre. There can be little doubt of the curved branch following, it seems to proceed in the direction of a star nf."

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NGC 4089 = MCG +04-29-017 = CGCG 128-020 = PGC 38298

12 05 37.5 +20 33 21

V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0

17.5" (5/14/88): faint, very small, slightly elongated, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a very close pair with NGC 4091 37" E of center. First of six in field within the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4089, along with NGC 4901, on 2 May 1864 and described a double nebula separated by 3 sec in RA. His mean position from 3 nights matches CGCG 128-020 = PGC 38298.

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NGC 4090 = UGC 7077 = MCG +04-29-015 = CGCG 128-019 = IC 2997 = PGC 38288

12 05 27.9 +20 18 32

V = 13.9; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 38d

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, almost round, diffuse, fairly small. A mag 14 star is 1.1' SE of center. Located 3.7' N of NGC 4086 within the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4090, along with NGC 4086, on 2 May 1864. He mentioned this galaxy in his description for NGC 4086 as 3' to the north but his position is 10 sec of RA too large and 1.3' too far south. He notes a mag 13 star 1.1' southeast, as mag 15-16 at 60" distance, so the identification is certain despite the poor position.

IC 2997, discovered by Bigourdan, is not identical to NGC 4090, as assumed in modern catalogues. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4091 = UGC 7083 = MCG +04-29-019 = CGCG 128-022 = PGC 38308

12 05 40.1 +20 33 21

V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 43d

17.5" (5/14/88): faint, very small, elongated SW-NE. A mag 13.5 star is 1.0' S. Forms a very close pair with NGC 4089 37" W of center and the second of six in the field within the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4091, along with NGC 4089, on 2 May 1864 and described a double nebula separated by 3 sec in RA. His mean position from 4 nights matches UGC 7083 = PGC 38308.

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NGC 4092 = UGC 7087 = MCG +04-29-020 = CGCG 128-023 = PGC 38338

12 05 50.2 +20 28 38

V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (5/14/88): faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 11.5 star is close NW 0.9' from center. This galaxy is the third of six in the field with NGC 4093 2.6' NNE in the NGC 4065 cluster.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4092 = H III-382, along with NGC 4095 and 4098, on 26 Apr 1785 (sweep 402) and recorded "Three, the time is that of the last [NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The other two which are south-preceding are much fainter and smaller." His single position is 11 seconds of time east and 2.5' north of NGC 4098 = UGC 7093.

Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position for UGC 7087 on 4 nights and questioned if it was one of WH's three objects. Dreyer credited d'Arrest with the discovery of NGC 4092 and Dreyer states in his 1912 Scientific Papers that WH probably saw NGC 4093. But Harold Corwin argues that NGC 4092 is brighter and most likely seen by WH, despite being further south.

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NGC 4093 = MCG +04-29-021 = CGCG 128-024= PGC 38323

12 05 51.4 +20 31 18

V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.7'

17.5" (5/14/88): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is close off the NW edge 1.1' from center. Fourth of six in the field within the NGC 4065 cluster.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4093 on 4 May 1864. Two nights earlier he discovered the pair NGC 4089 and 4091. His position, measured on 3 nights, CGCG 128-024= PGC 38323.

In his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, Dreyer suggests H III-382 is NGC 4093. But more likely WH picked up NGC 4092, which is brighter.

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NGC 4094 = MCG -02-31-016 = UGCA 269 = PGC 38346

12 05 54.0 -14 31 35

V = 11.8; Size 4.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 63d

18" (3/19/04): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated at least 5:2 SW-NE, 2.2'x0.8, fairly low even surface brightness. The NE end of the galaxy points between a mag 10.5 star just following (2.2' E of center) and a mag 11 star close north (1.7' from center). NGC 4114 lies 28' NE. The galaxy is located 8' N of mag 9.3 HD 105063.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4094 = h3376 on 7 May 1836 and recorded "eF; L; pmE; vgbM. The direction of elongation points between two stars 11m; very near, and nf the centre." His position and description matches MCG -02-31-016 = PGC 38346.

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NGC 4095 = MCG +04-29-022 = CGCG 128-025 = PGC 38324

12 05 54.3 +20 34 22

V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.9'

17.5" (5/14/88): faint, very small, round, small bright core. A mag 14 star is 1.0' E. Fifth of six in the field within the NGC 4065 cluster with NGC 4098 3.1' NE. Located between NGC 4093 and NGC 4098.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4095 = H III-383 = h1079, along with NGC 4092 and 4098, on 26 Apr 1785 (sweep 402) and recorded "Three, the time is that of the last [NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The other two which are south-preceding are much fainter and smaller." His position is 11 tsec east and 2.5' north of NGC 4098 = UGC 7093. The "other two" are likely NGC 4095 = CGCG 128-025 and NGC 4092 = UGC 7087, the next two brighter galaxies in the group. JH's position is less than 1' too far north and d'Arrest measured a very accurate position.

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NGC 4096 = UGC 7090 = MCG +08-22-067 = CGCG 243-043 = PGC 38361

12 06 01.0 +47 28 41

V = 10.8; Size 6.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 20d

17.5" (4/7/89): bright, very large, almost edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, sharp concentration with a very small bright core embedded within the long extensions. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4096 = H I-207 = h1081 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and reported "cF, mE about 4' long from sp to nf but nearer the meridian." On 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) he recorded "cB; mE; 6 or 7' long, from sp to nf, about 70°." In his 1811 PT paper, WH commented "it seems to join to imperceptible nebulosity on the south preceding side." The galaxy does extend further out and more gradually fade on the southwest side. JH called it "B; vL; mE in pos 32°; seen through much fog." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4097 = UGC 7092 = MCG +06-27-004 = CGCG 187-004 = PGC 38363

12 06 02.5 +36 51 49

V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 98d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, small, round, 0.5' diameter, very small brighter core, occasional faint stellar nucleus. Located 1.6' NNE of a mag 11.4 star, close to the UMa/CVn border.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4097 = H III-400 = h1080 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded "eF, vS, suspected, stellar; about 1 1/2' north of a small star." His position and description of the nearby star points to UGC 7092. This was the first of 42 galaxies discovered on this night. JH made two observations describing (sweep 331) "vF; R; vsbM; has a * 10m, 45° sp, 90" dist."

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NGC 4098 = NGC 4099: = VV 61 = UGC 7093 = MCG +04-29-023/24 = CGCG 128-026 = PGC 38365

12 06 03.6 +20 36 28

V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly small, round, bright core. Last and brightest of six in the field within the NGC 4065 cluster. Appears slightly brighter than NGC 4092 8.4' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4098 = H III-384 = h1082, along with NGC 4092 and 4095, on 26 Apr 1785 and recorded "Three, the time is that of the last [NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The other two which are south-preceding are much fainter and smaller." His position is poor, 11 tsec east and 2.5' north of NGC 4098 = UGC 7093. On 27 Dec 1786 (sweep 671) he recorded "Two, the place is that of the most north [NGC 4098], which is the largest. Both vF." This time his position was just 6 sec of RA west of NGC 4098. The second object was either NGC 4095 or NGC 4092. JH measured an accurate position for h1082 = NGC 4098, though mistakenly called this object III-383.

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NGC 4099 = NGC 4098 = UGC 7093 = MCG +04-29-023/24 = CGCG 128-026 = VV 61 = PGC 38365

12 06 03.6 +20 36 28

See observing notes for NGC 4098.

William Herschel found NGC 4099 on 26 Apr 1785 (sweep 402), recording three nebulae described as "Three, time is that of the last [NGC 4098], which is vF and S. The other two [probably NGC 4092 and 4095] which are south preceding are much fainter and smaller." JH was confused trying to match his father's three objects with the two he observed and those discovered by d'Arrest. He attributed the discovery of NGC 4092 to d'Arrest (instead of WH) and assigned III-384 separately to GC 2714 (later NGC 4099). But III-384 applies to NGC 4098 = h1082 and Dreyer suggests in his 1912 update of WH's catalogues that NGC 4099 "is probably superfluous". Since this number is a duplicate of one of WH's discovered, I've arbitrarily equated it with NGC 4098 here.

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NGC 4100 = UGC 7095 = MCG +08-22-068 = CGCG 243-044 = PGC 38370

12 06 08.4 +49 34 59

V = 11.2; Size 5.4'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 167d

17.5" (5/2/92): bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 4.0'x1.5', large brighter core, faint stellar nucleus. The northern extension appears slightly brighter. Mag 8.2 SAO 44027 is 7' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4100 = H III-717 = h1084 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged cF, mE about 5' long near the meridian [N-S], about a little sf." CH's reduction is 1.3' northeast of center. JH made two observations, recording on sweep 329 "pB; vL; mE in pos 166.5°; 3' long, 1' broad, vgvlbM. This cannot be either [NGC 4088] nor [NGC 4096], as neither of these agrees in its angles of position."

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NGC 4101 = UGC 7093 = MCG +04-29-025 = CGCG 128-027 = PGC 38373

12 06 10.6 +25 33 25

V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 60d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', weak even concentration to the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4101 = H III-326 = h1083 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded "eF, vS. 240 verified it with great difficulty. It was in the field I gaged, otherwise I should certainly have overlooked it." JH made two observations and his mean position is a good match with UGC 7093 = PGC 38373.

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NGC 4102 = UGC 7096 = MCG +09-20-094 = CGCG 269-036 = LGG 258-041 = PGC 38392

12 06 23.0 +52 42 40

V = 11.2; Size 3.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 38d

48" (4/20/17): at 488x; fascinating galaxy with unusual structure. Overall, NGC 4102 is very bright, large, elongated at least 2:1 SSW-NNE, ~2.5'x1.1', very sharply concentrated with a small, intensely bright nucleus surrounded by a bright oval core SW-NE with a bar-like enhancement. Just outside the core the surface brightness drops significantly forming a darker [dusty] annulus. Surrounding this is a bright, thick, mottled ring oriented NNW-SSE (slightly offset in orientation from the core). A brighter knot (SDSS J120625.26+524307.4) is at the NE end of the ring [32" NE of center]. On the SDSS this corresponds with the brightest star cloud in the galaxy and the site of supernova 1975E. A brighter mag 12.5 star is 50" WSW of center, just outside the halo. When the seeing settled this star resolved into a close pair (~13.2/13.8 at 1.8" separation!) NGC 4068 lies 23' WSW.

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 SW-NE, small very bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is at the west end 48" from the center!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4102 = H I-225 = h1085 on 12 Apr 1789 (sweep 919) and noted "pB, pL." JH recorded "B; R; psbM; has a * 12m 35" sp, very near the edge." and measured an accurate position.

George Stoney or Ld R, observing on 13 Apr 1852, noted "I suspect a dark curved passage south of center, probably a new spiral." Four years later R.J. Mitchell confirmed "I have little doubt this is a spiral" and he made two diagrams of the arm arrangement.

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NGC 4103 = ESO 130-SC5 = Cr 252 = Mel 109 = Lund 604

12 06 40 -61 15 00

Size 7'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~60 stars mag 9.5-13 are resolved in a 8' region including roughly ten mag 10 stars. The cluster has a very interesting asymmetric arrangement with a perfect 5' string of five stars extending out of the cluster to the WSW. Two other short strings on the following end meet up and make a perfect arrow asterism. Located 12' ESE of mag 6.6 HD 104971. Located two degrees WSW of mag 3.6 Epsilon Crucis.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4103 = D 291 = h3377 on 30 Apr 1826 and recorded "a cluster of small stars of mixt magnitudes, irregular figure, about 6' long and 4' broad." His position was 12' too far west.

JH observed the cluster on 3 sweeps. On 14 Mar 1834 he logged "middle of a rich, large, irregularly round cluster; poor VI or rich VII, stars 10..14 mag; diam 5' with stragglers." His second observation was made under poor conditions: "cluster of stars class VII, pretty rich and compact, stars 10..12 mag, and nearly equal; diameter 5'; the whole field is in a state of wavy fluctuation, owing to the SE wind, and so bad that each star is dilated into a large puff ball." The final sweep was recorded as "A 10th mag star in centre of a pretty rich close cluster; 5' diameter; irregularly round; stars 10..13 mag."

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NGC 4104 = UGC 7099 = MCG +05-29-016 = CGCG 158-024 = PGC 38407

12 06 38.9 +28 10 26

V = 12.1; Size 2.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 35d

17.5" (3/20/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.8'x1.2', broad concentration. Forms a close pair with MCG +05-29-015 3.0' SW of center. The companion appeared faint, small, round, broad weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4104 = H II-370 = h1086 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "pB, cL, mb towards the nf side." His position (CH's reduction) is 20 sec of time too far west. JH made a total of 6 observations, so pinned down the position.

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NGC 4105 = ESO 440-054 = MCG -05-29-013 = PGC 38411

12 06 40.7 -29 45 38

V = 10.7; Size 2.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 151d

18" (5/28/06): western member of a close, moderately bright pair with NGC 4106, just 1.1' between centers. Appears round, ~45" diameter, sharply concentrated with a bright, prominent core. The halo is fairly faint and increases in size with averted vision to ~1' diameter. This galaxy is slightly larger and the brighter of the duo. Nearby galaxies include IC 2996 lies 17' SW, IC 3005 17' SE and IC 3010 38' SE.

8" (5/21/82): elongated glow resolves into NGC 4105 and NGC 4106 just following. NGC 4105 is slightly brighter and larger but appears faint, small and round.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4105 = H II-865 = h3378, along with NGC 4106, on 7 Mar 1791 (sweep 998) and logged "Two, within a minute of two of each other. Both F, S, R, bM. Nearly in the same parallel." JH made two observations, recording on sweep 452 "The first of a double nebula (pos 111.2° by means of 2 measures), B; R; pL; psbM; r; 25"."

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NGC 4106 = ESO 440-056 = MCG -05-29-014 = PGC 38417

12 06 45.3 -29 46 06

V = 11.4; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 77d

18" (5/28/06): eastern member of a close, striking pair with slightly brighter NGC 4106 just 1.1' west. Appears moderately bright, round, ~40" diameter, well concentrated with a bright, prominent core. The halo is fairly faint and increases in size with averted vision to ~55" diameter. This galaxy is slightly smaller with a less condensed core than NGC 4106.

8" (5/21/82): faint, small, round. This is a close companion to NGC 4105 and is the slightly fainter and smaller of the pair.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4106 = H II-866 = h3379, along with NGC 4105, on 7 Mar 1791 (sweep 998). JH made two observations, recording on sweep 452 "The 2nd of a double nebula, B; R; pL; psbM; r; 25"."

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NGC 4107 = NGC 4078 = UGC 7066 = MCG +02-31-023 = CGCG 069-043 = PGC 38238

12 04 47.6 +10 35 44

See observing notes for NGC 4078.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4107 on 17 Apr 1863 and described (loosely translated) a "very small, slightly elongated planetary, a mag 10-11 star follows by 30.2 seconds of time and 1' south." There is nothing at his position but Harold Corwin found that exactly two min of RA west is NGC 4078, which has a star at his required offset. d'Arrest recorded the galaxy again on 23 Mar 1865 (and just two days later by Albert Marth) at the correct position and it was also catalogued NGC 4078. So, NGC 4107 = NGC 4078.

In the IC 1 notes, Sherburne Burnham states "delete planetary; the star is np". This seems to imply Burnham found some object at the NGC position but in the IC 2 notes Dreyer comments "not found by Frost on plates of 4h exposure" [from Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1]. Reinmuth writes "=*13.5, no nebulosity seen. *10 ssf 2.6', *13.2 spp 1.4'." Dorothy Carlson classifies NGC 4107 as a star and this error is repeated in the RNGC. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4108 = UGC 7101 = MCG +11-15-023 = CGCG 315-015 = PGC 38423

12 06 44.6 +67 09 47

V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 105d

17.5" (3/29/89): brightest in a quartet with UGC 7106 = NGC 4108B 5' NNE, UGC 7087 = NGC 4108A 8' NW and UGCA 272 = CGCG 315-017 15' NE. Moderately bright, small, almost round, broad concentration. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.9' SE.

NGC 4108A appeared very faint, small, elongated N-S and NGC 4108B is very faint, very diffuse, fairly small, irregularly round. NGC 4108B was logged as very faint, very diffuse, fairly small, irregularly round. Finally, UGCA 272 was noted as fairly faint, fairly small, oval, brighter core.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4108 = h1087 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "B; R; gbM; 20"; first class". His single position matches UGC 7101.

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NGC 4109 = MCG +07-25-024 = CGCG 215-027 = Holm 333b = WBL 380-002 = PGC 38427

12 06 51.1 +42 59 44

V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'

24" (5/30/16): fairly faint, fairly small, roundish, 20" diameter, broad weak concentration. Forms a close pair with LEDA 2210701 just 40" to the east. A mag 13.5 star lies 1' NNW. NGC 4109 is situated 4.7' SSE and UGC 7094 is 7.7' SW.

LEDA 2210701 appeared extremely faint and small, ~6" diameter. Once acquired, I could hold it nearly 50% of the time, despite a very low SDSS magnitude (V ~16.0). The redshift of z = .086 implies a light-travel time of 1.1 billion years!

UGC 7094 is very faint, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.25', very low surface brightness with no noticeable concentration.

13.1" (4/12/86): very faint, small, round. Forms a pair with NGC 4111 5.0' NNE. NGC 4117 lies 9' NE. Located on the Ursa Major-Canes Venatici border.

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4109 on 21 Apr 1851 with LdR's 72" and simply noted, "the first [NGC 4109] is vF and 6' ssp the second [NGC 4111], which is vB and mE. A double star is 5' nf, whose smaller component is blue." Although mentioned in the 1861 publication, JH did not include this galaxy in the GC, but Dreyer added it to the GC Supplement (GCS 5618).

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NGC 4110 = UGC 7102 = MCG +03-31-040 = CGCG 098-058 = PGC 38441

12 07 03.5 +18 31 54

V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 128d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.5', low fairly even surface brightness. A nice mag 12/13 double lies 5.5' S [separation 14"]. Globular cluster NGC 4147 is 43' following.

William Rambaut (Lord Rosse's first observing assistant) discovered NGC 4110 on 1 April 1848 while observing globular cluster NGC 4147.  It was described as "a small nebula, RA 3 min less than that of [NGC 4147]."  Nearly 30 years later it was observed again and placed 3 min, 3.5 sec preceding and 35" south of NGC 4147.  This is the first galaxy discovered at Birr Castle and one of only three discoveries by Lord Rosse!

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NGC 4111 = UGC 7103 = MCG +07-25-026 = CGCG 215-028 = Holm 333a = WBL 380-003 = PGC 38440

12 07 02.6 +43 04 01

V = 10.7; Size 4.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 150d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; very bright, beautiful edge-on ~7:1 NNW-SSE, 3.5'x0.5'. Sharply concentrated with a small very bright elongated core, with an unusually bright quasi-stellar nucleus. An extremely faint star or stellar knot was suspected near the southeast end. A very wide unequal pair (HJ 2596) with a orange mag 8.1 primary lies 3.7' NE.

NGC 4111 is the brightest in a group containing NGC 4109 4.8' SSW, NGC 4117 8.6' NE, NGC 4118 9.4' NE, UGC 7094 11.6' SW and UGC 7089 12.8' NW. All of these galaxies with the exception of UGC 7089 are roughly aligned in a 20' string oriented SW-NE. UGC 7094 appeared very faint, very elongated 4:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.25', very low surface brightness with no noticeable concentration.

18" (5/14/07): this striking edge-on is extends 6:1 NNW-SSE, ~3.5'x0.6'. Dominated by a small, sharply concentrated, intense core. The core is only 24"x15" and brightens somewhat to the center. The eastern flank possibly has a sharper edge, but no dust lane was visible. Located 4' SW of a wide double star (8.2/10.7 at 34").

18" (6/4/05): fairly bright, fairly large, excellent edge-on at least 6:1 NW-SE. Sharply concentrated with a very bright 20" core that increases to the center. The extensions are very thin, ~3'x0.4', with a slightly bulging core. A wide double star (8.2/10.7 at 34") to the northeast is collinear with the core.

17.5": fairly bright, fairly large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, small very bright core, long thin extensions. A double star with components mag 8.2/10.7 at 34" separation lies 3.8' NE. Brightest in a group with NGC 4109 4.8' SW and NGC 4117 8.7' WSW.

13" (4/12/86): fairly bright, pretty edge-on, small very bright core, faint thin arms. Located 5' SW of a mag 8 star. In a group with NGC 4109 5' SSW and NGC 4117 8.5' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4111 = H I-195 = h1088 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded "E sp nf, vBN with faint branches. His position and description matches UGC 7103. On 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) he made another observation and also discovered NGC 4117. JH first recorded (sweep 150) "B; S; mE; sbM; a double star point to its nucleus."

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NGC 4112 = ESO 321-006 = MCG -07-25-003 = AM 1204-395 = PGC 38452

12 07 09 -40 12 24

V = 12.0; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 5d

18" (5/15/10): at 175x, this southern galaxy appeared fairly faint (view diminished by low elevation), fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~45"x30", broad concentration. Located just north of a group of 3 stars with the closer two (1' S and 1.5' S) collinear with the major axis of the galaxy and mag 9.25 HD 105253 2' SSW. ESO 321-7, located just 2.5' ESE, was not seen.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4112 = h3380 on 2 Mar 1835 and recorded "F; S; R; at the end (or forming the continuation of an arc of 3 stars respectively, in order 8, 9 and 10m."

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NGC 4113 = NGC 4122 = MCG +06-27-011 = CGCG 187-009 = PGC 38451

12 07 08.5 +32 59 46

See observing notes for NGC 4122.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4113 = h1089 on 3 Apr 1831 and simply noted as "eF". There is nothing at his position but Harold Corwin found that exactly one degree north is NGC 4122, which JH found earlier on 29 Apr 1827, but also with a poor position! So, likely NGC 4113 = NGC 4122.

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NGC 4114 = MCG -02-31-018 = PGC 38460

12 07 12.3 -14 11 08

V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 135d

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a small, prominent core which increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus. The low surface brightness halo requires averted to view.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4114 = H III-533 = h3381 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "vF, S, iF. Time uncertain to 5 or 6 seconds." JH noted "F; S; R: gbM; 15"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4115

12 07 09.6 +14 24 24

=*?, Gottlieb. Not found, RNGC.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4115 = h1090 on 3 Apr 1826 and simply noted "a suspected neb. Extremely faint." There are no galaxies near his position, though a mag 14.8 star is 30" away. So, either this number is lost or perhaps refers to this faint star. See Harold Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4116 = UGC 7111 = MCG +01-31-022 = CGCG 041-041 = PGC 38492

12 07 37.2 +02 41 29

V = 12.0; Size 3.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 155d

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated NNW-SSE. Appears brighter along the major axis. NGC 4123 lies 14.1' NE.

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4116 on 6 Mar 1851 using LdR's 72" and noted "another also E and vF, about 18' south-preceding [NGC 4123]." The actual separation is 14', but the identification NGC 4116 = UGC 7111 is certain. On 18 Apr 1855, NGC 4116 was sketched "U" shaped (open at one end) with the comment "a wedge-shaped division running downwards?" Christian Peters measured an accurate position and noted "RA and NPD in the GC [JH's estimated position] not good."

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NGC 4117 = UGC 7112 = MCG +07-25-027 = CGCG 215-029 = Holm 334a = LGG 269-018 = PGC 38503

12 07 46.1 +43 07 35

V = 13.0; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 18d

24" (5/30/16): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 0.9'x0.3', well concentrated with a small bright elongated core with faint extensions. Forms a pair with NGC 4118 1.8' SE. NGC 4111, the brightest member in a group, lies 8.6' SW and orange mag 8.1 HD 105288 (wide pair) is 5' WSW.

17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Forms a close pair with faint NGC 4118 1.6' SE and NGC 4111 lies 8.5' WSW. The double star h2596 = 8.2/10.7 at 34" is 5' WSW.

13" (4/12/86): fairly faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, broadly concentrated. Located on the opposite side of a mag 8 star from NGC 4111.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4117 = H III-708 = h1091 on 6 Feb 1788 (sweep 810) and logged vF, vS. The foregoing nebula [NGC 4111], 2 stars [HJ 2598] and this are in a line from sp to nf."

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NGC 4118 = MCG +07-25-028 = CGCG 215-030 = Holm 334b = PGC 38507

12 07 52.8 +43 06 41

V = 14.6; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; very faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, ~14"x10". Located just 1.5' SE of NGC 4117. Member of the NGC 4111 group.

17.5": extremely faint, very small, requires averted to glimpse. Forms a close pair with much brighter NGC 4117 1.6' NW.

13": not seen.

R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 4118 on 20 Apr 1857 using LdR's 72". He noted "about 60" or 70" sff [of NGC 4117] is an eF nebulous knot which I at first took for a star." The 1880 publication includes a sketch and this object is labeled "delta". Dreyer credited Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, with the discovery.

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NGC 4119 = NGC 4124 = IC 3011 = UGC 7117 = MCG +02-31-036 = CGCG 069-058 = PGC 38527

12 08 09.7 +10 22 43

See observing notes for NGC 4124

William Herschel discovered NGC 4119 = H II-14 on 18 Jan 1784 (only object in short sweep 85) and recorded "a nebula of a longish figure, not cometic; probably it consists of stars." There is nothing at his position (using 59 Vir as the reference star) and the galaxy could not be recovered by Bigourdan, Reinmuth or Frost (Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1).

According to Harold Corwin, NGC 4119 is likely another observation of NGC 4124 as originally suggested by Dreyer in his 1912 revision of Herschel's catalogues: "WH's final position is just 50 arcmin south of NGC 4124, and there are no other bright galaxies nearby that he might have picked up."

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NGC 4120 = UGC 7121 = MCG +12-12-001 = CGCG 335-004 = LGG 272-002 = PGC 38553

12 08 31.4 +69 32 35

V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 166d

17.5" (3/29/89): very faint, thin, very elongated NNW-SSE. A mag 15 star is at the south end 0.5' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4120 = H III-904 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "eF, vS, E from north to south." CH's reduced position is 33 sec of RA west and 2.5' north of UGC 7121.

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NGC 4121 = MCG +11-15-026 = CGCG 315-018 = Holm 335b = PGC 38508

12 07 56.5 +65 06 50

V = 13.5; Size 0.5'x0.45'

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint but very small, round, stellar nucleus surrounded by a small round halo. Forms a pair with bright galaxy NGC 4125 3.6' NE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4121 on 9 Sep 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 3 nights, matches CGCG 315-018 = PGC 38508.

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NGC 4122 = NGC 4113 = MCG +06-27-011 = CGCG 187-009 = PGC 38451

12 07 08.5 +32 59 46

V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 55d

17.5" (2/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located at the NW edge of Coma Berenices border. IC 3003 lies 12' SSE (not noticed).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4122 = h1093 on 29 Apr 1827 and recorded "eF; vS; R; mbM." There is nothing near his position, though 1.1 min of RA west is CGCG 187-009 = PGC 38451. JH found the galaxy again on 3 Apr 1831, but his position on this sweep was 1 degree too far south! See Harold Corwin's identification notes for NGC 4113.

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NGC 4123 = UGC 7116 = MCG +01-31-023 = CGCG 041-042 = Mrk 1466 = PGC 38531

12 08 11.2 +02 52 41

V = 11.4; Size 4.4'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 135d

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 3'x2', small bright core. NGC 4116 lies 14.1' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4123 = H V-4 = h1092 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "vF, of a considerable extent, being about 5 or 6' diameter. To the north of the nebula at a distance of about 15' or more is a bright triangle of stars, the base where of is towards the nebula." His position and description matches UGC 7116 = PGC 38531.

R.J. Mitchell, observing on 29 Mar 1856 at Birr Castle, noted "the n one [NGC 4123] is however a spiral like an "S", the arms being faint."

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NGC 4124 = NGC 4119: = UGC 7117 = MCG +02-31-036 = CGCG 069-058 = IC 3011 = PGC 38527

12 08 09.7 +10 22 43

V = 11.3; Size 4.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 114d

17.5" (5/14/88): bright, fairly large, elongated WNW-ESE, bright elongated core.

17.5" (5/10/86): fairly bright, moderately large, attractive system, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, elongated large bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4124 = H I-33 = H II-60 = h1094 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged II-60 as "F, S, r." CH's reduced position is 2' northeast of UGC 7117. He logged it again as I-33 exactly a month later as "B, L, mE, mbM, r." A note was added "by description not the same as [II-60]. Nevertheless, JH combined both (correctly) H-designations in the GC.

William Herschel probably first discovered this galaxy on 18 Jan 1784 and listed as II-14 = NGC 4119. See notes on this number. Finally Schwassmann's Sn. 124 = IC 3011, found on a Heidelberg plate on 23 Feb 1900 is an exact match. So, NGC 3124 = NGC 4119 = IC 3011.

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NGC 4125 = UGC 7118 = MCG +11-15-027 = CGCG 315-019 = Holm 335a = PGC 38524

12 08 05.7 +65 10 24

V = 9.7; Size 5.8'x3.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 95d

17.5" (3/20/93): bright, moderately large, very elongated almost 4:1 E-W, 2.5'x0.7'. A very bright elongated core and nearly stellar nucleus dominates the galaxy with much fainter extensions but overall the surface brightness is high. A mag 10 star is 2.4' ESE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4121 3.6' SW.

John Russell Hind discovered NGC 4125 = Au 28 on 5 Jan 1850 with a 7-inch Dolland refractor at George Bishop's private observatory in London and noted "tolerably bright, but small." This was the second deep sky object he discovered after NGC 6760. In the next issue of Astronomische Nachrichten he adds "of an elliptical form with a strong nuclear condensation." Hind's Crimson star is mentioned in the same note! Auwer listed this galaxy as #28 in his 1862 list of new nebulae.

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NGC 4126 = UGC 7123 = MCG +03-31-047 = CGCG 098-065 = PGC 38565

12 08 37.4 +16 08 34

V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d

17.5" (5/11/02): faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.6'x0.5', weak even concentration to a faint, stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star lies 2' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4126 = H III-68 = h1095 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "Two vS stars very near each other with suspected nebulosity between them. 240x left it doubtful." CH's reduced position is 23 sec of RA east of UGC 7123, though interestingly there are two nearby stars that could possibly be WH's object. Nevertheless, JH's position is within 30" of UGC 7123.

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NGC 4127 = UGC 7122 = MCG +13-09-012 = CGCG 352-019 = PGC 38550

12 08 26.3 +76 48 15

V = 12.7; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 140d

17.5" (5/2/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, broad mild concentration. A mag 14.5 star is at the east end and second mag 14 star is close east. Forms the east vertex of an isosceles triangle with mag 5.8 SAO 7500 13' NW and mag 7.4 SAO 7497 13' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4127 = H I-279 = h1096 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted "pB, cL, irr E, bM." His RA is either 45 sec too large, or perhaps he reversed the polar distance of this object and NGC 4133 as the RA order is reversed. In any case, JH measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4128 = UGC 7120 = MCG +12-12-002A = CGCG 335-003 = Holm 337a = LGG 272-003 = PGC 38555

12 08 32.4 +68 46 04

V = 12.0; Size 2.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 58d

17.5" (3/20/93): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 WSW-ENE, 1.5'x0.4'. Contains a very bright core and almost stellar nucleus that dominates the much fainter extensions.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4128 = H I-263 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and noted "cB, lE." CH's reduced position is 2' north of UGC 7120. CGCG does not label its 335-008 as NGC 4128.

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NGC 4129 = NGC 4130 = MCG -01-31-006 = PGC 38580

12 08 53.3 -09 02 12

V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 95d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, weakly concentrated. A mag 13 star is 3.0' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4129 = H II-548 = h1097 = h3382 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and recorded "F, pL, mE from np to sf, not far from the parallel." JH made two observations at Slough and once at the Cape of Good Hope. On sweep 136 he noted "F; vgbM; E in parallel; 30" l, 20" br."

NGC 4130, found by Heinrich d'Arrest, is a duplicate observation with an erroneous position. See that number.

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NGC 4130 = NGC 4129 = MCG -01-31-006 = PGC 38580

12 08 53.3 -09 02 12

See observing notes for NGC 4129.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4130 on 15 Mar 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His description mentions a mag 13 star precedes by 21.7 seconds of time, but there is nothing at his position. Harold Corwin found his description fits NGC 4129, which is located exactly 5° south of d'Arrest's position, and a mag 13 star is exactly 21 sec of time west! So, NGC 4130 = NGC 4129.

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NGC 4131 = UGC 7126 = MCG +05-29-019 = CGCG 158-029 = Holm 339c = WBL 382-001 = PGC 38573

12 08 47.3 +29 18 17

V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 73d

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, small, fairly high surface brightness, elongated 2:1 ~E-W, small prominent core, stellar nucleus. Located 4.0' NE of a mag 10.5 star. First of three on a line and second brightest with NGC 4132 4.5' SE and NGC 4134 9' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4131 = H III-356 = h1098, along with NGC 4132 and 4134 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure. The other two are vF, S, mE."

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NGC 4132 = MCG +05-29-020 = CGCG 158-030 = Holm 339a = WBL 382-002 = PGC 38593

12 09 01.4 +29 15 01

V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 20d

17.5" (3/20/93): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, small brighter core. Second and faintest of three with NGC 4134 4.5' SSE and NGC 4131 4' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4132 = H III-357 = h1099, along with NGC 4131 and 4134, on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure. The other two [NGC 4131 and NGC 4132] are vF, S, mE." JH made three observations and his mean position is a good match with this galaxy.

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NGC 4133 = UGC 7127 = MCG +13-09-013 = CGCG 352-020 = PGC 38578

12 08 49.9 +74 54 15

V = 12.3; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 125d

17.5" (5/2/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, irregular surface brightness with one or two bright knots possibly including a substellar nucleus. Forms the vertex of a right angle with a mag 12 star 2.5' N and a mag 13 star 2.2' E of center. Located 18' NNW of mag 6.4 SAO 7512.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4133 = H I-278 = h1100 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted "cB, cL, iR, mbM." His position matches UGC 7127, though Dreyer thought that WH exchanged the PD with this object and NGC 4127. JH called it "F; R; gbM. Strong twilight" and measured an accurate position. On a later sweep he logged "pB; R; gbM."

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NGC 4134 = UGC 7130 = MCG +05-29-023 = CGCG 158-031 = Holm 339b = WBL 382-003 = PGC 38605

12 09 10.0 +29 10 37

V = 12.8; Size 2.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 150d

17.5" (3/20/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, broad concentration, NGC 4132 5' NNW. Brightest and third of three spiral galaxies almost collinear in a NW-SE direction!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4134 = H II-371 = h1101, along with NGC 4131 and 4132, on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded the trio as "Three, the time and number belongs to the largest [NGC 4134] which is F, irregular. I suspect a fourth, but could not stay to ascertain it, though I am pretty sure. The other two [NGC 4131 and NGC 4132] are vF, S, mE." JH made three observations and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4135 = MCG +07-25-032 = CGCG 215-034 = PGC 38601

12 09 08.9 +44 00 12

V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d

17.5": very faint, small, elongated WSW-ENE, weak concentration. Brighter of a pair with NGC 4137 5.5' NNE.

Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 4135 = St XI-16, along with NGC 4137, on 4 May 1881. His position is accurate.

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NGC 4136 = UGC 7134 = MCG +05-29-025 = CGCG 158-034 = PGC 38618

12 09 17.7 +29 55 39

V = 11.0; Size 4.0'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.8

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, round, brighter core, stellar nucleus. NGC 4131/NGC 4132 pair lies 38' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4136 = H II-321 = h1108 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "pB, L, gbM." His position matches UGC 7134. JH called it "vF; vL; 5 or 6' diam."

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NGC 4137 = UGC 7135 = VV 454 = MCG +07-25-033 = CGCG 215-036 = PGC 38619

12 09 17.6 +44 05 26

V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 100d

17.5": very faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, even surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4135 5.5' SSW.

Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 4137 = St XI-17, along with NGC 4135, on 4 May 1881. His position is accurate.

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NGC 4138 = UGC 7139 = MCG +07-25-035 = CGCG 215-037 = PGC 38643

12 09 29.9 +43 41 07

V = 11.3; Size 2.6'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, rises quickly to a small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2.0' NNW of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4138 = H I-196 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded "cB, cL, vgbM, iF."

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NGC 4139 = IC 2989 = MCG +00-31-030 = CGCG 013-061 = WBL 372-013 = PGC 38213

12 04 34.0 +01 48 05

V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 30d

17.5" (5/10/86): faint, very small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4077 just 1.3' NW in a group. Located 6.0' SSE of NGC 4073. Listed as "not found" in RNGC and identified as IC 2989 in UGC, MCG and CGCG as d'Arrest's RA is 5 minutes too large.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4139 = IC 2989 = PGC 38213, along with NGC 4140, on 10 Apr 1863. He described a double nebula, with the companion preceding by 4-5 seconds of time and somewhat north. There is nothing at his position but Corwin found he made a 5 minute error in RA. See NGC 4140 for the story.

David Todd independently found this galaxy on 6 Jan 1878 during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and reported it as objects #16b and #14b. Finally Guilllaume Bigourdan found this galaxy a third time on 29 Mar 1895, placed it correctly and Big. 287 became IC 2989. Both Dorothy Carlson and the RNGC misclassify NGC 4139 as nonexistent. CGCG labels this galaxy as IC 2989, though RC3 gives NGC 4139 as an identity.

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NGC 4140 = NGC 4077 = UGC 7063 = MCG +00-31-031 = CGCG 013-063 = PGC 38218

12 04 38.0 +01 47 16

See observing notes for NGC 4077

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4140 on 10 Apr 1863, along with NGC 4139, which was mentioned as 5 seconds of time preceding and somewhat north. There is nothing near his usually accurate ring-micrometer position. But Harold Corwin notes that exactly 5 minutes of RA west of d'Arrest's position is the pair NGC 4077 and IC 2989, matching his description. So, NGC 4140 = NGC 4077 and NGC 4139 = IC 2989. Dorothy Carlson classifies NGC 4140 as nonexistent in her NGC corrections list and this is repeated in the RNGC. Listed in my RNGC Corrections #6.

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NGC 4141 = UGC 7147 = MCG +10-17-152 = CGCG 292-074 = PGC 38669

12 09 47.3 +58 50 57

V = 14.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; PA = 75d

17.5" (5/13/88): very faint, small, round, even surface brightness. Two mag 15 stars are 1' W and 1' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4141 = H III-795 = h1102 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "vF, S, r, iF." His RA is 20 tsec too small. JH made a single observation, logging "F; pL; lE; gbM; 40"." and his RA is 15 sec too small.

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NGC 4142 = UGC 7140 = MCG +09-20-102 = CGCG 269-037 = LGG 258-037 = PGC 38645

12 09 30.2 +53 06 18

V = 13.3; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 175d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.6', weak concentration. Nearly collinear with a wide pair of mag 11/13 stars ~4' SW. NGC 4181 is located 32' SE.

17.5" (5/13/88): faint, moderately large, diffuse, weak concentration, oval ~N-S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4142 = H III-814 = h1103 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and logged "vF, S, easily resolvable." His position is accurate. JH made a single observation, noting ""vF; irreg fig; vglbM; twilight."

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NGC 4143 = UGC 7142 = MCG +07-25-036 = CGCG 215-039 = PGC 38654

12 09 36.1 +42 32 03

V = 10.7; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 144d

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, very bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 5.0' NE of mag 7.6 SAO 44055.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4143 = H IV-54 = h1104 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and noted "cB, Nucleus with faint chevelure (halo)." His position is just off the east side of this galaxy. JH logged "R; sbM to nucleus."

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NGC 4144 = UGC 7151 = MCG +08-22-077 = CGCG 243-048 = PGC 38688

12 09 58.5 +46 27 28

V = 11.6; Size 6.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 104d

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly bright, very large, edge-on 5:1 WNW-ESE, 5'x1', bright core. Double star mag 13.5/13.5 at 8" separation is off the SE end 2.3' from center. Located between two mag 9 stars 8' N (double) and SAO 44057 7.7' SW. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud) or possibly the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

8": faint, edge-on WNW-ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4144 = H II-747 = h1107 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded "pB, E, about 3' long, from np to sf about 15 or 20°." JH made two observation, logging on sweep 255 "F; vmE in pos 109° by meaure; vgvbM; 4' long, 30 or 40" br."

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NGC 4145 = UGC 7154 = MCG +07-25-040 = CGCG 215-042 = Holm 342a = PGC 38693

12 10 01.6 +39 52 58

V = 11.3; Size 5.9'x4.3'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 100d

24" (5/30/16): at 200x; fairly bright, very large, roughly oval 4:3 ~E-W, 4'x3', contains a large brighter core and a noticeably patchy or irregular halo with a strong impression of spiral structure. Two arms were fairly confident; one extending east of the core on its south side and another extending west of the core on its north side. Otherwise, it seemed like slightly brighter HII patches in the low surface brightness halo were just resolving in the outer halo. Located 9' due west of mag 6.8 HD 105824.

NGC 4145A = UGC 7175 lies 12' SE. It appeared faint to fairly faint, fairly small as often only the 20" slightly elongated core was visible. Sometimes very low surface brightness extensions E-W were seen, increasing the size to ~35"x20", but the full extension of the arms were not detected.

13.1" (3/17/86): fairly faint, fairly large, very diffuse, weak broad concentration, slightly elongated E-W. Located 9' W of mag 6.9 SAO 44055, a distraction for the low surface brightness galaxy. NGC 4151 lies 30' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4145 = H I-169 = h1105 on 18 Mar 1787 (sweep 717) and noted "cB, cL." His position is within the halo on the northwest side. JH called it "pB; vL; dilute; vglbM."

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NGC 4146 = UGC 7163 = MCG +05-29-028 = CGCG 158-036 = PGC 38721

12 10 18.3 +26 25 51

V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (5/4/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Weak concentration in halo but direct vision revealed a very small brighter core of ~10" (this is a Seyfert galaxy). Located 22' ESE of mag 7.1 SAO 82152.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4146 = H III-327 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "vF, pS." CH's reduction is 13 sec of time preceding UGC 7163. There were no observations made by JH or at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4147 = NGC 4153?

12 10 06.2 +18 32 32

V = 10.4; Size 4.4'; Surf Br = 0.1

48" (4/22/17): NGC 4147, a class IX globular, was well resolved and impressive at 488x. It appeared very bright, fairly large, large bright core. Over 100 stars were resolved including a number of relatively bright 14.5-15.5 stars. The stellar density increases significantly towards the center where a large number of resolved stars are packed over a hazy, mottled background. The loose halo was well resolved and a bit scraggly around the edges, which extended to ~5' diameter. The superthin galaxy UGC 7170 lies 18' NNE.

17.5" (4/13/96): moderately bright, fairly small, irregular 2'-2.5' diameter, very small bright core. A few faint stars are resolved at 220x including one brighter star at the south edge. Appears on the verge of more extensive resolution. At 280x, the halo clearly has an irregular outline and several stars are resolved in extensions or star lanes. The core is mottled and intense but not resolved.

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 2.5' diameter. Approximately six faint stars are just resolved around the edges of the halo including a single easy mag 14 star at the SSW edge. The compact core is mottled and clumpy but has no clean resolution. There is an impression of several star lanes in the halo just below the limit of resolution.

A 2010 journal article on the capture of globular clusters, mentions NGC 4147 may be associated with SagDEG (in addition to Terzan 7, Terzan 8, Arp 2 and Pal 12).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4147 = H I-19 = h1106 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded "a very brilliant nebula. Not cometic. Brightest in the middle but the brightness extends a good way towards the extremes; pS." His position is 20 sec of time too large. The NGC position is accurate (Engelhardt measured a micrometric position).

WH probably discovered this globular a month earlier on 15 Feb 1784 (sweep 146) and recorded it as I-11 = NGC 4153, but his position was poor (not unusual in his early sweeps). See that number and Harold Corwin's NGC identification notes.

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NGC 4148 = UGC 7158 = MCG +06-27-018 = CGCG 187-016 = PGC 38704

12 10 08.0 +35 52 39

V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 165d

17.5": faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, small bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is 1.4' SE and a mag 12 star 4' W.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4148 on 7 Feb 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured twice, matches UGC 7158 and he accurately places a mag 12 star at 3.8 seconds of time following (and 1.3' south).

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NGC 4149 = NGC 4154 = UGC 7167 = MCG +10-17-155 = CGCG 292-076 = PGC 38741

12 10 32.9 +58 18 14

V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 87d

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, small, thin edge-on WNW-ESE, weak concentration. This is a pretty system.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4149 = H II-802 = h1109 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "F, S, E." His position is 3' northwest of UGC 7167 = PGC 38741. He swept it up a second time on 18 Mar 1790 (sweep 951), but thought it was new and recorded it as III-845 and later as NGC 4154 (see notes). So, NGC 4149 = NGC 4154. JH made a single observation (no description) and his position was 9 tsec west and 1' south of UGC 7167.

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NGC 4150 = UGC 7165 = MCG +05-29-029 = CGCG 158-037 = PGC 38742

12 10 33.7 +30 24 06

V = 11.6; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 147d

17.5" (4/15/93): fairly bright, moderately large, small very bright core, stellar nucleus, faint halo extends NW-SE to 2.0'x1.3'. Located 6' E of mag 9 SAO 62870.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4150 = H I-73 = h1110 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "vB, S." His position is close off the southwest side of UGC 7165. JH made the single observation "B; R: pgmbM; 25"; a * 8m 5' preceding."

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NGC 4151 = UGC 7166 = MCG +07-25-044 = CGCG 215-045 = Holm 345a = WBL 383-001 = PGC 38739

12 10 31.4 +39 23 19

V = 10.8; Size 6.3'x4.5'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 50d

13.1" (3/17/86): very bright, very small or stellar nucleus, fainter halo. A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' N and a closer mag 13 star is 1.3' N of center. Forms a optical pair with NGC 4156 5.1' NE (the companion is in the background). NGC 4145 lies 29' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4151 = H I-165 = h1111, along with NGC 4156, on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and recorded "vB, A bright nucleus, but the nucleus not in the middle, or perhaps two joined together, the northern on having the nucleus." CH's reduction is on the northwest side of the halo.

On 26 April 1851 at Birr Castle, Bindon Stoney logged "Has a B, R centre with nucleus, then two dark spaces concentric with the nucleus and outside these faint nebulosity as in figure." Two night laters he noted "Previous observation rather confirmed. The dark spaces certainly exist, but I cannot be sure that appendages are not parts of spiral branches." The following year he wrote "Last year's observation confirmed as to dark curved spaces preceding and following centre and faint nebulosity outside them again." A sketch was included in the 1861 publication (Plate XXVII, Fig. 20).

NGC 4151 is one of the 6 galaxies studied by Seyfert in his seminal 1943 paper "Nuclear Emission in Spiral Nebulae".

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NGC 4152 = UGC 7169 = MCG +03-31-052 = CGCG 098-077 = Mrk 759 = PGC 38749

12 10 37.5 +16 01 59

V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 115d

17.5" (4/25/98): moderately bright, round, ~1' diameter, moderately concentrated with a brighter core ~20" in diameter. Halo increases to nearly 1.5' diameter with averted vision. Transparency poor due to smoke.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4152 = H II-83 = h1112 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "F, pL, r." JH and d'Arrest both observed and measured this galaxy four times.

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NGC 4153 = NGC 4147?

12 10 06.2 +18 32 32

See observing notes for NGC 4147. Identification uncertain.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4153 = H I-11 on 15 Feb 1784 (sweep 146) and recorded "a B nebula, not very large, however of some extent, it not R; the greatest brightness lies towards the middle but is not circular. The whitishness of this nebula is of the milky kind of the unresolveable nebula such as that of [M42]." There is nothing near his position (during an early sweep when his positions were much more prone to error) but 14' northwest is the globular cluster NGC 4147, which he recored just a month later (14 Mar 1784).

Harold Corwin notes that Walter Scott Houston may have suggested in one his Deep Sky Wonders columns that NGC 4133 might have been a comet, although offered no proof. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4154 = NGC 4149 = UGC 7167 = MCG +10-17-155 = CGCG 292-076 = PGC 38741

12 10 32.9 +58 18 14

See observing notes for NGC 4149.

William Herschel rediscovered NGC 4154 = H III-845 on 18 Mar 1790 (sweep 951) and recorded "vF, S, E in the parallel." His offset from Delta UMa and description (elongated E-W) points to within 1' of UGC 7167. He first discovered this galaxy on 17 Apr 1789 and recorded it as II-802 (and later became NGC 4149), but his position was 3' too far northwest. So, NGC 4154 = NGC 4149.

Interestingly, Bigourdan was not able to recover this galaxy and using Heidelberg plates, Reinmuth apparently was confused and noted "*12?; no neb seen; BD +59 1426 nff 3.7'." Because of Reinmuth's description, Dorothy Carlson identifies NGC 4154 as a star in her 1940 NGC correction list and RNGC classifies NGC 4154 nonexistent. NGC 4154 is not equated with NGC 4149 in any major catalogue. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4155 = UGC 7172 = MCG +03-31-058 = CGCG 098-082 = PGC 38761

12 10 45.7 +19 02 27

V = 13.3; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 81d

17.5" (5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, moderate concentration to a small bright core. Two mag 10 stars are 9'-10' SW near the edge of the 20' field. Located 31' NNE of gc NGC 4147.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4155 = Sw I-21 on 6 Apr 1885. Although his description "vvF, vS" is not very helpful, his position is just 6 sec of RA east and 1' south of UGC 7172.

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NGC 4156 = "The Eye of Sauron" = UGC 7173 = MCG +07-25-045 = CGCG 215-047 = Holm 345b = WBL 383-003 = PGC 38773

12 10 49.5 +39 28 22

V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5

13.1" (3/17/86): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, possible faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 4151 5.1' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4156 = H II-642 = h1113, along with NGC 4151, on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "pB, S." JH logged "vF; lE; vgbM."

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NGC 4157 = UGC 7183 = MCG +09-20-106 = CGCG 269-038 = FGC 1380 = PGC 38795

12 11 04.9 +50 29 07

V = 11.3; Size 6.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 66d

17.5" (5/2/92): bright, moderately large, edge-on 7:1 WSW-ENE, 5.0'x0.7', elongated bright core, extensions taper at ends. Located 4.3' SE of mag 8.0 SAO 28277. Two mag 10/10.5 stars oriented N-S are 3.8' SW and 5.1' SW and a mag 11 star lies 4.9' NE. This is a striking galaxy with several bright stars near adding to the view.

8" (3/28/81): faint, very elongated WSW-ENE, bright core. A mag 8 star is close NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4157 = H I-208 = h1114 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded "F, mE from sp to nf, nearer the parallel, about 3' l and 3/4' broad." JH made the single observation "B; vmE; vglbM; 4' long." and d'Arrest measured the position twice.

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NGC 4158 = UGC 7182 = MCG +03-31-060 = CGCG 098-084 = PGC 38802

12 11 10.2 +20 10 32

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (5/14/88): moderately bright, fairly small, broad concentration, slightly elongated ~E-W. A mag 11 star is 1.7' SE of center. Located 25' SW of 5 Comae Berenices (V = 5.6).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4158 = H II-405 = h1115 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted "F, S, lE. Preceding a pB star." His position is 2' south of UGC 7182. JH noted "vF; has a * nf.", but the star is southeast.

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NGC 4159 = UGC 7174 = MCG +13-09-015 = CGCG 352-022 = PGC 38777

12 10 53.6 +76 07 34

V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d

17.5" (5/2/92): faint, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, low almost even surface brightness. Two mag 13 stars are 1.4' ESE and 1.0' NE of center. The galaxy is elongated in the direction of the star to the NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4159 = H III-941 = h1116 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and recorded "vF, pS. It has two stars nf making a triangle with it." CH's reduced position is 1.7' southeast of UGC 7174 and the description is accurate. JH called it "eF; R; makes equilateral triangle with 2 stars."

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NGC 4160

12 11 36 +43 45

=Not found, RNGC.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4160 = Big 51 on 27 May 1886 and described "a star 13.3m accompanied by a little nebulosty." There is nothing at his position (roughly midway between NGC 4138 and NGC 4183) and no modern catalogues carries this NGC number. Harold Corwin was not able to recover this object. See his identification notes.

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NGC 4161 = UGC 7191 = MCG +10-18-002 = CGCG 292-078 = PGC 38834

12 11 33.3 +57 44 14

V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 50d

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, elongated SW-NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4161 = H II-803 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "F, S." His re-reduced position with respect to Delta UMa on 18 Mar 1790 (sweep 951) matches UGC 7191.

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NGC 4162 = UGC 7193 = MCG +04-29-046 = CGCG 128-051 = PGC 38851

12 11 52.5 +24 07 25

V = 12.2; Size 2.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 174d

17.5" (5/11/02): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, ~2'x1.3'. Weak concentration except for a faint but distinct stellar nucleus (this is probably a superimposed star). Located nearly midway between a mag 10.5 star 2.6' SW and a mag 12 star 2.2' NE. A mag 14.5 star is 1' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4162 = H II-353 = h1117 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and recorded "pB, cL, bM, irr." His position matches UGC 7193. JH noted "B; L; E; bM; 60"."

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NGC 4163 = NGC 4167 = UGC 7199 = MCG +06-27-026 = CGCG 187-020 = PGC 38881

12 12 09.1 +36 10 09

V = 14.0; Size 1.8'x1.6'; Surf Br = 15.1

17.5": faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, very diffuse, weak concentration, low surface brightness. Located between mag 8.7 SAO 62893 7.0' NE and a double star ∑1607 = 9.3/9.8 at 27" oriented N-S located 9' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4163 = H III-399 on 28 Apr 1785 (sweep 404) and noted "vF, pL, R, r." His position is 10 sec of RA west of UGC 7199. He observed this galaxy again the next sweep (1 May) and added "lE; er." NGC 4167, found by JH, is a duplicate observation. See that number.

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NGC 4164 = CGCG 069-076 = PGC 38877

12 12 05.4 +13 12 20

V = 14.7; Size 0.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.9

17.5" (1/23/88): extremely faint, very small, round, only visible with averted vision. Faintest in a trio and located 3' SSW of NGC 4165 and 2.9' W of NGC 4168.

Willhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4164 = T I-37 (as well as paper V) and placed it 2.5' south of d'Arrest's "nova" [NGC 4165]. He commented "but it is strange that he has not seen the second companion", though I'm not surprised as this galaxy is quite faint. Interesting, the LdR observation of NGC 4168 on 17 Feb 1855 reads "vB, R, bM, 2 stars preceding." One of the "stars" preceding must be NGC 4164, but it was seen as stellar.

This galaxy is mentioned in the UGC notes for NGC 4168, but not identified as NGC 4164.

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NGC 4165 = IC 3035 = UGC 7201 = MCG +02-31-045 = CGCG 069-078 = WBL 386-002 = PGC 38885

12 12 11.8 +13 14 47

V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 160d

17.5" (1/23/88): very faint, fairly small, round, slightly elongated, diffuse. Located 2.6' NW of NGC 4168 in a trio with NGC 4164.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4165 on 8 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is 1.4' too far southwest, unusually poor for his micrometric positions. He mentions that LdR (or assistant) missed this nebula when he observed NGC 4168 in 1855.

Arnold Schwassmann found this galaxy again on 16 Nov 1900 on a plate taken by Wolf with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. He measured an accurate position and reported Sn. 222 (later IC 3035) as new. So, NGC 4165 = IC 3035. CGCG misidentifies an extremely faint companion at the northwest side as IC 3035.

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NGC 4166 = UGC 7198 = MCG +03-31-068 = CGCG 098-096 = PGC 38882

12 12 09.6 +17 45 26

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 20d

17.5" (5/11/02): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, moderate concentration to a very small brighter core. Very symmetrical appearance.

Willhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4166 = T IX-10 on 15 Mar 1885 with the 11-inch refractor at Arcetri while searching for the periodic Comet 1867 II. Tempel's position is just 1' S of UGC 7198.

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NGC 4167 = NGC 4163 = UGC 7199 = MCG +06-27-026 = CGCG 187-020 = PGC 38881

12 12 09.1 +36 10 09

See observing notes for NGC 4163

John Herschel discovered NGC 4167 = h1118 on 11 Mar 1831 and recorded "F; pL; R; vgbM; a double star south-preceding dist 10'. The MS observation makes the polar distance decidedly 33'; but should it be a mistake for 52', this nebula would be identical to [NGC 4163]." There is nothing at his position, but 30' south is NGC 4163, as he suspected, and 8.5' southwest of this galaxy is a double star. So, NGC 4167 = NGC 4163. Reinmuth writes "no pL neb with ** sp 10' found; NGC 4167 = NGC 4163? and Dorothy Carlson repeated this equivalence in her 1940 monograph on NGC corrections.

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NGC 4168 = UGC 7203 = MCG +02-31-046 = CGCG 069-081 = PGC 38890

12 12 17.2 +13 12 18

V = 11.2; Size 2.8'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (1/23/88): brightest of a trio with NGC 4164 2.9' W and NGC 4165 2.6' NW. Fairly bright, moderately large, bright core, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4168 = H II-105 = h1119 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "pS but pB, roundish, resolvable, containing some stars visible." CH's reduction is 4.7' southeast of UGC 7203. JH called this galaxy "B; R; psbM; irreg fig; r" and measured an accurate position. Both Herschels missed nearby NGC 4165, which was discovered by d'Arrest.

In the IC 2 Notes section, Dreyer mentioned "not found by Frost on plates of 4 hr exposure", although this is a bright galaxy and the NGC position is accurate.

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NGC 4169 = HCG 61A = KTG 42A = UGC 7202 = MCG +05-29-032 = CGCG 158-041 = The Box = Rose 10 = PGC 38892

12 12 18.8 +29 10 46

V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 153d

48" (4/20/17): extremely bright, moderately large, very elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 1.5'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a relatively large bright core that increases to an intensely bright nucleus.

24" (5/22/17): at 282x; bright, moderately large, oval 2:1 NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.6', highly concentrated with an intense, elongated core that increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus.

18" (6/17/06): brightest member of HCG 61 = "The Box". Appears moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.7'. Well concentrated with a 25" bright core that increases to the center.

13.1" (4/12/86): brightest in a small group of four galaxies = HCG 61. Moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, very small bright core. Forms the west vertex of a nearly perfect rectangle with NGC 4173 1.7' NNE, NGC 4174 2.5' SE and NGC 4175 2.9' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4169 = H III-358 = h1120, along with NGC 4173, 4174 and 4175, on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Four, the time and number belongs to the largest [NGC 4170], which is F and S. The other three are less and fainter; forming a small quartile, the largest being the most north of the preceding side; all within 3 arc minutes."

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NGC 4170

12 12 18 +29 12

= Not found, Thomson. =*?, Corwin.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4170 and 4171 on 10 May 1864, while observing the NGC 4169 quartet = HCG 61. Under his description for H. II-372 = NGC 4173, he noted "In addition, I think I see two other nearby nebulae; clearer skies would help." There was no position or offset given for these possible two nebulae and most likely he glimpsed a couple nearby eF stars. The galaxy identified as NGC 4170 in the RNGC is NGC 4173. Other sources apply the designations NGC 4170 = NGC 4171 to NGC 4173.

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NGC 4171

12 12 18 +29 11

= Not found and ≠ NGC 4173, Thomson.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4170 and 4171 on 10 May 1864, while observing the NGC 4169 quartet = HCG 61. He did not provide a position or offset, so it is impossible to assign these numbers to a nearby faint star with any confidence. See notes for NGC 4170.

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NGC 4172 = UGC 7205 = MCG +09-20-109 = CGCG 269-039 = CGCG 292-080 = PGC 38887

12 12 15.0 +56 10 38

V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4172 = H II-792 = h1123 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted "F, S, R, bM." His RA is 45 sec too small. JH recorded "pF; S; E; gbM; 15" l, 12" br." and measured an accurate position (in the NGC).

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NGC 4173 = HCG 61B = KTG 42B = Holm 346a = NGC 4171 = UGC 7204 = MCG +05-29-033 = CGCG 158-043 = FGC 1382 = The Box = Rose 10 = PGC 38897

12 12 21.4 +29 12 25

V = 13.0; Size 5.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 134d

48" (4/20/17): fairly faint to moderately bright, very large, edge-on 6:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x0.4', fairly low surface brightness with only a modest central brightening and no distinct core or nucleus.

24" (5/22/17): at 282x; fairly faint, very large, very elongated ~6:1 NW-SE with averted, 2.0'x0.35', low surface brightness. Only a broad weak concentration with no distinct core/nucleus.

18" (6/17/06): faint, fairly large, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, 1.5'x0.4'. Overall, low surface brightness with a very weak central brightening. Faintest of the HCG 61 quartet and apparently in the foreground as its recessional velocity is only 1/3 of the other three galaxies.

13.1" (4/12/86): very faint, very elongated NW-SE, low even surface brightness. Faintest in the NGC 4169 group = HCG 61 and located just 1.7' NNE of NGC 4169. Forms the north vertex of a rectangle with NGC 4174, and NGC 4175.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4173 = H II-372 = h1121 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See description under NGC 4169. The RNGC misidentifies this galaxy as NGC 4170, which is nonexistent (possibly a star).

Although NGC 4173 appears perfectly lined up with NGC 4175, it is apparently in the foreground with a redshift only 1/3 of the other three galaxies.

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NGC 4174 = HCG 61D = UGC 7206 = MCG +05-29-034 = CGCG 158-044 = Mrk 761 = The Box = Rose 10 = PGC 38906

12 12 26.9 +29 08 57

V = 13.3; Size 0.9'x0.35'; Surf Br = 11.7; PA = 50d

48" (4/20/17): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.3'. Sharply concentrated with a very small, very bright core that increases to an intensely bright stellar nucleus!

24" (5/22/17): at 282x; moderately bright, fairly small, oval 2:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.3'. Contains a very small and very bright core with a sharp stellar nucleus (brighter than the nucleus of NGC 4169).

18" (6/17/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a bright 15"-20" rounder core with the extentions much fainter. Smallest member of the striking HCG 61 quartet.

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly faint, prominent very small bright core. Slightly elongated halo is faint and small. This galaxy is the smallest in NGC 4169 group = HCG 61. Forms a small rectangle with NGC 4175 1.5' NE, NGC 4175 2.5' NW and NGC 4173 3.6' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4174 = H III-359 = h1122 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See notes under NGC 4169.

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NGC 4175 = HCG 61C = KTG 42C = Holm 346b = UGC 7211 = MCG +05-29-036 = CGCG 158-045 = The Box = Rose 10 = PGC 38912

12 12 31.0 +29 10 06

V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 130d

48" (4/20/17): fairly bright, fairly large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, ~1.5'x0.3', contains a large, brighter bulging core. The extensions taper at the ends giving a spindle appearance. This galaxy is parallel to NGC 4173 and perpendicular to NGC 4174 to the southwest.

24" (5/22/17): at 282x; moderately bright, fairly large, thin edge-on 5:1 NW-SE. 1.25'x0.25'. Contains a brighter elongated core but not strongly concentrated and no nucleus. NGC 4174, 1.5' SW, is orientated exactly perpendiculat to NGC 4175.

18" (6/17/06): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 NW-SE, 1.3'x0.25', broad weak concentration to a slightly brighter bulging core. Fades at the tips. Second of two edge-ons in HCG 61 = "The Box" with NGC 4173 3' NW.

13.1" (4/12/86): faint, edge-on NW-SE, bright core, similar in size to NGC 4173 but fainter. Last of four in the NGC 4169 group = HCG 61 with NGC 4169 2.9' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4175 = H III-360 = h1124 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396). See notes under NGC 4169.

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NGC 4176 = PGC 38928

12 12 36.8 -09 09 37

V = 14.8; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70d

18" (5/12/07): extremely faint, very small, round, 0.3' diameter, low even surface brightness. A small group of stars follows in the field. Located 12' SW of mag 8.7 HD 106225.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4176 = LM II-454 in 1886 and recorded "mag 16.0, 0.3' dia, R, slbMN, *10 follows 15 sec." His position matches PGC 38928. A mag 12 star is 12 sec following and is likely the one in his description.

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NGC 4177 = MCG -02-31-021 = PGC 38937

12 12 41.2 -14 00 52

V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 69d

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.7', broad concentration. With averted vision a very faint larger halo increases the size to perhaps 1.4'x1.0'.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4177 = H III-534 = h3383 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and logged "vF, pL, of unequal light." His position is 12 sec of time too far west. JH recorded "vF; pL; R; vgbM; 60"." and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4178 = IC 3042 = UGC 7215 = MCG +02-31-050 = CGCG 069-088 = PGC 38943

12 12 46.4 +10 51 57

V = 11.4; Size 5.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 30d

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly bright, large, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE. Gradually increases to a small bright core and faint stellar nucleus.

17.5" (5/10/86): very large but diffuse, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, very little central concentration but a brighter knot appears along the SW edge. Located 7.0' WNW of mag 7.6 SAO 99995.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4178 = h1125 on 11 Apr 1825 and recorded "vF; E nf to sp; 40"." On a later sweep he noted "vF; vL; E; a * 7m follows 7' +/- distance." His position matches UGC 7215 and the bright star follows by 7'

Arnold Schwassmann found it again on 6 Sep 1900 on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at Heidelberg. Neither he nor Dreyer noticed the equivalence in position with NGC 4178 and it was recatalogued as IC 3042.

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NGC 4179 = UGC 7214 = MCG +00-31-038 = CGCG 013-104 = Todd 15 = PGC 38950

12 12 52.1 +01 17 57

V = 11.0; Size 4.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 143d

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, fairly small, very distinctive edge-on system oriented NW-SE, very bright core, sharp light cut-off along the SW flank. A string of mag 11 stars trail off to the NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4179 = H I-9 = h1126 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 118) and recorded "F, vS, E." JH logged "pB; S; mE; a ray with a nucleus pos 45° np to sf." The NGC position (from JH) matches UGC 7215.

David Todd found this galaxy on 5 Jan 1878 during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet and recorded it as object 15 in his list of suspected objects.

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NGC 4180 = UGC 7219 = MCG +01-31-025 = CGCG 041-048 = PGC 38964

12 13 03.0 +07 02 20

V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 22d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, pretty edge-on SSW-NNE, small bright nuclear bulge, stellar nucleus. NGC 4191 lies 15' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4180 = H II-133 = h1127 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "not vF, S, E, r." His position matches UGC 7219. NGC 4182 may be a duplicate observation (see Harold Corwin's identification notes).

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NGC 4181 = MCG +09-20-111 = CGCG 269-041 = PGC 38938

12 12 48.9 +52 54 11

V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 11 star lies 1.5' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4181 = H III-777 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted "eF, S, stellar neb." His re-reduced position is 1' south of MCG +09-20-111 = CGCG 269-041, so this identification is certain. The RNGC data is confusing. Based on the comment "companion 1' N" (but not the position), the RNGC misidentifies NGC 4187 as NGC 4181.

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NGC 4182

12 13 24 +04 03

=NGC 4180?, HC. Not found, JS. =* or *'s, SG.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4182 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton College Observatory. At his exact position is a mag 12 star. Harold Corwin comments "NGC 4182 may be NGC 4180, or it may simply be a star at Peters's position".

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NGC 4183 = UGC 7222 = MCG +07-25-051 = CGCG 215-053 = FGC 1386 = PGC 38988

12 13 17.0 +43 41 53

V = 12.3; Size 5.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 166d

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on about 7:1 NNW-SSE, 3.5'x0.5', broad concentration without a nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is superimposed at the SE edge of the core 0.8' from the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4183 = H III-697 = h1128 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and noted "cF, mE from np to sf, 3 or 4' long, 3/4' broad." In his 1814 PT paper, he mentions "several small stars are contained in faint nebulosity about 3 or 4' long and 3/4' broad." His sketch shows several stars, although only one star is evident on the DSS.

R.J. Mitchell, observing with LdR's 72" on 6 Apr 1856, noted "F, bM, a bright star in sf edge and a patch in np end which is the brighter. Neb is fully 4' long."

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NGC 4184 = ESO 130-SC10 = Ru 102 = OCl 877 = vdB-Ha 128 = Lund 607

12 13 32 -62 43 18

Size 4'

14" (4/4/16 - Coonabarabran, 184x and 318x): about two dozen faint stars resolved in a 4' circle. Flanked by a mag 10 star ~4' SW and a mag 10 star ~4' NE. The richest part is a 30" clump on the east side with a half-dozen stars resolved at 318x. Located 16' NNE of mag 6.0 HD 106068.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4184 = h3384 on 8 Mar 1837 and noted "Cluster class VI; vf, almost nebulous". There is no obvious clustering at his position on the DSS1.

Brian Skiff comments "Looks like an absorption hole, and no more ridiculous than the typical Ruprecht cluster. I make it just 0'.8 diameter at: 12 13 37 -62 43.2." Ruprecht gives a diameter of 5' to include a larger scattered group. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.

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NGC 4185 = UGC 7225 = MCG +05-29-038 = CGCG 158-047 = LGG 276-006 = PGC 38995

12 13 22.1 +28 30 40

V = 12.1; Size 2.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 165d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, 1.5'x1.1', broad concentration. Forms the southern vertex of a triangle with mag 7.7 SAO 82189 8.5' NW and a mag 11.5 star 10' NE. NGC 4196 lies 16' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4185 = H II-373 = h1129 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, L, bM." CH's reduction is 18 sec of time preceding UGC 7225. d'Arrest noted this object forms the western vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 12 stars and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4186 = NGC 4192B = UGC 7240 = MCG +03-31-081 = CGCG 098-111 = Holm 348b = PGC 39057

12 14 06.5 +14 43 33

V = 13.8; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d

17.5" (5/10/86): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located 11.0' SSE of M98.

13" (4/29/84): faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 11' SSE of M98.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4186 = T I-38 in 1887. His position in this paper is 10 seconds of RA preceding and 10' south of M98. But in list V (AN 2439) he states it is located 20 seconds of time east and 9.5' south of M98. Dreyer used the latter position, but confused the direction of RA offset and placed NGC 4186 20 sec of RA preceding of M98, instead of following. His offset in list V establishes NGC 4186 = UGC 7240, but the RA in the NGC is 40 seconds of RA too small. The correct position was measured by Kobold in 1901 (Strassburg Annales, Vol 3, 1907).

Because of erroneous NGC position, UGC and MCG misidentify UGC 7223 (which lies 22 sec of RA west of M98 and 7.4' south) as NGC 4186.  Also, CGCG misidentifies CGCG 098-119 as NGC 4186.  The correct identification was first given by Dorothy Carlson in 1940 paper and also given in RNGC and RC3.

It's possible NGC 4186 was first observed at Birr Castle on 10 Feb 1861.  Samuel Hunter noticed a "F, R neb with a * or Nucl in centre", which he described as 1/2 field of finder [13'] north of M98. If he confused the direction, then the comment probably applies to NGC 4186.

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NGC 4187 = UGC 7229 = MCG +09-20-117 = CGCG 269-042 = Holm 347a = PGC 39004

12 13 29.2 +50 44 29

V = 13.2; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 145d

17.5": faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core. A mag 13 star is 1.0' WNW of center. A mag 15.5 is superimposed on the south edge.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4187 = H II-813 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and logged "pB, S, lE." His position is just 1' south of UGC 7229.

RNGC misidentifies a faint companion just north of NGC 4187 as NGC 4181. There are several faint companions with a couple of arcminutes of NGC 4187.

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NGC 4188 = MCG -02-31-023 = PGC 39059

12 14 07.4 -12 35 10

V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8

18" (5/8/04): faint, very small, round, 0.4' diameter. A mag 14 star lies 30" N of center, barely off the north edge of the galaxy. The star masks the galaxy a bit and it was not noticed initially.

Ormond Stone discovered NGC 4188 = LM I-193 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His rough position (nearest min of RA) is just 0.5 tmin W of MCG -02-31-023 = PGC 39059. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).

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NGC 4189 = IC 3050 = UGC 7235 = MCG +02-31-054 = CGCG 069-092 = LGG 285-003 = PGC 39025

12 13 47.5 +13 25 33

V = 11.7; Size 2.7'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 85d

17.5" (1/23/88): fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated WSW-ENE, broad concentration. Located northeast of the NGC 4164, NGC 4165, NGC 4168 group in Virgo. NGC 4193 lies 15' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4189 = H II-106 = h1131 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "vF, pL, r." JH recorded "pB; L; lE; vgvlbM; 2' diam" and measured an accurate position. Harold Corwin notes that WH's NGC 4209 (listed as lost) might be a duplicate observation, though both objects were found on the same sweep.

Schwassmann found NGC 4189 again on 16 Nov 1900 on a Heidelberg plate of the Virgo/Coma cluster. His position for Sn. 227 (later IC 3050) matches NGC 4189, so its surprising Dreyer didn't catch the equivalence, but IC 3050 = NGC 4189.

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NGC 4190 = UGC 7232 = MCG +06-27-030 = CGCG 187-024 = VV 104 = PGC 39023

12 13 44.5 +36 38 05

V = 13.3; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.2

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, broad weak concentration, pretty diffuse, slightly elongated N-S. Located 7' S of mag 8.5 SAO 62902. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).

13" (4/12/86): fairly faint, moderately large, round, diffuse. A mag 8 star lies 6' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4190 = H II-409 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged "vF, S, r." His summary description (including a later sweep) reads "pB, pL, vgbM, r."

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NGC 4191 = UGC 7233 = MCG +01-31-026 = CGCG 041-049 = PGC 39034

12 13 50.4 +07 12 03

V = 12.8; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 5d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.9' NW. Forms a pair with NGC 4180 15' SW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4191 = h1130 on 19 Apr 1830 (sweep 251). On the next night he logged "F; R; near a small star." and measured positions on four consecutive sweeps.

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NGC 4192 = M98 = UGC 7231 = MCG +03-31-079 = CGCG 098-108 = Holm 348a = PGC 39028

12 13 48.2 +14 54 01

V = 10.1; Size 9.9'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 155d

17.5" (5/10/86): bright, very large, very elongated 4:1 NNW-SSE, 6'x1.5', small bright core, stellar nucleus. A faint knot is highly suspected near the south tip. NGC 4186 lies 11' SSE. Located 32' W of 6 Comae Berenices (V = 5.1).

13" (4/29/84): bright, large, very elongated, small bright nucleus, impressive.

Pierre Méchain discovered M98 = NGC 4192 = h1132 on 15 Mar 1781. Messier made a confirmation a month later. WH observed M98 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep 73) and recorded "A large, extended, fine nebula. It seems to be M98, but from the description in Connoissance des Temps it appears that Mechain has not seen the whole of it, for its feeble branches extend about 1/4°, of which no notice is taken. Near the middle of it a few stars are visible and more suspected; my field will not quite take it in." JH described M98 on 3 Apr 1826 as " vmE; a ray pos 70° sf to np; mbM almost to nucleus; 10' long."

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NGC 4193 = IC 3051 = UGC 7234 = MCG +02-31-053 = CGCG 069-091 = LGG 285-009 = PGC 39040

12 13 53.6 +13 10 22

V = 12.3; Size 2.3'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 93d

17.5" (1/23/88): moderately bright, fairly large, oval E-W, brighter core. NGC 4189 lies 15' N over the border in Coma Berenices.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4193 = H II-163 = h1134 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "pS". JH made the single observation "vF; pL; E; vgbM" and measured an accurate position.

Schwassmann found this galaxy again on 16 Nov 1900 on plate taken of the Virgo/Coma cluster with a 6" astrograph at Heidelberg. His position for IC 3051 matches NGC 4193, so its surprising Dreyer didn't catch the equivalence, but there are several similar cases with Schwassmann's list of nebulae.

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NGC 4194 = Medusa Galaxy = Arp 160 = VV 261 = UGC 7241 = MCG +09-20-119 = CGCG 269-043 = Mrk 201 = I Zw 33 = PGC 39068

12 14 09.6 +54 31 35

V = 12.5; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170d

48" (4/20/17): at 697x; bright, fairly large, elongated ~2:1 NNW-SSE. Sharply concentrated with a very bright elongated core enclosing an intensely bright nucleus. The main halo is roughly oval with a weak, elongated brightening oriented SW-NW at the south end. This low contrast feature is possibly the remnant of a past merger. A very low surface brightness tidal plume was seen as an ill-defined haze spreading out to the north from the NNW side of the main halo and increasing the N-S dimension to over 1.5'.

17.5" (5/13/88): moderately bright, small, elongated NW-SE, very small bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4194 = H II-867 = h1135 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) amd noted "pB, vS, stellar." JH called it "F; vsmbM to a * 12m; 20"." His position is at the northwest edge of the galaxy.

The nickname Medusa Galaxy was coined by V-V in his Atlas of Interacting Galaxies, Part II: "Of this 'Medusa', the structure of the "head" is as yet unresolved. In this case, three galaxies apparently are coalescent. "Behind", the dwarfs begin to separate." William Keel repeats the nickname "Medusa" in his April 1993 article "The real astrophysical zoo - Colliding galaxies" in Mercury (ASP). Professional journal papers refer to it as "Medusa" since 2000.

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NGC 4195 = UGC 7244 = MCG +10-18-010 = CGCG 292-083 = CGCG 293-004 = PGC 39082

12 14 18.1 +59 36 55

V = 14.2; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.9

17.5" (5/13/88): extremely faint, fairly small, very diffuse, round, averted only. Collinear with two mag 14 stars to the NW. NGC 4199 lies 18' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4195 = H III-796 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and simply noted "eF". His position is 2.7' northwest of UGC 7244 (only galaxy nearby).

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NGC 4196 = UGC 7245 = MCG +05-29-040 = CGCG 158-050 = LGG 276-007 = PGC 39098

12 14 29.7 +28 25 23

V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 60d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.5'x0.35', fairly well concentrated. Higher surface brightness than larger NGC 4185 16' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4196 = H II-374 = h1136 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." His position is 20 sec of time too far west and 3' too far north but JH made 4 observations and d'Arrest provided a micrometric position, so the NGC is accurate.

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NGC 4197 = UGC 7247 = VV 520 = MCG +01-31-029 = CGCG 041-052 = FGC 1390 = LGG 278-002 = PGC 39114

12 14 38.6 +05 48 21

V = 12.8; Size 3.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 36d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 SW-NE, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is south of the SW end 1.5' from the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4197 = H II-134 = h1137 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "F, mE." JH recorded "pB; E; vgbM; 20"; like II. 133 [NGC 4180]." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4198 = IC 778 = UGC 7246 = MCG +09-20-123 = CGCG 269-045 = PGC 39090

12 14 22.0 +56 00 42

V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130d

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, small, elongated NW-SE. Situated between two mag 12 and 13 stars.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4198 = H II-793 = h1139 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 920) and noted "pF, pS, bM." JH logged "pF; S; lE; gbM; like II. 792 [NGC 4172]." and measured an accurate position.

Swift probably found this galaxy again nearly a 100 years later, but his RA for Sw. VII-19 (later IC 778) is 5 minutes too large. Once corrected Swift's position matches NGC 4198, which also is a good match with his description.

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NGC 4199 = VV 183a/b = UGC 7253 = MCG +10-18-011 = CGCG 292-084 = CGCG 293-005 = PGC 39135

12 14 48.6 +59 54 22

V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8

17.5" (5/13/88): very faint, very small. A mag 15 star is involved at the north end just 16" from center and a mag 16 star is involved at the east end 24" from the center. NGC 4195 lies 18' SSW. On the POSS, the mag 16 star I recorded is actually an extremely faint and small companion (VV 183b)!

This is the brightest galaxy in AGC 1507.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4199 = H III-797 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and noted "eF, S." His position is 17 tsec west and 4' north of UGC 7253 = PGC 39135. He observed this object again on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and his position (with respect to NGC 4036) was ~25 tsec too large.

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NGC 4200 = UGC 7251 = MCG +02-31-057 = CGCG 069-096 = PGC 39124

12 14 44.2 +12 10 51

V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 98d

17.5" (1/23/88): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 E-W, brighter core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4200 = H II-164 = h1138 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "pS, vmE." On 6 Apr 1831, JH logged "pB; R; pslbM; 40"."

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NGC 4201 = MCG -02-31-024 = PGC 39120

12 14 41.9 -11 34 58

V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 80d

18" (5/8/04): faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.5'x0.4', weak concentration to a very small brighter core. An extremely faint halo was suspected. A mag 13.5 star lies 0.8' S of center.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4201 = LM II-455 in 1886. His position is 0.5 min of RA east of MCG -02-31-024. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position in 1899-00 (repeated in the IC 2 Notes).

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NGC 4202 = UGC 7337 = MCG +00-31-046 = CGCG 013-121 = Todd 18 = PGC 39495

12 18 08.6 -01 03 52

V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 127d

17.5" (3/20/93): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ENE, low even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 2.0' NNE of center.

David Todd discovered NGC 4202 = Todd 18 on 6 Feb 1878 during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet (AN 2698). Dreyer only included eight of the 30 objects which Todd sketched as many were considered doubtful or near nebulae already catalogued. Todd's sketch of #18, which includes several nearby field stars, clearly identifies NGC 4202 = UGC 7337 at 12 18 08.6 -01 03 52 (2000). This means that Todd's rough position was 3 tmin too far west although a number of his entries have large errors in RA.

The RNGC misidentifies CGCG 013-109 as NGC 4202, located at 12 14.9 -02 27 (2000). Early versions of U2000.0 atlas have it misplotted at this position. I described this galaxy as nonexistent in RNGC Corrections #5 but corrected the identification in #6. See Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4203 = UGC 7256 = MCG +06-27-040 = CGCG 187-029 = PGC 39158

12 15 05.0 +33 11 50

V = 10.9; Size 3.4'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 10d

17.5": bright, moderately large, round, sharp concentration with a prominent very bright core (LINER nucleus) a much fainter halo, possible stellar nucleus. Located 3.7' SSE of mag 7.8 SAO 62912

8": fairly bright, small, small bright nucleus. A mag 5 star (SAO 62928) is 20' SE at the edge of the field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4203 = H I-175 = h1140 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and recorded "vB, S, R, mbM." His position is on the southwest side of the galaxy. On 6 Apr 1855, R.J. Mitchell, observing with LdR's 72", logged "very like a distant Cl, vB Nucl with neby gradually fading off. Star involved preceding Nucl and other stellar points suspected in the outlying faint neby."

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NGC 4204 = UGC 7261 = MCG +04-29-051 = CGCG 128-060 = PGC 39179

12 15 14.3 +20 39 31

V = 12.4; Size 3.6'x2.9'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 130d

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE. Brighter along the major axis but no distinct core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4204 = H III-397 = h1141 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded "vF; vL, irr, about 5 or 6' from np to sf and 4 or 5' broad, unequally bright but brightest towards the middle." JH noted "eF; L; vglbM; 45"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4205 = UGC 7258 = MCG +11-15-038 = CGCG 315-027 = PGC 39143

12 14 55.3 +63 46 55

V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 28d

17.5" (4/15/93): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.4'x0.5', brighter along major axis. A mag 13 star is just 20" west of the NNE tip.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4205 = Au 29 on 4 Oct 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 3 nights, matches UGC 7258 and he mentions the nearby mag 13 star at the north edge. Auwers included this object in his 1862 list of new nebulae.

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NGC 4206 = IC 3064 = UGC 7260 = MCG +02-31-066 = CGCG 069-107 = Holm 353b = PGC 39183

12 15 16.7 +13 01 26

V = 12.2; Size 6.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 0d

17.5" (1/23/88): fairly faint, edge-on 6:1 exactly N-S, 4'x0.7', fairly large, weak concentration. A mag 12 star lies 2.9' SE of center. NGC 4216 lies 10' NE and NGC 4222 is 23' NE. First of three edge-ons in a low power field!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4206 = H II-165 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "F, vmE." His position is poor -- 30 tsec west and 9' N of UGC 7260. NGC 4216, the next nebula in the sweep, also has a poor position. Wilhelm Tempel found NGC 4206 again in 1877 (as well as NGC 4222) while observing NGC 4216 and measured accurate positions (list I-39), though he was unsure if they applied to H II-165 and II-109.

Arnold Schwassmann found the galaxy again on two Heidelberg plates taken with a 6" astrograph (measured on 16 Nov 1900) of the Virgo/Coma cluster and reported Sn. 230 (later IC 3064) as new. His position matches NGC 4206, so this galaxy also carries the designation IC 3064.

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NGC 4207 = UGC 7268 = MCG +02-31-069 = CGCG 069-107 = PGC 39206

12 15 30.4 +09 35 07

V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 124d

17.5" (5/14/88): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, bright core. A mag 13.5 star at the WNW end 1.2' from center.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4207 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 3 nights. matches UGC 7268 and he accurately placed the nearby mag 13.5 star as preceding by 5 seconds of time.

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NGC 4208 = NGC 4212 = UGC 7275 = MCG +02-31-070 = CGCG 069-110 = PGC 39224

12 15 39.3 +13 54 05

See observing notes for NGC 4212.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4208 = H II-107 = h1142 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and simply noted as "pL". CH's reduced position is 5' north of NGC 4212 = UGC 7275. Dreyer, in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, commented for II-107 and II-108, "there is only one nebula here (NGC 4212)...We may assume that H, after observing the star [6 Comae], again moved the telescope 1° south and took the nebula a second time without noticing it was the same object."

Strangely, JH also recorded this galaxy twice (h1142 and h1144) on different nights and thought they were different objects because of his different positions and descriptions! So, II-107 = II-108 = h1142 = h1144 = NGC 4208 = NGC 4212. See Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4209

12 15 30 +28 31

=Not found, Carlson. =NGC 4185?, Corwin. =*, WS

William Herschel discovered NGC 4209 = H II-375 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pS." Dreyer notes in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that this object was not found by JH, d'Arrest or Bigourdan. With respect to NGC 4196, the previous object in the sweep, WH placed II-375 1 min 18 sec foll and 2' N, but there is no object at that position. This sweep was WH's most productive -- with 74 discoveries -- and this is the only object that cannot be identified with a galaxy.

In an email correspondence (Jul 15 1998) Harold Corwin commented: I've been unable to find NGC 4209. I thought it might be a reobservation of NGC 4185, but both were found by WH on the same night. It is still not a completely impossible identity (e.g. N4208 = N4212, another nebula seen twice within a single sweep), but the chances are against it. I don't see any object aside from N4185 (just over 2 arcmin west) at any reasonable systematic offset (e.g. +- 1 deg, +-10 min, etc) from WH's position.

Wolfgang assigns the number to a star 2 arcmin south-southwest of WH's position. That is certainly possible, but I'd be happier with it if WH had left us a description more complete than "F, pS".

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NGC 4210 = UGC 7264 = MCG +11-15-039 = CGCG 315-028 = PGC 39184

12 15 15.9 +65 59 07

V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105d

17.5" (4/15/93): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.8'x1.4'. A mag 13.5 star is 1.0' off the WNW edge. Located 11' SE of mag 6.7 SAO 62870. NGC 4221 lies 16' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4210 = H III-850 = h1143 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and noted "vF, pS." JH recorded (single observation) "Not vF; pL; R; vgbM; 30"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4211 = Arp 106 NED1 = VV 199a = UGC 7277 = MCG +05-29-042 = CGCG 158-053n = PGC 39221 = PGC 39297

12 15 35.8 +28 10 39

V = 14.1; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 105d

24" (5/30/16): NGC 4211 is an interacting system (Arp 106) oriented NW-SE (separation 35"), with the brighter component (VV 196a) on the northwest side. At 225x it appeared fairly faint to moderately bright, round, 24" diameter, increases rapidly to a very small brighter core and stellar nucleus. The fainter southeast component (NGC 4211A = VV 196b) is faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 15"x10", slightly concentration at the center. The tidal tail to the south was not seen. Situated 9' NW of mag 8.2 HD 106678.

UGC 7287 lies 8' SE. It appeared faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 24"x18", low even surface brightness.

18" (4/5/03): faint, very small, round, 25" diameter. This is a double, interacting system (Arp 106) with a small, faint companion 0.55' SE. At 300x, the companion (VV 196b) appeared extremely faint and small (0.2' diameter) and just resolved from NGC 4211. A mag 12.4 star lies 2.8' NE. Third of three with NGC 4196 and NGC 4185 20' NW and 35' NW, respectively.

Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 4211 = St XI-18 on 30 Apr 1881. His position matches UGC 7277 = Arp 106.

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NGC 4212 = NGC 4208 = UGC 7275 = MCG +02-31-070 = CGCG 069-110 = PGC 39224

12 15 39.3 +13 54 05

V = 11.2; Size 3.2'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d

17.5" (4/25/98): fairly bright, fairly large, 2.2'x1.4' oriented WSW-ENE. Moderate concentration to a large bright core which appears mottled. The nucleus is not well defined although the core is broadly concentrated and at times a stellar center was glimpsed. A mag 11.5 star is 2.3' S. IC 3061 lies 11' NW. Poor transparency due to smoke.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4212 = H II-108 = h1144 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "mE, resolvable." His position (CH's reduction) is 6.5' too far northeast. He apparently also recorded it as the previous object "pL" in the sweep. JH also recorded this galaxy twice (h1142 = h1144) on different nights. See notes for NGC 4208.

The LdR observation on 8 Mar 1856 (by R.J. Mitchell) reads "Irregular shaped neb with ncl excentric and some sort of knot or appendage following. Possibly another knot in preceding end. The former one is likely connected with the neb forming a sprial arm." The same month he logged "Much better seen. There are 4 knots or stars in the neb besides the bright patch south-following."

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NGC 4213 = UGC 7276 = MCG +04-29-054 = CGCG 128-065 = PGC 39223

12 15 37.6 +23 58 55

V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7

17.5" (4/17/88): faint, fairly small, round, gradually brighter halo, small bright core. Located 9.9' WNW of 7 Comae Berenices (V = 4.9) which detracts from viewing.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4213 = H II-354 = h1145 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and noted "F, vS." His position matches UGC 7276.

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NGC 4214 = NGC 4228 = UGC 7278 = MCG +06-27-042 = CGCG 187-032 = PGC 39225

12 15 38.9 +36 19 50

V = 09.8; Size 8.5'x6.6'; Surf Br = 14.0

13.1" (4/12/86): bright, large, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright core. There is a strong impression of curvature at the ends of the major axis. A mag 11 star lies 4.3' SE of center. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4214 = H I-95 = h1146 on 28 Apr 1785 (sweep 404) and recorded "cB, cL. A blunt parallelogram, faintest towards the edges; from np to sf about 4'; the other way about 3'. Position not above 15 or 20° from the meridian." His position is on the northwest side of this Irregular-type galaxy. The next sweep (1 May) he noted "Can hardly be called a parallelogram for want of corners; but rather irregularly elongated."

JH reported it as new on 27 Apr 1827 and logged h1157 as "vF, L, R, gbM, 90"." His RA, though, was 1 minute too large and he didn't make the connection with his father's H. I 95, so Dreyer later catalogued this entry as NGC 4228. So NGC 4214 = NGC 4228. JH reobserved the galaxy 4 years later on 11 Mar 1831, correctly placed it and logged "B, L, gbM, 50", has a double nucleus very indistinct. The diagram makes it a double neb, the two running together. See fig 71." The second "nucleus" is a bright HII complex southeast of the core. Kobold measured an accurate position for this knot in 1893 at Strassburg. At Birr Castle it was also noted in 1856, "Irreg shaped neb with Nucleus excentric and some sort of knot or appendage following. Possibly another faint knot in preceding end." Two weeks later, "Much better seen. There are 4 knots of stars in the neb besides the bright patch south-following."

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NGC 4215 = UGC 7281 = MCG +01-31-031 = CGCG 041-055 = PGC 39251

12 15 54.5 +06 24 04

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 174d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, pretty system very elongated NNW-SSE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4215 = H II-135 = h1147 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "S, E, pBM." JH made three observations, recording on sweep 250 "vB; mE; vsbM to a * 11m."

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NGC 4216 = UGC 7284 = MCG +02-31-072 = CGCG 069-112 = Holm 353a = PGC 39246

12 15 54.2 +13 08 59

V = 10.0; Size 8.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 19d

18" (6/17/06): very bright, very large, extremely thin edge-on 8:1 SSW-NNE, 7'x0.9'. Sharply concentrated with a striking high surface brightness core, ~0.9'x0.3', that dominates the extensions with a mag 14 star just following the core. A dust lane appears to run along the eastern edge of the galaxy, mostly evident by a sharp light cut off along this edge. Brightest of three edge-ons in the field with NGC 4206 and NGC 4222!

17.5" (1/23/88): very bright, very large, edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE, small very bright core. A mag 14 star is close east of the core. This is a striking galaxy and is the second of three edge-on galaxies in the same field with NGC 4206 11' SW and NGC 4222 12' NE in Coma Berenices!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4216 = H I-35 = h1148 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "vmE, vbM and the brightness also elongated. The whole not less than 9 or 10' long." JH made 4 observations and recorded (sweep 3) "A very remarkable long ray extended 70° nf to sp, 7 1/2' long, smbM. It has a star nf the nucleus."

Samuel Hunter, LdR's assistant on 23 Apr 1860, recorded "a fine E neb, vBM like a globular cluster (I think too it is resolvable?), small star following nucl, where I also think there is very dilute nebulosity, parallel to neb [beyond the dust lane]. The neb is either twisted at n end in p direction or it has a faint companion there? Dark space around centre? perhaps only the contrast of the bright centre. 15' long." The possible nebula Hunter mentions to the north is likely CGCG 069-113.

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NGC 4217 = UGC 7282 = MCG +08-22-087 = CGCG 243-053 = Holm 354a = PGC 39241

12 15 50.9 +47 05 30

V = 11.2; Size 5.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 50d

48" (4/23/17): bright, very large, striking edge-on ~4.5'x1.0' SW-NE, large bright core that bulges near the center but no distinct nucleus. The galaxy is bisected by a beautiful, relatively wide dust lane that slices through the entire length of the galaxy, only losing contrast at the very tips! The brightest portion, including the core, is on the north side (northwest facing) of the dust lane. The cut off section of the galaxy on the south side (southeast facing) of the the dust lane is fairly thin and low surface brightness, though slightly brighter at the center/core. A mag 14.8 star is at the southwest tip of the galaxy. A mag 11.6 star is at the edge of the halo on the north side [50" from center] and a 9th magnitude star is 2.3' NNE of center. The galaxy is situated 6' E of mag 7.2 HD 106556, though this star was kept outside the field. NGC 4226 lies 7' SE.

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, pretty edge-on 4:1 SW-NE. A mag 9 star is off the NE edge 2.2' from the center and a mag 11.5 star is just north of the core 0.8' from center. Located 6.2' E of mag 7.3 SAO 44092. Forms a pair with NGC 4226 7' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4217 = H II-748 = h1149 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded "pB, pL, sp and in a line with two stars." JH made 5 observations and logged (sweep 255) "pB, vmE in pos = 225° by measure; 5' long, 1' br; 2 stars near and a large star preceding." on 15 Mar 1849, LdR or observing assistant George Stoney described it as a "Ray with split [dark lane] in the direction of the major axis".

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NGC 4218 = UGC 7283 = MCG +08-22-088 = CGCG 243-054 = PGC 39237

12 15 46.3 +48 07 53

V = 12.5; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 142d

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE. Located 2.6' NW of mag 8.3 SAO 44096. NGC 4220 lies 16' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4218 = H III-718 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "vF, vS." d'Arrest measured an accurate position as well as noting the mag 9-10 star that follows by 15 sec and 55" south.

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NGC 4219 = ESO 267-037 = MCG -07-25-005 = PGC 39315

12 16 27.3 -43 19 26

V = 11.9; Size 4.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 36d

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 220x appeared bright, large, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, broad concentration but no distinct core, ~2.5'x1'. Direct vision revealed a very faint stellar nucleus. The arms (extensions) dim towards the ends and seem irregular in surface brightness (DSS shows an irregular, knotty appearance). NGC 4219A lies 21' SE.

At 220x, NGC 4219A appeared moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.35', weak concentration, irregular surface brightness. Situated in a group of stars.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4219 = h3385 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "pF; pL; pmE; vgbM; 2' l, 45" br. His position (measured on 4 nights) and description matches ESO 267-037.

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NGC 4220 = UGC 7290 = MCG +08-22-089 = CGCG 243-055 = PGC 39285

12 16 11.7 +47 53 00

V = 11.4; Size 3.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 141d

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, edge-on 7:2 NW-SE, brighter core, stellar nucleus. Located 12' S of mag 8.3 SAO 44096. NGC 4218 lies 15' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4220 = H I-209 = h1151 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "cB, cL." JH made the single observation "pB; pmE in pos 314.4°; psbM. (Foggy)" His position is accurate.

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NGC 4221 = UGC 7288 = MCG +11-15-040 = CGCG 315-029 = PGC 39266

12 15 59.9 +66 13 51

V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 25d

17.5" (4/15/93): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, prominent core, stellar nucleus at moments, very faint larger halo slightly elongated SSW-NNE extends with averted to 1.5'-2.0'. NGC 4210 lies 16' SSW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4221 = h1150 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "pB; S; R; psbM; 15"." His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4222 = UGC 7291 = MCG +02-31-075 = CGCG 069-119 = FGC 1396 = Holm 353c = PGC 39308

12 16 23.0 +13 18 34

V = 13.3; Size 3.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 56d

17.5" (1/23/88): faint, moderately large, very thin edge-on SW-NE. A mag 15 star is at the east end. Located 5' W of mag 8.7 SAO 100016. This is the third of three edge-ons with NGC 4206 23' SW and NGC 4216 12' SW in Virgo.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4222 = H II-109 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and simply noted "resolvable". Dreyer commented in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH" that the observation was probably rushed as the polar distance is 20' too far south, though my reduction is 10' south. Wilhelm Tempel corrected the position in his first list (T I-40) and in paper V providing an offset from NGC 4216.

CGCG, UGC, MCG and PGC incorrectly equate IC 3087 (from Schwassmann) with NGC 4222. IC 3087 refers to two stars to the southeast of the galaxy.

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NGC 4223 = IC 3102 = UGC 7319 = MCG +01-31-038 = CGCG 041-0653 = LGG 278-004 = PGC 39412

12 17 25.8 +06 41 24

V = 11.9; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated WNW-ESE, bright core, larger faint extensions with averted. Located 5' N of mag 7.9 SAO 119308.

The galaxy described above is misidentified as NGC 4241 in modern catalogues. It forms a pair with IC 3115 (the "real" NGC 4241) 8' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4223 = H II-137 = h1152 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and simply noted "r[esolvable]." Although he was probably rushed (the nearby entries in the sweep were rapidly found), his position is just 2' north of UGC 7319. He reobserved the field on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and his position is 20 sec of RA too large, but he also discovered III-480 = UGC 7333, which was missed on the earlier sweep.

John Herschel made two observations of H II-137 and one of H III-480. On 4 Apr 1830 (sweep 250) he recorded "vF; vgbM; a *7m to south". The description and position clearly points to II-137 = NGC 4223, but he calls it III-480. JH made a second observation on 24 Apr 1830 (sweep 254), recording both II-137 and III-480, and here's where the problem occurs. He catalogued the preceding object as h1152 = II-137, but the position is about 1 tmin too far west. He noted, though, that the position was only estimated from III-480. Unfortunately, his position for the eastern galaxy (III-480) happens to be a close match (1.4' south) with II-137. The result is that JH's entry in the Slough catalogue for NGC 4241 = h1165 = III-480 contains two observations -- one for II-137 and one for III-480, with a position matching II-137. Furthermore, his entry for h1152 = NGC 4223 = II-137 points to a blank part of the sky, 1 tmin of RA west of II-137. In the NGC notes, Dreyer mentions NGC 4223 was not found by d'Arrest, obviously because of the poor position.

The two galaxies were later picked up by Arnold Schwassmann in 1899 on a Heidelberg plate, placed accurately, and catalogued as IC 3102 (brighter west-northwest galaxy) and IC 3115 (fainter east-southeast galaxy). Modern catalogues generally identify the brighter galaxy as NGC 4241 = H II-137 and the fainter galaxy as IC 3115 = H III-480, leaving NGC 4223 = h1152 without an identification. Dreyer recommended "h1152 (rough place only) is to be struck out" in his notes to "Scientific Papers of William Herschel".

But, Harold Corwin argues that since WH and JH observed both galaxies, the correct assignment should be NGC 4223 = H II-137 = h1152 = h1165 (sweep 250) = IC 3102 and NGC 4241 = H III-480 = h1165 (sweep 254) = IC 3115. This changes, though, the long-standing identification of NGC 4241 as the brighter western galaxy. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4224 = UGC 7292 = MCG +01-31-034 = CGCG 041-060 = PGC 39328

12 16 33.8 +07 27 42

V = 11.8; Size 2.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 57d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated SW-NE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4233 13' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4224 = H II-136 = h1153 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and logged "F, S, iF, r." His position matches UGC 7292. JH made two observation and noted on sweep 251 "pB; pL; lE; gbM."

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NGC 4225 = MCG -02-31-027 = PGC 39337

12 16 38.4 -12 19 40

V = 14.0; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 60d

18" (5/28/06): faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. Located 1.6' N of a mag 10 star.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4225 = h1154 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded "F; eS; R; 5"; has a * 8m 80° sf, dist 60"." His position is 1' too far north and the bright star is 1.6' distant.

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NGC 4226 = UGC 7297 = MCG +08-22-090 = CGCG 243-057 = Holm 354b = PGC 39312

12 16 26.3 +47 01 31

V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 127d

13.1": faint, small, elongated NW-SE. Forms a pair with NGC 4217 7' WNW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4226 = h1155 on 19 Mar 1828 and recorded "F; S; lE; the second of 2 in field [with NGC 4217]."

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NGC 4227 = UGC 7296 = MCG +06-27-043 = CGCG 187-033 = Holm 355a = PGC 39329

12 16 33.7 +33 31 19

V = 12.7; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d

17.5": fairly faint, small, strong bright core. A mag 15 star is 0.9' NE of center. Forms the brighter of a pair with NGC 4229 2.6' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4227 = H II-518 = h1156, along with NGC 4229, on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded "Two, both eF, vS. The preceding [NGC 4227] is the largest, about 3 or 4' distance from each other." His position is accurate. JH made two observations, recording on sweep 131, "pF; R; psbM; the sp of 2."

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NGC 4228 = NGC 4214 = UGC 7278 = MCG +06-27-042 = CGCG 187-032 = PGC 39225

12 15 38.9 +36 19 50

See observing notes for NGC 4214

John Herschel found NGC 4228 = h1157 on 27 Apr 1827 and recorded "vF; L; R; gbM; 90"." There is nothing at his position and d'Arrest could not find this object. Karl Reinmuth questioned if NGC 4228 = NGC 4214 and this is probably the case as JH's position is exactly 1.0 min of RA east and the description applies. The primary designation should be NGC 4214.

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NGC 4229 = UGC 7299 = MCG +06-27-044 = CGCG 187-034 = Holm 355b = PGC 39341

12 16 38.8 +33 33 39

V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 3d

17.5": fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core, fairly faint stellar nucleus. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4227 2.6' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4229 = H II-519 = h1158, along with NGC 4227, on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded "Two, both eF, vS. The preceding [NGC 4227] is the largest, about 3 or 4' distance from each other." JH made two observations, recording on sweep 131, "F; R; psbM; 65° nf the neb [NGC 4227]."

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NGC 4230

12 17 09 -55 17 12

Size 6'

14" (4/4/16 - Coonabarabran, 71x and 184x): roughly 40 stars are resolved in a 7'x5' region (the outline is pretty arbitrary), roughly elongated SW-NE. Appears as an unimpressive asterism with no rich subgroups. A mag 11.5/13 pair at 13" separation is southwest of center with several mag 13-14.5 stars to its northeast. A mag 12 star 2' SW and a mag 11 star 4' SW of the central pair are all collinear. Located 18' SW of mag 5 Delta Crucis.

Note the group of stars described here is 12' S of ESO 171-SC14, the cluster identified as NGC 4230 in most sources including SIMBAD and ESO. ESO 171-SC14 is a cluster of roughly two dozen mag 13-14 stars in a 3' region just southeast of mag 8.4 HD 106826. A couple of mag 11 stars are 2' E and 3.5' NE of the mag 8.4 star, but these are detached.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4230 = h3386 on 5 Apr 1837 and described a "Cluster class VI. F; pL; irreg; 6'; resolved into stars 13, 14, 15m. Place of a * 12m, chief and near the middle of cluster." At his position is an unimpressive 5' group of star that is likely an asterism, with the brightest star 12th magnitude. This is the "cluster" identified by Harold Corwin as NGC 4230. Corwin notes that ESO (and SIMBAD) misidentify ESO 171-SC14 as NGC 4230. This group of stars is scattered southeast of a mag 8 star -- too bright not to have been mentioned by JH. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more on this number.

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NGC 4231 = UGC 7304 = MCG +08-22-094 = CGCG 243-060 = Holm 356a = PGC 39354

12 16 48.9 +47 27 27

V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.4

13.1" (4/12/86): faint, small, round. Forms a very similar close pair with NGC 4232 1.1' S! NGC 4248 lies 10' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4231 = H III-719, along with NGC 4232, on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded both as "Two both vF, vS, from north to south about 1' distance." CH's reduction is 20 sec of time following this pair.

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NGC 4232 = UGC 7303 = MCG +08-22-093 = CGCG 243-059 = Holm 356b = PGC 39353

12 16 49.0 +47 26 20

V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 155d

13.1" (4/12/86): faint, small, almost round. This galaxy is a close twin in brightness and size to NGC 4231 located just 1.2' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4232 = H III-720, along with NGC 4231, on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded both as "Two both vF, vS, from north to south about 1' distance."

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NGC 4233 = UGC 7311 = MCG +01-31-037 = CGCG 041-063 = PGC 39384

12 17 07.6 +07 37 26

V = 11.9; Size 2.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 174d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, bright core, high surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4224 13' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4233 = H II-496 = h1161 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted "F". Despite the sparce description, his position falls on the north side of the galaxy. JH made the single observation "pB; R; vsbM to a small nucleus; 20"."

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NGC 4234 = UGC 7309 = MCG +01-31-035 = CGCG 041-061 = Holm 358a = PGC 39388

12 17 09.0 +03 40 58

V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, round, even surface brightness.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4234 = h1160 on 7 Apr 1828 and recorded "pB; L; R; gbM; 60"." His single position matches UGC 7309.

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NGC 4235 = IC 3098 = UGC 7310 = MCG +01-31-036 =CGCG 041-062 = Holm 359a = PGC 39389

12 17 09.8 +07 11 28

V = 11.6; Size 4.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 48d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, fairly large, almost edge-on SW-NE, broadly concentrated halo. Cradled along the north side by three mag 12-13 stars 2.2' NW, 1.8' N and 3.0' ENE of center. NGC 4246 lies 12' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4235 = H II-17 = h1159 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 104) and recorded a "longish nebula, not cometic." JH called it (sweep 253) "vB; pmE; vsbM; among small stars." Schwassmann found it again on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory on 30 Oct 1899 and listed it as new (Sn. 5), missing the earlier NGC identity, so it also carries the designation IC 3098.

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NGC 4236 = UGC 7306 = MCG +12-12-004 = CGCG 335-008 = Holm 357a = LGG 176-005 = PGC 39346

12 16 43.5 +69 27 34

V = 9.6; Size 21.9'x7.2'; Surf Br = 15.0; PA = 162d

18" (4/26/08): this huge, low surface brightness galaxy extends roughly 12'x3', oriented NNW-SSE. There is only a very weak central brightening with no obvious core. A very faint star appears to be superimposed near the geometric center and just to the south is a slightly elongated brightening (possibly the core).

Another brighter region is near the north end of the galaxy. This patch seems elongated at 45° to the major axis, appearing to extend out to the west of the main glow on the north end. Images reveal this is a gigantic HII complex and is catalogued in the Hodge-Kennicutt Atlas of HII regions (1983AJ, 88, 296) as NGC 4236:[HK83] 15, 16 and 17.

The south end is also splotchy and at the very south tip are two very faint "stars" that seemed slightly fuzzy. These are also two small HII knots, listed as NGC 4236:[HK83] 02 and 03. One or both of the knots also carry the designation VII Zw 446, described by Zwicky as a "blue patchy compact [galaxy]".

17.5" (3/29/89): faint, extremely large, edge-on 5:1 NNW-SSE. Appears as a ghostly streak about 20' length with only a broad, weak concentration! Best at low power due to size and low surface brightness.

13.1" (5/27/84): faint, very large, very elongated NNW-SSE, weak concentration. In a field with five mag 8-9 stars.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4236 = H V-51 = h1163 on 6 Apr 1793 (sweep 1036) and recorded "vF, mE, lbM, about 25' long, and losing itself imperceptibly, about 6 or 7' broad, from about 70° np to sf." His position, measured again on the next sweep, is accurate. JH reported "immensely large; vF; mE; vgbM; it fills more than a field, but is hardly distinguishable. Hazy."

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NGC 4237 = UGC 7315 = MCG +03-31-091 = CGCG 098-130 = PGC 39393

12 17 11.4 +15 19 26

V = 11.6; Size 2.1'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 108d

17.5" (4/25/98): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.5'x1.0'. Moderate concentration to a 30" irregular core which appears mottled. Located 15' NE of mag 6.3 SAO 100023. Poor transparency due to smoke.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4237 = H II-11 = h1162 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep 73) and recorded "another nebula about full 1/2° nf 6 Coma Ber. pL, very feeble, almost round, but not cometic. It is not a Messier, for being too feeble it could not be seen by an achromatic of 3 1/2 ft, which I suppose is the maximum of his light." No offsets in time and PD were measured, but the offset from 6 Com matches this galaxy. JH logged "B; L; lE; vgbM" and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4238 = UGC 7308 = MCG +11-15-041 = CGCG 315-031 = PGC 39366

12 16 55.8 +63 24 37

V = 13.6; Size 1.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 36d

17.5" (4/15/93): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.5'x0.5', low even surface brightness, no central concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4238 = H III-851 = h1164 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "eF, S, iF." His position is 3.6' too far north. JH recorded "vF; not vS; R; vglbM; 15"-20"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4239 = UGC 7316 = MCG +03-31-092 = CGCG 098-129 = PGC 39398

12 17 14.9 +16 31 53

V = 12.8; Size 1.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 120d

17.5" (5/23/98): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.9'x0.6', weak concentration. Easy to locate as situated between two mag 10.5 stars 2.9' WSW and 2.1' NE.

Carl Frederick Pechüle discovered NGC 4239 in 1884 with an 11-inch refractor at the Copenhagen Observatory. His position is 1.6' south of UGC 7316.

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NGC 4240 = NGC 4243 = MCG -02-31-029 = PGC 39411

12 17 24.4 -09 57 06

V = 12.4; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7

18" (5/28/06): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter. Contains a very small bright core ~10" diameter which increases to a bright substellar nucleus. Located just east of a mag 13 star (24" from the center).

18" (3/13/04): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, strongly concentrated with a very small bright core and stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is barely off the west edge. Observation made through thin clouds.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4240 on 20 May 1875. His micrometric position and description (mag 12 star 1/2' southwest) matches MCG -02-31-029 = PGC 39411.

Andrew Ainslie Common found the galaxy again in 1880, assumed it was new and recorded it as #25 in his Copernicus discovery list. He noted "Like a pair of stars 90°; the f one is a nebulous star." His RA is 11 sec too large (estimated positions using setting circles) and his description is a perfect match. Dreyer, who edited the journal Copernicus, added a footnote that Common's #25 was identical to Tempel's nebula.

Finally, Lewis Swift probably found this galaxy again on 27 Apr 1886 and described it in list III-62 as "pB; eS; pB * nr p; Looks a first like a double star. Curious object." There is nothing at his position but 1.4 degrees due north is the same galaxy found by Tempel and Common, and his description fits (very similar to Common's!). Dreyer assumed Swift's object was new and catalogued it as NGC 4243. So, NGC 4240 = NGC 4243.

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NGC 4241 = IC 3115 = UGC 7333 = VV 431 = MCG +01-31-040 = CGCG 041-069 = PGC 39483

12 17 59.8 +06 39 16

V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.9

17.5" (3/24/90): extremely faint, oval, very low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4223 8' WNW. This galaxy is identified as IC 3115 in modern catalogues and the brighter, western galaxy is usually catalogued as NGC 4241. My identification (NGC 4241 = IC 3115 = UGC 7333) follows the historical record.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4241 = H III-480 = h1165 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and recorded "vF, L. Would not have been seen if it had not been for the preceding [H II-137 = UGC 7319]. His position is just 1' from UGC 7333 = PGC 39483. JH made a single observation on 24 Apr 1830 (sweep 254) and simply recorded "vF." Unfortunately, JH's position is poor, and lands very close to UGC 7319, causing much confusion in modern catalogues.

Arnold Schwassmann found both galaxies on a Heidelberg plate of the Virgo region in 1899 and measured accurate positions. Schwassmann assumed they were new and Dreyer recatalogued the pair as IC 3102 and IC 3115. So, NGC 4241 = IC 3115 = UGC 7333 and NGC 4223 = IC 3102 = UGC 7319. Modern catalogues, though, identify UGC 7319 as NGC 4241 and UGC 7333 as IC 3115. See Harold Corwin's identification notes on NGC 4223 for the full story.

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NGC 4242 = UGC 7323 = MCG +08-22-098 = CGCG 243-061 = PGC 39423

12 17 30.1 +45 37 08

V = 10.8; Size 5.0'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 25d

13.1" (4/12/86): very large but very diffuse, 4' diameter, broad weak concentration, large core appears offset to the west, almost round. A mag 11.5 star lies 3.2' E of center and a faint mag 14 star is at the south edge 2.0' from center. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4242 = H III-725 = h1166 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded "eF, cL, bM, iR." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 256), "F; vL; R: vgbM; diam in RA = 15s of time."

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NGC 4243 = NGC 4240 = MCG -02-31-029 = PGC 39411

12 17 24.4 -09 57 06

See observing notes for NGC 4240.

Lewis Swift found NGC 4243 = Sw III-62 on 27 Apr 1886 and described "pB; eS; pB * near preceding; Looks at first like a double star. Curious object." There is nothing near his position, although the description implies a relatively bright galaxy.

Harold Corwin identifies NGC 4240, located 1° 21" due north of Swift's position, as his intended object. Swift's "pB* close p" applies to a mag 13 star 25" southwest of center. NGC 4240 was discovered earlier by Wilhelm Tempel in 1875.

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NGC 4244 = "Silver Needle" Galaxy = UGC 7322 = MCG +06-27-045 = CGCG 187-035 = FGC 1402 = PGC 39422

12 17 29.4 +37 48 24

V = 10.4; Size 16.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 48d

18" (6/4/05): beautiful, extremely large ray extends at least 3/4 across the 20' field, ~15'x1' SW-NE. The galaxy is broadly concentrated without a well-defined core or nucleus and bulges only very slightly at the center. The surface brightness is fairly low and only varies gradually over the entire length, though it has a grainy texture. A mag 13.5 star is near the NE end. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly bright, extremely large edge-on about 10:1 SW-NE. Extends to 15' diameter (fades at the ends of the extensions). Appears as a narrow ray with only a weakly concentrated core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4244 = H V-41 = h1167 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and recorded "cB or vB, vgbM, 18 or 20' l, about 2' broad, from about 60 degrees sp to nf." Member of the CVn I cloud (distance ~15 million light years)

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NGC 4245 = UGC 7328 = MCG +05-29-049 = CGCG 158-059 = PGC 39437

12 17 36.8 +29 36 29

V = 11.4; Size 2.9'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 145d

17.5" (4/25/98): fairly bright, elongated ~4:3 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.1', strong concentration with a prominent roundish core. The core steadily increases to a stellar nucleus with direct vision. A string of mag 11 stars from the SW leads to the galaxy. Located 29' W of NGC 274 and 40' N of double star O∑ 245 = 5.7/9.8 at 9". Observed in poor transparency.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4245 = H I-74 = h1168 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "cB, R, mbM." JH made 3 observations and first logged "vB; R; sbM; 60"."

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NGC 4246 = IC 3113 = UGC 7334 = MCG +01-31-041 = CGCG 041-070 = Holm 359b = PGC 39479

12 17 58.1 +07 11 08

V = 12.7; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 83d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, very low surface brightness. A mag 14 star is off the east edge 2.0' NE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4247 5.4' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4246 = H III-91 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Two, the first [NGC 4235] mE. The second [NGC 4246] eF." His position is 4' south of UGC 7334.

Arnold Schwassmann found the galaxy again on 30 Oct 1899 using the 6-inch astrographic refractor at Heidelberg and measured an accurate position. Schwassmann and Dreyer assumed it was new and it was catalogued again as IC 3113.

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NGC 4247 = MCG +01-31-042 = CGCG 041-071 = Holm 359c = PGC 39480

12 17 58.0 +07 16 26

V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, very small, round, weak concentration, low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4246 5.4' S.

George Searle discovered NGC 4247 = HN 35 on 25 Feb 1868 using the 15-inch Merz Refractor at the Harvard Observatory (Annals of Harvard Observatory, Vol 13, #265). His offset from GC 2821 = NGC 4235 is just 4 sec of time preceding and 1' north of MCG +01-31-042.

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NGC 4248 = UGC 7335 = MCG +08-22-099 = CGCG 243-064 = CGCG 244-001 = Holm 363b = LGG 290-020 = PGC 39461

12 17 50.4 +47 24 31

V = 12.5; Size 3.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 108d

13.1" (3/17/86): faint, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, moderately large, 1.5'x0.5'. A mag 14.5 is at the NW edge. Located 10' W of NGC 4231 and NGC 4232 and 13' NW of M106. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4248 = H II-742 = h1169 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and recorded "F, S, E." CH's reduction is 17 sec of RA following UGC 7335. JH made two observations and called it "vF; pmE; psbM."

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NGC 4249 = MCG +01-31-039 = CGCG 041-068 = PGC 39481

12 17 59.4 +05 35 55

V = 13.8; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.2

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, small, round, 24" diameter, weak concentration to the center. NGC 4252 lies 8.2' ESE and CGCG 041-072 ("very faint, round, 12" diameter, low surface brightness") is 5.5' NNE.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4252 7' ESE. Located at the west edge of the large NGC 4261 group.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4249 = m 234 on 26 May 1864, along with NGCs 4252, 4266, 4282 and 4287. His position is an exact match with CGCG 041-068 = PGC 39481.

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NGC 4250 = UGC 7329 = MCG +12-12-005 = CGCG 335-009 = VII Zw 447 = PGC 39414

12 17 26.2 +70 48 09

V = 11.8; Size 2.7'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 168d

17.5" (5/2/92): moderately bright, small, round, broad concentration with overall high surface brightness. The halo appears to extend further on the north side of the core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4250 = H I-264 = h1170 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted "cB, S, bM." His position is 1.0 tmin west of UGC 7329. JH logged "pF S; R pgbM; 15"."

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NGC 4251 = UGC 7338 = MCG +05-29-050 = CGCG 158-060 = PGC 39492

12 18 08.4 +28 10 31

V = 10.7; Size 3.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 100d

17.5" (5/23/98): bright, moderately large, elongated ~5:2 WNW-ESE, 2.2'x0.8'. Well concentrated with a roundish prominent core within fainter extensions which dim towards the tips. At 280x the core contains a substellar nucleus. A mag 13-13.5 star is 2.9' ESE of center and 9 Com (V = 6.3) follows by 18'. IC 777 lies 18' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4251 = H I-89 = h1171 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "vB, S, lE." His position is just off the north side of the galaxy. JH made 3 observations and noted on sweep 417 "vB; vsvsbM; has a *6.7 1.5 min (of time) following."

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NGC 4252 = UGC 7343 = MCG +01-31-045 = CGCG 041-076 = PGC 39537

12 18 30.9 +05 33 34

V = 14.1; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 48d

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 42"x14". even surface brightness. NGC 4249 lies 8' WNW, NGC 4257 is 13' NE and NGC 4266 is 18' E.

17.5" (3/24/90): extremely faint, small, edge-on SW-NE, low surface brightness. Forms a pair with NGC 4249 7' WNW. Located at the west side of the large NGC 4261 group.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4252 on 26 May 1864, along with NGCs 4249, 4266, 4282 and 4287. He noted "F, E." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4253 = UGC 7344 = MCG +05-29-051 = CGCG 158-061 = Mrk 766 = PGC 39525

12 18 26.5 +29 48 46

V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7

17.5" (4/25/98): fairly faint, very small, irregularly round, 20" diameter. Fairly high surface brightness, quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 14 star lies 1' N. Located 22' NW of NGC 474. Observation in hazy conditions. Contains a Sy 1 nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4253 = H III-702 = h1172 on 3 Feb 1788 (sweep 805) and noted "vF, vS." CH's reduction is 5 sec of time preceding and 2.5' north of UGC 7344. JH called this galaxy "vF; R; 20".", but did not measure a very accurate position either.

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NGC 4254 = M99 = UGC 7345 = MCG +03-31-099 = CGCG 098-144 = CGCG 099-011 = LGG 285-011 = Pinwheel Galaxy = PGC 39578

12 18 49.6 +14 24 59

V = 9.9; Size 5.4'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

48" (4/1/11): stunning view of this beautiful, asymmetric two-armed spiral at 375x. The brighter, more open arm is attached on the east side of the very bright core. It unwinds beautifully and expands counterclockwise for ~225° where it ends to the NW of center. As the arm passes south of the core there is a bright, well defined knot (sketched and later measured 0.9' S of the nucleus) with two additional diffuse knots in this arm 1.2' SW of center and 1.9' W of center. The arm continues to sweep north on the west side, where it is well separated from the main body. A second long sweeping fainter arm is attached on the west side of the core and unfolds counterclockwise towards the NE. It contains a diffuse knot ~1.2' NNW of center and terminates near an ill-defined knot 2' NE of center. The halo of the galaxy is more extensive on this side and contains a prominent knot 1.8' E of center. This knot is at the end of another more ill-defined arm on the north side of the core heading east that contains additional mottled clumps. The galaxy is sharply concentrated with a brilliant 1' core that increases to a sharp stellar nucleus.

18" (4/10/04): a fairly prominent arm is attached at the southeast end of the large, bright core and winds along the south side towards the southwest. This arm is clearly detached from the core with a dark gap between the arm and the core. The northern arm is ill-defined and appears more like a couple of short "brush-strokes" close north of the core.

17.5" (5/10/86): very bright, large, bright core, stellar nucleus. There is an obvious spiral arm attached at the SE side of the core and winding along the south side towards the west. There is a dark gap between the spiral arm and the core along the south and west side. A second shorter, diffuse arm is visible on the north side.

13" (4/29/84): bright nuclear region. A spiral arm is easily visible attached at the SE side of core and winding almost 180° to the west. Located 10' SW of mag 6.5 HD 10710.

Pierre Méchain discovered M99 = NGC 4254 = h1173 on 15 Mar 1781.  WH observed M99 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded, "vB. vL. vgmbM, and the brightness taking up a great space.  JH logged on sweep 419, "B; R; gbM; r; 5' diam."

William Parsons, the third Earl of Rosse, discovered spiral structure in April of 1846 using the 72" Leviathan of Parsonstown.  The observation was made a full year after the spiral nature of M51 was discovered, as LdR's attention was diverted to the Irish potato famine.  On 11 Mar 1848, observing assistant William Rambaut described M99 as a "Spiral with a bright star above; a thin portion of the nebula reaches across this star and some distance past it.  Principal spiral at the bottom, and turning towards the right.”  Lord Rosse’s outstanding sketch showing at least 4 arms was published in the Philosphical Transactions of 1850 (plate XXXV, figure 2), alongside his sketch of M51.  A good copy of the sketch is at http://www.wsanford.com/~wsanford/exo/rosse/index.html.

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NGC 4255 = UGC 7348 = MCG +01-31-047 = CGCG 042-004 = PGC 39592

12 18 56.1 +04 47 11

V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 115d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated WNW-ESE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.

Auguste Voigt discovered NGC 4255 in 1865 with the 31-inch silver-on-glass Marseille reflector. C.H.F. Peters independently found it with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College Observatory (discovery date unknown) and listed it as a "nova" in his 1881 Copenicus article. Peters' position matches UGC 7348. As Voigt's discoveries weren't published, Peters is credited in the NGC.

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NGC 4256 = UGC 7351 = MCG +11-15-045 = CGCG 315-032 = PGC 39568

12 18 42.9 +65 53 54

V = 11.9; Size 4.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 42d

17.5" (3/20/93): bright striking galaxy, large, very thin edge-on 4.0'x0.5' SW-NE, elongated bright core, almost stellar nucleus, thin tapering extensions. NGC 4210 lies 21' WNW and NGC 4332 25' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4256 = H II-846 = h1174 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "pB, mE, BN, 5' long and 1/2' broad from sp to nf." JH recorded "pB; vmE in pos 218.2°; 90" l." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4257 = MCG +01-31-049 = CGCG 042-006 = PGC 39624

12 19 06.5 +05 43 33

V = 14.0; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated nearly 3:1 WSW-ENE, 32"x12", pretty smooth surface brightness. Two mag 14/15 stars 1.2' S and 1.8' S are collinear with the galaxy. Located 7' SW of NGC 4261 and 10' SW of NGC 4264 in a field with numerous NGCs.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, small, edge-on WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. Located in a large group with NGC 4261 7' NNE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4257 on 21 Apr 1862 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen Observator while observing nearby NGC 4261. His description mentions a mag 18 star 2' south, though the star is closer to mag 14-14.5.

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NGC 4258 = M106 = UGC 7353 = VV 448 = MCG +08-22-104 = CGCG 243-067 = CGCG 244-003 = Holm 363a = LGG 290-004 = PGC 39600

12 18 57.5 +47 18 15

V = 8.4; Size 18.6'x7.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d

18" (6/4/05): two spiral arms are evident emerging from the large, very bright core. On the west side of the core, a thin, gently sweeping arm defines the western edge of the galaxy. At the southern end of this arm is a brighter knot or HII region (identified as SDSS J121901.36+471525.0 in NED). On the east side of the core, a well-defined, thin arm juts out from the core towards the NNW as a linear extension. The arm is brightest at the root, where it attaches to the core. The core is concentrated to a fairly small, very bright central nucleus and the extensions/arms have a slightly mottled or lively appearance. This is a Seyfert 2 galaxy with a very active galactic nuclei. The standard model for the core assumes a massive black hole.

17.5" (4/7/89): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 14'x4', large bright core concentrated to a very small brighter central region. A thin bright spiral arm attached at the core extends towards the NNW on the following side of the galaxy. There is a sharp edge along the west side of this arm.

13" (4/12/86): bright, very large, bright core, substellar nucleus, mottling near core. A large bright knot is at end of the southern arm.

13" (3/17/86): very bright, very large, impressive! Contains a nearly stellar core in a high surface brightness oval disk.

8": bright, very large, elongated, bright core.

Pierre Méchain discovered M106 = NGC 4258 = H V-43 = h1175 in July 1781. William Herschel found this galaxy on 9 Mar 1788 and recorded V 43 as "v brilliant. BN with much fainter branches from np to sf, about 15' long, and the sf running out into vF nebulosity extending a great way." On 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) he logged "vB, mE directly in the meridian [N-S] with faint branches 10 or 12' long, BNM with the nucleus not ground." JH made 4 observations and recorded (sweep 330) "vB; vL; vsvmbM to an oval nucl; 8 or 9' long; 4 or 5' broad." The 20 Apr 1857 observation at Birr Castle (by R.J. Mitchell) reads "a vL, B, E neb np sf, much mottled. The f edge is comparatively sharp and well defined, but in the p and n edge there is a great inequality of light. Nucleus elongated, vB part to north of nucleus."

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NGC 4259 = UGC 7359 = MCG +01-31-051 = CGCG 042-012 = Holm 368e = WBL 397-001 = PGC 39657

12 19 22.2 +05 22 35

V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 143d

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated nearly 5:2 NW-SE, 28"x12", fairly high surface brightness. A mag 15 star is off the NE flank, 0.4' from center. A number of galaxies are in the field to the east, including IC 3513 3.9' ENE, NGC 4268 8.4' SE, NGC 4270 8.6' NE and NGC 4273/4277 pair 9' ESE.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, almost round, bright core. A mag 15 star is at the NE edge 0.5' from center. First of seven in the NGC 4273 group and forms a pair with IC 3153 3' ENE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4259 = h1178 on 27 Dec 1827 and noted as "precedes four more, nearly in parallel." His position is 2.3' south of UGC 7359, but the north polar distance was marked as approximate. The four galaxies are probably NGC 4268, 4273, 4277 and 4281 (nearly collinear).

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NGC 4260 = UGC 7361 = MCG +01-31-054 = CGCG 042-015 = PGC 39656

12 19 22.2 +06 05 55

V = 11.8; Size 2.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 58d

24" (4/28/14): bright or very bright, large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2'x1', sharply concentrated with a very bright round nucleus. A mag 14.7 star is just off the NE edge of the halo. CGCG 042-007 lies 5.4' W ("very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, low even surface brightness"), IC 3136 is 8' NW ("fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 30"x12", even surface brightness") and NGC 4269/IC 3155 pair is 8' SE, just south of a mag 7.7 star.

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated SW-NE, broadly concentrated halo. A mag 14.5 star is off the NE end 1.4' from center. Located 7' NW of mag 7.7 SAO 11933. NGC 4261 lies 17' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4260 = H II-138 = h1177 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and simply noted "F". His position is 3.8' northwest of UGC 6361. JH noted "B; E; psbM." and measured an accurate position (2 sweeps).

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NGC 4261 = UGC 7360 = MCG +01-31-052 = CGCG 042-015 = 3C 270 = PGC 39659

12 19 23.2 +05 49 29

V = 10.4; Size 4.1'x3.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 160d

24" (4/28/14): very bright, very large, oval 4:3 NNW-SSE, 2.4'x1.8'. Sharply concentrated with a large, intensely bright core that brightens to a quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is near the edge of the halo on the ENE side. VCC 344 is 1.8' S, just outside the halo, and was logged as "faint, very small, round, 12" diameter, high surface brightness." Forms a pair with NGC 4264 3.3' NE and brightest of 30 galaxies viewed within 35'!

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, fairly large, slightly elongated NW-SE, very bright core with stellar nucleus embedded. Brightest in a large group of 13 NGC galaxies. In a field with NGC 4264 3.4' ENE, NGC 4257 7' SSW and CGCG 042-014 5' N. NGC 4260 lies 17' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4261 = H II-139 = h1176 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Two. The first [NGC 4261] is the largest. The 2nd [NGC 4264] very faint." JH called the galaxy "vB; pL; R; psmbM; 40"." His single position is 10 sec of RA too far west, but Schönfeld and d'Arrest both measured accurate positions.

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NGC 4262 = UGC 7365 = MCG +03-31-101 = CGCG 099-014 = PGC 39676

12 19 30.6 +14 52 39

V = 11.6; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.7

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, strong bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with IC 781 9' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4262 = H II-110 = h1179 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "S, r." In his 1811 PT paper, he commented "this star with a bur is probably one that formerly a planetary nebula with a pretty strong haziness on the borders." JH also called it "B; S; R; like a * 11m with a burr."

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NGC 4263 = NGC 4265 = MCG -02-32-001 = PGC 39698

12 19 42.2 -12 13 32

V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 125d

18" (5/28/06): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, roughly 1.2'x0.9', only a weak broad concentration. The halo is irregular with averted vision and appears elongated 3:2, though at other times appears rounder. On the DSS there is a faint extension to the west and perhaps I was picking up this section with averted.

18" (3/13/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 0.6'x0.3', low even surface brightness. Observation made through thin clouds.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4263 = H III-535 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "vF, pS, iF."  His position (CH's reduction) is 1.5' southwest of PGC 39698.

Lewis Swift independently discovered the galaxy on 6 May 1886 and reported it in list III-63, close to WH's position. Dreyer assumed it was new and catalogued NGC 4263 again as NGC 4265.  Dreyer equated the two numbers in his 1912 version of WH's catalogues.  By prior discovery, NGC 4263 should be the primary designation.

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NGC 4264 = UGC 7364 = MCG +01-32-001 = CGCG 042-020 = PGC 39687

12 19 35.8 +05 50 48

V = 12.8; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, broad weak concentration. Forms a pair with much brighter NGC 4261 3.5' WSW.

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, small, round, broad concentration. Located at the north edge of a large galaxy group and 3.4' NE of NGC 4261.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4264 = H II-140 = h1180 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Two. The first [NGC 4261] is the largest. The 2nd [NGC 4264] very faint." JH called the galaxy "pF; R; gbM; 30"." Henrich d'Arrest measured the position 6 times and noted the separation with NGC 4261 was 13 sec of time.

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NGC 4265 = NGC 4263 = MCG -02-32-001 = PGC 39698

12 19 42.2 -12 13 30

See observing notes for NGC 4263.

Lewis Swift found NGC 4265 = Sw III-63 on 6 May 1886. His position is only 2' south of NGC 4263 = H III-535 so I'm not sure why Dreyer assumed it was a different object. In any case, he noted that NGC 4265 was identical to NGC 4263 in the IC 2 Notes section as "Howe saw only one." The primary designation should be NGC 4263.

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NGC 4266 = UGC 7368 = MCG +01-32-002 = CGCG 042-021 = WBL 397-003 = PGC 39699

12 19 42.3 +05 32 18

V = 13.7; Size 2.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 76d

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, thin edge-on 6:1 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.2', even surface brightness. Although this is a nice streak, the galaxy is partially masked by mag 9.1 HD 107228 just off the NW flank (40" from center). In a rich region of galaxies, with NGC 4270 4.9' SSW, IC 4153 8.6' SSW, NGC 4282 10' ENE, NGC 4259 11' SSW, NGC 4281 13' SE and more. Mag 7.3 HD 107258 lies 9' NNE.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, small, edge-on WSW-ENE. The view is hampered by mag 8.5 SAO 119331 at the NW edge of the galaxy! Faintest of 8 galaxies in the field including NGC 4282, NGC 4270, NGC 4259, NGC 4268, NGC 4273, NGC 4281 and IC 3153.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4266, along with NGCs 4249, 4252, 4282 and 4287, on 26 May 1864. His position matches UGC 7368.

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NGC 4267 = UGC 7373 = MCG +02-32-004 = CGCG 070-013 = PGC 39710

12 19 45.2 +12 47 54

V = 10.9; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.3

24" (5/29/14): very bright, moderately large, round, 1.3' diameter, sharply concentrated with an intense core that gradually increases to a stellar nucleus. Contains a much fainter outer halo.

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, fairly small, very diffuse round halo. Sharp concentration as increases suddenly to a small very bright core and stellar nucleus. NGC 4305/NGC 4306 pair lies 33' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4267 = H II-166 = h1181 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "pB; vS." His position at the north edge of the halo of UGC 7373. JH made two observations, calling this galaxy "pB, R, vsmbM, almost to a star."

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NGC 4268 = UGC 7371 = MCG +01-32-004 = CGCG 042-023 = Holm 368d = WBL 397-004 = PGC 39712

12 19 47.2 +05 17 01

V = 12.8; Size 1.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 48d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.4', contains a small bright core. A mag 14.5-15 star lies 0.8' NW of center. NGC 4273 lies 4.2' NE, NGC 4277 5.4' NE and NGC 4281 10.6' NE with a total of 8 galaxies (7 NGCs) in a 15' field.

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, brighter core. A mag 14.5 star is 0.8' NW of center. Third of seven in a group with NGC 4273 4.3' NE.

Eduard Schönfeld discovered NGC 4268 on 1 Apr 1862 with the 6" Steinheil refractor at Mannheim Observatory while observing the NGC 4273 group. JH must have missed the discovery announcement in 1862 as he didn't include this nebula in the GC, but Dreyer added to the GC Supplement. The NGC position is accurate (attributed to Schönfeld, d'Arrest and Engelhardt).

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NGC 4269 = UGC 7372 = MCG +01-32-005 = CGCG 042-024 = Holm 365a = WBL 392-012 = PGC 39719

12 19 49.2 +06 00 54

V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 137d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, small, round, 12" (core) surounded by a much fainter elongated halo 20"x14" NW-SE. The core has a very high surface brightness and contains a very bright stellar nucleus. Located 1.6' SE of mag 7.7 HD 107238 and 8.4' SE of NGC 4260. Forms a close pair with fainter IC 3155 1.2' SW. IC 3155 appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SW-NE, very weak concentration, 30"x18". Slightly larger than NGC 4269, though a lower surface brightness.

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, very small and bright core, slightly elongated. Located 1.7' SSE of mag 7.7 SAO 119333 which interferes with viewing. Forms a pair with IC 3155 1.2' SW. NGC 4260 lies 10' WNW. Located at the north edge of the NGC 4261 group.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4269 on 4 Mar 1862 with an 11" refractor. His position, measured on 2 nights, matches UGC 7372 = PGC 39719 and he measured nearby mag 7.7 HD 107238 at 1.7 sec of time preceding and 85" north. d'Arrest missed nearby IC 3155.

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NGC 4270 = UGC 7376 = MCG +01-32-007 = CGCG 042-026 = Holm 368c = WBL 397-005 = PGC 39718

12 19 49.5 +05 27 48

V = 12.2; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d

24" (4/28/14): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 1.2'x0.6', sharply concentrated with a very bright core increasing to a bright stellar nucleus. Eight additional NGC galaxies lie within 10'! NGC 4266 is 3.8' NNW, NGC 4273 7.3' SSE, NGC 4281 is 9' SE.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, elongated WNW-ESE, bright core, fainter arms, moderately large. Located 5.4' SSE of mag 9 SAO 119335. Fifth of seven in a group including NGC 4273 7.5' S, NGC 4266 4' NNW and NGC 4281 9.4' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4270 = H II-568 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the last. They are scattered about." There is nothing near his position (10 min 14 sec following and 34' north of 11 Virginis), but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last of the 4 bright galaxies. According to Wolfgang Steinicke, Eduard Schönfeld resolved the discrepancy and also discovered nearby NGC 4268, which was missed by WH and JH.

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NGC 4271 = UGC 7375 = MCG +10-18-025 = CGCG 293-010 = Holm 366a = PGC 39683

12 19 32.7 +56 44 12

V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 55d

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, sharp bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is off the west edge 1.1' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4271 = H II-804 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "pB, pL, iF." His position matches UGC 7375.

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NGC 4272 = UGC 7378 = MCG +05-29-059 = CGCG 158-072 = PGC 39715

12 19 47.6 +30 20 20

V = 13.1; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0

17.5" (4/25/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, weak concentration. A nice wide pair of mag 11 stars (47" separation) lie 5' SSE. Observation in hazy conditions.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4272 = H III-299 = h1182 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and simply noted "eF". JH made the single observation "eF; vS; R; 10"." and measured an accurate position. The UGC declination is 10' too far south.

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NGC 4273 = UGC 7380 = MCG +01-32-008 = CGCG 042-028 = Holm 368a = WBL 397-006 = PGC 39738

12 19 56.0 +05 20 35

V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d

24" (4/28/14): bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.6'x0.8', well concentrated, brighter along the major axis (bar?). Among numerous NGC galaxies including NGC 4277 2' E, NGC 4268 4' SW, NGC 4281 7' NE, NGC 4270 7.5' N and NGC 4259 9' WNW.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4277 2' ESE. Brightest in a group of 7 galaxies with NGC 4281 6' ENE, NGC 4268 3.8' SW and NGC 4270 7.5' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4273 = H II-569 = h1183 = h1189 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the last [NGC 4281]. They are scattered about." There is nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last of the 4 bright galaxies. Because of WH's error, JH recorded the nebula as a "nova" (h1189) on 27 Dec 1827, but his RA was ~40 sec too large. On a later sweep, he recorded it as a nova again (h1183) and measured an accurate position. Dreyer combined these identities together in the NGC.

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NGC 4274 = UGC 7377 = MCG +05-29-060 = CGCG 158-071 = PGC 39724

12 19 50.6 +29 36 51

V = 10.4; Size 6.8'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 102d

17.5" (4/25/98): bright, very large, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, ~5'x2' though difficult to trace the full extent as the outer halo fades into background. Well concentrated with a bright roundish core ~1' diameter which increases to a very small or stellar nucleus. NGC 4253 lies 22' NW, NGC 4245 29' W and NGC 4278/NGC 4283/NGC 4286 ~20' SSE. Observation in hazy skies.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4274 = H I-75 = h1185 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and simply noted "vB". JH made the single observation "vB; vL; E in parallel (E-W); 2' l, 1.5' br." On 24 Apr 1849, LdR or assistant George Stoney suspected a "faint tail following". This probably refers to part of the ring surrounding the core.

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NGC 4275 = UGC 7382 = MCG +05-29-058 = CGCG 158-073 = PGC 39728

12 19 52.6 +27 37 16

V = 13.1; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3

18" (5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, brighter core, fairly high surface brightness. A mag 13 star lies 1.1' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4275 = H II-376 = h1184 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "pF, S, almost R, bM." JH made two observations and noted on sweep 417, "F; lE; near a * 15m."

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NGC 4276 = UGC 7385 = MCG +01-32-010 = CGCG 042-032 = PGC 39765

12 20 07.4 +07 41 30

V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, fairly small, round, even surface brightness, no noticeable core.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4276 around 1881 (Copenicus paper, 1881) with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College Observatory. His position matches UGC 7385.

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NGC 4277 = MCG +01-32-009 = CGCG 042-029 = Holm 368f = WBL 397-007 = PGC 39759

12 20 03.7 +05 20 28

V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, round, 30" diameter, broad concentration. A mag 14-14.5 star lies 1.2' S of center. Forms a close pair with NGC 4273 2' W and nearly at the midpoint of NGC 4281 5' NE and NGC 4268 5' SW.

17.5" (3/28/87): faint, small, diffuse. A mag 14 star is 1.2' S of center. Located just 2.1' E of NGC 4273. Second faintest of 7 in the NGC 4273 group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4277 = H II-570 = h1190 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the last [NGC 4281]. They are scattered about." There is nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last of these four galaxies. Because of WH's error, JH recorded the nebula as a "nova" (h1190) on 27 Dec 1827, but his RA was 47 sec too large. In addition, his descriptions for h1189 and h1190 are reversed.

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NGC 4278 = UGC 7386 = MCG +05-29-062 = CGCG 158-077 = Holm 369a = WBL 399-001 = PGC 39764

12 20 06.8 +29 16 50

V = 10.2; Size 4.1'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (4/25/98): bright, roundish, fairly large, the outer halo increasing to ~3.5' diameter with averted vision. The halo surrounds a well-defined very prominent core which increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4283 3.5' NE. Poor transparency.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4278 = H I-90 = H II-322 = h1186 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded II-322 as "Three [with NGC 4283 and 4286], all in a row, but of unequal size and brightness. The most following [NGC 4286] vF." His single position is 14 sec of time following NGC 4278. He found NGC 4278 again a month later (11 Apr), assumed it was new and recorded I-90 as "Two [with NGC 4283], the time is that of the brightest and preceding [NGC 4278], which is cB, pL, nearly R. The other is sf, pB, S, about 6' distance." JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4279 = MCG -02-32-003 = PGC 39812

12 20 25.0 -11 40 00

V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 35d

18" (5/8/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, very small brighter core. Brighter of a close pair with NGC 4285 4' NE. A couple of faint stars are between the two galaxies (these are possibly Swift's NGC 4280).

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4279 = Sw III-64, along with NGC 4280 and 4285, on 6 May 1886. His description reads "eeF; vS; R; 1st of 3." There are only two galaxies near his positions for these three objects and only his position for NGC 4285 = Sw III-66 lands directly on a galaxy. His first two positions are both to the south of MCG -02-32-003 = PGC 39812. Modern catalogues assign NGC 4279 = PGC 39812. See NGC 4280.

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NGC 4280

12 20 31 -11 39 06

18" (5/8/04): this number may apply to a trio of mag 15 stars situated between NGC 4279 and NGC 4285. The two brighter stars were noted, although I was not looking for the fainter third star. This identification is uncertain and listed as nonexistent in RNGC.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4280 = Sw III-65, along with NGC 4279 and 4285, on 6 May 1886. There are only two galaxies here and either NGC 4279 or 4280 is nonexistent or refers to a faint star(s). Assuming NGC 4279 = PGC 39812 , then Swift's offsert to NGC 4280 falls close to a 45" string of 3 mag 14.5/15.5/16.5 stars. His description "eeeF; vS; R; 2nd of 3" is not helpful in pinning down the identification. So, this number is lost or might apply to one of more of these stars.

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NGC 4281 = UGC 7389 = MCG +01-32-012 = CGCG 042-034 = Holm 368b = WBL 397-008 = PGC 39801

12 20 21.5 +05 23 11

V = 11.3; Size 3.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 88d

24" (4/28/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 E-W, 1.8'x0.9', sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to quasi-stellar nucleus. NGC 4268, 4273 and 4277 in a 10' string to the SW and NGC 4270 and 4266 lie to the NW.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated 2:1 E-W. This galaxy is the last of 7 in a 15' circle and the brightest in the group along with NGC 4273 6.9' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4281 = H II-571 = H II-573 = h1187 = h1194 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "Four [NGC 4270, 4273, 4277 and 4281], the time and number is that of the last [NGC 4281]. They are scattered about." There is nothing near his position, but exactly one degree south is NGC 4281, the last of these four galaxies. He swept the field again 6 days later and measured an accurate position for NGC 4281, and simply noted (for II-573) "a nebula, but cloudy."

JH recorded the nebula as a "nova" on 27 Dec 1827 with the description "vB; E; bM; 60"." His RA was 47 sec too large (same error he made with NGC 4277 and 4273), so he didn't realize the equivalence with II-573. On a later sweep he observed H II-573 again, measured an accurate position and reported "vB, vL, R, pgbM, 3', 3 more seen." So, errors were made by both WH and JH, though Dreyer sorted things out pretty well in his 1912 publication of WH's catalogues.

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NGC 4282 = MCG +01-32-013 = CGCG 042-035 = WBL 397-009 = PGC 39809

12 20 24.3 +05 34 22

V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 100d

24" (4/28/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 ~E-W, 0.7'x0.3', gradually increases to a slightly brighter core, brighter along the major axis. On a line between NGC 4270 11' SW and NGC 4287 7' NE. Also NGC 4266 lies 11' WSW.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, low even surface brightness. A mag 13 star is 1.8' S of center. Located in the large NGC 4261 group with NGC 4287 6' NE and NGC 4270 10' SW.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4282 = m 237, along with NGC 4249, 4252, 4266 and 4287 on 26 May 1864. His position is 2' north of CGCG 042-035 = PGC 39809.

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NGC 4283 = UGC 7390 = MCG +05-29-063 = CGCG 158-080 = Holm 369b = WBL 399-002 = PGC 39800

12 20 20.8 +29 18 39

V = 12.1; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.9

17.5" (4/25/98): moderately bright, round, 1' diameter. Fairly well concentrated with a small, bright core and stellar nucleus. Second of three in trio with brighter NGC 4278 3.5' SW and NGC 4286 5' NE. Poor transparency due to smoke.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4283 = H II-377 = H II-323 = h1188 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded II-323 as "Three [with NGC 4278 and 4286], all in a row, but of unequal size and brightness. The most following [NGC 4286] vF." His single position is 14 sec of time following NGC 4278. He found NGC 4283 again a month later (11 Apr), assumed it was new and recorded II-377 as "Two [with NGC 4283], the time is that of the brightest and preceding [NGC 4278], which is cB, pL, nearly R. The other [NGC 4283] is sf [error: should read nf], pB, S, about 6' distance." JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4284 = UGC 7393 = MCG +10-18-026 = CGCG 293-011 = Holm 373b = PGC 39775

12 20 12.6 +58 05 34

V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 102d

17.5" (5/13/88): faint, small, bright core, elongated NW-SE. Forms a right angle with two mag 13 stars 1.3' S and 1.1' E of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4290 5' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4284 = H III-798 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "cF, lE, iF. The preceding of two [with II-805 = NGC 4290]. His re-reduced position is 2' northwest of UGC 7393.

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NGC 4285 = MCG -02-32-004 = PGC 39842

12 20 39.8 -11 38 31

V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 50d

18" (5/8/04): very faint, small, elongated ~3:2 SW-NE, 35"x20", weak concentration. Forms a pair with slightly brighter NGC 4279 4' SW. Between the galaxies are a couple of faint stars (possibly NGC 4280).

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4285 = Sw III-66, along with NGC 4279 and 4280, on 6 May 1886 and recorded "eF; pS; R; 3rd of 3." There are only two galaxies here, but his position clearly establishes NGC 4285 = MCG -02-32-004 = PGC 39842. See NGC 4280.

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NGC 4286 = UGC 7398 = MCG +05-29-065 = CGCG 158-083 = IC 3181 = WBL 399-003 = PGC 39846

12 20 42 +29 20 48

V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 150d

17.5" (4/25/98): very faint, very low surface brightness. No details visible but appears as an elongated haze ~N-S, located just north of a mag 15.5 star. On a line with NGC 4283 5' SW and NGC 4278 8.5' SW. Transparency poor.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4286 = H III-300 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "Three [with NGC 4283 and 4286], all in a row, but of unequal size and brightness. The most following [NGC 4286] vF.

On 24 Apr 1849, LdR (or observing assistant George Stoney), noted "a third nebula about 8.5' nf [NGC 4278]." Assuming it was new, JH (who missed this galaxy) assigned it GC 2863, although Dreyer realized the equivalence with NGC 4286 and combined the two GC designations in the NGC. Henrich d'Arrest measured an accurate micrometric position.

Max Wolf found this galaxy again on a Heidelberg plate on 23 Mar 1903 and reported it in list IV-28 (later IC 3181). His position matches d'Arrest's, so it's surprising that Dreyer didn't catch the equivalence. So, NGC 4286 = IC 3181.

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NGC 4287 = MCG +01-32-014 = CGCG 042-037 = PGC 39860

12 20 48.5 +05 38 23

V = 14.5; Size 1.1'x0.2'; PA = 75d

24" (4/28/14): faint to fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 or 5:1 WSW-ENE, 35"x8", fairly low even surface brightness. A mag 14.3 star is attached on the northwest side and detracts from viewing. NGC 4282 lies 7' SW and IC 782 is 14' NE (the trio is collinear). In addition, NGC 4266 and 4270 are both ~18' SW.

17.5" (3/24/90): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, low surface brightness. A mag 14.5 star on the west edge slightly hampers the view. NGC 4282 lies 6' SW.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4287 = m 238, along with NGC 4249, 4252, 4266 and 4282 on 26 May 1864. His position is 1' south of CGCG 042-037 = PGC 39860.

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NGC 4288 = UGC 7399 = MCG +08-23-006 = CGCG 244-006 = Holm 371a = PGC 39840

12 20 38.1 +46 17 31

V = 12.9; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 130d

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, gradually brighter halo. Located almost at the midpoint of a mag 13 star 3.3' NNW and a mag 13.5 star 3.7' SSE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4288A 2.3' S. The companion appeared extremely faint, very small, round. A mag 13.5 star is 1.3' S. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4288 = H III-726 = h1191 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and noted "eF, pS." JH made 3 observations and reported on sweep 138 "pF; R; vgbM; 60"."

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NGC 4289 = UGC 7403 = MCG +01-32-015 = CGCG 042-038 = FGC 1418 = LGG 281-010 = PGC 39886

12 21 02.3 +03 43 20

V = 13.8; Size 3.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 1d

18" (5/8/04): very faint, thin edge-on 5:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.2', very weak concentration. This delicate sliver required some care in first acquiring. A mag 8.4 star (HD 107473) just 3.1' E detracts from viewing. Located 47' SSW of M61.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4289 = T I-42 in 1877. His position and description (BD +4°2606 follows by 12 sec of time) matches UGC 7403.

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NGC 4290 = UGC 7402 = MCG +10-18-029 = CGCG 293-012 = Holm 373a = PGC 39859

12 20 47.5 +58 05 33

V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 90d

17.5" (5/13/88): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated WSW-ENE, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4284 4.6' W. A wide double star = M40 lies 15' E. Located 15' N of 70 Ursa Majoris (V = 5.6).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4290 = H II-805 = h1193 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "pB, pL, mbM. The following of two [with H III-798 = NGC 4284]." His offset from NGC 4284 is an exact match with UGC 7402. JH observed this object on a single sweep and noted "pB; L; R; gbM; 60"."

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NGC 4291 = UGC 7397 = MCG +13-09-024 = CGCG 352-028 = PGC 39791

12 20 17.7 +75 22 15

V = 11.5; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d

13.1" (2/23/85): fairly bright, small, round, small bright nucleus, possible stellar nucleus at 312x. A mag 14 star is at the west edge 25" from the center. Form a pair with NGC 4319 6' SE. Located 13' NNE of mag 5.4 SAO 7540. NGC 4386 lies 20' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4291 = H I-275 = h1192, along with NGC 4319, on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and noted "cB, S, R." JH made four observations and logged on sweep 349 "pF; R; gbM; 20"; followed and almost surrounded by 3 stars 10m, one of which is double; has also a vS * sp dist 30"."

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NGC 4292 = UGC 7404 = MCG +01-32-016 = CGCG 042-040 = Holm 375a = PGC 39922

12 21 16.4 +04 35 44

V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 7d

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, bright core, slightly elongated halo. Located 1.3' SSE of a mag 10 star. Forms a close pair with NGC 4292A 2' N. The companion appeared very faint, very small, almost round, requires averted. M61 lies 11' SE.

13" (2/23/85): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated ~N-S, brighter core. A mag 9 star is 1' NW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4292 = h1196 on 7 Apr 1828 and logged "F; S; near a bright star; precedes M61 about half a field." A few nights later he logged "F; R; vglbM; has a star 70° np; 1' dist. Taken for H I-139, but this nebula does not exist, or is identical with M61." The latter is the case.

On 1 Mar 1851, Bindon Stoney (LdR's assistant) recorded "bM and has a vF companion". While compiling the 1880 publication, Dreyer added the note "2' north by diagram." At this offset from NGC 4292 is NGC 4292A = PGC 213977, another pre-NGC discovery which should have recieved a NGC designation.

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NGC 4293 = UGC 7405 = MCG +03-32-006 = CGCG 099-023 = PGC 39907

12 21 13.0 +18 23 00

V = 10.4; Size 5.6'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 72d

17.5" (5/23/98): fairly bright, large, elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, ~4.5'x1.5'. The core is more oval, ~1.2' diameter. The galaxy has an irregular surface brightness and there appears to be a dark band following the core. A mag 13.5 star is just off the following end 2.7' from center and a trio of mag 12-13 stars are off the NE end as well as another mag 13 star 2' N of center. Located 36' N of 11 Comae Berenices (V = 4.7).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4293 = H V-5 = h1195 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded "L, E, r, 6 or 7' in length." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 61) "F; vL; E; bM; 5' l, 1.5' br." Bindon Stoney, LdR's assistant on 10 Apr 1852, noted a "faint knot at end of the preceding branch."

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NGC 4294 = UGC 7407 = MCG +02-32-009 = CGCG 070-024 = Holm 376a = PGC 39925

12 21 17.8 +11 30 37

V = 12.1; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 155d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 2.0'x0.7', fairly weak concentration. A mag 14.5 star is at the north end 1.1' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4299 5.6' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4294 = H II-61 = h1197 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded "Two [with NGC 4299] considerable, E, F nebula; their situation is in the same parallel; and they are near fixed pB stars." CH's reduced position is about a min of RA following UGC 7407 and the description fits. JH's description on sweep 242 is interesting: "F; vmE; like a double neb composed of 2 R nebulae."

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NGC 4295 = MCG +05-29-068 = CGCG 158-085 = PGC 39906

12 21 09.8 +28 09 54

V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.5'

18" (6/23/09): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 30"x25", increases gradually to a very small brighter core.

17.5" (4/25/98): very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, weak concentration. A mag 13 star lies 3.3' NNE. Poor transparency due to smoke.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4295 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is just off the east side of CGCG 158-085 = PGC 39906.

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NGC 4296 = UGC 7409 = MCG +01-32-017 = CGCG 042-041 NED2 = PGC 39943

12 21 28.4 +06 39 12

V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 15d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, bright core, very faint elongated halo N-S mostly visible to the south of the core. Forms a pair with NGC 4297 1.1' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4296 = H III-92, along with NGC 4297, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded both as "vF, vS; and one still smaller and fainter suspected just by." His single offset is just 5 sec of RA following UGC 7409.

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NGC 4297 = MCG +01-32-018 = CGCG 042-041 NED1 = PGC 39940

12 21 27.4 +06 40 16

V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 175d

17.5" (3/24/90): extremely faint and small, round, requires averted. Located 1.1' N of NGC 4296.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4297 = H III-93, along with NGC 4296, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded both as "vF, vS; and one still smaller and fainter suspected just by." His single offset is just 5 sec of RA following UGC 7409 (taken as III-92 = NGC 4296) with fainter CGCG 042-041 (taken as III-93 = NGC 4297) just 1.1' NNW.

But III-93 was not seen by Heinrich d'Arrest or Guillaume Bigourdan and Frost missed it on a Harvard plate, so he classified it as nonexistent (Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No. 1). The CGCG has a single entry and calls this a double system.

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NGC 4298 = UGC 7412 = MCG +03-32-007 = CGCG 099-024 = Holm 377a = PGC 39950

12 21 32.8 +14 36 24

V = 11.3; Size 3.2'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 140d

48" (4/7/13): very bright, large, oval 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.5'. Contains a very bright core, which increases to a small bright nucleus. The core is offset a bit to the NW side. The halo extends further to the southeast side and a weakly defined spiral arm is evident in the outer halo on the west side, extending to the southeast end. A mag 13.5 star is at the east side, 0.8' from the core. Forms a striking pair with NGC 4302 2' E. M99 lies 40' WSW.

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, broadly brighter center. A mag 13 star is at the east end 0.8' from center. Forms a close pair with edge-on NGC 4302 2' E.

13" (3/24/84): fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE. A mag 13 star is at the east end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4298 = H II-111 = h1198, along with NGC 4302, on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula. The first [NGC 4298] R. The second [NGC 4302] E. About 2' from each other. JH noted "F; L; E; vgbM; a star follows; the p of 2."

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NGC 4299 = UGC 7414 = MCG +02-32-010 = CGCG 070-025 = Holm 376b = PGC 39968

12 21 40.8 +11 30 03

V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 26d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, overall fairly diffuse with a broad concentration, slightly elongated. A group of mag 12-13 stars is SE. Forms a pair with NGC 4294 5.6' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4299 = H II-62 = h1200 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded "Two [with NGC 4294] considerable, E, F nebula; their situation is in the same parallel; and they are near fixed pB stars." JH made 3 observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4300 = UGC 7413 = MCG +01-32-021 = CGCG 042-044 = PGC 39972

12 21 41.5 +05 23 05

V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 42d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.4', fairly well concentrated with a bright, elongated core. At the southern vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 9.2 stars 8.4' NNE and 9.2' NW.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. Located 20' E of NGC 4281 and 11' WNW of 17 Virginis (∑1636 = 6.6/9.4 at 21").

William Herschel discovered NGC 4300 = H II-572 = h1201 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and only noted "a nebula, [position] very badly taken." Despite WH's comment just previously in the sweep that "a slop occasioned by the same blundering person", his position is just off the southwest end of the galaxy.

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NGC 4301 = NGC 4303A = UGC 7439 = MCG +01-32-027 = CGCG 042-053 = Holm 379b = PGC 40087

12 22 27.2 +04 33 58

V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, almost round, fairly even surface brightness. Located 10' NE of M61. NGC 4292 lies 11' NW.

13.1" (2/23/85): faint, fairly small, diffuse, roundish.

13.1" (5/26/84): very faint, small, diffuse, slightly elongated, no concentration.

Here are my notes on UGC 7411, the galaxy identified as NGC 4301 in the MCG, PGC and RC3:

UGC 7411 = MCG +01-32-019 = CGCG 042-042 = PGC 39951

12 21 34.1 +04 46 47

V = 13.6; Size 1.4'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 132d

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4301 on 21 Apr 1851, while observing the field of M61 with LdR's 72". The short description in the 1880 Monograph reads "Another neb 10' nf.", but there is no reference object given to identify the object. A more complete description is given in his 1861 publication: "1202 [M61] is a spiral, B. centre, and 2 knots. There is another neb. 10' nf." This strongly suggests NGC 4301 is 10' northeast of M61, which points to NGC 4301 = NGC 4303A = UGC 7439.

Heinrich d'Arrest and Herman Schultz were unable to find NGC 4301 at the GC position. Because of this, Dreyer assumed the LdR discovery was 10' northeast of NGC 4292 (the other object grouped together in the LdR publications) and modified the position of NGC 4301 in the NGC. As a result, UGC 7411 (located 12' NNE of NGC 4292) is misidentified as NGC 4301 in the MCG, PGC, RC3, NGC 2000.0 and the RNGC (based on its rectangular coordinates). UGC 7439 is correctly identified as NGC 4301 in the UGC. Malcolm Thomson investigated the identifications (WSQJ 10/92) and Harold Corwin has a complete analysis.

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NGC 4302 = UGC 7418 = MCG +03-32-009 = CGCG 099-027 = Holm 377b = PGC 39974

12 21 42.3 +14 35 59

V = 11.6; Size 5.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 178d

48" (4/7/13): at 610x; beautiful, thin edge-on stretches at least 8:1 N-S, ~5.0'x0.5'. Contains a brighter, elongated, mottled core. A very thin dust lane extends along the major axis! The core is slightly brighter on the east side of the dust lane. The northern tip extends beyond a mag 14.2 star off the northwest end. A mag 14.3 star is just west of the southern tip. Forms a superb pair with NGC 4298 just 2' W.

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, large edge-on 7:1 N-S, 4.5'x0.6', low surface brightness, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is off the north edge 2.0' from center. Forms a close pair with NGC 4298 2.4' W.

13" (3/24/84): faint edge-on streak N-S close following NGC 4298.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4302 = H II-112 = h1199, along with NGC 4298, on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula. The first [NGC 4298] R. The second [NGC 4302] E. About 2' from each other." On 26 Apr 1832, JH noted "L; vmE nearly in the meridian [N-S]; the f of 2."

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NGC 4303 = M61 = UGC 7420 = MCG +01-32-022 = CGCG 042-045 = Holm 379a = PGC 40001

12 21 54.9 +04 28 25

V = 9.7; Size 6.5'x5.8'; Surf Br = 13.4

48" (4/5/13): at 375x and 488x, the visible structure was similar to photographic detail! A bright bar extends north-south and is sharply concentrated with a very small, round, intense nucleus. A bright arm is attached right at the north side of the bar and sweeps counterclockwise 180° to the south end, along the east side. A brighter region was visible in the arm east of the nucleus, which include HII regions NGC 4303:[HK83] #35/39/41/45/49, from the Hodge-Kennicutt "Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies".

The western arm is attached at the southern end of the bar and sweeps north on the west side. A bright, elongated patch is on the southern end of this arm, which includes #155, ~45" SSW of the nucleus. The arm extends inside a mag 14 star in the west side of the halo [1.2' WSW of center] and then sharply dims but extends towards #242, a nearly detached faint knot 1.2' WNW of center.

A partial outer arm, not attached to the core, was easily visible on the north side, angling southwest to northeast. This short arms contains HII region #135, a very bright, 15" knot, 1.2' NNE of center.

18" (5/12/07): spiral structure is easily visible. One arm is attached at the north end and sweeps towards the northeast and then hooks to the south along the east side. A bright knot ([HK83] 135) is within the arm at the northeast end. A second broader arm is attached at the south end and sweeps towards the southwest and then hooks towards the north on the west side. The central region contains a bright, stellar nucleus.

13.1" (5/26/84): very bright, large, bright stellar nucleus. Two spiral arms are faintly visible; one arm is attached south of the nucleus and winds towards the west and then north. A slightly brighter arm is attached north of the nucleus and winds along the east side towards the south. In the field with NGC 4292 11' NW and NGC 4301 10' NE.

Barnaba Oriani discovered M61 = NGC 4303 = H I-139 = h1202 on 5 May 1779 while observing the Comet of 1779. It was independently found by Messier six days later, on 11 May 1779. WH found M61 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553), assumed it was new, and catalogued it as I-139 with the summary description (2 observations) "eB; vBN; r, 6 or 7' dia."

Bindon Stoney discovered spiral structure on 1 Mar 1851 and noted "spiral, 2 knots, centre bright. There is another neb. 10' nf." A sketch made of M61 on 14 Apr 1852 was included in the 1861 publication, though misidentified as h1196 [NGC 4292]. The neb 10' nf probably refers to NGC 4301 = NGC 4303A = UGC 7439. See that number.

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NGC 4304 = ESO 380-020 = MCG -05-29-034 = LGG 280-003 = PGC 40055

12 22 12.7 -33 29 04

V = 11.6; Size 2.6'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.5

18" (5/28/06): very faint, fairly large, round, 2' diameter, broad weak concentration. Appears as a diffuse glow of low surface brightness though seems mottled or one or more very faint stars is superimposed. Located 6.9' NW of mag 8.2 SAO 203407.

On the DSS, this galaxy is a face-on barred spiral similar to NGC 1300. A bright HII region lies on the south side and this probably contributed to the appearance of "mottled" or having a superimposed "star".

John Herschel discovered NGC 4304 = h3387 on 28 Apr 1834 and logged "vF; pL; R; vgvlbM; 90"; r." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4305 = UGC 7432 = MCG +02-32-013 = CGCG 070-031 = Holm 381a = PGC 40030

12 22 03.6 +12 44 27

V = 12.6; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 32d

24" (5/29/14): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 5:3 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.6'. Contains a brighter, elongated core. Brighter of a pair with NGC 4306 2.8' N.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, diffuse arms, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4306 2.8' N. NGC 4267 lies 33' W.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4305 = h1203 on 2 May 1829 and simply noted "vF; R." His position is just 45" south of center, though he missed nearby NGC 4306.

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NGC 4306 = UGC 7433 = MCG +02-32-014 = CGCG 070-032 = Holm 381b = PGC 40032

12 22 04.1 +12 47 15

V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x1.3'; PA = 140d

24" (5/29/14): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 40"x32", weak concentration. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4305 2.8' S.

17.5" (4/25/87): faint, small, slightly elongated NW-SE, diffuse, no concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4305 2.8' S.

George Johnstone Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4306 on 13 Apr 1849, while viewing the central region of the Virgo cluster. He labeled the galaxy Beta on the diagram and recorded "Alpha [NGC 4305] and Beta [NGC 4306] nearly in merdian [N-S], both F, Alpha the larger." Henrich d'Arrest independently discovered NGC 4306 on 16 Apr 1865 and measured an accurate position. d'Arrest is credited with the discovery in the NGC as no positions or offsets were determined at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4307 = UGC 7431 = MCG +02-32-012A = CGCG 070-029 = Holm 380a = PGC 40033

12 22 05.6 +09 02 38

V = 12.0; Size 3.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 24d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, large, edge-on SSW-NNE, broad moderate concentration. Forms a pair with IC 3211 3.2' S. The companion (identified as NGC 4307A in the RNGC) appeared extremely faint and small, round. NGC 4316 lies 20' NNE.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4307 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College Observatory. He noted "pL, not vF" and his position is 2.5' south of UGC 7431. Wilhelm Temepel independently found NGC 4307 on 17 Mar 1882 and reported it in list VII (AN 2522).

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NGC 4308 = UGC 7426 = MCG +05-29-069 = CGCG 158-088 = PGC 40011

12 21 56.8 +30 04 27

V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8

17.5" (4/25/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter, very weak concentration. Located 13' NW of NGC 4314. Observation hampered by poor transparency.

Truman Safford discovered NGC 4308 = Sf 107 on 11 Jun 1868 with the 18.5" refractor at the Dearborn Observatory. The discovery was not published until 1887, too late to be credited in the NGC. Wilhelm Tempel independently discovered the galaxy on 17 Feb 1882, recorded it in list V-16, and was credited with the discovery in the main NGC listing. Tempel's and Safford's position matches UGC 7426.

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NGC 4309 = UGC 7435 = MCG +01-32-025 =CGCG 042-051 = Holm 382a = PGC 40051

12 22 12.4 +07 08 39

V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 85d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, elongated E-W, diffuse, gradually increases to a small bright core. A mag 13 star is 2.9' E. Located 20' W of the NGC 4343 group.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4309 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton College Observatory in New York. Peters' position matches UGC 7435. The discovery was not published in his two lists in Copernicus 1881 and 1882, so was probably communicated directly to Dreyer.

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NGC 4310 = NGC 4338 = UGC 7440 = MCG +05-29-074 = CGCG 158-092 = PGC 40086

12 22 26.3 +29 12 31

V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165d

17.5" (5/23/98): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.6', weak concentration. A wide pair of mag 12 stars [1.3' separation] lies 4' S. The nearer star has a mag 14 companion at 24".

17.5" (4/25/98): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.4'x0.7', broad concentration. The trio of NGC 4278, NGC 4283 and NGC 4286 lies ~30' NW. Observation affected by hazy skies.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4310 = H II-378 = h1205 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "F, cL, lE." CH's reduction is 2' northwest of UGC 7440. There is only a single galaxy here, although on sweep 68, JH called it "vB. The np of 2 [with h1206 = NGC 4611]."

d'Arrest made 3 accurate measurements of the positions, with a 4th exactly 1.0 min of time too large. Dreyer assumed it was new and catalogued it as NGC 4338. So, NGC 4310 = NGC 4338.

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NGC 4311

12 22 26 +29 12 24

=Not found, Corwin.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4311 = h1206 on 19 Apr 1827 and recorded "F; the sf of two [with NGC 4310]." There is only a single galaxy here, so it is not clear what JH was referring to. Curiously, his position is a very close match with NGC 4310. Harold Corwin was unsuccessful in searching for other pairs that JH might have misidentified. UGC, RNGC and MCG label the single galaxy as NGC 4310 = NGC 4311.

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NGC 4312 = UGC 7442 = MCG +03-32-014 = CGCG 099-029 = Holm 387b = PGC 40095

12 22 31.4 +15 32 16

V = 11.7; Size 4.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright and large, very elongated N-S, 2.5'x0.6', brighter the along major axis. A pair of mag 12.5/13 stars at 21" separation lies 2.5' ESE. Located 18' SSW of M100.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4312 = H II-628 = h1209 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and logged "pB, cL, E." CH's reduced position is 6 sec of RA east of UGC 7442.

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NGC 4313 = UGC 7445 = MCG +02-32-016 = CGCG 070-034 = PGC 40105

12 22 38.6 +11 48 04

V = 11.6; Size 4.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 143d

24" (5/29/14): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, 2.1'x0.6', bright, elongated core increases to a faint stellar nucleus, mottled surface. The northwest extension seems slightly brighter and longer and in addition is slightly tilted with respect to the major axis of the core.

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated NW-SE, very small bright core. Located 22' NE of the NGC 4294/NGC 4299 pair in the same low power field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4313 = H II-63 = h1207 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "E, resembling the former two [NGC 4294 and 4299]. His position on this sweep is 1.0 tmin too large. A similar error was made on several nebulae discovered on that night including NGCs 3810, 4067, 4294, 4313, 4352, 4371, and 4429. JH made two observations, recording on his 3rd sweep "eF; E 45° np, r in middle." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4314 = UGC 7443 = MCG +05-29-075 = CGCG 158-093 = PGC 40097

12 22 32.0 +29 53 44

V = 10.6; Size 4.2'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (4/25/98): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated ~3:1 NNW-SSE, ~3'x1'. The halo fades at the tips and rises fairly abruptly to an oval core. A mag 13 star is at the northwest tip and a mag 14/15 star is embedded on the southeast side. The observation was hampered by poor transparency and the faint outer halo of this barred spiral was not seen.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4314 = H I-76 = h1204 = Sf 20 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "cB, L, E." His position matches UGC 7443. Truman Safford rediscovered this galaxy on 16 May 1886 with the 18.5" Clark refractor at the Dearborn Observatory, though noted "vB, probably well known."

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NGC 4315

12 22 39.5 +09 17 10

=*, Corwin. "Not found", Carlson.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4315, along with NGC 4316, on 17 Mar 1882. He mentioned a fainter nebula to the south 1.5' and 2 sec of RA west. There is nothing at this offset, except a mag 15 star which is 2.8' south and 3 sec of RA west or perhaps a mag 14 star 1.6' south and 2.5 sec of RA east. Tempel apparently confused one of these stars as being nebulous.

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NGC 4316 = UGC 7447 = MCG +02-32-017 = CGCG 070-035 = PGC 40119

12 22 42.3 +09 19 56

V = 12.9; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 113d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A double star is off the WNW end with components 13.2/13.5 at 19". NGC 4307 is 21' SW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4316, along with NGC 4315, on 17 Mar 1882. He noted the 20" pair of stars off the northwest end so the identification with UGC 7447 is certain, although there are only a couple of stars near his offset for NGC 4315. Édouard Stephan independently found NGC 4316 = St XIII-68 on 1 Apr 1884 and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4317

12 22 36 +31 02

=Not found, Corwin. =*, Reinmuth and Carlson.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4317 = H II-324 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and logged "F, S." There is nothing at his position and Corwin was not able to find a likely candidate.

Karl Renimuth identifies NGC 4317 with a mag 13.7 star and this is repeated by Dorothy Carlson. But Corwin feels II-324 probably does not refer to a star as the description would more likely be vS or eS. So, he calls it "lost".

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NGC 4318 = UGC 7446 = MCG +02-32-015 = CGCG 042-059 = CGCG 070-033 = PGC 40122

12 22 43.3 +08 11 54

V = 13.3; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 65d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated SW-NE, bright core. Located 4.4' S of mag 8.8 SAO 119363.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4318 = h1208 on 18 Jan 1828 and noted "eF; a star 8m 5' dist, on meridian to north." His position is within 30" of the center of UGC 7446 and HD 107744 is 4.4' due north. Schwassmann reported (IC 2 Notes section) "it looks on the plate like a *11-12, not nebulous". on a Konigstuhl-Heidelberg plate.

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NGC 4319 = NGC 4345 =UGC 7429 = MCG +03-09-025 = CGCG 352-029 = PGC 39981

12 21 43.9 +75 19 20

V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160d

13.1" (2/23/85): fairly faint, small, bright core, stellar nucleus. The quasar Markarian 205 (controversial quasar with an apparent discordant redshift) appears as a faint mag 14.5 stellar object 0.7' south of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4291 6' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4319 = H I-276 = h1210, along with NGC 4291, on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and recorded "cB, cL, mbM, iF." JH made three observations and recorded (sweep 413) "pB; pL; bM. Follows [NGC 4291]."

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NGC 4320 = UGC 7452 = MCG +02-32-018 = CGCG 070-036 = VIII Zw 184 = PGC 40160

12 22 57.8 +10 32 55

V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 170d

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, very small, round, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 4325 4.9' NNE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4320 on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 4 nights, matches UGC 7452 and he mentions the mag 15 star (called mag 17) which precedes by 5.6 sec of RA. In the IC 2 Notes section, Dreyer mentions that Frost was unable to identify this galaxy on a Harvard plate of 4 hours exposure.

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NGC 4321 = M100 = UGC 7450 = MCG +03-32-015 = CGCG 099-030 = Holm 387a = WBL 401-001 = PGC 40153

12 22 55.0 +15 49 21

V = 9.3; Size 7.4'x6.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 30d

48" (4/18/15): stunning view of this gorgeous spiral at 375x and 488x. M100 is sharply concentrated with an intensely bright circular nucleus. Two prominent, high contrast arms (fairly narrow) each rotate ~270° and can be clearly traced to within 1' of the center. The south and north outer tips of the arms are between 5.5'-6' apart with the overall size ~6'x5'.

One arm begins off the WNW side of the core with a bright mottled section angling nearly north-south for ~25". This section contains multiple HII sites NGC 4321:[HK83]220/223/229/230 from Hodge and Kennicutt's 1983 "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". The arm curls clockwise around the south side. A small (~8" dia.) HII knot (#160/171/172) is within this arm, 1.0' S of center. Just to the east [1.5' SE of center] is a brighter, mottled section that contains a close pair [18" separation] of compact HII knots (#110 and #69/87). The surface brightness of the arm abruptly drops as it shoots due north on the east side of the halo for ~3'. The arm dims further as it curves west on the northeast side of the outer halo and ends just southeast of mag 15 star situated 2.9' NNW of center.

The second arms begins ~1' SE of center with a thicker, much brighter region. The Hodge-Kennicutt Atlas catalogues numerous HII designations in this region, but none stood out individually. The arm sharply abruptly narrows and rotates clockwise around the north side of the core towards the west. It passes just south of two mag 15.5 stars, where there is a slightly brighter mottled section containing HII regions #252/253. The arm dims significantly as it heads south on the west side of the halo. Finally, it weakens further and spreads out at the end on the southwest side of the galaxy [2.6' from center].

18" (5/15/10): very bright, large, ~4.0-4.5' diameter, sharply concentrated with a very bright round core. Spiral structure was evident at 220x with a spiral arm attached on the southwest side of the core region. This arm sweeps east on the south side, heading in the direction of a mag 14 star just off the southeast end of the galaxy, but bending north. On the north side off of the core, a portion of the inner spiral arm is visible oriented E-W and extending to the northwest of the core region.

17.5" (5/23/87): bright, very large, almost round, well-defined bright core surrounded by a large, fainter halo. Two faint galaxies NGC 4323 and NGC 4328 lie 5' N and 6' E, respectively. This is the brightest spiral in the Coma-Virgo cluster.

Pierre Méchain discovered M100 = NGC 4321 = h1211, along with M98 and M99, on 15 Mar 1781 and Messier verified it a month later. WH described "a vL nebula of about 10' in diameter, with a small bright cluster of supposed stars in the middle. It is followed at the distance of 6 or 8' by another distinct F, S, R, r nebula [NGC 4328] which is nearly in the same parallel with the great one." His description obviously refers to the sharply concentrated core, though he gave this as an example in his 1814 publication of a nebula probably consisting of a cluster of stars. LdR discovered spiral structure in M100 on 9 Mar 1850 (or earlier) and included it in his list of "Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in the 1850 PT paper.

This is one of the largest and brightest spirals in the Virgo cluster. M100 was the fist Virgo cluster member that the HST observed Cepheid variables (1993) and derived a distance of 55 million light years (since revised to ~50 million light years).

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NGC 4322

12 22 42.0 +15 54 13

24" (5/22/17): this number *possibly* applies to a 13th magnitude star 5.7' NW of the center of M100 and 4.8' due west of NGC 4323 (CGCG 099-031). This was clearly a single star at 200x-375x and is bright enough that I'm surprised if Tempel would have confursed it with a nebulous object, unless the seeing was very poor. Most catalogues assign both NGC 4322 and 4323 to the single galaxy to the north of M100.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4322, along with NGC 4323 and NGC 4327, in 1882, during an observation of M100. In the text section of paper V (AN 2439) he mentions "on my drawing are three other very faint nebula in the vicinity, two north and close to M100 and the third south of [NGC 4328]." There is only a single galaxy close north of M100 and none to the south of NGC 4328. RNGC and MCG equate NGC 4322 = NGC 4333 although Corwin suggests NGC 4323 should apply to the (single) galaxy and NGC 4322 to a star further west, whose position is given here. This assignment for NGC 4322 is really just a guess, though, so I've left the designation as "Not Found". Of course, the galaxy listed here could be identified as NGC 4322 with NGC 4323 left as "Not Found".

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NGC 4323 = MCG +03-32-016 = CGCG 099-031 = Holm 387f = WBL 401-002 = PGC 40171

12 23 01.6 +15 54 20

V = 14.7; Size 1.1'x0.8'

24" (5/22/17): at 375x; very faint, fairly small, roundish, ~0.4' diameter, very low surface brightness with no structure. Could often hold with averted but required concentration to pick up. Located 5.3' NNE of the center of M100. A mag 13 star is 4.8' due W. This galaxy was marginal in Carter Scholz's 16", which makes me question if Wilhelm Tempel would have picked it up in an 11" refractor.

18" (5/15/10): this faint galaxy is located just 5.2' NNE of the center of the face-on spiral M100. At 220x it appeared very faint, fairly small, ~0.5'x0.4' (difficult to determine the orientation), very low surface brightness with no central brightening. This galaxy is the fainter of two companions of M100 with NGC 4328 6' E of center.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4323, along with NGC 4322 and NGC 4327, in 1882, during an observation of M100. He mentions "on my drawing are three other very faint nebula in the vicinity, two north and close to M100 and the third south of [NGC 4328]." But there is only a single galaxy north of M100, namely CGCG 099-031 = PGC 40171. RNGC and MCG equate NGC 4322 = NGC 4333 although Harold Corwin argues that NGC 4322 is probably a star 4.8' west of the galaxy, which implies only NGC 4323 should be used for the galaxy (placing the numbers in order of RA). See Corwin's identification notes.

V = 14.7, B = 15.4

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NGC 4324 = UGC 7451 = MCG +01-32-032 = CGCG 042-063 = Holm 388a = PGC 40179

12 23 06.2 +05 15 01

V = 11.6; Size 2.8'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 53d

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, small bright core, elongated WSW-ENE, fainter extensions. Located 9' ESE of double star 17 Virginis (∑1636 = 6.6/9.4 at 21").

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4324 on 4 Mar 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on 4 nights) is accurate. Eduard Schönfeld independently found the galaxy less than a month later on 1 Apr 1862 with a 6-inch refractor at the Mannheim Observatory.

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NGC 4325 = NGC 4368? = MCG +02-32-019 = CGCG 070-037 = PGC 40183

12 23 06.6 +10 37 16

V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 5d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, small, irregularly round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4320 4.9' SSW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4325 on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He made 4 observations and noted the mag 14.5 star (he called it mag 16) that follows by 7.6 seconds of time.

WH's III-38 = NGC 4368 is probably another observation, though this identification is somewhat uncertain as his position is 1.5 minutes of RA further east. See that number.

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NGC 4326 = UGC 7454 = MCG +01-32-033 = CGCG 042-064 = PGC 40192

12 23 11.6 +06 04 19

V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 145d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3, 0.6'x0.45', small bright core. Bracketed by a mag 10.5 star 3' N and a mag 11.5 star 2' S. Located 5.8' W of NGC 4339 in a trio with NGC 4333 3.3' SE in the Virgo cluster.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. First of three and forms a right angle with NGC 4333 3.3' SE and NGC 4339 5.7' E. A mag 11 star is 3.0' N. Located within the NGC 4339 group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4326 = H II-141 = h1213 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Three [with NGC 4333 and 4339], the last [NGC 4339] is the largest." JH logged "vF; S; R; bM; 10"; the first of 3 in a triangle." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4327

12 23 07.5 +15 44 11

= NF, Gottlieb and Carlson. =*, Corwin.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4327, along with NGC 4322 and 4323, in 1882, during an observation of M100. In the notes section of paper V (AN 2439) Tempel commented, "There are three other, very subtle nebulae in the vicinity [of M100], two to the north, near to M100, and the third to the south of NGC 2894." There is no nebula to the south of NGC 2894 (and only one to the north of M100) and it was not found visually or photographically by Bigourdan, Frost, Carlson and the RNGC. Corwin suggests a star that might have been picked up by Tempel, but the magnitude (roughly 16.5) seems too faint, so I've classified it as "not found".

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NGC 4328 = MCG +03-32-019 = CGCG 099-034 = Holm 387d = WBL 401-003 = PGC 40209

12 23 20.0 +15 49 13

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 90d

18" (5/15/10): faint, fairly small, very diffuse with just a weak concentration, ~0.8' diameter, no distinct core or zones. Located just 6' due east of the center of M100 and the brighter of two companions in the field with NGC 4323.

18" (4/5/03): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.8'x0.6', very low surface brightness (although catalogued surface brightness is 13.1), very weak concentration. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.4' NE. Located 6.0' E of M100.

17.5" (5/23/87): extremely faint, small, round. A mag 14.5 star is 1.4' NE of center. Located 6' due east of M100!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4328 = H II-84 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "It [M100] is followed at the distance of 6 or 8' by another distinct F, S, R, r nebula which is nearly in the same parallel with the great one." The NGC RA is 9 seconds too small, but the identification is certain.

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NGC 4329 = MCG -02-32-009 = PGC 40212

12 23 20.7 -12 33 31

V = 11.5; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 45d

17.5" (5/19/01): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, moderate surface brightness, 25" diameter. Seems fainter than listed blue magnitude of 12.5. MCG -02-32-006 lies 24' WNW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4329 = h1214 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded (single observation) "F; sB; R; bM to nucleus. His position is 1.4' north of PGC 40212.

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NGC 4330 = UGC 7456 = MCG +02-32-020 = CGCG 070-039 = FGC 1423 = PGC 40201

12 23 16.6 +11 22 07

V = 12.4; Size 4.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 59d

17.5" (4/18/87): faint, fairly large, edge-on SW-NE, even surface brightness. NGC 4353 lies 14' SE.

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4330 on 14 Apr 1852 during an observation of NGC 4294 and 4299 with the 72" at Birr Castle. He mentioned "another vF and thin ray about 30' following." JH catalogued this object as GC 2909 ("R. nova"). Heinrich d'Arrest independently found this galaxy on 15 Apr 1865 with the 11" refractor at Copenhagen and measured an accurate position (3 nights). Dreyer catalogued this observation as GC 5639 with the note ""Probably = [GC] 2909." The two GC entries were combined in the NGC.

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NGC 4331 = UGC 7449 = MCG +13-09-026 = CGCG 352-031 = VII Zw 451 = LGG 284-007 = PGC 40085

12 22 35.9 +76 10 21

V = 14.1; Size 2.2'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 2d

18" (3/5/05): extremely faint, moderately large, edge-on 5:1 N-S. A mag 14-14.5 star is at the north tip and the galaxy appears as a ghostly dagger hanging to the south.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4331 = H III-942 = h1220 on 12 Dec 1797 (sweep 1068) and noted "eF, E near the meridian. Verified with 320x." CH's reduced position is 1.8' southeast of UGC 7449 and his description applies to this galaxy.

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NGC 4332 = UGC 7453 = MCG +11-15-048 = CGCG 315-033 = PGC 40133

12 22 46.8 +65 50 37

V = 12.2; Size 2.1'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, weak concentration. A mag 11.5 star is 2.1' ENE of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4332 = H II-847 = h1216 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "pB; S; lE." JH recorded (single observation) 'F; R; vgbM; 20"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4333 = MCG +01-32-034 = CGCG 042-065 = PGC 40217

12 23 22.2 +06 02 26

V = 13.6; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, small, round, faint stellar nucleus, 20" diameter. Located 4' SW of NGC 4339 in a trio with NGC 4326 3.3' NW.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4339 4' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4333 = H II-142 = h1215, along with NGC 4326 and 4329, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191). JH logged "F; pS; R; bM; 15"; the second of 3 in a triangle." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4334 = UGC 7458 = MCG +01-32-035 = CGCG 042-066 = PGC 40218

12 23 24.0 +07 28 23

V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 135d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, very small, small bright core, faint extensions NW-SE. A mag 11.5 star is just 0.7' SSE of center. NGC 4365 lies 18' SE. The IC 3256/NGC 4343 group is located 30' S.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4334 = h1218 on 24 Apr 1830. His single observation reads "pF; R; S; close to a star [on the south side]" and his position is very accurate.

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NGC 4335 = UGC 7455 = MCG +10-18-035 = CGCG 293-015 = PGC 40169

12 23 01.9 +58 26 40

V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 145d

17.5" (5/13/88): first of four and brightest in the group. Moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4335 = H II-806 = h1217 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and simply noted "pB". His re-reduced position is 2.5' northwest of UGC 7455. JH made two observations, recording on sweep 345 "pB; S; E; gbM; good obs of place."

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NGC 4336 = IC 3254 = UGC 7462 = MCG +03-32-020 = CGCG 099-035 = Holm 389a = PGC 40231

12 23 29.8 +19 25 36

V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 162d

17.5" (5/23/98): fairly faint, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE (PA 160°) in the direction of a mag 10 star 3.5' SSE, 60"x45". Weak concentration to center but the surface brightness appears irregular.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4336 = H II-406 = h1219 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and recorded "pF, pL, mbM. It either has a small one almost joined to it to the north, or else the light of it is a little brighter in that place, but not nearly so bright as the other part." No such structure was noted by JH or is apparent on the DSS. JH measured a fairly accurate position on sweep 61.

Royal Frost found the galaxy on 7 May 1904 at Arequipa on a Bruce 24-inch plate (taken on the night of 9 May 1904) and reported as number 884 in Harvard Annals 60. His position is 2' north of NGC 4336. So, NGC 4336 = IC 3254. See Harold Corwin's IC identification notes for the full story.

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NGC 4337 = ESO 131-SC2 = Cr 254

12 24 03.3 -58 07 26

V = 8.9; Size 4'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~15 stars are arranged in a striking 4.5' diameter partial oval for ~270 degrees and open on the west side. A few stars are situated both in the interior and outside of this three-fourth completed ring. In the center of the loop are a few mag 13-14 stars and a fairly bright background glow from a dense group of unresolved stars in the core of the cluster. A gorgeous, equal mag double star Brs 8 = 7.6/7.9 at 5" is located 6' E. The cluster is located midway between Delta and Gamma Crucis along one side of the Southern Cross. This group may be an asterism an not a physical cluster.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4337 = h3388 on 1 Apr 1834 and reported "a p rich cl; not much compressed in the middle; stars 12...14m, in curved branches. A fine double star follows [Brs 8]." His position is just west of center of this cluster.

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NGC 4338 = NGC 4310 = UGC 7440 = MCG +05-29-074 = CGCG 158-092 = PGC 40205

12 22 26.3 +29 12 31

See observing notes for NGC 4310. Here are my notes on IC 3247, often misidentified as NGC 4438 --

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; extremely faint, thin edge-on ~5:1 N-S, very low surface brightness, very slightly brighter elongated core, ~45"x9". Only visible part of the time, though pops clearly and can hold for a few seconds.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4338 on 19 May 1863 and described "vF, E, cometary, quite difficult to see because of dusk. The place has not yet been verified." There is nothing at his position, but exactly 1.0 min of time west is NGC 4310, discovered by WH. d'Arrest measured NGC 4310 on 3 other nights, but not the one he recorded NGC 4338. Harold Corwin equates NGC 4338 = NGC 4310.

RNGC, RC3, SIMBAD and secondary sources such as WikiSky, Uranometria 2000. Atlas and Megastar misidentify IC 3247 as NGC 4338. IC 3247 is located 20' south of d'Arrest's position. Reinmuth also questioned if NGC 4338 = IC 3247 but Malcolm Thomson feels this galaxy is too faint and would not have been visible in d'Arrest's 11-inch refractor in twilight -- I agree.

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NGC 4339 = UGC 7461 = MCG +01-32-036 = CGCG 042-068 = LGG 289-026 = PGC 40240

12 23 35.0 +06 04 54

V = 11.3; Size 2.4'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1' diameter, bright core increases evenly to center. A mag 11 star lies 1.5' S of center. Brightest of three with NGC 4326 and NGC 4333. This Virgo cluster member harbors an active galactic nucleus.

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly small, round, small very bright core. Forms a trio with NGC 4333 4' SW and NGC 4326 6' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4339 = H II-143 = h1222, along with NGC 4326 and 4333, on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191). JH logged (sweep 254) "B; R; pL; psbM; 30"; the third in a triangle."

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NGC 4340 = UGC 7467 = MCG +03-32-021 = CGCG 099-036 = Holm 391b = PGC 40245

12 23 35.2 +16 43 21

V = 11.2; Size 3.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 102d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, almost round, fairly small, small well defined core. Forms a pair with NGC 4350 5.6' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4340 = H II-85 = h1212, along with NGC 4350, on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and described both as "Two nebula, the following [NGC 4350] is the brightest, both S and the last pB." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4341 = IC 3260 = UGC 7472 = MCG +01-32-042 = CGCG 042-076 = PGC 40280

12 23 53.5 +07 06 25

V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 96d

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~E-W, even surface brightness. Member of the NGC 4343 group and midway between IC 3259 4.9' NNW and IC 3267 5.0' SSW. NGC identification uncertain and identified as IC 3260 in CGCG and MCG.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4341 = H III-95 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Three [along with H. III 94 = NGC 4343 and H. III 96 = NGC 4342], all eF and vS, R nebula." His single position is between NGC 4343 and 4342. H III-95 = UGC 7472 is the faintest of the three brightest galaxies (out of five) that WH likely viewed.

Bigourdan observed the group on 23 Apr 1895 and measured the position of this galaxy (UGC 7472). Likewise, Arnold Schwassmann measured a very accurate position (Sn. 17) on a Heidelberg plate on 27 Nov 1900. Dreyer assumed they found a new object, but IC 3260 = NGC 4341.

Because of the ambiguity with the identification of NGC 4341, the CGCG and MCG label this galaxy IC 3260. UGC and RNGC use both designations. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for the full story.

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NGC 4342 = UGC 7466 = MCG +01-32-039 = CGCG 042-071 = IC 3256 = PGC 40252

12 23 39.1 +07 03 14

V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 168d

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, very small, elongated NNW-SSE, bright core, stellar nucleus. This galaxy has the highest surface brightness of the members in the NGC 4343 group. NGC 4343 lies 6.0' S, NGC 4341 = IC 3260 4.8' NE, IC 3267 6.6' E, IC 3259 8.3' NNE. See notes on the identification.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4342 = H III-96 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Three [along with III-94 = NGC 4343 and III-96 = NGC 4342], all eF and vS, R nebula." His single position is between NGC 4343 and 4342. As there are 5 galaxies in this group, there has been considerable confusion on the correct identifications. Harold Corwin assumed WH observed the three brightest galaxies here and suggests the identifications NGC 4341 = IC 3260 = UGC 7472, NGC 4342 = IC 3256 = UGC 7466 and NGC 4343 = UGC 7465, though the CGCG (Herzog) argues the NGC designations should be dropped and the unambiguous IC designations used.

Bigourdan found this galaxy on 23 Apr 1895, measured an accurate position matching UGC 7466, and Dreyer catalogued it again as IC 3256. So, NGC 4342 = IC 3256. CGCG and MCG label this galaxy IC 3256, instead of using an NGC designation. The identifications are discussed in CGCG Vol 5, the RC 2 notes, Webb Society Quarterly Journal articles in Jan 1986 and Jan 1990, Herzog's 1967 paper "On the Identification of Five Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster" (1967PASP...79..627H), as well as Harold Corwin's identification notes!

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NGC 4343 = UGC 7465 = MCG +01-32-038 = CGCG 042-070 = PGC 40251

12 23 38.8 +06 57 15

V = 12.1; Size 2.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 133d

17.5" (3/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, brighter core, elongated NW-SE. Brightest member of a group of five along with NGC 4342 = IC 3256 6.0' N. Nearby are IC 3259 14' NNE, IC 3267 8' NE and NGC 4341 = IC 3260 10' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4343 = H III-94 = h1223 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Three [along with III-95 = NGC 4341 and III-96 = NGC 4342], all eF and vS, R nebul." His single position is between NGC 4343 and 4342. JH catalogued only a single nebula in the group that he called III-94, noting "pB; E; or has a F neb on the s f side." His position matches UGC 7465. See Corwin's identification notes for more on this group.

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NGC 4344 = UGC 7468 = MCG +03-32-022 = CGCG 099-037 = Holm 390a = PGC 40249

12 23 37.5 +17 32 28

V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3

17.5" (5/23/98): faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Appears as a diffuse glow with weak concentration forming an isosceles triangle with two mag 13 and 14 stars 2.0' SE and 2.0' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4344 = H III-31 = h1224 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and noted "eF. It forms a triangle with 2 small stars." JH logged "F; not vS; R; vglbM; 25"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4345 = NGC 4319 = UGC 7429 = MCG +03-09-025 = CGCG 352-029 = PGC 39981

12 21 43.9 +75 19 20

See observing notes for NGC 4319.

Gerhard Lohse found NGC 4345 in 1886 with the 15.5-inch refractor at Wigglesworth's observatory near Scarborough, England. There is nothing at his position, but 1.0 min of RA west is NGC 4319 = H I-276. So, likely NGC 4345 = NGC 4319 with a 1 tmin error in RA. Dorothy Carlson identifies NGC 4345 as a star near Lohse's position, but since the description mentions "pL" this is very unlikely.

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NGC 4346 = UGC 7463 = MCG +08-23-016 = CGCG 244-009 = PGC 40228

12 23 27.9 +46 59 38

V = 11.1; Size 3.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 99d

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1 E-W, rises sharply to a small very bright core, stellar nucleus highly suspected. Located roughly 50' SE of M106.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4346 = H I-210 = h1225 on 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) and recorded "cB, S, BN with irregular chevelure, lE near the parallel". CH's reduction is 8' north of UGC 7463. On 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) he recorded "vB, vS, lE nearly in the parallel; a BN with eF branches." JH made six observations and d'Arrest made a single observation with a precise position.

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NGC 4347

12 23 54 -03 14

=*?, SG and HC. = NGC 4348??, HC. Not found, JS.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4347 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton College Observatory. The only objects close to his position are faint stars. Perhaps coincidentally, 13' south of his position is NGC 4348 (discovered by WH). He expressly mentions in his description "this can hardly be GC 2911 [NGC 4348]", due to the discrepany in position. Assuming that's the case, this object is probably lost, though may refer to one or more faint stars.

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NGC 4348 = MCG +00-32-003 = CGCG 014-023 = PGC 40284

12 23 53.9 -03 26 36

V = 12.5; Size 3.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 40d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, fairly small, edge-on SW-NE, increases to a brighter core. A mag 14 star is located 1.2' W of center and a brighter mag 12 star lies 3.2' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4348 = H II-625 = h1226 on 29 Dec 1786 (sweep 674) and recorded "F, E from sp to nf, about 2' long." His position is off the east side of CGCG 014-023 = PGC 40284. JH made two observations and logged on sweep 21 "F; irreg R; a small star preceding."

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NGC 4349 = ESO 131-SC3 = Cr 255 = Mel 110 = Lund 611

12 24 06 -61 52 12

V = 7.4; Size 16'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, ~150 stars are resolved in a 15' field. This cluster is rich and uniform in magnitudes except for a single mag 8.4 star (HD 107944) on the SE side which stands out over the large number of mag 10.5-12.5 stars. The outline is elongated NW to SE but the stars are distributed fairly evenly within the boundaries. This is a very pleasing group and an easy binocular object. Located along the western side of the Southern Cross and 75' NNW of Alpha Crucis (Acrux)!

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4349 = D292 on 30 Apr 1826 and described "a pretty cluster of extremely small stars, resembling a pretty large faint nebula, about 6' or 7' diameter: the compression is very gradual to the centre; a pretty bright star is in the following side of the cluster, round figure." His position was quite accurate (about 4' SE of the center of the cluster near the brightest member). The position here corresponds with the densest portion of the cluster.

JH observed the cluster on three sweeps. On 14 Mar 1834 he logged "chief star 10m of a fine rich cluster which fills field." Two weeks later (31 Mar 1834) he noted "a large loose cluster of small stars 12..14th mag; irregularly round; not very rich; little compressed in the middle; diam. 10'." His final sweep three years later described a "cluster class VI. Very large, very bright, A star about 8..9 mag taken but the brightest part of the cluster is about 4' N.p. Fills field; not much compressed in the middle; stars 12..13th mag; This cluster was found by Mr Maclear in this sweep made with him, not being aware at the time of its having been seen in Sweep 432."

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NGC 4350 = UGC 7473 = MCG +03-32-023 = CGCG 099-038 = Holm 391a = PGC 40295

12 23 57.8 +16 41 36

V = 11.0; Size 3.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 28d

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly bright, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, fairly small, very small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 4340 5.6' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4350 = H II-86 = h1221, along with NGC 4340, on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and described both as "Two nebula, the following [NGC 4350] is the brightest, both S and the last pB." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4351 = NGC 4354 = UGC 7476 = MCG +02-32-024 = CGCG 070-045 = PGC 40306

12 24 01.6 +12 12 16

V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 80d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, diffuse, fairly even surface brightness with only a slight broad concentration, slightly elongated ~E-W. IC 3258 lies 16' NNW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4351 on 19 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He measured the position on 5 different nights and estimated the size as 40"-45" in diameter.

Lewis Swift independently found the galaxy on 17 Apr 1887 and reported it as new in list VI-42. His position is nearly identical to d'Arrest's, so it's surprising that Dreyer recatalogued it as NGC 4354. In any case, NGC 4351 = NGC 4354. See Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4352 = UGC 7475 = MCG +02-32-023 = CGCG 070-044 = PGC 40313

12 24 05.0 +11 13 05

V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 102d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, small, oval ~E-W, small brighter core. NGC 4330 lies 14' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4352 = H II-64 = h1227 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged "F, vS." His RA was 1 min too large (roughly the same error was made on this sweep with several others objects). JH measured an accurate RA and logged "vF; S; lE.", though he used his father's erroneous RA in the GC. Heinrich d'Arrest independently found the nebula on 23 Mar 1865, measured an accurate RA again and Dreyer catalogued it again as GC 5642. Bigourdan noted the equivalence and Dreyer combined the two GC and GCS entries (2929 and 5642) into NGC 4352.

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NGC 4353 = IC 3266 = MCG +01-32-043 = CGCG 042-077 = PGC 40303

12 24 00.2 +07 47 05

V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 67d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, oval SW-NE. A mag 13 star is 1.2' NNW.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4353 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at the Hamilton College Observatory. His position in Copernicus (1861) is 0.1 min of RA east and 2' north of CGCG 042-077 = PGC 40303.

Arnold Schwassmann found the galaxy again on 20 Nov 1899 using a Heidelberg plate taken with the 6" astrograph and assumed Sn. 49 was new. In addition his Sn. 48 (later IC 3265) refers to a single star 1.2' NNW of the galaxy (mentioned in my observation). So, NGC 4353 = IC 3266. Instead of calling the galaxy NGC 4353, CGCG mislabels the galaxy as IC 3265 = IC 3266.

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NGC 4354 = NGC 4351 = UGC 7476 = MCG +02-32-024 = CGCG 070-045 = PGC 40306

12 24 01.6 +12 12 16

See observing notes for NGC 4351.

Lewis Swift found NGC 4354 = Sw VI-42 on 17 Apr 1887 and described as "eeF; pL; in vacancy; v diff." His position is 1' from NGC 4351 = UGC 7476 (discovered by d'Arrest on 19 May 1863). It's surprising that Dreyer didn't equate the two discoveries. Dorothy Carlson states NGC 4354 = NGC 4351. See Corwin's notes for more.

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NGC 4355 = NGC 4418 = UGC 7545 = MCG +00-32-012 = CGCG 014-039 = Todd 17 = PGC 40762

12 26 54.6 -00 52 40

See observing notes for NGC 4418.

David Todd found NGC 4355 = Todd 17 on 5 Feb 1878 with the 26" refractor at the U.S. Naval Observatory during his search for a trans-Neptunian planet. This is one of the 8 galaxies in his list that Dreyer credited to Todd. His rough RA is 4.0 tmin too far west but his field sketch and offsets match UGC 7545 = PGC 40762. WH discovered this galaxy (III-492) on 1 Jan 1786 and it was catalogued as H III-492 = NGC 4418, so NGC 4355 = NGC 4418.

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NGC 4356 = IC 3273 = UGC 7482 = MCG +02-32-026 = CGCG 070-048 = FGC 1427 = PGC 40342

12 24 14.9 +08 32 16

V = 13.3; Size 2.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 40d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, edge-on SW-NE, low surface brightness. A mag 13 star is involved at the east edge of the core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4356 = H III-481 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted "vF". CH's reduction is at the southwest tip of UGC 7482, so there is not doubt about the identification. Arnold Schwassmann found it again in 1899 on a Heidelberg plate taken with a 6" astrograph and measured an accurate position. He assumed it was new and Dreyer recatalogued this edge-on as IC 3273, although the NGC and IC positions are very close. So, NGC 4356 = IC 3273.

UGC, CGCG and MCG label this galaxy as IC 3273 and ignore the NGC designation.

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NGC 4357 = NGC 4381 = UGC 7478 = MCG +08-23-017 = CGCG 244-010 = PGC 40296

12 23 58.9 +48 46 47

V = 12.4; Size 3.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 77d

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, increases to a small brighter core. Located 10' ESE of mag 7.7 SAO 44149.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4357 = Big 52 on 8 Mar 1886. His position matches UGC 7478. This galaxy was discovered earlier by WH on 9 Feb 1788 (II-743 = NGC 4381) but his position was 66 tsec too far east. So, NGC 4357 = NGC 4381.

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NGC 4358 = UGC 7479e = MCG +10-18-038 = CGCG 293-017e = PGC 40309

12 24 02.1 +58 23 07

V = 13.4; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7

17.5" (5/13/88): faint, small, round, small bright core. Brightest of a triple group with stellar MCG +10-18-037 just 40" WSW of center and NGC 4362 1.9' SE. MCG +10-18-037 = PGC 40314 appeared as a mag 15.5 "star" just 40" WSW of center of NGC 4364 and almost attached.

This galaxy described above is identified as NGC 4364 in all modern catalogues.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4358 = H III-799 = h1230 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and logged "vF, vS." His re-reduced position is just 11 sec of RA preceding UGC 7479. This is a double galaxy with a very faint companion off the southwest edge -- too faint to have picked up by WH and JH certainly did not see it. The next objects in the sweep were H III-800 = NGC 4362 and H III-801 = NGC 4364, described together as "two, both cF, cS, R". There are only two galaxies here that were likely seen by WH, and Dreyer notes in the 1912 Scientific Papers that "very probably the word 'two' refers to III 799 and III 800, as nobody [including JH, Bigourdan and d'Arrest] seems to have seen three nebulae in the place."

JH, Bigourdan and d'Arrest only found two galaxies (h1230 and h1231) with his first position matching III-799 = UGC 7479 and his second position clearly referring to CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350. CGCG identifies the two components to UGC 7479 as NGC 4358 + 4364 and MCG and RNGC both identify the stellar western component as NGC 4358 and the main eastern component as NGC 4364.

Corwin concludes only the two brighter galaxies should receive NGC designations (and WH was mistaken on the third nebula he reported). In which case, NGC 4358 = UGC 7479 and NGC 4362 = NGC 4364 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350. This leaves the southwest component of UGC 7479 without a NGC designation. See Corwin's notes for the complete story.

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NGC 4359 = UGC 7483 = MCG +05-29-079 = CGCG 158-099 = PGC 40330

12 24 11.7 +31 31 20

V = 12.7; Size 3.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 108d

17.5" (4/25/98): very faint, elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, appears as large as 3'x1' at times, low surface brightness with weak central brightening, fades at tips. Located 34' NW of NGC 4414. Transparency poor.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4359 = H III-648 = h1229 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and logged "vF, E, about 1' length in the direction of the parallel." JH made a single observation, noting "F; pmE; nearly in parallel; vlbM; 25"." His position is just 25" south of center.

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NGC 4360 = UGC 7484 = MCG +02-32-028 = CGCG 070-052 = Holm 393a = WBL 404-009 = PGC 40363

12 24 21.7 +09 17 34

V = 12.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 145d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located 1.3' SE of a mag 10 star. Forms a pair with IC 3274 2' SW. The companion (identified often as NGC 4360B) appeared very faint, extremely small, round, low surface brightness, just non-stellar.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4360 = T I-43 on 22 Mar 1878. His micrometric position in discovery list V places it +4.87 sec of RA and -47" dec from HD 107953 and matches UGC 7484. Stephan independently found the galaxy on 1 Apr 1884 and included it in his discovery list XIII-69.

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NGC 4361 = PK 294+43.1 = PN G294.1+43.6

12 24 30.8 -18 47 05

V = 11.0; Size 93"x37"

48" (2/20/12): the unusual structure in this planetary shocked me at 488x as previous views in my 17.5" and 18" had only showed a hint of detail. The two main components are large bulbous lobes or wings with an irregular surface brightness that jut out of the central region in a WNW and ESE direction, with the WNW lobe slightly brighter. More surprising were two arms and loops, similar to spiral arms in a galaxy, that extend out to the NE and SW and curve clockwise. The arm to the southwest is very thin where it emerges from the central portion, so it appeared partially detached! The arm on the NE side clearly bends south but is not as sharply defined. Between the lobes (WNW and ESE) and arms (SW and NE) are darker gaps or regions creating a unique, basically symmetric shape that is elongated SW-NE (arms are longer), ~1.8'x1.4'. At the center is a very bright mag 13 central star. A fainter, more roundish halo envelops the brighter components.

17.5" (5/15/99): 100x easily reveals the bright central star surrounded by a moderately high surface brightness halo ~1' in size. At 220x, the central star appears 13th magnitude and the halo gradually brightens towards the center. With averted vision, the halo increases to roughly 90"x60", extended SW-NE, with an ill-defined edge. I had the strong impression of an extension or hook on the southwest end of the PN, which was confirmed on the DSS image (a similar extension is also on the NE end).

13": moderately bright, fairly large, slightly elongated. The mag 13 central star is fairly easy at 165x.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4361 = H I-65 = h1231 on 7 Feb 1785 (sweep 368) and recorded "vB, pL, mb<. The central brightness not round but as if it had two nucleuses pretty closely joined; the chevelure [halo] iR." John Herschel described "vB, L, R, vsmbM to nucl = *11, 90" diameter. R[esolved] with power 320, and is no doubt a globular cluster; fades away to nothing. So, JH was convinced it was a globular and surprisingly it was misidentified as a galaxy in RC1!

Based on Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis described NGC 4361 as "central star about mag 10; this is surrounded by an irregular oval mass whose brighter parts are about 44"x39" in pa 103°. From this central portion tow arms (spiral whorls?) go out in pa 20° and portions of a very faint ring 81" can just be made out." 1918PLicO..13...55C

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NGC 4362 = NGC 4364? = MCG +10-18-039 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350

12 24 11.3 +58 21 38

V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6

17.5" (5/13/88): very faint, small, slightly elongated, even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 0.8' S. Located 1.9' SE of NGC 4364. Possible identification mix-up.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4362 = H III-800 = h1233 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "Two [with III-801 = NGC 4364], both cF, vS, R." His position is 3 sec of RA following and 1' north of III-799 = NGC 4358. But there is only a single galaxy (CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350), which is 9 sec of RA following and 1.5' south of NGC 4358. So, there was clearly some confusion with the orientation and/or description. JH reported "eF, the last of 2 [with h2914 = NGC 4358]."

Notes on the identifications of NGC 4358, 4362 and 4364 are under NGC 4358.

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NGC 4363 = CGCG 352-032 = PGC 40233

12 23 28.4 +74 57 08

V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.1

18" (3/5/05): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness. Appears as a hazy disc with with no evident concentration. Located 23' SE of NGC 4319 and Markarian 205.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4363 = H III-938 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and noted "eF, pL, iF." Dreyer mentions an error in WH's reduction of the position though CH's position is less than 1' from the center.

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NGC 4364 = NGC 4362? = MCG +10-18-039 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350

12 24 11.3 +58 21 38

See observing notes for NGC 4362. Uncertain identification.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4364 = H III-801 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "Two [with III-800 = NGC 4362], both cF, vS, R." There is only a single galaxy (h1233 = CGCG 293-018 = PGC 40350) situated 2' southeast of III-799 = NGC 4358, so WH's observation is clearly in error. Dreyer suggest that perhaps "Two" should be interpreted as "Two with III-799", as there are only two galaxies that were likely seen.

See discussion under NGC 4358 and Corwin's notes for the identifications of NGC 4358, 4362 and 4364. CGCG 293-018 is labeled NGC 4364 in all modern catalogues.

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NGC 4365 = UGC 7488 = MCG +01-32-048 = CGCG 042-083 = PGC 40375

12 24 28.3 +07 19 03

V = 9.6; Size 6.9'x5.0'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 40d

17.5" (3/28/87): very bright, large, elongated SW-NE, bright core, very small or stellar nucleus. The NGC 4343 group is close SW and NGC 4370 lies 10' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4365 = H I-30 = h1232 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "pB, pL, or an iR form, mbM, r." His position is within 1' east of UGC 7488.

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NGC 4366 = MCG +01-32-050 = CGCG 042-087 = PGC 40421

12 24 47.0 +07 21 11

V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.6'; PA = 51d

17.5" (3/28/87): very faint, small, diffuse, even surface brightness. Located 5' NE of NGC 4365.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4366 = H III-97 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Two unequal nebula [the other is II-144 = NGC 4370]; one of them [III-97 = NGC 4366] eF." Dreyer notes that III-97 was observed one only 1 sweep and not seen again when nearby II-144 = NGC 4370 was reobserved on 28 Dec 1785. It was also not seen by JH, d'Arrest, or by Samuel Hunter with the 72". So, Dreyer suggested NGC 4366 = NGC 4370 and this was repeated by Dorothy Carlson in her 1940 list of NGC errata.

But 5' northeast of NGC 4365 is CGCG 042-087 = PGC 40421, a faint galaxy that WH might have picked up. This galaxy is identified as NGC 4366 in the RNGC, PGC and Deep Sky Field Guide though not in CGCG or MCG. But this galaxy is slightly further from NGC 4370 than NGC 4365, so it seems odd WH would record it together with NGC 4370. So, the identification NGC 4366 = PGC 40421 is very uncertain.

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NGC 4367

12 24 35.1 +12 10 56

=**, Corwin. Not found, Dreyer.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4367 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and also measured 3 nights later. There is nothing at his position except a mag 15 star with a mag 17.5 companion at 13" separation (likely too faint to have been seen by d'Arrest). On the second observation, he mentions this object follows NGC 4351 by 35 seconds of time, so the identification with this star is nearly certain.

Royal Frost reported NGC 4367 was not found on a 4-hour Bruce plate (Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No. 1) . Karl Reimuth equates NGC 4367 with IC 3311, neglecting the difference of 0.9 tmin in RA.

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NGC 4368 = NGC 4325 = MCG +02-32-019 = CGCG 070-037 = PGC 40183

12 23 06.6 +10 37 16

See observing notes for NGC 4325.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4368 = H III-38 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vF, vS." There is nothing at his position and Bigourdan was unsuccessful in locating NGC 4368, and neither was Frost photographically (Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1, Virgo-Coma survey). Dreyer notes in the 1912 "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" that the RA is possibly 1 tmin too great. Several nebulae discovered by WH that night (including NGCs 3810, 4067, 4294, 4313, 4352, 4371, and 4429) have comparable errors. So, it's reasonable that NGC 4368 is a duplicate of NGC 4325 (located 1.5 min of RA west of WH's position) . See Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4369 = UGC 7489 = MCG +07-26-004 = CGCG 216-002 = Mrk 439 = PGC 40396

12 24 36.2 +39 22 58

V = 11.7; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly small, round, bright core with a distinct stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4369 = H I-166 = h1234 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "vB, S, R." CH's reduced position is 1.4' north of this galaxy. JH made two observations, calling it "pB; R; smbM almost to a *."

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NGC 4370 = NGC 4366: = UGC 7492 = MCG +01-32-051 = CGCG 042-089 = PGC 40439

12 24 55.0 +07 26 40

V = 12.6; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 83d

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. NGC 4365 lies 10.1' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4370 = H II-144 = h1236 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "Two unequal nebula; one of them [III-97 = NGC 4366] eF." His position is 14 sec of RA west of UGC 7492 = PGC 40439.

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NGC 4371 = UGC 7493 = MCG +02-32-033 = CGCG 070-057 = PGC 40442

12 24 55.4 +11 42 15

V = 10.8; Size 4.0'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, small, sharp concentration with a very small very bright core, stellar nucleus, diffuse outer halo elongated E-W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4371 = H I-22 = h1235 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "pB, not vL." There is nothing at CH's reduced position, but 45 sec of RA west is UGC 7493. Several nebulae discovered that night including NGCs 3810, 4067, 4294, 4313, 4352, 4368 and 4429 have comparable errors so this identification is very likely. JH made 4 observations and measured an accurate RA.

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NGC 4372 = ESO 064-SC006

12 25 45.4 -72 39 32

V = 7.5; Size 18.6'; Surf Br = 1.2

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, this is a highly-resolved, low-concentration class globular. A mag 6.6 star just 5.5' NW of center is a bit distracting but scores of stars are resolved over the 4' core, appearing to crisscross the center in numerous lanes. The outer halo is very large, nearly 15' in diameter, and resolved into a couple of hundred stars. Except for the brighter and denser core, this globular appears similar to a very large, fully resolved open cluster.

18" (7/6/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 171x, this large, bright globular was an impressive object and beautifully resolved into 150-200 stars mag 13 and fainter within a 13'-14' diameter. The unresolved background glow was relatively faint for such a well-resolved globular. The large 4' core is only slightly brighter and there is no nucleus (class 12 concentration) although a close pair of brighter mag 12.5 stars is near the center. Scores of stars appear linked in chains and loops, particularly in the outer halo, which is quite irregular and ragged. Mag 6.6 HD 107947 lies 5.5' NW of center at the edge of the halo and provides a striking contrast although it detracts somewhat from viewing. A dust lane appears to pierce the cluster on the north side for a few arc minutes (east of the bright star) and this dark intrusion may be an extension of the "Dark Doodad" (see notes).

18" (7/7/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this large, loose globular was well-resolved into ~100 stars mag 12-15 with a 12' diameter. The roundish core is ~4' in size with many faint stars sprinkled across the core. The halo is elongated and irregular in shape. A starless dark lane appears to wind into the cluster towards the core from the NW side angling roughly NW-SE (later verified on the DSS). A mag 6.8 star lies 5' NW of the core and interferes with viewing! Located 44' SW of mag 3.8 Gamma Muscae.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4372 = D 67 = h3390 on 30 Apr 1826 using his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector from Parramatta, NSW. He described "a star of the 6th magnitude, with a beautiful well-defined milky ray proceeding from it south following; the ray is conical, and the star appears in the point of the cone, and the broad or south following extremity is circular, or rounded off. The ray is about 7' in length, and nearly 2' in breadth at the broadest part, near the southern extremity. With the sweeping power this appears like a star with a very faint milky ray south following, the ray gradually spreading in breadth from the star, and rounded off at the broader end. But with a higher power it is not a star with a ray, but a very faint nebula, and the star is not involved or connected with it: I should call it a very faint nebula of a long oval shape, the smaller end towards the star; this is easily resolvable into extremely minute points or stars, but I cannot discover the slightest indications of attraction or condensation towards any part of it. I certainly had not the least suspicion of this object being resolvable when I discovered it with the sweeping power, nor even when I examined it a second time; it is a beautiful object, of a uniform faint light." Dunlop's position is 24' too far WNW, but the bright star is off the northwest side as described by Dunlop, so the identification is certain.

JH described it on 1 Apr 1835 as "a globular cluster, very faint; large; very gradually brighter in the middle; 6' diameter; resolved into stars of 15th magnitude; rich in stars; a delicate and faint object; has a star 45 N.p., distance 5' from centre. Almost perfectly insulated in a very large space almost entirely devoid of stars, being the smaller and southern lacuna below the great 'coal sack'."

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NGC 4373 = ESO 322-006 = MCG -06-27-025 = LGG 298-002 = PGC 40498

12 25 17.8 -39 45 35

V = 10.9; Size 3.4'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 43d

18" (3/28/09): fairly bright and large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 1.5'x1.0'. Contains a large bright center that increases to a small, bright core. A number of stars surround the galaxy.

NGC 4373 is the brightest in a subgroup of at least 7 galaxies on the northwest side of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526), including IC 3290 and IC 3370. IC 3290, just 2' SW of NGC 4373, appeared faint, fairly small, round, 25" diameter. It seems odd that John Herschel missed this galaxy.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4373 = h3391 on 8 Jun 1834 and logged "pB; S; R; pgvmbM." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4374 = M84 = UGC 7494 = MCG +02-32-034 = CGCG 070-058 = Holm 403b = PGC 40455

12 25 03.8 +12 53 13

V = 9.1; Size 6.5'x5.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 135d

24" (4/28/14): extremely bright, large, slightly elongated, ~4'x3.5', sharply concentrated with a very intense core that increases gradually to a nonstellar nucleus. The large halo gradually fades out. A mag 14.5 star is superimposed on the SW side of the halo, 1.2' from center. In the 23' field (at 260x) is M86 17' ENE, NGC 4438 17' SE, NGC 4387 10' ESE, IC 3303 11' SSE

18" (6/12/10): at 175x, very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated, ~2.8'x2.4' NW-SE. The halo gradually brightens from the edge and then suddenly increases dramatically to a very bright 45" core that increases to a sharp stellar nucleus. A faint star is just off the SW edge, 1.3' from center. At 280x the halo appears slightly mottled.

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, moderately large, almost round, very bright core, very small bright nucleus, halo gradually fades into background sky so there is no sharp edge. Nearly an identical twin of M86 17' ENE but rounder.

13" (5/14/83): very bright, very bright core. Located in the core of the Virgo cluster.

Charles Messier is credited with the discovery of M84 = NGC 4374 = h1237 on 18 Mar 1781, along with M86, and described a "Nebula without star, in Virgo; the center it is a bit brilliant, surrounded with a slight nebulosity: its brightness and its appearance resemble that of those in this Catalog, No.s 59 & 60." But Wolfgang Steinicke recently found (email Oct '16) that Johann Gottfried Koehler made the original discovery on 5 May 1779 using a Dolland refractor of 6-ft focal length. WH only recorded it on sweep 199 from 17 Apr 1784 and simply noted "B. Is No. 84 of the Connoissance des Temps." JH also recorded it only a single sweep, noting "vB; R; psbM; 60"; r."

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NGC 4375 = UGC 7496 = MCG +05-29-080 = CGCG 158-100 = PGC 40449

12 25 00.4 +28 33 31

V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5d

17.5" (4/13/02): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.6'. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.2' NE of center. Located 30' NW of a mag 4.3 SAO 82313 in a field with very few stars.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4375 = H II-379 = h1238 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 66) "F; R: has a small star 35° nf, 90" dist."

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NGC 4376 = UGC 7498 = MCG +01-32-053 = CGCG 042-093 = LGG 289-027 = PGC 40494

12 25 18.2 +05 44 29

V = 13.4; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 157d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.5', broad, weak concentration with no noticeable core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4376 = H II-530 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "F, S." CH's reduction is 2' southwest of UGC 7498.

The RNGC misidentifies NGC 4378, located 50' south of UGC 7498, as NGC 4376. Listed in my RNGC Corrections #2.

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NGC 4377 = UGC 7501 = MCG +03-32-025 = CGCG 099-041 = III Zw 65 = PGC 40477

12 25 12.4 +14 45 44

V = 11.9; Size 1.7'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 177d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, fairly small, almost round or slightly elongated N-S, small very bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4377 = H I-12 = h1239 on 19 Feb 1784 (sweep 149) and recorded "pB, but not vL; I saw it only through a very strong haziness and only a single moment." JH made the single observation "B; S; vsmbM" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4378 = UGC 7497 = MCG +01-32-052 = CGCG 042-092 = PGC 40490

12 25 18.1 +04 55 30

V = 11.7; Size 2.9'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 167d

17.5" (3/28/87): fairly bright, fairly small, very bright core, very slightly elongated. Forms an obtuse angle with mag 9 stars SAO 119386 3.9' N and SAO 119388 3.5' ESE. NGC 4376 lies 49' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4378 = H I-123 = h1228 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "F, S". CH's reduction is at the south edge of the halo. JH made the single observation "B; visible in strong twilight; has a * 8-9 mag 20° sf dist 3'." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position (single observation) and noted the error in RA in the GC.

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NGC 4379 = UGC 7502 = MCG +03-32-026 = CGCG 099-042 = PGC 40484

12 25 14.7 +15 36 27

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, small, round, strong bright core. NGC 4396 is located 11' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4379 = H II-87 = h1240 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "S, resolvable, brightest in the middle." There is nothing at his position, though UGC 7502 is 10' northwest. JH independently discovered this galaxy on 6 May 1826 and assumed h1240 was a new object. In the GC, he questioned the equivalence with II-87. Heinrich d'Arrest also observed NGC 4379 and discovered nearby NGC 4396. He was uncertain which one was WH's II-87. In the NGC, Dreyer concluded II-87 = h1240 and noted WH's early sweeps were often poor in position.

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NGC 4380 = UGC 7503 = MCG +02-32-037 = CGCG 070-061 = PGC 40507

12 25 22.1 +10 00 59

V = 11.7; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 153d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly large, fairly diffuse but gradually increases to a very small brighter core. A mag 14 star is off the south end 2.4' from center.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4380 = h1241 on 10 Mar 1826 and logged "vF; pL; R; lbM." His position matches UGC 7503, although Frost was not able to identify it on a Harvard plate.

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NGC 4381 = NGC 4357 = UGC 7478 = MCG +08-23-017 = CGCG 244-010 = PGC 40296

12 23 58.9 +48 46 47

See observing notes for NGC 4357.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4381 = H II-743 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and logged "F, S." There is nothing at his position, but 70 sec of RA west is NGC 4357 = UGC 7478 and the equivalence was suggested by Dreyer in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues. NGC 4357 was found again by Bigourdan (II-52) on 8 Mar 1886 and placed accurately. NGC 4381 should be the primary designation by historical precedence.

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NGC 4382 = M85 = UGC 7508 = MCG +03-32-029 = CGCG 099-045 = Holm 397a = PGC 40515

12 25 24.0 +18 11 28

V = 9.1; Size 7.1'x5.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 5d

17.5" (5/23/87): very bright, moderately large, small very bright core. A mag 13 star is superimposed near the NNE edge and a mag 10 star is off the SE side 2.7' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4394 7.6' ENE.

Pierre Méchain discovered M85 = NGC 4382 = h1242 on 4 Mar 1781. WH made an observation on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded "Two resolvable nebulae; the preceding is the largest and with 157 seems to have another small nebula joining to it [NGC 4394], but with 240 it appears to be a star." JH recorded on sweep 61, "vB; R; bM; 2' diam; has a * 80° np dist 30" from edge."

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NGC 4383 = UGC 7507 = MCG +03-32-030 = CGCG 099-044 = Mrk 769 = PGC 40516

12 25 25.4 +16 28 12

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 28d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, very small, bright stellar nucleus, small faint extensions SW-NE. A mag 12 star is 1.8' SW of center.

Eduard Schönfeld discovered NGC 4383 on 23 May 1862 with a 6" Steinheil refractor. This galaxy is not listed in the GC (JH missed the discovery announcement in Schönfeld's "Beobachtungen von Nebelflecken und Sternhaufen") but Dreyer added it to the GSC (5644). Engelhardt measured an accurate micrometric position.

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NGC 4384 = UGC 7506 = MCG +09-20-168 = CGCG 269-055 = Mrk 207 = PGC 40475

12 25 12.0 +54 30 22

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d

18" (3/30/05): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.8'x0.7'. Fairly well concentrated to a small, brighter core and a quasi-stellar nucleus with direct vision. Located 11' SW of mag 7.5 HD 108316.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4384 = H III-879 = h1243 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and logged "cF, S, iF." His position is 1' north of UGC 7506. This is an active galaxy with a UV excess.

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NGC 4385 = UGC 7515 = MCG +00-32-009 = CGCG 014-034 = Mrk 52 = PGC 40564

12 25 42.8 +00 34 21

V = 12.5; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 82d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, small bright core. Located 4' N of mag 9 SAO 119390.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4385 = m 239 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, alm stell." His position is 1' south of UGC 7515.

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NGC 4386 = UGC 7491 = MCG +13-09-027 = CGCG 352-033 = LGG 284-006 = PGC 40378

12 24 28.3 +75 31 44

V = 11.7; Size 2.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 135d

18" (3/5/05): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE. Contains a small bright core which increases to the center, surrounded by an oval halo 1.2'x0.8'. Third in an impressive trio with NGC 4291 and NGC 4319.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4386 = H I-277 = h1247 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and recorded "cB, cL, mbM." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 348) "pB; lE; psmbM; 25"." His position matches UGC 7491.

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NGC 4387 = UGC 7517 = MCG +02-32-039 = CGCG 070-065 = PGC 40562

12 25 41.7 +12 48 38

V = 12.1; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:4 NNW-SSE, 25"x20", gradually increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5' NNW and a mag 15.5 star is 50" S of center. At the center of M84, M86 and NGC 4388, ~10' from each galaxy.

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, brighter core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.4' NNW. This member of the Virgo cluster is located in the center of the triangle formed by M84, M86 and NGC 4388 with NGC 4388 9' S, M84 10' NW and M86 11' NE.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly faint, slightly elongated N-S. A faint star is close north.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4387 = H II-167 = h1250, along with NGC 4388, 4413 and 4425, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two nebulae [NGC 4388 and 4387]. The most southern [NGC 4388] extended." His position is between the two galaxies. Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position on 4 different nights (#255 in AN 1537).

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NGC 4388 = UGC 7520 = MCG +02-32-041 = CGCG 070-068 = Holm 403c = PGC 40581

12 25 46.7 +12 39 41

V = 11.0; Size 5.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 92d

24" (4/28/14): fairly bright, large, edge-on 4:1 E-W, well concentrated with a mottled, very bright core. Fairly sharp light cutoff on the south side (dust lane) of the core. Faint, stellar knots are at the west and east ends of the core.

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, edge-on streak E-W, fairly large, brighter core, thin extensions. A faint mag 14.5 star lies 1.3' NE of center. Located 16' SE of M84 in the core of the Virgo cluster. On a line between IC 3303 8.4' WNW and NGC 4413 11.4' ESE.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly bright, very elongated E-W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4388 = H II-168 = h1244, along with NGC 4387, 4413 and 4425, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two nebulae [NGC 4388 and 4387]. The most southern [NGC 4388] extended." His position is between the two galaxies. JH noted "vF; E; the p of 2 [with NGC 4413], dist about 30s in RA." He didn't realize this was the same as his father's II-168, so listed it as a "nova" and included separate listings in the GC for II-168 and h1244. Dreyer combined the listings in the NGC.

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NGC 4389 = UGC 7514 = MCG +08-23-028 = CGCG 244-014 = PGC 40537

12 25 35.4 +45 41 03

V = 11.7; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d

13.1" (3/17/86): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, brighter along the major axis. A mag 13.5 star is off the SE edge 1.1' from center and a mag 12.5 star lies 2.1' NNW. Similar view on 4/12/86.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4389 = H II-749 = h1245 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and recorded "pB, S, iF." JH made 3 observations, noting on sweep 255 "F; vL; E; vglbM; 2' l, 1.5' br."

On 30 Mar 1856, R.J. Mitchell logged at Birr Castle "pB, E, Nucl, a bright streak runs through the nucleus, growing broader at the preceding end, on either side of this I suspect dark spaces and outside them again faint nebulosity, especially to south side of the nucleus." His sketch was included in LdR's 1861 publication.

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NGC 4390 = IC 3320 = IC 3319? = UGC 7519 = MCG +02-32-040 = CGCG 070-067 = PGC 40597

12 25 50.7 +10 27 33

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/20/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse, even or almost even surface brightness. Located 26' NNE of NGC 4380.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4390 = H III-39 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vF; near some bright stars." His re-reduced position is 5' northeast of UGC 7519, though the nearest stars as bright as mag 10 and 11 are roughly 10' away. Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position on 3 nights and noted the discrepancy of 20 sec in RA and 2.9' in declination, so he wasn't certain if it was the same object. Dreyer used d'Arrest's mean position in the NGC.

Schwassmann "rediscovered" this galaxy on a Heidelberg plate in 1900 and it was catalogued again as Sn. 155 (later IC 3320). Apparently he was unaware of the NGC identification (a number of his objects have NGC designations) and Dreyer missed the equivalence.

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NGC 4391 = UGC 7511 = MCG +11-15-053 = CGCG 315-037 = VII Zw 454 = PGC 40500

12 25 18.8 +64 56 00

V = 12.7; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.9

17.5" (4/15/93): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A fairly bright triple star is 2' WSW consisting of three mag 10.5-12 stars with separations 34", 50" and 68". NGC 4441 lies 14' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4391 = H III-852 = h1248 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "vF, stellar, north following a small triangle of B stars." JH made two observations, first recording on sweep 411 "pB; S; bM; 12". Near a pB triple star." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4392 = MCG +08-23-023 = CGCG 244-012 = I Zw 35 = PGC 40499

12 25 18.8 +45 50 51

V = 13.7; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6

13.1" (3/17/86): fairly faint, small, elongated, bright core. Located 10' NNW of NGC 4389.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4392 = H III-729 = h1249 on 27 Apr 1788 (sweep 833) and noted "vF, S." CH's reduction is within 1' of CGCG 244-012 = PGC 40499. JH made the single observation "F; S; R; vgbM. RA from II. 749 [NGC 4389], which it follows 10 sec." But NGC 4392 is west of NGC 4389 by 17 sec of RA (3' north of JH's position), so there must have been some confusion. JH used his position in the GC and Dreyer followed, so the NGC position is poor.

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NGC 4393 = UGC 7521 = MCG +05-29-083 = CGCG 158-104 = IC 3329 = PGC 40600

12 25 51.6 +27 33 43

V = 12.1; Size 3.2'x3.0'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 0d

18" (5/30/03): faint, large, diffuse glow, approximately 2.5'x2.0' in diameter, extended N-S, very low surface brightness with just a broad, weak concentration. A neat string of 6 mag 11-12.5 stars running NNW-SSE passes 6'-7' W. Located 19' NNW of mag 4.9 14 Comae Berenices. NGC 4408 lies 19' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4393 = H III-361 = h1246 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "vF, vL." CH's reduced position is on the west edge of the galaxy. JH called it "F; irreg fig; has a line of bright stars preceding."

Harold Corwin notes that IC 3329 (found by Max Wolf on a Heidelberg plate) is an HII knot in NGC 4393 and IC 3323 is a nearby star.

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NGC 4394 = UGC 7523 = MCG +03-32-035 = CGCG 099-047 = Holm 397b = PGC 40614

12 25 55.6 +18 12 50

V = 10.9; Size 3.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, slightly elongated NNW-SSE. Forms a pair with M85 7.6' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4394 = H II-55 = h1251 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and noted "Two resolvable nebula. The preceding [M85] is the largest and with 157 seems to have another small nebula joining to it, but with 240 it appears to be a star." He only measured a single position (matching M85). JH made two observations and his mean position matches UGC 7523.

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NGC 4395 = UGC 7524 = MCG +06-27-053 = CGCG 187-042 = PGC 40596

12 25 48.9 +33 32 51

V = 10.2; Size 13.2'x11.0'; Surf Br = 15.4; PA = 147d

17.5" (5/15/99): this chaotic galaxy is dominated by several bright HII regions. At 100x, the large low surface brightness glow is clearly clumpy with a couple of faint knots evident on the east side of the haze. At 220x, the glow of the galaxy is more difficult to view and several nonstellar knots and a couple of very faint superimposed stars are more prominent. The brightest HII region is NGC 4401 located 2' SE of the core, ~25" in size, with a second smaller 15" knot (NGC 4400) close south. The core of the galaxy appears as an ill-defined, low surface brightness glow, larger than the individual HII knots. A mag 14.5 star is superimposed NE of the core. On the SW side of the core is a third difficult knot, about 15" in diameter (NGC 4399) requiring averted vision to confirm. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).

17.5": faint, very large, extremely low surface brightness, must use low magnification to view. Three knots are involved (one of these observed "knots" may be the core) within a very diffuse glow. The brightest knot (NGC 4401) is at the SE end about 2' SE of center with NGC 4400 close SSW of NGC 4401. A mag 14.5 star is at the north end. Also see description for NGC 4399.

13" (4/12/86): at 62x appears very large, diffuse, slightly elongated glow, broad very weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4395 = H V-29.1 = h1252 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded "eF, vL, vlbM, resolvable, about 10' long and 8 or 9' broad." JH made two observations, logging on 29 Apr 1827, "two nebulae running into one another; both eF, vL, the f rather the brighter. Place that of the preceding." Dreyer catalogued the two components as NGC 4395 = V 29.1 and NGC 4401 = V 29.2. On a second observation, JH wrote "vL; extremely ill defined, may perhaps be 10' l, 3' br; pslbM to an irregular centre. On closer inspection bicentral; pos of the nuclei 30° np; dist 2'."

This galaxy was viewed on three occasions at Birr Castle by Bindon Stoney, who recorded "a cluster of nebulae found" on 13 Apr 1850 and "there are 4 nebulae. The 3 f ones seem to be inv in a mass of F neby." Based on these observations, Dreyer included two additional entries: NGC 4399 and NGC 4400. The sketch of these condensations match up well with my own observations with a 17.5" and can be identified on the POSS.

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NGC 4396 = UGC 7526 = MCG +03-32-034 = CGCG 099-049 = Holm 400a = PGC 40622

12 25 58.9 +15 40 19

V = 12.6; Size 3.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 125d

17.5" (5/23/87): faint, fairly small, edge-on NW-SE, even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is at the NW end [probably IC 3310] 1.1' from center and a brighter mag 12 star is 1.4' NNE of center. Located 11' S of mag 6.9 SAO 100095 which is at the north edge of a 220x field.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4396 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and measured the position on 2 nights. He also observed NGC 4379 and was uncertain which was H II-87 (likely NGC 4379, see that number).

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NGC 4397

12 25 58.1 +18 18 04

=***, Carlson.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4397 = T I-44 and placed "5 sec following, 6 arcmin north of II 55 [NGC 4394]". Very close to this offset is a triple star, including a 4"-5" close pair, with the third component at 18". Dorothy Carlson also identifies NGC 4397 as this triple star.

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NGC 4398

12 26 07.5 +10 41 10

=*14.5, Reinmuith and Corwin. =*, Carlson.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4398 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position corresponds with a mag 13.8 star and his description of two mag 11/13 stars (closer to mag 10/11.5) that precede by 11.6 sec and 16.35 sec of time is a perfect match. d'Arrest was uncertain if his object was the same as WH's III-39, and noted the descrepancy in declination. Neither Bigourdan (visually) nor Frost (on photographic plate) found NGC 4398, but Karl Reinmuth identified it as a mag 14.5 star using a Heidelberg plate.

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NGC 4399

12 25 42.8 +33 30 57

17.5" (5/15/99): faintest of three HII knots observed in NGC 4395. Appeared extremely faint and small, 10"-15" in size and situated 2.3' SW of the ill-defined core on a line with a mag 14.5 star to the NE of the core. Required averted vision to confirm.

George Johnstone Stoney discovered NGC 4399, along with NGC 4400 and 4401, on 13 Apr 1850, while observing NGC 4395 and recorded "a cluster of nebulae found". On 14 Apr 1855, R.J. Mitchell noted "there are 4 nebulae. The 3 following ones seem to be involved in a mass of faint nebulosity. A sketch shows 4 "nebulae" along with a couple of stars. One of these (furthest north on the sketch) is the core of NGC 4395 and the other three (NGC 4399, NGC 4400 and NGC 4401) are HII knots in the galaxy. NGC 4401, the brightest of the knots, was recorded by JH. Corwin lists the position as 12 25 42.8 +33 30 57, which is just following a mag 15 star. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent with the description "Part of NGC 4395."

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NGC 4400

12 25 55.9 +33 30 54

17.5" (5/15/99): very small HII knot in NGC 4395 situated 0.9' SSW of brighter NGC 4401. Shows up well at 220x, although only 15" in size and no other details.

17.5": one of a pair of knots in the SE end of galaxy NGC 4395. The smaller and fainter of the pair (probably NGC 4400) is very faint, fairly small and is close SSW of NGC 4401.

George Johnstone Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4400, along with NGC 4399 and 4401, on 13 Apr 1850. See notes on NGC 4399.

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NGC 4401

12 25 57.5 +33 31 42

17.5" (5/15/99): this number refers to the brightest HII region in NGC 4395, located ~2' SE of the ill-defined core. Fairly easy at 220x (the galaxy loses its identity at this power!), appearing as an irregular 25" knot. Off the south side is a second fainter knot (NGC 4400).

17.5": brightest of three knots in the galaxy NGC 4395 along with NGC 4399 and NGC 4400. Appears fairly faint and fairly small. Forms a close pair with knot NGC 4400 just SSW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4401 = h1252 on 29 Apr 1827, while observing NGC 4395 (discovered by WH). He described "Two nebulae running into one another; both eF, vL, the following rather the brighter." JH's description applies to the core of NGC 4395 and the brightest of the HII knots in this galaxy. Two additional knots (NGC 4399 and NGC 4400) were sketched at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4402 = UGC 7528 = MCG +02-32-044 = CGCG 070-071 = Holm 403d = PGC 40644

12 26 07.7 +13 06 48

V = 11.8; Size 3.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 E-W, 2.1'x0.6'. Very mottled, patchy appearance implying a dusty equatorial plane and HII regions, though individual knots were not resolved. M86 is 10' N.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, fairly even surface brightness. Located 10' N of M86 in core of the Virgo cluster.

13" (5/14/83): faint, fairly large, even surface brightness.

George Johnstone Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4402 = Au 30 on 13 Apr 1849 and labeled it Eta on the diagram of the central core of the Virgo cluster. He also noted "Eta hollow in the middle [dust lane], probably a ring seen obliquely, faint star north of its middle, seen best with the single lens."

Arthur Auwers independently discovered NGC 4402 on 5 Mar 1862 with the 6.2-inch Fraunhofer heliometer at the Königsberg Observatory and recorded "faint, gradually brighter in the middle, much elongated in the parallel [east-west], 3' long and 1.5' broad." Auwers is credited with the discovery in the GC and NGC as no positions or offsets were measured at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4403 = MCG -01-32-008 = Holm 402a = PGC 40656

12 26 12.8 -07 41 05

V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 30d

17.5" (5/19/01): NGC 4403 is the preceding and fainter member of close pair with NGC 4404 just 0.9' NE. Appears fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.4' with a brighter core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4403 = H III-75, along with NGC 4404, 5 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and recorded both as "Two, both vF, vS, E, within 1 1/2' of each other." Neither galaxy was observed by JH.

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NGC 4404 = MCG -01-32-009 = Holm 402b = PGC 40666

12 26 16.2 -07 40 51

V = 11.2; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 11.7

17.5" (5/19/01): this is the following member of a close pair with NGC 4404 just 0.9' SW. Moderately bright, round, fairly small, 0.8'x0.6' SW-NE. Contains a sharp, brighter core. Although smaller than NGC 4403 this galaxy is the brighter of the pair with a higher surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4404 = H III-756, along with NGC 4403, on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and recorded both as "Two, both vF, vS, E, within 1 1/2' of each other." His single position is less than 1' from NGC 4404.

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NGC 4405 = IC 788 = UGC 7529 = MCG +03-32-036 = CGCG 099-050 = LGG 289-059 = PGC 40643

12 26 07.1 +16 10 52

V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 20d

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. IC 787 lies 11' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4405 = H II-88 = h1254 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "S, resolvable, brightest in the middle." CH's reduced position is 11 sec of RA east of UGC 7529. JH called this galaxy "pB; R; vsbM; 30"." and measured an accurate position.

Stephane Javelle independently discovered this galaxy on 19 May 1893 with the 30-inch refractor at the Nice Observatory, measured an accurate position and included it in his second discovery list, #748 (later IC 788). Javelle's offset point directly to this galaxy. So, NGC 4405 = IC 788. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4406 = M86 = UGC 7532 = MCG +02-32-046 = CGCG 070-072 = Holm 403a = PGC 40653

12 26 11.7 +12 56 46

V = 8.9; Size 8.9'x5.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 130d

24" (4/28/14): at 260x appeared extremely bright, very large, oval 3:2 NW-SE, 4.5'x3.0'. Sharply concentrated with a very intensely bright core that increases down to the center. The halo increases in size with averted and gradually fades out at the periphery. Brightest galaxy in the central core of the Virgo cluster.

18" (6/12/10): at 175x appears very bright, very large, elongated 4:3 or 5:3 NW-SE, ~4.3'x3.0'. The outer halo gradually brightens then dramatically increases to a very intense 45" core that increases down to a stellar nucleus. The nucleus is fairly well defined as a 20" brighter inner zone. A mag 14.6 star is at the ENE edge of the halo, 2.0' from center. Brighter of a 17' pair with M84 in the core of the Virgo cluster.

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 4'x3', intense core, substellar nucleus, large diffuse halo. One of the two brightest galaxies in the core of the Virgo cluster along with M84 17' W. NGC 4402 lies 10' N.

13" (5/14/83): very bright, larger and more elongated than M84.

Charles Messier is credited with the discovery of M86 = NGC 4406 = h1253 on 18 Mar 1781, along with M84, and described a "Nebula without star, in Virgo, on the parallel and very near to the nebula above, No. 84: their appearances are the same, & both appear together in the same field of the telescope." But Wolfgang Steinicke recently found (email Oct '16) that Johann Gottfried Koehler made the original discovery on 5 May 1779. WH only recorded it on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and simply noted "B. Is No. 74 of the Connoissance des Temps." JH listed M86 as a "Nova", probably due to the poor positions of his father. On sweep 22 he logged "vB; R; gbM to nearly a star" and on sweep 243 "vB; L; pgmbM; r."

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NGC 4407 = NGC 4413 = UGC 7538 = MCG +02-32-049 = CGCG 070-076 = Holm 403f = PGC 40705

12 26 32.2 +12 36 39

See observing notes for NGC 4413.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4407 = h1255 on 4 May 1829 and simply noted "the following of 2" with h1244 = NGC 4388. There is nothing at his approximate position, but the description for NGC 4388 mentions the second nebula follows by roughly 30 sec in RA. NGC 4413 follows by 47 sec in RA and is the only reasonable candidate nearby. This identification was suggested by Frost, based on Harvard plates and Harold Corwin concurs NGC 4407 = NGC 4413. See Corwin's notes for more.

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NGC 4408 = CGCG 158-107 = PGC 40668

12 26 17.2 +27 52 16

V = 13.9; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d

18" (5/30/03): faint, small, elongated 4:3, 0.4'x0.25', brighter along the major axis. There appears to be a faint star at the SE edge. Located 19' NNE of NGC 4393.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4408 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4409 = NGC 4420 = UGC 7549 = MCG +01-32-064 = CGCG 042-106 = PGC 40775

12 26 58.5 +02 29 39

See observing notes for NGC 4420.

William Herschel found NGC 4409 = H III-17 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and noted "vF, pS, it seems to be resolveable." There is nothing at his position, but 25 sec of RA east is NGC 4420 = UGC 7549, which WH discovered just a month earlier and catalogued as H. II 23. JH suggested the equivalence in his observation of this galaxy. As WH's positions in his early sweeps were prone to errors and there are no other nearby candidates, this equivalence is certain.

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NGC 4410 = UGC 7535 = MCG +02-32-047 = CGCG 070-073 = Mrk 1325 = WBL 408-004 = PGC 40694/40697

12 26 28.9 +09 01 11

V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x0.8'; PA = 110d

24" (6/4/16): at 225x; NGC 4410 is a merged, interacting pair at 20" separation in a common halo. NGC 4410B, the brighter eastern component, appeared moderately bright, small, round, 20"-25" diameter (the halos overlap), very small bright core. NGC 4410A, the western galaxy, appeared fairly faint, small, round, 15" diameter, weak concentration, lower surface brightness than NGC 4410B.

IC 790 = NGC 4410C, located 1.8' ENE, appeared fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 24"x16", very small brighter nucleus. A very diffuse tidal plume (not seen) connects IC 790 with NGC 4410A/B. CGCG 070-079, 2.3' ENE of IC 790 (and also connected by a tidal plume), is faint, small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 24"x12".

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, weak concentration. This double system (NGC 4410A and 4410B) was not resolved. NGC 4410A is the brightest in a quartet with IC 790 1.9' NE and CGCG 070-079 4' ENE (not seen). NGC 4411A lies 9' S. IC 790 appeared very faint, very small, elongated E-W.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4410 = h1256 on 18 Jan 1828 and recorded "eF; vL; R; gbM; 2.5' diameter." His position is 7 sec if RA too far west.

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NGC 4411 = NGC 4411A = IC 3339 = UGC 7537 = MCG +02-32-048 = CGCG 070-074 = WBL 408-006 = PGC 40695

12 26 30.0 +08 52 20

V = 12.7; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.1

24" (6/4/16): at 225x; faint or fairly faint, moderately large, round, low surface brightness, ~1.2' diameter. The view is confused by a superimposed mag 13.5 star, slightly west of center. A diffuse but uneven glow encompasses the star, with the very weak core just east of the star. The halo has a very low surface brightness and it was difficult to estimate the diameter.

Forms a pair with (similar) low surface brightness NGC 4411B 4.4' ENE. It appeared faint or fairly faint, fairly large, round, low surface brightness, weak concentration, ~1.6' diameter. The halo fades out gradually with no distinct edge (increases in size with averted vision) but doesn't reach a mag 13 star off the northwest edge (1.3' from center).

CGCG 070-087, located 11' NE, appeared fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 24"x15", sharply concentrated with a brighter 15" core that gradually increases to the center and very low surface brightness extensions. A mag 9.5 star (HD 108384) is 1.2' NE.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, round, fairly small, very diffuse glow. Unusual appearance as a mag 13 star is superimposed on the core and the galaxy appears as a low surface brightness halo surrounds this star. Forms a close pair with NGC 4411B 4' ENE.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4411 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College Observatory. His position matches UGC 7537 (generally known as NGC 4411A). Arnold Schwassmann found the galaxy on a Heidelberg plate in 1900 and assumed it was new. Although his position is nearly identical to Peters', Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4411 as IC 3339.

When Bigourdan observed the field, he found B. 298, which was described as "very large and diffuse, about 2.5' dia, slbM. Could be NGC 4411 with an error of 17 sec in RA." In the IC 2 notes Dreyer mentions this is probably the same as NGC 4411, but B. 298 refers to NGC 4411B = UGC 7546, situated 4.5' east-northeast. Because of Dreyer's error, this galaxy did not receive an IC designation. See Corwin's notes for more on the story.

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NGC 4412 = UGC 7536 = MCG +01-32-062 = CGCG 042-104 = LGG 281-017 = PGC 40715

12 26 36.1 +03 57 52

V = 12.4; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated N-S, weak concentration at center to a small brighter core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4412 = H II-34 = h1257 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and noted "vF, pS. Seems to be resolveable and resembles the former [NGC 4409 = NGC 4420]." His position is 30 sec of RA east of UGC 7536, the only nearby galaxy. JH made two observations, calling it "; L; R; vgbM" on sweep 238 and measured an accurate RA.

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NGC 4413 = NGC 4407 = UGC 7538 = MCG +02-32-049 = CGCG 070-076 = PGC 40705

12 26 32.2 +12 36 39

V = 12.3; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 60d

24" (4/28/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.6'. Unusual appearance with a brighter bar and a small, bright rounder nucleus. The bar and halo are not aligned along the same axis.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, slightly brighter along major axis. A mag 12 star is off the north edge 1.4' from center and a mag 11 star is 2.9' N. Located 12' ESE of NGC 4388 in the core of Virgo cluster with NGC 4425 12.7' NE.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, slightly elongated, diffuse.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4413 = H II-169 = h1259, along with NGC 4387, 4388 and 4425, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199). He noted "S. It may be taken into the field with other [NGC 4387 and 4388]. CH's reduction is 17 sec of RA east of UGC 7538. On 11 Apr 1825, JH recorded on sweep 3 "eF; gbM; has 2 stars, n and n p." His position is 2.8' too far south, although the description clearly applies. Four years later he recorded it again as h1255 = NGC 4407 and simply noted "the following of 2 [with NGC 4388]. His position was marked as very uncertain or approximate but was noted as as ~30 sec following NGC 4388 (the actual RA difference is 47 sec). So, NGC 4413 = NGC 4407, with NGC 4413 the primary designation.

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NGC 4414 = UGC 7539 = MCG +05-29-085 = CGCG 158-108 = PGC 40692

12 26 27.0 +31 13 23

V = 10.1; Size 3.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 155d

17.5" (4/25/98): bright, elongated NNW-SSE, ~3'x2'. Sharp concentration with a prominent rounder core which increases to a stellar nucleus. There appears to be a sharper light cutoff along the preceding edge and an hint of spiral structure in the outer halo. Observation hampered by hazy skies.

8": fairly bright, elongated NW-SE, small bright nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4414 = H I-77 = h1258 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "vB, L, E, broadly [concentrated] to a mbM." JH made two observations and logged (sweep 342) "vB; L; pmE; first gb and the vsvmbM to a nucleus = 11m; 3' l, 90" br."

Spiral structure was not described at Birr Castle, though on 12 Apr 1849, LdR or assistant George Stoney recorded "uncertain whether double nucleus or nucleus and star; neby decidely darker in middle, following the nucleus and rather brighter outside this." The 7 Mar 1856 observation by R.J. Mitchell also mentions "Has a double nucl or a nucl and a star which are excentric, being nearer the sp side; light uneven and patchy. I suspect especially a darkness north of the main nucleus."

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NGC 4415 = UGC 7540 = MCG +02-32-052 = CGCG 070-078 = LGG 292-013 = PGC 40727

12 26 40.5 +08 26 08

V = 12.1; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 0d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 2.4' NNW of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4415 = H III-482 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted "eF". His position (CH's reduction) is just 3 sec of RA too small.

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NGC 4416 = UGC 7541 = MCG +01-32-063 = CGCG 042-105 = LGG 289-056 = PGC 40743

12 26 46.7 +07 55 08

V = 12.4; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, gradually increases to small bright core. Located 4' NE of mag 8 SAO 119397. M49 lies 45' E and NGC 4434 20' NE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4416 = h1260 on 11 Apr 1825 and recorded "vF; L; R; 60"; has a * 7m, 5' sp." His position and description matches this galaxy.

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NGC 4417 = UGC 7542 = MCG +02-32-053 = CGCG 070-080 = LGG 292-019 = PGC 40756

12 26 50.6 +09 35 03

V = 11.1; Size 3.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 49d

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, moderately large, elongated lens-shape SW-NE, bright bulging core containing a bright stellar nucleus. NGC 4424 lies 11' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4417 = H II-155 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged "F, pL, lE and lb towards the preceding side, r." CH's reduction is 3' northeast of UGC 7542.

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NGC 4418 = NGC 4355 = UGC 7545 = MCG +00-32-012 = CGCG 014-039 = PGC 40762

12 26 54.6 -00 52 40

V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 59d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, small, oval SW-NE, broad concentration. A mag 15 star is just off the SW end 0.9' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4418 = H III-492 = h1261 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and recorded "vF, mE, cL, r." His position is 3' south of UGC 7545 = PGC 40762. JH made two observations, noting on sweep 146 "F; S; R; near a star" and measured an accurate position.

David Todd independently discovered this galaxy on 5 Feb 1878 and recorded it as object #17 in his search for a trans-Neptunian planet. Todd's rough RA is 4.0 tmin too far west but his field sketch and offsets to nearby stars clearly match this galaxy.

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NGC 4419 = UGC 7551 = MCG +03-32-038 = CGCG 099-054 = PGC 40772

12 26 56.3 +15 02 51

V = 11.2; Size 3.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 133d

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 2.4'x0.8', bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4419 = H II-113 = h1262 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "E, resolvable." JH called this galaxy "B; E; np to sf; sbM" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4420 = NGC 4409 = UGC 7549 = MCG +01-32-064 = CGCG 042-106 = PGC 40775

12 26 58.5 +02 29 39

V = 12.1; Size 2.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 8d

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated N-S, almost even surface brightness, nuclear bulge.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4420 = H II-23 = h1263 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 119) and logged "F, E." His position is 30 sec of RA east and 5' south (positions in his early sweeps often have larger errors) of UGC 7549. He recorded the galaxy again a month later as III-17 and it later received the designation NGC 4409, although JH, who measured an accurate position, suspected it was a duplicate observation. So, NGC 4420 = NGC 4409.

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NGC 4421 = UGC 7554 = MCG +03-32-039 = CGCG 099-055 = PGC 40785

12 27 02.6 +15 27 41

V = 11.6; Size 2.7'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 20d

17.5" (5/19/01): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. The 1.5' diameter halo is punctuated by a 30" prominent core. Located 2.4' SE of mag 9.5 SAO 100101.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4421 = H II-89 = h1264 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "S, resolvable, brightest in the middle, near a bright star." There is nothing at CH's reduced position but 10' northwest (similar error as NGC 4379) is UGC 7554 as well as the bright star." JH made two observations and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4422 = MCG -01-32-010 = PGC 40813

12 27 12.1 -05 49 52

V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Symmetric appearance as this round galaxy increases steadily to a small brighter core and stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4422 = H III-114 = h1265 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "Two very small stars with nebulosity. 240 rather confirmed it, but there is too much moonlight to see it perfectly. It makes a vS nebula." On a later sweep (706) he logged "vF, vS, stellar" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4423 = UGC 7556 = MCG +01-32-065 = CGCG 042-107 = LGG 292-108 = PGC 40801

12 27 08.9 +05 52 47

V = 13.5; Size 2.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 18d

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SSW-NNE, low even surface brightness. NGC 4430/NGC 4432 pair lies 25' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4423 = H II-145 = h1266 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "eF, E." His position is 28 sec of RA east of UGC 7556. JH logged "vF; vS; E" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4424 = UGC 7561 = MCG +02-32-058 = CGCG 070-090 = LGG 288-008 = PGC 40809

12 27 11.7 +09 25 13

V = 11.7; Size 3.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated E-W, bright core. NGC 4417 is at the edge of the 220x field 11' NNW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4424 on 27 Feb 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 4 nights, matches UGC 7561 and he estimated the size as 80".

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NGC 4425 = UGC 7562 = MCG +02-32-059 = CGCG 070-091 = Holm 403e = LGG 286-003 = PGC 40816

12 27 13.4 +12 44 05

V = 11.8; Size 3.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 27d

24" (4/28/14): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 SSW-NNE, ~1.4'x0.4', small bright core. A mag 13.8 star is 1.2' W of center and a mag 15.3 is 1.3' SE.

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, small brighter core. A mag 13.5 star is 1.2' W and a mag 11 star 4.4' ENE of center. Located in the core of the Virgo cluster with NGC 4413 12.7' SW.

13" (5/14/83): fairly faint, very elongated, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1' W and a mag 11 star to the east.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4425 = H II-170 = h1267, along with NGC 4387, 4388 and 4413, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199). He simply noted "F" and his position is ~18 sec of RA too far east (similar offsets with the others nearby). JH recorded "pB; S; R; bM" and measured an accurate position (on a second sweep).

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NGC 4426 = NGC 4427

12 27 10.5 +27 50 17

=**, Corwin and Dreyer

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4426 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. At his position is a 14" pair of mag 14.5/15 stars. Interestingly, Bigourdan independently found this pair again 21 years later and also thought it was mixed with some nebulosity. Both measured nearly identical positions and Dreyer realized the equivalence NGC 4426 = NGC 4427 = **, after compiling the NGC.

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NGC 4427 = NGC 4426

12 27 10.5 +27 50 17

=**, Corwin and Dreyer

Guillaume Bigourdan found NGC 4427 = Big 53 on 22 Apr 1886 and described "vF, 2 or 3 stars mixed with nebulosity." At his position is pair of stars separated by ~14". The same pair was discovered earlier by Heinrich d'Arrest on 21 Apr 1865 and both positions are nearly identical in the NGC. Dreyer must have realized the equivalence before publication of the NGC, as he added the note "These are evidently identical (note added in press)."

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NGC 4428 = MCG -01-32-012 = Holm 407b = PGC 40860

12 27 28.3 -08 10 04

V = 12.6; Size 1.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~E-W, broad concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4433 7' SSE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4428 = h1269 on 16 Mar 1828 and logged "pL; vF; very ill defined." His position is close off the south side of MCG -01-32-012 = PGC 40860.

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NGC 4429 = UGC 7568 = MCG +02-32-061 = CGCG 070-093 = LGG 292-009 = PGC 40850

12 27 26.4 +11 06 29

V = 10.0; Size 5.6'x2.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 99d

17.5" (4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, very bright core, stellar nucleus, faint extensions E-W. Located 2.0' SSW of a mag 9.5 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4429 = H II-65 = h1271 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged "pB, not vS." His position is 40 sec of RA east of UGC 7568 (a similar error as a number of objects in the sweep). On sweep 191, JH recorded "B; L; pmE; psbM; has a *10m nf, 1' distance." He was uncertain if this was his father's object and noted "Nova, or II 65" in the Slough catalogue.

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NGC 4430 = UGC 7566 = MCG +01-32-067 = CGCG 042-111 = Holm 406a = LGG 289-033 = PGC 40851

12 27 26.2 +06 15 45

V = 12.0; Size 2.3'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 80d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly large, diffuse, elongated 3:2 E-W. There is a sharp light cut-off on the east end. The surface brightness is asymmetric with the brightest portion offset to the east of center with a more extensive faint halo towards the north and west. Forms a close pair with NGC 4432 2.5' SE. Located 8' N of mag 7.9 SAO 119411.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4430 = H II-146 = h1270 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and logged "F, pL." He also logged this galaxy just two objects earlier in the sweep, though suspected they were the same object, so assigned a single discovery number. JH noted (sweep 253) "vF; L; R; gbM; 90"." Both missed nearby NGC 4432, which was discovered by Albert Marth.

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NGC 4431 = UGC 7569 = MCG +02-32-062 = CGCG 070-094 = Holm 408c = LGG 292-006 = PGC 40852

12 27 27.4 +12 17 24

V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 177d

24" (5/29/14): fairly faint to moderately bright fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 40"x25", broad concentration with a slightly brighter core. A mag 14.4 star is 1.2' E. First of three with fainter NGC 4436 3.8' NE and brighter NGC 4440 6.4' E.

13.1" (5/14/83): faint, very diffuse, slightly elongated. This galaxy is slightly brighter and larger than NGC 4436 4.0' ENE. NGC 4440 lies 6.5' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4431 = H II-171 = h1268 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Three F nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC 4440] S." His single position is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "vF; oval gbM; 50"."

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NGC 4432 = UGC 7570 = MCG +01-32-068 = CGCG 042-114 = Holm 406b = PGC 40875

12 27 33.0 +06 14 00

V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (4/21/90): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 15 star is 0.7' NW of center. Forms a close pair with NGC 4430 2.5' NW.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4432 = m 240 on 22 Mar 1865 with Lassell's 48-inch on Malta and noted "2* in a F nebulosity." His position matches NGC 4432 = UGC 7570, just 2.5' southeast of NGC 4430, though the brighter galaxy is not mentioned.

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NGC 4433 = MCG -01-32-013 = Holm 407a = PGC 40894

12 27 38.7 -08 16 45

V = 12.7; Size 2.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 5d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated ~N-S, broad concentration. Bracketed by two mag 14 stars at the north edge and 1.0' SW of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4428 7' N.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4433 = h1273 on 16 Mar 1828 and noted "not vF; pL; lE; very ill-defined." His position is at the south edge of MCG -01-32-013 = PGC 40894.

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NGC 4434 = UGC 7571 = MCG +01-32-069 = CGCG 042-115 = LGG 292-014 = PGC 40886

12 27 36.6 +08 09 15

V = 12.2; Size 1.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9

17.5" (4/21/90): moderately bright, small, round, small very bright core dominates small round halo, sharp stellar nucleus. Located 35' WNW of M49. NGC 4416 lies 20' SW. UGC 7580 is 7' SE but I didn't look for this faint galaxy.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4434 = H II-497 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted "pF, vS." Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate micrometric position on two nights (used in the NGC).

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NGC 4435 = "The Eyes" = VV 188 = Arp 120 NED1 = UGC 7575 = MCG +02-32-064 = VV 188 = Holm 409b = PGC 40898

12 27 40.5 +13 04 44

V = 10.8; Size 2.8'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 13d

24" (4/28/14): very bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 N-S, ~1.5'x1.0', sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to the center. Forms a prominent pair ("The Eyes") with NGC 4438 4.4' SSE.

18" (6/12/10): at 175x appears bright, moderately large oval, elongated at least 2:1 SSW-NNE, 1.6'x0.8'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright, 20"x10" core and stellar nucleus. This galaxy is the NW member of the "Eyes" with highly disrupted NGC 4438 4.3' SSE.

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a striking pair called the "Eyes" with slightly fainter NGC 4438 4.5' SSE. Located 20' E of M86 in the central core of the Virgo cluster.

13.1" (5/14/83): bright, prominent small bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4435 = H I-28.1 = h1274, along with NGC 4438, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "two bright, considerably large nebula. One is 86 of the Connois des Temps." His single position matches the pair NGC 4435/4438 and was confused about the position of M86. He made the same mistake on 8 Apr 1784, though it that case his positions fall close to NGC 4458/4461 (if he viewed NGC 4435/4438 instead, his position was 17' off). JH repeated this error in the Slough catalogue, but in the GC JH split the pair into h1274 = H 1-28.1 (NGC 4435) and h1275 = H 1-28.2 (NGC 4438).

NGC 4435 and 4438 was nicknamed "The Eyes" by Leyland S. Copeland (first author of the Deep Sky Wonders column) in a February 1955 article titled "Adventures in the Virgo Cloud."; the likeness to a pair of eyes is emphasized by the fact that NGC 4435 and 4438 are both elongated in a SSW-NNE direction.

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NGC 4436 = UGC 7573 = MCG +02-32-066 = CGCG 070-096 = Holm 408a = LGG 289-010 = PGC 40903

12 27 41.2 +12 18 57

V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 116d

24" (5/29/14): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 30"x20", weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is off the NW side, 0.9' from center. Faintest of three with NGC 4440 3.4' ESE and NGC 4431 3.8' SW.

13.1" (5/14/83): very faint, diffuse, low even surface brightness. A mag 11.5 star is just off the NW edge 1.0' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4440 3' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4436 = H II-172 = h1272 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Three faint nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC 4440] S." His single position is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "vF; gbM; 40"."

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NGC 4437 = NGC 4517 = UGC 7694 = MCG +00-32-020 = CGCG 014-063 = PGC 41618

12 32 45.6 +00 06 59

See observing notes for NGC 4517.

John Herschel found NGC 4437 = h1277 on 14 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; vmE; pos 15° nf to sp; a long ray; it is south preceding a * 10m. The place is that of the star." There is nothing near his position, but 5 min of RA east is NGC 4517 and his description is a perfect match with this galaxy. Karl Reinmuth may have first suggested the equivalence in his 1926 photographic Heidelberg survey "Die Herschel Nebel". Various sources (including the RNGC) mistakenly equate NGC 4437 with NGC 4417, instead of NGC 4517.

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NGC 4438 = "The Eyes" = Arp 120 NED2 = VV 188 = UGC 7574 = MCG +02-32-065 = CGCG 070-097 = Holm 409a = PGC 40914

12 27 45.5 +13 00 32

V = 10.2; Size 8.5'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 27d

24" (4/28/14 and 5/29/14): very bright, very large, very elongated 5:2 or 3:1 SSW-NNE, 3.0'x1.0'. Contains a large, bright elongated core that increases to a very small, very bright nucleus. With averted vision, much fainter irregular extensions (with an uneven surface brightness) significantly increase the outer diameter. The southwest "plume" is not aligned with the major axis of the galaxy and spreads further towards the west.

18" (6/12/10): bright, large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 2.4'x1.0'. Contains a bright, elongated core that increases to a small, very brighter, rounder nucleus. The outer halo appears warped with very faint extensions that increase the overall size to nearly 5'x1.5'. The southwest extension is more noticeable and appears to bend or curve to the southwest (counterclockwise). The NNE extension is extremely faint and slightly offset to the axis of the core. This highly disrupted galaxy forms an excellent pair with NGC 4435 4.3' NNW along Markarian's Chain.

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, small bright core. Forms a striking pair with NGC 4435 4.5' NNW. The core is not as large or bright as NGC 4435. Located in the center of the Virgo cluster 23' E of M86.

13.1" (5/14/83): bright, bright core, larger but more diffuse than NGC 4435.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4438 = H I-28.2 = h1275, along with NGC 4435, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "two B, cL nebula." His single position matches the pair NGC 4435 and 4438. See NGC 4435 for more on the confusion with the identifications. JH made 3 observations and recorded (sweep 242) "pB; L; lE; 60".", along with an accurate position.

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NGC 4439 = Cr 259 = ESO 131-SC006

12 28 26 -60 06 12

V = 8.4; Size 4'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, 20 stars mag 10-13 are arranged in a perfect semi-circle (180 degree arc) open towards the west, with the endpoints directly N-S. A string of three collinear stars, oriented WNW-ESE, sits right in the middle of the semicircle! A wide bright double (HJ 4524 = 8/9.5 at 30") situated less than 5' NW is aligned directly with the center of the cluster! Situated in the middle of the Southern Cross, 55' ENE of mag 3.6 Epsilon Crucis.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4439 = D 300 on 30 Apr 1826 and described "a triangular group of very small stars, about 3' long, resembling faint nebulae. A star of the 9th magnitude near the north following extremity [the bright star is NW of the cluster]." His position is 7' too far east, but the identification is certain.

JH observed the cluster on 31 Mar 1834 and noted "Cluster taken for Dunlop 300; a semi-elliptic group of stars 11..12th mag, diameter 2'."

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NGC 4440 = UGC 7581 = MCG +02-32-067 = CGCG 070-099 = Holm 408b = LGG 292-007 = PGC 40927

12 27 53.6 +12 17 36

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.7

24" (5/29/14): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.8'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a small, very bright core containing a bright stellar nucleus. Brightest in trio with NGC 4436 3.4' NW and NGC 4431 6.4' W. Nearly at the midpoint of mag 9.2 HD 108469 5.7' SW and mag 9.6 HD 108577 6.5' ENE.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly faint, small, small bright core, diffuse fainter halo. Third of three with NGC 4436 3.2' NW and NGC 4431 6.5' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4440 = H II-173 = h1276 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Three faint nebulae; the two first vS [NGC 4431 and 4436], the third [NGC 4440] S." His single position is roughly 30 sec of RA too large, but the identifications are certain. JH noted "B; R; bM; 50"; resolvable."

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NGC 4441 = UGC 7572 = MCG +11-15-056 = CGCG 315-039 = PGC 40836

12 27 20.3 +64 48 06

V = 12.7; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 14.8

17.5" (4/15/93): fairly faint, fairly small, round, broad concentration, faint stellar nucleus. NGC 4391 lies 14' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4441 = H II-848 = h1278 = h1291 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "F, bM, iF, stellar." JH recorded h1278 "pF; R; vgbM; 25"." and measured an accurate position. The next night he viewed this galaxy again, but placed h1291 1 min of RA too far east and was unsure if it was new. His two h and GC designations were combined int he GC.

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NGC 4442 = UGC 7583 = MCG +02-32-068 = CGCG 070-100 = LGG 288-001 = PGC 40950

12 28 03.8 +09 48 13

V = 10.4; Size 4.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 87d

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, bright core, stellar nucleus. Two mag 14.5 star are at the east end and just south of the core 1.5' E and 0.9' SSW of center. Located in the core of the Virgo cluster with NGC 4417/NGC 4424 pair roughly 30' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4442 = H II-156 = h1279 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged "F, pL, lE, r." CH's reduction is 28 sec of RA east of UGC 7583.

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NGC 4443 = NGC 4461? = UGC 7613 = MCG +02-32-084 = PGC 41111

12 29 03.0 +13 11 02

See observing notes for NGC 4461. NGC identification very uncertain.

George Johnstone Stoney discovered NGC 4443 on 13 Apr 1840 while observing the central region of the Virgo cluster. He simply noted "F, S" and labeled this object "Kappa" and on the diagram of the field. No positions were measured, but the sketch places this object close to the NGC 4458/4461 pair.

Frost reported NGC 4443 not found in the Virgo-Coma survey (Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1) and Reinmuth also reported a negative result. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4443 may be a duplicate discovery of NGC 4461 (despite missing fainter NGC 4458), and I agree. See Corwin's notes for story.

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NGC 4444 = ESO 268-010 = MCG -07-26-007 = PGC 41043

12 28 36.4 -43 15 43

V = 12.3; Size 2.5'x2.3'; Surf Br = 14.0

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint, moderately large, round, ~1.4' diameter, weak concentration with a very small brighter nucleus. A mag 13.2 star is just off the NE edge [1.0' from center]. NGC 4444 forms the northeast vertex of a triangle with a mag 8 star 4.8' ENE and a mag 10 star 4.6' S. In addition two mag 9.6 stars are 7' SW and 8' SSW!

John Herschel discovered NGC 4444 = h3393 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "eF; L; R; vgbM; 3' diam." His single position is very accurate.

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NGC 4445 = IC 793 = UGC 7587 = MCG +02-32-072 = CGCG 070-104 = LGG 288-013 = PGC 40987

12 28 16.0 +09 26 11

V = 12.8; Size 2.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 106d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint but pretty edge-on WNW-ESE, moderately large, weak concentration. NGC 4451 lies 12' SE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4445 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on 2 nights that he also observed NGC 4424, is accurate.

Lewis Swift probably found this galaxy again on 6 May 1888 and reported it as new in this 8th list, #63 (later IC 793) with description "eF; S; eE; 3 others in field." His position is 15 seconds of RA too far west, but his description "extremely elongated (or extended)" matches. Dorothy Carlson equates NGC 4445 = IC 793 in her 1940 list of NGC/IC corrections.

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NGC 4446 = UGC 7586 = MCG +02-32-069 = CGCG 070-103 = PGC 40962

12 28 06.8 +13 54 43

V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 82d

24" (5/29/14): faint, very small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.5'x0.4', low even surface brightness. Fainter of a pair(lower surface brightness) with NGC 4447 1.6' SE. Located 13' WSW of NGC 4459.

18" (4/5/03): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.6'x0.4'. Forms a similar pair with NGC 4447 1.6' ESE. Two mag 12.5/13 stars are 2' and 3' N of the pair. Located 7' WSW of a mag 9.6 star and 13' WSW of NGC 4459.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4446 = Sw VI-43, along with NGC 4447 close southeast, on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; ee difficult; Double; triplicity suspected; 2 = mag stars range with it n and s; [NGC 4459] in field following." His position is 10 sec of RA following and 1' north of UGC 7586. This galaxy is single, though forms a pair with NGC 4447, so his comment "triplicity suspected" is not valid.

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NGC 4447 = MCG +02-32-073 = PGC 40979

12 28 12.5 +13 53 57

V = 14.0; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3

24" (5/29/14): faint to fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4446 1.6' WNW. Located 12' WSW of NGC 4459.

18" (4/5/03): very faint, very small, round, 0.4'. Slightly smaller of a close pair with NGC 4446 1.6' WNW. In a galaxy-rich area 12.5' WSW of NGC 4459 and 6' SW of a mag 9.6 star.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4447 = Sw VI-44, along with NGC 4446 close northwest, on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; ee difficult." His position is 7 sec of RA following and 2' north of MCG +02-32-073 = PGC 40979 (comparable offset as NGC 4446).

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NGC 4448 = UGC 7591 = MCG +05-29-089 = CGCG 158-113 = CGCG 159-002 = PGC 40988

12 28 15.4 +28 37 13

V = 11.1; Size 3.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 94d

18" (4/5/03): bright, large, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, 2.8'x1.2'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright, well-defined 35"x25" oval core. Located 27' NE of mag 4.3 15 Gamma Comae Berenices.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4448 = H I-91 = h1280 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "vB, E in the direction of the parallel [east-west]. It has a B, pL nucleus sending forth a ray to each side." JH made 4 observations, describing it on sweep 343 "B; L; mE exactly in parallel; smbM."

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NGC 4449 = UGC 7592 = MCG +07-26-009 = CGCG 216-005 = LGG 290-017 = PGC 40973

12 28 11.2 +44 05 36

V = 9.6; Size 6.2'x4.4'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 45d

48" (2/20/12): NGC 4449 is a boxy-shaped Magellanic-type Irregular containing several bright, giant HII regions that are sites of active star formation. The galaxy has been intensively studies as one of the strongest galaxy-wide starbursts in the nearby universe. The overall surface brightness of the galaxy was unusually high at 375x. The very bright central region is elongated SW-NE, irregular in surface brightness and contains a small, intense "nucleus" described as a ~10 Myr old super star cluster in the 2001 study "The Star Clusters in the Irregular Galaxy NGC 4449". To the southwest is a fairly large, bright patch that mimics a second core. This region is catalogued as #27/28/30 in Hodge-Kennicutt's 1983 "Atlas of HII regions in 125 galaxies" [HK83]. Several patches are on the north end of the galaxy. The largest and brightest is #15, a high surface brightness irregular glow at the north end of the galaxy, 20"x12", with a mottled surface and a stellar knot (#11) at the north tip. Roughly 35" SW is #25, a moderately bright roundish knot of ~12" diameter. At the northeast tip of the galaxy is #2, nearly 1' SE of #15. It appeared as a moderately bright knot, ~15"-20" in size. A small knot (#16) was noted on the southeast side of the galaxy. A mag 14 star is superimposed [44" ENE of the nucleus]. Member of the M94 Group (CVn I Cloud).

18" (5/14/07): very mottled, irregular appearance, elongated ~2:1 SW-NE, ~5'x2.5'. The core is quite splotchy in appearance with a couple of bright knots; the most prominent is attached to the southwest of the core. The main body is roughly rectangular with an extension at the northwest "corner" that ends with a bright knot or knots ([HK83] #15). Another extension or knot ([HK83] #2) is off the northeast corner. A mag 13 star lies 2.4' E of the core and 1 or 2 additional very faint stars or knots are superimposed in the central region.

18" (5/8/04): fascinating view of this "Magellanic" system at 323x! The galaxy is very irregular in appearance and surface brightness with a large, bright, elongated core oriented SW-NE. The core appears offset to the south side of the galaxy.

Several knots (giant HII regions) are visible outside the core. The brightest is a well-defined obvious patch on the north edge of the galaxy, 1.5' from the center. This object is #15 in Hodge-Kennicutt's 1983 "Atlas of HII regions in 125 galaxies" ([HK83]) and it is nearly comparable in surface brightness to the core. Roughly 1' SE is #2, a smaller, faint knot that is collinear with #15 and a mag 13.5 star 2.4' E of the core. #25, a third difficult knot, can sometimes be glimpsed about 40" SW of #15. Finally, attached on the south end of the core is a larger, bright knot, although initially I thought this was just part of the core.

13.1" (4/12/86): very bright, very large, elongated SW-NE, bright core, stellar nucleus. A knot is involved at the north end and the galaxy generally appears brighter to the north of the core. A star is superimposed close east of the core.

8": bright, moderately large, elongated, bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4449 = H I-213 = h1281 on 27 Apr 1788 (sweep 833) and recorded "very brilliant, cL, E from sp to nf, difficulty r, seems to have 3 or 4 B nuclei." His sketch at the end of 1811 PT paper (reproduced in Stenicke's book) clearly shows 4 condensations or HII knots within the glow, though one of these may be the nucleus. He published a sketch in his 1811 paper (Fig. 5) as an illustration of "Nebulae which are brighter in more the one Place." According to Wolfgang Steinicke, Caroline Herschel was next to find the object on 8 Jul 1793 in her 4.2-inch reflector, "and assumed it to be a comet!"

On sweep 150, John Herschel recorded "B; L; gbM; E in pos 75° nf to sp, a fine cluster; well resolved; I see several of the stars; 3' l, 2' br." On sweep 248 (last of 4 observations), JH wrote "vF; vL; vmE; it is either a double nebula or the nf end is bifid. If double the companion is F; R; bM; nearly north 1.5' or 2'. A fine object." So, clearly WH and JH resolved several HII regions in this galaxy. Lord Rosse or assistant Johnston Stoney noted on 17 Mar 1849, "3 nuclei or 2 nuclei and star, and faint neb outlying."

Based on photographs taken with the 60-inch reflector at Mt Wilson, Francis Pease (1917) described NGC 4449 as "..an irregular nebulous mass in which many nebulous stars [HII regions] are distributed unevenly. The greater part of the nebula is roughly rectangular, about 4.5'x2.5', p.a. = 40°, there being an assemblage of some dozen nebulous stars W of the SW corner. On the original negative there are 230 nebulous stars or patches...Two-thirds of them are in the N half. The nebulosity proper is weak toward the edge, gradually increases inward, and culminates along a central ridge, where it is as strong as the stars themselves. A number of dark irregular rifts appear here and there in it."

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NGC 4450 = UGC 7594 = MCG +03-32-048 = PGC 41024

12 28 29.6 +17 05 06

V = 10.1; Size 5.2'x3.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 175d

17.5" (5/23/87): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 4'x2', diffuse halo, increases suddenly to a high surface brightness core. Located 3.9' NE of mag 8.9 SAO 100115.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4450 = H II-56 = H II-90 = h1282 on 14 Mar 1784 (sweep 170) and recorded "A resolvable nebula of an irreg shape of about 2 or 3' diam. It is near a pB star." CH's reduced position is 30 sec of RA preceding and 2.4' north of UGC 7594. He recorded it again a week later on sweep 182 as "pL, r, bM", measured an accurate position, and noted this nebula was observed in sweep 170. But his next entry (H II-90) was placed 1.0 min following and there is only one galaxy here, so he must have recorded NGC 4450 a second time in the sweep! JH made 8 observations, apparently looking for a second nebula, but found only one and combed the two H-designations in the GC.

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NGC 4451 = UGC 7600 = MCG +02-32-079 = PGC 41050

12 28 40.5 +09 15 33

V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 162d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is 1.5' S of center. NGC 4445 lies 12' NW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4451 on 19 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He measured the position on 4 nights and noted the mag 13 star, measured at 83" south.

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NGC 4452 = UGC 7601 = MCG +02-32-080 = PGC 41060

12 28 43.3 +11 45 18

V = 12.0; Size 2.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 32d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, thin pretty edge-on SW-NE, brighter core. Located 8' SE of mag 7.7 SAO 100114. IC 3381, situated 7.1' WNW, appeared faint, small, slightly elongated, weak concentration. The IC is located 2.2' S of a mag 7.7 SAO 10014 that detracts from viewing.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4452 = H I-23 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded a "B, S, much E nebula, or bright dash." CH's reduced position is 10 sec of RA east of UGC 7601.

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NGC 4453 = MCG +01-32-073 = PGC 41072

12 28 46.7 +06 30 42

V = 14.8; Size 0.5'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Unusual appearance with mag 14 star nvolved near the south edge and also an extremely faint 16th magnitude star or companion superimposed. NGC 4430/NGC 4432 lie 25' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4453 = H II-26 = h1283? on 28 Jan 1784 (the only nebula discovered on sweep 131) and recorded "pB, not vS. It is not cometic. The brightest part of it lies towards the following side. I suppose it to be resolveable." Dreyer noted this sweep was problematic ("unsatisfactory") with possible confusion with the offset star. There is no object at WH's position and it was not found visually by Bigourdan or photographically by Wolf. Dreyer suggested that if WH made an error of 20' in PD, that II-26 might be II-146 (NGC 4430).

JH, though, found h1283 = PGC 41072 44 sec of RA east of II-26 and this may be the intended object. However, Harold Corwin argues that H II-26 cannot be h1283 due to the significant difference in description (h1283 was called "eF"). He concludes "I'm leaning toward adopting NGC 4430 as II 26, though with considerable uncertainty."

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NGC 4454 = UGC 7606 = MCG +00-32-014 = PGC 41083

12 28 51.0 -01 56 27

V = 11.9; Size 2.0'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 100d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, moderately large, slightly elongated, the large diffuse halo has a gradual concentration down to a small bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4454 = H II-180 = h1284 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 204) and recorded "pB, L, R, er, near some stars." On 6 Jan 1785 (sweep 353) he noted "F, pL, lE." JH made the single observation "F; R; gbM; 20"; a stellar point 18m in the centre; 2 B stars precede, distant." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4455 = UGC 7603 = MCG +04-30-001 = Kaz 390 = PGC 41066

12 28 44.1 +22 49 21

V = 12.3; Size 2.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 16d

18" (4/5/03): moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 7:2 SSW-NNE, 2.5'x0.7', broad concentration, bulging core, fades at the tips of the extensions. A wide pair of mag 11 stars are 3' and 4' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4455 = H II-355 = h1285 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and recorded "pF, L, broadly elongated." CH's reduction is 25 sec of RA following UGC 7603. JH made two observations, logging "pB; pmE; gbM; two B stars nf" on sweep 424, and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4456 = ESO 441-030 = MCG -05-30-002 = PGC 40925 = PGC 40922

12 27 52.4 -30 05 52

V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. A mag 13-13.5 star is attached on the west side, 22" from the center. Located 5.1' E of mag 8.2 HD 108412.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4456 = h3394 on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded "eeF; vS; attached to a * 13m. (no doubt of the nebulous character of the object)." There is nothing at this position, but 1.2 min of RA west is ESO 441-030 = PGC 40925 = PGC 40922, and the mag 13.7 at the southwest edge clinches the identification.

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NGC 4457 = UGC 7609 = MCG +01-32-075 = PGC 41101

12 28 59.0 +03 34 14

V = 10.9; Size 2.7'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.7

17.5" (2/28/87): bright, small, almost round, very bright core. A mag 13 star lies 2.6' W of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4457 = H II-35 = h1286 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "pB; mbM than towards the ends." JH made three observations, logging on sweep 143, "B; R; psbM; 30"."

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NGC 4458 = UGC 7610 = MCG +02-32-082 = Holm 411b = PGC 41095

12 28 57.6 +13 14 31

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2

24" (4/28/14): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, well concentrated with a bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2' ENE. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4461 3.7' SSE.

18" (6/12/10): at 175x and 280x appeared fairly faint, moderately large, round, 0.9' diameter. Contains a small, bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 2.2' ENE of center. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4461 3.7' SE.

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 11.5 star lies 2.1' E. Forms a pair with NGC 4461 3.7' SSE. Located in the core of the Virgo cluster.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, almost round, small faint nucleus. A mag 11 star is close east.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4458 = H II-121 = h1287 on 8 Apr 1784 and recorded (sweep 187) "Two resolvable nebula at 4 or 5' dist." He assumed one of these was M86, so only added one new discovery number. His position was ~5' west of NGC 4458 and 4461, the most likely pair. On 12 Apr 1784 he swept the field again (sweep 189) and recorded "Two [NGC 4461 and 4458]. Both pF, S, bM." His single position on this sweep was 22 sec of RA following NGC 4458 and the identification is unambiguous. JH logged "pB; R; psbM; the p of 2 [with NGC 4461] and measured an accurate position.

On 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199), WH recorded "two B, cL nebula" and assumed they were pair from sweep 187 (one being M86), but his position matches NGC 4435 and NGC 4438!

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NGC 4459 = UGC 7614 = MCG +02-32-083 = PGC 41104

12 29 00.0 +13 58 43

V = 10.4; Size 3.5'x2.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d

24" (5/29/14): very bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 5:4 ~E-W, ~1.5'x1.2', sharply concentrated with a small intensely bright core, stellar nucleus, appears mottled near the core. The halo increases in size with averted. Mag 8.7 HD 108676 lies 2.2' SE of center.

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, bright intense compact core, stellar nucleus. Located 2.2' NW of mag 8.1 SAO 100121. NGC 4468 lies 8.7' NE and NGC 4474 is 14' NE. A close pair, NGC 4446 and NGC 4447 lies 13' WSW.

13" (5/14/83): fairly bright, small, slightly elongated, small bright nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4459 = H I-161 = h1288 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded "vB, pL, iR." His position is accurate. JH logged (sweep 23) "pB; R; bM; r; has a *8m 2' dist; 45° sf."

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NGC 4460 = UGC 7611 = MCG +08-23-041 = CGCG 244-022 = PGC 41069

12 28 45.6 +44 51 52

V = 11.3; Size 4.0'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, pretty edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, moderately large, brighter core. A pretty double star ∑1645 = 7.5/8.1 at 10" is in the field 8.5' SW. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4460 = H I-212 = H II-750 = h1289 on 10 Apr 1788 (sweep 830) and noted for I-212 "cB, pL, E." His position is poor -- CH's reduction places it 8.6' too far northwest (all the preceding objects in the sweep are too far north). He found it again 17 days later (sweep 833) and logged II-750 as "pF, pL, E sp nf." His position was just 2' northeast of center. JH realized the equivalence and combined the two H-designations in the GC.

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NGC 4461 = NGC 4443? = UGC 7613 = MCG +02-32-084 = Holm 411a = PGC 41111

12 29 03.0 +13 11 02

V = 11.2; Size 3.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 9d

24" (4/28/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 N-S, 2.0'x0.8', sharply concentrated with a very bright core that gradually increases towards the center. A mag 11 star lies 4' NNE. Forms a pair with NGC 4458 3.7' NNW.

18" (6/12/10): bright, fairly large, elongated nearly 3:1 N-S, 2.0'x0.7', extending nearly on a line with a mag 11 star 4' NNE. Sharply concentrated with a small, intense core that increases to a very bright, stellar nucleus. Brighter of a pair with NGC 4458 3.7' NW.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated 5:2 ~N-S, very small bright core possibly stellar. Form a pair with NGC 4458 3.7' NW. The striking NGC 4435/NGC 4438 pair lies 21' SW. Located in core of the Virgo cluster.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly small, elongated N-S, small bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4458.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4461 = H II-122 = H II-174 = h1290 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula at 4 or 5' dist." He assumed one of these was M86, so only added one new discovery number. On 12 April he swept the field again and recorded "Two [NGC 4461 and 4458]. Both pF, S, bM." His single position on this sweep was 22 sec of RA following NGC 4458. On 17 April he swept through the field a third time and logged NGC 4461 again as II-174 (apparently not measuring NGC 4458). JH recorded "pB; R; psbM; the f of 2 [with NGC 4458] and measured an accurate position. See notes for NGC 4458.

NGC 4443 may be a duplicate observation. See that number.

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NGC 4462 = ESO 506-013 = MCG -04-30-002 = PGC 41150

12 29 21.2 -23 10 01

V = 11.9; Size 3.2'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 124d

13.1" (3/17/86): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 streak WNW-ESE. Contains a bright core with fainter extensions.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4462 = H III-764 = h3396 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and recorded "cF, R, pS, stellar." JH made two observations from the Cape of Good Hope and logged (sweep 690) "pB; E; sbM; pos of elongation 130° [NW-SE]."

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NGC 4463 = Cr 260 = ESO 095-SC010

12 29 55 -64 47 24

V = 7.2; Size 5'

24" (4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a fairly small but fairly rich group with two bright mag 8.5 stars (HD 108719 and PPM 779024) oriented N-S and separated by 1.3'. The cluster is fairly rich along a curving E-W string that passes through the northern of the two bright stars. Scattered outliers increase the size to perhaps 6'x3' and include up to 60 stars. This cluster is located just 1.7° SSE of Acrux on the SW edge of the Coalsack Nebula.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4463 = h3395 on 2 May 1835 and noted "cl VIII. class; poor; scattered. The northern of 2 stars 8m taken." His single position is good.

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NGC 4464 = UGC 7619 = MCG +01-32-078 = PGC 41148

12 29 21.3 +08 09 23

V = 12.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 0d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright but very small, irregularly round, high surface brightness, small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. M49 is at the edge of the 220x field 11.5' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4464 = H III-483 = h1292 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted "vF". JH made the single observation "pB; vS; pgbM; R; 10"." Julius Schmidt found the galaxy again in June 1861, along with NGC 4470 and 4492, and reported them as new in AN 1513 (1866), although Heinrich d'Arrest quickly reported the earlier discoveries. d'Arrest also measured the position accurately on 4 nights.

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NGC 4465 = CGCG 042-127 = Holm 413d = PGC 41157

12 29 23.5 +08 01 34

V = 14.6; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 11.0; PA = 108d

48" (5/15/12): At 488x appeared fairly faint, small, slightly elongated WNW-ESE, 20"x15", weak concentration. A mag 16.8 star is just off the NE side [12" from center]. This is one of several faint galaxies outside the halo of M49 (situated 5.9' WNW of center) with brighter NGC 4467 2.6' SE. According to the redshift, though, this galaxy lies in the background of the Virgo cluster at a distance of ~330 million light years.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4465 = Big 54 on 31 Mar 1886. The NGC position is just 3 sec of RA too large, although it was not found by Arnold Schwassmann on a Heidelberg plate (probably appeared stellar).

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NGC 4466 = UGC 7626 = MCG +01-32-081 = Holm 412a = PGC 41170

12 29 30.6 +07 41 47

V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 101d

17.5" (4/18/87): faint, fairly small, very elongated ~E-W. Located 7.8' SSW of NGC 4470 and 18' SSW of M49.

Bindon Stoney discovered NGC 4466 on 26 Feb 1851, while observing the M49 field at Birr Castle. He noted "a 3rd about 12' south of 2nd [NGC 4470] is elongated." The actual separation between NGC 4470 and NGC 4466 is 8', but there are no other possible candidates. In the GC, JH added three numbers for what he assumed were three new objects found at Birr Castle, although only a single very rough position was given. Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered this galaxy on 24 Apr 1865 and measured an accurate position. Dreyer assumed it was new, adding it as GC(S) 5653. The two GC designations were combined in the NGC and d'Arrest is credited with the discovery.

But Wolfgang Steinicke attributes WH with the discovery on 28 Dec 1787 (sweep 498, #44 = II-18). On the sweep he apparently found both NGC 4470 (seen earlier on 23 Jan 1784) and NGC 4466, although the polar distances are only 2' apart.

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NGC 4467 = MCG +01-32-080 = CGCG 042-130 = Holm 413c = LGG 289-078 = PGC 41169

12 29 30.2 +07 59 34

V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'

48" (5/15/12): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, 24"x20", small bright core. A mag 12.8 star is 35" W. Located 5.2' W of the center of M49. NGC 4465 lies 2.6' NW.

17.5" (4/18/87): very faint, very small, almost round. Located 6' W of M49! A mag 12.5 star is just off the west edge 34" from the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4467 on 23 Jan 1784 (early sweep 105) and noted "Nebula. Preceding [M49], and not far from its parallel is a nebulous star or small nebula. His position is very uncertain and only roughly given, but the description clearly applies to NGC 4467 and the nearby star. On 28 Dec 1785, he assumed he observed this nebula again (internal discovery #44), but the second observation probably refers to H. II 18 = NGC 4466. As a result, NGC 4467 did not receive a H-designation.

Otto Struve independently discovered NGC 4467 on 28 Apr 1851 with the 15-inch Merz refractor at the Pulkovo Observatory while observing M49. He described "Near this last star [preceding M49 by 17 seconds of time] , there is still another smaller nebula at a distance of 2 to 3 seconds, located on the straight line joining the star with the main nebula." Struve is credited with the discovery in the NGC. d'Arrest measured an accurate position (3 nights) and credited Struve with the discovery. The IC2 Notes mention Schwassmann couldn't find NGC 4467 on a Heidelberg plate. The RNGC incorrectly equates this number with NGC 4465.

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NGC 4468 = UGC 7628 = MCG +02-32-090 = PGC 41171

12 29 30.9 +14 02 56

V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 73d

17.5" (4/25/87): faintest of three with NGC 4474 5.5' ENE and NGC 4459 8.7' SW. Faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, small weak concentration.

13.1" (5/14/83): faint, small, diffuse, slightly elongated, no noticeable concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4468 = H II-630 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and simply noted "cL". His position is 5' south and 14 tsec west of UGC 7628, but it was observed in the sweep between NGC 4459 and NGC 4474, and this is the only galaxy between these two. Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position at Copenhagen as well as Rudolph Spitaler in 1891 at the Vienna Observatory.

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NGC 4469 = UGC 7622 = MCG +02-32-089 = PGC 41164

12 29 28.0 +08 45 00

V = 11.2; Size 3.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 89d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 E-W, fairly large, 3.0'x1.2', faint stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4469 = H II-157 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and recorded "F, pL, mE, r." His position is 4.5' north of UGC 7622. Stephan measured an accurate position on 28 Apr 1884. He noted that the observation (XIII-70) referred to H II 157 = GC 3019, but that Herschel's position was off by 5' in polar distance.

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NGC 4470 = NGC 4610 = UGC 7627 = MCG +01-32-082 = CGCG 042-132 = PGC 41189

12 29 37.9 +07 49 25

V = 12.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 0d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval N-S, pretty even surface brightness. Located 14' SSW of M49.

William Herschel found NGC 4470 = H II-498 = h1293 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and logged "F, pL". He assumed it was new and assigned the H-designation II-498. His position is a good match with UGC 7627. He discovered this galaxy on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 105) and recorded II-19 = NGC 4610 as "south of and a rectangles to the great Nebula [M49] and the small star near it; Is a nebula incomparably more faint. My field takes them both in together." But his position was poorly determined (not uncommon in his early sweeps_, so he did not realize the equivalence. JH made two observations, though his descriptions are so disparate ("B" on sweep 117 and "vF" on sweep 251), they may refer to NGC 4470 and NGC 4466, respectively. Julius Schmidt made an independent discovery on 29 Jun 1861 and announced it in AN 1513 (1866), but Heinrich d'Arrest noted the earlier discovery and measured an accurate position (7 nights).

In the NGC, Dreyer equated II-18 = II-498 = NGC 4470 and assigned II-19 = NGC 4610. But in his 1912 Scientific Paper of WH, Dreyer correctly sorts out the identification based on WH's description and sketch and concludes II-19 = II-498 = NGC 4470. So, NGC 4470 = NGC 4610.

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NGC 4471

12 29 42.0 +07 53 45

V = 13.9

48" (5/15/12): this number applies to one of two 14th magnitude stars at 1' separation oriented NNW-SSE, situated ~6' SSW of M49. VCC 1203, a fairly faint galaxy (too faint to have been seen by Schmidt), lies 1.5' NW of the NNW star.

Julius Schmidt discovered NGC 4471 on 29 Jun 1861 near M49 with the 6.2" refractor at the Athens Observatory. He also found NGC 4470, 4492 and 4464, which had all been discovered earlier by WH. There is nothing at his position in AN 1513 (1866) except a 14th magnitude star and neither Heinrich d'Arrest nor Guillaume Bigourdan could recover Schmidt's object.

Karl Reinmuth refers to a possible candidate as "vS, R, = neb *13.5; eF vs iR neb np 1.7', *13.5 ssf 1.0'." His description applies to a faint star at 12 29 40.6 +07 54 40. Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 paper on Corrections to the NGC, identified NGC 4471 as a star (from Ames in Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1 (Virgo-Coma survey) and this is repeated in the RNGC. Corwin identifies NGC 4471 with one of two 14th magnitude stars near the NGC position. SIMBAD (and others) misidentify VCC 1203 = PGC 41185 as NGC 4471.

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NGC 4472 = M49 = Arp 134 = UGC 7629 = MCG +01-32-083 = CGCG 042-134 = Holm 413a = PGC 41220

12 29 46.8 +08 00 01

V = 8.4; Size 10.2'x8.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 155d

48" (5/15/12): at 488x, M49 appeared extremely bright and large, slightly elongated N-S, ~6'x5', fades gradually so the outer extent may be larger. Well concentrated with an intense core that is sharply concentrated with a brilliant nucleus. A mag 12 star is superimposed 45" E of center. A number of galaxies (see below) surround the halo, including NGC 4467 4' W and NGC 4465 5.9' WNW. A mag 13 star is 4.6' W of center (close to NGC 4467).

VCC 1199, 4.5' NW of center, appeared faint, very small, round, 10" diameter.

VCC 1203, 4.6' SSW of center, is fairly faint, fairly small, round, 12" diameter, slightly brighter core. VCC 1203 is misidentified as NGC 4471 in SIMBAD. The NGC number probably applies to one of the two faint stars ~2' SE.

UGC 7636, 5.4' SE of center, is very faint, fairly small, elongated patch, ~0.5'x0.3' N-S, with a very low surface brightness and no concentration. This blue, dwarf irregular companion (Arp called it a "fragment") has been disrupted by M49 with H I gas stripped in a tidal tail.

17.5" (4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, sharp concentration to a compact very bright nucleus, large halo slightly elongated ~N-S fades at the edges. A mag 12 star is superimposed at the east edge 0.8' from center. A faint galaxy NGC 4467 lies 5' W.

Charles Messier discovered M49 = NGC 4472 = H I-7 = h1294 on 19 Feb 1771 (first Virgo cluster member discovered). Oriani Independently found it on 22 Apr 1779 while following a comet that passed through the Virgo cluster. Admiral Smyth confused these discovery dates, causing later confusion on the primary discoverer.

WH first recorded M49 on 23 Jan 1784 (early sweep 105) and described I-7 as "A beautiful nebula. Not cometic. It is visible in the finder and vB in the telescope", but his RA was 11 min too large. On 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) he called M49 "vB, cL, gmbM, extended with F branches." JH made 5 observations, recording on sweep 253, "eB; L; R psmbM; insensibly fading away, has a * 13m following; by diag the star is just beyone the nebula." Heinrich d'Arrest claimed he resolved the cluster and saw "countless groups of stars; at 147x, the nebula periphery can be resolved into stars of the 13th and 14th magnitudes."

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NGC 4473 = UGC 7631 = MCG +02-32-093 = PGC 41228

12 29 48.8 +13 25 46

V = 10.2; Size 4.5'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 100d

24" (5/29/14): bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 E-W, 2.0'x1.0', sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus.

18" (6/12/10): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 E-W, 2.4'x1.0'. Sharply concentrated with a small, intense core, ~30"x15" that increases smoothly to the center.

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W, small but intense core, stellar nucleus. NGC 4477 lies 13' N.

13" (5/14/83): bright, elongated E-W, small very bright nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4473 = H II-114, along with NGC 4477 and NGC 4479, on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and simply noted "F, resolvable." His position (CH's reduction) is 10 sec of RA too large.

Heinrich d'Arrest independently found NGC 4473 and 4477 on 29 Mar 1856, unaware of WH's prior discovery. JH responded in an open letter to Hind that both of d'Arrest's "novae" were seen earlier and that he was surprised d'Arrest missed NGC 4479. This caused some controversy whether NGC 4479 was a "variable" nebula.

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NGC 4474 = UGC 7634 = MCG +02-32-094 = PGC 41241

12 29 53.6 +14 04 07

V = 11.5; Size 2.4'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 80d

17.5" (4/25/87): second brightest of three in the field with NGC 4468 6' WSWand NGC 4459 14' WSW. Moderately bright, fairly small, very small bright core, faint stellar nucleus, elongated WSW-ENE.

13" (5/14/83): fairly faint, small, very elongated E-W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4474 = H II-117 = H II-629 = h1295 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "r[esolvable]." His position (CH's reduction) is 35 sec of RA too large. He observed this galaxy again on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and simply noted "F". His position is 12 sec of RA too far west, and assuming it was new, catalogued it again as II-629. JH realized the equivalence when he compiled the GC.

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NGC 4475 = UGC 7632 = MCG +05-30-008 = CGCG 159-008 = PGC 41225

12 29 47.6 +27 14 36

V = 13.6; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 5d

18" (5/30/03): faint, elongated 3:2 N-S, 0.9'x0.6', fairly low surface brightness. Appears brighter along a bar extending along the major axis. Faint halo or extensions which are difficult to pin down the orientation.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4475 = H III-362 = h1297 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "eF, cL, the whole about 4 or 5' long and 2' broad." His size estimate is much too large and JH, who only picked up the nucleus, called it "eF; R; 15"." JH's position is accurate.

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NGC 4476 = UGC 7637 = MCG +02-32-096 = PGC 41255

12 29 59.1 +12 20 55

V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 25d

24" (5/29/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 28"x14", bright core gradually increases to the center. Fainter of pair with NGC 4478 4.6' ESE. Located 12.5' WSW of M87 in the core of the Virgo Cluster.

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, small, elongated SSW-NNE, small brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4478 4.7' ESE. Located 12' W of M87 in the Virgo cluster.

13" (5/14/83): faint, elongated, weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4476 = H II-123 = h1296 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and described "Two [along with NGC 4478] F, S and one B, L nebula [M 87]. His single position matches NGC 4478. On sweep 245, JH recorded "F; R; S; bM."

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NGC 4477 = UGC 7638 = MCG +02-32-097 = PGC 41260

12 30 02.0 +13 38 12

V = 10.4; Size 3.8'x3.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d

24" (5/29/14): very bright, fairly large, round, 2.0' diameter, sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core and stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4479 5.3' SE.

18" (6/12/10): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, 2.5'x2.0'. The outer halo is very weakly concentrated and then suddenly increases to an intense 40"x20" core. At 275x the core appears lively or mottled and increases to a stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4479 5.3' SE.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated ~N-S, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4479 5.5' SE and NGC 4473 lies 12' SSW.

13" (5/14/83): bright, slightly elongated N-S, small bright nucleus, NGC 4479 5.5' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4477 = H II-115 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula [NGC 4477 and 4479]." His single position matches NGC 4477. Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered this galaxy along with NGC 4473 on 29 Mar 1856, apparently unaware of WH's prior observation. See notes for NGC 4473.

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NGC 4478 = UGC 7645 = MCG +02-32-099 = PGC 41297

12 30 17.4 +12 19 43

V = 11.4; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140d

24" (5/29/14): bright, fairly small, elongated 5:4 NW-SE, 35"x28", high surface brightness, contains a very small, very bright nucleus. A star is involved on the north side, just 10" N of center. Brighter of a pair with NGC 4476 4.6' WNW. Located 8.7' SW of M87.

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4476 4.7' WNW. Located 9' WSW of M87.

13" (5/14/83): fairly bright, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4478 = H II-124 = h1298 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and described "Two [along with NGC 4476] F, S and one B, L nebula [M 87]. His single position matches NGC 4478. On sweep 245, JH recorded "B; S; R; psbM; 30"; the f of 2 [with NGC 4476]." Kolbold measured the position for both the nucleus and the superimposed star in 1893.

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NGC 4479 = UGC 7646 = MCG +02-32-100 = PGC 41302

12 30 18.4 +13 34 39

V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1

24" (5/29/14): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 N-S, 45"x35", broad weak concentration with a slightly brighter core. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 4477 5.3' NW.

18" (6/12/10): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.6', weak concentration to an ill defined, slightly brighter core and an occasional faint stellar nucleus. Fainter of a pair with NGC 4477 5.3' NW.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, weak concentration. Located 6' SE of NGC 4477.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, round, diffuse, even surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4479 = H II-116 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula [NGC 4477 and 4479] at 4' or 5' distance." His single position matches NGC 4477.

Heinrich d'Arrest independently found NGC 4473 and 4477 on 29 Mar 1856, but missed NGC 4479. Wolfgang Steinicke states these observations initiated an exchange of letters between John Herschel, who was particularly surprised that d'Arrest missed NGC 4479 (possibly a variable nebula). Jean Chacornac, Schönfeld and Lassell, reading about the supposed missing nebula, also confirmed the visibility of NGC 4479. Eventually d'Arrest observed this galaxy on 5 May 1862 using the 11-inch Copenhagen refractor.

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NGC 4480 = UGC 7647 = MCG +01-32-087 = PGC 41317

12 30 26.7 +04 14 48

V = 12.4; Size 2.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NNW-SSE, weakly concentrated. A mag 13 star is 1.9' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4480 = H II-531 = h1299 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and recorded "pB, E, about 3' long, brighter towards the southern side." CH's reduction is 2' south of UGC 7647.

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NGC 4481 = MCG +11-15-057 = CGCG 315-040 = PGC 41222

12 29 48.8 +64 01 59

V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.2

17.5" (4/15/93): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, 0.6'x0.15'. Appears as a thin sliver 40" W of a mag 13 star. NGC 4510 lies 17' NE and NGC 4481 is 20' ESE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4481 on 7 Oct 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His measured an accurate position on 2 nights and accurately placed the mag 13 star that follows by 7 or 8 seconds of time.

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NGC 4482 = IC 3427 = UGC 7640 = MCG +02-32-098 = CGCG 070-130 = PGC 41272

12 30 10.4 +10 46 46

V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 145d

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, almost even surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4482 = H III-40 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged "eF, pL, I was near overlooking it." There is nothing at his position, but 28 sec of RA west and 2' north is UGC 7640. Several nebulae discovered that night have errors from 30 sec to 90 sec in RA too large, so . this identification is very reasonable. Bigourdan first noted the RA in the NGC was 29 seconds too large in his 18 Jan 1897 Comptes Rendus paper.

Arnold Schwassmann found this galaxy again on a Heidelberg plate in 1900 and reported Sn. 158 (later IC 3427) as new. NGC 4482 was photographed as well as by Frost in 1904. So NGC 4482 = IC 3427. UGC, MCG and CGCG label this galaxy IC 3427, instead of NGC 4482.

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NGC 4483 = UGC 7649 = MCG +02-32-103 = PGC 41339

12 30 40.6 +09 00 56

V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 65d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, small, oval SW-NE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4483 on 19 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He measured the position on 2 nights and noted the nearby mag 10 star preceded by 26 seconds of time.

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NGC 4484 = MCG -02-32-013 = PGC 41087

12 28 52.7 -11 39 08

V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.3

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, broad concentration to a slightly brighter core. With direct vision a small slightly brighter 10" nucleus is sometimes visible.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4484 = h1300 on 9 Mar 1828 and logged "Not vF; R; gbM; 20"." There is nothing at his position, but exactly 2.0 min of RA west is PGC 41087. Herbert Howe was apparently the first to note this error when he observed this galaxy in 1898 or 1899.

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NGC 4485 = Arp 269 NED1 = VV 30b = UGC 7648 = MCG +07-26-013 = CGCG 216-007 = Holm 414b = PGC 41326

12 30 31.4 +41 42 01

V = 11.9; Size 2.3'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 15d

24" (5/27/17): at 200x; moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 5:4 N-S, ~1.5'x1.2'. Contains a very small brighter core/nucleus but not strongly concentrated. The surface brightness is fairly high and patchy, but I didn't use high power to look for HII regions.

18" (6/13/07): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, ~1.6'x1.2', broad mild concentration. Extended in the direction of the northwest arm structure in NGC 4490.

13.1" (2/16/85): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, elongated SSW-NNE. Forms a fascinating interacting pair with NGC 4490 3.6' SSE of center. Located 40' NW of Beta Canum Venaticorum (V = 4.3). Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4485 = H I-197 = h1306 on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded "Two, the most south [NGC 4490] vB, vL, iE. That to the north B, pS, iF, about 1 1/2' distance." JH logged "S; R; is 70° np and 3' n of I. 198 [NGC 4490]."

R.J. Mitchell's sketch with the 72" on 27 Mar 1856 shows a bright nucleus and a well defined outer ring. The following year, though, he could not see any sign of spirality. In addition, a small patch (HII region) is sketched on the south side as well as a faint star, that's probably also a compact HII region.

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NGC 4486 = M87 = Arp 152 = UGC 7654 = MCG +02-32-105 = CGCG 070-139 = Virgo A = 3C 274 = PGC 41361

12 30 49.7 +12 23 28

V = 8.6; Size 7.2'x6.8'; Surf Br = 13.0

48" (5/4/16): at 488x, 610x and 697x; M87's jet was almost continuously visible as a small, very thin spike extending to the west-northwest of the core, perhaps 20"x2". When the seeing was sharp, there was a brighter, knot (stellar) at the outer tip that sometimes appeared detached. There was a strong impression of a second stellar knot within the spike.

48" (4/1/11): at 488x, the jet in M87 was immediately noticed as a short, faint spike poking out of the central core to the WNW and the position angle [290-300°] was accurately sketched without prior knowledge. The narrow jet brightened or there was a knot at the outer tip.

In addition to looking for the jet, I sketched three companions at the edge of the outer halo on the southwest side. About 2' SW of the center of M87 is a pair of very faint, roundish galaxies, both ~15" diameter. The pair forms UGC 7652 with the components separated by 40" and nearly aligned with the center of the galaxy as if they were ejected. 2MASX J12303903+1222222, an extremely faint companion (V = 17.9), lies 2.8' WSW of the core, just 20" SE of a mag 15.5 star. The three close "companions" to M87 are actually part of a distant, poor cluster in the background of M87, with a redshift of 20x that of M87!

Virgo UCD 3 is either one of the brightest globular clusters in M87 or a nucleated dwarf galaxy, called a Ultra-Compact Dwarf (UCD). It is situated just 3.0' NE of the center of M87, directly opposite the two small galaxies at the southwest edge of the halo of M87. A mag 14.5 star, just 20" SSW, is a perfect reference to focus on the cluster. On 4/16/13 using 488x it was suspected as an 18th magnitude "star", but I didn't feel confident of the observation. At 813x, though, it was confirmed as an extremely faint, stellar object, glimpsed several times at the same position.

24" (5/29/14): extremely bright, large, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, ~4'x3.5', well concentrated with a large, intense core. The core brightens but there was no distinct nucleus. The halo gradually fades and increases in size with averted vision. Several galaxies are nearby including NGC 4486B 7.2' NW, NGC 4486A 7.6' SSE, NGC 4478 8.7' SW and NGC 4476 12.6' WSW.

17.5" (5/23/87): very bright, fairly large, gradually increases to a very bright core, no sharp nucleus. A very compact galaxy NGC 4486A = UGC 7658 lies 7' S.

13" (5/14/83): very bright, intense core, fairly smooth halo.

Charles Messier is credited with the discovery of M87 = NGC 4486 = h1301 on 18 Mar 1781. But Wolfgang Steinicke recently found (email Oct '16) that Johann Gottfried Koehler made the original discovery on 5 May 1779. On 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199), WH logged "Three nebulae, the two first [NGC 4476 and 4478] vF, S, the third [M87], B, L, mbM but diminishing very gradually in brightness." JH made at least 5 observations, recording on sweep 245, "vB; vL; R; psmbM; r; 3' diam."

M87 is one of the most distant galaxies (~52 million light years) visible in binoculars. It contains a 6.4-billion-solar-mass black hole (1,000 times more massive than Sgr A). The 20" jet was discovered by Curtis at Lick Observatory in 1918 as a "curious straight ray lies in a gap in the nebulosity in pa 20°, apparently connected with the nucleus by a thin line of matter. The ray is brightest at the inner end, which is 11" from the nucleus."

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NGC 4487 = MCG -01-32-021 = PGC 41399

12 31 04.4 -08 03 15

V = 10.9; Size 4.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 70d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, diffuse, brighter core, slightly elongated. A mag 13 star is off the north end 1.1' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4487 = H II-776 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and logged "F, vL, er." His position (CH's reduction) is 7 sec of RA west and 1.5' south of MCG -01-32-021 = PGC 41399. JH did not make an observation.

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NGC 4488 = UGC 7653 = MCG +02-32-104 = PGC 41363

12 30 51.4 +08 21 36

V = 12.2; Size 3.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 5d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, elongated NW-SE, small brighter core. A mag 13 star lies 1.3' SW of center. Located 16' NNW of NGC 4492.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4488 = H III-484 = h1302 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted "vF". His position matches UGC 7653. JH made the single observation "vF; vS; lE."

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NGC 4489 = UGC 7655 = MCG +03-32-054 = PGC 41365

12 30 52.3 +16 45 32

V = 12.0; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus. A group of four stars mag 11-13 is about 4' NE. Forms a pair with NGC 4498 12' NE. Located 9.3' NNW of mag 7.8 SAO 100135.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4489 = H II-91 = h1303 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and simply noted "vS". He was discovering new object very rapidly, so this and several following objects in the sweep have very brief descriptions. JH made three observations and measured an accurate RA.

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NGC 4490 = Cocoon Galaxy = Arp 269 NED2 = VV 30a = UGC 7651 = MCG +07-26-014 = CGCG 216-008 = Holm 414a = PGC 41333

12 30 36.1 +41 38 34

V = 9.8; Size 6.3'x3.1'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 125d

24" (5/27/17): very bright, large, elongated ~5:2 WNW-ESE, ~5'x2.2', fairly high but irregular surface brightness, brighter core, but seems offset from center. A long arm (somewhat detached from the brighter central region), sweeps WNW and curls north near the end (bending towards companion NGC 4485). Fascinating unusual structure.

18" (6/7/08): I viewed this interesting pair in my 15x50 IS binoculars (just a faint blur), 18" Starmaster (disturbed arm on the WNW end extending towards NGC 4490 easily visible) and the 33.4" f/5 (internal structure visible).

18" (6/13/07): very bright, large, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, ~5'x2', with a very bright oval core, ~45"x30". The surface brightness is irregular or mottled but most interesting is a small extension or arm that juts out of the WNW end and appears to bend or hook north towards the companion NGC 4485. There appears to be a smaller counterpart at the ESE end that slightly protrudes from the main body. With averted vision, the galaxy grows wider and appears ~5'x2.5'. Located 39' NW of mag 4.3 Beta CVn. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

18" (6/4/05): very bright, large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, contains a large, bright core. At the northwest end a faint arm appears to emerge hooking sharply to the north for 1' towards NGC 4485. At the southeast end, there appears to be slight extension without much curvature near a 16th magnitude star. The central region is weakly concentrated to the center. Overall, the galaxy has a mottled, slightly splotchy appearance as if was dusty or knotty with HII regions. Located 40' NW of 4.2-magnitude Beta Canum Venaticorum.

13.1" (2/16/85): very bright, large, striking, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 6'x3', large bright core is elongated and grainy. A very faint arm extends from the NW end in the direction of NGC 4485 3.6' NNW. A small extension (arm) at the SE end is suspected. Similar view and sketch made on 2/23/85. On 4/12/86, just a hint of curvature was noted towards NGC 4485.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4490 = H I-198 = h1308, along with NGC 4485, on 14 Jan 1788 (sweep 798) and recorded "Two, the most south [NGC 4490] vB, vL, iE. That to the north B, pS, iF, about 1 1/2' distance." JH logged "vB; vL; mE; 40° np to sf; easily resolvable."

An accurate sketch was made of NGC 4485 and 4490 at Birr Castle on 27 Mar 1856 (figure 23, Plate XXVII in the 1861 publication). It showed the northwest tip curling towards NGC 4485 and a faint streak, corresponding to a string of HII regions, along the north edge of the galaxy.

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NGC 4491 = UGC 7657 = MCG +02-32-107 = PGC 41376

12 30 57.1 +11 29 00

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 148d

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, elongated NW-SE, fairly small, brighter core. A mag 13.5 star lies 2.2' NE. Forms a pair with NGC 4497 12' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4491 = H III-41 = h1304 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vF". CH's reduced position is 4' southeast of UGC 7657. JH logged "pB; L; R; 40"." and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4492 = IC 3438 = UGC 7656 = MCG +01-32-089 = PGC 41383

12 30 59.7 +08 04 40

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. A mag 12.5 star is very close NE 45" from center and a brighter mag 11.5 star is 1.8' SE. Located 19' ENE of M49.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4492 = H II-499 = h1305 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and simply noted "F". His position is within 1' of UGC 7656. JH made the single observation "pB; pL; vglbM; near two small stars."

Julius Schmidt independently found NGC 4492 in June 1861 with the 6" refractor at the Athens Observatory and announced it (along with both NGC 4464 and NGC 4470) in AN 1513 (1866). All three of these objects, though, were found previously by Herschel. In addition, Arnold Schwassmann found this galaxy again in 1900 on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. He assumed Sn. 65 was new (on a different plate he correctly identified Sn. 64 as NGC 4492) and Dreyer recatalogued Sn. 65 as IC 3438 although the NGC and IC positions are virtually identical. So, NGC 4492 = IC 3438.

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NGC 4493 = MCG +00-32-017 = PGC 41409

12 31 08.3 +00 36 49

V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 133d

24" (5/20/17): at 200x and 260x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 30"x25". Contains a small slightly brighter core and brighter nucleus with direct vision. Located 4.7' SE of mag 8.5 HD 108916.

At 200x an extremely faint "knot" (companion) was suspected off the southeast side [50" between centers]. The companion was definitely glimpsed at 260x and appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 10" diameter, stellar nucleus. At 375x it was just visible continuously with averted (V = 15.2, B = 16.1) and was round, 12" diameter, possible stellar nucleus.

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, small, oval NW-SE, even surface brightness. Located 4.7' SE of mag 8.6 SAO 119442.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4493 = m 241 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "vF, vS, iR." His position is accurate, though he didn't notice the faint companion off the southeast end.

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NGC 4494 = UGC 7662 = MCG +04-30-002 = CGCG 129-005 = LGG 294-001 = PGC 41441

12 31 24.1 +25 46 30

V = 9.8; Size 4.8'x3.5'; Surf Br = 12.9

18" (4/5/03): very bright, fairly large, slightly elongated ~N-S, ~3'x2.4', sharply concentrated with a very bright 20" core which increases to center. The halo gradually fades and increases in size with averted vision. Located 6' SSW of mag 7.9 HD 109030 and 35' ESE of the wide binocular pair 17 Coma.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4494 = H I-83 = h1307 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded "cB, pL, mbM, iR." JH noted "vB; R; vsmbM to a nucl; 40-50" dia."

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NGC 4495 = UGC 7663 = MCG +05-30-012 = PGC 41438

12 31 22.9 +29 08 10

V = 13.2; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 130d

18" (4/5/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, 0.7'x0.4', weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4495 = H III-301 = h1310 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "vF, vS, R." JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4496 = NGC 4505 = (R)NGC 4496A = VV 76a = Holm 415b = UGC 7668a = MCG +01-32-090 = CGCG 042-144 = PGC 41471

12 31 39.3 +03 56 23

V = 11.4; Size 4.0'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 70d

17.5" (2/28/87): NGC 4496A is moderately bright, large, elongated WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. Forms a double system with NGC 4496B = PGC 41473 superimposed at the SSE end. The companion is fairly faint, very small, round, diffuse.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4496 = H II-36 = h1309 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "a faintish pL nebula. It seems to be resolveable." JH made three observations and resolved this double system on the 7 Apr 1828: "A double nebula; vF; pL; both R; pos 45° sf by diag; the two are in contact; unequal." The three editions of the Reference Catalouge of Bright Galaxies label the two components as NGC 4496A and 4496B.

R.J. Mitchell sketched and described this system on 18 Apr 1855 at Birr Castle, "A double neb, alpha [NGC 4496B] is vF, and its light flickering, the other [NGC 4496A] has F neby extending a good way downwards [north], and is much the larger and brighter of the two." Neither JH in the GC or Dreyer in the NGC assigned two designations for the components, although the NGC description reads "bi-nuclear or double nebula".

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NGC 4497 = IC 3452 = UGC 7665 = MCG +02-32-113 = PGC 41457

12 31 32.5 +11 37 29

V = 12.5; Size 2.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 65d

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated WSW-ENE, broad concentration. A mag 12.5 star is 2.4' E of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4497 12' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4497 = H III-42 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply noted "vF" (he was recording objects very quickly on the sweep). CH's reduced position is 2.5' southeast of UGC 7665 - a similar offset as NGC 4491, the previous object he discovered, so this identification is nearly certain.

Schwassmann "rediscovered" the galaxy on 8 Sep 1900 using a Heidelberg plate taken by Wolf, measured an accurate position and recorded Sn. 199 (later IC 3452) as new. Both Schwassmann and Dreyer missed the earlier NGC discovery, but IC 3452 = NGC 4497.

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NGC 4498 = UGC 7669 = MCG +03-32-056 = PGC 41472

12 31 39.7 +16 51 10

V = 12.2; Size 3.0'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 133d

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint streak NW-SE, diffuse, brighter core. Forms a trio with NGC 4489 12' SW and NGC 402 11' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4498 = H III-69 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and simply noted "S". His position is 30 sec of RA east and 6' south of NGC 4489, but the position should be 6' north. Heinrich d'Arrest measured the position twice, and questioned if it was same object as III-69. He noted "F, L, oval, 70" mininum dia. The nucleus is very faint. After repeated observation, it was seen as 90" long. Question is whether this is a Herschel object or not as differs in AR 22 sec and in Dec by is Herscheliana, or not, the former is to stop. Differs from ours in AR 22s, on in Dec by 3 1/2'.

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NGC 4499 = ESO 322-022 = MCG -07-26-008 = PGC 41537

12 32 05.0 -39 58 57

V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 93d

18" (5/15/10): at 220x appeared very faint, slightly elongated E-W, 0.8'x0.65'. Low even surface brightrness with no core or zones, although view compromised by low elevation. Probable outlying member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526). NGC 4507 lies 40' ENE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4499 = h3397 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L; R; vglbM; 90"." His position (measured on 2 sweep) is a close match with ESO 322-022 = PGC 41537.

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NGC 4500 = UGC 7667 = Mrk 213 = MCG +10-18-062 = PGC 41436

12 31 22.1 +57 57 53

V = 12.5; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 130d

18" (5/8/04): moderately bright, small lens, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright core and faint extensions. Located 1' W of a mag 10.5 star!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4500 = H I-234 = h1311 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and recorded "cB, vS, lE. Just preceding a pL star." JH logged "pB; E; pgbM; a * 9m foll 30" dist in parallel." His position is 1' southwest of UGC 7667.

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NGC 4501 = M88 = UGC 7675 = MCG +03-32-059 = CGCG 099-076 = PGC 41517

12 31 59.0 +14 25 10

V = 9.6; Size 6.9'x3.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 140d

48" (4/5/13): a thin spiral arm was clearly visible extending along the entire western flank of the halo and stretching 4.5' from NW to SE. This arm separates more cleanly from the central region as it extends south, reaching a wide double star (13.7/14.3 that is superimposed on the southeast end. A fainter, very thin, straight arm was also visible along the east side of the galaxy, extending towards the northwest. This arm hugs pretty close to the east side of the core, and separates a bit on the north side.

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, very large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, brighter core, intense very small or stellar nucleus (Seyfert 2 galaxy). A faint double star is embedded at the SE end (mag 13.5/14.5 at 20"). A brighter double star mag 11/12 at 30" is 5' S of center. Located at the NE end of "Markarian's chain" in the core of Virgo cluster.

Charles Messier discovered M88 = NGC 4501 = h1312 on 18 Mar 1781. WH described it on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) as "vB, vL, E." JH made 5 observations and recorded on sweep 422 "B; vL; vmE; 8' l, 1' br. The northern half is brighter than the southern." On two other sweeps heaccurately measured the position angle as between 140°-145°. Listed as "Spiral or curvilinear" in Lord Rosse's 1850 PT paper.

At Birr Castle, R.J. Mitchell recorded on 9 Mar 1855 "Another spiral? dark spaces p Nucl, others also, especially one sf Nucl. Six nights later he logged "Thought I could trace a dark passage from south end down past the Nucl. Saw but the one branch f neby outside this passage."

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NGC 4502 = UGC 7677 = MCG +03-32-060 = CGCG 099-076 = LGG 289-083 = PGC 41531

12 32 03.3 +16 41 16

V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40d

18" (4/5/03): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.4', low surface brightness. NGC 4498 lies 11' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4502 = H II-92 = h1314 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "vF, S." CH's reduced position is 6' north of UGC 7677. He was working quickly in the sweep and made several positional errors on nearby objects. JH measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4503 = UGC 7680 = MCG +02-32-118 = CGCG 070-149 = PGC 41538

12 32 06.2 +11 10 35

V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 12d

24" (5/20/17): bright, fairly large, oval 2:1 or 5:2 N-S, the halo increases to ~2'x0.8' with averted. Sharply concentrated with an extremely bright core that increases to an intense stellar nucleus! IC 3460 lies 6.6' NE,

24" (6/4/16): bright, large, elongated nearly 5:2 N-S, ~1.8'x0.7'. Sharply concentrated with a very large, very bright elonagated core that increases to an even brighter nucleus and stellar peak at the center. The halo gradually fades out but the ratio of major to minor axis is higher in the halo than the core. IC 3470 is 6.7' NE and IC 3483 (the third member of Zwicky's Triplet, along with IC 3481 and 3481A) is 19' NE.

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, very bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4503 = H II-66 = h1313 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "pB". His descriptions are very brief in this portion of the sweep as he was recording new nebulae rapidly. CH's reduced position is 18 sec of RA too far east. JH made two observations and measured an accurate position. Dreyer made an observation on 24 Mar 1878, though mistakenly assumed he was observing GC 3077 = NGC 4528. He wrote, "pB, lE N-S, irr figure, fades away more gradually on f[ollowing] side..."

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NGC 4504 = MCG -01-32-022 = PGC 41555

12 32 17.3 -07 33 50

V = 11.2; Size 4.4'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 150d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly large, almost even surface brightness, slightly elongated, very weakly concentrated core. Two mag 14.5-15 stars are off following end 1.4' NE and 2.1' ESE of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4504 = H II-771 = h1398 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and noted "pB, iF, mbM, easily resolvable." JH made a single observation from the Cape of Good Hope and logged "vF; Lp lEp gvlbM; 90"."

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NGC 4505 = NGC 4496? = (R)NGC 4496A = UGC 7668a = MCG +01-32-090 = CGCG 042-144 = VV 76a = PGC 41471

12 31 39.3 +03 56 23

See observing notes for NGC 4496.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4505 = H III-18 = h1315 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "vF of a considerable size; it seems to be resolvable, is more faint than the foregoing [II-36 = NGC 4496] and rather larger. There is nothing at his position, exactly 1.0 min of time following II-36 = NGC 4496, and the description applies to this galaxy! It appears he likely recorded the same object twice.

JH has a single observation on sweep 142: "eF, the following of 2 [with NGC 4496] in fld." His position is roughly the same as his father's (perhaps using his working list). Karl Reinmuth, in his photographic survey "Die Herschel-Nebel", questions if it is a mag 14 star, and this is very possible.

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NGC 4506 = UGC 7682 = MCG +02-32-120 = CGCG 070-152 = PGC 41546

12 32 10.5 +13 25 10

V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110d

17.5" (4/25/87): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse, very weakly concentrated core. A mag 11 star is 2.1' W. Located 34' E of NGC 4473 near the Virgo border.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4506 = H II-631 = h1316 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and noted "F". His position is 2.5' south and 8 sec of time west of UGC 7682. JH recorded "vF; pmE in parallel; gbM; a * 9m 8 sec following." His position and description matches this galaxy.

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NGC 4507 = ESO 322-029 = MCG -07-26-011 = Shapley-Ames 2 = LGG 298-008 = PGC 41960

12 35 36.7 -39 54 34

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 56d

18" (4/25/09): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, increases to a small brighter core. Situated within an oval group of ~8 stars (~9'x6') and 5' SW of mag 5.8 HD 109573 (on the east end of the group).

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, oval, weak concentration. Located 5.2' SW of mag 5.8 SAO 203621 and the glare detracts from viewing. This is a Seyfert galaxy and possible member of the Centaurus galaxy cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4507 = h3399 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; R: psmbM to a * 16m." His position (measured on two sweeps) is at the east edge of ESO 322-029 = PGC 41960. JH must have made an error precessing the position to 1860 coordinates in the GC, as the position there (copied into the NGC) is 3.0 min of RA too far west. Perhaps as a result NGC 4507 was included as an "anonymous" galaxy (New 2) in the Shapley-Ames Catalogue.

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NGC 4508

12 32 17.4 +05 49 08

=**?, Gottlieb. "Not found", Carlson.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4508 = h1317 on 19 Apr 1830 and noted "vF; R; a * 13m with a burr." His position corresponds with a close, faint double star. The stars are cleanly resolved on the SDSS. Karl Reinmuth also identifies a double star at the NGC position, although he also mentions a possible nearby candidate. This is object #1450 in the Ames "Catalogue of 2778 Nebulae including the Coma-Virgo Group". Ames felt this object was too far from the NGC position and too faint.

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NGC 4509 = UGC 7704 = MCG +05-30-018 = CGCG 159-015 = Mrk 773 = PGC 41660

12 33 06.8 +32 05 32

V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 155d

17.5": faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, almost even surface brightness. Located 4.5' NW of a bright double star ∑1653 = 8.7/9.2 at 8".

John Herschel discovered NGC 4509 = h1318 on 11 Mar 1828 and noted "vF; S; R; lbM." There is nothing at his position but 1.0 min of RA east is UGC 7704 = PGC 41660. His position matches in dec, so this is a reasonable identification, though CGCG does not label this galaxy as NGC 4509.

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NGC 4510 = UGC 7679 = MCG +11-15-058 = CGCG 315-041 = PGC 41489

12 31 47.2 +64 14 01

V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 153d

17.5" (4/15/93): faint, very small, very small bright core, stellar nucleus, very small halo. NGC 4441 lies 17' SW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4510 on 9 Sep 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is an excellent match with UGC 7679. He described it as sparkling and almost resolved, so Dreyer called it a cluster in the NGC description. Also see NGC 4521, which may be a duplicate observation.

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NGC 4511 = MCG +10-18-063 = CGCG 293-027 = PGC 41560

12 32 08.1 +56 28 16

V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 9d

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 ~N-S. A mag 14 star is close south, in the direction of elongation. UGC 7691 lies 11' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4511 = H III-834 = h1319 on 17 Mar 1790 (sweep 947) and noted "eF, S, iF." His position matches CGCG 293-027. JH made a single observation, "Not eF; S; R; vgbM; 12"."

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NGC 4512 = NGC 4521? = UGC 7706 = MCG +11-15-061 = CGCG 315-046 = PGC 41621

12 32 47.6 +63 56 21

V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 167d

See observing notes for NGC 4521. Identification uncertain; this number may be identical to NGC 4510.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4512 = h1321 on 3 Apr 1832 and recorded "pB; R: psbM; 20"." There is nothing at his single position, though 10' north-northeast is UGC 7700, the galaxy identified in all modern catalogues as NGC 4512. But this galaxy would not be described as "pB", as it has a very low surface brightness. In addition, JH made no mention of much brighter NGC 4521, just 4' north of UGC 7770, which was seen on the previous sweep with a poor position.

Bigourdan was unable to recover NGC 4512 and Reinmuth states "no pB neb found, =NGC 4521?" Corwin suggests that NGC 4512 may be identical to NGC 4510 as this would require a 30' error in declination. Furthermore this galaxy is more likely than NGC 4521 to be called "round" and "20" in diameter. So, the identification with NGC 4521 is uncertain, but likely applies to either NGC 4521 or NGC 4510. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4513 = UGC 7683 = MCG +11-15-059 = CGCG 315-042 = LGG 277-007 = WBL 412-001 = PGC 41527

12 32 01.5 +66 19 57

V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.4', small bright core.

The triple system VII Zw 467 = CGCG 315-044 (2 members seen) is 4' NNE and VII Zw 466 = CGCG 315-043 (empty collisional RING galaxy) is 4' N. PGC 41549 appeared very faint to faint, very small, round, 12" diameter, visible continuously with averted vision. Both PGC 2686685 and VII Zw 466 were challenging objects, only occasionally visible.

48" (4/4/13): at 488x; VII Zw 466 appeared fairly faint, small, round with a slightly brighter rim and darker center. The ring was irregular lit and brighter on the west side with a couple of slightly brighter knots north and south.

PGC 3441759, the faintest member of triple system VII Zw 467, appeared very faint, extremely small, round, 6" diameter. PGC 41549, the brightest component, is fairly faint, small, round, high surface brightness and PGC 2686685 is faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 20"x10".

17.5" (4/15/93): faint, small, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, very small bright core, stellar nucleus.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4513 on 16 Oct 1866 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is an excellent match with UGC 7683, though he questioned if it consisted of stars or was a genuine nebula.

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NGC 4514 = UGC 7693 = MCG +05-30-015 = CGCG 159-011 = PGC 41610

12 32 43.0 +29 42 45

V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3

18" (5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, weak concentration with no noticeable core. A mag 14 star lies 1.5' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4514 = H III-302 = h1320 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "eF, vS". JH made two observations and called this galaxy (sweep 342) "vF; R; bM; 15"."

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NGC 4515 = UGC 7701 = MCG +03-32-065 = CGCG 099-086 = PGC 41652

12 33 05.0 +16 15 56

V = 12.3; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, very small, almost round, weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4515 = H II-93 = h1324 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "F, vS." JH called it "F; an extremely dilute nebulosity, with a centre almost stellar. His single position is 1' north of UGC 7701.

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NGC 4516 = UGC 7703 = MCG +03-32-067 = CGCG 099-087 = PGC 41661

12 33 07.6 +14 34 30

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d

17.5" (5/23/87): faint, small, very elongated N-S, small well defined core. Located 18' NE of M88.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4516 = H III-78 = h1323 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "A B, pL, r nebula [M88] with a small one [NGC 4516] after it. Moonlight so strong that I had nearly overlooked the latter. JH logged "F; R: vgbM; 40"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4517 = NGC 4437 = UGC 7694 = MCG +00-32-020 = CGCG 014-063 = FGC 1455 = PGC 41618

12 32 45.6 +00 06 59

V = 10.4; Size 10.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 83d

48" (5/4/16): beautiful edge-on spiral, nearly 8:1 WSW-ENE, ~11'x1.5'. A mag 10.9 star is attached on the north edge, just east of center. The galaxy is broadly concentrated with a larger, brighter core region and small brighter nucleus. A fairly prominent, irregular dust lane extends ~5', unevenly slicing the galaxy along the north edge of the core region. The absorption lane is wides and most prominent near the core. A fairly thin strip of the galaxy is visible to the north of the dust lane, passing through the bright star at the north edge. The dust gives the galaxy an irregular patchy appearance and along with some mottling, the view is reminiscent of NGC 253 or NGC 55.

NGC 4517A, situated 17' NNW, appeared moderately bright, large, oval 4:3 SSW-NNE, ~3'x2.2', broad concentration with a small brighter core, patchy, irregular surface brightness. A mag 10 star is 3.5' NW and a mag 11.5 star is 4.6' W.

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, very large edge-on 8:1 WSW-ENE, almost 10'x1.2'. This galaxy is an impressive large narrow streak with fairly low surface brightness and fills 1/2 of the 21' field. There is no well-define nucleus but central region slightly bulges. Appears brighter along the western extension. A mag 9 star is attached at the northeast edge of the core.

NGC 4517A, located 17' NNW, appeared very faint, large, small brighter core. Appears as a very diffuse hazy region elongated SSW-NNE with no distinct boundaries. Located 3.5' SE of a mag 10.5 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4517 = H IV-5 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "A pretty bright star with a milky ray on the south side of it, extending from east to west, or rather from np to sf. It does not seem to touch the star, and is about 10 or 12' in length." On a second observation (1 Jan 1786, sweep 507), he added "a pB star with a milky ray to the south of it, and partly including it." WH commented this might suggest that the nebula had a considerable proper motion, though differences in observing conditions might account for the difference. The GC and NGC position (from 3 observations) is 0.5 min of RA too far east and 2' south.

JH found h1277 = NGC 4437 on 14 Apr 1828 and recorded "F; vmE; pos 15° nf to sp; a long ray; it is south preceding a * 10m. The place is that of the star." There is nothing near his position, but 5 min of RA east is NGC 4517 and his description is a perfect match with this galaxy. The equivalence may have first been suggest by Karl Reinmuth in his 1926 photographic Heidelberg survey "Die Herschel Nebel". Various sources (including the RNGC) mistakenly equate NGC 4437 with NGC 4417, instead of NGC 4517. So, NGC 4517 = NGC 4437.

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NGC 4518 = MCG +01-32-095 = CGCG 042-149 = Holm 417a = PGC 41674

12 33 11.7 +07 51 06

V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 0d

24" (5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~25"x18", gradually increases to a small bright core and stellar nucleus. Located 16' NW of NGC 4526 and 6.6' SSW of mag 7.6 HD 109270.

Forms a close pair with NGC 4518B = CGCG 042-149 1.1' SSW. The companion appeared very faint, very small, 15"x10" SW-NE.

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated NW-SE, bright core. Located to the west of a N-S line joining mag 6.9 SAO 119466 12' SSE and mag 7.7 SAO 119465 7' NNE. NGC 4526 lies 17' SE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4518 = h1322 on 27 Dec 1827 and recorded "F; S; R; bM; 20"." His position corresponds with CGCG 042-149 = PGC 41674 (double system with a fainter companion close south). Karl Reinmuth noted CGCG 042-149, as well as several fainter companions, in his description of NGC 4518 based on a Heidelberg plate: "..eF neb sp 1.4'..."

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NGC 4519 = UGC 7709 = MCG +02-32-135 = CGCG 070-167 = Holm 418a = PGC 41719

12 33 30.3 +08 39 16

V = 11.8; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 145d

24" (6/4/16): at 322x; bright, large, slightly elongated 5:4 SW-NE, at least 1.5'x1.2'. Contains a relatively large brighter core. The halo is noticeably mottled with an uneven surface brightness (probably due to HII knots in the arms).

Forms a pair with NGC 4519A 2.6' NW. This companion appeared very faint (V ~15.4), small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, low even surface brightness. A mag 14.3 star is 35" SW.

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly bright, moderately large, brighter core, slightly elongated. A knot is superimposed on the SW end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4519 = H II-158 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and recorded, "F, pL, almost R, r." His position (CH's reduction) is 3' northeast of UGC 7709. This galaxy was not observed by JH, but d'Arrest measured an accurate position on 2 nights.

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NGC 4520 = IC 799 = PGC 41748

12 33 49.9 -07 22 32

V = 14.0; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 101d

18" (4/9/05): faint, small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W. A very faint star is at the western tip. The galaxy appears to have a very faint stellar nucleus or a second star is involved. A mag 11.2 star is 3' NW. NGC 4504 lies 20' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4520 = H III-757 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and logged "2 vF stars involved in nebulosity, vF, S." He made another observation with a similar description a few nights later (sweep 916). The GC and NGC has a typo, calling this galaxy II-757.

Lewis Swift found this galaxy again on 21 Apr 1889 and assumed it was new. His description for #64 in his 8th discovery list (later IC 799) states "? ef star is in contact on p side.", which applies to PGC 41748, and clinches the identification IC 799 = NGC 4520.

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NGC 4521 = NGC 4512? = UGC 7706 = MCG +11-15-061 = CGCG 315-046 = PGC 41621

12 32 47.6 +63 56 21

V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 167d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; moderately bright and large, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a very small bright core. A mag 11 star is 2' NNW and a mag 15.2 star is 1.4' SSE. Forms a pair with much fainter UGC 7700 4' SSW. Brightest in a group including NGC 4510 19' NNW and NGC 4545 27' SSE.

UGC 7700 (misidentified in all modern catalogues and most online sources as NGC 4512) appeared very faint, fairly small, 24" diameter (only the central region seen), very low even surface brightness.

17.5" (4/15/93): moderately bright and large, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, very bright core, faint stellar nucleus, very thin tapering extensions. Located 2.0' SSE of a mag 10 star. A mag 15 star is just 30" E of the southern extension. NGC 4481 lies 20' WNW. UGC 7700 = (R)NGC 4512 located 4' SW was not seen.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4521 = H II-849 = h1326 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and logged "pB, vS, lE, SN." JH recorded "pB; pmE; pgbM; 20" long, 12" broad; a * 9m near. His description matches NGC 4521, but his position is 20' too far south. Because of the discrepancy with his father's position, JH listed it as a "Nova". In the NGC notes, Dreyer notes that "h1326 = II 848, but h's P.D. Is wrong; d'Arrest's adopted".

See notes for NGC 4512 = h1321, which may be identical to NGC 4521.

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NGC 4522 = UGC 7711 = MCG +02-32-137 = CGCG 070-168 = PGC 41729

12 33 39.5 +09 10 25

V = 12.3; Size 3.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 33d

17.5" (4/18/87): fairly faint, fairly large, thin edge-on streak oriented SSW-NNE, weak concentration.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4522 = h1325 on 18 Jan 1828 and recorded "eF; pL; lE; vlbM." His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4523 = UGC 7713 = MCG +03-32-068 = CGCG 099-089 = DDO 135 = PGC 41746

12 33 47.8 +15 10 02

V = 14.1; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 15.4

17.5" (5/23/87): extremely faint, difficult, very diffuse, moderately large. Located 10' S of IC 800. Three stars are involved; a mag 12 star is 0.4' NW of center and an evenly matched mag 13.5 double star at 21" separation is 0.7' S of center.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4523 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His published position is 10 sec of RA west of UGC 7713, though he mentions his first observation (of 2) differed to 10 sec. In any case, there is no question about the identification as he mentions a double star on the south side of the nebula and a brighter star on the north.

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NGC 4524 = MCG -02-32-014 = PGC 41757

12 33 54.4 -12 01 39

V = 13.7; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 80d

17.5" (3/29/89): faint, small, oval WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. Three mag 15 stars are just west.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4524 = h1327 on 9 Mar 1828 and recorded "vF; irreg R; bM." His single position is 1' north of MCG -02-32-014 = PGC 41757.

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NGC 4525 = UGC 7714 = MCG +05-30-020 = CGCG 159-016 = LGG 279-015 = PGC 41755

12 33 51.2 +30 16 39

V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 47d

18" (4/10/04): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broadly concentrated to an ill-defined 0.8' core. A low surface brightness halo increases the size to at least 2.0'x.1.0'. The halo is irregular or patchy and fades into the background so is difficult to trace, though it is a little brighter on the SW extension.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4525 = H II-325 = h1328 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "F, pL, E, bM." JH made the single observation "pF; L; R; 60"." and did not measure a position.

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NGC 4526 = NGC 4560? = UGC 7718 = MCG +01-32-100 = CGCG 042-155 = PGC 41772

12 34 03.1 +07 41 59

V = 9.7; Size 7.2'x2.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 113d

24" (5/20/17): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, ~3.75'x1.25'. Contains a large, rounder core with a small intense nucleus that seems slightly offset south of center. The extensions gradually fade out towards the tips. Situated at the midpoint of mag 7.0 HD 109285 7.5' WSW and mag 6.8 HD 109417 7.3' ENE. NGC 4518 lies 15' NW.

17.5" (4/18/87): very bright, fairly large, very elongated WNW-ESE, bright core, strong stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is 1.3' S of center. Located midway between mag 6.9 SAO 119466 7.6' W and mag 6.7 SAO 119479 7.2' ENE. Supernova 1994C observed at 12th magnitude on 3/12/94 five days after discovery.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4526 = H I-31 = H I-38 = h1329 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded I-31 as "vB, E, mbM, r." It is situated between two brilliant stars at a considerable distance." There is nothing at his position, but 17' north is UGC 7718 = PGC 41772 and his description matches this bright galaxy. Five nights later (sweep 202), he returned to the field and recorded I-38 as "B, vL, mE, mbM." His position was only 2' south of UGC 7718. JH combined the two H-designations in the GC.

WH probably found this galaxy a third time on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and recorded it as H I-119 = NGC 4560, with another bad position. So, NGC 4526 = NGC 4560.

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NGC 4527 = UGC 7721 = MCG +01-32-101 = CGCG 042-156 = PGC 41789

12 34 08.4 +02 39 11

V = 10.5; Size 6.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 67d

24" (5/20/17): at 200x; bright; very large; very elongated ~4:1 WSW-ENE, ~4'x1',well concentrated with a very bright elongated core that contains a fairly intense nucleus. Appears to brighten slightly and curl south on the western end and spread out and curl a bit north on the eastern ends, like the beginning of spiral arms (verified later on the DSS). IC 3474 lies 23' due east.

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, very large, very elongated WSW-ENE, prominent core, small bright nucleus. NGC 4536 is 30' SSE with mag 8.8 SAO 119473 and mag 8.6 SAO 119474 near the midpoint. NGC 4533, a fainter galaxy, also lies 20' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4527 = H II-37 = h1330 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "pB, of an extended shape, from np to sf and mbM than at the ends." His orientation should read "sp to nf". On sweep 143, JH logged "pB; pL; gmbM; E in pos 30° nf to sp."

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NGC 4528 = UGC 7722 = MCG +02-32-140 = CGCG 070-172 = PGC 41781

12 34 06.1 +11 19 16

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 5d

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright but small, oval ~N-S, nucleus bulge, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 35' WNW of the NGC 4567/NGC 4568 pair.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4528 = H II-67 = h1331 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "vS but pB." His RA is 42 sec too small (several objects on this sweep have a poor RA). JH made four observations with the brightness description varying from "F" to "pB".

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NGC 4529

12 34 12 +20 32

=Not found, Corwin. Very uncertain ID's UGC 7697 or MCG +04-30-003

William Herschel discovered NGC 4529 = H III-26 on 12 Mar 1784 (sweep 167) and logged "I suspected a L, eF nebula; but though I looked at it a good while I could not verify the suspicion, nor could I convince myself that it was a deception." The RA was only taken approximately. He reported it again on 16 Mar 1790 (sweep 944), and measured offsets from 26 Com (the reduced position by CH was used in the GC and NGC). Dreyer discussed the difference between CH's reduction vs. Auwers' reduction in the NGC Notes/Corrections section (based on the sweep used). In any case, there is nothing at either position.

RNGC misidentifies MCG +04-30-003 = CGCG 129-006 as NGC 4529, although neither CGCG or MCG uses this identification. PGC lists the RNGC entry and the MCG/CGCG entry separately, so PGC 41482 = PGC 41463. Malcolm Thomson concurs this a probable misidentification if the original NGC position is correct.

I send an e-mail to Harold Corwin back in October 1999 about the identification and no satisfactory candidate could be identified. See his identification notes.

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NGC 4530 = Beta CVn = 8 CVn

12 33 44.5 +41 21 27

V = 4.3

=*4.3 = Beta CVn, Gottlieb. Not found, RNGC.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4530 = h1332 in May 1828 (sweep 150) and described "8 [Beta] CVn. Involved in a considerable nebula 3' in diam, exactly R; vgbM." He made a total of four observation and described the star as nebulous on each occasion. There is no nebulosity surrounding this star. JH realized the observation was uncertain. In the appendix of the Slough catalogue, he noted "With regard to nebulous stars generally, I ought to mention that it has frequently occurred to me to notice a peculiar state of atmosphere in which all large stars (above the 7th magnitude) have appeared surrounded with photospheres of 2' or 3' or more diameter, precisely resembling that about some of the finer specimens of nebulous stars."

This is the second brightest star (after NGC 771) with an entry in the NGC. Albert Marth wrote to Herschel in 1862 that the star "does not appear to me have any nebula or appendage about it."

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NGC 4531 = UGC 7729 = MCG +02-32-141 = CGCG 070-175 = PGC 41806

12 34 15.9 +13 04 31

V = 11.4; Size 3.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 155d

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, moderately large, slightly elongated NW-SE, diffuse, broad concentration. Located 37' W of M90.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4531 = H II-175 = h1333 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199)and noted "pF, L." JH made two observations and recorded (sweep 339) "pF; pL; R; vgbM; 80"."

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NGC 4532 = UGC 7726 = MCG +01-32-103 = CGCG 042-158 = PGC 41811

12 34 19.3 +06 28 07

V = 11.9; Size 2.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 160d

24" (5/20/17): fairly bright, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 or 7:2 NNW-SSE. The surface brightness is irregular; brighter and mottled on the NNW end and fainter on the SSE end, giving an asymmetric appearance. A mag 14.5 star is off the east side [0.6' from center]. Mag 8.0 HD 109402 lies 5.4' S.

Holmberg VII lies 12' SE of NGC 4532. At 200x this dwarf was just visible as a very faint patch with averted vision, roundish, ~40" diameter (no distinct edge), very low even surface brightness, no core or nucleus.

17.5" (3/24/90): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, no central condensation. Asymmetric appearance as fainter at the SE end (dust?). Located 5.4' N of mag 8.3 SAO 119478. NGC 4543 lies 25' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4532 = H II-147 = h1334 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "pB, pL, mE, r." His position and description matches UGC 7726 = PGC 41811.

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NGC 4533 = UGC 7725 = MCG +01-32-102 = CGCG 042-157 = PGC 41816

12 34 22.0 +02 19 31

V = 13.8; Size 2.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 161d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, moderately large, edge-on NNW-SSE, low surface brightness narrow streak. Collinear with mag 8.6 SAO 119474 4.1' N and mag 8.8 SAO 119473 7.2' N. All of these are on line with bright galaxy NGC 4536 8.3' SSE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4533 = T 1-45 and described a class III nebula, 7 sec of RA west and 9' north of H V-2 = NGC 4536. The exact offsets to this galaxy are -5 sec RA and +8' dec.

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NGC 4534 = UGC 7723 = MCG +06-28-010 = CGCG 188-008 = Holm 419a = PGC 41779

12 34 05.4 +35 31 06

V = 12.3; Size 2.6'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 125d

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.0' diameter, low almost even surface brightness, very small region of central brightening. A mag 15 star is 30" SW of the halo and 1.5' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4534 = H II-410 = h1336 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and noted "F, cL, r." His position is just off the north side of UGC 7723. JH made two observations, reporting on sweep 331, "vF; L; R; vglbM; 45"."

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NGC 4535 = UGC 7727 = MCG +01-32-104 = CGCG 042-159 = Lost Galaxy = PGC 41812

12 34 20.3 +08 11 52

V = 10.0; Size 7.1'x5.0'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 0d

48" (4/4/13): NGC 4535 is a gorgeous face-on Sc spiral with two, long, very prominent arms extending from a small, very bright central region. The small, very bright core is elongated SSW-NNE and punctuated by an intense, stellar nucleus. The two main arms are clearly attached right at opposite ends of the core. At the northeast end, a beautiful thin arm winds clockwise to the west with a mag 13.5 star pinned on the outer north edge. The arm contains NGC 4535:[HK83] #157 (several additional entries including #141/145 are in Hodge & Kennicutt's "Atlas of HII regions in 125 galaxies"), a small, bright, 15" knot and then dims as it wraps to the south. A mag 14.5 star is situated midway between the nucleus and southern end of this arm [47" SW of the nucleus].

The second main arm is attached at the southwest end of the core and curves clockwise to the southeast, where the arm brightens in an elongated 30" patch (#51/52/72/78), which is symmetrically positioned opposite #157. A fainter arm segment, extending WNW to ESE is visible on the south side, containing #84/90, a small, fairly faint 12" patch, located 1.5' SSE of center. This knot forms the vertex of a flat isosceles triangle with a mag 15 star 0.5' NW and a mag 14 star 0.7' S. The arms are etched on the slightly fainter and larger background glow of the disc, which extends 5.5'x4.0' N-S.

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, fairly large, very small bright core, elongated SSW-NNE, about 5.5'x4.0'. Appears slightly darker on both sides of core (this is a gap between the spiral arms). A mag 13.5 star is superimposed on the north side 1.0' from the center and a similar star is at the south end of the halo 2.2' from center. A faint mag 14.5 star is just 48" SW of the core. NGC 4526 lies 30' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4535 = H II-500 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and described "very large, easily resolvable. I see a few of the largest stars in it." In his 1814 PT paper, WH hypothesized this object may be a cluster of stars mixed with nebulosity or a cluster seen at great distance which contains no nebulosity. JH did not make any observations, though d'Arrest made four observations and described it as up to 5 or 6' in size. He also noted the mag 15 star (called mag 17) just 48" preceding the nucleus.

The nickname "Lost Galaxy" is from Leland S. Copeland's February 1955 S&T article "Adventuring in the Virgo Cloud". In his article, Copeland described a star hop through the Virgo Cluster using his 8" Cave reflector. He states, "North of the Diamond is a very dim spiral, here called the Lost Galaxy, NGC 4535." Leland was probably referring to NGC4535's difficulty to locate due to its low surface brightness. The a caption of a photograph states that NGC 4535's "delicate structure shows only on long exposure photographs".

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NGC 4536 = UGC 7732 = MCG +00-32-023 = CGCG 014-068 = PGC 41823

12 34 27.1 +02 11 16

V = 10.6; Size 7.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 130d

48" (4/4/13): very bright, gorgeous showpiece spiral with two very stretched arms extending northwest and southeast ~7'x2.5'. Contains a very bright, slightly elongated core that increases to an intense stellar nucleus. One long arm emanates from the west side of the core and shoots to the northwest, extending over 3' from the nucleus. Close west of the core is a brighter, knotty region identified as [HK 83] 66/67 in the Hodge-Kennicutt "Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". The second arm is connected at the northeast side of the core and stretches to the southeast. A small brightening (#53) is just north of the core where the arm is attached. This arm contains a brighter, elongated section which includes [HK 83] 23/33/35/36, opposite the brighter region on the western arm.

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, very large, very elongated NW-SE, weak concentration, stellar nucleus. Spiral structure is suspected at the ends of the major axis. Forms a pair with NGC 4533 8' N. Located 12' WSW of mag 7.0 SAO 119485 and 12' S of mag 8.6 SAO 119474 (4' N of NGC 4533). NGC 4527 lies 30' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4536 = H V-2 = h1337 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 120) and noted "F, L, cE. It is bright in the middle in two or three places." He recorded the galaxy on 4 different sweeps. JH reported "pB; vL; mE in pos 20° np; sbM."

R.J. Mitchell sketched the galaxy on 29 May 1856 with LdR's 72" and clearly showed the central bar and long arms forming an stretched "Z" shape. The sketch was included (Fig 24) in LdR's 1861 publication.

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NGC 4537 = NGC 4542: = UGC 7746 = MCG +09-21-021 = CGCG 270-011 = PGC 41909

12 34 48.9 +50 48 18

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 21d

See observing notes for NGC 4542.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4537 = Sw I-22 on 16 Mar 1884 and recorded "eeF; S; R; nearly between 2 stars." There is nothing at his position, but 49 sec of RA due east is NGC 4542 (discovered previously by JH), the brightest nearby candidate. Also in the vicinity is MCG +09-21-022 = PGC 41909, 3.2' northeast of NGC 4537 and with respect to Swift's position, 1.0 min of RA east and 2' north. But this galaxy is substantially fainter (V = 15), and if it was Swift's object, I would assume he would mention brighter NGC 4542. Either galaxy could be made to fit his comment "nearly between 2 stars."

The RNGC and PGC (and secondary sources such as Megastar) identify MCG +09-21-022 as NGC 4537. Both Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin concur that NGC 4537 is more likely a duplicate of NGC 4542. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4538 = MCG +01-32-105 = CGCG 042-161 = PGC 41850

12 34 40.9 +03 19 25

V = 14.3; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 80d

17.5" (3/24/90): very faint, small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. NGC 4544 lies 22' SE.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4538 = m 242 on 22 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS, nearly R." His position matches CGCG 042-161 = PGC 41850.

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NGC 4539 = UGC 7735 = MCG +03-32-071 = CGCG 099-092 = LGG 289-054 = PGC 41839

12 34 34.8 +18 12 09

V = 12.0; Size 3.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/13/02): fairly faint but fairly large, elongated 5:2 E-W, 2.4'x0.9'. Fairly uniform low surface brightness but bulges slightly at the core. Two mag 14 stars are 1.5' SE of center. Located 13' SW of the beautiful double 24 Comae (5.0/6.6 at 20").

John Herschel discovered NGC 4539 = h1338 on 17 Mar 1831and logged "pB; pmE." His position and description matches UGC 7735.

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NGC 4540 = UGC 7742 = MCG +03-32-074 = CGCG 099-093 = Holm 421a = PGC 41876

12 34 50.8 +15 33 05

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d

17.5" (5/23/87): moderately bright, fairly small, even surface brightness. A mag 13.5 star is 1.2' W of center. Forms a close pair with IC 3528 1.6' NE. The IC galaxy (missed by the Herschels) appeared extremely faint and small, round.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4540 = H II-94 = H II-119 = h1335 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted H II-94 as "F, S." CH's reduced position is 5' southeast of UGC 7742 and there are no other nearby candidates. Several objects in this relatively early sweep have poor positions. He found it again on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted H II-119 "pL, resolvable. Moonlight." JH made two observations but his RA was 30 sec too far west. Finally, d'Arrest made 3 observations and measured an accurate position. Reinmuth says IC 3528 is 1' S and questions whether the galaxy NE is IC 3519?

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NGC 4541 = UGC 7749 = MCG +00-32-024 = CGCG 014-071 = PGC 41911

12 35 10.6 -00 13 17

V = 13.0; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 91d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated E-W, weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4541 = H III-493 = h1342 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "eF, S, irregular." His position (CH's reduction) is 3' too far south. JH made a single observation but did measure an accurate position. The NGC dec is 1.5' south (apparently this position is from Holden) of UGC 7749. The RNGC position is 6' too far south!

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NGC 4542 = NGC 4537: = UGC 7746 = MCG +09-21-021 = CGCG 270-011 = PGC 41864

12 34 48.9 +50 48 18

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 21d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.8'x0.4', very small slightly brighter core. A near equilateral triangle of mag 11 stars lies to the NE (closest vertex 4' NE).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4542 = h1341 on 17 Feb 1831 and noted "eF; pL; R; 30"." His position matches UGC 7746.

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NGC 4543 = MCG +01-32-109 = CGCG 042-167 = PGC 41923

12 35 20.3 +06 06 54

V = 13.5; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 11.8; PA = 0d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 N-S, very small bright core. NGC 4532 lies 25' NW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4543 = h1340 on 27 Dec 1827 and recorded "pF; R; bM; 40"." His position matches CGCG 042-167 = PGC 41923. See NGC 4577.

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NGC 4544 = UGC 7756 = MCG +01-32-110 = CGCG 042-168 = PGC 41958

12 35 36.6 +03 02 04

V = 13.0; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 161d

17.5" (3/24/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5' ENE of center. NGC 4538 lies 22' NW and NGC 4527 30' SW.

Edward Swift, Lewis' 16 year-old son, discovered NGC 4544 = Sw VI-45 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "eF; S; R; bet 2 stars." The Swifts' position is 14 sec of time preceding UGC 7756 and the comment "bet 2 stars" applies to this galaxy.

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NGC 4545 = UGC 7747 = MCG +11-15-064 = CGCG 315-047 = PGC 41838

12 34 34.2 +63 31 30

V = 12.3; Size 2.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 8d

17.5" (4/15/93): fairly faint, moderately large, round, about 2' diameter, broad weak concentration. A mag 14.5 star is just off the NNE edge of the halo 1.0' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4545 = H II-850 = h1346 on 20 Mar 1790 (sweep 954) and recorded "pB, pL, iR, vgbM, r." His position is 2' too far north. JH made a single interesting description, "vF; L; wedge shaped, or has a vF * nf, which gives it a distorted appearance."

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NGC 4546 = MCG -01-32-027 = UGCA 288 = PGC 41939

12 35 29.5 -03 47 38

V = 10.3; Size 3.3'x1.4'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 80d

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, very bright core, bright stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is 2.0' SE of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4546 = H I-160 = h1339 on 29 Dec 1786 (sweep 674) and recorded "vB, cL, E from sp to nf but nearer the parallel [E-W] than the meridian, a BN with faint branches, the nucleus very gradually diminishing." JH made four observations and recorded (sweep 147) "vB; mE; vsmbM to a r nucleus; 2' long, 90" br."

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NGC 4547 = MCG +10-18-069 = CGCG 293-030w = PGC 41896

12 34 51.8 +58 55 00

V = 14.0; Size 0.7'x0.5'

18" (5/12/07): this is a very small and close double system oriented NW-SE. The slightly brighter and larger NW component is very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter while the SE component is extremely faint and small, round, 10" diameter. The pair is cleanly resolved, though the centers are just 27" apart. MCG +10-18-68 lies 3' NW and NGC 4549 is 4.3' NE. Located 3.8' WNW of a mag 10.5 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4547 = H III-802 = h1344 on 17 Apr 1789 (sweep 923) and logged "vF, lE." His re-reduced position is just 1.3' northeast of MCG +10-18-069 = PGC 41896. This is a double system, with III-802 referring to the brighter northwestern component that was likely seen by WH. A second observation a week later (sweep 926), confirmed the position of III-802, and he also picked up III-807 = NGC 4549 = PGC 41954. JH made two observations, noting on sweep 345, "pF; pL; E; vgbM; precedes a * 9m."

RNGC and CGCG misidentify the double system as NGC 4547 + NGC 4549. MCG misidentifies MCG +10-18-068 as NGC 4547 and MCG +10-18-069 as NGC 4549. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for a thorough discussion of the identifications.

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NGC 4548 = M91 = UGC 7753 = MCG +03-32-075 = CGCG 099-096 = PGC 41934

12 35 26.4 +14 29 47

V = 10.2; Size 5.4'x4.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 150d

24" (5/22/17): at 282x; very bright, large, strongly concentrated with a very bright round core that elongates into a bar oriented WSW-ENE. The initial portions of spiral arms are attached at both ends of the bar. On the WSW end, a weak arm extends north, curving slightly counter-clockwise and on the east end, a subtle arm starts to curl south. Both arms blend into a low surface brightness outer halo that extends ~3.5'x2.5'.

CGCG 099-097 was picked up 6.6' SE of the center of M91. At 375x it was very faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, ~18"x14", low surface brightness.

17.5" (5/23/87): bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 3'x2', gradually increases to a bright core and a very small nucleus. M88 is 50' WSW.

Charles Messier discovered M91 = NGC 4548 = H II-120 = h1345 on 18 Mar 1781. For a long time M91 was a missing Messier object. In Owen Gingerich's article "The Missing Messier Objects" in Sky & Tel Oct 1960, he concludes that M91 is likely a duplicate observation of M58 (same RA as Messier's position for M91 and differs by 2° in dec). Gingrich notes that M91 had been previously proposed to have been a comet (suggested by Harlow Shapley and Helen Davis). But Texas amateur William C. Williams of Fort Worth figured out in 1969 that Messier had determined its position from M89 though he thought it was from M58. Using this correction, M91is identical with NGC 4548.

WH independently found M91 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "L, resolvable, but moonlight [end of a long night]." JH made 3 observations, first logging this galaxy as "pB; R; bM; 60"."

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NGC 4549 = MCG +10-18-072 = PGC 41954

12 35 21.2 +58 56 59

V = 15.2; Size 0.45'x0.2'

18" (5/12/07): extremely faint and small, round, 10" diameter, required averted vision to glimpse, though transparency was very mediocre. Located near the midpoint of a mag 14 star 2.3' N and a mag 11 star 2.7' S. This galaxy is not identified as NGC 4549 in the RNGC or CGCG. Located 4.3' ENE of the double system NGC 4547.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4549 = H III-807 = h1347 on 24 Apr 1789 (sweep 926) and recorded "Two [with III-802 = NGC 4547], both eF, S, E different ways. The place is that of the first [NGC 4547], the 2nd [NGC 4549] is about 4' following and 3' more north, and still fainter than the 1st." His offset pretty clearly identifies NGC 4549 = MCG +10-18-072 = PGC 41954, and this galaxy is certainly one of the faintest he discovered!

RNGC and CGCG misidentify MCG +10-18-070 (fainter member of a double system wth NGC 4547) as NGC 4549. The identifications of NGC 4547 and 4549 are covered in Harold Corwin's identification notes and by Malcolm Thomson in his correction lists.

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NGC 4550 = UGC 7757 = MCG +02-32-147 = CGCG 070-182 = Holm 422a = PGC 41943

12 35 30.6 +12 13 14

V = 11.7; Size 3.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 178d

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, pretty edge-on N-S, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 2.9' SE. Forms a pair with NGC 4551 3.2' NNE. Located 20' S of M89.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4550 = H I-36 = h1343, along with NGC 4551, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two small but bright nebula; both lE." JH made 3 observations and recorded (sweep 245) "pB; R; bM; 20"; the sp of 2; pos of the other from this by micrometer = 33.5°."

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NGC 4551 = UGC 7759 = MCG +02-32-148 = CGCG 070-183 = Holm 422b = PGC 41963

12 35 37.9 +12 15 50

V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 ~E-W, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star lies 2.1' NW of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4550 3.2' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4551 = H I-37 = h1349 on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "Two small but bright nebula; both lE." JH made 2 observations and recorded (sweep 245) "pB; R; bM; 25"; the nf of 2; place by comparison with the preceding."

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NGC 4552 = M89 = UGC 7760 = MCG +02-32-149 = CGCG 070-184 = PGC 41968

12 35 39.9 +12 33 20

V = 9.8; Size 5.1'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, irregularly round, fairly small but high surface brightness with an intense, very small bright core and substellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4550/NGC 4551 pair 20' S.

Charles Messier discovered M89 = NGC 4552 = h1348 on 18 Mar 1781. WH made an observation on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and noted "B, pS." JH made four observations and recorded on 10 Apr 1825 (sweep 2) "F; R; gbM; 25"; has a * nf." On 4 May 1829 (sweep 192) he called M89 "B; R; gbM; 40...50" [diameter]."

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NGC 4553 = ESO 322-030 = MCG -06-28-006 = LGG 298-032 = PGC 42018

12 36 07.5 -39 26 20

V = 12.2; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 176d

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, oval NNW-SSE. A mag 11.5/12.5 double star at 22" separation lies 3.6' NNE. This possible member of the Centaurus galaxy cluster (AGC 3526) is located 10' SW of mag 6.8 SAO 203629.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4553 = h3400 on 22 Apr 1835 and recorded "F; R; or lE; glbM." His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4554

12 35 42 +11 11

=Not found, Dreyer and Corwin.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4554 in 1882 while observing NGC 4567/4568 (the "Siamese Twins"). He noted in the text portion of paper V "The double nebula is preceded by a very faint nebula, about -50 sec in RA and -2 1/2' in dec, according to my drawing." There is nothing at Tempel's offset and neither Bigourdan (visually) nor Royal Frost (photographically at the Harvard College Observatory) could locate Tempel's object. Both Dorothy Carlson, in her 1940 list of NGC Corrections and RNGC classify the number nonexistent and Harold Corwin was unsuccessful searching for a good candidate.

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NGC 4555 = UGC 7762 = MCG +05-30-026 = CGCG 159-021 = IC 3545 = PGC 41975

12 35 41.2 +26 31 23

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 125d

17.5" (4/13/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.7', very small bright core. With averted vision the major axis increases a little and the core seems irregular with a fleeting impression of a knot on the preceding side of the core. Located 33' NNW of NGC 4565!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4555 = H II-343 = h1350 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "a nebula, not large." CH's reduction is 7 sec of time preceding and 1.5' south of UGC 7762. JH made two observations calling it (sweep 343) "B; irreg R; vsmbM to a * 12m.".

Max Wolf mistakenly catalogued NGC 4555 in list IV-211 and labeled a much fainter nearby galaxy as NGC 4555. As a result IC 3545 = NGC 4555. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4556 = UGC 7765 = MCG +05-30-027 = CGCG 159-022 = PGC 41980

12 35 45.6 +26 54 32

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d

18" (5/12/07): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.6'x0.5', bright core, very small brighter nucleus. A mag 14 star is just off the south side. First in a group with NGC 4558, NGC 4563, IC 3556, IC 3559, IC 3561, IC 3585 and IC 3590. The group is located ~55' N of NGC 4565.

IC 3556, located 4.4' northeast of NGC 4556, appeared very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 20"x15". This galaxy is misidentified in CGCG, MCG, UGC, and PGC as either NGC 4563 or NGC 4558.

IC 3561, located 4.2' east-southeast of NGC 4456, appeared very faint, very small, round, 20" diameter.

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.6'. A mag 13.5 star is just off the south edge 0.7' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4558 5.2' NNE. Several other faint galaxies are nearby but the sky conditions were deteriorating and I wasn't able to search for these.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4556 = H II-380 = h1351 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pL." His position (CH's reduction) is 14 sec of time too large. JH made two observations and measured a more accurate RA. There are several identifications problems within this group. See NGC 4558 for more.

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NGC 4557

12 35 49.8 +27 03 14

=***?, Corwin and Thomson. Incorrect identification in the RNGC.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4557 = Big 55 on 22 Apr 1886 and simply noted a "star accompanied by nebulosity." His position in Comptes Rendus (5 Dec 1887) is 1.5' south of a faint triple star (mag 14.5/15/15.5) in a 30" line, and Harold Corwin confirms his offset from nearby NGC 4558 points to this triple.

RNGC appears to misidentify IC 3559 as NGC 4557, although the rectangular coordinates would then be in error. MCG and PGC misidentify NGC 4558 as NGC 4557 and IC 3556 as NGC 4558. Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin sorted out the correct identifications.

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NGC 4558 = MCG +05-30-028 = CGCG 159-023 = PGC 41996

12 35 52.6 +26 59 31

V = 14.4; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.8

18" (5/12/07): faint, very small, round, 20"-24" diameter, slightly brighter core. Symmetrically placed on the opposite side of a mag 13 located at the midpoint of NGC 4556 and NGC 4558. Located 5.2' NNE of NGC 4556 in a small group. IC 3556 lies 2' SE and appeared very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, 20"x15". IC 3559 is 2.4' E, but with mag(B) = 16.6, it was only glimpsed knowing the exact location.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4558 = h1354 on 19 Apr 1827 and logged "vF; the nf of 2 (the p is II 380); a third suspected. His offset is 10 sec of RA east and 3' north of NGC 4556 (measured the same sweep). Unfortunately, his position falls very close to IC 3556, though d'Arrest measured two good positions so the NGC position is less than 1' off.

MCG and PGC misidentify this galaxy as NGC 4557 and misidentify IC 3556 as NGC 4558. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4559 = UGC 7766 = MCG +05-30-030 = CGCG 159-024 = Holm 423a = PGC 42002

12 35 57.7 +27 57 36

V = 10.0; Size 10.7'x4.4'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 150d

48" (4/7/13): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 9'x3', large bright core that gradually increases to the center. The core is irregular, mottled and dusty. The inner portion of the disc shows weak spiral structure. At 488x, the outer halo is very patchy with several knots. Superimposed on the southeast side are three mag 12/12.5/13 stars between 1.5'-2' from center and the galaxy fades out rapidly beyond these stars to the southeast. Near the southeast end is IC 3563, a very compact HII region and IC 3564, a star association attached on the east side. Both objects were easily visible but not resolved as a fairly faint 20" patch, 3' SE of center.

The outer halo fades out gradually and extends much further on the northwest side, extending up to 5' NW of center. IC 3555 is faint, 20"x10" HII region, extended NW-SE, and situated 1.8' NNW of center in the halo. IC 3552, a smaller HII region close NW, was not seen. IC 3551 is a faint, 10" HII knot on the west edge, 0.9' WNW of center. IC 3554 is a mag 15 star 2.1' SSW of center (at the edge of the visible disc) and IC 3550 = NGC 4559C was seen as a faint, 8" knot, that appears as a small, detached HII knot 0.8' WNW of the star. All of the IC numbers were found by Max Wolf on a Heidelberg plate in 1903.

17.5" (4/9/99): bright, large, elongated 5:3 NW-SE, ~7'x3'. Exhibits a striking, unusual appearance with a broad, weak concentration to a large, elongated core. The overall surface brightness is noticeably irregular with hints of brighter and darker spots. The outer halo has a low surface brightness, particularly on the SE end which is wider than the NW side and shows no tapering. A trio of mag 12-12.5 stars cradle the galaxy at this end and there appears to be mottling near the superimposed stars. NGC 4559 is located exactly 2.0° N of NGC 4565.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4559 = H I-92 = h1352 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "eB, vL, beautiful. Four stars are scattered over it. pmE from np to sf. The greatest brightness is not in the middle but more towards the following part, where 3 of the 4 stars are placed; the whole extent may be 10 or 12'. JH made 3 observations and logged "vL; gbM, but not to a nucleus; mE; has 3 stars south following. By a diagram, the southern end is broader than the norther, giving it a clubbed appeared."

IC 3550-52, IC 3555, and IC 3563 are HII regions and/or star clouds within NGC 4559 that were discovered photographically by Max Wolf on a Heidelberg plate.

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NGC 4560 = NGC 4526? = UGC 7718 = MCG +01-32-100 = CGCG 042-155 = PGC 41772

12 34 03.1 +07 41 59

See observing notes for NGC 4526.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4560 = H I-119 = h1353 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) and noted "vB, pS." There is nothing near his position although his description implies a prominent nebula. But 2 min of RA preceding his position is NGC 4526, which fits the description. JH made the single observation "B, L, R, gbM", although the RA is marked +/-.

Bigourdan and Winnecke (visually), and later Arnold Schwassmann and Karl Reinmuth (photographically) were all unable to locate an object near WH's position. See Corwin's identification notes for more.

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NGC 4561 = IC 3569 = UGC 7768 = MCG +03-32-076 = CGCG 099-098 = VV 571 = LGG 289-055 = PGC 42020

12 36 08.2 +19 19 20

V = 12.5; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 30d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, weak concentration in halo, but suddenly contains a very small brighter core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4561 = H II-407 = h1355 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted "pB, pL, lE." His RA was 15 sec too large. JH made a total of 4 observations and d'Arrest measured the position twice, so the NGC position is an excellent match with UGC 7768 = PGC 42020.

Royal Frost found the galaxy at Arequipa on a Bruce 24-inch plate (taken on the night of 9 May 1904) and reported as number 978 in Harvard Annals 60. His position is 11 sec of RA too far east. Dreyer apparently thought it was new, but NGC 4561 = IC 3569. NGC 4336 = IC 3254 is another similar situation.

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NGC 4562 = NGC 4565A = UGC 7758 = MCG +04-30-004 = CGCG 129-008 = Holm 426b = PGC 41955

12 35 34.8 +25 51 00

V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 48d

17.5" (5/13/88): faint, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, even surface brightness.

17.5" (3/23/85): faint, small, elongated SW-NE, low even surface brightness, visible with direct vision. Elongated at a right angle to NGC 4565 13' NE. Located just south of a string of five mag 10-12.5 stars of length 11' oriented N-S.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4562 in 1882 while observing NGC 4565. In the text portion of paper V (AN 2439) he simply mentions another nebula found south preceding NGC 4565, with no offset mentioned. Dreyer gives a very rough position in the NGC. The only galaxy in this location that Tempel might have picked up is UGC 7758 = PGC 41955. The RNGC also calls this galaxy NGC 4565A.

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NGC 4563 = (R)NGC 4557 = MCG +05-30-033 = PGC 42030

12 36 12.8 +26 56 28

V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 104d

18" (5/12/07): faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, stellar nucleus. A very faint star appears to be at the west edge. Comparable in brightness to NGC 4558 located 5.4' NW. Located in a small knot of galaxies with NGC 4556 6' WSW.

18" (4/5/03): faint, extremely small, round, 10"-15" diameter. Appears to have a mag 14.5 star superimposed on the west edge or a fairly bright offset stellar nucleus.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4563 on 13 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His two micrometric positions match MCG +05-30-033 = PGC 42030, so there is no question on the identification.

RNGC misidentifies this galaxy as NGC 4557. Furthermore, CGCG and RNGC misidentify IC 3556 (located 3.5' west-northwest of NGC 4563) as NGC 4563. Finally, in the UGC notes for NGC 4556, IC 3556 is misidentified as NGC 4536.

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NGC 4564 = UGC 7773 = MCG +02-32-150 = CGCG 070-186 = PGC 42051

12 36 27.0 +11 26 21

V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 47d

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly bright, fairly small, elongated SW-NE, sharp concentration; increases suddenly to a small bright core with a stellar nucleus, fainter extensions. The NGC 4567/NGC 4568 pair lies 11'S at the edge of the 220x field.

13.1" (5/14/83): moderately bright, small, edge-on streak, fairly high surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4564 = H II-68 = h1356 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "pB". JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4565 = Needle Galaxy = Berenice's Hairclip = UGC 7772 = MCG +04-30-006 = CGCG 129-010 = FGC 1471 = Holm 426a = PGC 42038

12 36 20.8 +25 59 16

V = 9.6; Size 15.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 136d

48" (2/19/12): the view of the dust lane and structure along its edge was remarkable at 287x and 375x. But we spent time exploring the distant galaxy cluster (2.2 billion light years) that resides just off the SE tip and detected 3-4 mag 17.7-18 (V) members. Also two nights later, we revisited the cluster and I picked up SDSS J123631.45+255857.2, a mag 17.7 (V) galaxy just 2' SE of the mag 13.5 star off the core of NGC 4565.

17.5" (3/28/87): bright, very large, edge-on 12:1 NW-SE, dimensions approximately 16'x1.5'. A beautiful dark lane is visible continuously with direct vision along most of major axis although more prominent in the center. The galaxy is split asymmetrically by the dust lane with the southern half both larger and brighter. Subtle scalloped structure is visible along the dust lane. Contains a small bright core with a stellar nucleus at the south edge of the lane. A mag 13.5 star is 1.6' NE of the center.

13.1" (5/26/84): the absorption lane is prominent at 100x and portion of the galaxy beyond fairly easy. A stellar nucleus is visible within the bright central bulge.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly bright, very large thin streak, bright core. The dust lane is clearly visible to the north of the bright nucleus.

13.1" (4/24/82): a faint dark lane splits central bulge into two unequal parts. The nucleus is brightest to the south of the lane. The northern section beyond the lane is fainter.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4565 = H V-24 = h1357 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded "a lucid ray with a vB spot in the middle. The ray about 20' long and about 3 or 4' broad; extended from np to sf, making an angle of about 35° with the meridian. The nebula makes a beautiful appearance." JH made 4 observations are noted the fainter strip on the northeast side of the dust lane. On sweep 407 he recorded "vL; an immensely long ray; pos = 134.5° by micrometer. Both Lord Adare and Mr Hamilton, who viewed it with me, agreed that a feeble parallel band extends below (north) of the nucleus."

R.J. Mitchell, observing on 17 Apr 1855 at Birr Castle, remarked "a beautiful object, very well seen in finding eyepiece. The whole neb is much broader (taking into account the appendage) at Nucl than elsewhere, narrowing off suddenly and very symmetrically towards both ends, and the Nucl projects forward into the dark space; and immediately opposide this the faint appendage is broadest and brightest. The ray is 12' or 14' long."

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NGC 4566 = UGC 7769 = MCG +09-21-024 = CGCG 270-012 = PGC 42007

12 36 00.1 +54 13 15

V = 13.1; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 80d

18" (5/8/04): faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. Increases to a very small brighter core and faint stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4566 = H III-880 = h1360 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and noted "eF, S." His position is poor - 4.5' north and 15 sec of RA west of UGC 7769. JH logged "pB; irreg R; gbM; 20"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4567 = Siamese Twins = VV 219b = UGC 7777 = MCG +02-32-151 = CGCG 070-189 = Holm 427b = PGC 42064

12 36 32.7 +11 15 29

V = 11.3; Size 3.0'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 85d

17.5" (4/25/87): northern member of a double system with NGC 4568. Moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~E-W. Slightly smaller than NGC 4568 attached at the east end but NGC 4567 has a slightly higher surface brightness.

13" (4/16/83): fairly faint, elongated E-W. NGC 4568 is attached at the NE end.

8": faint, moderately large, appears as a double nebula at moderately large to high power.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4567 = H IV-8 = h1358 = h1363 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded a "double nebula [with NGC 4568], or two p. considerable nebula apparently running into one another. The foregoing nebula [NGC 4564] may be taken into the field of view these two." CH's reduced position is ~6' southeast of the Siamese Twins.

Because of his father's poor position, JH recorded the pair as a Nova (h1358 and 1359) at the correct position. He also made an observation with a poor position (h1363) that he associated with IV-8 and IV-9. The error was noted by d'Arrest in a 1863 paper.

The nickname "Siamese Twins" is from Leland S. Copeland and was mentioned in the Feb. 1955 article "Adventuring in the Virgo Cloud".

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NGC 4568 = Siamese Twins = VV 219a = UGC 7776 = MCG +02-32-152 = CGCG 070-189 = Holm 427a = PGC 42069

12 36 34.2 +11 14 25

V = 10.8; Size 4.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d

17.5" (4/25/87): this is the southern member of a double system with NGC 4567. The NE end of this galaxy is nearly attached to the east end of NGC 4567. Moderately bright and large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, large brighter core. Two mag 11/12 stars lie 3.5' E.

13": fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, two stars following.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4568 = H IV-9 = h1359 = 1363 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded a "double nebula [with NGC 4567], or two p. considerable nebula apparently running into one another. The foregoing nebula [NGC 4564] may be taken into the field of view these two." See NGC 4567 for more.

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NGC 4569 = Arp 76 = M90 = UGC 7786 = MCG +02-32-155 = CGCG 070-192 = PGC 42089

12 36 49.9 +13 09 44

V = 9.5; Size 9.5'x4.4'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 23d

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, large, very elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, sharply concentrated, suddenly increases to a bright stellar nucleus (possibly a superimposed star), fairly even surface brightness to halo. IC 3583 lies 6' NNW.

Charles Messier discovered M90 = NGC 4569 on 18 Mar 1781. WH observed M90 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and logged "pL, with a nucleus, perhaps cometic, but moonlight permits not to give a proper description." JH did not make an observation.

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NGC 4570 = UGC 7785 = MCG +01-32-114 = CGCG 042-178 = PGC 42096

12 36 53.4 +07 14 47

V = 10.9; Size 3.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 159d

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 3:1x1.0', very bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4570 = H I-32 = h1361 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "pB, not L, E, mbM." His position matches UGC 7785. On 1 May 1786 (sweep 560) he called this galaxy "vB, E in the meridian, BN with faint branches." JH made five observations and recorded on sweep 117, "vB; mE; vsmbM; 2' long; pretty bright arms and a resolvable centre."

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NGC 4571 = IC 3588 = UGC 7788 = MCG +02-32-156 = CGCG 070-194 = PGC 42100

12 36 56.4 +14 13 02

V = 11.3; Size 3.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 55d

17.5" (5/23/87): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.5' diameter, diffuse, weak concentration. Located 2.8' SE of mag 8.5 SAO 100177.

48" (2/18/12): Malin 1, a giant low surface brightness galaxy, lies 6.8' NNE of the center of NGC 4571. At 287x, it was immediately picked up as an extremely faint, non-stellar glow. At 488x, it was visible ~75% of the time with averted vision as a very small, round, low surface brightness, ~10" diameter. With direct vision, a faint stellar nucleus was occasionally visible.

Malin 1, discovered in 1986 on an image by David Malin, has the most extended low surface brightness outer halo of any known disk galaxy with a diameter of 650,000 light years. More recently it was discovered that within 30,000 light-years of Malin 1's center lies a normal barred spiral galaxy. The galaxy lies at a distance of 1.1 billion light years.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4571 = H III-602 = h1362 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded "vF, cL, vgbM. South of a cB star." His position matches UGC 7788. John Herschel called this galaxy "vF; pL; E; vgbM; attached like a nail to a star (place that of the star.) He included a sketch in the Slough Catalogue. JH's observation of h1367 may also apply to this galaxy.

Arnold Schwassmann found this galaxy again on 12 Sep 1900 using a plate taken by Wolf with the 6" astrograph at the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. But he misidentified the nearby 14th mag star to the west (Sn. 292) as NGC 4571 and listed Sn. 293 (later IC 3588) as new. His position for IC 3588 is an exact match with NGC 4571, although both Schwassmann and Dreyer missed the NGC designation, which has a good position.

Dreyer mentioned this galaxy as a possible candidate for M91, though this is very unlikely due to its faintness. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4572 = UGC 7775 = MCG +12-12-012 = CGCG 352-037 = PGC 41991

12 35 45.5 +74 14 34

V = 13.9; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 170d

18" (5/8/04): faint, moderately large, appears as a very low surface brightness glow oriented NNW-SSE, ~1.2'x0.8', with just a weak concentration. Located 7.5' NW of brighter NGC 4589. This galaxy has an unusual "integral sign" shape on the DSS.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4572 = H III-939 = h1364 on 10 Dec 1797 (sweep 1066) and noted "eF, S." CH's reduction is 3' south of UGC 7775, the same offset he made for nearby NGC 4589, so the identification is certain. JH made the single observation "eF, only to be seen with very long attention." IC 802 (found by Bigourdan) matches in RA but is 3' further north and probably refers to a star. See Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4573 = ESO 268-026 = MCG -07-26-014 = PGC 42167

12 37 43.7 -43 37 16

V = 13.0; Size 2.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 150d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, ~0.8'x0.6', increases in size with averted. Using direct vision a stellar nucleus was seen. A mag 10.5 star is 1' N, close off the north edge. Located 16' SE of mag 7.6 HD 109638.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4573 = h3401 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "vF; S; almost exactly south of a * 10m, 30" dist." His position and description matches ESO 268-026 = PGC 42167.

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NGC 4574 = ESO 380-049 = MCG -06-28-007 = LGG 297-001 = PGC 42166

12 37 43.6 -35 31 04

V = 13.0; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 113d

18" (3/28/09): very faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 1.2'x0.9', low surface brightness, weak concentration and the halo fades into the background.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4574 = h3402 on 20 Apr 1835 and recorded "vF; L; lE; vglbM; 60" l, 40" br." His position is just off the northeast side of ESO 380-049 = PGC 42166.

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NGC 4575 = ESO 322-036 = MCG -07-26-015 = PGC 42181

12 37 51.2 -40 32 15

V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 106d

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, very elongated ~E-W. A mag 12 star is at the west end 1.0' from center and a mag 11.5 star is 1.6' SW of center. Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4575 = h3403 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; pmE; 25" l, 15" br; follows 2 stars." His position and description matches ESO 322-036 = PGC 42181.

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NGC 4576 = UGC 7792 = MCG +01-32-116 = CGCG 042-182 = PGC 42152

12 37 33.6 +04 22 03

V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 159d

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, low surface brightness. A mag 12.5 star is 1.8' N of center. Located 8' NW of mag 6.9 SAO 119502. NGC 4586 lies 15' ESE.

Edward Holden discovered NGC 4576 on 27 Apr 1881 with the 15.6-inch Clark refractor at the Washburn Observatory and recorded "F; np a star 7th mag." A second observation on 20 Apr 1882 added "preceding GC 3125 [ NGC 4586] 55.5 sec and 3' north." His position and description matches UGC 7792 = PGC 42152.

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NGC 4577 = NGC 4591?? = UGC 7821 = MCG +01-32-125 = CGCG 042-191

12 39 12.4 +06 00 44

See observing notes for NGC 4591. Identification uncertain.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4577 = H III-13 on 28 Jan 1784 (sweep 132) and recorded "a minute before [the transit of 24 Vir] I suspected a vS neb, but while I put on a higher power to examine it, I lost it and would not stop too long to look for it again." A very rough position was noted.

Harold Corwin notes the star 24 Vir is actually a duplicate entry for 5 Boo, so WH made an error as his sweep is not near this star. "There are no galaxies in any of the places that come from WH's observations, from GC/NGC, or from attempting to correct WH's RAs using the idea that H II 26 = NGC 4453 (the only other nebula found that night) is actually NGC 4430. However, the approximate RA that we do have, along with the constraints on the declination, point to either NGC 4580 or NGC 4591 as probably being the object that WH saw. Since N4580 is H I 124, and N4591 is III 504, the sparce description of N4577 strongly suggests that it is N4591."

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NGC 4578 = UGC 7793 = MCG +02-32-159 = CGCG 070-195 = Holm 429a = PGC 42149

12 37 30.6 +09 33 19

V = 11.5; Size 3.3'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 35d

17.5" (4/18/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, 1.5'x1.0', small bright core with possibly a stellar nucleus. A mag 10.5 star lies 4.1' W of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4578 = H II-15 = h1365 = h1366 on 18 Jan 1784 (sweep 86) and recorded "F, S. It is not cometic though pretty round; of the first class." JH made two observations which differed by 5' in declination, so he was uncertain if they refered to the same object. As a result, he included two GC designations which Dreyer combined in the NGC.

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NGC 4579 = M58 = UGC 7796 = MCG +02-32-160 = CGCG 070-197 = PGC 42168

12 37 43.5 +11 49 06

V = 9.7; Size 5.9'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/25/87): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, small very bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 7.6' E of mag 8.3 SAO 100179.

13": bright, increase to a small bright core, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse halo.

Charles Messier discovered M58 = NGC 4579 = h1368 (along with M59 and M60) on 15 Apr 1779. WH called it "pB, pL" on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and "F, L" on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199). JH made four observations, calling it "vB; irreg R; gbM; a B * precedes 1/2 field." on his 4th sweep.

LdR apparently discovered spiral structure in M58 before 1850 as it was included in the listed of "Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in Rosse's 1850 PT paper. The 1861 and 1880 monographs, though, do not list an observation earlier than 1851.

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NGC 4580 = UGC 7794 = MCG +01-32-117 = CGCG 042-183 = PGC 42174

12 37 48.4 +05 22 08

V = 11.8; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 165d

17.5" (4/21/90): moderately bright, moderately large, irregular shape though slightly elongated NW-SE, broad concentration with an uneven surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4580 = H I-124 = h1369 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "pB, cL, R." CH's reduction is 1.4' northwest of UGC 7794.

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NGC 4581 = UGC 7801 = MCG +00-32-028 = CGCG 014-083 = PGC 42199

12 38 05.2 +01 28 39

V = 12.5; Size 1.9'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 173d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, even concentration to a small bright core.

Edward Holden discovered NGC 4581 on 20 Apr 1882 with the 15.6-inch refractor at the Washburn Observatory and recorded "F, S, bM, stell N" (Publications of the Washburn Observatory, Vol II, p101). His position is 1' north of UGC 7801.

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NGC 4582

12 38 10.1 +00 10 57

=*, Carlson and Corwin.

Sidney Coolidge discovered NGC 4582 = HN 20 on 30 Apr 1859 with the 15-inch refractor of Harvard College Observatory during the Zone Survey of equatorial stars. He simply noted "in a faint nebulosity" and at his exact position is a single mag 13.4 star -- this mirrors his other 8 discoveries at HCO! Karl Reinmuth and Harold Corwin also equate NGC 4582 with a star.

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NGC 4583 = MCG +06-28-017 = CGCG 188-011 = PGC 42198

12 38 04.4 +33 27 31

V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6

17.5": faint, small, round, bright core. Two mag 15 star are 1' NW and 1' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4583 = H III-495 = h1370 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded "eF, S, iF, r." His position is within 1' of CGCG 188-011 = PGC 42198. JH made two observations and called this galaxy "F; S; R; bM."

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NGC 4584 = UGC 7803 = MCG +02-32-162 = CGCG 070-199 = LGG 286-007 = PGC 42223

12 38 17.9 +13 06 35

V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5d

18" (4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, weak concentration.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4584 on 21 Apr 1862 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His measurements on 3 nights matches UGC 7803 and he noted a mag 15 star (called mag 18) that follows by 16 seconds of time.

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NGC 4585 = MCG +05-30-042 = CGCG 159-037 = PGC 42215

12 38 13.3 +28 56 13

V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 114d

18" (4/10/04): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, low even surface brightness. Located 5.8' W of mag 10.3 SAO 82417.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4585 = Sf 21 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single micrometric position is an excellent match with CGCG 159-037 = PGC 42215 and he mentions the mag 10.3 star which follows by 27.3 sec in RA. Truman Safford independently discovered the galaxy on 16 May 1866.

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NGC 4586 = UGC 7804 = MCG +01-32-122 = CGCG 042-187 = PGC 42241

12 38 28.4 +04 19 08

V = 11.7; Size 4.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 115d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE. Contains a very bright core. Located 10' E of mag 6.9 SAO 119502. NGC 4576 lies 15' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4586 = H I-125 = h1371 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and recorded "pB, pL, E." His position at the north edge of UGC 7804. JH made two observations and logged "pB; pmE; psbM." on sweep 141.

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NGC 4587 = UGC 7805 = MCG +01-32-123 = CGCG 042-188 = PGC 42253

12 38 35.4 +02 39 26

V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 48d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, weak concentration. Surrounded by seven mag 13-14.5 stars within a 3' radius.

Johann Palisa discovered NGC 4587 on 17 Apr 1882 with the 12-inch refractor at Vienna University Observatory. His discovery position in AN 2520 matches UGC 7805. This was the first of 8 NGC galaxies discovered by Palisa.

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NGC 4588 = UGC 7810 = MCG +01-32-124 = CGCG 042-189 = PGC 42277

12 38 45.4 +06 46 05

V = 14.3; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 57d

18" (3/13/04): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 0.8'x0.4'. Observations made through thin clouds.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4588 = H III-98 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and recorded "eF, eS. By a misunderstanding the time & number [PD] was not taken; however at 12h 24m the time was marked down, which was less than 1 min after the transit of the nebula; so that the time of the nebula must be about 12h 23m or 12h 23m 30s. The number as far as I can recollect might perhaps be about 40, which gives 45'; but is more uncertain than the time. I saw the nebula very well." Though very possibly a coincidence, WH's rough position is just 2.4' northeast of UGC 7810. In the 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, Dreyer states "It may = IC 3591 or IC 3617. No object on Wolf's plate in the place of NGC 4588."

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NGC 4589 = UGC 7797 = MCG +12-12-013 = CGCG 352-038 = CGCG 335-017 = LGG 284-008 = PGC 42139

12 37 25.0 +74 11 31

V = 10.7; Size 3.2'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 75d

18" (5/8/04): bright, fairly large, elongated ~4:3 E-W, 2.5'x2.0'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright prominent core and a fainter halo. A mag 13 star is at the west edge of the core. Forms a pair with NGC 4572 7.5' NW and NGC 4648 lies 22' NE. A wide mag 8/10.5 double at 24" lies 17' NE (in the field with NGC 4648).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4589 = H I-273 = h1374 on 22 Nov 1797 (sweep 1064) and logged "vB, R, mbM, 3 or 4' dia." His position is 4.5' southeast of UGC 7797. JH made 4 observations, recording on sweep 348 "B; R; pgmbM; 30"; a S * np; dist 1'." His position on this sweep was very accurate.

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NGC 4590 = M68 = ESO 506-SC30

12 39 28.0 -26 44 35

V = 7.7; Size 12.0'; Surf Br = 0.1

24" (5/22/17): at 375x; very bright, well resolved globular with quite a number of surprisingly bright stars [brightest stars Vtip = 12.6] spread over the central region and around the edges, giving a fairly loose appearance [class X]. The unresolved central background glow is large and bright. Perhaps 60-75 stars are resolved in the central region, but excluding the outer portion of the halo, which also seems to contain a number of brighter stars out to at least 8'.

17.5" (2/28/87): 30-50 stars resolved including many fairly bright stars over unresolved background haze.

13.1" (3/24/84): about 20 stars resolved around edges of core and in halo. The core is mottled but unresolved.

8": few stars resolved across disk.

Charles Messier discovered M68 = NGC 4590 = h3404 on 9 Apr 1780. WH described "a beautiful cluster of stars, extremely rich, and so compressed that most of the stars are blended together; it is near 3' broad and about 4' long, but chiefly round, and there are very few scattered stars about." In his 1814 publication he noted "this oval cluster is also approaching to the globular form, and the central compression is carried to a high degree." JH made the single observation "GC; irr R; gbM; diam in RA = 12...15 sec. All clearly resolved into stars 12 m; very loose and ragged at the borders."

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NGC 4591 = NGC 4577? = UGC 7821 = MCG +01-32-125 = CGCG 042-191 = PGC 42319

12 39 12.4 +06 00 44

V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 37d

18" (4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.3', weak concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4591 = H III-504 = h1372 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "vF, vS." CH's reduction is less than 1' south of UGC 7821. NGC 4577 = H III-13 is possibly an earlier observation. See that number.

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NGC 4592 = UGC 7819 = MCG +00-32-032 = CGCG 014-091 = PGC 42336

12 39 18.3 -00 31 53

V = 11.7; Size 5.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 97d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, elongated 5:2 ~E-W, moderately large, 3.0'x1.2', weak concentration. Located 1° NNW of beautiful double Porrima = Gamma Virginis (3.6/3.7 at 4").

William Herschel discovered NGC 4592 = H II-31 = h1373 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "a nebula; extended from east to west and also towards the north; it is not cometic and seems to be resolvable." JH made a single observation "eF; L; pmE; vglbM." JH made an error precessing the coordinates for the GC, so the published position was 30' too far north. As a result, when Edward Holden found it again on 23 Apr 1881 he reported it as new (#8) in Publ. of the Washburn Observatory, Vol I.

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NGC 4593 = MCG -01-32-032 = Mrk 1330 = PGC 42375

12 39 39.4 -05 20 39

V = 10.9; Size 3.9'x2.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 55d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated WSW-ENE, very bright core, stellar nucleus. First of four within a 32' field including NGC 4602 19' NE. Contains a Sy 1 nucleus and also a Markarian object.

17.5" (1/31/87): moderately bright and large, strong bright core, elongated WSW-ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4593 = H II-183 = h1375 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded "pB, cL, E, mbM but the brightness confined to a small place." JH made two observations and first logged (sweep 147) "vsbM, to a * 11-12m, with a faint chevelure."

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NGC 4594 = M104 = MCG -02-32-020 = UGCA 293 = Sombrero Galaxy = PGC 42407

12 39 59.4 -11 37 23

V = 8.0; Size 8.7'x3.5'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 89d

48" (2/20/12, 4/5/13): stunning view of the jet-black super high-contrast dust lane at 375x. The fainter section of the galaxy south of the dust lane was quite prominent and nearly as extensive as the northern half and the central bulge region was noticeably thicker in proportion to the major axis than views in smaller scopes. I also clearly noticed that although the dust lane was very flat in the central region (oriented precisely E-W), it bends slightly north and widens just a bit on both the east and west ends of the disc, giving it a slightly warped appearance.

48" (5/5/16): LEDA 962963 is just 8' SW of the center of M104, with both galaxies fitting in the same eyepiece field. It was easily seen as a fairly faint (V = 15.6, B = 16.4), small glow, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, 18"x14", slightly brighter nucleus. Situated 1.3' SE of a mag 10.4 star.

17.5" (3/12/94): very bright, very large, elongated 3:1 E-W, 7.5'x2.5'. Very prominent dust lane along the entire length of the major axis and divides the core into two nonsymmetric sections. The prominent section of the core is just north of the dark lane. Overall, the galaxy is brighter and much more extensive to the north of the lane. The portion of the core and halo south of the dust lane is much fainter, smaller and unconcentrated. A mag 10 star lies 4' WSW.

13.1" (4/24/82): very bright, large, very elongated, arms long and thin. A prominent dark lane is visible along the length of the galaxy. Only a faint glow is visible to the south of the dust lane.

15x50mm binoculars (6/19/08 and 4/6/13): easily visible in binoculars as a elongated glow with brighter center.

Pierre Méchain discovered M104 = NGC 4594 = H I-43 = h1376 on 11 May 1781. It was independently discovered by WH on 9 May 1784 (sweep 210) and described as "E, vBM, about 5 or 6' long, but daylight is too strong to see the whole extent of it. The bright place in the middle is prety large, but breaks off abruptly." He made a second observation on 11 Mar 1788 (sweep 819) and logged "mE, from about 20° sp. to nf., BN, 4 or 5' long."

JH was the first to note the dust lane. On 9 Mar 1828, he recorded "vB, vmE, in pos 2° np to sf; vsmbM to a nucleus; 5' l, 30" br, a bright star sp. There is a faint diffused oval light all about it, and I am almost positive that there is a dark interval or stratum separating the nucleus and the general mass of the nebula from the light above (south) of it. Surely no illusion." In his sketch (Fig 50) he adds the remarks "The strong suspicion of a parallel appendage to the latter of these, is almost converted into certainty by its undoubted existence in V. 24 [NGC 4565], in which it was seen by two other observers as well as by myself."

Leland Copeland called M104 the "Sombrero" in the June 1942 issue of S&T.  The back cover featured an image taken by the Mount Wilson 60-inch in 1916. The image is referred to as the "Sombrero nebula".

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NGC 4595 = UGC 7826 = MCG +03-32-081 = CGCG 099-106 = LGG 292-124 = PGC 42396

12 39 51.9 +15 17 52

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 110d

17.5" (4/13/02): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.0'x0.7', broad concentration. Followed by two mag 12.5 stars which lie 2.5' E and 3.1' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4595 = H II-632 = h1377 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and logged "F, pL, R, vgbM." CH's reduced position is 2.5' northeast of UGC 7826. JH made four observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4596 = UGC 7828 = MCG +02-32-170 = CGCG 070-206 = PGC 42401

12 39 56.0 +10 10 34

V = 10.4; Size 4.0'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 135d

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, elongated WSW-ENE, small bright core, possible substellar nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is 1.1' SSE of center at the edge of the halo and two brighter mag 10/11 stars are 3' SE. NGC 4608 lies 19' E.

13.1" (4/16/83): bright, moderately large, bright core, elongated ~E-W. Located about 30' W of mag 5 Rho Virginis.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4596 = H I-24 = h1378 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "pB". CH's reduced position is 40 tsec following UGC 7828. JH made 5 observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4597 = MCG -01-32-034 = PGC 42429

12 40 12.8 -05 47 59

V = 12.1; Size 4.1'x1.9'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 30d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SSW-NNE, very large but diffuse, smooth surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4597 = H II-636 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted "F, vL, bM." CH's reduced position is 3' southwest of MCG -01-32-034 = PGC 42429.

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NGC 4598 = UGC 7829 = MCG +02-32-171 = CGCG 070-207 = LGG 296-011 = PGC 42427

12 40 11.9 +08 23 02

V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (4/10/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter, moderate concentration to center with a small, brighter core and quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is just off the south edge (0.8' from center) and a mag 8.3 star lies 8.6' N near the edge of the 220x field.

18" (3/13/04): fairly faint, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.9'x0.8'. Located 8.6' S of mag 8.3 HD 110184.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4598 = H III-105 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and noted "eF but vL." CH's reduction is 18 sec of RA east of UGC 7829.

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NGC 4599 = UGC 7833 = MCG +00-32-034 = CGCG 014-099 = PGC 42453

12 40 27.1 +01 11 48

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 144d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:1 SW-NE, small bright core, stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4599 = H III-509 on 22 Feb 1786 (sweep 527) and noted "vF, vS." CH's reduction is 1.5' northwest of UGC 7833 = PGC 42453. JH did not make an observation.

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NGC 4600 = UGC 7832 = MCG +01-32-128 = CGCG 042-198 = PGC 42447

12 40 22.9 +03 07 04

V = 12.7; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 60d

17.5" (4/21/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, small bright core. Forms the west vertex of a right triangle with mag 8.8 SAO 119527 3.5' E and mag 8.6 SAO 119525 2.9' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4600 = H II-577 = h1379 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and logged "F, S, between 2 B stars; making a triangle with them." JH noted "F; S; R; precedes 2 stars 8-9 mag." Both descriptions and positions match UGC 7832.

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NGC 4601 = ESO 322-050 = MCG -07-26-026 = LGG 298-057 = PGC 42492

12 40 46.7 -40 53 36

V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 16d

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x, this Centaurus cluster member (AGC 3526) appeared moderately bright, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.5', broad concentration. Located 5.3' NNW of NGC 4603.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4601 = h3405, along with NGC 4603 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; L; R; pslbM. The first of 2." His position is 12 sec east and 1.6' south of ESO 322-050 = PGC 42492. This is the same offset in RA as nearby NGC 4603, discovered together.

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NGC 4602 = MCG -01-32-036 = PGC 42476

12 40 36.7 -05 07 55

V = 11.5; Size 3.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly bright, oval WNW-ESE, fairly large, bright core. A mag 14 star is just off the east end 1.3' from center. Second of four in a group with MCG -01-32-037 11' S and NGC 4593 19' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4602 = H II-184 = h1380 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded "not F, L, lE, not mbM, r." His position is poor - 18 sec of RA too large. JH made the single observation "F; L; E; vglbM; 50"." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4603 = ESO 322-052 = MCG -07-26-028 = LGG 301-001 = PGC 42510

12 40 55.4 -40 58 34

V = 11.6; Size 3.4'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 27d

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appeared very bright, very large, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 3'x1.5', broad concentration though the brightest portion seems offset towards the a star embedded just west of of the core. A second superimposed star is near the southwest end. NGC 4601 lies 5.3' NNW and NGC 4603B is 7.8' SW. This subgroup of AGC 3526 (Centaurus Cluster) is catalogued as Klemola 19.

17.5" (4/7/89): extremely faint, moderately large, round, very low surface brightness. Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526). Forms a pair with NGC 4601 5.3' NNW (not seen).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4603 = h3406 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L R; vgbM; r(?). The following of 2 [with NGC 4601].". His RA is 11 sec east of ESO 322-052 = PGC 42510, a similar error as NGC 4601.

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NGC 4604 = MCG -01-32-037 = PGC 42489

12 40 44.9 -05 18 09

V = 13.8; Size 1.0'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 115d

17.5" (1/31/87): faint, fairly small, edge-on WNW-ESE. Third of four in the field and located 11' SSE of NGC 4602.

Christian Peters discovered NGC 4604 around 1881 with the 13.5-inch refractor at Hamilton College Observatory. The discovery was not published in either of his two Copernicus lists in 1881 and 1882, so the discovery must have been communicated directly to Dreyer. The NGC position is 2' southeast of NGC 4602.

In her 1940 list of NGC corrections, Dorothy Carlson states NGC 4604 was not found at Helwan Observatory and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent. RC3 identifies MCG -01-32-037 = PGC 42489 as NGC 4604. This galaxy is nearly 10' south of the NGC position. Although, there is no visual description in the NGC, this identification is reasonable assuming a single digit error in declination by Peters. But perhaps NGC 4604 is simply a duplicate observation of NGC 4603 as the positions are so close. So, this identification is very uncertain. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4605 = UGC 7831 = MCG +10-18-074 = CGCG 293-031 = PGC 42408

12 39 59.4 +61 36 33

V = 10.3; Size 5.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 125d

18" (5/14/07): very bright, large, nearly edge-on 3:1 NW-SE. The relatively large, bulging core is mottled. The southeast extension is brighter, mottled (HII regions) and tapers towards the tip. The very tip of this extension appears to hook slightly towards the east. The fainter northwest extension is much more diffuse, is broader and fades at the ends. The major axis of the two extensions are slightly skewed with respect to each other as if they were bent at the center or possibly the brighter southeast extension is warped or distorted.

18" (5/8/04): very bright, large, quite elongated 5:2 ~NW-SE. Contains a relatively large, high surface brightness elongated core. This galaxy's structure is very unusual with careful viewing. The southeast extension is clearly brighter and more tapered than the northwest end. The surface brightness of the southeast extension is noticeably uneven with a mottled or splotchy appearance possibly from HII regions and an irregular distribution of dust. Near the center there is a slight bend or kink to the major axis, with the fainter northwest extension slightly misaligned. Also the northwest extension appears to fan out somewhat at the northwest edge and fade into the background.

8": bright, moderately large, very elongated NW-SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4605 = H I-254 = h1381 on 19 Mar 1790 (sweep 953) and recorded "eB, E, about 5' long in the parallel, all over equally bright, except just on the edges." JH made a single observation (sweep 344): "B; L; vmE; in pos 118.6°; glbM; 4' l and 1' br."

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NGC 4606 = UGC 7839 = MCG +02-32-174 = CGCG 070-213 = Holm 436a = PGC 42516

12 40 57.5 +11 54 41

V = 11.8; Size 3.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 33d

17.5" (4/25/87): fairly faint, very elongated SW-NE. A mag 13.5 star is superimposed on the SSW end 0.5' from center and a mag 14 star is at the SSW edge 1.1' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4607 3.8' ESE.

13" (4/16/83): faint, small, very elongated SSW-NNE. Two stars are at the south edge. Located 20' NW of M59.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4606 = H III-43 = h1382 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply noted "a nebula". CH's reduced position is 2.5' southwest of UGC 7842. JH made 3 observations and commented on sweep 245 "vF; a curious object; 2 or 3 vF stars form a line with an oblique ray of neb." Nearby NGC 4607 was missed by the Herschels and discovered by LdR.

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NGC 4607 = UGC 7843 = MCG +02-32-176 = CGCG 070-216 = Holm 436b = PGC 42544

12 41 12.4 +11 53 08

V = 12.8; Size 2.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 2d

17.5" (4/25/87): extremely faint, edge-on streak N-S, low even surface brightness. Located 3.8' ESE of much brighter NGC 4606.

13.1" (5/14/83): extremely faint, edge-on N-S, low surface brightness, requires averted. Close following NGC 4606.

13" (4/16/83): extremely faint, near visual threshold, very elongated N-S, low surface brightness.

R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 4607 on 24 Apr 1854 while observing NGC 4606 with LdR's 72". He noted "about 3' or 4' following there is also a F lenticular R, E np sf." The NGC RA is 0.2 min east of UGC 7843. Mitchell's note was not included in the 1861 monograph (only the 1880 publication) so NGC 4607 was not included in the GC and Dreyer missed it while compiling the GC Supplement.

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NGC 4608 = UGC 7842 = MCG +02-32-177 = CGCG 070-214 = PGC 42545

12 41 13.6 +10 09 23

V = 11.0; Size 3.2'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (4/18/87): bright, fairly small, oval SW-NE, very bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.6' WNW of center. Forms a wide pair at low power with NGC 4596 19' W. Located 11' SW of Rho Virginis (V = 4.9).

13.1" (4/16/83): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4608 = H II-69 = h1383 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and recorded "A nebula. It may be taken into the field with 30 (Rho) Virginis and precedes that star, but is 8' more south." The actual difference in Dec is less than 5', but the identification is certain. JH called it "pB; R; psbM; has a *12 1' np, and a *5.6 in field nf."

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NGC 4609 = ESO 095-SC014 = Cr 263

12 42 20 -62 59 36

V = 6.9; Size 5'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, 30 stars mag 9.5-13 are resolved resolved in a 4'-5' region. Most of the stars are arranged in a curving lane ~NNW-SSE with fainter stars trailing off to the NNW. A few stars are scattered to the east of this string which is oriented roughly N-S and which bends towards the east on the north side. The cluster includes some doubles and triples with a nice mag 10.5 star pair at 15" and a distinctive triple on the south end of the lane. Situtated just 7' NW of mag 5.3 BZ Crucis = HD 110432. This star is located within the Coal Sack, 1.8 degrees east of Acrux, and is the only easy naked-eye star with the Coal Sack! The cluster resides behind the Coal Sack and is dimmed accordingly.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4609 = D 272 = h3407 on 12 May 1826 with his 9-inch f/12 homemade speculum reflector from Parramatta, New South Wales and recorded "a group of five stars of the 8th or 9th magnitude, with a great number of extremely small stars resembling faint nebulae. 3' or 4' diameter." His position is about 9' too far west. JH called it a "Cluster class VII. Stars 11..13th mag; about 6' long and 4' broad; has 10 stars 11th mag, and some 20 or 30 smaller. It occurs in the midst of the black space following Alpha Crucis, which is by no means void of stars."

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NGC 4610 = NGC 4470 = UGC 7627 = MCG +01-32-082 = CGCG 042-132 = PGC 41189

12 29 37.9 +07 49 25

See observing notes for NGC 4470.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4610 = H II-19 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 105) and recorded "South of and at rectangles to the great Nebula [M61] and the small star near it, is a nebula incomparably more faint. My field [15' dia] takes them both in together." Dreyer notes in the 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that "there is no nebula in the place of GC 3147 [NGC 4610]" (Ann Harvard Coll Obs, xiii p 81 and Max Wolf, List II) and that M49 is most probably H I-7 (assumed by WH to be M61). Dreyer further comments that M49 has a smaller nebula [H II-498 = NGC 4470] 9 sec of RA west, 10.5' south and the sketch perfectly agrees with M49, the star following it and NGC 4470 (found by WH on 28 Dec 1785). So, NGC 4610 = NGC 4470.

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NGC 4611 = IC 805 = UGC 7849 = MCG +02-32-179 = CGCG 070-218 = PGC 42564

12 41 25.4 +13 43 46

V = 14.3; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 126d

18" (5/28/06): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2.5:1 or 3:1 NW-SE, nearly 0.6'x0.2', low surface brightness, no concentration. Forms the southern vertex of a triangle with two mag 12 stars 2.7' NNW and 3.3' NE.

Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 4611 = St XII-49 on 17 May 1881 and recorded "eeF; S; lE SE to NW; between 2 vF stars." His position and description matches UGC 7849.

Lewis Swift found this galaxy on 20 Apr 1889 and reported it as new in his 8th list, #65 (later IC 805) as "vF; pL; R; 2 pB stars n and nf." His position is about 8 sec of RA west of UGC 7849, but close enough that I'm surprised Swift or Dreyer didn't notice the equivalence. Dorothy Carlson and Roger Sinnott's NGC 2000.0 equate NGC 4611= IC 805 although UGC, MCG, CGCG, PGC and HyperLeda only use the NGC 4611 designation.

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NGC 4612 = UGC 7850 = MCG +01-32-134 = CGCG 042-205 = PGC 42574

12 41 32.7 +07 18 53

V = 10.9; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 145d

17.5" (4/21/90): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated with a very bright compact core. Located at the SW end of a string of five bright stars mag 9-10.5 including a mag 10.5 star just 1.0' E. The NE end is this string is a double star 10.5/12 at 20". NGC 4623 lies 25' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4612 = H II-148 = H II-20 = h1384 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 105) and simply noted II-20 as "vF". The four nebulae found on this short, early sweep were not placed well, and there is nothing at his position (CH's reduction). But 1 min 45 sec of RA west is NGC 4612 = UGC 7850. On 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) he found this galaxy again and noted II-148 as "not F, R, bM and growing fainter by slow degrees." His offset from 31 Vir points to NGC 4612 = UGC 7850. On 1 May 1786 (sweep 560) he recorded "preceding the most south of a row of stars. cB, pL, mbM." On this sweep he it was called II-20, and the internal designation (320) is crossed out in CH's fair copy. Nevertheless JH decided II-20 and II-148 were possibly different objects because of the discrepancy in positions and assigned two GC designations, though Dreyer combined both in the NGC. He commented in his 1912 revision of WH's catalogues that a sketch of II-20 "agrees perfectly with the the description of II-148 on 28 Dec 1785 (sweep 498) "preceding a row of considerable stars and near the south of them, making a triangle."

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NGC 4613 = Arp 34 Companion = KTG 45A = Holm 439c = MCG +04-30-011 = CGCG 129-016 = Mrk 780 = WBL 419-002 = PGC 42570

12 41 28.9 +26 05 19

V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9

24" (6/1/13): faintest in a trio (KTG 45). At 282x appeared faint to fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter. NGC 4615 lies 2.1' SE and NGC 4614 is 2.8' SSE.

17.5" (4/6/91): extremely faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Located 2.5' NNW of NGC 4614. Faintest of a trio.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4613, along with NGC 4614 and NGC 4615, on 9 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is exactly 1' south of PGC 42570.

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NGC 4614 = Arp 34 Companion = KTG 45B = Holm 439b = UGC 7851 = MCG +04-30-012 = CGCG 129-015 = WBL 419-001 = PGC 42573

12 41 31.5 +26 02 34

V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 175d

24" (6/1/13): brightest in a triplet (KTG 45) with NGC 4615 2.2' NE and NGC 4613 2.8' NNW. At 282x appeared moderately bright, fairly small, round, well concentrated with a very bright core, overall fairly high surface brightness. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.8' W.

17.5" (4/6/91): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.9' WNW. Second brightest in a group with NGC 4615 2.5' NE and NGC 4613 2.5' NNW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4614 = Sf 11, along with NGC 4613 and NGC 4615, on 9 May 1864. His position (measured on two nights) matches UGC 7851 = PGC 42573. He also measured the mag 11 star as 8 sec of time west and 23" north. Truman Safford independently discovered NGC 4614, as well as NGC 4615, on 11 May 1866.

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NGC 4615 = Arp 34 = KTG 45C = Holm 439a = UGC 7852 = MCG +04-30-013 = CGCG 129-018 = WBL 419-003 = PGC 42584

12 41 37.3 +26 04 22

V = 13.1; Size 1.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 125d

24" (6/1/13): largest in a small triplet with NGC 4613 2.1' NW and NGC 4614 2.2' SW. Fairly faint to moderately bright, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 1.5'x0.5', weak concentration. This is a nice little trio forming a small isosceles triangle with NGC 4615 at the eastern vertex. In Arp's category of "Integral Sign" galaxies.

17.5" (4/6/91): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, even surface brightness. Third and largest of three with NGC 4614 2.5' SW and NGC 4613 2' WNW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4615 = Sf 12, along with NGC 4613 and NGC 4614, on 9 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on two nights) matches UGC 7852. Truman Safford independently discovered NGC 4615, as well as NGC 4614, on 11 May 1866.

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NGC 4616 = ESO 322-056 = MCG -07-26-030 = LGG 305-003 = PGC 42662

12 42 16.4 -40 38 32

V = 13.4; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this member of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526) appeared moderately bright, fairly small, round, 25" diameter, broad and weak concentration, perhaps an extremely faint halo. Located just 42" SW of a mag 12 star and 7' NW of NGC 4622.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4616 = h3408 on 5 Jun 1834, along with NGC 4622, and recorded "eF; vS;R; sp a star at the edge. His position is 1.7' south of ESO 322-056 = PGC 42662. Brightest in a group surrounding the Centaurus cluster (in the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster).

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NGC 4617 = UGC 7847 = MCG +09-21-028 = CGCG 270-013 = PGC 42530

12 41 05.8 +50 23 36

V = 13.2; Size 3.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 179d

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 N-S, 1.5'x0.4', weak concentration. A mag 14 star is close south. Located 2.7' SW of mag 9.3 SAO 28477.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4617 = H II-744 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "vF, S." CH's reduction is 6 sec of RA east and 3.5' north of UGC 7847 (only nearby galaxy).

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NGC 4618 = Arp 23 = VV 73 = Holm 438a = UGC 7853 = MCG +07-26-037 = CGCG 216-017 = IC 3667 = PGC 42575

12 41 32.5 +41 09 02

V = 10.8; Size 4.2'x3.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 25d

48" (4/7/13 and 4/19/17): fascinating one-armed asymmetric spiral (Arp 23). At 488x the core region is offset to the north side and appeared extremely bright, irregular, elongated 5:3 SW-NE, 1.6'x1.0'. A prominent, thick, knotty arm is attached on the northeast end and sweeps counterclockwise to the south and then west. It includes a small, round knot (listed in NED as infrared source SSTSL2 J124136.60+410900.6), 0.8' due east of center. IC 3669 is a brighter arc or section of the arm, about 1' southeast of the core. IC 3668 appears as a bright, elongated HII region(s) at the south end of the arm (1.7' south of center), ~20"x10". The arm continues to rotate towards the north on the west side of the galaxy, but this feature has a very low surface brightness and ends roughly west of the core. Only a faint, diffuse glow was seen to north of the core on the opposite side of the core, with no structure. The total size of the galaxy extended 3.5'x2.5'. NGC 4618 forms a pair with NGC 4625 8.3' NNE. Interestingly, both galaxies have single prominent arms, though the arm in NGC 4625 was more subtle visually. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

18" (5/15/10): This is a very unusual, asymmetric Arp galaxy with a single massive arm (similar to NGC 4027). At 220x it appeared bright, fairly large, obviously irregular, with a slightly elongated main body ~2'x1.5', extended 4:3 SW-NE. Within the main portion of the galaxy a brighter, elongated bar was visible, roughly 1.5'x0.5'. The central bar, though, is displaced to the NW side of entire glow as extending mostly to the south side is a faint, beefy arm that often appears detached and barely connected on the east end of the central region. This broad arm winds counterclockwise from east to south roughly 100° with IC 3668, the brightest region or knot near the south end of the arm, ~1.8' from the center of the bar. This single arm increases the overall size to ~3'x2'. IC 3369 refers to the brighter SE portion of the spiral arm.

13.1" (4/12/86): moderately bright, fairly large, faint elongated halo with large brighter core which appears displaced towards the north. This is an unusual one-armed spiral galaxy with a more extensive halo on the south side. Forms a pair with NGC 4625 8.3' NNE. IC 3668 is a knot in the southern arm.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4618 = H I-178 = H I-179 = h1385 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded "Two. The most north considerably or vB. The most south pB. Their nebulosities run into each other; the most north vmbM." The southern object may be IC 3668, the HII complex on the south end of the galaxy . JH also called this galaxy double. On 12 Apr 1830 he logged, "Double; a B, L nebula, gbM, with a F one attached, 70° sf, so as to run together into one; moonlight."

Two bright knots in the southern portion were noted on several observations with LdR's 72". R.J. Mitchell sketched the galaxy on 27 Mar 1856 (in LdR's 1861 monograph) and clearly revealed the entire southern spiral arm.

Max Wolf found this galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and assumed it was new (list VI-1). Although his position is identical to the NGC, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4618 as IC 3667. IC 3668 and IC 3669 refer to bright knots or parts of the southern arm (probably observed at Birr Castle).

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NGC 4619 = UGC 7856 = MCG +06-28-018 = CGCG 188-014 = PGC 42594

12 41 44.4 +35 03 46

V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, round, broadly concentrated halo, fainter halo. Located 1.9' WNW of mag 8.6 SAO 63141.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4619 = H II-411 = h1388 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded "pF, S, R, just preceding a cB star." JH made three observations and described this galaxy as "eF", "F" and "pB".

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NGC 4620 = UGC 7859 = MCG +02-32-182 = CGCG 070-223 = LGG 292-023 = PGC 42619

12 41 59.3 +12 56 34

V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 40d

18" (4/10/04): moderately bright, round, 1.0' diameter, weak concentration to the center with a small slightly brighter core. Forms the NW vertex of an obtuse triangle with two mag 11 stars 4.7' ENE and 5.3' SSW.

18" (3/13/04): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.0' diameter, weak concentration.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4620 = h1387 on 29 Mar 1830 and logged "vF; S; R; vgbM; 15"." His position matches UGC 7859 = PGC 42619.

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NGC 4621 = M59 = UGC 7858 = MCG +02-32-183 = CGCG 070-223 = PGC 42628

12 42 02.4 +11 38 48

V = 9.6; Size 5.4'x3.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 165d

48" (4/19/17): at 697x; extremely bright, very large, oval nearly 3:2 NNW-SSE. Contains a very bright elongated core and an intensely luminous nucleus.

UCD 3, the brightest ultra-compact dwarf in M59 (considered the remnant nucleus of a recently accreted galaxy) was easily visible continuously as a mag 16.4 "star 2.2' E of the center of M59. It forms a pair with a slightly fainter mag 16.5-17 star 20" NW. This object was announced in 2015 as the densest known galaxy!

UCD 1, located just 1.4' SW of the center of M59, appeared as a very faint, possibly "soft" star, just visible continuously with averted vision. It forms a wide pair with a slightly brighter mag 16.5 star 0.5' NW.

IC 809 = IC 3672, 6.6' NNE of M59, appeared moderately to fairly bright, fairly large, slightly elongated 5:4 NW-SE, contains a large brighter core but no nucleus, and a low surface brightness outer halo ~50"x40". A mag 10.9 star is 1.2' SSW.

24" (5/22/17): at 200x and 375x; extremely bright, very large, oval 4:3 or 3:2 NNW-SSE. Strongly concentrated with a very bright roundish core and an intensely bright quasi-stellar nucleus. The core/nucleus is within a brighter central region, but then the surface brightness drops sharply with a very low surface brightness outer halo that extends 3.5'x2.5' NNW-SSE. A mag 12 star is at the north edge of the halo. IC 809 = IC 3672 lies 6.5' NNE, just north of an 11th magnitude star.

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, 3'x2', small very bright core, stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is at the SW edge and a brighter mag 13 star is off the north end 1.9' from center. The NGC 4606/NGC 4607 pair lies 20' NW.

13": bright, slightly elongated N-S, bright core. M60 lies 25' E and NGC 4606/4607 is 20' NW.

Johann Koehler discovered M59 = NGC 4621 = h1386, along with M60, on 11 Apr 1779. It was independently found by Charles Messier 4 nights later. On 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199), William Herschel recorded "pB, R, not S, mbM." John Herschel made 3 observations and logged on 4 Apr 1831 (sweep 338), "vB; S; lE; vsvmbM; 2' l, 1 1/2' br."

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NGC 4622 = ESO 322-057 = MCG -07-26-031 = LGG 305-004 = PGC 42701

12 42 37.4 -40 44 44

V = 12.2; Size 1.7'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.2

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526) appeared bright, fairly large, round, sharply concentrated with a very bright core, halo extends to 1.5'. NGC 4616 lies 7' NW and NGC 4603D is a similar distance SW (both viewed).

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small, round, low fairly even surface brightness. Located within the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526) with NGC 4622A/B 14' ENE. Forms a trio with NGC 4616 7.3' NNW and NGC 4603D 7.3' SW (not seen on this observation).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4622 = h3409, along with NGC 4616, on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "pF; S; R; pslbM; 15". The following of 2." His position matches ESO 322-057 = PGC 42701.

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NGC 4623 = UGC 7862 = MCG +01-32-135 = CGCG 042-207 = PGC 42647

12 42 10.6 +07 40 36

V = 12.2; Size 2.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 176d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 N-S, small bright core. NGC 4612 lies 25' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4623 = H II-149 = h1389 on 13 Apr 1784 (sweep 191) and noted "vF, irregular nebula." His position is 4.5' too far south. JH called this galaxy "pB; E; psbM" and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4624 = NGC 4665 = NGC 4664 = UGC 7924 = MCG +01-33-005 = CGCG 043-018 = PGC 42734

12 45 06.1 +03 03 21

See observing notes for NGC 4665. Uncertain identification.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4624 = h1390 on 9 Apr 1828 and noted"B, E. RA ill observed." and placed at 12 42 15.7 +03 03 32 (2000). There is nothing near his position, though his description states this is a bright nebula. Karl Reinmuth, in his 1926 photographic survey, notes "not found; NGC 4624 = NGC 4636?" NGC 4636 is 24' southeast of JH's position , but certainly fits the description and was not seen on the same sweep that NGC 4624 was observed. Harold Corwin notes "During the same sweep, he [JH] made a one-degree error in the polar distance for NGC 4636, an error that he himself suggested, and that Dreyer finally rectified for the NGC. Thus, NGC 4624 cannot be NGC 4636 as suggested by Reinmuth and adopted by RNGC." NGC 4600 is 2.0 min of RA west of JH's position, though probably would not be described as "bright" (WH called it "faint").

Harold Corwin concludes "[NGC 4624] is most likely NGC 4665 [nearly 3 min of RA east of JH's position] which JH described as "B, pL" in two other sweeps. This, and the appearance of the bright bar of the galaxy, matches his terse description for NGC 4624, "B, E." In addition, his declination is correct for all three observations. There is a faint possibility that NGC 4624 is NGC 4600, but JH's two observations of that make it "F, S" in contrast to his note on NGC 4624. In addition, the declination of NGC 4600 is off JH's measured dec for NGC 4624."

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NGC 4625 = Arp 23 Companion = IC 3675 = Holm 438b = UGC 7861 = MCG +07-26-038 = CGCG 216-018 = PGC 42607

12 41 52.7 +41 16 26

V = 12.3; Size 2.2'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.8

48" (4/7/13): at 488x, this companion to NGC 4618 appeared bright, fairly large,~1.3' diameter, bright core that is offset to the north side. With careful viewing a low contrast spiral arm is visible along the south side of the halo with a darker gap between the arm and the south side of the core. Member of the CVn II Group (brightest member M106).

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly faint, fairly small, round, brighter core. Forms a pair with NGC 4618 8.3' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4625 = H II-660 = h1392 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded "pB, pL, R, mbM." R.J. Mitchell, observing at Birr Castle on 10 Apr 1855, recorded "...the brightest part [core] seems excentric, being nearer the nf edge. From this I suspect a branch [spiral arm] round n to sp." A sketch (figure 25 in the 1861 publication) clearly shows the spiral arm as a ring with the core embedded on the northeast side.

Max Wolf found this galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and assumed it was new. Although the NGC position is accurate, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4618 as IC 3675.

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NGC 4626 = MCG -01-32-040 = Holm 441b = PGC 42680

12 42 25.3 -07 02 39

V = 11.9; Size 1.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 35d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE. A mag 14 star is 1.5' SSE. Forms a similar pair (size, elongation and position angle) with NGC 4628 5' N but has an almost even and lower surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4626 = H II-772 = h1393 = h3410, along with NGC 4628, on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and noted "F, S, E." JH made a single observation from the Cape of the Good Hope and logged "vF; lE; glbM."

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NGC 4627 = Arp 281 NED1 = UGC 7860 = MCG +06-28-019 = CGCG 188-015 = Holm 442b = PGC 42620

12 41 59.7 +32 34 26

V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x1.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 10d

13.1" (5/26/84): faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE. Located 2.6' NW of the center of the remarkable galaxy NGC 4631 and is completely overshadowed by its beauty.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4627 = H II-659 = h1391 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and logged "F, S, R, just np the large following one [NGC 4631]." JH's position is accurate.

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NGC 4628 = MCG -01-32-041 = Mrk 1333 = Holm 441a = PGC 42681

12 42 25.3 -06 58 17

V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 46d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.4', even concentration down to a small bright core. Two mag 11 stars are just 1.5' N and 1.5' NE and two mag 10 stars are in the field 7' E and 7' ESE. This galaxy is the slightly brighter of a pair of very similar very elongated systems with NGC 4626 4.4' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4628 = H II-773 = h1394 = h3411, along with NGC 4626, on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and noted "F, S, E." JH made a single observation from the Cape of the Good Hope and logged "vF; R or lE; glbM."

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NGC 4629 = UGC 7869 = MCG +00-32-037 = CGCG 014-109 = PGC 42692

12 42 32.7 -01 21 04

V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 80d

17.5" (5/22/93): faint, round, 1.2' diameter, low surface brightness, weak concentration, diffuse halo. Forms a pair with UGC 7883 10' NE. Gamma Virgo = Porrima is just out of the field 15' SW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4629 on 19 Feb 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. There is nothing at his position (measured only this night).

Reinmuth describes NGC 4629 as a pair of mag 14 stars at 0.7' distance. These two stars are 4' due south of d'Arrst's position, and a plausible candidate, though I would think would be too easily resolved. RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent and NGC 4629 is not plotted on the first edition of the Uranometria 2000.0 Sky Atlas. Harold Corwin identifies NGC 4629 = UGC 7869 = PGC 42692, located 27' due north of d'Arrest's position. UGC, MCG and CGCG do not identify this galaxy as NGC 4629, although NED, HyperLeda and the NGC/IC Project use this identification.

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NGC 4630 = UGC 7871 = MCG +01-32-136 = CGCG 042-208 = CGCG 043-001 = PGC 42688

12 42 31.2 +03 57 30

V = 12.7; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 10d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, brighter core, oval ~N-S. CGCG 043-003 lies 18' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4630 = H II-532 = h1395 on 2 Feb 1786 (sweep 521) and noted "vF, S, lbM." His position is at the northwest edge of UGC 7871. JH made the single observation "vF; vS; R."

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NGC 4631 = Whale Galaxy = Arp 281 NED2 = UGC 7865 = MCG +06-28-020 = CGCG 188-016 = Holm 442a = PGC 42637

12 42 06.5 +32 32 24

V = 9.2; Size 15.5'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 86d

48" (4/16/15): Although I've viewed NGC 4631 a few previous times in the 48-inch, it is difficult to take notes as the amount of structure is overwhelming. At 375x with a 13mm Ethos (16' field), the galaxy stretches across nearly the entire field and consists of numerous bright luminous patches and irregular dark patches. The overall shape is asymmetric; gradually tapering down to nearly a point on the west end, bulging in the center and broader along the eastern side, only narrowing significantly near the very tip.

A mag 13.5-14 star is just north of the western tip. A relatively bright knot (NGC 4631:[HK83]#91-94, from Hodge and Kennicutt's 1983 "An Atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies") lies 0.6' SE of this star and 5.8' W of center. Several obvious bright knots and splotchy regions line the western side of galaxy: #83 is 4.6' W of center, #79 is 3.9' W of center, #72/74 (fainter spot) is 3.2' W of center, #63/64 (prominent region) is 2.2' W of center.

A mag 12.5 star is at the north edge near the geometric center. There is no obvious core to the galaxy, though several bright patches are near the center. #47 is a luminous patch 1' S of the mag 12.5 star and #39/41 is a very bright patch 1.5' ESE of the star. Additional HII patches are lined up on the east side, mostly along the northern edge of the galaxy. #33-36 is a large, very bright patch (star cloud?) 2.4' ENE of center and #19/20 is a smaller knot 3.2' E of center. The galaxy bulges out (star association?) on the south side, near the eastern end (3.3' from center) and contains #17/18/21/22. The dusty eastern tip of the galaxy has a very faint HII knot (#5-7).

17.5" (6/5/99): at 280x (14' field) this remarkable galaxy runs edge to edge across the field! The surface brightness is unusually irregular with bright and dark mottling across the surface. There is no well-defined core but a prominent knot is close following (east) the geometric center along the north side and a second weaker knot is along the west side. The north edge has an unusually "scalloped" appearance particularly along the west side due to dust and brighter splotches. The galaxy gradually bulges towards the center and tapers at the tips, particularly along the west end. A mag 13 star is situated just north of the edge at the geometric center and NGC 4627 appears to hover over this "starship" a couple of arc miinutes northwest of center.

13.1" (5/26/84): stunning galaxy, very bright, unusually large and interesting edge-on E-W, 15'x1.5'. A bright knot is east of the core and a faint knot is west of core. Appears very mottled along the major axis. A mag 13 star is just north of the core. NGC 4627, a companion galaxy, lies 2.6' NW of the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4631 = H V-42 = h1397 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and recorded "vB, mE from sp to nf, but near the parallel. About 16' long and mbM. A little below the center of it is a small star, but probably unconnected." John Herschel made two observations and called it (sweep 74) "vmE; a long ray which crosses the whole field, rather curved upwards (to south). Has a vF nucleus and a B * nearly in the parallel." His sketch of the pair is on plate XV, figure 76 of the Slough Observations.

Three observations were made at Birr Castle and LdR (or assistant William Rambaut) wrote in 1848 "A most extraordinary object with a B * near the centre, and at the right [north] masses of light appear through it in knots." A detailed sketch by George Stoney on 19 Apr 1849 was published in the 1850 PT paper. William Lassell's sketch with his 48-inch is in his 1867 publication on plate V, figure 24. To determine a position, Kobold measured two of the knots/star clouds - one on the west side (#63/64) and the bright region east of the geometric center (#33-36).

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NGC 4632 = UGC 7870 = MCG +00-32-038 = CGCG 014-110 = PGC 42689

12 42 32.1 -00 04 57

V = 11.7; Size 3.1'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 63d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, mildly concentrated.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4632 = H I-14 = h1396 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "not cometic, seems to be resolvable and much like the foregoing [NGC 4592]. JH made a single observation under poor conditions, but his position matches UGC 7870.

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NGC 4633 = IC 3688 = UGC 7874 = MCG +03-32-085 = CGCG 099-111 = CGCG 100-001 = Holm 445b = PGC 42699

12 42 37.2 +14 21 31

V = 13.1; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 30d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.2x0.8, no central concentration, halo fades into background. A mag 13 star is just off the NW edge of halo 0.8' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4634 3.8' SSE.

Edward Swift, Lewis' 16 year-old son, discovered NGC 4633 = Sw VI-46 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; R; F star close preceding.; [NGC 4634] nr preceding." The Swifts' position is 0.2 min of RA west of UGC 7874. The description should read "F star close following". Both Herschels missed this galaxy, although both observed nearby NGC 4634.

Arnold Schwassmann found it again on a plate taken with the 6" astrograph at Heidelberg at the turn of the century and assumed Sn. 295 (later IC 3688) was new, possibly due to the discrepancy in RA, or not checking the NGC carefully. In any case, NGC 4633 = IC 3688.

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NGC 4634 = UGC 7875 = MCG +03-32-086 =CGCG 099-112 = CGCG 100-002 = Holm 445a = PGC 42707

12 42 41.0 +14 17 46

V = 12.4; Size 2.6'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 156d

17.5" (5/22/93): moderately bright, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, 3.0'x0.7', weak concentration. Forms a pair with NGC 4633 3.8' NNW. This galaxy is fairly striking.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4634 = H III-603 = h1398 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded "vF, about 2 1/2' long, from np to sf." His position and description matches UGC 7874, though both Herschel's missed nearby NGC 4633.

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NGC 4635 = UGC 7876 = MCG +03-32-087 =CGCG 099-113 = CGCG 100=003 = PGC 42704

12 42 39.1 +19 56 44

V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 170d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, 1.6'x1.2', broad weak concentration.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4635 = h1400 on 17 Mar 1831 and logged "eF L; bM; 3' diam." The comment "an over-estimation" was later added. His mean position (2 observations) matches UGC 7876 = PGC 42704.

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NGC 4636 = UGC 7878 = MCG +01-32-137 = CGCG 043-002 = PGC 42734

12 42 49.6 +02 41 18

V = 9.5; Size 6.0'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 150d

17.5" (3/24/90): very bright, large, slightly elongated NW-SE, very bright core, substellar nucleus, extensive halo appears mottled. Located between two mag 12/13 stars 3.4' NNW and 3.1' S, respectively.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4636 = H II-38 = h1399 = h1401 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "pB, pL. It seems to be of the resolvable kind, and is of an irregular shape." JH measured two good positions under h1399, logging "B; L; R; vgvmbM but not to a nucleus." in sweep 238. But on sweep 142, he listed it again as h1401, a possible "Nova", this time with a 1° error in declination (too far north).

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NGC 4637 = UGC 7881 = MCG +02-32-188 = CGCG 071-007 = PGC 42744

12 42 54.1 +11 26 16

V = 14.5; Size 1.1'x0.5'; PA = 97d

24" (5/25/14): at 225x, this companion to NGC 4638 appeared extremely faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, ~25"x10". Required averted vision and could not hold for fairly brief intervals. Located 1.6' E of the center of NGC 4638.

R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 4637 on 1 Mar 1854 using LdR's 72" and recorded a "Double nebula [including II-70 = NGC 4638], faint nebulosity connects them." No comment was made on the relative brightnesses or orientation and there were no further observations at Birr Castle or by any others. RNGC identifies NGC 4637 with an extremely faint spindle-shaped galaxy just following NGC 4638. Although this is identification is reasonable (repeated by Carlson), the RNGC magnitude of 12.0 is greatly in error and the identifications of NGC 4637/4638 are reversed in MCG.

But Dreyer comments in the NGC notes "It is very possible that the Birr observer mistook M60 and III 44 [NGC 4647] for h1402 and a nova." In his photographic survey "Die Herschel Nebel", Karl Reinmuth notes "not found, = NGC 4647?" Adelaide Ames also states "not found" in the Virgo-Coma Survey at Harvard College Observatory, Vol 88, No 1. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for further analysis but the identification of NGC 4637 is uncertain - either applying to the faint companion of NGC 4638 or the companion of M60.

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NGC 4638 = NGC 4667? = UGC 7880 = MCG +02-32-187 = CGCG 070-230 = CGCG 071-006 = PGC 42728

12 42 47.4 +11 26 32

V = 11.2; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 125d

24" (5/25/14): very bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.2'x0.6', sharply concentrated with a very bright, very elongated core (bar or edge-on S0?) and a much fainter oval halo. NGC 4637, an extremely faint companion, is 1.6' E of center.

17.5" (4/25/87): moderately bright, very elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, fairly small, bright core, substellar nucleus. Located between M59 and M60.

13.1" (5/14/83): fairly bright, small, bright core, elongated.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4638 = H II-70 = H II-176 = h1402 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply noted "a nebula." His position is 5' south of UGC 7880, but fairly close in RA. JH recorded "F; R; gbM." His position was 2' south. NGC 4667 may be a duplicate observation (see notes on that number).

MCG reverses the identifications of NGC 4637 and 4638 (see NGC 4637 for more).

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NGC 4639 = UGC 7884 = MCG +02-32-189 = CGCG 070-2310 = CGCG 071-008 = PGC 42741

12 42 52.3 +13 15 26

V = 11.5; Size 2.8'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 123d

17.5" (4/13/02): moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.0', broad concentration to a larger, brighter core. The core increases sharply to a small bright nucleus. A mag 12.5 star is close following just 1.0' from center.

17.5" (4/21/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.6'x1.0', faint stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star is just off the SE side 1.0' from the center. NGC 4654 lies 17' SE and NGC 4659 is 28' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4639 = H II-125 = h1403 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted "not vF; S; r." His position is 3.7' north of UGC 7884. JH noted "B; E; has a * 12m sf; 1' dist."

R.J. Mitchell, observing with LdR's 72" on 22 Apr 1854, recorded "a remarkable object. Spiral? Suspected a twist to the left at the preceding end." Five nights later he logged "saw tonight the curve in p part previously remarked."

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NGC 4640 = UGC 7888 = MCG +02-32-190 = CGCG 071-009 = Holm 446a = PGC 42753

12 42 57.8 +12 17 12

V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 45d

18" (4/29/06): very faint, moderately large, elongated ~3:2 ~E-W, 0.9'x0.6', low even surface brightness. Located 3.4' NE of a mag 10.5-11 star. NGC 4641 lies 14' S.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4640 = Sw VI-47, along with NGC 4641, on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "eF; pL; lE; * nr p; np of 2 [with NGC 4641]." His position is just 30" south of UGC 7888, although the nearest star he might have picked up is 1.5' due south (a brighter one is 3.4' southwest).

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NGC 4641 = UGC 7889 = MCG +02-32-191 = CGCG 071-011 = PGC 42769

12 43 07.6 +12 03 03

V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d

17.5" (4/13/02): very faint, small, slightly elongated N-S, low surface brightness, 0.6'x0.45'. Located 1' NW of a mag 12.5 star. The declination in the RNGC is one degree too far south.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4641 = Sw VI-48, along with NGC 4640, on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "eF; pL; R; F * nr f; sf of 2 [with NGC 4640]." His position is 5 sec of RA west of UGC 7889 and the star he mentions is 1' southeast.

The RNGC declination is exactly 1 degree too far south. Furthermore, this error is repeated in NGC 2000.0 and the galaxy is misplotted on the first edition of Uranometria 2000 Sky Atlas. UGC, MCG, CGCG and RC3 all give the correct declination. Listed in my RNGC Corrections list #2.

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NGC 4642 = UGC 7893 = MCG +00-33-004 = CGCG 015-007 = PGC 42791

12 43 17.7 -00 38 40

V = 12.9; Size 1.9'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 37d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly faint, elongated SSW-NNE, fairly small. A mag 15 star is involved at the NE end. Forms a pair with NGC 4653 10' NE near the edge of the 220x field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4642 = H III-494 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "eF, vS." CH's reduction is 1' south of UGC 7893.

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NGC 4643 = UGC 7895 = MCG +00-33-005 = CGCG 015-008 = PRC D-22 = PGC 42797

12 43 20.2 +01 58 41

V = 10.8; Size 3.1'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 130d

17.5" (3/24/90): fairly bright, moderately large, oval NW-SE, prominent core. Three mag 11-14 stars lie northwest, the closest is a mag 11.5 star 2.4' NW of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4643 = H I-10 = h1404 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 121) and noted "pB, S." His summary description from 4 observations is "vB, pL, lE, gmbM, 2' l, 1 1/2' br." JH called it "B; S; lE; psbM." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4644 = UGC 7887 = MCG +09-21-030 = CGCG 270-014 = Holm 447a = LGG 300-001 = PGC 42708

12 42 42.6 +55 08 43

V = 13.9; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 53d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.3'. Contains a bright elongated core. NGC 4644 is the northernmost in a group of galaxies (LGG 300) including NGC 4669, 4675, 4686, 4695 and UGC 7905 (double).

NGC 4644 is the western component of a close pair with much fainter NGC 4644B = MCG +09-21-032 1.4' E. The companion appeared very faint, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE, 30"x10". Despite a low surface brightness, it was easier than I expected based on the SDSS magnitudes (V ~15.0).

18" (6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.3', weak concentration with a slightly brighter core. Forms the north vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 12 star 6' SW and 6' ESE. First in a group of 6 NGC galaxies (LGG 300) with 4 on a line stretching from NGC 4644/4669/4675/4686. A very faint edge-on (NGC 4644B = PGC 42725) just 1.7' following was not noticed.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4644 = H II-794.1 = h1406 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "F, S." His re-reduced position (with respect to Epsilon UMa) is 2' west (12 sec of time) of UGC 7887. JH recorded "eF; vS; R; gbM; 10"." His position also matches UGC 7887, although he thought it was a new discovery. H II-794.1 refers to NGC 4646. See that number.

On 25 Apr 1878, Dreyer observed the field from Birr Castle, and described "3177 [NGC 4644] is eF, vS, E sp nf, small companion or star 3/4' f." The "small companion or star" is the nucleus of NGC 4644B = PGC 42725, which did not receive a NGC designation. See notes for NGC 4646 for more on this observation.

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NGC 4645 = ESO 322-066 = MCG -07-26-037 = PGC 42879

12 44 09.9 -41 45 01

V = 11.8; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 52d

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, sharp concentration. Member of the Centaurus cluster.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4645 = h3412 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; psbM; 12".". His position is ~2' west of ESO 322-066, the only nearby galaxy.

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NGC 4646 = UGC 7892 = MCG +09-21-031 = CGCG 270-015 = PGC 42740

12 42 52.1 +54 51 21

V = 13.4; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.4; PA = 18d

24" (5/30/16): at 225x; moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.3', bright irregular core seems knotty. A mag 14.8 star is very close to the northeast edge. Four collinear mag 13-14.5 stars extending to the northwest begins 2.5' W.

UGC 7905, a disturbed, interacting system with tidal tails extending from both galaxies, lies 8.5' ENE. The pair is oriented SSW to NNE with centers separated by 35". At 225x, the southwest member (Mrk 220) appeared fairly faint, small, high surface brightness, roundish, 18" diameter. The northeast component (Mrk 221) appeared faint, fairly small, 18", low surface brightness. Only the central region was seen and I missed the tidal tail extending to the north and east.

18" (6/28/03): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 SSW-NNE, 0.5'x0.25', stellar nucleus. There appears to be a faint star at the NE tip (verified on DSS). A striking line of four mag 13-14 stars (total length 2.8') is close NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4646 = H II-910 = H II-794.2 = h1407 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and noted "F, S". His position (CH's reduction) is within 1' of UGC 7891. WH incorrectly assumed this object was II-794 = NGC 4644, located 16' north, and didn't assign a new internal number or include it separately in his catalogues. JH recorded "Has 4 vS stars south-preceding in a line." His position matches UGC 7891, though the string of stars is north-preceding.

JH sorted out the confusion with WH's two observations of II-794 in preparing the GC and listed them as II-794.1 and II-794.2. Dreyer concurs these are different objects in "Scientific Papers of William Herschel" and introduced the new number II-910 for the second observation.

Dreyer examined the field at Birr Castle on 25 Apr 1878. After observing NGC 4644, he moved 20' south and described NGC 4646 as "pB, E 50°, biN (Dist. 23"), 4 st nearly in a line p and a little n, 3'-4' from neb." The second "nucleus" is a very faint star at the northeast edge of the galaxy. Then he reported "A third nebula, biN in Pos. 16.5°, Dist 44", sp Nucl much the brighter, other one fainter and smaller, perhaps composed of st.  This nebula is in Pos 71.5°, Dist 533" from [GC] 3179 [NGC 4646]." At this separation from NGC 4646 is the double galaxy UGC 7905, which fits Dreyer's description. He assumed this nebula was [GC] 5668 = NGC 4669, so UGC 7905 did not receive a NGC designation.

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NGC 4647 = Arp 116 NED1 = VV 206b = Holm 448b = UGC 7896 = MCG +02-33-001 = CGCG 071-015 = WBL 421-001 = PGC 42816

12 43 32.5 +11 34 56

V = 11.3; Size 2.9'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 125d

17.5" (4/25/87): forms a close double with M60. Located just off the NW edge 2.8' from the center of M60. Fairly faint, pretty large diffuse halo, small brighter core. Appears slightly smaller than M60 but clearly less concentrated.

13.1" (5/14/83): faint, moderately large, diffuse. Forms a close pair with M60.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4647 = H III-44 = h1405 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "Two nebula, one of them [M60] vB." JH made 4 observations. NGC 4637 is possibly a reobservation of this galaxy (see that number).

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NGC 4648 = UGC 7868 = MCG +13-09-029 = CGCG 352-039 = Kaz 31 = PGC 42595

12 41 44.4 +74 25 16

V = 12.0; Size 2.1'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 70d

18" (5/8/04): fairly bright, moderately large, strongly concentrated with a bright 30" core and a much fainter halo ~1' in diameter. Situated within a wedge-shaped group of 8 stars. A striking mag 8.1/10.5 pair 7' W is collinear with the galaxy (oriented E-W). NGC 4589 lies 22' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4648 = H I-274 = h1410 on 22 Nov 1797 (sweep 1064) and logged "cB, vS, 6 or 7' following a coarse double star." JH made 5 observations and recorded "F; S; bM", along with an accurate position, on sweep 348.

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NGC 4649 = M60 = Arp 116 NED2 = VV 206a = Holm 448a = UGC 7898 = MCG +02-33-002 = CGCG 071-016 = WBL 421-002 = PGC 42831

12 43 39.8 +11 33 11

V = 8.8; Size 7.4'x6.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d

48" (4/19/17): at 697x; M60 and NGC 4647 were viewed but my main target was UCD 1, the brightest ultra-compact dwarf in M60. It appeared as a very faint, possibly "soft" star, just visible continuously with averted vision, and situated 1.4' SW of the center of M60. The UCD forms a wide pair with a slightly brighter mag 16.5 star 0.5' NW. CGCG 071-018 lies 6' SE of M60 and was logged as fairly faint (V = 15.5), moderately large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.6'x0.2', fairly even low surface brightness.

17.5" (4/25/87): very bright, fairly large, diffuse halo, slightly elongated ~E-W, very bright core with a bright substellar nucleus. Forms a double system with NGC 4647 which is almost tangent to M60 barely off the NW edge.

13": bright, very bright nucleus, slightly elongated ~E-W.

Johann Koehler discovered M60 and M59 on 11 Apr 1779 and noted "Two very small nebulae, hardly visible in a 3-foot telescope: The one above the other." Koehler was tracking the comet of that year. Oriani independently discovered M60 on 12 Apr 1779, noting "Very pale and looking exactly like the comet." Also, Messier made an independent discovery on 15 Apr 1779 (along with M58 and M59).

WH first recorded it on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) as "Two nebula [with NGC 4647], one of them vB."

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NGC 4650 = ESO 322-067 = MCG -07-26-038 = LGG 298-041 = PGC 42891

12 44 19.5 -40 43 55

V = 11.6; Size 3.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 83d

48" (4/21/17): at 488x; bright, moderately large, round, sharply concentrated with an intense core surounded by a roundish, mottled halo ~1 diameter. A mag 15 star is 0.5' SW of center at the edge of the halo and a mag 15.5 star is 0.3' NE of center in the halo.

PGC 42911, situated just 1.8' E, appeared fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 5:2 E-W, 0.6'x0.25', low surface brightness. NGC 4650A, a well-known polar ring galaxy 5.7' ENE, appeared fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 or 3:2 WSW-ESE, small brighter core. The polar ring extensions were extremely faint and difficult, though viewed in windy conditions.

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appeared bright, fairly large, round, strong even concentration with a very bright core inceasing to a small nucleus. A faint star is on the west side of the halo. NGC 4650A, a famous polar-ring galaxy, lies 5.6' ENE and PGC 42911 is a mere 1.9' E of center. The close companion appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W, 0.6'x0.3', even surface brightness.

48" (5/12/12): NGC 4650A appeared moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 WSW-ESE, 24"x16". The polar ring was occasionally visible as faint, thin extensions oriented NNW-SSE. Need to reobserve as viewed through thin clouds.

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small, oval WNW-ESE, bright core. Appears slightly brighter than NGC 4622A 5.8' WNW. The unusual polar-ring galaxy NGC 4650A lies 5.6' ENE (not recorded). Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4650 = h3413 on 26 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; R; bM; r. Wind violent." He later added the note "Right reduced. The degree of PD certainly correct." His position is accurate, though MCG does not label this galaxy as NGC 4650.

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NGC 4651 = Arp 189 = VV 56 = UGC 7901 = MCG +03-33-001 = CGCG 100-004 = LGG 289-096 = PGC 42833

12 43 42.6 +16 23 36

V = 10.8; Size 4.0'x2.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 80d

18" (4/10/04): bright, large, elongated 3:2 ~E-W. Well-concentrated with a very bright, elongated 1.0'x0.6' core which increases to the center. Surrounding the core is a large, low surface brightness halo increasing the size to at least 2.5'x1.4' and perhaps 3'x2'.

13.1": fairly bright, slightly elongated, broad moderate concentration, fainter extensions ~E-W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4651 = H II-12 = h1409 on 30 Dec 1783 (sweep 74) and recorded "vF, pL, almost R but not cometic, about 3/4 degree sp 27 Coma Ber. CH's reduction is a poor match (common in his early sweeps), but his offset from 27 Com matches. JH made 4 observations and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4652 = MCG +10-18-078 = CGCG 293-035 = PGC 42802

12 43 19.7 +58 57 54

V = 14.6; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 40d

18" (5/12/07): very faint, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.3', very weak concentration. Located 5'-6' NNW of a wide pair of mag 7.9 (HD 110762) and 9.6 (HD 238153) stars.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4652 = h1413 on 1 May 1831 and recorded "Not vF, pL, gbM. It is almost 6' dist np two stars sts 8 and 10m". His position is 15 sec of RA preceding CGCG 293-035 = PGC 42802, but the two bright stars are just where he placed them southeast. Interestingly, Dreyer insisted the two stars were northwest, while observing at Birr Castle on 27 Apr 1875.

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NGC 4653 = UGC 7900 = MCG +00-33-006 = CGCG 015-009 = PGC 42847

12 43 51.0 -00 33 40

V = 12.2; Size 3.1'x2.7'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 30d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, fairly even surface brightness. A mag 11 star is 2.7' SE and a mag 13 star 1.4' SE of center. In a group with NGC 4642 10' SW, NGC 4666 20' ENE and NGC 4668 25' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4653 = H III-662 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and recorded "vF, pL." His position is 10 sec of RA too large. JH did not make an observation.

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NGC 4654 = UGC 7902 = MCG +02-33-004 = CGCG 071-019 = IC 3708 = PGC 42857

12 43 56.5 +13 07 33

V = 10.5; Size 4.9'x2.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 128d

17.5" (4/21/90): bright, large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, bright core, mottled. Appears to have a dust lane along the north side. Several bright stars are in the field including a mag 10 star 3.2' WNW, a mag 11 star 6.1' NE and a mag 12 star 2.1' N. NGC 4639 lies 17' NW.

IC 3708 is the northwest arm of the galaxy or a knot in the middle of the arm.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4654 = H II-126 = h1411 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted "pF, pL, E, r." JH recorded (sweep 192) "vF; vL; 2' l, 90" br; 3 stars near, one = 9th mag." In sweep 245 he questioned if "it is double nebula?".

Harold Corwin identifies IC 3708, found by Schwassmann in 1900 using a plate taken by Wolf with the 6" astrograph at Heidelberg, as the northwestern arm of NGC 4654.

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NGC 4655 = MCG +07-26-042 = CGCG 216-021 = PGC 42823

12 43 36.5 +41 01 07

V = 14.1; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.9

18" (3/30/05): faint, small, round, contains a very small brighter core. A mag 13.5 star lies 0.9' E of center. Forms a pair with IC 3713 10' NE (not looked for).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4655 = H II-661 = h1412 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded "pB, vS, stellar. Just p a smal star. Not verified, but not much doubt. His position is just 1' southeast of CGCG 216-021 = PGC 42823.

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NGC 4656 = Hockey Stick Galaxy = UGC 7907a = MCG +05-30-066a = CGCG 159-065a = LGG 299-006 = PGC 42863

12 43 58.2 +32 10 13

V = 10.5; Size 15.1'x3.0'; Surf Br = 14.5; PA = 33d

48" (4/23/17): this showpiece galaxy was viewed at 375x and 488x and the structure/details was very comparable to the POSS2. The galaxy extended ~8'x1' SW-NE, though it has a much lower surface brightness on the SW end. It is well concentrated with a very bright and large, elongated core on the south end of the brighter half, giving a very asymmetric appearance. A bright stellar or quasi-stellar knot is at the southwest edge of the core (this is a huge star cloud on the HST image identified in SIMBAD as [BKD2008] WR 462, from a 2008 paper on Wolf-Rayet features) and 2MASS J12435666+3210138. A faint (17th mag?) stellar object is close east.

The low surface brightness southwest portion of the galaxy to is broader than the northeast section. It includes a faint, quasi-stellar knot (identified in SIMBAD as CasHII N4656a, from a 1984 Case University survey of HII regions in blue galaxies) along the western edge with a SDSS magnitude of 17.8V.

At least 4 main HII complexes are at the northeast end of the galaxy (NGC 4657), including a separate detached section. On the southwest edge is a bright knot, ~8" diameter, catalogued in SIMBAD as CasHII N4656f and in NED as NGC 4656:[DBT2008] 85 from a 2008 paper on massive clusters. A brighter 10" knot, identified in NED as 2MASX J12440599+3212340, is ~20" N, also along the west edge of the NE extension. The northeast end of the galaxy (NGC 4657) has a sharp extension to the east with a slightly brighter patch, identified in NED as 2MASX J12440844+3212340. Finally a bright, elongated patch ~30"x15" oriented NNW-SSE is detached to the east. SIMBAD identifies this object as NGC 4657, though the NGC designation should probably apply to the entire bent NE end of the galaxy.

18" (5/14/07): this fascinating galaxy forms one of the most striking pairs in the sky with NGC 4631 32' NW. At 220x, the distorted shape extends ~9'x1.5' in a SW-NE orientation. On first glance, it appears the bulging core is offset at the SW end, though with averted vision a very low surface brightness broader extension continues to the the SW of the core for several arcminutes before fading into the background. The core is very bright and mottled with a bright knot (HII region) jutting out to the west at the southwest end of the core. The NE extension has a remarkable, fairly bright 2' extension (NGC 4657), hooking to the east at a 45° angle from the major axis (the "blade" of the hockey stick). There is a small, faint, detached knot beyond the east end of the "blade" that appears to have broken off. The unusual bend and knot at the NE end is a result of a prior tidal interaction with its more massive neighbor, NGC 4631.

13.1" (4/10/86): striking!, fairly bright, very elongated SW-NE. Appears wider and brighter at the SW end. The NE end hooks sharply east to merge with NGC 4657 which may be a part of NGC 4656 and not a separate galaxy. A star or knot is attached at the south end. Appears like a celestial hockey stick!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4656 = H I-176 = h1414, along with NGC 4657, on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722) and recorded "Two, their nebulosity join; they are both elongated and together form the shape of the letter "S". The most south [NGC 4656] cB, mbM. The most north [NGC 4657], pB from sp to nf, but very near the meridian. John Herschel made a total of 5 observations. In sweep 342 he noted, "a long nebulous ray pos = 34.3° (by micrometer). Its southern half is fainter than its northern. It meets and cuts? another nebula [NGC 4657]. A strange object." A sketch was published in plate 15, Figure 75 in his Slough Observations.

Bindon Stoney sketched the pair at Birr Castle on Apr 26 1851 (included in LdR's 1861 publication). The following year he called this pair "like a caterpillar on a leaf."

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NGC 4657 = UGC 7907b = MCG +05-30-066b = CGCG 159-065b = PGC 42863

12 44 08.2 +32 12 32

Size 1.1'x0.7'; PA = 90d

48" (4/23/17): NGC 4657 consists of at least 4 main HII complexes at the northeast end of NGC 4657, including a separate detached section. On the southwest edge is a bright knot, ~8" diameter, catalogued in SIMBAD as CasHII N4656f and in NED as NGC 4656:[DBT2008] 85 from a 2008 paper on massive clusters. A brighter 10" knot, identified in NED as 2MASX J12440599+3212340, is ~20" N, also along the west edge of the NE extension. The northeast end of the galaxy (NGC 4657) has a sharp extension to the east with a slightly brighter patch, identified in NED as 2MASX J12440844+3212340. Finally a bright, elongated patch ~30"x15" oriented NNW-SSE is detached to the east. SIMBAD identifies this object as NGC 4657, though the NGC designation should probably apply to the entire bent NE end of the galaxy.

18" (5/14/07): The north end of NGC 4656 has a remarkable, fairly bright 2' extension (NGC 4657), hooking to the east at a 45° angle from the major axis (the "blade" of the hockey stick). There is a faint, small, detached knot beyond the east end of the "blade" that appears to have broken off. This unusual bend and knot is likely a starburst region of NGC 4656 and the result of a prior tidal interaction with its more massive neighbor, NGC 4631.

13.1" (4/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated NNW-SSE. NGC 4657 is attached at the NE end of the remarkable galaxy NGC 4656 and elongated at nearly a right angle to the curving section of NGC 4656 just west.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4657 = H I-177 = h1415 on 20 Mar 1787 (sweep 722). See descriptions under NGC 4656.

The UGC, MCG and CGCG list a single entry for the pair and NGC 4657 may be a tidally disturbed "tail" of NGC 4656 and not an independent galaxy. The primary designation for this object in NED is NGC 4656 NED02, with NGC 4657 the second identification. The position is on NE warped section (elongated E-W) of NGC 4656. The position is SIMBAD, though, is on the partially detached section close east with classification HII galaxy. HyperLeda has a listing for 2MASXJ12440844+3212340, with secondary designation NGC 4657 and object type "Part of galaxy". Corwin's position is on the brightest patch on the west side of E-W tail.

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NGC 4658 = MCG -02-33-001 = PGC 42929

12 44 37.7 -10 05 03

V = 12.5; Size 2.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 0d

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, elongated ~N-S, appears mottled or irregular. Located 2.5' E of mag 8.6 SAO 138945. A faint mag 14.5 star is off the NW edge 0.6' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4663 7.2' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4658 = H II-558 = h3414 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded "F, E in meridian [N-S], nearly 3' l, following a cB star." NGC 4658 was discovered by WH (II 558). JH logged "eF; attached like a wisp to a * 16m; a * 9m precedes."

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NGC 4659 = UGC 7915 = MCG +02-33-007 = CGCG 071-024 = PGC 42913

12 44 29.4 +13 29 55

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 173d

17.5" (4/13/02): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:4 ~NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.8'. Contains a small, bright round core embedded in a fainter halo. Located 1.4' NE of a mag 9.8 star. NGC 4639 lies 28' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4659 = H II-127 = h1416 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and recorded "F, vS, R, lbM, r, stellar." JH logged "F; R; bM; 30".", and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4660 = UGC 7914 = MCG +02-33-006 = CGCG 071-023 = PGC 42917

12 44 32.3 +11 11 27

V = 11.2; Size 2.2'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 100d

13.1" (4/16/83): fairly bright, small, slightly elongated E-W, very small bright core. Located 25' SSE of M60.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4660 = H II-71 = h1417 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and simply noted as "S". There is nothing at CH's reduced position, but 40 sec of RA following and 3' south is UGC 7914. There are no other galaxies in the vicinity he might have picked up and several objects in the sweep have a poor RA. JH listed h1417 as a Nova in the Slough catalogue and described "vB; S; vsvmbM almost to a star." His position matches UGC 7914.

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NGC 4661 = NGC 4650B = ESO 322-072 = MCG -07-26-040 = LGG 301-004 = PGC 42983

12 45 14.8 -40 49 27

V = 13.5; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 116d

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x this Centaurus cluster member (AGC 3526) was moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, 0.8'x0.4'. Located just 1' S of a 45" pair of mag 12.5 stars and 11.7' SE of NGC 4661.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4661 = h3415 on 5 Jun 1834 and logged "F; R; pL; gbM.". His position was not measured accurately - the RA is given to the nearest minute of time and the RA to the nearest min of arc and marked "+/-". There is nothing at his rough position, though 16' north is ESO 322-072 = PGC 42983, often referred to as NGC 4650B in the literature. The letter designation originated in the RC2. Corwin notes that ESO 322-072 is the only reasonably candidate for NGC 4661, so the identification is fairly certain.

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NGC 4662 = UGC 7917 = MCG +06-28-025 = CGCG 188-018 = PGC 42904

12 44 26.3 +37 07 15

V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 55d

17.5": fairly faint, moderately large, round, gradually brighter halo, very small brighter core. A mag 14.5 star is 3.1' NW and a mag 15 star 2.5' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4662 = H II-643 = h1418 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "F, pL, gbM, r." JH logged "pB; pL; R; bM; 40"."

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NGC 4663 = IC 811 = MCG -02-33-002 = PGC 42946

12 44 47.1 -10 11 52

V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 170d

17.5" (3/23/85): faint, edge-on ~N-S, very small, brighter core, almost stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4658 7' NNW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4663 in 1883 with the 11-inch refractor at Arcetri in Italy. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he described a nebula that is 8' south-following NGC 4658, but he was unable to make a measurement using the circle micrometer. This galaxy is 7.2' south-southeast of NGC 4663, so the identification is certain, although the NGC position is a bit off.

Bigourdan found this galaxy on 13 May 1888, assumed it was new, and reported it in his Comptes Rendus discovery lists as #176. As a result, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4663 as IC 811. See Corwin's notes on IC 811

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NGC 4664 = NGC 4665 = NGC 4624 = UGC 792 = MCG +01-33-005 = CGCG 043-018 = PGC 42970

12 45 06.1 +03 03 21

See observing notes for NGC 4665.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4664 = H II-39 on 23 Feb 1784 (sweep 158) and recorded "pB. It contains two stars in the center and is preceded by a small star at the distance of 1/2 or 3/4 minute." There is nothing at his position, but 10' south is NGC 4665. In the 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, Dreyer comments "Neither H nor h nor d'Arrest saw more than one nebula here, it is therefore = I-142 [NGC 4665] with an error of 10' in PD." The star mentioned in the observation clinches the identification. So, NGC 4664 = NGC 4665. Although NGC 4664 is an earlier observation (I-142 was found on 30 Apr 1786), the modern designation is NGC 4665. NGC 4624 may be another observation of this galaxy (see that entry).

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NGC 4665 = NGC 4664 = NGC 4624: = UGC 7924 = MCG +01-33-005 = CGCG 043-018 = PGC 42970

12 45 06.1 +03 03 21

V = 10.5; Size 3.8'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (3/24/90): bright, moderately large, oval NNW-SSE, prominent core. A mag 15 star is at the NNW end 1.2' from center. Located 1.7' NE of a mag 10 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4665 = H I-142 = h1419 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and recorded "cB, pL, iR, gmbM. His position matches UGC 7924 = PGC 42970. JH logged (first of two sweeps) "B; not vL; vsbM; has a * 10m 45° sp at 1' distance." NGC 4664 = H II-30 is a duplicate (earlier) observation, but he made a 10' error in the north polar distance. And JH's h1390 = NGC 4624 may also be another observation of this galaxy.

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NGC 4666 = UGC 7926 = MCG +00-33-008 = CGCG 015-015 = Holm 453a = PGC 42975

12 45 08.5 -00 27 42

V = 10.7; Size 4.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 42d

17.5" (2/28/87): very bright, edge-on 4:1 SW-NE, fairly large, 4'x1', very bright core, mottled and streaky appearance. A close trio of mag 11-13 stars lies 5' SE. Forms a pair with NGC 4668 8' SE, which follows the triple star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4666 = H I-15 = h1420 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "E from sp to nf, seems to contain bright places in the middle; it is not cometic, but appears to be resolvable. It resembles the two foregoing nebula [NGC 4666 and NGC 4592] but is narrower." JH logged "pB; mE; psbM; pos 45° nf or sp." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4667 = NGC 4638? = UGC 7880 = MCG +02-32-187 = CGCG 070-230 = CGCG 071-006 = PGC 42728

12 42 47.4 +11 26 32

See observing notes for NGC 4638. Identification suggested by Harold Corwin.

John Herschel found NGC 4667 = h1421 on 23 Mar 1830 and logged "B; S; R; psbM; 15"." There are no bright galaxies near his position, but Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4667 is probably a duplicate observation of NGC 4638, which is 2 min 30 sec of RA west of JH's position. Due to its poor position, Reinmuth, Frost, d'Arrest and Vogel all reported NGC 4667 as not found.

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NGC 4668 = UGC 7931 = MCG +00-33-009 = CGCG 015-016 = Holm 453b = PGC 42999

12 45 31.9 -00 32 10

V = 13.1; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 5d

17.5" (2/28/87): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S. Forms a pair with NGC 4666 7.4' NW. A triple star is 3.0' due west consisting of mag 11.5/13/13.5 stars at 20" separation between the closer pairs.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4668 = H III-663 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and logged "vF, S, iF." d'Arrest made two observations and mentioned the triple star that preceded by 12 sec in RA.

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NGC 4669 = UGC 7925 = MCG +09-21-038 = CGCG 270-018 = LGG 300-002 = PGC 42942

12 44 46.8 +54 52 33

V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 177d

24" (5/30/16): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.3', small brighter core. Mag 9.7 HD 238159 is 3.0' ENE.

UGC 7905 = VV 708, located 8' WNW of NGC 4669, is a disturbed, interacting system with tidal tails extending from both galaxies. The pair is oriented SSW to NNE with centers separated by 35". At 225x, the southwest member (Mrk 220) appeared fairly faint, small, high surface brightness, roundish, 18" diameter. The northeast component (Mrk 221) appeared faint, fairly small, 18", low surface brightness. Only the central region was seen and I missed the tidal tail extending to the north and east. This pair was discovered by Dreyer, but didn't receive an NGC designation due to a misidentification.

18" (6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.7'x0.35', fairly low nearly even surface brightness. Located 3.0' W of mag 9.8 SAO 28505 in a group (LGG 300) of 6 NGC galaxies. NGC 4675 lies 10.5' SE and NGC 4646 is 16' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4669 = H III-778 = GC 5668 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "cF, S, E." My re-reduced position (with respect to 77 UMa) is 1.5' northeast of UGC 7925. He reobserved this galaxy on 24 Mar 1791 (sweep 1001). JH mistakenly equated H III-778 with GC 3206 (NGC 4675). Dreyer observed NGC 4669 on 25 Apr 1878 at Birr Castle (noting "F, S, E n-s"), but referred to it as GC 3206 and he repeated this error in the NGC. In the same observation, Dreyer clearly observed UGC 7905 (pair described as "biN in pos 16.5°, dist 44"), but UGC 7905 didn't receive a NGC designation as he assumed it was NGC 4669!

Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered NGC 4669 on 10 Dec 1866 and noted a mag 10-11 star followed by 21.5 seconds of time, confirming the identification with UGC 7925. Although Dreyer attributed d'Arrest with the discovery in the NGC, he equated H III-778 with NGC 4669 in his 1912 NGC Correction list.

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NGC 4670 = Arp 163 = UGC 7930 = Haro 9 = MCG +05-30-072 = CGCG 159-069 = PGC 42987

12 45 17.0 +27 07 31

V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, bright core, almost stellar nucleus. Located 4.5' W of mag 9 SAO 82478. Forms a pair with NGC 4673 5.6' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4670 = H III-328 = h1422, along with NGC 4673, on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "F, S." JH made four observations, calling this galaxy "B", "pB" and "F".

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NGC 4671 = MCG -01-33-004 = Mrk 1334 = PGC 43029

12 45 47.6 -07 04 11

V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 141d

18" (4/9/05): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Gradually increases to a very small brighter core, symmetrical appearance.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4671 = H II-774 = h1423 on 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) and logged "pB, S, mbM, iR." His position matches PGC 43029. JH made the single observation "F; R; psbM."

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NGC 4672 = ESO 322-073 = MCG -07-26-041 = PGC 43073

12 46 15.5 -41 42 23

V = 13.2; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 134d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, slightly brighter along the major axis, broad weak concentration. A group of five stars is south and southwest including a mag 11.8 star 3.5' S and a mag 12.3 star 2.4' SE. NGC 4672 is a member of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526) with NGC 4677 11' NE, NGC 4645 24' WSW and NGC 4696D 24' E.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4672 = h3416 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R; vgbM." He later added the noted "Right reduced. See No. 3413." His position matches ESO 322-073 = PGC 43073, a polar ring galaxy.

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NGC 4673 = UGC 7933 = MCG +05-30-073 = CGCG 159-070 = Mrk 656 = PGC 43008

12 45 34.6 +27 03 38

V = 12.9; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 170d

17.5" (3/20/93): faint, small, round, bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located 4.1' S of mag 8.9 SAO 82478 which forms the vertex of an isosceles right triangle with NGC 4673 and NGC 4670 5.6' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4673 = H III-329 = h1424, along with NGC 4670, on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "vF, S. Goes in the field with the former [NGC 4670]." JH made three observations, although his positions were not very accurate.

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NGC 4674 = MCG -01-33-005 = PGC 43050

12 46 03.5 -08 39 19

V = 13.1; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 119d

18" (4/9/05): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5'. At first I only noticed the brighter 0.4' core, but with averted vision the fainter extensions were visible. Located 9' ENE of mag 9 HD 110901 at the edge of the 225x field.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4674 = h3417 on 5 May 1836 and recorded "vF; R: glbM; 30"." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4675 = UGC 7935 = MCG +09-21-039 = CGCG 270-019 = LGG 300-010 = PGC 42998

12 45 31.9 +54 44 15

V = 14.4; Size 1.3'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 97d

18" (6/28/03): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 0.9'x0.3', weak concentration. A mag 11 star lies 3.9' SE. Located between NGC 4669 10.5' NW and NGC 4686 15' SE in a large group of NGC galaxies (NGC 4644/69/75/86/95 are all collinear in a one degree string).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4675 = H II-795 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "vF, vS." My re-reduced position (with respect to 77 UMa) is 1' northeast of UGC 7935, so this identification is certain. JH mistakenly identified this galaxy as III-778 (which applies to NGC 4669) in the GC and Dreyer followed in the NGC. d'Arrest also measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4676 = The Mice = Arp 242 = VV 224 = IC 819/820 = UGC 7938/7939 = MCG +05-30-076/077 = CGCG 159-072 = Holm 459a/b = PGC 43062/43065

12 46 10.7 +30 43 38

V = 13.0; Size 2.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 0d

24" (5/22/17): the interacting "Mice" duo (Arp 242 = VV 224) was observed at 375. IC 819 = NGC 4676A is the slightly fainter northwest component. At 375x it appeared faint to fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 15" diameter. The tidal tail was easily seen as a straight thin extension due north, so the combined galaxy/tail extended ~60"x10". The tail has only a slightly lower surface brightness than the "head" (core of the galaxy). IC 820 = NGC 4676 is the slightly brighter southeast member. It appeared fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, very small brighter nucleus, 20" diameter. With averted vision the there was a strong hint of haze on the south side, but its tidal tail wasn't seen. The cores of the pair are separated by just 38" between centers.

48" (4/6/13): fascinating interacting pair consisting of IC 819 (NNW component) and IC 820 (slightly brighter SSE component), separated by 40" between centers. At 375x and 488x in soft seeing, IC 819 appeared fairly bright, small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 24"x16", high surface brightness. IC 820 was bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 30"x20", high surface brightness, increased to a small, very bright nucleus. The two galaxies are connected or surrounded by a low surface brightness bridge. IC 819 has a remarkable bright, long thin tidal tail shooting due north! The tail has a high surface brightness (brightest feature of this type I've observed in any galaxy) and extends roughly 80"x8", dimming at the north end and ending just east of a mag 17.3 star. IC 820 has a small, low surface brightness halo on its south side, but its tail to the south was not clearly resolved.

17.5": the northwest member (IC 819) of the interacting pair "The Mice" appeared faint, small, low surface brightness, elongated N-S. NGC 4676B = IC 820, the southeast member of the pair was slightly brighter and appeared faint, small, round with a small bright core. The thin "tails" of the the Mice extending north and south were not seen.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4676 = H II-326 = h1425 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and noted "F, mE in the meridian [N-S]." JH made the single observation "eF; query if not bicentral; sky perfectly clear". So he was uncertain if there were two components and no observations were made at Birr Castle. Rudolf Spitaler resolved the two component, IC 819 and IC 820, on 20 Mar 1892 with the 27" refractor at the Vienna observatory.

In a 1957 paper, Vorontsov-Velyaminov named this class of objects "mice" and the nickname was used in the Burbidge's 1959 paper "Some Interconnected Multiple Extragalactic Nebulae".

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NGC 4677 = ESO 322-078 = MCG -07-26-044 = LGG 298-043 = PGC 43127

12 46 57.0 -41 34 58

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 167d

18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.4'. Gradually increases to a small bright core and quasi-stellar nucleus. Located in the core of the Centaurus cluster 26' SW of NGC 4696.

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, oval N-S, low even surface brightness. Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4677 = h3418 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; lE; vgbM." His position is just off the south end of ESO 322-078 = PGC 43127.

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NGC 4678 = IC 824 = MCG -01-33-018 = PGC 43385

12 49 41.9 -04 34 46

V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.5'; PA = 85d

18" (4/30/11): faint, but easily picked as a small glow, elongated 3:2 E-W, 25"x15". A mag 15 star lies 30" ESE of center. I kept having the impression that I was resolving a very faint star or nearly stellar galaxy that was attached and the SDDS image reveals this is a double system (oreinted E-W) with two nuclei encased in a common halo, comfirming my impression.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4678 = LM II-456 in 1886 and recorded "mag 15.5, 0.1' dia, R, neb?; * follows 2 sec." There is nothing anywhere near his position. But exactly 3.0 min of RA east is IC 824 and a mag 15 stars follows by 2 sec, so despite the poor position, this identification is certain. Stephane Javelle found IC 824 on 15 May 1893 and placed it accurately.

Because of the bad position, RNGC classifies NGC 4678 as nonexistent and MCG labels this galaxy IC 824, though NGC 4678 should be the primary designation. This is either a merged double system with two nuclei or a bright knot is at the west end.

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NGC 4679 = ESO 322-082 = MCG -06-28-018 = LGG 305-014 = PGC 43170

12 47 30.1 -39 34 17

V = 12.4; Size 2.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 4d

18" (3/28/09): at 175x appeared very faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.7', low surface brightness. Located 5.5' NNE of mag 8.8 HD 111142 and 21' NW of mag 8.1 HD 111373. A distinctive group of stars including 3 in a string is in the field to the NW. This galaxy resides 1.8 degrees north of NGC 4696 on the north end of AGC 3526.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4679 = h3419 on 22 Apr 1835 and recorded "eeF, pL, R, 60" (No doubt)." His position is 15 sec of RA west of ESO 322-082 = PGC 43170.

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NGC 4680 = MCG -02-33-007 = PGC 43118

12 46 54.7 -11 38 10

V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 45d

17.5" (3/29/89): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated. Unusual appearance as the galaxy appears to fan out from a mag 12 star embedded at the east edge.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4680 = h3420 on 27 May 1835 and recorded "eF; S; has one or two small stars entangled in it." His position and description matches MCG -02-33-007 = PGC 43118. Herbert Howe noted "a star of mag 11 follows the nebula 1 second, 0.1' south."

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NGC 4681 = ESO 268-040 = MCG -07-26-046 = PGC 43166

12 47 28.7 -43 20 05

V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 4:3 or 5:4 N-S, ~40"x32", fairly high surface brightness, gradually increases to a very small bright core and stellar nucleus. A number of bright stars are scattered in the field: mag 7.8 HD 111073 is 6' NW, mag 8.8 HD 111266 is 10' E, mag 9.2 HD 111019 is 9.2' WNW, a mag 10.2 star is 3' NE and more. In addition a mag 13.8 star is just off the south side [50" from center].

John Herschel discovered NGC 4681 = h3421 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded, "pF; S; R; gbM; 15"." His position matches MCG -07-26-046 = PGC 43166. MCG fails to label MCG -07-26-046 as NGC 4681.

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NGC 4682 = MCG -02-33-008 = PGC 43147

12 47 15.5 -10 03 48

V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 85d

17.5" (3/23/85): fairly large, very diffuse, elongated ~WSW-ENE, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is off the NE edge 1.5' from center. The NGC 4658/NGC 4663 pair is located 35' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4682 = H III-523 = h3423 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded "vF, E from sp to nf, 3 or 4' l, near 3' br." JH called this galaxy "pF; E; gvlbM; 45" l." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4683 = ESO 322-083 = MCG -07-26-047 = LGG 298-014 = PGC 43182

12 47 42.2 -41 31 42

V = 12.7; Size 1.4'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d

18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.5'x0.3', moderate concentration with a 10" core. A mag 14.5 star is off the SE end and a mag 13 star lies 1.0' SW. Located 18' SW of NGC 4696 in the core of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4683 = h3422 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R; vgbM; 60"; nf a small stars. His position is 1.7' due south of ESO 322-083 = PGC 43182.

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NGC 4684 = UGC 7951 = MCG +00-33-011 = CGCG 015-019 = PGC 43149

12 47 17.5 -02 43 38

V = 11.4; Size 2.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 23d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE, brighter along the major axis, bright core. A mag 14 star is off the NNE tip 0.8' from center and a mag 15.5 star is following the SSW end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4684 = H II-181 = h1426 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 912) and logged "pF, pL, E, r." JH made the single observation "B; not vL; pmE; pgbM." and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4685 = UGC 7954 = MCG +03-33-004 = CGCG 100-007 = PGC 43143

12 47 11.4 +19 27 51

V = 12.6; Size 1.6'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 158d

18" (5/15/04): fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.3'. Sharply concentrated with a 0.3'x0.2' core which increases to a stellar nucleus. The small, dim halo is very faint and required averted vision. Situated between mag 10 SAO 10025 4.8' SW and a mag 13 star 3.8' NE.

18" (4/10/04): fairly faint, very small (viewed core only), 20" diameter. Fairly high surface brightness with a sharp, mag 14 stellar nucleus which easily stands out.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4685 = H III-398 = h1427 on 27 Apr 1785 (sweep 403) and noted "vF, vS, r." JH made three observations calling this object (sweep 61) "pB; S; resolved or resolvable. Has a star in centre." His mean position is accurate and d'Arrest's is withing a few arcsec of center.

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NGC 4686 = UGC 7946 = MCG +09-21-044 = CGCG 270-021 = LGG 300-003 = PGC 43101

12 46 39.8 +54 32 03

V = 12.6; Size 2.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 3d

18" (6/28/03): fairly faint, very elongated 3:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.3', fairly sharp concentration with a small bright core. Two mag 14 stars close NE are collinear with the core. In a group of NGC galaxies and between NGC 4695 15' NW and NGC 4695 12' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4686 = H II-795 = h1428 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and logged "pB, cL, BrN, lE." My re-reduced position (with respect to 77 UMa) is within 1' of UGC 7946. JH called it "pB; pbE; vsbM."

On 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001), WH discovered NGC 4695, but assumed it was NGC 4686, so didn't assign it a new internal number. Dreyer, in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH" added the new designation III-985 to refer to NGC 4695, which is referred to as II-795 (which applies to NGC 4675!) by JH in the GC and by Dreyer in the NGC. See notes on NGC 4675.

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NGC 4687 = UGC 7958 = MCG +06-28-031 = CGCG 188-021 = Mrk 442 = LGG 302-002 = PGC 43157

12 47 23.8 +35 21 07

V = 13.2; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4', slightly brighter quasi-stellar nucleus. Forms the SW vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 13 stars 5.7' NE and 5.8' ENE. NGC 4711 lies 17' E.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4687 = h1430 on 11 Mar 1831 and logged "vF; R; psbM; 15".". His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4688 = UGC 7961 = MCG +01-33-013 = CGCG 043-028 = Holm 461a = PGC 43189

12 47 46.4 +04 20 10

V = 11.9; Size 3.2'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.1

17.5" (4/21/90): extremely faint, fairly large, round, very low surface brightness, brighter core. Appears as a hazy region without distinct borders. Located 3.8' E of a mag 10.5 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4688 = H III-543 = h1429 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and noted "eF, pL." JH measured a fairly accurate position and noted "10 sec following a * 9-10 mag." A bright knot on the northwest end appears bright enough to be a visual object.

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NGC 4689 = UGC 7965 = MCG +02-33-022 = CGCG 071-043 = PGC 43186

12 47 45.7 +13 45 45

V = 10.9; Size 4.3'x3.5'; Surf Br = 13.7

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ENE, 3'x2', large diffuse halo, weak concentration, ill-defined brighter core, possible mottling. A pair of mag 11.5/12 stars with separation 1.2' (parallel to the major axis) are located 3.5' N. At 280x, a 1.0' core is more prominent and the outer halo become becomes difficult to view. At low power, forms the northern vertex of a triangle with 28 Comae Berenices (V = 6.6) 14' SSE and mag 8.2 SAO 100258 14' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4689 = H II-128 = h1431 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and logged "L, R, bM, r." JH made 3 observations and measured an accurate (mean) position.

On 29 Apr 1851, LdR assistant Bindon Stoney recorded "vF, gbM, edges fade off. I fancied a dark space p the central portion." A few nights later he noted "F, suspected spiral."

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NGC 4690 = UGC 7964 = MCG +00-33-012 = CGCG 015-021 = PGC 43202

12 47 55.5 -01 39 22

V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 150d

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, very small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, very small bright core is possibly stellar.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4690 = H III-664 on 11 Apr 1787 (sweep 726) and logged "vF, S." His position is 2.5' south-southeast of UGC 7964. No observations were made by JH but d'Arrest made a single observation with an accurate position.

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NGC 4691 = MCG +00-33-013 = CGCG 015-023 = UGCA 299 = PGC 43238

12 48 13.6 -03 19 58

V = 11.1; Size 2.8'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 75d

17.5" (2/28/87): bright, fairly small, oval 2:1 WSW-ENE, brighter along the major axis, small bright core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4691 = H II-182 = h1432 on 22 Apr 1784 (sweep 204) and recorded "pF, pL, E, r." JH made the single observation "B; pmE nearly in the parallel [E-W]; gmbM; 90" l, 60" br." and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4692 = NGC 4702 = UGC 7967 = MCG +05-30-086 = CGCG 159-078 = PGC 43200

12 47 55.3 +27 13 20

V = 12.6; Size 1.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration. Located 7' NNW of mag 8.0 SAO 82502. Three mag 13.5-14 stars forming an equilateral triangle cradle the galaxy off the SW, south and SE sides. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4692 = H II-381 = h1433 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and logged "F, S." JH made three observations and d'Arrest made two observations (and measured an accurate position).

NGC 4702, discovered by d'Arrest, is possibly another observation of this galax (see that number). IC 823, found by Bigourdan on 17 Apr 1885, is the star 1.3' southwest of NGC 4692. UGC, CGCG, MCG and PGC incorrectly equate IC 823 with NGC 4692.

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NGC 4693 = UGC 7962 = MCG +12-12-018 = CGCG 335-023 = Holm 460a = LGG 303-001 = PGC 43141

12 47 09.2 +71 10 34

V = 13.5; Size 2.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 34d

18" (5/8/04): faint, moderately large, edge-on streak 5:1 SW-NE, 1.4'x0.3', broad weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is south of the SSW extension, 1.8' from the center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4693 = H III-906 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and logged "vF, E, about 2' long and 1/2' br." His RA is 40 tsec too small.

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NGC 4694 = UGC 7969 = MCG +02-33-023 = CGCG 071-044 = PGC 43241

12 48 15.1 +10 59 01

V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 140d

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly bright, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.0', overall high surface brightness, faint halo with an abrupt bright core and stellar nucleus. A mag 14.5 star lies 1.3' W of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4694 = H II-72 = h1434 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "S, lE. The 2nd figure of the minutes was in the great hurry forgot to put down; but I suppose it was intended for 31 min." The estimated RA is 1 min too small. JH made up for this by measuring the RA accurately on 6 sweeps.

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NGC 4695 = IC 3791 = UGC 7966 = MCG +09-21-048 = CGCG 270-023 = LGG 300-004 = PGC 43173

12 47 32.1 +54 22 29

V = 13.4; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 80d

18" (6/28/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE, 0.8'x0.4', low even surface brightness. With averted vision the size increases slightly and seems brighter along the major axis. Located 8.5' SW of mag 8.9 SAO 28523 in a galaxy group (furthest SE). NGC 4686 lies 12' NW and last in a one degree chain of 5 NGC galaxies.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4695 = H III-985 = h1435 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1001) and noted "eF, pS." CH's reduced position is 9 sec of RA west of UGC 7966. He mistakenly assumed it was a duplicate observation of NGC 4686 and didn't assign it a new internal number or catalogue designation. The GC and NGC position (from JH) is accurate, although JH and Dreyer mislabeled this object H II-796, which applies to NGC 4686. To correct this mistake, Dreyer added the new designation III-985 in his 1912 "Scientific Papers of WH".

Lewis Swift found this galaxy on 23 May 1897, assumed it was new, and recorded it in discovery list XI-141. His position is 5' north of NGC 4695 and Dreyer recatalogued the galaxy as IC 3791. He mentions "NGC 4732 in field", which is impossible, but Harold Corwin notes he probably was referring to NGC 4686 and NGC 4695 = IC 3791.

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NGC 4696 = ESO 322-091 = MCG -07-26-051 = LGG 298-044 = PGC 43296

12 48 49.2 -41 18 40

V = 10.4; Size 4.5'x3.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 95d

18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 1.8'x1.2'. Gradually increases to a brighter 30" core. The halo reaches a mag 13.5 at the NW edge. This galaxy is the brightest member of the Centaurus cluster and the surrounding rich star field is littered with faint galaxies (18 observed within just 25' and could have observed many more with larger finder charts).

17.5" (4/7/89): brightest galaxy in the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526). Moderately bright, moderately large, oval WNW-ESE, brighter core. A mag 13.5 star is at the NW edge. NGC 4709 lies 15' ESE and NGC 4706 12' E.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4696 = D 511? = h3424 on 7 May 1826 and described a "pretty large faint nebula." His position is 12' too far southeast. It's also possible that D 510 refers to NGC 4696. His description reads "faint nebula, about 12" or 15" diameter, a little brighter to the centre, very faint at the margin." His published position is 15' too far northwest. Neither of these positional discrepancies are unusually large, though one of these numbers may apply to NGC 4706.

JH made the single observation on 5 Jun 1834, "pB; L; R; gbM; 2' resolvable." His position is accurate. JH discovered 16 other galaxies in the Centaurus cluster.

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NGC 4697 = MCG -01-33-010 = UGCA 300 = LGG 314-003 = PGC 43276

12 48 35.8 -05 48 02

V = 9.2; Size 7.2'x4.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d

17.5" (4/21/90): very bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 WSW-ENE. Even concentration in halo, then a very bright intense core. The large halo gradually fades out at edges. A mag 12 star is 2.7' NE of center. Located 35' NNE of mag 6.3 SAO 138967. Visible in the 16x80 finder. Brightest in a large, loose galaxy group (LGG 314) with two dozen members including NGC 4731, 4941, 4948, 4951 and 4958.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4697 = H I-39 = h1436 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and described "vB, vL, iE, mbM but the brightness breaks off abruptly [sharply concentrated] so as almost to resemble a resolvable nucleus consisting of 4 or 5 bright stars. There is however too much moonlight to describe the nebula completely." On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913), he also logged "vB, lE from sp to nf, vgbM, 3 or 4' long, but clouds coming on." He published a sketch in his 1811 paper (Fig. 23) as an illlustration of "nebulae that are suddenly much brighter in the middle."

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NGC 4698 = UGC 7970 = MCG +02-33-024 = CGCG 071-045 = PGC 43254

12 48 23.0 +08 29 16

V = 10.6; Size 4.0'x2.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 170d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, small very bright core. Situated between a mag 11 star at the north edge 2.1' from the center and a mag 10.5 star off the south edge 2.7' from center. Mag 7.7 SAO 119597 lies 6.7' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4698 = H I-8 = H III-6 on 18 Jan 1784 (only object in sweep 87) and simply called III-6 "a nebula of the first class." The RA was only roughly taken in this early sweep and a two degree range for the polar distance. He observed this galaxy again on 15 Apr 1784 and logged "vB, not L, lE, mbM. It is between some pB stars." Again on 1 May 1786 (sweep 560) he noted "cB; cL; between 2 pB stars, gmbM." and CH noted "See I.8."

In Dreyer's 1912 revision of William Herschel's catalogues, he notes "the place [of III-6] agrees sufficiently with that of I-8 (found on 23 Jan 1784), and a sketch also agrees with one of I-8. The identity seems certain, and was assumed to be so by J.H. [in the GC]". The NGC position is 10 tsec following UGC 9790. Schwassmann's corrected RA (based on a Heidelberg plate) in the IC 2 notes is accurate.

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NGC 4699 = MCG -01-33-013 = UGCA 301 = PGC 43321

12 49 02.2 -08 39 52

V = 9.5; Size 3.8'x2.6'; Surf Br = 11.9; PA = 45d

17.5" (4/21/90): very bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, very small intense core with a bright stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4699 = H I-129 = h1437 = h3425 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and recorded "very brilliant, iR, vgmbM." From Slough, JH logged "vB; R; vsmbM to a fine resolvable nucleus, 40" (doubtless a globular cluster)."

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NGC 4700 = MCG -02-33-013 = PGC 43330

12 49 07.8 -11 24 46

V = 11.9; Size 3.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 50d

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, thin edge-on 5:1 SW-NE. A mag 12 star lies 2' W of center. NGC 4708 lies 21' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4700 = H III-524 = h1438 = h3426 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and noted "cF, 4' long and 3/4' broad." His position matches MCG -02-33-013 = PGC 43330. From the Cape of Good Hope, JH logged "pB; mE; vlbM; 30" l; 15" br."

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NGC 4701 = UGC 7975 = MCG +01-33-015 = CGCG 043-034 = PGC 43331

12 49 11.6 +03 23 19

V = 12.4; Size 2.8'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 45d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval SW-NE, weakly concentrated. A small trio of mag 13 stars lie 3.5' N (closest pair 21" separation).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4701 = H II-578 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and noted "F, S." His position matches UGC 7975.

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NGC 4702 = NGC 4692 = UGC 7967 = MCG +05-30-086 = CGCG 159-078 = PGC 43200

12 47 55.3 +27 13 20

See observing notes for NGC 4692.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4702 on 4 Mar 1867 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and described (Latin translation from Corwin) as "Doubtless a very small, very much compressed cluster." There is nothing at his position but exactly 1 min of RA west is NGC 4692. d'Arrest observed and measured this galaxy on two nights, but not on the night he logged NGC 4702. So, Corwin identifies NGC 4702 = NGC 4692.

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NGC 4703 = MCG -01-33-015 = FGC 1504 = PGC 43342

12 49 19.0 -09 06 31

V = 13.7; Size 3.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 156d

18" (4/9/05): very faint edge-on, 4:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.25', low even surface brightness. Located 8' NE of mag 7.6 HD 111384. On the DSS this galaxy looks like a miniature version of NGC 4565 with a bisecting dust lane and bulging core.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4703 = H III-514 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and recorded "eF, vS, E." His position is 5 sec of RA east and 1' south of MCG -01-33-015 = PGC 43342.

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NGC 4704 = UGC 7972 = MCG +07-26-054 = CGCG 216-031 = PGC 43288

12 48 46.4 +41 55 16

V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 105d

18" (3/30/05): faint, fairly small, round, fairly low surface brightness with only a very slightly brighter core which seems offset from the geometric center. Located 6.4' SE of mag 8.6 SAO 44330 and 54' NW of M94.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4704 = H II-662 = h1439 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded "F, S, R, bM." JH made two additional observations.

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NGC 4705 = MCG -01-33-016 = PGC 43350

12 49 25.1 -05 11 46

V = 12.8; Size 3.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 125d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE, brighter middle but no core. A mag 14.5 star is involved at the east edge 0.9' SE of center. Located 5' SSW of mag 8.8 SAO 138982. NGC 4718 lies 19' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4705 = H III-610 = h1440 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted "cF, pL, E." JH made a single observation, though his RA is 17 sec too large. Henrich d'Arrest made two observations and measured an accurate position (given in the NGC).

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NGC 4706 = ESO 323-001 = MCG -07-26-055 = LGG 308-001 = PGC 43411

12 49 54.1 -41 16 47

V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 24d

18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 3:2 SSW-NNE. Fairly well concentrated with a bright 15" core. The halo increases in size to 0.7'x0.4' with averted vision. Located 6.4' NNW of brighter NGC 4709 in the core of the Centaurus cluster. PGC 43402 lies 3.2' NNW.

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small, oval SSW-NNE, low surface brightness. Located 6.4' NNW of NGC 4709 and 12' ENE of brightest member NGC 4696 in the central portion of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4706 = h3427 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; vS; R; psbM; 10"." His position is 1' southeast of E323-001 = PGC 43411.

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NGC 4707 = UGC 7971 = MCG +09-21-050 = CGCG 270-025 = D150 = I Zw 43 = PGC 43255

12 48 23.2 +51 09 48

V = 12.9; Size 2.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 25d

18" (3/30/05): very unusual appearance to this magellanic spiral as all I could detect was a moderately large (~1.5') very low surface brightness glow with no concentration surrounding what appeared to be a mag 13 star.

On the DSS image the galaxy is mostly offset to the west side of the star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4707 = H III-815 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "small, stellar neb." His position (CH's reduction) is 20 tsec east and 1' north of UGC 7971.

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NGC 4708 = MCG -02-33-016 = Holm 463a = PGC 43382

12 49 41.5 -11 05 35

V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 55d

18" (4/9/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, ~0.9'x0.7'. The surface brightness is irregular and the elongation sometimes changes orientation using averted vision. NGC 4700 lies 21' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4708 = H III-722 on 11 Mar 1788 (sweep 819) and logged "F, S, E." His position is 1' south of PGC 43382.

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NGC 4709 = ESO 323-003 = MCG -07-26-056 = LGG 305-006 = PGC 43423

12 50 03.8 -41 22 56

V = 10.9; Size 2.4'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 112d

18" (7/7/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright, fairly small, irregularly round, 0.8'x0.7' diameter. This member of the Centaurus Cluster has a symmetrical appearance and steadily increases to a small, bright core and quasi-stellar nucleus. NGC 4706 lies 6.4' NNW and ESO 322-102 is 5' W ("faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.2', very weak concentration".

NGC 4709 is located 14' ESE of NGC 4696 in the core of the Centaurus cluster with many faint galaxies within 10'. It is the brightest member in a subgroup called Cen 45 with a significantly higher recessional velocities, though these galaxies may be streaming and merging with the main cluster.

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W. Four mag 12-13 stars forming a parallelogram are roughly 4' NE. Located 15' ESE of NGC 4696 within the core of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526) and the second brightest member. Forms a pair with MCG -07-26-057 1.2' SE (not seen).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4709 = h3428 on 7 May 1826 and recorded "pB; R; gbM; 30"." (More nebulae hereabouts.)" His position is 1' too far northeast. JH attributed the discovery to James Dunlop. Dunlop's position for D 511 is 6.7' southeast of NGC 4709, though his description "pretty large faint nebula." seems more appropriate for NGC 4696, which is 12' northwest of Dunlop's position.

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NGC 4710 = UGC 7980 = MCG +03-33-009 = CGCG 100-011 = PGC 43375

12 49 38.8 +15 09 55

V = 11.0; Size 4.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 27d

18" (5/14/07): bright, fairly large edge-on, nearly 7:1 SSW-NNE, ~3.5'x0.5' with tapered extensions. The core is small and round, ~25" in diameter. The galaxy is irregular in surface brightness and mottled with a brighter knot near the NNE end. A dust lane appears to slash across the galaxy to the NE of the core. A mag 13 star lies 1.5' E of the core.

17.5" (5/14/94): beautiful edge-on 5:1 SSW-NNE (PA 30°), bright bulging core. Distinctly mottled with an irregular surface brightness and clearly brighter along the NNE extension. A mag 13 star is 1.4' E of center. At 280x, the dimensions are 3.5'x0.6' and the galaxy appears to have a sharper light cut-off along the preceding edge possibly due to dust. Very mottled with a couple of bright and dark patches along the major axis. IC 3806 lies 19' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4710 = H II-95 = h1441 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "pB, vmE. The direction of extent is nearly in the meridian or perhaps about 5 or more degree sp and nf." His position was poor, but JH observed the galaxy twice, noting "vB; vmE; pos = 28.5° by micrometer; bM; 90" long" and measured an accurate position.

A total of 12 observations were made at Birr Castle. On 16 Feb 1855, R.J. Mitchell wrote "vB ray, a dark band across on each side of nucleus, separating it from the extremities." The dark lane was commented on in each observation. On 13 Apr 1876, Dreyer logged "cB, pL, bM, no very defined Nucl, E 28.2°, about 230" long. On both side of Nucl are dark bands. The n end of neb is brighter than s one and the maximum of brightness is about 40" from the end. Maximum in s part is nearer the nucleus. Centre looks a little oval with higher power."

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NGC 4711 = UGC 7973 = MCG +06-28-033 = CGCG 188-022 = IC 3804 = PGC 43286

12 48 45.9 +35 19 58

V = 13.4; Size 1.5'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 40d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, broad weak concentration. NGC 4687 lies 17' W. Located 6.2' W of a mag 7.8 star.

17.5": fairly faint, elongated SW-NE, gradually brighter halo. Located 6.2' WNW of mag 7.7 SAO 63208.

17.5": fairly faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, weak concentration. Located 7' W of mag 8 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4711 = H II-412 = h1443 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and recorded "F, S, E, er." His position is only 4 sec of RA east of UGC 7973. JH's single position is 38 sec of RA too large and he used this erroneous position in the GC as well as by Dreyer in the NGC. Perhaps because of this error, the UGC and CGCG do not label the entries as NGC 4711.

Max Wolf found the galaxy on a Heidelberg plate on 21 Mar 1903, assumed it was new, and Dreyer recatalogued it as IC 3804. So, NGC 4711 = IC 3804. CGCG, UGC, and MCG use the IC desgination, though the primary identity should by NGC 4711. This confusion was noted by Malcolm Thomson as well as Harold Corwin.

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NGC 4712 = UGC 7977 = MCG +04-30-021 = CGCG 129-025 = Holm 468b = PGC 43368

12 49 34.2 +25 28 12

V = 12.8; Size 2.5'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 160d

13.1" (5/26/84): faint, diffuse, very elongated ~N-S, even surface brightness. Located 11.9' WSW of NGC 4725.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4712 = h1442 on 28 Mar 1832 and noted "vF; pL." His position matches UGC 7977 = PGC 43368.

On 9 Mar 1850, George Stoney or LdR logged NGC 4725 as "another spiral. Another neb 15' p." The other nebula is NGC 4712, though it was assumed to be new and received the designation GC 3241 (LdR nova). Dreyer combined the two GC designations in the NGC. R.J. Mitchell sketched the galaxy on 17 Feb 1855 (included in LdR's 1861 monograph).

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NGC 4713 = UGC 7985 = MCG +01-33-018 = CGCG 043-041 = PGC 43413

12 49 57.8 +05 18 39

V = 11.7; Size 2.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100d

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly bright, fairly large, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is 2.5' SE and a brighter mag 11.5 star 3.2' SSE. Located 11' NE of mag 7.4 SAO 119609.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4713 = H I-140 = h1444 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "cB, pL, mbM." JH made 4 observations and recorded (sweep 153) "pB; L; lE; 60" l, 50" br; two stars sf; 2' dist."

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NGC 4714 = MCG -02-33-018 = PGC 43442

12 50 19.2 -13 19 28

V = 12.7; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 150d

18" (5/16/09): moderately bright, moderately large, very bright core 20"x15" surrounded by a much fainter elongated halo elongated NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.6'. NGC 4722 lies 18' due east.

18" (5/28/06): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, fairly high surface brightness. Even concentration to center with a fairly faint stellar nucleus. Located 18' SSW of mag 7.3 HD 111581.

18" (4/9/05): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. There appears to be a small, much fainter envelope so my description probably applies to a sharply concentrated core with a very low surface brightness halo.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4714 = H III-536 = h1445 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and noted "eF, stellar." His position matches MCG -02-33-018 = PGC 43442. JH made two observations and noted (sweep 352) "pF; S; R; gbM; 12"."

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NGC 4715 = UGC 7986 = MCG +05-30-096 = CGCG 159-085 = PGC 43399

12 49 57.8 +27 49 20

V = 13.1; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 20d

18" (5/8/04): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter, weak even concentration to a small brighter core. A mag 13/14.5 double at 28" separation lies 4' S. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4715 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured twice) matches UGC 7986 = PGC 43399. Listed as #266 in his AN 1537 discovery list.

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NGC 4716 = MCG -01-33-021 = KTS 46A = LGG 312-004 = PGC 43464

12 50 33.1 -09 27 04

V = 12.9; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 80d

18" (4/9/05): fairly faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. Forms a double system with NGC 4717 just 0.8' SSE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4716 = T V-19, along with NGC 4717, on 12 Apr 1882 with the 11-inch Amici I refractor at Arcetri Observatory near Florence. His description in the main table reads "Double nebula; the position is that of the brighter, north preceding [NGC 4716], has a definite stellar nucleus. The small, fainter companion [NGC 4717] follows by 1 sec and is barely 3/4' south. A star 11-12m is 2' north." His micrometric position is an exact match with MCG -01-33-021 = PGC 43464.

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NGC 4717 = MCG -01-33-023 = KTS 46C = LGG 312-002 = Holm 466a = PGC 43467

12 50 34.4 -09 27 47

V = 13.2; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 12d

18" (4/9/05): faint, fairly small, elongated N-S, 0.7'x0.3'. Forms an 0.8' double system with NGC 4716 off the north side. MCG -01-33-022, a low surface brightness edge-on, lies 3.5' S (not noticed).

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4717 = T V-19, along with NGC 4716, on 12 Apr 1882 . See his description under NGC 4716.

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NGC 4718 = MCG -01-33-020 = PGC 43463

12 50 32.6 -05 16 56

V = 13.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 95d

17.5" (4/4/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, low even surface brightness, collinear with a mag 13.5 star 2.9' W and mag 12 star 2.0' E. NGC 4718 lies 19' WNW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4718 = h1446 on 19 Feb 1830 and logged "eF; vS; between 2 stars 5' asunder." His position and description matches MCG -01-33-020 = PGC 43463. See Harold Corwin's identification notes for IC 825.

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NGC 4719 = UGC 7987 = MCG +06-28-035 = CGCG 188-024 = Mrk 446 = PGC 43428

12 50 08.7 +33 09 33

V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.6

17.5": faint, small, round, sharp stellar nucleus, small halo.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4719 = H III-424 = h1448 on 3 May 1785 (sweep 407) and noted "vF, stellar or a little larger." His position (CH's reduction) is 2.5' southeast of UGC 7987 = PGC 43428. JH called it "eF; easily mistaken for a * 15m." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4720 = MCG -01-33-024 = PGC 43478

12 50 42.7 -04 09 21

V = 14.2; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 120d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, small, round, weak concentration, fairly high even surface brightness. Located 3.7' SW of a mag 10 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4720 = H III-611 = h1447 on 22 Feb 1787 (sweep 706) and noted "Suspected, vF, S. I did not stop to verify it." Nevertheless, his position is accurate and was verified on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709).

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NGC 4721 = MCG +05-30-097 = CGCG 159-086 = PGC 43437

12 50 19.9 +27 19 26

V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 114d

18" (4/10/04): faint, small edge-on WNW-ESE, 0.6'x0.2', very small brighter nucleus. Forms a pair with brighter NGC 4721, 6.8' NNE. A mag 11 star lies 3.6' NNE, midway between NGC 4721 and NGC 4728.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4721 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single measurement is accurate.

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NGC 4722 = MCG -02-33-031 = IC 3833 = PGC 43560

12 51 32.3 -13 19 48

V = 12.9; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 35d

18" (5/16/09): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.5'. Contains a round bright core that increases to the center with direct vision.

17.5" (3/16/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.4', small bright core. A mag 14 star lies 1.1' E of center. In field with NGC 4748 11' SE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4722, along with NGC 4723, in 1882, and reported it in the narrative portion of paper V (AN 2439). He simply noted "Following [NGC 4714] are two class III nebulae that I sketched, but could not yet measure." The position in the NGC (estimated by Dreyer) is 0.7 min of RA west of MCG -02-33-031 = PGC 43560, the brightest galaxy east of NGC 4714. So, this is very likely one of the two galaxies seen by Tempel.

Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 15 Apr 1895 and reported it as B 302 = IC 3833 with an accurate position, so the IC identification is certain. Herbert Howe searched the field in 1898 with the 20" refractor in Denver looking for NGC 4722/4723 and reported finding only a single nebula. His position (given in the IC 2 Notes section) matches IC 3833. See notes for NGC 4723 and Harold Corwin's identification notes for the full story.

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NGC 4723 = MCG -02-33-026 = Holm 471a = PGC 43508 = PGC 43510

12 51 02.9 -13 14 13

V = 14.2; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 40d

18" (5/15/10): at 220x appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, requires averted to glimpse and too faint for any noticeable structure. A mag 15 star lies 34" NW. Located 9' NW of NGC 4722 and 12' NE of NGC 4714.

18" (5/16/09): not seen.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4723, along with NGC 4722, in 1882, and reported it in the narrative portion of paper V (AN 2439). He simply noted "Following [NGC 4714] are two class III nebulae that I sketched, but could not yet measure." One of these is likely IC 3833 = PGC 43560, which is 1.2 min of RA following NGC 4714, and NGC 4722 is equated with this galaxy. Herbert Howe could only find this object when he searched the field, so the identification of the second galaxy is very uncertain.

One possibility is the second galaxy is MCG -02-33-026 (RNGC and PGC equate NGC 4723 with this galaxy), located 9' northwest of IC 3833, though it may be too faint to have been picked up by Tempel. MCG does not label their catalogue entry as NGC 4723. Another possibility is the second galaxy is a reobservation of NGC 4848, located 11' southeast of IC 3833. Finally, a third possibility is MCG -02-033-024, located 11' southwest of IC 3833. As

The identification here is the one used in the NGC and PGC, but as Harold Corwin comments "It's clear, though, that we do not (yet) know which nebulae Tempel found."

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NGC 4724 = MCG -02-33-022 = Holm 470b = PGC 43494

12 50 53.8 -14 19 54

V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 95d

18" (5/16/09): faint, very small, round, faint stellar nucleus (or a star is superimposed). Forms a contact pair off the west side of brighter NGC 4727 (50" between center). Two mag 12 stars in an obtuse, isosceles triangle to the north are collinear with the pair.

18" (4/9/05): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Contains a faint, quasi-stellar nucleus. Located just off the west side of larger and brighter NGC 4727!

William Herschel discovered NGC 4724 = H III-280 = h1449 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded "About half a minute preceding [NGC 4727] is a vS star which I strongly suspect to be stellar, but could not verify it with 240." His position is on NGC 4727. JH made the single observation "F; R: the np of two, 1' distant."

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NGC 4725 = UGC 7989 = MCG +04-30-022 = CGCG 129-027 = Holm 468a = PGC 43451

12 50 26.3 +25 30 03

V = 9.4; Size 10.7'x7.6'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 35d

18" (5/12/07): very impressive spiral structure visible. Two arms emerge from the very bright oval core. One arm is attached at the northeast end of the core and sweeps to the north before hooking back to the west. Three faint stars are superimposed along this arm. A second broader arm is attached at the southwest end of the core. This arms heads south before hooking towards the east. Both arms have brighter patches or arcs near the ends of the major axis.

13.1" (5/26/84): very bright, impressive, very small bright core, elongated SW-NE, large halo. Structure is suspected with the WSW edge possibly brighter. NGC 4712 lies 12' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4725 = H I-84 = h1451 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and recorded "cB, iR, 7 or 8' the longest way, the brightness confined to a small spot; the rest being milky nebulosity."

Spiral structure was discovered at Birr Castle and NGC 4725 was included in the list of "Spiral or curvilinear" nebulae in LdR's 1850 PT paper. On 9 Mar 1850, Johnstone Stoney noted "Another spiral". The following February, Bindon Stoney logged "Spiral, 2 arms and some stars in following arm." AOn 15 Apr 1858, R.J. Mitchell wrote "vL and vB. The centre itself it like an E neb with Nucl; the centre is enveloped is an irr ring or rings of nebulous light as in the accompaning rude sketch, which does not contain all the details. On 3 May 1858, he added "The surrounding ring of nebulosity is of irregular shape, it curves gently at delta (south preceding end) but bends more sharply at gamma (north following end), where it is brightest. The centre seems to reach up to and to blend with the nebulosity at delta."

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NGC 4726 = PGC 926789

12 50 46.1 -14 16 07

Size 1.0'x0.2'; PA = 76d

18" (5/16/09): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated, 15"x12". Based on this description I only viewed the core region of this thin edge-on. Located 1.2' SSE of a mag 12 star and 4.5' NW of the NGC 4724/4727 duo. The identification of this NGC number is uncertain and most other sources equate it with IC 3834.

IC 3834 appeared faint, small, round, low even surface brightness. A mag 15 star lies 43" W of center. Located 11' NE of the NGC 4727/4724 pair.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4726 in 1882. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he mentions "4' further north of the beautiful double nebula [NGC 4724/4727] is a fainter companion." Dreyer's position is 4' north of the midpoint of NGC 4724 and 4727. PGC 926789 is situated 4.5' north-northwest of the pair and the only galaxy in the vicinity. But is it too faint to have been picked up by Tempel with the 11-inch refractor at Arcetri Observatory? Possibly, so this identification is uncertain.

Herbert Howe searched unsuccessfully for this object at the NGC position in 1899 with the 20-inch refractor in Denver. But on two nights he measured an object which I assumed was NGC 4726. His position (repeated in the IC 2 Notes) matches IC 3834 = PGC 43559, a much brighter galaxy discovered by Bigourdan on 14 Apr 1895 and recorded as B. 303. This galaxy is nearly 11' northeast of NGC 4724/4727, so certainly is not the object mentioned by Tempel. But based on Dreyer's erroneous "corrected" position, modern catalogues (with the exception of NED) identify IC 3834 as NGC 4726.

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NGC 4727 = NGC 4740: = MCG -02-33-023 = Holm 470a = PGC 43499

12 50 57.2 -14 19 58

V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d

18" (5/16/09): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 4:3 WNW-ESE, 0.7'x0.5', broad, weak concentration with no core but contains a quasi-stellar brighter nucleus with direct vision. Forms a close contact pair with NGC 4724 barely off the west side.

18" (4/9/05): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.8'x0.6', broad concentration with a slightly irregular surface brightness though no defined core or nucleus. Forms a close, striking pair with NGC 4724 just 50" between centers. The V magnitude appears brighter than listed (13.6).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4727 = H II-298 = h1450, along with NGC 4724, on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded "F, pL, lbM." His position is a very good match with the brighter, eastern component of this close pair. JH made a single observation, noting "F; R; the sf and brighter of 2, dist 1'."

NGC 4740, found by Lewis Swift, is probably a duplicate observation. See that number for more.

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NGC 4728 = MCG +05-30-098 = CGCG 159-087 = Holm 469a = PGC 43455

12 50 28.0 +27 26 05

V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 108d

18" (4/10/04): faint, small, round, 20" diameter, no noticeable concentration. Forms the north vertex of a thin triangle with a mag 11 star 3.3' S and a mag 13 star 3.8' SSW. Another 3.6' S of the mag 11 star is NGC 4721 (6.8' SSW). Located 18' WSW of mag 4.9 31 Comae Berenices and a similar distance ESE of mag 5.8 30 Comae!

17.5" (3/20/93): faint, small, round, even surface brightness. A mag 11 star is 3.3' SSW. This outlying member of AGC 1656 forms a trio with NGC 4728A = UGC 7992 2' ESE and NGC 4728B 3.5' NNE. NGC 4745 lies 13' E. Located 18' SE of 30 Comae Berenices (V = 5.8) and 17' SW of 31 Comae (V = 4.9). The CGCG magnitude =15.6z is too faint.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4728 on 3 Mar 1867 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured on two consecutive nights, is accurate. This is the brightest of three with (R)NGC 4728A = UGC 7992 at 2.2' ESE and (R)NGC 4728C at 3.6' NNE.

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NGC 4729 = ESO 323-016 = MCG -07-27-002 = A1248-40 = LGG 298-018 = PGC 43591

12 51 46.2 -41 07 57

V = 12.3; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small, oval NW-SE. A mag 13 star is 1.0' N. Forms a close pair with NGC 4730 2.8' ESE. Located within the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526). Misidentified in the RNGC as ESO 323-008.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4729 = h3430, along with NGC 4730 = h3431, on 8 Jun 1834. He only gave a single approximate position (nearest min of RA and nearest min of dec, both marked as +/-), although he mentions in his observation of NGC 4744 on the same sweep that this pair was to its southwest. ESO 323-016 and ESO 323-017 are 5' and 8' southeast of JH's rough position, and these are the two brightest galaxies southwest of NGC 4744. Harold Corwin mentions that Ron Buta and Andris Lauberts first suggested NGC 4729 = ESO 323-016 and NGC 4730 = ESO 323-017 and these identifications are used in the ESO.

MCG does not label its two entries as NGC 4729 and 4730. RNGC misidentifies ESO 323-008 as NGC 4729. See Corwin's identificiation notes for the full story.

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NGC 4730 = ESO 323-017 = MCG -07-27-003 = PGC 43611

12 52 00.5 -41 08 49

V = 12.9; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small. A star lies off the south edge. Forms a close pair with NGC 4749 2.8' WNW. Member of the Centaurus Cluster (AGC 3526). Misidentified in the RNGC as ESO 323-009.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4730 = h3431, along with NGC 4729 = h3430, on 8 Jun 1834. See notes for NGC 4729.

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NGC 4731 = MCG -01-33-026 = UGCA 302 = Holm 472a = LGG 314-005 = PGC 43507

12 51 01.0 -06 23 33

V = 11.5; Size 6.6'x3.2'; Surf Br = 14.6; PA = 85d

48" (4/2/11): this is an amazing stretched barred spiral with a long, thin central bar oriented NW-SE and long extensions (spiral arms) at the northwest end gently curving west, along with one at the southeast end of the bar extending east. The entire galaxy forms a very distinctive integral sign outline, stretching 5' E-W! The bar is very bright and very elongated, ~4:1 NW-SE, 1.6'x0.4'. The arm on the east side is slightly brighter and longer. It seems to fan out and become patchy near the end. A 15th magnitude star is at or just beyond the tip. The western arm curves gradually to the south and faint haze extends from the arm to the south increasing the total size. A mag 14 star is just south of the bar and a small triangle of fainter stars is north of the bar. A faint, very small HII knot (NGC 4731:[HK83] 21/22) is squeezed between the triangle of stars and the bar.

NGC 4731A was picked up 10' SSE and appeared moderately bright and large, irregularly round, ~0.6' diameter, broad concentration, brightens gradually to the center. A faint star or knot at the SW edge was not noticed in a quick observation at 375x.

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, fairly small, round, weak concentration, diffuse. A mag 10.5 star is 4' N. Pair with NGC 4731A 10' NNW.

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly faint, large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, low even surface brightness. A mag 14 star is just south of the nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4731A = MCG -01-33-027 10.5' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4731 = H I-41 = h1452 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "B, L, lbM, irr figure, resolvable." JH made the single observation "vF; pL; E; third class; sky perfectly clear and fine." His position is accurate although Dreyer was concerned about the discrepant descriptions and positions. In the IC I notes he remarked "H in 1784 described it as "lbM" not "sb M: as in GC. There has apparently not been any change; it is diffused, without concentration. The RA in NGC [from JH] is correct (Armagh, 2 observations)."

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NGC 4732 = UGC 7988 = MCG +09-21-053 = CGCG 270-026 = PGC 43430

12 50 07.1 +52 51 00

V = 13.8; Size 1.2'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 8d

18" (7/1/03): faint, small, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.6'x0.3'. Contains a large, brighter middle with faint extensions. A mag 12 star lies 2.3' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4732 = H II-814 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "F, S, very suddenly mbM." CH's reduced position is 2.5' north of UGC 7988.

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NGC 4733 = UGC 7997 = MCG +02-33-028 = CGCG 071-054 = Holm 473a = PGC 43516

12 51 06.8 +10 54 43

V = 11.8; Size 1.9'x1.8'

17.5" (3/28/92): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, weak concentration. A mag 13.5-14 star is 30" off the west edge and 1' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4733 = H II-73 = h1453 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "F, not vS." JH made 5 observations, recording on sweep 22 "F; R: has a * 12m immediately p."

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NGC 4734 = UGC 7998 = MCG +01-33-019 = CGCG 043-045 = PGC 43525

12 51 12.9 +04 51 32

V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 145d

18" (4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.5' diameter, weak concentration. Appears brighter on the north edge or the core is asymmetrical on the north side. Located 33' NE of NGC 4713.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4734 = h1454 on 7 Apr 1828 and noted "vF; vS; R." His position is good.

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NGC 4735 = MCG +05-30-104 = CGCG 159-091 = PGC 43509

12 51 01.7 +28 55 40

V = 14.5; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 95d

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, 0.6'x0.3', very little central brightening. The major axis is collinear with a mag 13.5 star 2.2' W of center which has a mag 15 companion. On line with mag 8.5 SAO 82534 5.8' SE and mag 9 SAO 82535 9.8' SE which detract from viewing. NGC 4738 in field 8.6' SSE.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4735 = Big 56 on 9 May 1885. His position is accurate.

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NGC 4736 = M94 = UGC 7996 = MCG +07-26-058 = CGCG 216-034 = CGCG 217-001 = PGC 43495

12 50 53.0 +41 07 12

V = 8.2; Size 11.2'x9.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 105d

13.1" (4/12/86): very bright, very impressive, fairly large, oval WNW-ESE, very bright core containing a stellar nucleus.

Pierre Méchain discovered M94 = NGC 4736 = h1456 on 22 Mar 1781. William Herschel recorded (sweep 717 on 18 Mar 1787) "very brilliant. A large, luminous nucleus of more than 20" diameter with faint chevulure and branches extending 6 or 8'." Again on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725), he logged "Very brilliant, with much F nebulosity on the sp and more on the following side." JH published 6 observations and noted on sweep 150 "vB; R; psvmbM to a nipple; with 240, r; glimpses of stars seen. A fine object. 90" or 2' in diam."

Bindon Stoney reported it as a new spiral in his observation at Birr Castle on 9 Apr 1852. On 13 Apr 1855, R.J. Mitchell logged "vlE pf, dark ring round the nucleus, the bright ring exterior to this. The annulus, however, is not perfect, but broken up and patchy, and the object will probably run out to be a spiral.

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NGC 4737 = MCG +06-28-036 = CGCG 188-025 = PGC 43490

12 50 52.9 +34 09 24

V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8

17.5": faint, very small, slightly elongated brighter core, faint stellar nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4737 = H III-496 = h1457 on 2 Jan 1786 (sweep 508) and recorded "eF, vS, pmE."

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NGC 4738 = UGC 7999 = MCG +05-30-103 = CGCG 159-092 = FGC 1510 = PGC 43517

12 51 08.9 +28 47 17

V = 13.4; Size 2.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 34d

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, small, very thin edge-on 6:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.2', slightly brighter along major axis. Forms a very close pair with a mag 14.5 star 50" SE of center. NGC 4735 lies 8.6' NNW. Forms the vertex of an isosceles triangle with mag 8.4 SAO 82534 4.9' NNE and mag 9 SAO 82535 5.7' ENE.

Bindon Stoney, LdR's assistant, discovered NGC 4738 = Big 57 on 1 Mar 1851 and simply noted "nova, Nucl, E" and gave a rough position. Guillaume Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 9 Mar 1885 and noted "elongated in PA 30°." The NGC position from Bigourdan is accurate.

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NGC 4739 = MCG -01-33-029 = PGC 43571

12 51 37.1 -08 24 37

V = 12.6; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.3

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly faint, fairly small, round, gradual central brightening, possibly contains faint stellar nucleus. Located 10' NW of mag 8.8 SAO 139005.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4739 = H III-515 = h1455 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and reported "vF, S, E." His position is at the southeast edge of MCG -01-33-029 = PGC 43571.

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NGC 4740 = NGC 4727: = MCG -02-33-023 = PGC 43499

12 50 57.2 -14 19 58

V = 13.0; Size 1.4'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 130d

See observing notes for NGC 4727.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4740 = Sw VI-49 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "pF; pS; R; mbM." There is nothing at this position, but 50 sec of RA west is NGC 4727 and this relatively bright galaxy is a good match in description. The closest galaxy to Swift's position, though, is IC 3834, which is located 6' north and 14 sec of RA preceding. So, there are two possible candidates.

Herbert Howe, examining the area in 1899 with the 20-inch refractor at the Chamberlin Observatory in Denver, commented "I cannot see anything in the NGC place for NGC 4740. Under date of 1899 August 9 Dr. Swift writes, in reply to a query: "I have examined the record of 4740, and find that it was made 1887 April 27, with position 12 46, -13 41. The right ascension is for 1890, the declination for date of discovery. I have no recollection about it." This position agrees so well with NGC 4726 that I assume them to be identical." But Howe couldn't find NGC 4726 at Tempel's location 4' north of NGC 4724/4727 but found IC 3834, which he assumed was NGC 4726.

Malcolm Thomson feels NGC 4740 is IC 3834, but Harold Corwin argues that NGC 4740 is more likely a duplicate observation of NGC 4727.

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NGC 4741 = UGC 8000 = MCG +08-23-098 = CGCG 244-045 = CGCG 245-003 = PGC 43504

12 50 59.5 +47 40 17

V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 165d

18" (7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, broad concentration. Form the west vertex of an equilateral triangle with sides ~3' with a mag 14 star to the NE and a mag 12.5 star to the SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4741 = H III-721 = h1458 on 9 Mar 1788 (sweep 816) and noted "vF, S." JH made the single observation "vF; R; psbM" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4742 = MCG -02-33-032 = UGCA 303 = PGC 43594

12 51 48.0 -10 27 17

V = 11.3; Size 2.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 75d

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, small, bright stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 1.3' SE of center. Situated 9' SE of ∑1682, a bright unequal double star with components 6.4/9.7 at 30". In a group with NGC 4760 20' E and NGC 4781 38' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4742 = H I-133 = h3432 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and logged "cB, vS, BN." His position matches MCG -02-33-032 = PGC 43594. JH described "A star 9m, with a strong burr about of very small extent, diam 10". It is the best specimen of the class of "stellar nebulae" that I remember to have seen."

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NGC 4743 = ESO 323-021 = MCG -07-27-005 = LGG 298-046 = PGC 43653

12 52 16.0 -41 23 26

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 176d

17.5" (4/7/89): very faint, small, elongated N-S. Located 15' S of NGC 4729 and NGC 4744 within the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4743 = h3429 on 8 Jun 1834 and logged "F; R; gbM." His position is accurate, though MCG does not label its entry (MCG -07-27-005) as NGC 4743.

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NGC 4744 = ESO 323-022 = MCG -07-27-006 = LGG 298-019 = PGC 43661

12 52 19.5 -41 03 37

V = 12.6; Size 2.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 122d

17.5" (4/7/89): extremely faint, small, very low surface brightness. Third of three and located about 7' NE of the NGC 4729/NGC 4730 pair within the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4744 = h3433 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "F; L; E; gbM; has two more nebulae preceding, a little to south [NGC 4729 and 4730]." His position is is just off the southeast side of ESO 323-022 = PGC 43661.

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NGC 4745 = MCG +05-30-105A = CGCG 159-094 = Holm 474a = PGC 43539

12 51 26.1 +27 25 16

V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.8'

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, small, round, well-defined edge to halo, no concentration. A mag 14 star is 1.4' ENE of center. The view is hampered by 31 Comae Berenices (V = 4.9) located 8.0' NNE and mag 9 SAO 82532 5.3' SSW. NGC 4728 is at the edge of the field 13' W. There were several brief impressions of an extremely faint companion galaxy 1.7' WNW (NGC 4745B). Outlying member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4745 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His mean position on two nights is at the northeast edge of CGCG 159-094 = PGC 43539. The RC3 mag =15.1V appears too faint.

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NGC 4746 = UGC 8007 = MCG +02-33-029 = CGCG 071-060 = PGC 43601

12 51 55.2 +12 04 59

V = 12.6; Size 3.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 120d

17.5" (3/28/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, weak concentration with no well-defined nucleus. A mag 11 star lies 3.5' WSW and a mag 13 star is 2.3' N of center.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4746 = h1460 on 29 Mar 1830 and logged "pB; mE; r.' His position is just off the south side of UGC 80007 and his description is appropriate.

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NGC 4747 = Arp 159 = UGC 8005 = MCG +04-30-023 = CGCG 129-028 = Holm 468c = PGC 43586

12 51 45.5 +25 46 30

V = 12.3; Size 3.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 30d

13.1" (5/26/84): fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 3'x1', diffuse, low even surface brightness. Located 22' NE of NGC 4725.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4747 = H II-344 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "F; pL; lE." CH's reduction is 1' south of UGC 8005. Although JH recorded nearby NGC 4725, though either missed or didn't look for this object.

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NGC 4748 = MCG -02-33-034 = PGC 43643

12 52 12.6 -13 24 49

V = 13.5; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7

17.5" (3/16/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, very small bright core. Located 3' NNW of a mag 10 star. Pair with similar NGC 4722 11' NW. Appears double on the POSS with smaller component at the north side.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4748 = H III-537 = h1459 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and noted " vF, vS, iF." His position is less than 1' south of MCG -02-33-034 = PGC 43643. JH's position is at the northeast edge of the galaxy.

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NGC 4749 = UGC 8006 = MCG +12-12-020 = CGCG 335-026 = LGG 303-002 = PGC 43527

12 51 12.4 +71 38 05

V = 13.5; Size 1.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 158d

18" (6/28/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, 0.8'x0.3', brighter core. A distinctive "kite" asterism of mag 12-13 stars is close NW. Four mag 8-9 stars are in the 20' field around the periphery including mag 7.9 SAO 7686 at 8.5' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4749 = H III-907 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted "vF, E from np to sf, about 1 1/2' long and 1/2' br." His RA (CH's reduction) is ~ 1.0 tmin too small. Bigourdan measured an accurate position used in the NGC.

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NGC 4750 = UGC 7994 = MCG +12-12-019 = CGCG 335-025 = LGG 303-003 = PGC 43426

12 50 07.2 +72 52 28

V = 11.2; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.5

18" (5/8/04): fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, 1.4'x1.2', well concentrated with a prominent 30" core which increases to a distinct stellar nucleus with direct vision.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4750 = H IV-78 = h1463 on 8 Nov 1801 (sweep 1101) and recorded "cB, R, bM, about 1 1/2' diam. Somewhat approaching to a planetary nebula, with a strong hazy border." JH (probably working with his father's description) made the single observation "pF; L; R; 40"; the central portion up to diam 30" is nearly uniform, so as to give an approach to th appearance of a planetary nebula." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4751 = ESO 323-029 = MCG -07-27-011 = LGG 309-003 = PGC 43723

12 52 50.7 -42 39 36

V = 11.8; Size 3.0'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 175d

18" (3/28/09): this member of AGC 3526 appeared fairly faint, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.0'x0.5', small bright core. Located on the SE side of AGC 3526 (Centaurus cluster) 1.5 degrees SE of NGC 4696 and 30' NW of mag 5.5 HD 112213.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4751 = h3434 on 15 Mar 1836 and recorded "B; R; first vg, then vsbM; 50"." His position matches ESO 323-029 = PGC 43723, although MCG fails to label its entry as NGC 4751.

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NGC 4752 = CGCG 071-058 = PGC 43555

12 51 29.1 +13 46 55

Size 0.9'x0.3'; PA = 154d

18" (5/12/07): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 0.3'x0.2', visible continuously with averted vision. Located 43' SE of 5.7-magnitude 29 Coma. The NGC identification with this galaxy is very uncertain due to a poor position by William Herschel.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4752 = H III-82 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and recorded "vF, S, E, r." There is nothing near his position -- 4.05 min of RA east and 15' south of NGC 4689. Bigourdan searched unsuccessfully for this object.

Harold Corwin suggests that NGC 4752 may refer to CGCG 71-058. This galaxy is 38 sec of RA west and 15' north of WH's position, so this identification is very uncertain, although there are no other good candidates. Karl Reinmuth, using Heidelberg plates, notes "=*12; no nebulosity, *13.5 nf 2.8', S double star sf 3.0'." This mag 12 star is close to the WH's position. Dorothy Carlson, repeated this identification as a star in her 1940 NGC Correction paper, as well as the RNGC.

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NGC 4753 = UGC 8009 = MCG +00-33-016 = CGCG 015-029 = LGG 315-003 = PGC 43671

12 52 22.0 -01 11 58

V = 9.9; Size 6.0'x2.8'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 80d

18" (5/28/06): very bright, very large, the halo increases to a large bright core. The halo appears irregular in shape with averted vision with a strong impression of a low surface brightness extension on the southeast side and a less-defined extension to the northwest. On images, this distorted galaxy has very unusual chaotic, twisted dust lanes and disc, with a much fainter outer halo inclined to the main body.

17.5" (4/21/90): bright, large, oval 2:1 E-W, the halo brightens down to a small very bright core. Overall, an impressive galaxy. Mag 9 SAO 139015 lies 8' ESE and mag 7.8 SAO 13910 is 16' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4753 = H I-16 = h1461 on 22 Feb 1784 (sweep 153) and recorded "a fine nebula, brightest in the M; pL; 4 or 5' extent. It is not quite R, but a little compressed. The middle though vB does not resemble the nucleus of a comet." JH made a single obervation and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4754 = UGC 8010 = MCG +02-33-030 = CGCG 071-062 = Holm 478b = PGC 43656

12 52 17.5 +11 18 50

V = 10.6; Size 4.6'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d

17.5" (4/13/91): bright, fairly small, slightly elongated halo SSW-NNE, 3' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very bright small round core containing a substellar nucleus. Located in the center of a group of six faint mag 14 stars. A brighter mag 11 star lies 3.1' SW of center. Forms a pretty pair with NGC 4762 11' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4754 = H I-25 = H II-74 = h1462 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and noted "B, S, in a line with two stars. CH's reduced position is 18 tsec preceding UGC 8010 and the description nails the identification. The next objects logged are NGC 4754 (again) and NGC 4762 as "Two pB nebula; the preceding [NGC 4754] of them is almost R. The following [NGC 4762] vmE; they are not far from the same parallel and about 8 or 10' distant." Hence the two H-designations.

JH made four observations (noting the equivalence of I-25 and II-74) and six observations were made at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4755 = ESO 131-SC16 = Cr 264 = Jewel Box cluster = Kappa Crucis Cluster

12 53 37 -60 21 24

V = 4.2; Size 10'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, 120-150 stars are resolved in the Jewel Box cluster with careful viewing as a huge number of mag 13-14 stars form a rich carpet in the background of a half-dozen very bright stars in the cluster. Most prominent is a string of three 6-7th magnitude stars including orange-red DU Crucis (V = 7.2-7.7) with the brightest stars forming a letter "A" asterism. The star distribution is very irregular and a number of stars are arranged in strings, loops, pair and triplets. This small naked-eye cluster is just north of the Coalsack and roughly one degree SE of mag 1.3 Mimosa (Beta Crucis).

12" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): the Jewel Box cluster is a beautiful, naked-eye cluster about a degree SE of Beta Crucis. At 186x, the cluster includes a half-dozen very bright stars (mag 6-7.5) set over a rich background of scores of mag 9-13 stars within a compact 10' diameter. A line of three mag 6-7 crosses the center of cluster from NW to SE with a striking orange-red star (DU Crucis = SAO 252073) near the center. Other stars have blue-white and yellow-whites tints, though these are more subdued. To the south of the cluster is the remarkable 6°x4° oval dark Coalsack which sits adjacent to the SE side of the Southern Cross.

Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered NGC 4755 = Lac II-12 = D 301 = h3435 in 1751-1752, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. James Dunlop described "(Kappa Crucis, Bode) is five stars of the 7th magnitude, forming a triangular figure, and a star of the 9th magnitude between the second and the third, with a multitude of very small stars on the south side."

JH first observed the cluster on 14 Mar 1834 and recorded "the central star (extremely red) of a most vivid and beautiful cluster of from 50 to 100 stars. Among the larger there are one or two evidently greenish; south of the red star is one 13th mag, also red; and near it is one 12th mag, bluish." In preparation for his meticulous sketch of the cluster, he drew up a catalogue of 110 stars, accompanied by the following explanation: "Though set down by Lacaille as nebulous, and on that authority entered as a nebula in Bode's Catalogue, no nebula is perceptible in any part of the extent of this cluster, which though neither a large nor a rich one, is yet an extremely brilliant and beautiful object when viewed through an instrument of sufficient aperture to show distinctly the very different colour of its constituent stars, which give it the effect of a superb piece of fancy jewelery. The area occupied by it is about one-forty-eighth part of a square degree, within which area I have laid down, partly from micrometric measures (as regards the large stars) and partly from intertriangulation by the eye (as respects the small ones) the stars (110 in number) of the following catalogue." JH listed eight stars in which the "colour is conspicuous"; 3 are described as "greenish-white, 2 are green, 1 blue-green, 1 red and 1 ruddy.

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NGC 4756 = MCG -02-33-039 = LGG 306-003 = PGC 43725

12 52 52.6 -15 24 48

V = 12.4; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 50d

18" (5/28/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7', broad mild concentration. A mag 14.5-15 star is at the NE edge. Brightest in a cluster superimposed on AGC 1631. A total of 10 galaxies in both clusters were tracked down.

18" (4/29/06): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:3 SW-NE, 1.3'x0.8', broad concentration. Brightest galaxy in a galaxy group superimposed on AGC 1631 and situtated near the center of the cluster. Several faint galaxies are visible in the field including a trio ~8' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4756 = H III-281 = h1464 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted "vF, pS, resolvable." CH's reduction is less than 2' southwest of PGC 43725.

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NGC 4757 = MCG -02-33-040 = PGC 43715

12 52 50.0 -10 18 37

V = 14.3; Size 1.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 58d

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, small, round. An extremely faint star is at the NW edge. Forms a pair with NGC 4766 5' SE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4757, along with NGC 4766, in 1882. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he mentions finding two nebulae about 10' north of Winnecke's GC 5674 [NGC 4760]. Although no positions are given here, they were probably measured and communicated later to Dreyer, as the NGC position is 1.6' south of MCG -02-33-040 = PGC 43715. This galaxy lies 12' north-northwest of NGC 4760.

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NGC 4758 = UGC 8014 = MCG +03-33-015 = CGCG 100-015 = PGC 43707

12 52 44.1 +15 50 54

V = 13.1; Size 3.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 160d

18" (5/30/03): fairly faint, fairly large, very elongated ~3:1 NNW-SSE, 2.2'x0.6'. Fairly low surface brightness, but appears irregular or slightly mottled. A mag 14 star is 40" N of center, just off the eastern flank. Located 17' SSE of mag 6.3 SAO 100312.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4758 = H III-70 = h1465 on 21 Mar 1784 (sweep 182) and noted "vF, not S." CH's reduced position is 6 sec of RA too far west. JH made three observations and his mean position matches UGC 8014.

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NGC 4759 = NGC 4776 + NGC 4778 = MCG -01-33-036/037 = Holm 477a/b = HCG 62a/b = PGC 43754

12 53 05.2 -09 12 08

V = 12.0; Size 1.8'x1.8'

18" (6/17/06): NGC 4759 is a striking double system consisting of the two brightest members of HCG 62. The southeast component (NGC 4778 = HCG 62A) is slightly larger and brighter of the duo and appears fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Contains a small bright core surrounded by a lower surface brightness halo. Located 1.5' N of a mag 9.5 star that detracts somewhat. Nearly tangent to the northwest edge is slightly fainter NGC 4776 = HCG 62B, which appeared fairly faint but very small, round, 20"-24" diameter. NGC 4761 = HCG 62c lies just 1.3' following.

17.5" (4/13/96): the brightest object in HCG 62 is a double system with southeast component HCG 62A = NGC 4759e = NGC 4778 and northwest component HCG 62B = NGC 4759w = NGC 4776. The southeast galaxy is the brighter of the pair and appears fairly faint, round, 1.0' diameter, increases to a small bright core. Virtually attached at the northwest edge is a slightly fainter and smaller galaxy, round, 20" diameter, faint stellar nucleus. Mag 9 SAO 139019 is just 1.5' SSW of the pair.

17.5" (5/17/90): double system consisting of NW component NGC 4759a = NGC 4776 and SE component NGC 4759b = NGC 4778 with 28" separation between centers. The NW member appears faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core. The contact companion NGC 4759b is attached at the SE end. The SE member is the slightly larger and brighter of the double system and appears faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Located 2' N of mag 9.1 SAO 139019. Second of four with NGC 4761 1' ENE and NGC 4764 4' S. The SE component is incorrectly listed in the RNGC as NGC 4761.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4759 = H II-559 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and simply noted "F, S". His position corresponds with this double system. JH resolved the pair and assigned them two designations - h3437 = NGC 4776 and h3438 = NGC 4778, although his RA was 1.0 tmin too large. In the GC, JH equated II-559 with h3437 (assuming his father's position was poor).

Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen on 30 Mar 1867 and noted a mag 10 star 1.5' south and 1-2 tsec precding, but only saw a single (unresolved) nebula. Wilhelm Tempel, later using an 11-inch refractor at Arcetri Observatory, confirmed d'Arrest's position but described it as double. Dreyer gave II-559 = NGC 4759 a separate (accurate) designation in the NGC, noting it as double, assuming II-559 must be different from JH's pair.

RNGC and MCG misidentify the components of the double system as NGC 4759 and NGC 4761, while ESGC identifies the pair as NGC 4776 and 4778.

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NGC 4760 = MCG -02-33-041 = PGC 43763

12 53 07.3 -10 29 40

V = 11.4; Size 2.0'x1.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 10d

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, moderately large, fairly weak broad concentration, irregularly round. Located between mag 8.7 SAO 157565 4' SSW and a mag 9.5 star NNE. NGC 4742 lies 20' WNW.

August Winnecke discovered NGC 4760 on 30 Mar 1876 with a 6.5" refractor at Strausberg. The NGC position is accurate.

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NGC 4761 = (R)NGC 4764 = MCG -01-33-039 = HCG 62C = Holm 477b = PGC 43768

12 53 09.8 -09 11 52

V = 13.8; Size 0.4'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.6; PA = 80d

18" (6/17/06): faint, small, this small spindle in HCG 62 is elongated 3:1 N-S, 30"x10". Contains a faint stellar nucleus with direct vision. Located just 1' following the double system NGC 4759.

17.5" (4/13/96): HCG 62C appears very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 25"x15". Located just 1.2' ENE of the NGC 4759 double system (HCG 62A/B).

17.5" (5/17/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. Located 1' ENE of the double system NGC 4759. Fourth of four in a group.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4761, along with NGC 4764, in March 1882 and reported it in list V, near NGC 4776 and 4778. The NGC description reads "eF, eS, 1' f D neb II 559 [NGC 4759]". As Tempel didn't mention any direction in the AN paper, this information must have been communicated directly to Dreyer. At his position, is MCG -01-33-039 = PGC 43768 = HCG 62C.

RNGC and MCG mislabel this galaxy NGC 4764 and also misidentify the eastern component of NGC 4759 as NGC 4761. The identifications are discussed in Malcolm Thomson's "Catalogue Corrections" as well as in Harold Corwin's NGC identifcation notes.

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NGC 4762 = UGC 8016 = MCG +02-33-033 = CGCG 071-065 = Holm 478a = PGC 43733

12 52 55.9 +11 13 50

V = 10.3; Size 8.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 32d

48" (4/4/13): extremely bright, stunning thin edge-on SW-NE, ~6.0'x0.6'. An extremely thin bright streak extends along the major axis, brightening at the center to a remarkably bright core and stellar nucleus. Beyond the tips of the very high surface portion of the edge-on disc, the galaxy has diffuse extensions at both ends that flare out and appear like water being sprayed out the end of a hose. The extensions increase the length to at least 8'. The bright disc has a sharp edge, particularly on the west side, but a low surface brightness glow is visible on both sides, increasing the width to at least 1' and the overall dimensions to 8'x1'. The southern side of the galaxy is flanked by two mag 9.5 stars and a mag 10.5 star is directly south. NGC 4754 lies 11' NW.

17.5" (4/13/91): very bright, fairly large, beautiful edge-on 12:1 SW-NE, 6.0'x0.5', small intensely bright core, stellar nucleus. The unusually thin arms taper at the ends. The galaxy appears to have a sharper light cut-off, possibly due to a dust lane, along the west side. Located almost midway between two 9th magnitude stars (SAO 100313 3.9' WSW and a mag 9.5 star 2.8' E). Forms a pair with NGC 4754 11' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4762 = H II-75 = h1466 on 15 Mar 1784 (sweep 174) and logged "Two pB nebula; the preceding [NGC 4754] of them is almost R. The following [NGC 4762] vmE; they are not far from the same parallel and about 8 or 10' distant." His position is between the two galaxies. Using LdR's 72" in 1852, Samuel Hunter noted "I strongly suspect the ends to be twisted."

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NGC 4763 = MCG -03-33-013 = PGC 43792

12 53 27.2 -17 00 20

V = 12.6; Size 1.2'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 130d

18" (4/29/06): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, 1.0'x0.8', broad concentration. A mag 11.5 star lies 2.5' NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4763 = H III-489 on 31 Dec 1785 (sweep 503) and recorded "vF, S, lbM." Not observed by JH. His position is 9 sec of time preceding and 1' north of MCG -03-33-013 = PGC 43792.

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NGC 4764 = HCG 62D = PGC 43760

12 53 06.6 -09 15 27

V = 15.0; Size 0.8'x0.4'

18" (6/17/06): extremely faint and small, round, 10"' diameter. Located 1.9' SSE of mag 9.5 HD 111960 that hampers the view and 3.4' SSE of the double system NGC 4759. Requires averted to view.

17.5" (4/13/96): HCG 62d appears extremely faint and small, round, requires averted but once located can hold at least 50% of time. Located 1.9' SSE of a mag 9 star. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.3' SW. Faintest of four in HCG 62.

17.5" (5/17/90): extremely faint and small, round, almost stellar, glimpsed for moments only. Located in a compact galaxy group 3.5' S of double system NGC 4759 and 2' S of mag 9.1 SAO 139019. A mag 14 star is 1.5' SW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4764, along with NGC 4761, in March 1882, and reported it in list V near NGC 4776 and 4778. The NGC description reads "eF, eS, sf Dneb 4759." As Tempel didn't mention any direction in the AN article, this information must have been communicated directly to Dreyer.

NGC 4764 is probably HCG 62D = PGC 43760, located 3.5' due south of the double system NGC 4759 = NGC 4776/NGC 4778. If this identification is correct, HCG 62D would be the faintest galaxy Tempel discovered (V = 15.0). RNGC and MCG identify HCG 62C = NGC 4761 as NGC 4764. The identifications are discussed by both Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin.

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NGC 4765 = UGC 8018 = VV 366 = MCG +01-33-020 = CGCG 043-054 = PGC 43775

12 53 14.6 +04 27 48

V = 13.0; Size 1.1'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 80d

17.5" (4/4/92): moderately bright but fairly small, elongated 4:3 WSW-ENE, 1.2'x0.9', broad concentration with no nucleus, fairly high surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4765 = H III-544 = h1467 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and noted "vF, vS." JH made the single observation "pB; S; R: gbM; 20"." Both positions are reasonably accurate.

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NGC 4766 = MCG -02-33-042 = PGC 43766

12 53 08.1 -10 22 41

V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.2; PA = 130d

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, very small, slightly elongated NW-SE, small bright core. A mag 12 star is 1.0' ENE. Forms a close pair with an anonymous galaxy 1' NW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4766, along with NGC 4757, in 1882. In the narrative portion of his fifth paper (AN 2439) he mentions finding two nebulae about 10' north of Winnecke's GC 5674 [NGC 4760]. Although no positions are given here, they were probably measured and communicated later to Dreyer, as the NGC position is 20 sec of RA west of MCG -02-33-042 = PGC 43766. This galaxy lies 7' due north of NGC 4760.

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NGC 4767 = ESO 323-036 = MCG -06-28-023 = LGG 2989-051 = PGC 43845

12 53 52.9 -39 42 52

V = 11.5; Size 2.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 130d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly small, oval NW-SE, bright core. Located 26' N of n Centauri (V = 4.3) in the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4767 = h3436 on 21 Apr 1835 and recorded "B; S; lE; psmbM; 25"."

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NGC 4768

12 53 17.2 -09 31 54

18" (4/29/06): appears as a mag 13 star located 3.7' W of NGC 4770. Forms a 20" pair with a mag 13 star (this is NGC 4769) to the SE. These two NGC entries are from Tempel while observing the field of NGC 4770.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4768, along with NGC 4769, in 1882. He simply noted in paper V (AN 2439) finding two faint nebula close preceding III 525 [NGC 4770]." Dreyer gives only a rough position in the NGC due west of NGC 4770. The only object preceding NGC 4770 is a 20" pair of mag 13.5 stars. Harold Corwin assigns NGC 4768 to the northwestern component and NGC 4769 to the southeastern component (which is probably a merged double star).

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NGC 4769

12 53 18.0 -09 32 10

18" (4/29/06): this is a close double star 3.5' W of NGC 4770. In poor seeing it appeared as a single mag 13 star. Forms a pair with NGC 4768, a mag 13 star 20" NW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4769 along with NGC 4768 in 1882. These two numbers probably apply to a 20" pair of mag 13.5 stars. See NGC 4768.

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NGC 4770 = MCG -01-33-040 = PGC 43804

12 53 32.1 -09 32 29

V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d

18" (4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 E-W, 0.8'x0.5'. Contains a moderately bright, round core, ~20" diameter with faint extensions. Located 12' W of mag 5 Psi Virginis.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4770 = H III-525 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and simply noted "vF, eS." His position is 1' north of MCG -01-33-040 = PGC 43804.

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NGC 4771 = UGC 8020 = MCG +00-33-017 = CGCG 015-031 = PGC 43784

12 53 21.2 +01 16 10

V = 12.3; Size 3.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 133d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:1 NW-SE, only a weak concentration. Located 2.7' E of a mag 10 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4771 = H II-535 = h1468 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded "F, mE, 2' l and 3/4' br from np to sf." JH made the single observation "F; mE; follows a * 9m in parallel; sky not quite clear." and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4772 = UGC 8021 = MCG +00-33-018 = CGCG 015-032 = PGC 43798

12 53 29.1 +02 10 06

V = 11.0; Size 3.4'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 147d

17.5" (2/28/87): moderately bright, elongated NW-SE, fairly small. Contains a bright core with faint extensions.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4772 = H II-24 = h1469 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 122) and recorded "F, pL." His position is about 1 min of RA east of UGC 8021 (same error as NGC 4643, the previous object viewed) but he measured an accurate position on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and noted "pB, pL, bM." JH made 3 observations, logging "B, smbM, R, 1' diam." on sweep 142.

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NGC 4773 = MCG -01-33-041 = PGC 43810

12 53 36.0 -08 38 21

V = 14.1; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.2; PA = 95d

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, small bright core. Forms a contact pair with MCG -01-33-042 on the south edge. The companion appeared very faint, very small, round. Located 6' NNW of mag 8.8 SAO 139029. First and brightest of four with NGC 4780 7.3' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4773 = H III-516 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted "vF, S." CH's reduction is 2' south-southeast of MCG -01-33-041 = PGC 43810. No observations were made by JH.

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NGC 4774 = Kidney Bean Galaxy = VV 789 = I Zw 45 = MCG +06-28-037 = CGCG 188-026 = PGC 43759

12 53 06.6 +36 49 06

V = 14.3; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.5

48" (4/7/13): at 488x this collisional ring galaxy appeared fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated E-W, irregular. It appeared slightly brighter on the north side, which contained a faint stellar nucleus, but I didn't resolve the darker center. Forms a close pair with PGC 2087677, about 30" N of center. The companion, which is identified as the collider in Madore's collisional ring catalogue, appeared very faint (V = 16.7), very small, round, 9" diameter.

NGC 4774 is nicknamed the "Kidney Bean Galaxy" by Zwicky in his red book (I Zw 45). It was first mentioned as a ring galaxy in 1970 by Cannon, Lloyd, Penston in "Ring galaxies" (The Observatory, Vol. 90, p. 153-154) and it is listed as a collisional ring in Madore, Nelson and Petrillo's 2009 "Atlas and Catalog of Collisional Ring Galaxies" (ApJS, Vol 181, p. 572-604).

17.5": very faint, small, round, even surface brightness. Appeared fainter than the CGCG mag of 14.6p.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4774 = H III-618 = h1471 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "eF, vS." JH logged "eF; S; R: bM. Sky perfectly clear" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4775 = MCG -01-33-043 = UGCA 306 = PGC 43826

12 53 45.8 -06 37 20

V = 11.1; Size 2.1'x2.0'; Surf Br = 12.5

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, weak concentration, mottled appearance. A mag 13.5 star is off the SW edge 1.3' from center. NGC 4786 lies 18.4' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4775 = H II-186 = h1470 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and logged "rather F, cL, R, r." JH made the single obwervation "vF; L; R; 90"; vglbM. Its companion [NGC 4786] looked for but not seen." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4776 = NGC 4759nw = HCG 62B = MCG -01-33-036 = Holm 477a NED1 = PGC 43754

12 53 04.5 -09 12 00

V = 13.0; Size 0.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7

18" (6/17/06): NGC 4776 = HCG 62B is the northwest component of the striking double system NGC 4759. At 225x it appeared fairly faint but very small, round, 20"-24" diameter. NGC 4761 = HCG 62c lies just 1.3' following. Nearly tangent to the southeast edge is slightly brighter NGC 4778 = HCG 62A, just 28" between centers.

17.5" (4/13/96): NGC 4776 is virtually attached to the northwest edge of NGC 4778 and is slightly fainter smaller, round, 20" diameter, faint stellar nucleus. Mag 9 SAO 139019 is just 1.5' SSW of the pair.

17.5" (5/17/90): the northwest component of this double system appears faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, bright core. The contact companion NGC 4778 = HCG 62A is attached at the SE end (see notes). Located 2' N of mag 9.1 SAO 139019. Second of four with NGC 4761 1' ENE and NGC 4764 4' S.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4776 = h3437, along with NGC 4778, on 5 May 1836 and recorded "vF; S; R; vlbM; the preceding of a double nebula [with NGC 4778]." This is an unusual situation as his father's H II-559 = NGC 4759 refers to this double system, though WH did not resolve the two galaxies. JH resolved the pair, and each component has its own GC and NGC designation, although his RA is exactly 1.0 tmin too large. See Harold Corwin's notes.

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NGC 4777 = MCG -01-33-044 = PGC 43852

12 53 58.5 -08 46 32

V = 13.7; Size 1.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 8d

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, fairly small, elongated SSW-NNE, small bright core. Located 4' SE of mag 8.8 SAO 139029. Third of four in a group.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4777 = H III-517 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted "vF, S." CH's reduction is 6 sec of RA following MCG -01-33-044 = PGC 43852. No observations were made by JH.

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NGC 4778 = HCG 62A = NGC 4759se = MCG -01-33-037 = Holm 477a NED2 = PGC 43757

12 53 05.7 -09 12 17

V = 12.5; Size 1.8'x1.4'

18" (6/17/06): NGC 4778 = HCG 62A is the southeast component of the striking double system NGC 4759 and the slightly larger and brighter of the duo. At 225x it appeared fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Contains a small bright core surrounded by a lower surface brightness halo. Located 1.5' N of a mag 9.5 star that detracts somewhat. NGC 4776 = HCG 62B is nearly tangent to the northwest edge (28" between centers).

17.5" (4/13/96): this is the brighter southeast component of the double system NGC 4759 (see notes) and listed as HCG 62A. At 220x, it appears fairly faint, round, 1.0' diameter, increases to a small bright core. HCG 62B is virtually attached to the northwest edge. Mag 9 SAO 139019 is just 1.5' SSW of the pair.

17.5" (5/17/90): the southeast member of this double system is slightly larger and brighter and appears faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, bright core. Located 2' N of mag 9.1 SAO 139019. Second of four with NGC 4761 1' ENE and NGC 4764 4' S.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4778 = h3438, along with NGC 4776, on 5 May 1836 and recorded "vF; S; R; vlbM; 15"; has a * sf; the following of two [with NGC 4776]." He later added the note "II 559 is not noticed as double in Sir W. Herschel's description." See notes for NGC 4476. RNGC and PGC misidentify this galaxy as NGC 4761.

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NGC 4779 = UGC 8022 = MCG +02-33-034 = CGCG 071-068 = Mrk 781 = PGC 43837

12 53 50.9 +09 42 36

V = 12.4; Size 2.1'x1.8'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 70d

17.5" (3/28/92): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, broad concentration.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4779 = H III-106 = h1472 on 15 Apr 1784 (sweep 194) and logged "vF, pL, rather bM, r." CH's reduction is within 1.5' of UGC 8022. JH made two observations and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4780 = MCG -01-33-045 = Holm 482a = PGC 43870

12 54 05.1 -08 37 16

V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.4; PA = 10d

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, low even surface brightness. Unusual appearance as a mag 14 is at the west edge and the galaxy extends to the east of this star. Forms a close pair with NGC 4780B 2' S (not seen).

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4780 in 1880 and reported it in the narrative portion of list V (AN 2439). He mentions there are two nebula in the field to the north of NGC 4777, the western object being NGC 4773 and the following one new. He also gives a position in the table 2' too far south but correctly places this object 27.5 sec of RA following and 1' 10" north of NGC 4773.

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NGC 4781 = MCG -02-33-049 = Holm 483a = PGC 43902

12 54 23.6 -10 32 11

V = 11.1; Size 3.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 120d

17.5" (3/23/85): bright, large, very elongated ~E-W, high surface brightness but weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is embedded in the preceding side 1.0' W of center and two comparable stars lie 2.0' W and 3.6' ESE of center. Forms a pair with NGC 4784 5.7' SSE. NGC 4790 lies 18' NNE and NGC 4760 20' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4781 = H I-134 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and logged "cB, 7 or 8' long, about 3' broad." His position matches MCG -02-33-049 = PGC 43902.

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NGC 4782 = VV 201a = Holm 485a = MCG -02-33-050 = 3C 278 = PGC 43924

12 54 35.7 -12 34 07

V = 11.7; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 155d

48" (4/21/17): at 813x; bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, ~45" diameter, well concentrated with a small bright core. Forms a striking N-S contact pair (halos form a dumbbell or dogbone outline) with NGC 4783 [39" between centers]. A mag 14.5 star is 30" NW, barely outside the halo. A 16th magnitude star is within the northeast side of the halo.

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, very small, round. Forms an extremely close contact pair with NGC 4783 in a common halo 0.6' NNE of center.

8" (3/28/81): faint, very small. Contact pair with NGC 4783 oriented SSW-NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4782 = H I-135, along with NGC 4783, on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "Two, both cB, R, cS, mbM in the direction of the meridian., nearly within 1' of each other, and the chevelure [halo] mixisng." His position is accurate (landing on the southern galaxy). See Harold Corwin's NGC notes on problems with the identifications of the two components.

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NGC 4783 = VV 201b = Holm 485b = MCG -02-33-051 = 3C 278 = LGG 316-001 = PGC 43926

12 54 36.6 -12 33 28

V = 11.5; Size 1.8'x1.7'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 105d

48" (4/21/17): NGC 4783 is the northern galaxy of a striking contact pair with NGC 4783 [39" between centers]. The merged halos of the two galaxies form a dogbone or dumbbell outline. At 813x, it appeared bright, moderately large, round, ~40" diameter, well concentrated with a small bright nucleus. A mag 14.5 star is 30" SE of center (just outside the combined halos). An extremely faint "knot", roughly 5" diameter, is at the northwest edge of the halo. Checking later, I found this is a nearly stellar galaxy, catalogued in HyperLeda as PGC 5065968 and in NED as [QRW96] 073.

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, very small, round. Forms an interesting contact pair with NGC 4782 0.6' SSW within a common halo.

8": faint, very small, pair elongated SSW-NNE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4783 = H I-136, along with NGC 4782, on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548). See notes on NGC 4782.

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NGC 4784 = MCG -02-33-053 = Holm 483b = PGC 43929

12 54 37.0 -10 36 47

V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 101d

17.5" (3/23/85): faint, small, slightly elongated. Fainter of pair with NGC 4781 5.7' NNW. Forms the SE vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 11/12 stars 2.1' W and 2.0' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4784 = H III-526 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and noted "eF, eS, some little doubt." Despite the doubt, his position is a good match with MCG -02-33-053 = PGC 43929.

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NGC 4785 = ESO 219-004 = PGC 43791

12 53 27.4 -48 44 58

V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 81d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): moderately bright, elongated 3:1 ~E-W, 0.9'x0.3', high surface brightness. Contains a small bright core and a bright stellar or quasi-stellar nucleus (this is a Sy2 galaxy). A mag 13.8 star is just off the west side [58" from center] and a mag 15 star is 1.3' SW. Several brighter stars are to the north of the galaxy including a mag 10.8 star 4.5' NW, a mag 10.6 star 6' N and a mag 11 star 4.3' NNE. Located 12' NNE of mag 4.3 HD 111915. It helped to place this annoyingly bright star outside the field. NGC 4785 is situated 2° NW of the large spiral NGC 4945.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4785 = h3439 on 1 Mar 1835 and recorded, "vF; S; R; glbM." There is nothing at his single position, but 1.75 min of RA west is ESO 219-004 = PGC 43791, the only nearby galaxy, and his declination matches. ESO/Uppsala calls the NGC designation uncertain.

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NGC 4786 = MCG -01-33-046 = PGC 43922

12 54 32.4 -06 51 34

V = 11.7; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 170d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 N-S, increases to a small bright core. A mag 12 star is 2.5' N. Forms a pair with NGC 4775 18.4' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4786 = H II-187 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "pF, pL, r." JH noted in his observation of NGC 4775 that he looked for this nebula without success.

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NGC 4787 = UGC 8026 = MCG +05-30-121 = CGCG 159-111 = CGCG 160-006 = PGC 43875

12 54 05.5 +27 04 06

V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x0.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 2d

17.5" (3/20/93): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 N-S, low but uneven surface brightness. A mag 10 star lies 2.9' WSW. Forms a pair with NGC 4789 3.0' E. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4787 on 3 Apr 1867, measured an accurate position and noted it was 13.6 sec of RA preceding NGC 4789. This galaxy was missed by both WH and JH while viewing nearby NGC 4789.

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NGC 4788 = MCG +05-30-123 = CGCG 159-112 = CGCG 160-007 = PGC 43874

12 54 16.0 +27 18 12

V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.3'; PA = 140d

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter. Located 1.3' E of a mag 10.5 star. NGC 4798 lies 10.9' NE. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4788 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position is 4 sec of RA west of CGCG 159-112 = PGC 4387 and he mentions the mag 10 star that precedes by 6 sec of RA.

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NGC 4789 = UGC 8028 = MCG +05-30-124 = CGCG 159-113 = CGCG 160-008 = PGC 43895

12 54 18.9 +27 04 04

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 0d

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 10 star is just 40" N of center. Forms a pair with close NGC 4787 3.0' W. Located 18' NNE of mag 6.9 SAO 82554. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4789 = H II-345 = h1473 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and noted "F. Just south of a pB star." Both Herschels missed nearby NGC 4787, which was discovered by d'Arrest.

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NGC 4790 = MCG -02-33-056 = PGC 43972

12 54 51.8 -10 14 52

V = 12.1; Size 1.7'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 85d

17.5" (3/23/85): moderately bright, fairly large, broad and pretty weak concentration, elongated ~E-W. NGC 4781 lies 18' SSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4790 = H II-560 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and noted "pF, pS, iR." His position is a good match with MCG -02-33-056 = PGC 43972.

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NGC 4791 = MCG +01-33-021 = CGCG 043-060 = PGC 43950

12 54 44.0 +08 03 12

V = 13.5; Size 0.5'x0.35'; PA = 70d

17.5" (4/4/92): very faint, very small, round, broad concentration. A wide double star is 2' SE (mag 11/12.5 at 39" separation N-S). The double system NGC 4795/NGC 4796 is just 5' E.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4791 = m 243 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, vS, lE, vlbM." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4792 = PGC 43999

12 55 03.6 -12 29 50

V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 140d

17.5" (3/23/85): faint, extremely small, slightly elongated NW-SE. Forms an equilateral triangle with NGC 4794 7' SSE and the NGC 4782/NGC 4783 duo 8' SW.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4792 in 1882. I can't find his description in paper V (AN 2439), but the NGC description reads "vS, R, 7' n np of II 538 [NGC 4794] and at this position is PGC 43999. The NGC position is 2' too far south. Herbert Howe reported he huntet for NGC 4792 while measuring NGC 4794, but "I could not be sure of it. Possibly it is a suspiciious-looking star of mag 11."

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NGC 4793 = UGC 8033 = MCG +05-31-003 = CGCG 159-116 = CGCG 160-011 = PGC 43939

12 54 40.6 +28 56 17

V = 11.6; Size 2.8'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 50d

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 2.0'x1.0', fairly high irregular surface brightness, broad concentration with no well-defined core. A mag 15 star lies about 1' off the SW edge and 1.7' WSW of center. Located 1.8' S of a mag 9.5 star which detracts from viewing. At 280x, a very small bright nucleus is visible and there is an impression of a dark patch or dust along the NE extension.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4793 = H I-93 = h1475 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "cB, pL, about 1.5' south of a [mag 9-10] star." JH made two observations and measured an accurate positon.

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NGC 4794 = MCG -02-33-060 = PGC 44012

12 55 10.5 -12 36 30

V = 13.7; Size 1.5'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d

17.5" (3/23/85): very faint, small. A mag 14 star is at the WSW edge 33" from center and a mag 13 star is at the ENE end. In a group with NGC 4792 7' NNW and the NGC 4782/NGC 4783 pair 9' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4794 = H III-538 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "2 or 3 small stars with vF nebulosity." His position (CH's reduction) is 1' southeast of MCG -02-33-060 = PGC 44012, and the description applies. The H-designation of II-538 in the NGC is a typo.

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NGC 4795 = UGC 8037 = MCG +01-33-024 = CGCG 043-064 = PGC 43998

12 55 02.8 +08 03 56

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.6'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 115d

17.5" (4/4/92): moderately bright, fairly small, round, slightly elongated NW-SE, bright core, high surface brightness. Forms a contact pair with NGC 4796 attached at the east end, 27" from center. Located 3.9' S of a mag 10 star. NGC 4791 lies 4.7' W and NGC 4803 13' NE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4795 = H II-21 = h1474 on 23 Jan 1784 (sweep 107) and recorded "A nebula, vF and of an irregular shape. 1/2° sp the following star [HD 112503]." JH made three observations, noted "a vS * included, f[ollowing]" and measured an accurate position. The "vS *" applies to NGC 4796!

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NGC 4796 = PGC 93119

12 55 04.6 +08 03 58

Size 0.2'x0.2'

17.5" (4/4/92): contact pair with brighter NGC 4795. Very faint, extremely small, slightly elongated, faint stellar nucleus. This object is attached at the east side of the halo of NGC 4795.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4796 = m 244 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, eS, alm stell, close to [NGC 4795]." The SDSS shows an extremely compact galaxy with extensions WSW-ENE, superimposed on the eastern arm of NGC 4795. The Deep Sky Field Guide to the Uranometria 2000 Atlas refers to this object as "star or very bright patch 0.5' E of center", but does not refer to this object as NGC 4796.

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NGC 4797 = NGC 4798 = UGC 8038 = MCG +05-31-004 = CGCG 159-118 = CGCG 160-013 = PGC 43981

12 54 55.2 +27 24 44

See observing notes for NGC 4798.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4797 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. There is nothing at his position, but 4.8' north is NGC 4798, discovered earlier by WH. d'Arrest observed and accurately measured NGC 4798 on two nights, but not the one in which he recorded NGC 4797 as new. As a result, Corwin equates NGC 4797 = NGC 4798. Because of d'Arrest's poor position, Karl Reinmuth or Max Wolf reported that NGC 4797 was not found on Heidelberg plates.

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NGC 4798 = NGC 4797 = UGC 8038 = MCG +05-31-004 = CGCG 159-118 = CGCG 160-013 = PGC 43981

12 54 55.2 +27 24 44

V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 30d

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated N-S, very weak concentration. A mag 14 star is 1.0' S of center and a mag 10 star 7.5' E. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4788 10.9' SW, NGC 4807 9.9' NE and IC 3900 14.5' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4798 = H II-382 = h1477 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pS." WH was rapidly on his way to discover 74 galaxies in this sweep, so for the next several objects he gave very brief descriptions. JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4799 = UGC 8043 = MCG +01-33-025 = CGCG 043-066 = PGC 44017

12 55 15.5 +02 53 47

V = 13.3; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 91d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is attached at the south edge 1' from center. Located 9' S of mag 7.9 SAO 119665.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4799 = H III-548 = h1476 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) and recorded "vF, cS, near a vS star. 240x confirmed, and showed it lE." His position matches UGC 8043. JH called this galaxy "F; S; close to a *."

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NGC 4800 = UGC 8035 = MCG +08-24-004 = CGCG 245-005 = PGC 43931

12 54 37.8 +46 31 52

V = 11.5; Size 1.6'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.0; PA = 25d

13.1" (4/12/86): fairly bright, fairly small, fainter halo with large bright core containing a stellar nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is just 0.8' WNW from center. Located 15' SE of mag 7.6 SAO 44376.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4800 = H I-211 = h1478 on 1 Apr 1788 (sweep 823) and recorded "pF, vS, bM." On 29 Apr (sweep 836) he logged "pB, pS, R, bM, following a small star." JH made two observations but the position was only measured once. d'Arrest noted the mag 13 star, which he measured 4.7 sec of RA preceding and the mag 13 star 19.6 sec of RA following and a little south.

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NGC 4801 = MCG +09-21-060 = CGCG 270-030 = PGC 43946

12 54 37.7 +53 05 24

V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 138d

18" (6/27/03): very faint, very small [core only viewed], irregularly round, 0.5'x0.4', low surface brightness. A fairly even pair [47"] of mag 12/13 stars lie 7' WSW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4801 = H III-816 = h1479 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "eF, S, lE." His position (CH's reduction) is 2.5' northeast of CGCG 270-030 = PGC 43946. JH made a single observation and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4802 = NGC 4804 = MCG -02-33-061 = PGC 44087

12 55 49.8 -12 03 19

V = 11.8; Size 2.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 20d

17.5" (3/23/85): fairly faint, very small, weak concentration to a virtually stellar nucleus. A mag 11 star is just off the SE edge. Located 30' NE of the NGC 4782/NGC 4783 pair.

Wilhelm Tempel found NGC 4802 = T V-21 on 20 Apr 1882. His micrometric position is an exact match with MCG -02-33-061 = PGC 44087. Herbert Howe examined the field in 1899-00 and reported "this was searched for in vain one night. Its description is so similar to that of 4804 that they may be identical, if the declination is of 4802 is just 1° in error."

This galaxy was probably discovered earlier by WH on 27 Mar 1786 and recorded as H IV-40 = NGC 4804, but his position was exactly 1 degree too far south. Corwin notes that is also possible that WH mistook a double star for a nebula.

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NGC 4803 = MCG +02-33-036 = CGCG 043-069 = CGCG 071-073 = PGC 44061

12 55 33.7 +08 14 25

V = 14.4; Size 0.6'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.7

17.5" (4/4/92): very faint, very small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE. Overpowered by a mag 9.5 star at a SE edge 0.7' from center. The NGC 4795/NGC 4796 pair is 13' SW.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4803 = m 245 on 25 Mar 1865 and noted "eF, eS, R, lbM." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4804 = NGC 4802 = MCG -02-33-061 = PGC 44087

12 55 49.8 -12 03 19

See observing notes for NGC 4802.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4804 = H IV-40 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "suspected a pB star, with a seeming brush to the np. May be a small nebula close to it, but there was no time to verify it." There is nothing near his position, except an easily resolved pair of stars (about 20" separation).

But exactly 1° north is NGC 4802 (found later by Tempel) and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4804 = NGC 4802. Because of the poor position, NGC 4804 was not recovered by Bigourdan.

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NGC 4805

12 55 24.2 +27 58 48

=*, Corwin

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4805 = Big 59 on 11 May 1885. There is nothing at his position, and Harold Corwin states "NGC 4805 is a star positively identified by Bigourdan's two observations. In spite of the accuracy of his measurements, he comments that "... near it is a star 13.4-13.5, but it's impossible to tell which direction it is from the nebula's center.'' This must be the object itself as there is nothing else in the area that he could have seen."

RNGC and LEDA misidentify extremely faint galaxies 2' to 3' southeast of this star, as NGC 4805. Both galaxies are too faint to have been seen by Bigourdan.

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NGC 4806 = ESO 443-012 = MCG -05-31-003 = PGC 44116

12 56 12.5 -29 30 11

V = 12.7; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 50d

18" (5/16/09): faint, diffuse glow, moderately large, irregularly round, 45"x40". A kite-shaped asterism of 4 stars (one is a double) is close SW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4806 = h3440 on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded "F; R; gvlbM; 40"." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4807 = UGC 8049 = MCG +05-31-006 = CGCG 160-017 = Holm 488a = WBL 426-006 = PGC 44037

12 55 29.1 +27 31 15

V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, round, 0.8' diameter, bright core. A mag 13 star is 3.2' NNW. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4798 9.9' SW and MCG +05-31-008 8.1' N.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4807 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured 3 times, matches UGC 8049.

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NGC 4808 = UGC 8054 = MCG +01-33-028 = CGCG 043-071 = LGG 315-012 = PGC 44086

12 55 49.0 +04 18 15

V = 11.7; Size 2.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 127d

18" (5/29/05): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 2.0'x0.8'. Broadly concentrated with a mottled nuclear region but no well-defined core or nucleus. A mag 14 star is off the NW side, 1.9' from center. Located 54' N of mag 3.4 Delta Virginis. Picked up while viewing Comet Tempel (9P) 30' S. The Comet will be impacted by a spacecraft in just over one month! (July 4).

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.2', broadly concentrated with no nucleus, tapered ends. A mag 14 star lies 1.9' WNW of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4808 = H I-141 = h1480 on 17 Apr 1786 (sweep 553) and recorded "vB, cL, E from np to sf." His position is at the southeast end of UGC 8054 = PGC 44086.

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NGC 4809 = Arp 277 NED1 = VV 313a = Holm 486a = UGC 8034 = MCG +01-33-022 = CGCG 043-062 = LGG 292-055 = PGC 43969

12 54 51.0 +02 39 15

V = 13.8; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 68d

48" (5/4/16): at 610x; moderately bright, elongated 7:2 WSW-ENE, ~1.2'x0.35'. This galaxy has an unusual irregular "banana" shape with a patchy appearance; it bends slightly south on the east-northeast end and has a blunter west-southwest end that also twists slightly south. There is a slightly brighter patch that is offset just north of the geometric center. I assumed this was the core region, but on the SDSS it appears to be a large HII region and there is no central core. A second slightly brighter patch is at the west-southwest end and this is clearly an active star-forming complex on the SDSS. NGC 4809 is the larger member of an interacting pair with NGC 4810 just 0.8' S.

18" (3/30/05): very faint, very small, slightly elongated. This galaxy is nearly attached to the north side of NGC 4810. Although smaller (must have viewed only a portion as the size is larger on the DSS), it may have a higher surface brightness.

R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 4809, along with NGC 4810, on 18 Apr 1855 while looking for h1509 [NGC 4900] with LdR's 72". He described a "faint, double nebula, elongated at right angles to each other." and a rough position of 12 48.5 (1860) and "a little north of [NGC 4900]."

Mitchell's description pins down the identification of the pair, but JH and Dreyer could only list a single (rough) position in the GC and NGC. The identification of NGC 4809 with the northern component is from the RC2 and repeated in the NGC 2000.0 and RNGC. But UGC reverses these identifications and has a typo with the RA (1 min too large). The data (size, PA and possibly magnitudes) listed under NGC 4810 in the RC3 applies to NGC 4809. The position angle listed under NGC 4809 probably applies to NGC 4810.

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NGC 4810 = Arp 277 NED2 = VV 313b = Holm 486b = MCG +01-33-023 = CGCG 043-061 = LGG 292-056 = PGC 43971

12 54 51.2 +02 38 25

V = 14.3; Size 1.3'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 162d

48" (5/4/16): at 610x; moderately bright and large, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.8'x0.4', irregular surface brightness with only a slightly brighter core. This galaxy is the southern member of an interacting pair of dwarf irregulars (Magellanic types) with NGC 4809 just 45" N.

18" (3/30/05): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~N-S, 0.8'x0.4'. Forms a double system with NGC 4809, which is nearly attached at the north end. Located 10' E of mag 8.4 HD 112130. There is disagreement in catalogues regarding the identifications of these galaxies as the NGC gave only one position for both galaxies.

R.J. Mitchell discovered NGC 4810, along with NGC 4809, on 18 Apr 1855. See notes on NGC 4809.

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NGC 4811 = ESO 323-047 = MCG -07-27-019 = AM 1254-413 NED01

= PGC 44201

12 56 52.3 -41 47 51

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 35d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): slightly brighter of a close pair with NGC 4812 1' S. Fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, sharply concentrated with a small bright core and stellar nucleus, elongated 3:2 N-S, 30"x20". A distinctive trio of mag 10/10/12 stars lies 3'-4' NE. Located 7' N of mag 8.2 HD 112404 in a busy star field.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4811 = h3441, along with NGC 4812, on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; R; gbM; 40". The preceding of 2 [with NGC 4812]. His position is accurate. MCG doesn't label MCG -07-27-019 as NGC 4811.

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NGC 4812 = ESO 323-048 = MCG -07-27-018 = AM 1254-413 NED02

= PGC 44204

12 56 52.7 -41 48 49

V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 36d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): slightly fainter of a close pair with NGC 4811 1' N. Fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.3', sharply concentrated with a small bright core and stellar nucleus. Located 6' N of mag 8.2 HD 112404 in a fairly rich star field.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4812 = h3442, along with NGC 4811, on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; R; gbM; 30"; 90" dist from the foregoing [NGC 4811] pos = 170.9°." MCG doesn't label MCG -07-27-018 as NGC 4812.

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NGC 4813 = IC 833? = MCG -01-33-055 = Holm 385a = PGC 44160

12 56 36.1 -06 49 04

V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 35d

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, small bright core, stellar nucleus. Located 11' NE of a mag 9.5 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4813 = H II-777 = h1482 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and recorded "F, S, R, bM." JH reported "S; R: bM; wind violent." but measured an accurate position. Harold Corwin suggests IC 833 may be a duplicate observation (see his IC identification notes).

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NGC 4814 = UGC 8051 = MCG +10-19-003 = CGCG 293-044 = CGCG 294-003 = PGC 44025

12 55 22.0 +58 20 39

V = 12.0; Size 3.1'x2.3'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 135d

17.5" (5/19/01): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.6'x1.2'. Increases to a brighter core and quasi-stellar nucleus. A pretty 19" pair of mag 9/10 stars (oriented E-W) lies 11' S. A third mag 9.5 star is just 2' following the closer pair.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4814 = H I-243 = h1483 on 17 Mar 1790 (sweep 947) and recorded "cB, S, R, gbM." JH made two observations, recording on sweep 323 "pB; L; lE; vgbM; 90" l, 75" br."

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NGC 4815 = ESO 096-SC1 = Cr 265 = Lund 628 = OCL-893

12 57 58 -64 57 42

V = 8.6; Size 3'

13.1" (2/20/04 - Costa Rica): at 105x, two mag 10 stars are surrounded by a number of very faint stars within 3'. The cluster is superimposed on a fairly bright milky background of unresolved stars. A third mag 10 star is apparently outside the border off the SW edge. At 200x, the unresolved glow is most prominent at the following end and 12-15 mag 13 stars are sprinkled over the backround glow (the cluster was viewed at a very low elevation which probably detracted from the view). This reddened cluster is heavily obscured and is located just within the SE border of the Coalsack and barely over the border into Musca, 1.1 degrees ENE of the bright double star Theta Muscae (5.9/7.7 at 5"). The two brighter mag 10 stars (separated by 1.3') may be foreground stars and not actual cluster members.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4815 = h3443 on 13 Mar 1834 and recorded "Class VI, p rich, irregular fig, gbM, 3', stars vS, comparatively insulated; has two bright stars 8-9th mag and 9-10th mag." On a second observation he described a "Cluster, R, pS, resolved; irreg; gbM, 3', stars 13..18th mag." Innes was unable to resolve the cluster in 1901 using a 7-inch refractor from the Cape of Good Hope (MN, 62, 469).

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NGC 4816 = UGC 8057 = MCG +05-31-010 = CGCG 160-021 = PGC 44114

12 56 12.2 +27 44 43

V = 12.8; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (5/12/07): faint, small, elongated 4:3 ~E-W, 0.4'x0.3', broad weak concentration. A mag 13.5-14 star is just off the NE end. The brighter of a close pair with CGCG 160-023 1.8' E.

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, small, elongated 4:3 E-W, brighter core, diffuse halo. Confusing appearance at low power as a mag 13.7 star is close off the NE edge 34" from center creating the appearance of elongation. Also forms a close pair with CGCG 160-023 1.8' ENE. The three objects are well resolved at 280x. This member of AGC 1656 is located 14' E of mag 8 SAO 82565.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4816 = H II-383 = h1481 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pL." His position is 10 sec of time west of UGC 8057. JH made a single observation and his position is further off -- 15 seconds of time too far west.

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NGC 4817 = PGC 83663

12 56 29.8 +27 56 23

V = 14.8; Size 0.6'x0.6'

18" (5/12/07): very faint and small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 14 star lies 1.5' NE. Located on the west side of AGC 1656 about 45' W of the core. A similar galaxy, NGC 4828, lies 5.6' NE.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4817 = Big 60 on 11 May 1885. There is nothing at his position, but Harold Corwin notes his Comptes Rendus position (repeated in the NGC position) is incorrect and Bigourdan's offsets point to PGC 83663.

Max Wolf reported NGC 4817 was not found on a Heidelberg plate (IC 2 notes) and RNGC classifies the number as nonexistent.

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NGC 4818 = MCG -01-33-057 = PGC 44191

12 56 48.9 -08 31 32

V = 11.1; Size 4.3'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 3d

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 4:1 N-S, broad concentration. A mag 13 star is just off the south edge and a fainter mag 14 star is 1.4' E of center. A double star lies 5' SW (mag 11/13 at 19" separation). A mag 10 star lies 6.5' WNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4818 = H II-549 = h1484 = h3445 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and recorded "pB, vL, lbM, iF." JH logged from Slough "pB; pL; lE in meridian; vgbM." and from the Cape of Good Hope, "B; L; mE in meridian; gpmbM; 3' length."

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NGC 4819 = UGC 8060 = MCG +05-31-014 = CGCG 160-025 = Holm 490a = WBL 426-013 = PGC 44144

12 56 27.9 +26 59 14

V = 13.2; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 160d

17.5" (5/14/94): brighter of pair with NGC 4821 2.0' S. Fairly faint, slightly elongated, 1.0'x0.8', broad concentration, brighter center but no nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is 3.6' SW. NGC 4819 lies 12' NNE. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4819 = H II-346 = h1487 on 6 Apr 1785 (sweep 393) and logged "vF, pS, irr." CH's reduction is 6 sec of RA preceding and 2.5' south of UGC 8060. JH measured a more accurate NPD, but his RA is off by nearly 30 sec too far east. d'Arrest measured an accurate position (on 3 nights), so the NGC position is good.

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NGC 4820 = MCG -02-33-067 = PGC 44227

12 57 00.5 -13 43 10

V = 14.8; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 105d

17.5" (5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE. Forms a pair with NGC 4825 4.3' NE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4820 in 1882, along with NGC 4823 and 4829, while observing nearby NGC 4825. No position was given in the discovery note (list V), but the NGC position (communicated directly to Dreyer?) matches MCG -02-33-067 = PGC 44227. See notes for NGC 4823.

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NGC 4821 = MCG +05-31-015 = CGCG 160-024 = Holm 490b = WBL 426-012 = PGC 44148

12 56 29.2 +26 57 25

V = 14.5; Size 0.5'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.4

17.5" (5/14/94): fainter and smaller of pair with NGC 4819 2.0' N. Faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 N-S, no concentration. A mag 14.5 star is 1.5' WSW and a mag 13.5 is 3.5' W (this star forms the western vertex of an isosceles triangle with NGC 4821 and NGC 4819). NGC 4827 lies 13.8' N. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4821 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen while observing and measuring nearby NGC 4819. His position is fairly accurate.

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NGC 4822 = MCG -02-33-069 = PGC 44236

12 57 03.7 -10 45 43

V = 13.3; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 90d

18" (5/28/06): faint, small, round, 25" diameter, weak concentration. A mag 13 star lies 2' NE and a similar mag star is 3.4' WNW. Located 7.5' NNE of mag 8.9 HD 112464.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4822 = T V-22 on 21 Apr 1882 and recorded "class III, stellar nucleus, +6 sec [of time] and +7.5' [dec] from Lamont 1239 [mag 9 star]." His micrometric position in the main table is accurate.

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NGC 4823 = PGC 44305 = (R)NGC 4829

12 57 25.5 -13 41 56

V = 16.6; Size 0.8'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 175d

24" (5/25/14): extremely or very faint, small, elongated 3:1 N-S, 20"x6", low even surface brightness. Located 3.8' SE of NGC 4825. NGC 4829 lies 2.4' S. Observed at 27° elevation (nearly 3 hrs past the meridian).

17.5" (5/17/90): not found.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered the trio of NGC 4820, 4823 and 4829 in 1882, just south of NGC 4825. In Tempel's list V (AN #2439), he only mentions "three more faint nebulae south of 3320 [NGC 4825]" found with the 11" refractor at Arcetri and no positions are given. The NGC position (probably communicated directly to Dreyer) for NGC 4820 matches MCG -02-33-067, and the position for NGC 4829 matches PGC 44299.

The position for NGC 4823, though, is close southwest of NGC 4820 and must be erroneous. Harold Corwin assigns NGC 4823 = PGC 44305, which is 18 sec of RA east and 1'-2' south of the NGC position.

The PGC reverses the identifications of NGC 4829 and 4823. RNGC misclassifies NGC 4823 as nonexistent and misidentifies NGC 4823 as NGC 4829. See my RNGC Corrections #5 and Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4824

12 56 36.4 +27 25 57

=*, Corwin. Incorrect ID in the RNGC.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4824 = Big 61 on 19 Apr 1885. His Comptes Rendus position is close to a single mag 14-15 star at 12 56 36.4 +27 25 57 (J2000) and Harold Corwin verifies that Bigourdan's offsets point to this star.

PGC, RNGC and the first edition of the Uranometria 2000 Atlas misidentify PGC 44162 as NGC 4824. This error was listed in my RNGC Corrections #7.

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NGC 4825 = MCG -02-33-070 = PGC 44261

12 57 12.2 -13 39 54

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 135d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, oval 3:2 NW-SE, large prominent core, faint halo. Forms a trio with NGC 4820 5' SW and NGC 4829 5.3' SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4825 = H II-563 on 27 Mar 1786 (sweep 548) and recorded "pB, bM, iF." JH did not make an observation. Wilhelm Tempel discovered 3 "novae" to the south (NGCs 4820, 4823 and 4829).

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NGC 4826 = Black-eye Galaxy = M64 = UGC 8062 = MCG +04-31-001 = CGCG 130-001 = PGC 44182

12 56 43.6 +21 40 57

V = 8.5; Size 10.0'x5.4'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 115d

13.1" (4/29/84): very bright, large, oval 2:1 WNW-ESE, 6'x3', small bright core, almost stellar nucleus. The famous curved dark patch = "Blackeye" located northeast of the core is quite prominent and visible with direct vision. Located 55' NE of the tight double star 35 Comae.

Johann Bode is generally considered the discoverer of M64 = NGC 4826 = h1486 on 4 Apr 1779, but Edward Pigott discovered the Black-Eye galaxy a few days earlier on 23 Mar 1779. Charles Messier independently rediscovered it on 1 Mar 1780. Pigott's discovery was announced in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Vol. LXXI (1781), p. 82-83, but was generally missed until 2002. See http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m064_pigott.html for more of the story.

The nickname "Black-eye" is from WH's description on 13 Feb 1787 (sweep 699): "A very remarkable object, mE about 12' long, 4 or 5' broad, contains one lucid spot like a star with a small black arch under it, so that it gives one the idea of what is called a black eye, arising from fighting." His earlier observation on 13 Apr 1785 (sweep 398) reads "vB, E from np to sf, about 7 or 8' long and 2' broad. A vB nucleus in the middle, but moonlight and haziness probably lessen its appearance considerably. The nucleus is very small in proportion to the rest and is not round, but irreg elongated in the same direction."

JH described a sketch as "The dark semi-elliptic vacancy (indicated by an unshaded or bright portion in the figure) which partially surrounds the condensed and bright nucleus of this nebula, is of course unnoticed by Messier. It was however seen by my Father, and shown by him to the late Sir Charles Blagden, who likened it to the appearance of a black eye, an odd, but not inapt comparison. The nucleus is somewhat elongated, and I have a strong suspicion that it may be a close double star, or extremely condensed double nebula." So perhaps Blagden first mentioned the term and William liked the analogy used it in his description. At least 18 observations of the "black eye" were made at Birr Castle.

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NGC 4827 = UGC 8065 = MCG +05-31-016 = CGCG 160-028 = PGC 44178

12 56 43.6 +27 10 43

V = 12.9; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, sharply concentrated with a faint halo and a very small bright core. The NGC 4819/NGC 4820 pair is 12.0' SSW. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4827 = H II-384 = h1485 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pL." JH made a single observation and his position is 6 sec of RA preceding UGC 8065.

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NGC 4828 = MCG +05-31-017 = CGCG 160-029 = PGC 44176

12 56 42.9 +28 01 13

V = 14.2; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7

18" (5/12/07): very faint and small, round, 20" diameter. Located on the west side of AGC 1656 about 45' W of the core. Forms a similar pair with NGC 4817, located 5.6' SW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4828 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate. d'Arrest's mentioned there are others nearby to the southwest -- so perhaps he noticed NGC 4817, although it was not measured.

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NGC 4829 = PGC 44299

12 57 24.4 -13 44 15

Size 0.5'x0.3'

24" (5/25/14): very faint, extremely small, round, 12" diameter. Located 5.3' SE of NGC 4825 and second brightest of 3 faint companions, with NGC 4823 2.4' N and NGC 4820 6.0' WNW. Observed at 27° elevation (nearly 3 hrs past the meridian).

17.5" (5/17/90): extremely faint and small, glimpsed for moments with averted. A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' S and a mag 12.5 3.6' SSW. Third of three and 5.3' SSE of NGC 4825. NGC 4823 is 2.4' N but was not seen.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4829 in 1882, along with NGC 4820 and 4823. In list V (AN 2439), he mentions "Quite close to the south [of N4825] are three more faint nebulae.", although no positions were measured. The NGC position matches PGC 44299 at 12 57 24.4 -13 44 15 (2000), so the position may have been communicated directly to Dreyer.

The PGC reverses the identifications of NGC 4829 and 4823. RNGC misidentifies NGC 4823 (2.3' north) as NGC 4829. This error was listed in my RNGC Corrections #5.

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NGC 4830 = ESO 575-037 = MCG -03-33-024 = PGC 44313

12 57 27.9 -19 41 29

V = 12.1; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 157d

18" (5/15/04): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.0'x0.7'. Well-concentrated with a small, high surface brightness core which increases to a well-defined, bright stellar nucleus. Forms the NW vertex of a trapezoid with three mag 8-10 stars! The closest is a mag 10.5 star 2' S with mag 8.3 HD 112528 4' SE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4830 = T IV-9 = T V-23 on 26 May 1880. His micrometric position is an exact match with ESO 575-037 = PGC 44313.

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NGC 4831 = ESO 507-055 = MCG -04-31-010 = LGG 310-011 = PGC 44340

12 57 36.7 -27 17 32

V = 12.5; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 178d

18" (4/29/06): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, 0.8'x0.4', weak concentration, very small slightly brighter nucleus. Located 13' NE of mag 7.2 HD 112403.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4831 = h3447 on 22 Mar 1836 and logged "F, R, gbM, 25"." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4832 = ESO 323-051 = MCG -06-29-001 = LGG 298-027 = PGC 44361

12 57 48.5 -39 45 40

V = 12.2; Size 1.9'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 25d

17.5" (4/7/89): fairly faint, small, oval NW-SE, bright core. Located 7.6' ENE of mag 8 SAO 203967. Member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4832 = h3446 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "pF; vS; R; sbM to a * 17m; pos from * 10m (distant 60") = 250.3°." His position is 1' northeast of ESO 323-051 and the description matches, but he made a typo in the GC and placed this galaxy one degree too far south. Dreyer copied this error into the NGC. MCG does not label this galaxy as NGC 4832. RNGC misclassifies this number as nonexistent.

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NGC 4833 = ESO 065-SC004

12 59 34.9 -70 52 28

V = 7.0; Size 13.5'; Surf Br = 1.0

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 260x this is a gorgeous highly resolved globular with several hundred stars splashed across the core and within a loose, well-resolved halo. The center is strongly compressed with a very bright 3' core surrounded by a large halo, roughly 10' in diameter. Beyond 5' or 6' out from the center the halo becomes scraggly but continues to extend out in loops and strings. A brighter mag 8.7 is superimposed in the halo, 2.5' N of center.

18" (7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): This was a surprising find for a little known globular! At 171x, it appeared as a bright, fairly large globular of low concentration class. The loose halo was highly resolved and numerous stars were splashed across the brighter core. Many of the stars formed large loops and chains. A single bright star (mag 8.7 SAO 256996) is superimposed on the northern side of the halo. The core spans roughly 3', while outliers increase the overall halo to at least 10' [John Herschel gave similar dimensions]. Located 42' NNW of mag 3.6 Delta Muscae and 3° NE of gc NGC 4372 which is a comparable cluster.

Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered NGC 4833 = Lac I-4 = D 164 = h3444 in 1751-1752 with a 1/2-inch telescope at 8x during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope . He included it in his 1755 catalogue as I-4, classifying it as a nebula, and noting it resembled "a small faint comet."

James Dunlop observed this globular with his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector on 29 Apr 1826 from Parramatta, New South Wales and described "a pretty bright round nebula, about 4' diameter, moderately condensed to the centre. This, with the sweeping power, has the appearance of a globe of numerous matter with very small stars in the north following margin. But with a power sufficient to resolve it, the globular appearance vanishes in a very considerable degree; and the brightest and most condensed part is to the preceding side of the centre, with the stars considerably scattered on the N.f. side. Resolvable into stars of mixt small magnitudes. A small nebula precedes this." He observed the cluster on 5 nights.

JH first recorded "globular cluster, B, L, R, gbM, stars 14th mag, and one 7th mag north-preceding the centre; a fine object." On a second sweep he logged "globular cluster, pB, L, p rich, at first gradually, then vspmbM; diameter of the bright part 3', of the loose stars 10'; stars 12..16th mag, and one large one 7th mag, 3' or 4' north of the centre."

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NGC 4834 = MCG +09-21-067 = CGCG 270-034 = PGC 44136

12 56 25.3 +52 16 45

V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 110d

18" (6/27/03): faint, small, slightly elongated, 0.5'x0.4'. Forms the east vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 12/12.5 stars 4' SW and 4' WNW. Either contains a very faint stellar nucleus or a faint star may be superimposed.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4834 = H III-817 = h1488 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "cF, S, iF." CH's reduced position is 1' north of CGCG 270-034 = PGC 44136. JH logged "eF; R S; bM."

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NGC 4835 = ESO 269-019 = PGC 44409

12 58 07.8 -46 15 51

V = 11.7; Size 4.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 150d

13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, appears fairly bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 2.5'x0.7', slightly brighter bulging core. A mag 13 star is at the SSE tip. Located 5.4' NW of a mag 9.6 star and 10' N of mag 7.5 SAO 223791.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4835 = h3448 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "B; L; mE; glbM; 2 1/2' or 3' l, 1' br; pos = 157° +/-." On 20 Apr 1836, a second observation reads "F; mE; vgbM; 90" l, 25" br."

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NGC 4836 = MCG -02-33-072 = PGC 44328

12 57 34.3 -12 44 39

V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 5d

17.5" (3/29/89): faint, very small, round. Located 4.1' N of mag 8.4 SAO 157621! This galaxy has a very low surface brightness on the POSS.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4836 = T V-24 on 19 Apr 1882 and recorded a "L, vF nebula class III; 4' north of Lamont 1421 [HD 112546]." His position and description matches PGC 44328.

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NGC 4837 = UGC 8068 = MCG +08-24-011/012 = CGCG 245-006 = I Zw 46 = PGC 44188

12 56 49.1 +48 17 55

V = 13.6; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 70d

18" (7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.4', nearly even surface brightness. This is a double system (not resolved). The identification of NGC 4837 with UGC 8068 is uncertain.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4837 = h1489 on 7 Mar 1831 and recorded "a rather doubtful object; haze". There is nothing near his position, but 30' south is UGC 8026, a reasonable candidate assuming a digit error in recording the North Polar Distance. Note a 1 degree error in declination was apparently made 4 nights later.

Malcolm Thomson feels this number is best left "Not Found", although Harold Corwin equates NGC 4837 with UGC 8068. CGCG and RNGC identify UGC 8068 as NGC 4837, but not MCG or UGC.

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NGC 4838 = MCG -02-33-074 = PGC 44383

12 57 56.1 -13 03 37

V = 12.7; Size 1.7'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 45d

17.5" (3/29/89): faint, small, round, weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus. Located 5' NNE of a mag 9 star (double star mag 8.8/9.0 at 2"). NGC 4847 lies 9.3' SE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4838 = h1490 on 9 May 1831 and recorded "vF; has 3 small stars south-preceding." His position is 7 sec of time too large. Wilhelm Tempel found it again on 19 Apr 1882 and reported it in list V-25 (AN 2439). In the same observation, he also mentions a small nebulous star follows on the same parallel. Dreyer catalogued this object as NGC 4844 (see that number).

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NGC 4839 = UGC 8070 = MCG +05-31-025 = CGCG 160-039 = PGC 44298

12 57 24.4 +27 29 52

V = 12.1; Size 4.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 14.3; PA = 65d

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 1.0'x0.7', weak even concentration to a brighter core. Lies exactly midway between a mag 11.5 star 2.5' NE and a mag 14 star 2.4' SW. Forms a close pair with NGC 4842 (double system) 2.6' E. In the field are NGC 4840 7.0' N and MCG +05-31-023 3.8' SW. An anonymous galaxy was picked up 11.4' WNW. This member of AGC 1656 is a double system with a companion superimposed 0.4' SW of center (not resolved).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4839 = H II-386 = h1494 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted "F, pL". His position is 3' south of UGC 8070. Heinrich d'Arrest measured the position on 5 nights and noted the discrepancy in position (he calls it 5' in declination).

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NGC 4840 = MCG +05-31-029 = CGCG 160-042 = PGC 44324

12 57 32.9 +27 36 37

V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.9

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, small, round, 0.4' diameter, symmetrical appearance with an even concentration. Member of the AGC 1656 with NGC 4839 7.0' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4840 = H II-385 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted "F, pL." His position is 17 sec of RA west of CGCG 160-042 = PGC 44324. JH accidentally skipped this nebula when he compiled the GC so Dreyer added it to the GC Supplement as 5684. d'Arrest measured an accurate position over 4 nights.

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NGC 4841 = UGC 8072 = MCG -05-31-026 = CGCG 160-044sw = Holm 492a = PGC 44323

12 57 32.0 +28 28 37

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8

17.5" (5/14/94): very close double system located 3.1' NNE of mag 9.5 SAO 82582. The SW component (NGC 4841A) is fairly faint, small, round, 35" diameter. Even concentration with a bright core and faint stellar nucleus.

In contact with NGC 4841B at the NE end (separation of 34"). Faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Similar size as NGC 4841A but lower surface brightness with a very weak concentration and no core although a faint stellar nucleus is visible. Member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4841 = H II-387 = h1493 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, pL." On 13 Apr 1831, JH recorded "pF; double, nf, dist 20"." The fainter northeastern component (MCG +05-31-027 = PGC 44329) did not receive a NGC designation. NED lists the two components as NGC 4841A and NGC 4841B.

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NGC 4842 = MCG +05-31-030 = CGCG 160-046n = PGC 44337

12 57 35.9 +27 29 35

V = 13.9; Size 0.4'x0.3'

17.5" (5/14/94): very faint, very small, very small bright core, possible stellar nucleus. Forms a close pair with NGC 4839 just 2.6' W. At 280x, this galaxy is resolved into a double system with an extremely faint, nearly stellar companion (NGC 4842B) 30" S of center. The close double ∑1699 = 8.6/8.6 at 1.6" separation lies 14.4' E. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4842 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen, while observing and measuring NGC 4839. With respect to NGC 4839 his position is 11-12 sec of RA east and 0.4' north. The actual offset is 11.5 sec east and 0.3' south (to the brighter northern component), so he apparently reversed the offset sign in declination. As a result the NGC position is off from d'Arrest's usual accuracy. The two components are listed separately in the MCG.

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NGC 4843 = MCG +00-33-024 = CGCG 015-048 = PGC 44388

12 58 00.9 -03 37 18

V = 13.0; Size 2.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 87d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W, small bright core seems offset to the east side. A mag 13 star is just south of the east end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4843 = H III-613 = h1492 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and noted "vF, E, easily resolvable." CH's reduction is 4' south of CGCG 015-048 = PGC 44388.

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NGC 4844

12 58 08.2 -13 04 49

=* superimposed 3.2' ESE of NGC 4838, Corwin.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4844 = T V 25b on 19 Apr 1882 near NGC 4838, which he apparently didn't realize was discovered earlier by JH. He recorded "following on the parallel with [NGC 4838] is another faint, nebulous star." No position or even offset was mentioned, so the NGC position must have been communicated directly to Dreyer, but only faint stars are near this position. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4844 may apply to a mag 14 star 3.2' ESE of the center of NGC 4838, but this is uncertain as it is still 1' from the NGC position.

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NGC 4845 = NGC 4910?? = UGC 8078 = MCG +00-33-025 = CGCG 015-049 = PGC 44392

12 58 01.3 +01 34 33

V = 11.2; Size 5.0'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 89d

17.5" (2/28/87): very bright, very large, very elongated 3:1 E-W, bright core, mottled and dusty appearance (due to equatorial dust lane). A mag 11.5 star is north of the east edge 2.0' from center and a mag 13 star is 1.3' SSE of center. Located 12' NE of mag 7.0 SAO 11968.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4845 = H II-536 = h1491 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded "pB, mE, about 2 1/2' l and 1' br; mbM." His position is pretty accurate. JH made the single observation "F; pL; E; has a * 30" dist, 45° sf, 12m." NGC 4910 = H V-3 may be a duplicate observation. See that number.

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NGC 4846 = UGC 8079 = MCG +06-29-002 = CGCG 188-032 = CGCG 189-004 = PGC 44362

12 57 47.7 +36 22 15

V = 13.5; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 62d

17.5": faint, small, elongated SW-NE, almost even surface brightness.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4846 = h1495 on 11 Mar 1831 and simply noted "eF". There is nothing near his position. The nearest possible candidate is NGC 4868, which is 1 min 24 sec of time east and 4' south. But, this galaxy would not be described as "eF" and would require errors in both directions. Exactly 1 degree south, but matching in RA, is UGC 8079. Max Wolf was the first to makes this identification (IC 2 Notes).

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NGC 4847 = PGC 44464

12 58 29.0 -13 08 26

V = 16.7; Size 0.2'x0.2'; Surf Br = 13.1

17.5" (6/11/88): extremely faint and small or stellar. This galaxy hides on the SW side of mag 13.5-14 star which makes detection very difficult and just suspected several times. Located 10' E of a mag 9 star (double star 8.8/9.0 at 2" separation).

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4847 on 19 Apr 1882. The NGC position matches PGC 44464 and the description mentions "*9 p 40 sec on parallel", which confirms this identification. Dreyer references Tempel's fifth discovery list, which includes several nearby objects, but I can't find a reference to NGC 4847.

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NGC 4848 = UGC 8082 = MCG +05-31-039 = CGCG 160-055 = PGC 44405

12 58 05.6 +28 14 32

V = 13.7; Size 1.6'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 158d

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 NW-SE, even surface brightness. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4848 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position, measured 3 times, is accurate.

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NGC 4849 = IC 3935 = UGC 8086 = MCG +05-31-044 = CGCG 160-056 = Holm 495a = PGC 44424

12 58 12.7 +26 23 49

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 175d

24" (5/22/17): at 375x; moderately bright and large, slightly elongated. Sharply concentrated with a 25" core containing a small bright nucleus. The very low surface brightness halo is slightly elongated N-S and extends perhaps 1.0'x0.8'. Forms a close double (Holmberg 495) with IC 838 1.8' NNE. The companion appeared extremely faint and small (V = 15.0), just 10" diameter.

17.5" (5/14/94): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, weak even concentration down to a brighter core. A faint double star is 7' N with components mag 12.3 and 13.6 at 16". Forms a close pair with IC 838 1.9' NNE (not seen). Outlying member of AGC 1656.

Truman Safford discovered NGC 4849 = Sf. 23 = Spitaler 61 on 16 May 1866 and noted "pB". His RA is 8 seconds east of UGC 8086 = PGC 44424, but the declination matches. Heinrich d'Arrest independently discovered the galaxy again on 4 Mar 1867 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. There is nothing at his position, but 3.5' north is UGC 8086. Dreyer used d'Arrest's position in the NGC.

Rudolph Spitaler also found this galaxy in 1891 with the 27-inch refractor at Vienna and wasn't sure if it was new. He noted, "Brightness and appearance like Nova 58. Probably identical with the Nova d'Arrest . Northeast of this nebula, at 1.5', there is still another nebula, but much faint; Both together form a pretty double nebula." Spitaler's position for NGC 4849 (given in the IC 1 notes) is still 1.5' too far south!

Finally, Stephane Javelle found the galaxy again on 12 Jun 1895 with the 30-inch refractor at Nice and reported it as new in list 3-1230. Dreyer overlooked Spitaler's position and recatalogued it as IC 3935. So, NGC 4849 = IC 3935. CGCG mislabels this galaxy as IC 838 (a companion galaxy 1.9' north-northeast mentioned by Spitaler).

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NGC 4850 = MCG +05-31-040 = CGCG 160-063 = PGC 44449

12 58 21.8 +27 58 04

V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

17.5" (4/28/90): very faint, very small, round, very small bright core. Forms pair with MCG +05-31-048 3.5' NE. The companion appeared very faint, very small, elongated N-S, broad concentration, very faint stellar nucleus. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4850 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is 6 sec of time too small, a relatively large error, but matches in declination.

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NGC 4851 = CGCG 160-061 = PGC 44439

12 58 21.7 +28 08 55

V = 14.2

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, very small, elongated N-S. This is a double system (not resolved although the components are oriented NNE-SSW) in AGC 1656. IC 839 is a separate galaxy 2.0' SW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4851 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is less than 3 sec of time west of CGCG 160-061. This is a close double system (faint companion close northeast), which CGCG calls NGC 4851 + IC 839. But Bigourdan observed both galaxies on the same night and IC 839 = CGCG 160-057, located ~2' southwest of NGC 4851. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4852 = ESO 131-SC17 = Cr 266 = Mel 116 = Lund 629

13 00 04 -59 36 36

Size 11'

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): I'm surprised I didn't look for this cluster previously from Australia or Costa Rica as it is located just 1.1° NE of the Jewel Box and 1.6° east of mag 1.3 Beta Crucis! At 200x it was a pretty impressive collection of ~150 stars mag 10-16 in a 10' region including several mag 10-10.5 stars. One subgroup makes a neat "zig-zag" or "M" outline while another set of stars forms a "V" shaped group. There are no real rich subgroups but still it forms a nice cluster.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4852 = D 311 = h3449 on 30 Apr 1826 with his 9-inch reflector from Parramatta, New South Wales, and recorded "a very faint pretty large nebula about 6' or 8' diameter, round figure, resolvable into very minute stars. Several stars of some considerable magnitude appear scattered among the minute stars of the nebula, but they are only the continuation of a branch of small stars which run over the place where the nebula is; the stars in the nebula are very gradually, but not much, compressed to the centre." He observed the cluster of 4 times and his catalogued position is ~8' SE of the center of the cluster.

On 31 Mar 1834, JH recorded "a very poor cluster of about 70 stars 11..15th magnitude, very loosely scattered over a space about 15' long and 8' br." His second observation reads "Cluster VII. p rich, L, irr R, 10' diameter, 80 or 100 stars, 10, 11, 12 mag, with a stippling of much smaller ones."

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NGC 4853 = UGC 8092 = MCG +05-31-048 = CGCG 160-068 = II Zw 67 = PGC 44481

12 58 35.2 +27 35 47

V = 13.6; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0

17.5" (4/28/90): fairly faint, small, round, bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 4854 5.2' NE. Located 8' NNW of ∑1699 = 8.6/8.6 at 1.6". Located within AGC 1656.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4853 = h1496 on 13 Apr 1831 and recorded "vF; R; pslbM; 20"." His two observations match UGC 8092. JH equated this object with his father's II-385, although that number probably applies to NGC 4840.

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NGC 4854 = MCG +05-31-049 = CGCG 160-070 = PGC 44502

12 58 47.4 +27 40 29

V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.4'; PA = 40d

17.5" (4/28/90): very faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE. Member of AGC 1656 with NGC 4853 5.2' SW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4854 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His RA from a single position is 6 seconds too small.

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NGC 4855 = MCG -02-33-077 = PGC 44572

12 59 18.4 -13 13 52

V = 12.3; Size 1.7'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 5d

17.5" (6/11/88): fairly faint, small, round, bright core, fairly bright stellar nucleus.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4855 = T V-26 on 19 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table is accurate.

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NGC 4856 = MCG -02-33-078 = UGCA 313 = PGC 44582

12 59 21.2 -15 02 32

V = 10.5; Size 4.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 12.1; PA = 37d

17.5" (5/17/90): bright, fairly large, dominated by a very bright core, fairly large faint halo elongated 3:1 SSW-NNE. A mag 13 star is superimposed on the halo just east of the core 0.4' from center.

8" (5/21/82): fairly bright, bright core, slightly elongated. A mag 7.5 is in the field 20' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4856 = H I-68 = h1497 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and logged "cB, mbM, irr R." JH made two observations, recording on sweep 352 "pB; R; psbM; 20"; a * 13m pos 140° [southeast]; dist 1 diam by diagram."

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NGC 4857 = UGC 8077 = MCG +12-12-022 = CGCG 335-029 = PGC 44284

12 57 18.3 +70 12 13

V = 13.8; Size 1.3'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 110d

18" (6/28/03): faint, small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.7'x0.5', broad concentration to a brighter middle. A mag 13 star lies 3' ESE (with a mag 15 companion).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4857 = H III-908 on 7 Apr 1793 (sweep 1037) and noted "eF, vS, iR, vlbM." CH's reduced position is just 1' northwest of UGC 8077.

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NGC 4858 = MCG +05-31-051 = CGCG 160-213 = PGC 44535

12 59 02.0 +28 06 55

V = 15.2; Size 0.5'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.6

18" (4/20/12): very faint, extremely small, round, 12"-15" diameter. Fainter of a close pair with NGC 4860 in the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): extremely faint and small, round, requires averted. Forms a very close pair with NGC 4860 34" NE. Member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4858, along with NGC 4860, on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and described as a double nebula. This is the faintest of the 34 members in the Coma cluster that d'Arrest discovered.

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NGC 4859 = UGC 8097 = MCG +05-31-053 = CGCG 160-071 = PGC 44534

12 59 01.8 +26 48 56

V = 13.6; Size 1.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 95d

17.5" (5/14/94): faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, 0.6'x0.5', very weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1.8' SE. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4859 on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate.

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NGC 4860 = MCG +05-31-054 = CGCG 160-215 = PGC 44539

12 59 03.9 +28 07 25

V = 13.5; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 14.1

18" (4/20/12): at 322x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 NW-SE, small bright core, 0.4'x0.3'. Very close pair with NGC 4858 38" SW. Located 12' NW of NGC 4874 and 7' NW of mag 7.1 HD 112887.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, round, bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 4858 34" SW within AGC 1656. IC 4943 lies 5' W and NGC 4865 4.2' SE almost at the midpoint on line with mag 7.2 SAO 82595 7.2' SE.

13" (5/14/83): faint, very small, round. Located 4' NW of NGC 4865.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4860, along with NGC 4858, on 21 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is 25" northwest of center.

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NGC 4861 = Arp 266 = IC 3961 = UGC 8098 = MCG +06-29-003 = CGCG 189-005 = VV 797 = Mrk 59 = I Zw 49 = LGG 334-010 = PGC 44536

12 59 01.8 +34 51 39

V = 12.3; Size 4.0'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 15d

48" (4/7/13): very unusual appearance at 488x as the galaxy is dominated by a very high surface brightness HII region (Mrk 59) at the SSW end, about 15" in diameter and 13th magnitude. The knot appeared extremely bright, roundish, sharp-edged. The main glow of the galaxy is very elongated to the NNE, 3.0'x 0.6', extending just past a mag 13 star near the opposite end. The core is a somewhat brighter, elongated, knotty region, offset closer to the giant HII region. The glow of the galaxy dims as it extends to the star at the opposite end and fades out just beyond. PGC 101479, a compact galaxy, is exactly in line with the major axis of NGC 4861, 3.5' NNE of the mag 12 star. It appeared faint or fairly faint (B = 16.8), round, 12"-15" diameter. Member of the NGC 5033 Group (LGG 334).

17.5" (1/23/93): faint, very elongated SSW-NNE, even low surface brightness. Located between two mag 12 stars at low power. The "star" at the SSW end is slightly nebulous at 166x and appears as a definite nonstellar knot at 332x. UGC and CGCG misidentify this HII region as NGC 4861 (and the galaxy as IC 3961). This is one of the few extragalactic HII regions which responds to OIII filtration.

13.1" (2/23/85): faint, elongated streak SSW-NNE. Stretches between two 12th magnitude "stars". The star at the south end is actually a giant HII region and it appears slightly fuzzy at 166x and clearly nonstellar at 312x.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4861 = H IV-30 = h1499 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged, "two stars at about 3' distance connected with a vF narrow nebulosity." His position matches Arp 266 and the "star" at the south end is the unusually bright HII knot. JH made three observations and on sweep 131 reported "a vF neb; E nf to sp, between 2 stars, the southern of which is ill-defined. Both seem to belong to the nebula." So, he felt the HII knot was perhaps non-stellar. R.J. Mitchell, using LdR's 72" on 17 Apr 1855, recorded "vF, mE sp nf, has a plain star in the north extremity and either a star or what looks more like a bright little knot involved in the south end."

Max Wolf found the galaxy in 1903 on a Heidelberg plate and his position for W. V-103 is on the center of the galaxy. Despite an accurate position and description, Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4861 as IC 3961.

UGC and CGCG identify the main galaxy as IC 3961 and the bright HII knot as NGC 4861 (Webb Society Quarterly Journal #45, July 1981). Although LdR noted a "bright little knot" at the south end, the HII complex was not given a separate designation in the NGC or IC.

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NGC 4862 = MCG -02-33-079 = IC 3999 = PGC 44610

12 59 30.8 -14 07 56

V = 14.9; Size 1.2'x0.9'; Surf Br = 14.8; PA = 120d

24" (6/1/13): extremely faint to very faint, small, round, 20" diameter, low surface brightness, no details though no difficult. A mag 14 star lies 1.8' NW. Located 6.8' SW of NGC 4862 (exactly on a line with the major axis of this edge-on) and 4.7' E of mag 9.8 HD 112771.

18" (5/15/10): not found.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4862 = LM I-194, along with NGC 4863, on 26 Feb 1886. His rough position (nearest min of RA) is a good match with MCG -02-33-079 = PGC 44610 and his sketch (examined by Harold Corwin) confirms this identification. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position with the 20-inch refractor at the Chamberlin Observatory in Denver at the turn of the century (listed in the IC 2 Notes section). In MN Vol LXI #I, he also mentioned "Another was suspected perhaps 5 arcmin south of this one." There is nothing at this position, but 5' north is NGC 4863, probably the suspected object.

IC 3999, found by Bigourdan in 1895, may be a duplicate observation. See Harold Corwin's identification notes on IC 3999 for the story.

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NGC 4863 = MCG -02-33-081 = PGC 44650

12 59 42.3 -14 01 47

V = 13.9; Size 1.8'x0.4'; PA = 23d

24" (6/1/13): at 282x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 7:2 SSW-NNE, 1.1'x0.3', well concentrated with a very small, well-defined, small bright nucleus. NGC 4862 lies 6.8' SW.

18" (5/15/10): at 285x appeared faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 SSW-NNE, 40"x18", fairly low evens surface brightness. A mag 15 star lies 1' SE of center.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4863 = LM I-195, along with NGC 4862, on 26 Feb 1886. His rough position (given to the nearest min of RA) is a good match with MCG -02-33-081 = PGC 44650, and his comment "vE 45°" (as well as sketch examined by Corwin) clinches this identification, though the PA is 23°.

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NGC 4864 = MCG +05-31-058 = CGCG 160-221 = PGC 44566

12 59 13.2 +27 58 36

V = 13.6; Size 0.6'x0.3'; Surf Br = 11.8

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, 24" diameter, well concentrated with a bright core that increases to a stellar nucleus. On the DSS there is a faint star superimposed, so perhaps this is the stellar nucleus I noted. Forms a very close double with NGC 4867 just 36" SE.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, very small, round. Forms a double system with NGC 4867 off the SE edge just 40" from center and IC 3955 is 2' NW. Located in the core of AGC 1656, 5.0' WNW of NGC 4874.

13" (5/14/83): faint, very small, round, very close pair with NGC 4867.

William Herschel probably discovered NGC 4864 = H II-388 = h1500 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Two [along with NGC 4874], the time taken between them." His single position is 2.5' northwest of NGC 4874, which is certainly one of these two. JH assigned WH's second object (II-388) to NGC 4869 in the GC and Dreyer followed suit in the NGC. Harold Corwin argues that NGC 4864 is a better match in position and probably visibility. See his identification notes.

JH independently discovered this galaxy on 13 Apr 1831, and noted "The first of 5 south of a * 7m. Place by configuration with the others." His position is noted as very rough, but his sketch (emailed by Wolfgang Steinicke) verifies h1500 = NGC 4864. Heinrich d'Arrest first observed NGC 4864 on 10 May 1863 and measured the position on 3 nights. He marked the equivalence with h1500 as uncertain.

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NGC 4865 = UGC 8100 = MCG +05-31-064 = CGCG 160-224 = PGC 44578

12 59 19.8 +28 05 03

V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 115d

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 WNW-ESE, 27"x18". Contains a relatively high surface brightness core that has a modest concentration to the center and faint extensions. Located just 3.1' NW of mag 7.1 HD 112887 in the Coma cluster. Forms a pair with CGCG 160-223 1.4' WSW. The fainter companion was faint, small, round, 20" diameter, low even surface brightness.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located in the core of AGC 1656 3.1' WNW of mag 7.1 SAO 82595 which detracts from viewing. Nearby are MCG +05-31-063 1' SW and NGC 4860 4.2' NW.

13" (5/14/83): very faint, small. Located 3' NW of a mag 7 star in AGC 1656. NGC 4860 lies 3' NW.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4865 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is 5 sec of time west of UGC 8100, but his offset of 12.6 seconds of time from mag 7 HD 112887 is accurate.

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NGC 4866 = UGC 8102 = MCG +02-33-045 = CGCG 071-092 = PGC 44600

12 59 27.1 +14 10 16

V = 11.2; Size 6.3'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 87d

48" (4/2/11): extremely bright, very large, beautiful edge-on 7:1 E-W, ~4'x0.6'. Sharply concentrated with a small extremely bright nucleus. The central region bulges slightly (spindle-shaped). A bright star (mag 12?) is superimposed on the NW edge, ~50" from the center. GR 8 = UGC 8091, a low surface brightness Local Group member, lies 12' WNW. At 375x, GR 8 appeared fairly faint, moderately large, round, ~1.2' diameter. It contains a very small brighter core and stellar nucleus.

17.5" (3/20/93): fairly bright, large, edge-on 5:1 E-W, 5.0'x1.0', prominent core, stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is embedded on the west side 0.8' WNW of center. The core appears slightly offset towards the star or the extension west of the core may appear less prominent due to the glare.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4866 = H I-162 = h1498 on 14 Jan 1787 (sweep 691) and recorded "vB, E from sp to nf. A small star in the extent of it, near the brightest part, preceding it about 1/2'." His position and description matches UGC 8102. JH made 6 observations and recorded very similar descriptions.

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NGC 4867 = MCG +05-31-062 = CGCG 160-222 = PGC 44568

12 59 15.2 +27 58 14

V = 14.5; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6

18" (4/20/12): faint, small, round, 16" diameter. Fainter of a close pair with NGC 4864 36" NW. The pair is located about 5' WNW of NGC 4874 in the core of the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Forms a double system with NGC 4864 off the NW edge 40" from center. Located 4.5' W of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656.

13" (5/14/83): very faint, small, round, very close pair with NGC 4864. Located 5' WNW of NGC 4874, AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4867 = Big 62 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. In d'Arrest's description of NGC 4864, he mentions it forms a close double, though no position was given. Bigourdan independently found this galaxy on 28 Apr 1885 and noted it was very close to GC 3343 [NGC 4864] but easily distinguishable. Bigourdan's Comptes Rendus position is 1.4' too far north and as a result the position is northeast of NGC 4864 in the NGC, instead of southeast. Harold Corwin proposes that the NGC 4864/4867 may have been discovered first by WH. See his notes for NGC 4864.

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NGC 4868 = UGC 8099 = MCG +06-29-004 = CGCG 189-008 = PGC 44557

12 59 09.0 +37 18 37

V = 12.2; Size 1.6'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.0

13.1" (2/16/85): moderately bright, small, almost round. A mag 12 star is on the north edge 1.2' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 4919 19' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4868 = H II-644 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and recorded "pB or cB, S, R, mbM. Among some scattered star." CH's reduced position is 9 sec of RA west of UGC 8099.

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NGC 4869 = MCG +05-31-065 = CGCG 160-225 = PGC 44587

12 59 23.3 +27 54 41

V = 13.8; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter. A mag 14.4 star is attached at the NW edge. This Coma cluster member is situated 4' SW of NGC 4874, on a line with a mag 12.3 star that is 2' SW the center of NGC 4874.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, round, weak concentration. A mag 14 star is attached at the NW edge 16" from the center and a mag 12 star is 2.0' NNE. Located in the core of AGC 1656 4.0' SW of NGC 4874 with a number of galaxies near including NGC 4875 3' ESE, IC 3973 3' SE and NGC 4872 3.2' NE.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, round. A mag 13 star is attached at the NW edge. Located 5' SW NGC 4874 in AGC 1656.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4869 = h1501 on 13 Apr 1831 and noted "The second of 5, south of * 7m." Although only a very rough polar distance was given, his sketch (emailed by Steinicke) verifies h1501 = CGCG 160-225 = PGC 44587. This is the second of the five brightest galaxies in the core of the cluster (with NGC 4864, NGC 4874, NGC 4889 and NGC 4898). The first observation under h1501 on sweep 64 and 65 probably applies to NGC 4874.

Heinrich d'Arrest measured the position of NGC 4869 accurately on 6 nights, first recording it on 10 May 1863. He questioned if this object was equivalent to II-388 = h1501, but II-388 more likely applies to NGC 4864.

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NGC 4870 = PGC 44569

12 59 17.8 +37 02 54

V = 14.6; Size 0.9'x0.3'; PA = 1d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): extremely faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, 0.4'x0.3'. Situated between two mag 11 stars 1' NW and 1.9' ESE. Located 12' SE of NGC 4893 and 23' SE of NGC 4914 in a small group of galaxies ~80' SE of Cor Caroli.

Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 4870 on 1 Apr 1878 during the observation of the NGC 4914 field. He noted "About 10' p and 10' s of last [NGC 4893] is a third neb, pF, lE ns, bet 2 st 10m, one about 1.5' npp and the other 2' f." His description is an exact match with this faint edge-on. The PGC declination is 3' too small.

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NGC 4871 = MCG +05-31-066 = CGCG 160-227 = PGC 44606

12 59 29.9 +27 57 23

V = 14.1; Size 0.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 174d

18" (4/20/12): this close companion of NGC 4874 is located just of the west side of the halo, 1.3' between centers. At 322x it appeared faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, very small bright nucleus. One of the swarm of small galaxies hovering around NGC 4874.

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, extremely small, round. Located 1.3' W of the center of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. A mag 12 star lies 1.2' S. Numerous galaxies are nearby including NGC 4873 1.8' NNE and NGC 4872 1.1' SE.

13" (4/29/84): very faint, very small, round, very close companion of NGC 4874 just 1' W of center.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4871 = Big. 62 on 10 May 1863 and placed it 5 sec of time preceding NGC 4874, in the same parallel. This offset matches CGCG 160-227 = PGC 44606. Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 16 May 1885 and recorded "mag 13.4; 10" dia, faint stellar nucl."

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NGC 4872 = MCG +05-31-068 = CGCG 160-230 = PGC 44624

12 59 34.1 +27 56 48

V = 14.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; PA = 115d

18" (4/20/12): this is the closest of the swarm of small galaxies surrounding NGC 4874, situated just 48" SSW of center at the edge of the halo. At 322x it appeared similar to NGC 4871 (1.1' NW); faint, very small, round, 12"-15" diameter, very small brighter nucleus.

17.5" (4/21/90): this is the closest companion of NGC 4874 just off the SW edge of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, irregularly round, small bright core. A mag 12 star lies 1.3' SW. Located just 52" SW of the center of NGC 4874. A swarm of galaxies in the field with NGC 4871 1.1' NW, NGC 4873 2.2' N and NGC 4875 2.5' SSE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4872 on 21 Apr 1865. In his description of NGC 4874, he mentioned finding another nebula 45" to the south and preceding, which matches the offset to CGCG 160-230 = PGC 44624. On 5 May 1864 he recorded an object 3 sec of RA following NGC 4874 and 0.3' north (measured the same night) but there is nothing at this offset, although Dreyer may have assumed this referred to NGC 4872.

Dreyer equated WH's II-389 and JH's h1502 with NGC 4872, but these two designations apply to much brighter NGC 4874.

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NGC 4873 = MCG +05-31-069 = CGCG 160-229 = PGC 44621

12 59 32.8 +27 59 01

V = 14.1; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (4/20/12): this member of the Coma cluster is located just 1.6' NNW of NGC 4874, within the halo of faint galaxies surrounding the giant elliptical. At 322x appeared faint, small, round, 18" diameter, very small brighter nucleus. Just slightly larger than nearby NGC 3871 and 3872.

17.5" (4/21/90): close companion of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, slightly elongated, very small bright core. Located 1.6' NNW of NGC 4874. Nearby galaxies include NGC 4871 1.7' SSW and NGC 4864/NGC 4867 pair 4.3' W.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4873 = Big 64 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and placed it 1 1/2' north of NGC 4874 and about 1 sec of time preceding. This offset matches CGCG 160-229 = PGC 44621.

Guillaume Bigourdan independently discovered this galaxy on 16 May 1885 with the 12-inch refractor at Paris and recorded "mag 13.4-13.5; 20" dia, no nucleus." His position is accurate, but because of the confusion with the identifications in the densely packed Coma Cluster, NGC 4873 wasn't included in the GC or GC Supplement and first appeared in the NGC.

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NGC 4874 = UGC 8103 = MCG +05-31-070 = CGCG 160-231 = PGC 44628

12 59 35.7 +27 57 33

V = 11.7; Size 1.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (4/20/12): at 322x this giant elliptical cD appeared moderately to fairly bright, moderately large, round, ~1.2' diameter, sharply concentrated with a very bright core and fainter halo. Surrounded by a dense swarm of faint companions; 16 have been observed within a 5' radius! Located 6.4' S of mag 7.1 HD 112887. NGC 4889, the brightest member in the central region, is 7.3' ENE.

17.5" (4/21/90): second brightest galaxy in the core of AGC 1656. Fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, bright core. Located 6.4' S of mag 7.2 SAO 82595. A mag 12 star lies 2.5' WSW. Surrounded by a halo of faint galaxies including NGC 4872 52" SSW, NGC 4871 1.3' W, NGC 4873 1.6' NNW, IC 3998 2.3' ENE.

13" (5/14/83): fairly faint, round, fairly small, 2nd brightest in AGC 1656. A mag 7 star lies about 6' N and a mag 12.5 star 2' SW. Numerous companions are nearby in the field.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4874 = H II-389 = h1502 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Two [along with NGC 4864], the time taken between them." His position (CH's reduced position) is 2.5' northwest of NGC 4874, in line with his offset of 3.5' northwest for NGC 4889. Dreyer misassigned II-389 = h1502 to nearby NGC 4872, but this is a much fainter companion that was discovered by Heinrich d'Arrest. JH simply noted "The third of 5; place by configuration", but he associated it with II-389 and his sketch confirms h1502 = NGC 4874. Also, his first two observations under h1501 on sweeps 64 and 65 probably apply to NGC 4874.

Heinrich d'Arrest made 7 observations of this galaxy and questioned if it was II-389? Dreyer credited d'Arrest with the discovery in the NGC. d'arrest discovered 34 galaxies in the Coma cluster with an 11" refractor and Steinicke mentions that d'Arrest was the first to recognize the Coma assemblage of galaxies as a cluster, although Max Wolf is generally given credit in the literature based on his photographic survey.

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NGC 4875 = CGCG 160-232 = PGC 44640

12 59 37.9 +27 54 26

V = 14.7; Size 0.4'x0.3'

18" (4/20/12): at 322x this member of the Coma cluster appeared very faint, very small, round, 15" diameter. Forms a similar pair with NGC 4876 1.5' ENE. IC 3973 lies 2.1' SW. Situated 3.1' S of NGC 4874 in the core of the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): companion of NGC 4874 in the core of AGC 1656. Located 3.1' S of NGC 4874. Appears extremely faint and small, slightly elongated. Second of three and located between IC 3973 2.1' SW and NGC 4876 1.5' E. A mag 12 star is 2.7' NW.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4875 = Big. 65, along with NGC 4876, on 16 May 1885. His Comptes Rendus position is 1' north of CGCG 160-232 = PGC 44640.

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NGC 4876 = MCG +05-31-073 = CGCG 160-234 = PGC 44658

12 59 44.4 +27 54 44

V = 14.4; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9

18" (4/20/12): very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 18"x14". Forms a similar pair with NGC 4875, just 1.5' WSW. Situated 3.4' SE of NGC 4874 in the core of Coma cluster. A mag 14.9 star is 0.9' NW.

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, very small, elongated N-S. Located in the core of AGC 1656 3.4' SE of NGC 4874. Third of three with NGC 4875 1.5' WSW and IC 3973 3.4' SE.

13" (4/29/84): extremely faint, very small, round. Located 4' SE of NGC 4874 in AGC 1656.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4876 = Big. 66, along with NGC 4875, on 16 May 1885. His Comptes Rendus position is 1' northeast of CGCG 160-232 = PGC 44640 (similar offset as NGC 4875).

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NGC 4877 = MCG -02-33-086 = PGC 44761

13 00 26.3 -15 17 00

V = 12.4; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 6d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 2:1 N-S, bright core. Located 2.8' SE of mag 9 SAO 157648. Forms a pair with MCG -02-33-082 7.2' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4877 = H III-299 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and logged "pB, pL, mbM." There is nothing near his position, but 54 sec of RA due east is MCG -02-33-086 = PGC 44761 and the description fits. Wilhelm Tempel measured an accurate micrometric position (list V), which was used in the NGC.

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NGC 4878 = MCG -01-33-064 = PGC 44747

13 00 20.1 -06 06 14

V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 10d

48" (4/2/11): this bright galaxy forms a prominent pair with NGC 4888, which is located 4.3' NE. Fairly large, elongated 4:3 ~N-S, 1.2'x1.0'. Sharply concentrated with a slightly elongated very bright core. A mag 12 star is 2' NW and a bright double star just west of NGC 4888 lies 3.5' NE. NGC 4879 may be a mag 14.5-15 star 1.4' ESE. The DSS shows a weak ring structure in the halo but I didn't see this feature.

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, small, round, prominent core, almost stellar nucleus, small halo. Forms a close pair with NGC 4888 4.3' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4878 = H III-758, along with NGC 4879, on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and recorded "Two, both vF, vS." His single position is 7 sec of RA west of MCG -01-33-064. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4879 may be a star about 1.5' east-southeast of the galaxy. MCG identifies NGC 4878 as a double galaxy (with -064a) but Corwin says this is a plate defect on the POSS1. Karl Reinmuth identifies a star northeast of the galaxy as NGC 4878 and the galaxy, itself, as NGC 4879. See Corwin's NGC identification notes for more.

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NGC 4879

13 00 25.6 -06 06 40

48" (4/2/11): this number may refer to a mag 14.5-15 star located 1.4' ESE of NGC 4878.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4879 = H III-759, along with NGC 4878, on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and recorded "Two, both vF, vS." There is only a single galaxy at his position (NGC 4878 = MCG -01-33-064 = PGC 44747) and Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4879 may apply to a faint star 1.5' southeast of NGC 4878. RNGC classifies NGC 4878 as nonexistent and misidentifies NGC 4888 as NGC 4879.

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NGC 4880 = UGC 8109 = MCG +02-33-047 = CGCG 071-094 = Holm 497a = PGC 44719

13 00 10.5 +12 29 00

V = 11.4; Size 3.2'x2.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 165d

17.5" (4/4/92): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 3.0'x2.0', broad weak concentration with no core or nucleus, fairly low surface brightness.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4880 = H III-83 = h1503 on 12 Apr 1784 (sweep 189) and noted "vF, S, irr, resolvable." JH's mean position (two sweeps) matches UGC 8109.

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NGC 4881 = UGC 8106 = MCG +05-31-075 = CGCG 160-238 = PGC 44686

12 59 57.7 +28 14 48

V = 13.6; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, very small, round, bright core. Located 5' E of mag 8.1 SAO 82596. Forms a pair with NGC 4895 5.2' SE. Located 15' N of the central core region of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4881 on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on two consecutive nights) is accurate and he mentions that mag 8 HD 112886 precedes by 24 seconds (also accurate).

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NGC 4882 = NGC 4886 = MCG +05-31-076 = CGCG 160-239 = PGC 44698

13 00 04.4 +27 59 15

See observing notes for NGC 4886.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4882, along with NGC 4884, on 22 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. The offsets for these two objects - +3 sec in RA and -0.3' in dec, matches the differences between NGC 4886 (discovered by d'Arrest a year earlier) and NGC 4889 (discovered by WH). But his RA was 7 sec too small for both galaxies. So, NGC 4882 = NGC 4886 and NGC 4884 = NGC 4889.

The RNGC places NGC 4882 is 0.2 min of RA west of NGC 4886 but there is no galaxy near that position. This error was mentioned in my RNGC Corrections #1 and the Webb Society Observer's Handbook #5, p158.

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NGC 4883 = CGCG 160-237 = PGC 44682

12 59 56.0 +28 02 04

V = 14.3; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 93d

18" (4/20/12): this member of the Coma cluster is relatively isolated, roughly halfway between NGC 4889 (4.4' SE) and the mag 7.2 star (5.4' NW) in the core of the cluster. At 322x it appeared faint to fairly faint, small, oval 5:4 E-W, 18"x14", slightly brighter core. The bright star is somewhat of a nuisance.

17.5" (4/21/90): located in the central core of AGC 1656 4.4' NW of NGC 4889 and 6.4' NE of NGC 4874. Very faint, very small, round. Mag 7.2 SAO 82595 5.4' WNW hinders observation of this galaxy.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4883 = Big. 67 on 16 May 1885. His Comptes Rendus position (nearest min of dec) is 45" too far northeast. Dreyer (as well as Wolfgang Steinicke) credits d'Arrest with the discovery (on 22 Apr 1865), but I can't identify his observation in his compilation Siderum Nebulosorum.

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NGC 4884 = NGC 4889 = UGC 8110 = MCG +05-31-077 = CGCG 160-241 = PGC 44715

13 00 08.1 +27 58 37

V = 11.5; Size 2.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d

See observing notes for NGC 4889.

Henrich d'Arrest found NGC 4884, along with NGC 4882, on 22 Apr 1865 and noted "principal one of multiple nebulae. One precedes [NGC 4882] by 2 or 3 sec." His position is 7.5 sec of RA preceding NGC 4889, the only bright galaxy in the immediate vicinity, and his position for NGC 4882 is 7 sec of RA preceding NGC 4886. So, NGC 4884 = NGC 4889 and NGC 4882 = NGC 4886. d'Arrest listed 7 observations of NGC 4889, so NGC 4884 was an 8th observation. Karl Reinmuth, in his photographic survey based on Heidelberg plates, states "not found; = NGC 4889".

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NGC 4885 = MCG -01-33-065 = PGC 44781

13 00 33.8 -06 51 11

V = 14.0; Size 0.5'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.1

18" (5/16/09): faint, small, round, 24" diameter, very weak concentration.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4885 = h1504 on 19 Feb 1830 and logged "vF; vS; E." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4886 = NGC 4882 = MCG +05-31-076 = CGCG 160-239 = PGC 44698

13 00 04.4 +27 59 15

V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0

18" (4/20/12): this galaxy is the closest NGC galaxy (1.0' NW) to NGC 4889 in the core of the Coma cluster. At 282x it appeared faint or fairly faint, small, round, 15" diameter, contains a small bright nucleus.

17.5" (4/21/90): close companion to NGC 4889 in the central core of AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, slightly elongated. Located just 1.0' NW of the core of AGC 1656. Nearby galaxies surrounding NGC 4889 includes IC 4011 1.1' NNE, NGC 4883 3.4' NW and IC 4021 4' NE.

13" (4/29/84): very faint, very small, round. Close companion 1' NW of NGC 4889 in the central core of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4886 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and measured it on two nights. His position, 4-5 sec of time preceding NGC 4889, matches CGCG 160-239. This is the closest NGC companion to NGC 4889. NGC 4882 is a third observation by d'Arrest of this galaxy on 22 Apr 1865, but with a relatively poor position (1.6' too far southwest), so he and Dreyer assumed it was new. See that number.

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NGC 4887 = MCG -02-33-087 = PGC 44796

13 00 39.1 -14 39 58

V = 13.7; Size 0.9'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 155d

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, oval 2:1 NW-SE, small bright core. Forms a pair with NGC 4902 10' NNE.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4887 = T V-27 on 21 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table is an exact match with MCG -02-33-087 = PGC 44796. He also noted this object was -20 sec of time and -9' in dec from [NGC 4902].

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NGC 4888 = MCG -01-33-066 = VV 680 = PGC 44766

13 00 36.3 -06 04 31

V = 14.2; Size 1.2'x0.5'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 110d

48" (4/2/11): very bright, moderatly large, very elongated 3:1 WNW-ESE, brighter along the major axis. Well concentrated with a very bright core. A bright, wide double star is 1' W of center (separation of ~35"). A mag 15 star is between the pair and the galaxy, ~30" WSW of center.

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 WNW-ESE, small bright core. Almost exactly collinear with a nice double star mag 12/13 just 1' WNW of core. The double star has the same position angle as the galaxy. Forms a pair with NGC 4878 4' SW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4888 = H II-778 = h1505 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted "F, S, south following a double star." JH recorded "pF; vS; E; psbM." and measured a good position.

RNGC mislabels NGC 4888 as NGC 4879.

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NGC 4889 = NGC 4884 = UGC 8110 = MCG +05-31-077 = CGCG 160-241 = PGC 44715

13 00 08.1 +27 58 37

V = 11.5; Size 2.9'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 80d

18" (4/20/12): this is the dominant cD galaxy in the Coma cluster, although NGC 4874 is surrounded by a much richer retinue of small companions. At 282x appeared fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated E-W, ~1.5'x1.2'. Strongly concentrated with a very bright, slightly elongated core that increases to the center. The closes NGC companion is NGC 4886, situated 1.0' NW. A mag 13.5 star is a similar distance SE. With careful viewing, I caught glimpses of PGC 44708, a thin edge-on superimposed at the edge of the core just 27" from the center.

17.5" (4/21/90): largest and brightest galaxy in AGC 1656 = Coma I galaxy cluster. NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 9.2' W are both surrounded by a cloud of faint galaxies. Moderately bright, fairly small, oval E-W, bright core. Several companions near including NGC 4886 1.0' NW, NGC 4894 1.9' ESE, NGC 4898 2.4' SE which are all collinear with NGC 4889 and IC 4011 1.6' N.

13" (5/14/83): fairly bright, fairly small, oval E-W. Largest and brightest in AGC 1656 = Coma I. NGC 4874 lies 7' W and several companions are near.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4889 = H II-391 = h1507 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply not "vF". His position is 3.4' northwest of NGC 4889, close to the same offset he made in the sweep with NGC 4874.

JH made two observations under h1507 (sweep 64 and 343) with his RA is marked as very uncertain. On sweep 343, he recorded "B; pmE; bM. The fourth of 5, south of * 7m. His position is 4 sec of RA too large but his sketch verifies the identity. Also, his observation listed under h1510 on sweep 65 refers to NGC 4889.

Heinrich d'Arrest's NGC 4884 is a duplicate observation. See that number for details. d'Arrest commented that "the nebulae are numerous and dense and despite being small, so crowded one cannot imagine."

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NGC 4890 = MCG -01-33-067 = PGC 44793

13 00 39.0 -04 36 11

V = 11.9; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 11.5; PA = 100d

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly faint, fairly small, round, fairly high almost even surface brightness, weak concentration. Forms a vertex of an isosceles triangle with two mag 12.5 stars 2.7' NW and 2.5' SW. NGC 4915 lies 12' ENE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4890 = H III-614 = h1506 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and noted "cF, S, irr R." His position is less than 2' south of MCG -01-33-067 = PGC 44793. JH made a single observation accurate to less than 1'.

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NGC 4891

13 00 47.0 -13 25 35

=* 2' NW NGC 4897, Corwin. Incorrectly identified as NGC 4897 in the RNGC and SC 2000.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4891 on 21 Apr 1882. In the listing under NGC 4897 = T V-28 in his main table, Tempel mentions a nebulous star is 2'-3' northwest. At this offset is only a 14th magnitude star. See NGC 4897.

NGC 4897 is misidentified as NGC 4891 in many modern sources. See notes on NGC 4897.

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NGC 4892 = UGC 8108 = MCG +05-31-078 = CGCG 160-081 = PGC 44697

13 00 03.5 +26 53 53

V = 13.9; Size 1.3'x0.3'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 13d

17.5" (5/14/94): very faint, thin edge-on SSW-NNE, 1.0'x0.2'. Followed by two mag 14-14.5 stars with separation 39" oriented SSW-NNE and parallel to the major axis (closer star is 0.6' E of center). NGC 4859 lies 14.6' SW. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4892 = H II-390 = h1508 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted "F". His position is accurate, although JH's RA is 11 sec too large.

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NGC 4893 = IC 4015/4016 = VV 222a/b = Holm 498a/b = UGC 8111 = MCG +06-29-008/009 = CGCG 189-010 = PGC 44690/44696

12 59 59.6 +37 11 36

V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.4'; PA = 3d

24" (6/4/16): the two close components (IC 4015 and IC 4016) of NGC 4893 were resolved at 322x. The brighter northern component (IC 4015) appeared faint to fairly faint, small, round, 15"-18" diameter. The southern member (IC 4016) is faint, extremely small, round, 6" diameter. The centers of the two galaxies are separated by just 19". A mag 13.5 star is 44" E and a mag 15.0 star is just under 1' SSW. IC 4027, located 4' SE, is extremely faint, very small, round, 12"-15" diameter.

16" LX200 (4/14/07): faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. A mag 13 star lies less than 1' E. This is a contact double system (IC 4015 + 4016 with a separation of 0.35'), though the components were not resolved. Located 11' SW of NGC 4914 and 82' SE of Cor Caroli (Alpha CVn).

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4893 on 24 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position matches UGC 8111 and he noted it was between a mag 20 star south-preceding and a mag 17 star north following. On the modern scale, both stars are mag(V) = 15-16. Dreyer independently discovered this double galaxy on 1 Apr 1878 at Birr Castle. While observing NGC 4914, he remarked, "about 7' p and 10' s is another; F, irr R, elongated north-south, *11-12m 1' nff and *14m 1' ssp." These are the two stars noted by d'Arrest.

Max Wolf gave separate entries for the two components, which Dreyer catalogued as IC 4015 and IC 4016 (essentially at d'Arrest's position). The two components were apparently seen by Dreyer ("elongated n-s") but not resolved. Corwin notes that the object Wolf identified as NGC 4893 is actually a plate defect, so he assumed the two separate components were new objects.

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NGC 4894 = NGC 4898 = MCG +05-31-082 = CGCG 160-248 = PGC 44736

13 00 17.8 +27 57 20

See observing notes for NGC 4898.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4894 = h1510 on 13 Apr 1831 and recorded "the last of 5, south of a * 7m; more suspected to the south." Since his 4th of 5 in the sweep (h1507) refers to NGC 4889, and he gave the declination as 1' south, Harold Corwin concludes that NGC 4894 is likely the earliest observation of NGC 4898, and not fainter CGCG 160-247 just 1' northwest. All modern sources take CGCG 160-247 as NGC 4894, but there does not appear to be a pre-NGC observation of this galaxy.

JH listed a second observation of h1510 on 30 Mar 1827, but that observation applies to NGC 4889. JH also attached his father's III-363 to h1510 in the GC (3354), but H III-363 likely applies to NGC 4908 (Dreyer assigned it to IC 4051 in his 1912 Correction list).

Because of the density of galaxies in the Coma cluster, there was a great deal of confusion on the identities! Bigourdan and d'Arrest later measured an accurate position for NGC 4898 and both are credited in the NGC, so its identity is not in doubt.

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NGC 4895 = UGC 8113 = MCG +05-31-081 = CGCG 160-249 = PGC 44737

13 00 17.9 +28 12 08

V = 13.2; Size 1.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 153d

18" (4/20/12): this is one of the brightest galaxies in the Coma cluster and the middle of three in a near line with NGC 4881 5' NW and NGC 4907 7' SE. At 322x it appeared moderately bright, fairly large, very elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, 60"x20", sharply concentrated with a very bright core and much fainter, thinner extensions. NGC 4895A, located 2.8' SW, appeared very faint, round, 15" diameter.

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 NW-SE. Nearby companions are NGC 4881 5.2' NW and NGC 4895A 2.7' SW. Located just north of the central core of AGC 1656 and 14' N of NGC 4889.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4895 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured on 3 nights) matches UGC 8113 and he noted the mag 14-14.5 star (called mag 16) that follows by 8 sec of time. The position in the UGC is 7' too far south.

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NGC 4896 = UGC 8117 = MCG +05-31-084 = CGCG 160-087 = PGC 44768

13 00 30.8 +28 20 47

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 5d

18" (6/4/05): faint, small, round, 30" diameter. Weak, even concentration to a very faint stellar nucleus. Located just north of the core of AGC 1656 with CGCG 160-089 3.0' ESE and MCG +05-31-095 4.8' ENE.

Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 4896 = Big 68 on 12 May 1885. There is nothing at his Comptes Rendus position, but 15 sec of time east and 2' north is UGC 8117 and this galaxy is assumed to be NGC 4896 in modern catalogues. There are other nearby candidates including brighter NGC 4895 6.4' due south of his position.

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NGC 4897 = (R)NGC 4891 = MCG -02-33-089 = UGCA 316 = PGC 44829

13 00 52.9 -13 26 58

V = 11.8; Size 2.6'x2.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 150d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, round, halo gradually brightens, faint stellar nucleus. A mag 15 star is 2' NW (= NGC 4891). Incorrectly identified as NGC 4891 in modern catalogues.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4897 = T V-28 on 21 Apr 1882. His micrometric position in the main table matches MCG -02-33-089 = PGC 44829. The description mentions that 2' to 3' northwest is a fainter nebulous star, which Dreyer catalogued as NGC 4891. Only a mag 14 star is at the position of NGC 4891.

Shapley-Ames, RC1, RC2, RNGC, MCG, UGCA and PGC mislabel NGC 4897 as NGC 4891, but it is correctly identified in RC3. The RNGC RA is also 42 min too small. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4898 = NGC 4894 = MCG +05-31-082 = CGCG 160-248 = PGC 44736

13 00 17.8 +27 57 20

V = 13.5; Size 0.4'x0.3'

18" (4/20/12): this double galaxy is the brightest close-in companion to NGC 4889 in the heart of the Coma cluster. At 282x it appeared fairly faint to moderately bright, small, oval 4:3 E-W, mild concentration to center. Occasionally, the companion (NGC 4898B = PGC 3098454) popped as a stellar or nearly stellar knot on the east end of the galaxy. Located 2.5' SE of NGC 4889.

CGCG 160-247, just 45" NNW, is identified as NGC 4894 in modern sources. At 282x, this challenging galaxy appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 10" diameter. The small dimensions imply I only picked up the brighter core and missed the extensions SW-NE.

17.5" (4/21/90): located in the central core of AGC 1656 cluster 2.5' SE of brightest member NGC 4889. Faint, very small, slightly elongated. This is the last of four on a line with NGC 4894 just 45" NW, NGC 4889 2.5' NW and NGC 4886 3.5' NW.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, slightly elongated. Located 3' SE NGC 4889 in AGC 1656.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4898 = h1510 = Big 69 on 13 Apr 1831 and simply noted "the last of 5, south of a * 7m; more suspected to the south." He did not measure the RA and the dec is marked as very uncertain (nearest min), but his sketch (emailed by Steinicke) confirms the identity. An earlier observation on 30 Mar 1827, listed under h1510, appears to describe NGC 4889 instead: "B; S; R; in parallel with another which is follows.

Heinrich d'Arrest found NGC 4898 on 6 Apr 1864 and measured the position on 3 nights. He questioned if it was the same as h1510. Bigourdan also found NGC 4898 on 15 May 1885. Because of the confusion with the identifications due to the Herschels' poor positions, Dreyer equated h1510 with NGC 4894 and NGC 4898 was credited to d'Arrest and Bigourdan.

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NGC 4899 = MCG -02-33-090 = PGC 44841

13 00 56.5 -13 56 39

V = 11.9; Size 2.6'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 15d

24" (6/1/13): fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, ~1.7'x1.0', broad concentration, large slightly brighter middle but no distinct core or nucleus. The central region increases to a vaguely defined nucleus. Hint of spiral structure in the halo. Located 8.2' WSW of mag 7.5 HD 112945. NGC 4863 lies 19' WSW.

17.5" (6/11/88): fairly faint, fairly large, oval ~N-S, fairly low surface brightness. Appears brighter at the south end.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4899 = H II-300 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted "Faintish, cL." CH's reduction is at the west edge of MCG -02-33-090 = PGC 44841. In the Slough catalogue, JH mistakenly assumed his two observations of h1517 = NGC 4924, were the same as H II-300 = NGC 4899, and that his father made a 1° error in polar distance. JH listed both objects correctly in the GC. Dreyer notes the NGC description should read "cL" instead of "eL".

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NGC 4900 = UGC 8116 = MCG +01-33-035 = CGCG 043-093 = PGC 44797

13 00 39.1 +02 30 00

V = 11.4; Size 2.2'x2.1'; Surf Br = 12.9

48" (4/7/13): this unusual galaxy visually appears like a barred ring. At 488x a bright nucleus is embedded with a weak bar, extending NW-SE. A slightly brighter knot is situated close northwest of the nucleus. A mag 11 star is attached at the southeast end of the galaxy, collinear with the "bar". A large, round halo extends 1.7' and is slightly brighter along portions of the outer edge, forming a weak ring with a slightly darker interior on either side of the bar.

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly bright, moderately large, round, 1.5' diameter. A mag 10.5 star is attached at the SE edge 41" from center. Even surface brightness except for a faint slightly elongated "knot" just NW of center which may be the central bar or an offset nucleus.

8" (5/21/82): fairly bright, small. Unusual appearance with a mag 10 star attached at the east edge and the galaxy extends to the west.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4900 = H I-143 = h1509 on 30 Apr 1786 (sweep 558) amd recorded "cB, just np a pB star and joining it as to appear like a brush to it." In his 1814 PT paper he used this example and others to demonstrate a supposed union or attraction between the star and the nebula. JH made three observations and one description notes a "star 11m, with a fan or brush."

R.J. Mitchell, observing with LdR's 72" on 18 Apr 1855, recorded "Looks sometimes like the owl nebula when badly seen, with a B, E patch in centre and dark spots on each side of this; sometimes dark ring is seen all the way round, but blackest to [sp and nf]. Neby round is mottled." On 24 Apr 1857 he logged "B centre is elongated in the direction of the star on edge and on either side of centre there certainly exist dark spaces as before remarked, giving it the look of the owl-neb. Yet I sometimes thought I saw it as a sprial with a break in outer annulus npp." The barred-ring structure in his sketch can be verified on the SDSS!

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NGC 4901 = UGC 8112 = MCG +08-24-019 = CGCG 245-009 = PGC 44684

12 59 56.4 +47 12 20

V = 14.4; Size 1.1'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.4

18" (6/27/03): faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, low surface brightness. Increases slightly to a very small brighter core. Located 6.8' NNE of a mag 10 star. NGC 4917 lies 10' E.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4901 = h1512 on 7 Mar 1831 and recorded "vF; vS; E." His position is at the northwest edge of this galaxy.

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NGC 4902 = MCG -02-33-092 = UGCA 315 = PGC 44847

13 00 59.6 -14 30 48

V = 10.9; Size 3.0'x2.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 70d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright and large, round, weak even concentration to a bright core. Forms the eastern vertex of an equilateral triangle with two mag 10 stars 2.0' NW and 2.2' WSW of center. NGC 4887 is at the edge of the 220x field 10.4' SSW.

8" (5/21/82): fairly faint, moderately large, round, diffuse.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4902 = H I-69 = h1511 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and noted "cB, pL, iR." CH's reduction is 10 sec of RA west of MCG -02-33-092 = PGC 44847.

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NGC 4903 = ESO 443-030 = MCG -05-31-013 = LGG 324-005 = PGC 44894

13 01 22.7 -30 56 06

V = 13.0; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 73d

18" (3/17/07): largest of trio with NGC 4905 and ESO 443-034, but the lowest surface brightness. Appears fairly faint, moderately large, round, 1.0'-1.2' diameter, halo fades into the background, very weak concentration. Three stars are close south including a pair of mag 14.5-15 star just off the south side. NGC 4905 lies 4.3' NNE and ESO 443-034 the same distance ENE. The ESO galaxy appeared fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, 0.6'x0.5' (large low surface brightness halo not seen). A mag 10 star lies 2.3' E. ESO 443-039 lies 18' NE. It's odd that John Herschel missed this galaxy when he picked up the other two.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4903 = h3450, along with NGC 4905, on 30 Mar 1835 and recorded "vF; R; 30"; attached to a star; the preceding of 2 [with NGC 4905]." His dec was 1.3' too far south.

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NGC 4904 = UGC 8121 = MCG +00-33-026 = CGCG 015-055 = Mrk 1341 = PGC 44846

13 00 58.5 -00 01 39

V = 12.0; Size 2.2'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 15d

17.5" (5/22/93): moderately bright, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 1.5'x1.0', brighter bar along major axis, very small brighter core, slightly mottled. A mag 12 star is 1.8' NNW and a mag 14 star 2.2' WSW. On the POSS a very faint outer halo is elongated roughly N-S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4904 = H II-517 on 1 Jan 1786 (sweep 507) and noted "pB, S, R, bM." A few minutes later he commented in his logbook "twilight pretty strong." His position is 2' southwest of UGC 8121.

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NGC 4905 = ESO 443-031 = MCG -05-31-015 = PGC 44902

13 01 30.7 -30 52 06

V = 13.2; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 26d

18" (3/17/07): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter, weak concentration with a slightly brighter core. In a trio with NGC 4905 4.3' SSW and E443-034 3.5' SE. Located 4.3' SW of mag 7.4 HD 113129 which detracts from viewing. ESO 443-039 lies 20' ENE and NGC 4396 is 41' NE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4905 = h3451, along with NGC 4903 = h3450, on 30 Mar 1835 and logged "vF; vS; R; slbM. The following of 2 [with NGC 4903]. His position is 3.3' south of ESO 443-031 and actually falls closer to ESO 433-034, but the difference of 7 sec in RA is accurate.

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NGC 4906 = CGCG 160-253 = PGC 44799

13 00 39.7 +27 55 26

V = 14.1; Size 0.5'x0.5'

18" (4/20/12): at 322x appeared faint, small, round, 18" diameter. A mag 14 star is close west, just 25" from the center. Located 7.7' SE of NGC 4889 in the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, very small, round. A mag 14 star is just 25" W of center. Located 7.6' SE of NGC 4889 in the core of AGC 1656. IC 4041 lies 4.4' due north and IC 4042 2.9' NNE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4906 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured twice) matches CGCG 160-253 = PGC 44799 and he noted the mag 14-15 star that precedes by 25" (d'Arrest gives the separation as 17" to the edge).

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NGC 4907 = MCG +05-31-089 = CGCG 160-257 = PGC 44819

13 00 48.8 +28 09 29

V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, even surface brightness (face-on barred spiral). A mag 13 star is close off the SW end. CGCG 160-251 lies 3.0' WSW. Located 14' NE of NGC 4889 in the central portion of the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, even surface brightness. A mag 13 star is just off the south end. Nearby galaxies include CGCG 160-251 3' WSW and IC 4045 5' S. Located NE of the central core of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4907 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate and he noted the mag 13 star close south.

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NGC 4908 = UGC 8129 = MCG +05-31-090 = CGCG 160-259 = PGC 44832

13 00 54.3 +28 00 26

V = 13.2; Size 1.0'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.0

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated, 25"x22", broad concentration. Just slightly brighter than IC 4051 2.2' WNW. Located 10' ENE of NGC 4889 in the Coma cluster. The identifications of NGC 4908 and IC 4051 are likely reversed in most catalogues.

17.5" (4/21/90): faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core. Located in the central region of AGC 1656 with NGC 4908 2.5' N and IC 4042 2.5' SW. This galaxy is identified as IC 4051 in most modern catalogues (except MCG).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4908 = H III-363 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted "vF". CH's reduction matches UGC 8129. This galaxy was probably found by d'Arrest on 22 Apr 1865, though his position is between NGC 4908 and slightly fainter MCG +05-31-090 = PGC 44828, located 2.3' north-northwest. Dreyer used d'Arrest's position for NGC 4908, assuming it was more accurate.

Kobold and Bigourdan later observed both galaxies, but the position from Kobold for IC 4051 matches the brighter galaxy as he assumed the fainter galaxy was NGC 4908. To further confuse the issue, JH misassigned III-363 to h1510 = NGC 4894 -- see that number for additional problems! -- and this was copied into the GC.

Since WH picked up the slightly brighter south-southeast galaxy (and presumably d'Arrest), NGC 4908 should apply to this galaxy, though modern catalogues reverse the identifications. See Corwin's notes for more on this confusing story.

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NGC 4909 = ESO 269-035 = MCG -07-27-028 = AM 1259-423 = PGC 44949

13 02 01.8 -42 46 18

V = 12.7; Size 1.9'x1.7'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 28d

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): faint to fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter (this is the central core region on images). With averted vision increases to ~40" diameter. A number of stars are nearby including a pair of mag 13 stars [11" separation] 1.6' SE and a mag 11.5 star is 2.3' E. In addition, a mag 12/13 pair at a similar separation is 2.9' SW. The latter is part of a distinctive arc of stars that begins 2.5' SW and sweeps clockwise, ending at mag 10 HD 113176 7.7' SSE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4909 = h3452 on 5 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; precedes 3 or 4 stars, 11..12m." His position and description matches ESO 269-035.

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NGC 4910 = NGC 4845? = UGC 8078 = MCG +00-33-025 = CGCG 015-049 = PGC 44392

12 58 01.3 +01 34 33

See observing notes for NGC 4845. Identification very uncertain.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4910 = H V-3 on 24 Jan 1784 (sweep 123) and recorded "vL but eF, or I believe they are very close and vS stars." The PT summary description reads "eF, vL, er, R, 7 or 8' dia." In the NGC notes, Dreyer mentioned that Auwers' reduction is 10 min of RA too large. This observation is from an early sweep (prone to errors) and in the 1912 revision of WH's catalogues, Dreyer also mentioned the following note from WH, "The place of this neb is not determined with accuracy" and there were no subsequent sightings by other observers.

Harold Corwin suggests that NGC 4910 may possibly be a duplicate observation of NGC 4845 (about 2.5 min of RA and 4' south of WH's rough position) as it is the "only reasonable candidate."

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NGC 4911 = UGC 8128 = MCG +05-31-093 = CGCG 160-260 = Holm 499a = PGC 44840

13 00 56.1 +27 47 27

V = 12.8; Size 1.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.3

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint, moderately large, oval NW-SE, 45"x35", broad concentration. A mag 14.5 star lies 52" SE. Forms a close pair with NGC 4911A = PGC 83751, just 36" SW of center. The companion was just visible as an extremely faint and small knot, ~12" diameter. NGC 4919 lies 4.9' NE. NGC 4911 is one of the two giant spirals in the Coma cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, oval WNW-ESE, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2' NW.

13" (5/14/83): faint, small, round. A mag 13 star is close west. First of three in the field. Located 18' SE of core of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4911 = H II-392 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Three, the two following [NGC 4921 and 4923] pretty near each other; the south preceding [NGC 4911] about 8' distance; the time was near that of the two." d'Arrest measured an accurate position (on 4 nights) and questioned if it was identical to II-392.

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NGC 4912 = NGC 4922: = UGC 8125 = MCG +06-29-014 = CGCG 189-013 = PGC 44807

13 01 24.9 +29 18 40

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 129d

See observing notes for NGC 4922.

Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, found NGC 4912, along with NGC 4913, NGC 4916 and IC 4088, on 24 Apr 1865. He assumed he was on the NGC 4914 field, but the discovery sketch, which shows 4 nebulae (and one suspected neb) is clearly a different field.

Sue French suggested that Parsons' field is 8° south of NGC 4914, where a very similar configuration of 4 galaxies is found, including a wide pair of stars that matches the diagram. This implies NGC 4912 (labeled delta) = NGC 4922, NGC 4913 (labeled gamma) = IC 843, NGC 4916 (labeled epsilon) = CGCG 160-107 and the galaxy he assumed was NGC 4914 labeled beta) was IC 4088. Harold Corwin notes some errors with his descriptions (epsilson is called the brightest) but the configuration strongly suggests these identifications.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4922 = UGC 8135 just 5 days earlier than Parsons' observation, but the other three galaxies should be credited to Parsons. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4913 = IC 843 = UGC 8137 = MCG +05-31-100 = CGCG 160-099 = PGC 44908

13 01 33.6 +29 07 50

V = 13.6; Size 1.1'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 134d

18" (4/30/11): fairly faint, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, 45"x12", contains a very small brighter nucleus. IC 4088 lies 5.6' SSE, NGC 4916 is 10' NE and NGC 4922 is 11' NNW. This galaxy is identified as IC 843 in all modern catalogues. See identification notes for NGC 4912.

Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, found NGC 4913, along with NGC 4912, NGC 4916 and IC 4088, on 24 Apr 1865. Parsons assumed he was observing the NGC 4914 field, but the discovery sketch, which shows 4 nebulae (and one suspected neb), is a reasonably good match with a field 8° further south. NGC 4913, labeled as Gamma in the diagram, matches IC 843. Sue French originally suggested this identification.

Truman Safford independently discovered this galaxy on 3 May 1866. The discovery list was not published until 1887 so Dreyer added this discovery in an appendix to the NGC and later included it as IC 843 = Sf 3.

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NGC 4914 = NGC 4912: = UGC 8125 = MCG +06-29-014 = CGCG 189-013 = PGC 44807

13 00 42.9 +37 18 54

V = 11.6; Size 3.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.7; PA = 155d

16" LX200 (4/14/07): bright, fairly large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, very bright core increases to a stellar nucleus. Brightest in a small group of galaxies ~80' SE of Cor Caroli.

13.1" (2/16/85): moderately bright, small, slightly elongated, stellar nucleus. NGC 4868 lies 19' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4914 = H II-645 = h1514 on 17 Mar 1787 (sweep 714) and noted "pB, S, R, mbM." JH made two observations, described it as "pB" and "eF". MCG labels the galaxy NGC 4912/4914. See identification notes for NGC 4912.

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NGC 4915 = MCG -01-33-069 = UGCA 318 = PGC 44891

13 01 28.2 -04 32 48

V = 12.1; Size 1.6'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 55d

18" (6/4/05): fairly bright, moderately large, round. Contains a sharply concentrated 0.6' core that increases to a bright, stellar nucleus. With caref viewing, the core appears to be surrounded by a 1.2' very low surface brightness halo, doubling the initial estimate of size. NGC 4918 lies 6.2' NE (see observation).

17.5" (4/4/92): fairly bright, fairly small, round, bright core, high surface brightness. NGC 4890 lies 12' WSW. Forms a pair with NGC 4918 6.5' NE (not seen).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4915 = H IV-47 = h1513 on 11 Mar 1787 (sweep 709) and recorded "pB, stellar, resembles a star with a bur all around." CH's reduction is 2' south of PGC 44891. JH made two observations, first calling it "pB; R; gbM; nothing very remarkable."

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NGC 4916 = MCG +05-31-106 = CGCG 160-107 = PGC 44973

13 02 04.2 +29 15 12

V = 14.5; Size 0.9'x0.25'; PA = 159d

18" (4/30/11): fairly faint, very elongated 7:2 NNW-SSE, ~0.75'x0.25', contains a very small brighter nucleus. Overall this edge-on has a high surface brightness. NGC 4922 lies 9' NW and NGC 4914 = IC 843 is 10' SW.

This galaxy was probably discovered and sketched by Lawrence Parsons on 24 Apr 1865 along with NGC 4912 and NGC 4913 while observing the NGC 4914 field. It is not identified as NGC 4916 in any modern catalogue

Lawrence Parsons discovered NGC 4916, along with NGC 4912, 4913 and IC 4088, on 24 Apr 1865 at Birr Castle. His diagram, purportedly of the NGC 4914 field with NGC 4916 labeled epsilon, is a good match with CGCG 160-107 = PGC 44973, located roughly 8° south of the intended object. He called this object "vF" and the faintest of the quartet. Sue French suggested this identification. The RNGC misidentifies PGC 44801, located 4.7' NNW of NGC 4914, as NGC 4916. See NGC 4912.

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NGC 4917 = UGC 8130 = MCG +08-24-023 = CGCG 245-011 = PGC 44838

13 00 55.6 +47 13 19

V = 13.8; Size 1.4'x1.0'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 160d

18" (6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE. Initially appeared only 0.4' diameter. But with averted vision, very low surface brightness extensions were glimpsed increasing the dimensions to 0.8'x0.4' with a rounder, brighter core. Located 10' E of NGC 4901.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4917 = h1515 on 20 Mar 1828 and recorded "eF; S; E; bM." His RA (marked as approximate) was 9 sec too small.

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NGC 4918 = PGC 44934

13 01 50.6 -04 30 02

V = 14.4; Size 0.9'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 71d

18" (6/4/05): extremely faint, small, elongated 3:2? Requires averted and only glimpsed intermittently. A mag 10.8 star 1.8' NNW detracts from viewing. Located 6' NE of NGC 4915.

Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 4918 = LM II-457 in 1886 and noted "mag 15.7, 0.1' dia, R, bMN, GC 3366 [= NGC 4915] sp 4'." His position matches PGC 44934, though the separation to NGC 4915 is 6'.

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NGC 4919 = UGC 8133 = MCG +05-31-097 = CGCG 160-094 = PGC 44885

13 01 17.6 +27 48 32

V = 14.1; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 140d

18" (4/20/12): this Coma cluster member is located 18' SE of NGC 4889, near two spirals -- NGC 4911 4.9' WSW and NGC 4921 5' NNE. At 322x it appeared faint, fairly small, oval 4:3 NW-SE, 27"x20", nearly even surface brightness. Two small faint companions, CGCG 160-092 and 160-093 lie 2' WNW and 1.6' WSW, respectively.

17.5" (4/21/90): situated between NGC 4911 4.8' WSW and NGC 4921 5.1' NNE within AGC 1656. Very faint, very small, elongated NW-SE. In a close trio with CGCG 160-093 = MCG +05-31-094 1.6' W and MCG +05-31-096 1.9' WNW.

13" (5/14/83): very faint, second of three with NGC 4911/4921. Located in the core of AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4919 on 5 May 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (also measured on the next night) matches UGC 8133.

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NGC 4920 = IC 4134 = MCG -02-33-094 = PGC 44958

13 02 04.2 -11 22 42

V = 13.5; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 170d

18" (6/4/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5'. MCG -02-33-097 lies 9' N.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4920 around 1882 while observing NGC 4933. In the narrative portion of list V, he remarked that several years earlier he found that NGC 4933 was double with the two components oriented southwest and northeast. In a later observation he found another nebula, 1min 53s preceding and a little north of NGC 4933. At this exact offset west and 7' north is MCG -02-33-094 = PGC 44958.

Guillaume Bigourdan found the galaxy on 16 Apr 1895, but misidentified his offset star. Once corrected (see Harold Corwin's notes for the details), his position matches NGC 4920. So, NGC 4920 = IC 4134.

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NGC 4921 = UGC 8134 = MCG +05-31-098 = CGCG 160-095 = PGC 44899

13 01 26.1 +27 53 09

V = 12.2; Size 2.5'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 165d

18" (4/20/12): fairly faint, moderately large, irregularly round, ~1.5' diameter, sharply concentrated with a fairly faint, slightly elongated core, ~24"x20", surrounded by a very low surface brightness unconcentrated halo. NGC 4923 lies 2.7' SSE. This is the largest spiral (face-on) in the Coma Galaxy cluster.

17.5" (4/21/90): fairly faint, fairly small, bright core, large low surface brightness halo surrounded core. This is one of the brighter members of AGC 1656 but it appears fainter than the integrated V magnitude suggests. Nearby are NGC 4923 2.7' SSE and NGC 4919 5.1' SSW.

13" (5/14/83): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 3rd of 3 in AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4921 = H II-393 = h1516 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Three, the two following [NGC 4921 and 4923] pretty near each other; the south preceding [NGC 4911] about 8' distance; the time was near that of the two." JH made two observations and measured a fairly accurate position. d'Arrest made 6 observations.

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NGC 4922 = UGC 8135 = MCG +05-31-099 = CGCG 160-096 = VV 609 = PGC 44896

13 01 24.9 +29 18 40

V = 13.0; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 129d

18" (4/30/11): fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 N-S, ~50"x30", irregular shape, small bright core. After careful viewing this interacting galaxy consists of a brighter component on the south side, perhaps 30" diameter and punctuated by a bright core. A very faint low surface brightness glow is attached on the north side (PGC 86794), extending perhaps 20". A string of stars extends to the southeast with a mag 12 star 1.4' ESE. NGC 4916 (see identification notes) lies 9' SE

18" (3/30/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, 0.7'x0.4'. On sustained viewing, what appears to be the core or a compact galaxy, ~0.3' diameter, is on the SSW end. A much lower surface brightness glow extends to the NNE, mimicking the appearance of a tiny comet. Member of AGC 1656 (Coma Galaxy Cluster). A mag 12 star lies 1.4' E.

Checking at home I found this was a double system (NGC 4922A = southern member, NGC 4922B = northern member) in a common halo with the brighter component on the south end so the visual description is fairly accurate.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4922 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and noted the mag 11-12 star that follows by 6 sec of RA. His mean position (3 observations) is accurate. The northern component of this double system is listed in NED as NGC 4922 NED02 and PGC 86794 in HyperLeda. The position given here is on the SW component of this double system.

Sue French found that Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, probably independently discovered this galaxy just 5 days later, while looking for NGC 4912. His field sketch does not match NGC 4912, but a quartet of galaxies 8° further south, including NGC 4922, IC 843, IC 4088 and CGCG 160-107. NGC 4912 (labeled delta) matches NGC 4922. See NGC 4912 for more.

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NGC 4923 = MCG +05-31-101 = CGCG 160-097 = PGC 44903

13 01 31.8 +27 50 51

V = 13.7; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (4/20/12): this Coma cluster member appeared fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, ~28"x24", sharply concentrated with a small bright core. Located 2.6' SSE of NGC 4921 (giant spiral).

17.5" (4/21/90): very faint, very small, round, weak concentration. Forms a trio with brighter NGC 4921 2.7' NNW and NGC 4919 is 3.9' SW. Located within AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4923 = H II-394 = h1518 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and recorded "Three, the two following [NGC 4921 and 4923] pretty near each other; the south preceding [NGC 4911] about 8' distance; the time was near that of the two." JH made a single observation and his position is 1.3' too far southwest. d'Arrest made two accurate measurements.

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NGC 4924 = MCG -02-33-096 = PGC 44977

13 02 12.8 -14 58 11

V = 12.8; Size 1.5'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.8; PA = 60d

18" (6/4/05): fairly faint, small, 0.5' diameter, irregularly round, slightly brighter corre. With direct vision a very faint stellar nucleus is intermittently visible or an extremely faint star is superimposed. A small triplet of mag 13/14 stars lies 3.5'-4' SE and a mag 10.2 star is in the same direction 6.2' SE. Forms a pair with MCG -02-33-093 5.7' NNW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4924 = h1517 on 8 May 1831 and recorded "vF; R; bM." He confirmed the observation the next night and logged "vF; irreg R; vglbM." Because his position was 1° south of his father's H II-300 = NGC 4899, he initially assumed h1517 was identical, but realized his error when compiling the GC.

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NGC 4925 = MCG -01-33-074 = PGC 44967

13 02 07.4 -07 42 39

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 135d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 1.0'x0.8', broad concentration, moderate surface brightness. Forms a pair with IC 4071 6.8' NNW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4925 = H II-779 = h1519 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted "F, S." JH's position is at the south edge of this galaxy.

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NGC 4926 = UGC 8142 = MCG +05-31-103 = CGCG 160-103 = PGC 44938

13 01 53.7 +27 37 28

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1

24" (5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint to moderately bright, round, ~40" diameter, fairly high surface brightness, small bright core increases to a stellar nucleus. Two 12th magnitude stars lie 4' W and 4' WSW. NGC 4926A lies 3.5' NE. This companion (both are members of the Coma galaxy cluster) appeared faint to fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, 25"x20", slightly brighter core, quasi-stellar nucleus.

13.1" (5/14/83): faint, small, round. Located 17' SSE of NGC 4921 and 16' SE of NGC 4911 in AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4926 on 6 Apr 1864 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position (measured 4 times over 3 nights) is accurate and he noted the two mag 12 stars ~4' preceding.

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NGC 4927 = MCG +05-31-104 = CGCG 160-105 = PGC 44945

13 01 57.5 +28 00 20

V = 13.7; Size 0.6'x0.4'; PA = 10d

17.5" (4/28/90): very faint, very small, slightly elongated N-S, very small bright core. A mag 15 star is at the north edge 25" from center and a mag 13 star is 1.4' NE. CGCG 160-101 lies 6' NNW. Located 24' E of NGC 4889 in AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4927 = H III-364 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and simply noted "vF". His position is poor but d'Arrest's position (used in the) matches CGCG 160-105 = PGC 44945.

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NGC 4928 = MCG -01-33-075 = PGC 45052

13 03 00.5 -08 05 06

V = 12.5; Size 1.3'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.6; PA = 50d

17.5" (5/22/93): moderately bright, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.0'x0.7', broad mild concentration. On a line with two mag 12-13 stars 1.5' ESE and 3' ESE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4928 = H II-190 = H III-760 = h3453 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 208) and recorded "not vF, cL, E, r." He did not measure a position, only noting "it precedes the supposed 39 Vir 3 min in time and is 56' more north." He observed it again on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and measured an accurate position. He found it again on 23 Mar 1789, assumed it was new and logged H III-760 as "cF, vS, R." His position was 3' too far southeast. JH assigned two GC designations, which Dreyer combined in the NGC.

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NGC 4929 = MCG +05-31-111 = CGCG 160-113 = PGC 45027

13 02 44.4 +28 02 43

V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.5

17.5" (5/19/01): faint, small, roundish, 25"x20", even surface brightness. Located 1' following a mag 13.5 star within AGC 1656. NGC 4931 lies 3.7' ESE and NGC 4934 7.1' ESE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4929 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate and he mentioned the mag 13.5 star (called 16th mag) less than 1' preceding.

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NGC 4930 = ESO 323-074 = MCG -07-27-029 = LGG 325-004 = PGC 45155

13 04 05.3 -41 24 42

V = 11.1; Size 4.5'x3.7'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 40d

17.5" (4/7/89): faint, fairly small, oval SW-NE. Forms a thin isosceles triangle with mag 8 SAO 223876 3.1' SE and a mag 9.5 star 3.3' ESE! Possible member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4930 = h3454 on 8 Jun 1834 and recorded "vF; R; precedes 2 stars 8-9th mag and 9th mag (with which it makes nearly an equilateral triangle by diagram." His position and description matches ESO 323-074. MCG does not label their number as NGC 4930.

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NGC 4931 = UGC 8154 = MCG +05-31-114 = CGCG 160-118 = PGC 45055

13 03 00.8 +28 01 56

V = 13.5; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 78d

17.5" (5/19/01): fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 ~E-W, 0.5'x0.15'. Contains a small bright core that occasionally appears stellar. A mag 13.5 star lies 1.6' NE. Situated nearly at the midpoint of NGC 4927 3.7' WNW and NGC 4934 3.4' E within AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4931 on 10 May 1863 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His position matches UGC 8154. On 20 Apr 1865 he measured the position again and discovered NGC 4934, just 17 sec of RA following.

The RA in the RNGC is poor and this galaxy is misplotted in the first edition of the Uranometria 2000.

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NGC 4932 = UGC 8150 = MCG +09-21-089 = CGCG 270-040 = PGC 45015

13 02 37.7 +50 26 18

V = 13.6; Size 1.5'x1.3'; Surf Br = 14.2

18" (6/27/03): very faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, very weak concentration with no noticeable core. A mag 10.7 star lies 1.6' S.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4932 = H III-818 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and noted "cF, S, R, vglbM." His position matches UGC 8150.

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NGC 4933 = IC 4176 = Arp 176 NED 2 = Holm 502a = (R)NGC 4933A = MCG -02-33-102 = PGC 45146

13 03 57.2 -11 29 52

V = 11.7; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 45d

48" (4/21/17): NGC 4933 is a double system consisting of compact NGC 4933A = IC 4173 on the southwest side and NGC 4933B = IC 4176 on the northeast end, separated by 45" between centers. At 488x, NGC 4933B appeared bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 or 3:2 SW-NE, ~1.0'x0.7'. Sharply concentrated with an intensely bright nucleus. The north side has a sharper light cut off [due to dust]. Located 7' NE of mag 7.9 HD 113425.

NGC 4933A on the southwest end appeared bright, fairly small, round, 15" diameter. Strongly concentrated with a very small bright nucleus and thin halo. A tidal tail extension (either from NGC 4933A or 4933B) juts out towards the southwest an additional 20". The combined glow of A and B extends at least 1.5' SW-NE. NGC 4933C = PGC 45143, a third component 1' NE of 4933B, appeared very faint, small, round, ~15" diameter, very low surface brightness.

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, dominated by a bright core, faint extensions 2:1 SW-NE. Forms a contact pair with IC 4173 at the west edge in a common halo (Arp 176). IC 4173 appeared very faint, extremely small, round. Located 7.1' NE of mag 7.5 SAO 157687.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4933 = H II-191 on 9 May 1784 (sweep 210) and recorded "pF, pS, R, r. Near some small stars. Too much daylight to describe it fully." CH's reduced position is ~9 sec of RA west of this double system. In his fifth discovery paper, Wilhelm Tempel remarked that GC 3377 [NGC 4933] was certainly double, with a bright northeast component and a fainter stellar nebula on the southern edge, with a separation of 1'.

On 16 Apr 1895, Bigourdan claimed he searched unsuccessfully for NGC 4933, but reported finding Big. 315 = IC 4173 and Big. 316 = IC 4176, which he noted were in PA 225° (SW-NE) and a separation of 1'. His positions are wrong (over 2 min of RA too far east) as he misidentified his offset star, but once corrected they match the two components (nuclei) of NGC 4933! These IC identifications were resolved in an e-mail correspondence between Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin in April 1998. The RC3 labels IC 4173 = NGC 4933A and IC 4176 = NGC 4933B, with the two components first resolved by Tempel. NGC 4933C was not discovered visually.

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NGC 4934 = UGC 8160 = MCG +05-31-115 = CGCG 160-120 = PGC 45082

13 03 16.3 +28 01 48

V = 14.4; Size 1.0'x0.2'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 104d

17.5" (5/19/01): faint, small, very elongated 4:1 WNW-ESE, 0.4'x0.1', low even surface brightness. Slightly smaller and fainter than NGC 4931 3.4' W. Third of three on a line with NGC 4929 7' WNW within AGC 1656.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4934 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. He noted this object was situated 16 sec of RA following NGC 4931, which he also discovered, so the identification is certain.

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NGC 4935 = UGC 8159 = MCG +03-33-023 = CGCG 100-023 = PGC 45093

13 03 21.2 +14 22 40

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 75d

18" (3/30/05): fairly faint, small, round, 0.6' diameter, small bright core. Near the NE edge of the 19' field is a nice group of 5 stars with the three brightest stars forming a collinear string oriented NW-SE.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4935 = Sw VI-50 on 17 Apr 1887 and recorded "vF; vS; R; 3 st. like belt of Orion nf." His position is 6 sec of RA east and 1.6' north of UGC 8159 and his comment "3 stars like belt of Orion nf" applies to this galaxy (the stars are 8' northeast).

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NGC 4936 = ESO 443-047 = MCG -05-31-028 = LGG 328-002 = PGC 45174

13 04 16.9 -30 31 36

V = 10.8; Size 2.7'x2.3'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 168d

18" (5/3/11): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated ~N-S, ~1.4'x1.1' , well concentrated with a large very bright core that increases to an intense nucleus. A mag 12 star is 1.3' E of center.

Brightest in a group with ESO 443-055 7.5' ENE, ESO 443-043 10' NNW and IC 844 13' W. ESO 443-055 appeared very faint, very small, roundish, ~20"x15", Requires averted vision to glimpse. A mag 15.3 star is just off the south edge, 35" from center. ESO 443-043 is faint to fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, 25"x20", weak concentration. A pair of mag 14 stars 2.3' and 3' SE are nearly collinear with the galaxy. FInally IC 844 is fairly faint to moderately bright, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 E-W, 30"x15", slightly brighter core.

18" (3/17/07): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 4:3 NNW-SSE, 1.2'x0.9'. Contains a bright core that is moderately concentrated and a faint halo.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4936 = h3456 on 6 May 1834 and recorded "pB; R; S; bM; 15"; has a * 6 seconds following." His position and description matches ESO 443-047 = PGC 45174.

Brightest in a group of at least 12 members (Sandage 1975b, 1978) including IC 844 12' W with a mean redshift of ~3000 km/sec.

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NGC 4937 = ESO 269-?40

13 04 50.7 -47 13 11

Size 0.3'

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): this knot of faint stars appeared as a very faint, very small glow (20"). Occasionally two extremely faint mag 15.2 and 15.7 stars "pop" within the glow. Located 2' NW of NGC 4940.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4937 = h3455 on 3 Mar 1837 and recorded "eeF; S; R; the preceding of 2 [with NGC 4940]; a * 7m, just at the northern edge of the field." There is only a single galaxy here (NGC 4940), but just 1' east of his position and 2' NW of NGC 4940 is a small knot of faint stars within 20". ESO lists the number as "Not Found". RNGC calls it a "close double star". See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4938 = MCG +09-21-091 = CGCG 270-042 = PGC 45044

13 02 57.6 +51 19 07

V = 14.3; Size 0.8'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 39d

18" (6/27/03): very faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', low nearly even surface brightness.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4938 = h1521 on 17 Feb 1831 and recorded "eF; R; psbM." His position matches CGCG 270-042 = PGC 45044.

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NGC 4939 = MCG -02-33-104 = PGC 45170

13 04 14.3 -10 20 24

V = 11.3; Size 5.5'x2.8'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 5d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, fairly large, large low surface brightness oval halo 2:1 SSW-NNE, increases to a brighter core. A mag 15 star is 1.4' NW of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4939 = H II-561 = h3458 on 25 Mar 1786 (sweep 546) and recorded "pB, pL, R, vgmbM." His position matches MCG -02-33-104 = PGC 45170. JH reported "pF; L; R; gpmbM; 60"."

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NGC 4940 = ESO 269-042 = PGC 45235

13 05 00.2 -47 14 12

V = 13.1; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2

14" (4/2/16 - Coonabarabran, 160x): fairly faint to moderately bright, round, well-defined halo with a 30" diameter, moderately high even surface brightness. Situated 7.4' SSW of mag 6.4 HD 113537. NGC 4937, a small knot of 3-5 stars (asterism), is 2' NW. See that number.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4940 = h3457 on 3 Mar 1837 and recorded "F; S; R; 15". The following of 2 [with NGC 4937]." There is only a single galaxy here, which his position matches. See notes for NGC 4937.

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NGC 4941 = MCG -01-33-077 = UGCA 321 = LGG 314-013 = PGC 45165

13 04 13.0 -05 33 06

V = 11.1; Size 3.6'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 15d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 2:1 SW-NE. Dominated by a small bright core with a stellar nucleus (Sy 2 galaxy), moderately large halo. A mag 11.5 star lies 2.6' S of center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4941 = H I-40 = h1520 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded "cL, r. It contains a vB small spot in the middle but the rest is pF. The nebula is near some stars." JH made two observations and logged on sweep 234 "pF; L; vgbM; E; 60" long."

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NGC 4942 = MCG -01-33-078 = IC 4136 = PGC 45177

13 04 19.1 -07 38 59

V = 13.8; Size 1.9'x1.4'; Surf Br = 14.7; PA = 145d

17.5" (5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness, weak concentration, no distinct edge. NGC 4948 lies 20' SE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4942 = H III-761 on 23 Mar 1789 (sweep 916) and noted "vF, S." His position is 2' southeast of MCG -01-33-078 = PGC 45177.

Harold Corwin suggests IC 4136, found by DeLisle Stewart in 1899 on an plate taken at Arequipa, is identical to NGC 4942. See his IC identification notes.

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NGC 4943 = CGCG 160-122 = PGC 45129

13 03 44.9 +28 05 03

V = 14.6; Size 0.5'x0.3'; PA = 100d

17.5" (5/19/01): very faint, very small, round, just 15" diameter, low surface brightness. This faint member of AGC 1656 is situated 6' S of NGC 4944.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4943 on 20 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is accurate and he mentioned that h1522 [NGC 4944] was visible in the same field to the north.

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NGC 4944 = UGC 8167 = MCG +05-31-118 = CGCG 160-124 = PGC 45133

13 03 49.9 +28 11 08

V = 12.9; Size 1.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 89d

17.5" (5/19/01): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 E-W, 1.0'x0.4', very small bright core. Situated between two mag 11 stars 2' NE and 4' SW with NGC 4943 6' S. This is one of the brighter members of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4944 = H II-395 = h1522 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." JH recorded "F; R; bM; has * 9m 45° nf; 1' dist."

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NGC 4945 = ESO 219-024 = LGG 344-001 = PGC 45279

13 05 27.5 -49 28 06

V = 8.6; Size 20.0'x3.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 43d

24" (4/11/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): remarkable spiral at 200x, extending southwest to northeast across 2/3 of the 30' field. I didn't take detailed notes on this observation but there was just a broad concentration with no defined core region. The galaxy is very slightly wider through the center and only tapers towards the tips. Along the south edge, just southwest of center, is a brighter linear streak forming a sharp edge (the dust lane is just beyond). The main body of the galaxy fades a bit in this area and then brightens again further southwest. The major axis appears slightly warped or bent towards the north near the northeast tip. On the south side of the northeast end, some very faint haze is visible. The DSS image reveals this is a portion of the galaxy beyond the dust lane. Member of the M83/Centaurus A galaxy group and situated 18' ENE of mag 4.8 Xi 1 Centauri.

13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): beautiful, huge edge-on spiral oriented SW-NE. At 166x, appears ~15'x2' with tapering tips that fade out towards the ends of the extensions. There is only a broad concentration with gently bulging core, although the surface brightness is somewhat irregular or mottled due to dust. The galaxy fades a bit to the southwest of the core and then brightens slightly further southwest. The northeast extension seems a bit splotchy or mottled. I was very surprised that the view from Costa Rica was a bit better than from Bargo, outside of Sydney, with a similar aperture.

12" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): this long edge-on spiral is fairly bright and broadly concentrated with a slightly bulging core, extending SW-NE ~14'x2.5'. The surface brightness is relatively uniform with a weak central brightening and dimming towards the tips. Set in a rich star field peppered with faint stars. Located just north of a line connecting mag 4.8 Xi 1 Centauri 18' ESE and mag 4.3 Xi 2 31' SE. NGC 4976 is situated 30' E. Member of the Centaurus Group that includes both M83 and NGC 5128 and reddened by dust within our galaxy. NGC 4945 is comparable in dimensions to NGC 4565 although the dust lane was not evident.

James Dunlop discovered NGC 4945 = D 411 = h3459 on 29 Apr 1826. This is one of the first objects observed by Dunlop and the first galaxy he discovered, along with NGC 5128 the same night. His description reads "a beautiful long nebula, about 10' long, and 2' broad, forming an angle with the meridian, about 30 south preceding and north following; the brightest and broadest part is rather nearer the south preceding extremity than the centre, and it gradually diminishes in breadth and brightness towards the extremeties, but the breadth is much better defined than the length. A small star near the north, and a smaller star near the south extremity, but neither of them is involved in the nebula. I have strong suspicions that the nebula is resolvable into stars, with very slight compression towards the centre. I have no doubt but it is resolvable. I can see the stars, they are merely points. This is north following the first zeta Centauri." Dunlop sketched the galaxy and observed it seven times.

JH observed the galaxy on 31 Mar 1835 and recorded "B; vL; vmE; vglbM. Length much more than a diameter of the field, or than 15'. Its light extends to a star 14th mag beyond the parallel of Brisbane 4299. Position of elongation 38.7°." His declination is exactly 10' too far north.

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NGC 4946 = ESO 269-045 = MCG -07-27-030 = LGG 339-010 = PGC 45283

13 05 29.3 -43 35 29

V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 131d

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, well concentrated with a very bright core that increases to the center and a fainter 1.5' halo. Forms a pair with NGC 4946 5.6' NNE. Outyling member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): moderately bright, moderately large, irregularly round, 1.2' diameter. Contains a large, bright core and a fairly low surface brightness irregular halo. It was difficult to pin down the orientation as the halo fades into the background. NGC 4950 lies 5.6' NNE but was not seen. Located 1.4 degrees WSW of NGC 5011.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4946 = h3460 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "pB; S; R; bM; 20"." On a later observation he logged "B; R: gpmbM; 60". The preceding of two [with NGC 4950]. His position is accurate.

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NGC 4947 = ESO 382-005 = MCG -06-29-006 = IC 3974 = PGC 45269

13 05 20.2 -35 20 17

V = 11.8; Size 2.4'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 10d

18" (3/17/07): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 1.3'x0.9', broad concentration. Collinear with a mag 9 star 8' NNE and a mag 7.8 star (HD 113678) 14' NNE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4947 = h3461 on 1 May 1834 and recorded "pL; F; R; vglbM; 50"." His position matches ESO 382-005. Lewis Swift probably found it again on 28 Mar 1898 and reported it as new in list XI-146. There is nothing near his position and his description "eeF; pS; lE" doesn't help, but exactly 5 min of RA east is NGC 4947 and Harold Corwin suggests IC 3974 is most likely a duplicate observation of NGC 4947.

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NGC 4948 = IC 4156 = MCG -01-33-079 = Holm 505a = LGG 314-005 = PGC 45224

13 04 55.7 -07 56 46

V = 14.4; Size 2.3'x0.8'; Surf Br = 14.9; PA = 130d

17.5" (5/17/90): very faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, low surface brightness. A mag 15 star (Holm 505b) is at the southeast end, 1.1' from center. NGC 4958 lies 14' ESE and NGC 4942 20' NNW.

Lewis Swift discovered NGC 4948 = Sw VI-51 on 25 Mar 1887 and recorded "eeF; pS; lE; [NGC 4958] follows 54 sec." His position and description matches MCG -01-33-079 = PGC 45224.

Harold Corwin found that DeLisle Stewart probably recorded the galaxy again in Jul 1899 on a Harvard plate at Arequipa. There is nothing at his position for IC 4156, but +5 sec in RA and +100' in dec, is NGC 4948. This wasn't an isolated random error - apply the same offset to his position for IC 4136 and you arrive at NGC 4942.

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NGC 4949 = PGC 45161

13 04 17.9 +29 01 46

V = 14.9; Size 0.8'x0.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 108d

18" (5/15/10): at 285x appeared faint, small, round, 20" diameter. Two mag 15 stars lie 2' E and 1.5' SE. Outlying member of AGC 1656

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4949 on 19 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position matches PGC 45161, one of his faintest discoveries (not catalogued in CGCG or MCG).

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NGC 4950 = ESO 269-047 = MCG -07-27-031 = PGC 45294

13 05 36.4 -43 30 02

V = 13.9; Size 0.9'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.3

24" (4/12/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint, fairly small, 35"x25". With direct vision contains a small bright core surrounded by a slightly elongated halo. Located 5.6' NNE brighter NGC 4946. Outlying member of the Centaurus cluster (AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4950 = h3462 on 3 Jun 1834 and recorded "eF; S; R. The following of 2 [with NGC 4946]; barely perceptible, but a sure observation." His position is less than 1' south of ESO 269-047. MCG does not identify this galaxy as NGC 4950.

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NGC 4951 = MCG -01-33-081 = LGG 314-014 = PGC 45246

13 05 07.7 -06 29 43

V = 11.9; Size 3.3'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d

17.5" (5/22/93): fairly bright, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 2.1'x0.7', broad concentration, faint extensions.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4951 = H II-188 = h1523 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "F, cL, E, r." His position is 13 sec of RA west and 1' south of MCG -01-33-081 = PGC 45246. Heinrich d'Arrest measured a fairly accurate position (single observation) and noted the error in RA.

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NGC 4952 = NGC 4962: = UGC 8175 = MCG +05-31-121 = CGCG 160-129 = PGC 45233

13 04 58.3 +29 07 19

V = 12.4; Size 1.8'x1.1'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 23d

18" (4/5/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:3 SSW-NNE, 0.6'x0.35'. A small brighter core stands out but no nucleus was visible. A mag 11 star lies 4.8' SSE. NGC 4966 is 17' ESE. Outlying member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4952 = H II-396 = h1524 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." JH made 5 observations and his brightness estimates ranged from "very faint" to "bright". NGC 4962 may be a duplicate observation (a month earlier). See that number.

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NGC 4953 = ESO 382-008 = MCG -06-29-009 = VV 671 = PGC 45349

13 06 10.4 -37 35 11

V = 13.1; Size 1.1'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 46d

18" (3/17/07): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated 0.8'x0.6'. In a group of three stars with a mag 13 star 0.8' NE and a mag 14 star a similar distance NW. A brighter mag 11 star lies 1.6' NW.

On the DSS, this galaxy appears to be the brightest in a multiple system and described in the Southern Galaxy Catalogue as "Center of group. 6 objects with bridges and plumes in common envelope". The companions appear to be members of ACO S721 at z = .05, but NGC 4953 has a redshift of only z = .016.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4953 = h3463 on 26 Jun 1834 and recorded "Viewed; a diagram made representing it as round, with 3 small stars, one distant about 1 semi-diameter from border; pos about 293° [WNW]; another distant 2/3 diameter; pos = 75° [ENE]; the third dist 1 1/2 diam; pos = 300° [NW]. His position is 1.5' north of the multiple system ESO 382-008 = VV 671.

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NGC 4954 = NGC 4972 = UGC 8157 = MCG +13-09-044 = CGCG 352-053 = CGCG 353-008 = Kaz 248 = PGC 44988

13 02 20.1 +75 24 15

V = 13.4; Size 0.8'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 62d

18" (6/28/03): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 SW-NE, 0.7'x0.5', fairly sharp concentration with a small bright core. A distinctive group of 4 mag 12-13 stars is close west with three of the stars nearly collinear and equally spaced. Located 14' ESE of mag 6.0 SAO 7714.

John Herschel found NGC 4954 = h1527 on 5 May 1831 and noted "vF; S; R; gbM; 12". (The place is within barely possible limits of III. 937.)" His mean position (two observations) match UGC 8157.

WH discovered this galaxy on 5 May 1831 (sweep 1064) and catalogued it as III-937 = NGC 4972, but CH's reduced position was poor. But using offsets from different stars in the sweep, Dreyer gives two corrected positions in his notes to WH's third catalogue, and they match UGC 8157. So, NGC 4954 = NGC 4972. See Harold Corwin's identification notes.

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NGC 4955 = ESO 443-062 = MCG -05-31-034 = PGC 45340

13 06 04.8 -29 45 15

V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.3'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d

17.5" (4/13/96): faint, fairly small, irregularly round, 1.0' diameter, broad concentration with no well defined core. A mag 12 star is 1.5' SW of center. Forms a pair with ESO 443-066 2.1' NE (not seen).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4955 = h3464 on 30 Mar 1835 and logged "F; R; gbM; 35"." His position is an exact match with ESO 443-062.

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NGC 4956 = UGC 8177 = MCG +06-29-025 = CGCG 189-017 = PGC 45236

13 05 00.9 +35 10 40

V = 12.4; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 13.1

18" (3/30/05): moderately bright, small, round, 0.6' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a bright 15" core and stellar nucleus. Located 38' SSW of 5.2-magnitude 14 Canum Venaticorum.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4956 = H II-413 = h1525 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged "pF, S, R, mbM." CH's reduction is 2' northwest of UGC 8177.

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NGC 4957 = UGC 8178 = MCG +05-31-124 = CGCG 160-130 = PGC 45253

13 05 12.4 +27 34 11

V = 13.0; Size 1.2'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 100d

18" (3/30/05): fairly faint, small, round, 25" diameter, smooth surface brightness. Situated between a mag 12.5 star 2.2' NW and a mag 14 star 1.9' SE. Member of AGC 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4957 = H II-397 = h1526 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." JH measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4958 = MCG -01-33-084 = UGCA 323 = LGG 314-017 = PGC 45313

13 05 48.9 -08 01 13

V = 10.7; Size 4.1'x1.3'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 15d

17.5" (5/17/90): bright, moderately large, edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, dominated by a small very bright core. A mag 13.5 star is off the west edge 1.4' WSW of center. NGC 4948 lies 14' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4958 = H I-130 = h3465 on 3 Mar 1786 (sweep 536) and noted "vB, S, lE." JH called it "vB; pL; pmE; psmbM; 90" long" and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4959 = MCG +06-29-029 = CGCG 189-018 = PGC 45301

13 05 41.0 +33 10 44

V = 14.5; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.8

18" (6/4/05): faint, very small, round, 0.4' diameter. Contains a faint stellar nucleus with direct vision in good seeing.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4959 = h1528 on 29 Apr 1827 and recorded "eF; S; R." His position matches CGCG 189-018 = PGC 45301.

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NGC 4960 = NGC 4961? = UGC 8185 = MCG +05-31-126 = CGCG 160-134 = PGC 45311

13 05 47.5 +27 44 02

See observing notes for NGC 4961. Identification uncertain.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4960 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. There is nothing at his single position, though 6 sec of RA east and 4' north is PGC 45312 (not in CGCG or MCG), which is identified as NGC 4960 in RNGC and PGC. At mag B = 16.0-16.5, this galaxy may be too faint too have been picked up by d'Arrest and requires error in both RA and Dec, though Malcolm Thomson feels this identification is reasonable.

Bigourdan was unsuccessful in finding an object near d'Arrest's position. Karl Reinmuth and Max Wolf (Kongistuhl-Nebel List #9) also couldn't identify this object on Heidelberg plates and Wolf felt that NGC 4960 was a duplicate of NGC 4961 (discovered by WH). Harold Corwin also concludes NGC 4960 is most likely NGC 4961 with a 15' error in the declination as d'Arrest recorded NGC 4960 "only once, on a night when he did not record NGC 4961 (he observed that on four other nights)."

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NGC 4961 = NGC 4960? = UGC 8185 = MCG +05-31-126 = CGCG 160-134 = PGC 45311

13 05 47.5 +27 44 02

V = 13.6; Size 1.6'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.1; PA = 100d

13.1" (5/14/83): faint, fairly small, round, diffuse with low surface brightness. Located 15' NE of 41 Comae Berenices (V = 4.8).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4961 = H II-398 = h1529 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "F, S." CH's reduced position is 2.4' northwest of UGC 8185 = PGC 45311. JH logged "F; irr fig; bM" and measured an accurate position. See notes for NGC 4960, which may a duplicate observation.

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NGC 4962 = NGC 4952: = UGC 8175 = MCG +05-31-121 = CGCG 160-129 = PGC 45233

13 04 58.3 +29 07 19

See observing notes for NGC 4952. Identification uncertain.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4962 = H III-303 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "eF, vS, 240x just verified." There is nothing at his position, which is 43 sec of RA preceding and 4' N of III-304 = NGC 4966, the next object in the sweep. Bigourdan (visually), Max Wolf and Karl Reinmuth (on Heidelberg plates) reported not finding III-303.

Harold Corwin suggests NGC 4962 is identical to NGC 4952 (found again a month later by WH). This galaxy is 4' north of NGC 4966, though an additional 30 sec of RA west of WH's offset from III-304. See his identication notes.

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NGC 4963 = UGC 8190 = MCG +07-27-030 = CGCG 217-010 = PGC 45315

13 05 52.0 +41 43 19

V = 13.2; Size 0.8'x0.8'; Surf Br = 12.7

18" (7/1/03): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 0.7' diameter. Symmetrical appearance increasing steadily to the center using direct vision. A mag 13 star lies 0.8' S of center. Located 5.2' NE of mag 8.6 SAO 44460 which has a close, faint companion. NGC 4985 lies 26' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4963 = H II-663 = h1530 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and recorded "pB, vS, stellar, very near a small star, and to the north of it." very small stellar nebula." His position is 3.5' north-northwest of UGC 8190, but the description clinches the identification. JH made two observations and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4964 = UGC 8184 = MCG +09-22-007 = CGCG 294-011 = PGC 45278

13 05 24.8 +56 19 22

V = 13.2; Size 1.1'x0.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 134d

18" (6/27/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.4', weak concentration to a slightly brighter, round core. A mag 11.5 star lies 4.1' SW. Located 1.6 degrees ENE of Alioth.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4964 = H III-779 = h1532 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "vF, S." JH made a single observation ("eF; S; lE; a sure obs") and measured an accurate position.

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NGC 4965 = ESO 443-070 = MCG -05-31-036 = UGCA 326 = PGC 45437

13 07 09.2 -28 13 41

V = 12.2; Size 2.6'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.8

17.5" (4/13/96): very faint, fairly large, irregularly round, Appears as a 3' ill-defined glow of low surface brightness (face-on spiral) with very little concentration. A nice evenly matched pair of mag 12 stars lies 6' S.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4965 = h3466 on 5 May 1834 and recorded "vF; vL; oval; vglbM; 3' l; 2' br." His mean position from two observations is a perfect match with ESO 443-070.

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NGC 4966 = UGC 8194 = MCG +05-31-131 = CGCG 160-137 = PGC 45358

13 06 17.3 +29 03 47

V = 13.3; Size 1.0'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.3; PA = 143d

18" (4/5/03): faint, small, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 0.5'x0.25'. Located 2.5' NE of mag 6.5 SAO 82648, which detracts from viewing. This star has a faint, 14th magnitude companion. NGC 4952 lies 17' WNW. Outlying member of AGC 1656 and classified as a Seyfert galaxy.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4966 = H III-304 = h1531 on 13 Mar 1785 (sweep 387) and recorded "eF, vS, lE. 240 verified it just north following a vB star about 8 or 9 m." His position (CH's reduction) is 19 sec of RA east and 3' south of UGC 8194, but his comment aboout the bright star clinches the identification. JH measured an accurate position and recorded on sweep 342, "F; lE; vglbM; pos from the double star h2626 = 34.9° by micrometer."

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NGC 4967 = MCG +09-22-005 = CGCG 270-050 = CGCG 271-006 = PGC 45281

13 05 36.4 +53 33 51

V = 14.2; Size 0.7'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3

18" (6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, round, very low surface brightness glow, ~0.8' diameter. A mag 14 star is at the SW edge. Located 7' S of NGC 4973 in a compact group of 5 galaxies.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4967 = H III-783 = h1533 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "vF, S, E." There is nothing at his offset but ~1.0 min of RA west and 2.5' north is CGCG 270-050 = PGC 45281. This is a similar offset error as H III-782 = NGC 4974, the previous object in the sweep, so this identification is fairly secure. JH recorded "either a vF neb and star attached, or a nebulous double star, a doubtful object. The RA differs materially from that of my Father's III. 783." JH's position (used in the NGC) matches CGCG 270-050 and the star is at the southwest edge. Dreyer equated III-783 = h1533 in his notes to WH's third catalogue.

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NGC 4968 = ESO 508-006 = MCG -04-31-030 = PGC 45426

13 07 06.0 -23 40 37

V = 12.8; Size 1.9'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 56d

17.5" (4/13/96): faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.6', broad concentration to a slightly brighter core. Located south of a 6' collinear string of 4 mag 13 stars that is parallel to the major axis of the galaxy. NGC 4970 lies 20' SSE.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4968 = h3467 on 25 Mar 1836 and recorded "F; pL; R; glbM; 60"." His position is at the east edge of ESO 508-006.

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NGC 4969 = MCG +02-33-055 = CGCG 074-004 = PGC 45425

13 07 03.0 +13 38 13

V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.4'; Surf Br = 12.4

24" (5/20/17 and 5/22/17): at 375x; faint to fairly faint, small, round, 18" diameter. Contains a slightly brighter, very small nucleus. A faint mag 15.5 star is 25" N.

NGC 4969 is a difficult double system in a common halo. At 375x, the nucleus of the fainter companion was barely visible as a "bulge" on the east side of the main galaxy. It was easier at 450x and occasionally appeared as a distinct quasi-stellar "knot" at the east edge of the glaaxy. The centers of the pair are separated by only 10"-12"!

CGCG 072-005, the brightest in a faint trio, lies 4' E. It appeared very faint, small, round, 18" diameter, very small brighter nucleus..

18" (5/16/09): faint, small, round, 22" diameter, fairly low even surface brightness. A mag 15.5 star is just off the north edge.

Edward Swift, Lewis' 17 year-old son, discovered NGC 4969 = Sw VI-52 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "eeeF, S, R, ee diff." The Swifts' position is 26 sec of RA west of CGCG 074-004. Neither CGCG nor MCG label this galaxy as NGC 4969. The SDDS reveals this is a double galaxy within a common halo.

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NGC 4970 = ESO 508-009 = MCG -04-31-033 = IC 4196 = PGC 45466

13 07 33.7 -24 00 31

V = 12.2; Size 1.8'x1.0'; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 137d

17.5" (4/13/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 1.0'x0.5'. Well concentrated with a small, bright, rounder core. NGC 4968 lies 20' NNW and IC 4197 14' NNE (unfortunately did not look for).

William Herschel discovered NGC 4970 = H III-765 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and noted "vF, pL, iF." JH missed this galaxy although he discovered nearby NGC 4968, about 20' to the north. Lewis Swift later "rediscovered" this galaxy on 27 Feb 1898 and recorded it in list XI-149. His RA was 10 sec too large and he noted it as the second of three [with NGC 4968 and IC 4197]. Despite the fairly close match in position, Swift assumed it was new and Dreyer recatalogued NGC 4970 as IC 4196.

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NGC 4971 = MCG +05-31-134 = CGCG 160-140 = PGC 45406

13 06 54.9 +28 32 53

V = 13.4; Size 1.0'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.4

18" (7/1/03): faint, small, irregular round, 0.6'x0.5', weak concentration with a faint stellar nucleus or a very faint star may be superimposed. This galaxy is collinear with a pretty pair of mag 11 stars [18" separation] located 3' NNW. NGC 4983 lies 24' SE.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4971 on 23 Apr 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. His single position is 6 sec of RA west of CGCG 160-140 = PGC 45406 and he mentioned the double star to the north.

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NGC 4972 = NGC 4954 = UGC 8157 = MCG +13-09-044 = CGCG 352-053 = CGCG 353-008 = PGC 44988

13 02 20.1 +75 24 16

See observing notes for NGC 4954.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4972 = H III-937 on 5 May 1831 (sweep 1064) and noted "vF, S, iR, bM." There is nothing at CH's reduced position. But using offsets from different stars in the sweep, Dreyer gives two corrected positions in his notes to WH's third catalogue, and they match UGC 8157. CH's reduced position was ~10' from this galaxy.

JH found this galaxy on 5 May 1831 and noted "The place is within barely possible limits of III. 937". He repeated these suspicions in the notes to the GC, but added "they may be different, and are therefore separately listed." Dreyer followed suit and added JH's observation as NGC 4954, though later realized the equivalence NGC 4954 = NGC 4972. The primary designation of this galaxy is NGC 4954, although by historical precedence it should be NGC 4972.

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NGC 4973 = IC 847 = MCG +09-22-006 = CGCG 270-049 = CGCG 271-005 = PGC 45280 = PGC 45299

13 05 32.2 +53 41 07

V = 13.9; Size 0.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2

18" (6/27/03): faint, small, slightly elongated, 25"x20", weak concentration to a slightly brighter core and a ver faint stellar nucleus. In a small, rich group with MCG +09-21-101 4.7' WSW and NGC 4974 3.8' SE Located 2.6' E of a mag 11 star. A mag 13 star lies 2' SE midway between NGC 4973 and NGC 4974.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4973 = H III-781 = Ho. 3-19 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and recorded "Two [along with III-782 = NGC 4974], both vF, S. The place is that of the 2nd [NGC 4974], the other is 3 or 4' sp." Caroline Herschel's reduced position is 1.0 minute of time east of PGC 45280, but I re-reduced his offset with respect to NGC 4964 = H. III-779, the previous object in the sweep, and it is only 16 sec of RA east and 2' south of CGCG 270-051 = PGC 45321. The only error is that NGC 4973 is 3.8' north-preceding, not south-preceding as WH stated. In any case, the positions for NGC 4973 and NGC 4974 were corrected by Rümker and repeated in the IC 2 Notes, so NGC 4973 = PGC 45280 = PGC 45299 and NGC 4974 = PGC 45321.

Lewis Swift found NGC 4973 again on 11 May 1890, reported Sw. IX-36 with a good position and Dreyer catalogued it again as IC 847 (though the IC position is closer to NGC 4974). So, NGC 4973 = IC 847. Herbert Howe found NGC 4973 again on 29 Jun 1900 and included it in his list 3-19, assuming NGC 4973 and 4974 were further east. He stated in his notes that 3-19 was near IC 847, so Corwin concludes Howe probably misidentified NGC 4974 as IC 847.

The RNGC, RC3 and CGCG all misidentify NGC 4974 as NGC 4973. MCG misidentifies MCG +09-22-011 as NGC 4973. NGC 2000.0 and Dorothy Carlson incorrectly equate NGC 4974 = IC 847, instead of NGC 4973 = IC 847. See Corwin's notes for more on this confusing situation!

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NGC 4974 = MCG +09-22-009 = CGCG 270-051 = CGCG 271-007 = PGC 45321

13 05 55.9 +53 39 33

V = 13.3; Size 1.4'x1.2'; Surf Br = 13.9; PA = 130d

18" (6/27/03): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, ~25"x20" NW-SE, moderate concentration with a 10" brighter core. The halo increases in size with averted to 0.6' in diameter. In a rich group with similar NGC 4973 3.8' SE and fainter. A mag 13 star lies 1.9' WNW close to midpoint with NGC 4973.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4974 = H III-782 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and recorded "Two [along with III-781 = NGC 4973], both vF, S. The place is that of the 2nd [NGC 4974], the other [NGC 4973] is 3 or 4' sp." Caroline Herschel's reduced position is 1.0 tmin east of PGC 45280, but I re-reduced his offset with respect to NGC 4964 = III-779, the previous object in the sweep, and it is only 16 sec of RA east and 2' south of CGCG 270-051 = PGC 45321. WH made an error when noting "the other is 3 or 4' sp". NGC 4973 is 3.8' northwest.

Rumker independently discovered NGC 4974 in preparation for the Hamburg star catalogue (marked as a "nebula" on the chart). The NGC position was corrected by Rumker and mentioned in the IC 2 notes and in Dreyer's 1912 Scientific Papers.

CGCG, RNGC, RC3 and DSFG all mislabel NGC 4974 as NGC 4973 and MCG mislabels NGC 4974 as IC 847. In addition, CGCG 270-052 is misidentified as NGC 4974 in CGCG, RNGC, PGC and Deep Sky Field Guide. See notes for NGC 4967 and NGC 4973 for more on this confusing situation. Malcolm Thomson and Harold Corwin also analyze the identification in their lists.

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NGC 4975 = MCG -01-34-002 = PGC 45492

13 07 50.1 -05 01 03

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.3; PA = 46d

18" (5/16/09): faint, very small, round, 20" diameter, slightly brighter quasi-stellar nculeus. The galaxy is nearly collinear with two mag 14.5/15 stars to the SSW (closer star is 2' SSW). Located 44' NW of Theta Virginis (4.0/9.5 at 7").

John Herschel discovered NGC 4975 = h1534 on 19 Feb 1830 and recorded "vF; vS; R; psbM; 10"." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4976 = ESO 219-029 = LGG 330-003 = PGC 45562

13 08 37.3 -49 30 20

V = 10.0; Size 5.6'x3.0'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 161d

13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x, fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated NNW-SSE, 2.0'x1.7'. Sharply concentrated with a very bright 25" core increasing to a bright stellar nucleus. Located 31' E of NGC 4945 and 5' W of mag 7.8 HD 114102. Also 29' NE of mag 4.3 Xi 2 Centauri. Member of a galaxy group (LGG 330) along with NGC 4945A in the background of NGC 4945.

12" (6/29/02 - Bargo, Australia): at 140x, fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated, 2'x1.5', sharply concentrated with a prominent core. Located 30' E of NGC 4945 and 4.6' W of mag 7.8 SAO 223931.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4976 = h3468 on 31 Mar 1835 and recorded "B; R; gmbM; 80"." His RA was 12 tsec too large.

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NGC 4977 = UGC 8196 = MCG +09-22-010 = CGCG 270-053 = CGCG 271-009 = PGC 45339

13 06 04.4 +55 39 21

V = 13.3; Size 1.5'x1.5'; Surf Br = 14.1

18" (6/27/03): fairly faint, fairly small, 0.8' diameter, very weak concentration. Located at the midpoint of a mag 12.5 star 4' W and a mag 14 star 4' E.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4977 = H III-780 on 14 Apr 1789 (sweep 921) and noted "cF, S." His position (re-reduced with respect to NGC 4964) is 21 sec of time east of UGC 8196. Bigourdan measured an accurate RA.

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NGC 4978 = UGC 8212 = MCG +03-34-002 = CGCG 101-004 = PGC 45494

13 07 50.5 +18 24 56

V = 13.1; Size 1.5'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 142d

18" (4/29/06): fairly faint, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, 0.7'x0.3', weak concentration. A faint stellar nucleus was intermittently visible in moments of better seeing. Forms the vertex of a flat isosceles triangle with two mag 13 stars 2' S and 2' NW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4978 = h1535 on 23 Mar 1827 and recorded "vF; R; sbM; stellar." His mean position (two observations) is accurate.

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NGC 4979 = IC 4198 = UGC 8209 = MCG +04-31-007 =CGCG 130-009 = PGC 45484

13 07 42.8 +24 48 38

V = 13.9; Size 1.0'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.4; PA = 100d

24" (5/20/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.5'x0.4'. Contains a sharp, nearly stellar nucleus. Located only 4.6' WSW of distractingly bright mag 6.8 HD 114093. Best view with star kept outside the field. IC 4202, an extreme edge-on, lies 13' SE.

16" LX200 (4/14/07): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated ~E-W, 0.6'x0.45', low even surface brightness. Located 4.6' WSW of mag 6.8 HD 114093. This bright star forms the vertex of a right triangle with NGC 4979 and a mag 10 star 3.6' to its SE. Situated about 4° SE of the core of Abell 1656.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4979 = H III-346 on 10 Apr 1785 (sweep 394) and noted "eF, pL, lE, 240 verified it." His position is 12 sec of RA east and 3' south of UGC 8209.

Stephane Javelle rediscovered this galaxy on 20 Jun 1891 with the 30" refractor at the Nice Observatory and it received the designation IC 4198. Javelle claimed in the description "III 346 near", implying he observed two distinct objects, but the only other nearby object is IC 4202, which he also found. In his 1912 NGC correction paper, Dreyer states "III 346 must = IC 4198, as Wolf's ninth list has ony one object here." Dorothy Carlson, CGCG, UGC, MCG, PGC and NGC 2000 all equate IC 4198 with NGC 4979.

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NGC 4980 = ESO 443-075 = MCG -05-31-037 = PGC 45596

13 09 10.2 -28 38 30

V = 12.6; Size 1.7'x0.7'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 168d

18" (3/17/07): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, 0.8'x0.5', very weak concentration. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.8' WSW.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4980 = h3469 on 30 Mar 1835 and logged "eF; R; 30"." His position is just off the west side of ESO 443-075.

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NGC 4981 = MCG -01-34-003 = PGC 45574

13 08 48.7 -06 46 44

V = 11.3; Size 2.8'x2.0'; Surf Br = 13.0; PA = 150d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 NNW-SSE, 2.2'x1.5', sharp stellar nucleus, almost smooth halo. A mag 10 star is in contact at the SSE edge 1.1' from center.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4981 = H II-189 = h1537 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "pB, R, mb in a small place in the middle, near a B star." On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) he also recorded "cB, R, vgbM, about 3' diameter" and measured an accurate position. JH made the single observation "F; pL; R; 50"; has a * 9m, 80" dist sf."

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NGC 4982

13 08 46.1 -10 35 19

=4*, HC.

Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 4982 around 1878. There is nothing at the NGC position except an asterism consisting of a small square (0.4' each side) of stars mag 13.7/14.7/15.8/16.4. Corwin suggests this asterism may have appeared nebulous to Tempel. Dreyer references his fifth discovery list (AN 2439) in the NGC, but Corwin was unable to find this object mentioned in the paper (I was also unsuccessful), so this identification is uncertain.

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NGC 4983 = MCG +05-31-138 = CGCG 160-147 = PGC 45542

13 08 27.3 +28 19 13

V = 13.9; Size 1.1'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 130d

18" (7/1/03): faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5'. Weak, even concentration to the center. Located 7.5' NE of mag 10 SAO 82669. NGC 4971 lies 24' NW.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4983 = H III-365 on 11 Apr 1785 (sweep 396) and noted "vF". CH's reduction is 13 sec of time preceding CGCG 160-147 = PGC 45542.

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NGC 4984 = MCG -02-34-004 = PGC 45585

13 08 57.2 -15 30 59

V = 11.3; Size 2.8'x2.2'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 90d

17.5" (5/22/93): bright, moderately large, round, very bright prominent core 30" diameter, embedded within large faint halo of 2.0' diameter. A mag 15 star is at the west edge. A pair of mag 12/13 stars are 2.5' NE.

8" (5/21/82): fairly bright, small, round, small bright nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4984 = H II-301 = h1536 on 8 Feb 1785 (sweep 372) and recorded "pB, pL, mbM, iR." JH made observations on two consecutive sweeps, logging on 8 May 1831, "B; R; psbM; 30"."

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NGC 4985 = UGC 8218 = MCG +07-27-032 = CGCG 217-012 = PGC 45522

13 08 12.1 +41 40 35

V = 13.7; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 14.0; PA = 135d

18" (7/1/03): faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', moderate concentration to a brighter core. A mag 14 star lies 2' ESE. NGC 4963 lies 26' W.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4985 = H III-654 = h1539 on 9 Apr 1787 (sweep 725) and logged "vF, vS, lbM." JH made the single observation "vF; vS; R; 10"." and measured a fairly accurate position.

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NGC 4986 = UGC 8221 = MCG +06-29-044 = CGCG 189-027 = LGG 329-003 = PGC 45538

13 08 24.5 +35 12 23

V = 13.2; Size 1.7'x0.9'; Surf Br = 13.6; PA = 70d

18" (6/4/05): fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.6'. A mag 14.5 star is superimposed just south of the nucleus.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4986 = H III-401 = h1538 on 1 May 1785 (sweep 405) and logged "vF, stellar. 240 showed the same." JH made two observations and his position matches UGC 8221.

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NGC 4987 = UGC 8216 = MCG +09-22-015 = CGCG 271-013 = PGC 45502

13 07 59.1 +51 55 45

V = 13.5; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 35d

18" (6/27/03): fairly faint, elongated 5:2 SW-NE, 0.9'x0.35'. Sharply concentrated with a fairly prominent 15" core. Located 8.5' N of mag 8.0 SAO 28644. MCG +09-22-020 lies 8.5' NE.

William Herschel discovered H II-815 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and recorded "F, vS, stellar." Re-reducing his position with respect to either 82 UMa (his reference star) or NGC 4998 (the previous object in the sweep), lands 2' southwest - within his typical errors - of CGCG 271-017 = MCG +09-22-020 = PGC 45564.

When JH examined the field, he recorded a nova (h1542) at the position of UGC 8216, which lies 8.5' southwest of CGCG 271-017, and logged "pF; S; R; 8-10"." But when compiling the GC, he mistakenly decided h1542 was the same as his father's II-815 and combined both as GC 3424, using his position of h1542. The GC description, "vF; vS; stellar", was probably meant to read "pF; vS; stellar", a synthesis of both descriptions.

Since Dreyer followed the GC, we are left with NGC 4987 = h1542 = UGC 8216. Unfortunately, his father's H II-815 = CGCG 271-017 is left without a NGC designation. Both Harold Corwin and Wolfgang Steinicke agree with my analysis in an email exchange on 10 Jun 2014. See Harold Corwin's full write-up.

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NGC 4988 = ESO 269-055 = MCG -07-27-037 = PGC 45671

13 09 54.2 -43 06 22

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x0.5'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 26d

13.1" (2/19/04 - Costa Rica): at 166x appears fairly faint, moderately large, very elongated 4:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.3', broad weak concentration. Forms the southern vertex of a thin isosceles triangle with two mag 9-10 stars 2.8' NNW and 2.8' N. Located 32' W of NGC 5011 and 23' NW of mag 5.2 HD 114474 in the NGC 5011 cluster (outlying member of the Centaurus cluster or in a group surrounding the Centaurus cluster = AGC 3526).

John Herschel discovered NGC 4988 = h3470 on 3 Jun 1834 NGC 4988 and recorded "vF; S; E; possibly a small group of stars, but I think it is nebulous." His position matches ESO 269-055 = MCG -07-27-037. The MCG does not identify it, though, as NGC 4988.

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NGC 4989 = MCG -01-34-005 = PGC 45606

13 09 16.0 -05 23 47

V = 12.8; Size 1.7'x1.0'; Surf Br = 13.2; PA = 165d

17.5" (5/17/90): moderately bright, very small, round, compact, high surface brightness, small bright core. Located 12' NW of Theta Virginis (V = 4.4/9.5 at 6"). Forms a pair with NGC 4990 7.4' N.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4989 = H II-185 = Au 31 on 24 Apr 1784 (sweep 205) and recorded "F, S, irr, near a pB star." His position is 20 sec of RA west and 3' north of PGC 45606. The "pB star" is probably a mag 11.5 star 2.5' south. Edward Cooper also found this galaxy at the Markree Observatory on 9 Apr 1852 and assumed it was new. Auwers listed it in his 1862 catalogue of new nebulae, so it received a GC number (3426). Heinrich d'Arrest measured an accurate position (on 4 nights) and discovered NGC 4990 7' north. Dreyer combined the two GC entries in the NGC.

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NGC 4990 = MCG -01-34-004 = Mrk 1344 = PGC 45608

13 09 17.2 -05 16 22

V = 13.7; Size 1.0'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.3

17.5" (5/17/90): faint, extremely small, round, fairly high surface brightness, stellar nucleus. Forms a pair with NGC 4989 7.4' S.

Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 4990 on 23 Mar 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen, while observing NGC 4989 located 7.5' south. His position (measured on two nights) matches PGC 45608 and he mentions the mag 12-13 star that follows by 9 sec of RA.

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NGC 4991 = CGCG 044-013 = PGC 45604

13 09 15.1 +02 20 51

V = 14.7; Size 0.6'x0.6'; Surf Br = 13.0

18" (5/16/09): extremely faint, very small, round, 15" diameter, requires averted vision to view. A nice elongated group of 4 brighter stars (including mag 8.2 HD 114191) and some fainter stars lies ~12' S.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4991 = m 246 on 30 Apr 1864 and noted "vF, vS." His position is within 1' of CGCG 044-013 = PGC 45604.

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NGC 4992 = UGC 8232 = MCG +02-34-001 = CGCG 072-006 = PGC 45593

13 09 05.6 +11 38 03

V = 13.4; Size 1.2'x0.7'; Surf Br = 13.1; PA = 10d

18" (5/28/06): fairly faint, small, elongated 5:3 ~N-S, 0.7'x0.4', very weak concentration. Located 51' W of mag 5.8 HD 114780.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4992 = h1541 on 4 Apr 1831 and recorded "vF; S; lE; north of two small stars." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4993 = NGC 4994: = ESO 508-018 = MCG -04-31-039 = PGC 45657

13 09 47.7 -23 23 02

V = 12.3; Size 1.3'x1.1'; Surf Br = 12.6

17.5" (4/13/96): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 1.0' diameter. Pretty symmetrical appearance increasing to a 30" brighter core and a 10" nucleus. Located 5.3' WNW of mag 8.5 SAO 181423 and 20' SE of mag 5 Psi Hydrae.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4993 = H III-766 on 26 Mar 1789 (sweep 918) and noted "vF, vS." His position is at the west edge of ESO 508-018 = PGC 45657. NGC 4994, found by JH, is probably a duplicate observation with a 50' error in declination. See that number.

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NGC 4994 = NGC 4993: = ESO 508-018 = MCG -04-31-039 = PGC 45657

13 09 47.7 -23 23 02

See observing notes for NGC 4993.

John Herschel discovered NGC 4994 = h3471 on 25 Mar 1836 and recorded "pF; R; slbM; 35"; among stars." There is nothing near his position that he might have picked up. ESO and PGC misidentify ESO 575-065, which is 0.4 min of RA west and 4' north of JH's position, as NGC 4994. Although this is the closest galaxy, it is much too faint to be described as "pF".

Harold Corwin notes that NGC 4993 (discovered by WH) is exactly 50' south of JH's position and a much better match in description. So, NGC 4993 = NGC 4994.

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NGC 4995 = MCG -01-34-007 = UGCA 329 = PGC 45643

13 09 40.6 -07 50 01

V = 11.1; Size 2.5'x1.6'; Surf Br = 12.5; PA = 92d

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 E-W, weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus. Located 3.4' SSE of mag 8.3 SAO 139185 and 10.8' S of mag 7.3 SAO 139187.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4995 = H I-42 = h1540 = 3472 on 25 Apr 1784 (sweep 207) and recorded "cB, pL, bM and diminishes gradually towards the ends; near a vB star." On 20 Mar 1789 (sweep 913) he also recorded "pB almost cB, mbM, about 2' dia." From the Cape of Good Hope, JH logged "pB; R; vgpmbM; 60"."

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NGC 4996 = UGC 8235 = MCG +00-34-009 = CGCG 016-011 = PGC 45629

13 09 31.9 +00 51 25

V = 12.6; Size 1.8'x1.4'; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 40d

18" (5/28/06): faint, fairly small, round, 0.8' diameter. Unusual appearance with a very low surface brightness halo surrounding a faint stellar nucleus. Located 7' N of mag 9.1 HD 114266.

Albert Marth discovered NGC 4996 = m 247 on 28 Mar 1864 and noted "pB, S, R, bM." His position is accurate.

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NGC 4997 = MCG -03-34-005 = PGC 45667

13 09 51.7 -16 30 56

V = 12.7; Size 1.3'x0.9'; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 95d

17.5" (5/17/90): fairly faint, small, high surface brightness, stellar nucleus. Located 2.3' E of mag 6.7 SAO 157759! Forms a pair with MCG -03-34-004 6' SSW.

Sherburne Burnham discovered NGC 4997 on 28 Mar 1878 with the 18.5-inch Clark refractor at Dearborn Observatory. It was reported in Memoirs of the Astr Soc, Vol 44, p169 and his position with respect to nearby mag 6.7 SAO 157759 is accurate. Burnham may have shown the galaxy to Edward Holden while visiting Washburn Observatory in 1881, as Holden included this object as #9 in his 1882 discovery list (Publ. of the Washburn Observatory, Vol I) though he noted "This nebula was first discovered by S. W. Burnham at the Dearborn Observatory, 1878, March 28." Holden called it was "S, R, stellar nucleus." Only Burnham was credited in the NGC.

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NGC 4998 = MCG +09-22-017 = CGCG 271-015 = PGC 45537

13 08 10.3 +50 39 50

V = 14.1; Size 0.9'x0.8'; Surf Br = 13.6

18" (6/27/03): very faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, 0.7'x0.5', low even surface brightness. A mag 15 star lies 45" NW. Three mag 10 stars are in the field between 6'-7.5' SW, SSW and SSE.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4998 = H III-819 on 26 Apr 1789 (sweep 929) and simply noted "vF". CH's reduced position is 14 tsec following CGCG 271-015 = PGC 45537 (only nearby galaxy).

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NGC 4999 = UGC 8236 = MCG +00-34-010 = CGCG 016-012 = PGC 45632

13 09 33.1 +01 40 23

V = 11.8; Size 2.5'x1.9'; Surf Br = 13.4

17.5" (5/19/01): fairly faint, moderately large, round, 2.0' diameter. Contains a very small brighter core surrounded by a low surface brightness halo. A mag 14 star is barely off the east edge 1.1' from center. Located 8' E of a mag 10 star.

William Herschel discovered NGC 4999 = H II-537 = h1543 on 24 Feb 1786 (sweep 532) and recorded "F, pL, iR, er." His position is just northeast of the core of UGC 8236. JH made the single observation "eF; R; lbM; sky not perfectly clear." and his RA is further out.

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