Andrew Cooper
May 7, 2005    Caballo Loco Ranch, Pima Co., AZ (map)
46cm f/4.5 Deep Violet

Round, distinct core, even halo with no structure

Captain William Henry Smyth
Apr 27, 1831    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A bright nebula, on the fore-paws of Leo Minor; a line from ε under γ and through λ Ursæ Majoris, carried 16° beyond, marks its site. It is round, pale white, and sparkling at the centre; nearly all the stars in the field precede it, especially a yellow 7th-magnitude, which lies on the parallel. This may be liable to error of identity, if ♅ mistook 41 Lyncis for 40; but the place here given will be found, I hope, tolerably accurate. At all events, it is No. 593 of H.'s Catalogue of 1830. It was discovered by ♅. on the 28th March, 1786, and he remarked that the chevelure, or additional faint circular nebulosity surrounding the nucleus, was 3' in diameter: by my equatoreal, of course, such a magnitude could not be inferred. Still it was well seen—and pretty fairly observed—in the meridian instruments.

― A Cycle of Celestial Objects Vol II, The Bedford Catalogue, William Henry Smyth, 1844

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

A complete list of credits and sources can be found on the about page