Andrew Cooper
Nov 17, 2009    Hale Pohaku, HI (map)
46cm f/4.5 Newtonian, Deep Violet @ 95x
Seeing: 7 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

A large, bright and sparse open cluster with members arranged in clumps over a 15' area

Andrew Cooper
Apr 4, 2007    Waimea, HI (map)
76mm f/6 APO

A rich and bright cluster above the head of CMa, very distinct and well detached from the rich winter Milky Way background, fully resolved, about a dozen 8-9th magnitude members dominate a rich faint population, about 15' across

Andrew Cooper
Nov 15, 1998    Empire Mts., Pima Co., AZ (map)
20cm f/10 SCT

Interesting cluster with many sweeping arcs of stars, a red star just south of the main body

Rev. T.W. Webb
May 19, 1885    Hardwick, Herefordshire, England (map)

Brilliant cluster, straggling, h. says, to 30'; containing a red star; between Sirius and Procyon, 1/3 nearer the former, in a superb neighborhood, where the creator has-- 'Sowed with stars the heaven thick as a field.'

― Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, T. W. Webb, 1917

Captain William Henry Smyth
Apr 2, 1833    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A delicate and close double star in a cluster of the Via Lactea, on the Unicorn's right shoulder. A 8 and B 13, both pale white. This is an irregularly round and very rich mass, occupying with its numerous outliers more than the field, and composed of stars from the 8th to the 16th magnitudes; and there are certain spots of splendour which indicate minute masses beyond the power of my telescope. The most decided points are, a red star towards the southern verge, and a pretty little equilateral triangle of 10th sizers, just below, or north of it. The double star here noted was carefully estimated under a full knowledge of the vertical and parallel lines of the field of view: this was made triple by H., whose 2357 of the Fifth Series it is. It is sufficiently conspicuous as a double star, and though I perceive an infinitesimal point exactly on the vertical of A, I cannot ascertain whether it is H's C.

This superb object was discovered by Messier in 1771, and registered "a mass of small stars more or less brilliant." It is 9° north-north-east. of Sirius, or rather more than one-third of the distance between that star and Procyon.

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

John Herschel
Jan 8, 1831    

Superb cluster; fills whole field; irregularly round; stars of 11th to 15th magnitude; not compressed in the middle; straggling stars extend over a circle 30' in diameter.

Johann Elert Bode
Dec 2, 1774    Berlin Observatory, Germany (map)

On December 2, 1774, I wanted to look up the nebulous star which Mr. Cassini is said to have seen between the Large and the Small Dog, and of which I could nowhere find a closer description of its position. Eventually I found in this area, north of the stars Theta, Mu and Gamma at the head of CMa, or below the belly of Mon, a small cluster on a nebulous ground, with which 4 small stars to the west form the shape shown in the 9th figure. Its separation from the star Theta is 4°10' and from Gamma 7°29', after my measurements. I suppose that this may perhaps be the Cassinian nebulous star.

Charles Messier
Jan 5, 1772    

Cluster of small stars, more or less brilliant, above the right loins of the Unicorn, above the star Theta of the ear of Canis Major, & near a star of 7th magnitude. It was while observing the Comet of 1772 that M. Messier observed this cluster. He has reported it on the chart of that comet, on which its trace has been drawn. Mem. Acad. 1772.

― Connaissance des Temps, 1781

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

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