Andrew Cooper
Apr 29, 2006    TIMPA, Avra Valley, AZ (map)
46cm f/4.5 Deep Violet

Good sized, bright, edge-on spiral, elongated SW-NE 6:1, bright stellar nucleus, no dust lane apparent, very nice object!

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

Very distinct, with much brighter centre, bearing magnification unusually well.

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

Captain William Henry Smyth
Mar 10, 1836    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

An elongated bright nebula, on the radius or graduated limb of the Sextant, followed by two stars of the llth magnitude, which are the only other objects in the field of view. Its major axis trends towards the vertical of the sp and nf quadrants; and the extremes appear pointed. It was discovered by William Herschel on the 22nd of February, 1787, and is No. 668 of his son's Catalogue.

It is remarkable that this object was very clearly distinguished in my telescope; for H. says it was scarcely perceptible in his 20-foot when he gave it only six inches of aperture. It follows Alphard by about 10, a little north of the parallel; where it precedes a knot of small stars, which are a couple of degrees further to the west.

― 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.

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