Deepsky description abbreviations
---------------------------------

app	appended
att	attached
A	arm
Af	form of the Nebula in Andromeda
b	brighter

bet	between
biN	binuclear
br	 broad
B	bright
c	considerably

ch	chevelure (French: ‘head of hair; locks’)
co	coarse, coarsely
com	cometic
cont	in contact
conn	connected

C	compressed
Ch	chain
d	diameter
def	defined
dif	diffused

diffic	difficult
dist	distance, distant
D	double
e	extremely, excessively
ee	most extremely

ell	elliptic
exc	excentric
E	extended
f	following
F	faint

g	gradually
gr	group
h	homogeneous
i	irregular
inv	involved, involving

iF	irregular figure
l	little (as adverb), long (as adjective)
L	large
m	much
mn	milky nebulosity

M	middle
n	north
neb	nebulous
nr	near
nw	narrow

N	nucleus
Neb	nebula
p	preceding
p	pretty (befpre R, F, B, L, S, etc.)
pg	pretty gradually

pm	pretty much
ps	pretty suddenly
P	poor
quad	quadrilateral
quar	quartile

R	round
RR	exactly round
s	suddenly, south
sev	several
susp	suspected

sh	shaped
stell	stellar
S	small
sm	smaller
tri N	trinuclear

trap	trapezium
v	very
vv	very, very
var	variable
W	wing

*	 a star
*10	a star of 10th magnitude
**	double star
!	remarkable, !! very much so, etc. 
st 9...13	stars from 9th to 13th magnitude

-----------------------

Courtesy Deepsky Observer's Companion homepage
Web:   http://www.global.co.za/~auke
Email: auke@global.co.za