U 311
02:56 to 03:28
-17° to -28°
Eri, For

TWO ELEMENTAL opposites - fire and water - are side by side on this map. A host of galaxies litters the area, and the careful observer will be rewarded by a patient search through the varied objects here.

FEATURED OBJECTS: NGC 1187, NGC 1179, NGC 1201, NGC 1210, NGC 1232, NGC 1255, NGC 1292, NGC 1297, NGC 1300, NGC 1302, NGC 1325, NGC 1332.

NGC 1187
ESO480-G023
RA 03:02:37
Dec -22°52.1'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H III-245) "vF, cL, iE, resolvable, unequally bright."

h: "B, vL, pmE, vgbM, 3.5' long, 2.5' broad; has in or near the middle a star 16 mag."

Tom Lorenzin"11.3M; 5.5'x 4' extent; faint oblong with little brighter center; 45' N and a little E of 4M Tau 3 ERI."

Included in the CCD-atlas of Ryder S.D. & Dopita M.A. (1993) "An H-alpha Atlas of Nearby Southern Spiral Galaxies" Astrophys.J.Suppl. 88, 415. They note: "This galaxy is notable for how well the H II regions delineate the bar, inner ring, and almost the entire length of each of its half-dozen or so arms, 'like beads on a necklace' to paraphrase Baade. The two major arms appear to be extensions of the bar, which leads to the impression that they intersect perpendicularly with the inner ring of H II regions. In this respect, NGC 1187 is similar to the southern SB(rs)bc galaxy NGC 613."

A supernova erupted in this galaxy in 1982 (14.4v).

Sandage and Tammann (1975, Astrophysical Journal, 196, 313-328) includes this galaxy in the Eridanus Group. Members include NGC 1187, NGC 1201, NGC 1232, NGC 1255, NGC 1297, NGC 1300, NGC 1302, NGC 1325, NGC 1325A, NGC 1331, NGC 1332, NGC 1353, NGC 1359, NGC 1371, NGC 1385, NGC 1395, NGC 1398, NGC 1407, NGC 1415, NGC 1426, NGC 1439 & IC 1953.

G. de Vaucouleurs ("Galaxies and the Universe", Chapter 14 - Nearby Groups of Galaxies) notes that the Eridanus Cloud includes the NGC 1209 and NGC 1332 groups. The five brightest members of the Eridanus Group are NGC 1232, NGC 1398, NGC 1187, NGC 1300 & NGC 1407.

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Faint, somewhat elongated and bright in the middle at 100X."

Steve Gottlieb, observing with a 17.5-inch, notes: "moderately bright, fairly large, 4'x3' NW-SE. Elongated in the direction of mag 8.8 SAO 168248 4.7' NW of center. Broad concentration to an ill-defined core which contains a faint but distinct stellar nucleus." With an 8-inch he described it as "faint, fairly large, elongated, diffuse. Located 4.7' SE of a mag 9 star."

NGC 1179
ESO547-G001
RA 03:02:38
Dec -18°54.0'
Galaxy

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Extremely faint, pretty large, gradually little brighter middle, round. This tough galaxy has a very low surface brightness at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, observing with a 17.5-inch, notes: "extremely faint, moderately large, 2.5' diameter, very low surface brightness, Appears as a diffuse, hazy region with a mag 13.5 star at the ESE edge 1.2' from center."

NGC 1201
ESO480-G028
RA 03:04:07
Dec -26°04.0'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H I-109) "cB, pS, slightly extended in the direction of the meridian, mbM, resolvable, 1.5' long."

Tom Lorenzin"11.8M; 1.5'x 1' extent; bright, small oblong; no center brightening noted; photo at HAG-4."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 1.8 X 1 in PA 15, much brighter in the middle at 135X."

Steve Gottlieb, observing with a 17.5-inch notes: "fairly bright, moderately large, elongated 2:1 N-S, 1.6'x0.8', well concentrated. Dominated by a bright, very small round core and an almost stellar nucleus. Forms the S vertex of an acute triangle with a mag 12 star off the NNW side 2.9' from center and a mag 10.5 star 3.8' NE of center." With an 8-inch he calls it "fairly bright, small, slightly elongated N-S, small bright core. A mag 11 star is 4' NE."

NGC 1210
ESO480-G031, MCG-04-08-024
RA 03:06:44
Dec -25°43.2'
Galaxy

NGC 1232
Ben 10a
ESO547-G014, Arp 41
RA 03:09:45
Dec -20°34.7'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H II-258) "F, vL, lbM, R, 7 or 8' diameter."

John Herschel observed it on several occasions at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He recorded it the first time as "pretty bright; very large; round; gradually brighter to the middle; 4' diameter." His second description reads: "bright; very large; round; mottled; 3' diameter; first very gradually then pretty suddenly brighter towards the middle. With the left eye I see it mottled. (N.B. This is no doubt a distant globular cluster.)" The final record of this object reads: "pretty bright; large; round; very gradually much brighter to the middle; 4' diameter."

Houston writes: "Another gem is NGC 1232, some 3 degrees southwest of NGC 1300. This spiral is a bit brighter and larger, but I do not know of anyone seeing detailed structure with telescopes smaller than 12 inches. .. it is about as bright as NGC 1300 and also visible in a 4-inch scope. It is a rather featureless elliptical galaxy with an oval disk about 4' long. Although there is no pronounced central brightening, the edges are distinctly fuzzy at 200x" He calls NGC 1232 an "easy 10th mag object, appearing nearly circular and about 7' diameter."

Listed as No. 41 in Arp's "Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies" (Astrophysical Journal Supplement, vol. 14, 1966.) He remarks "Companion spiral wound in same sense as parent. Note split of companion's arm further into centre."

G. de Vaucouleurs ("Galaxies and the Universe", Chapter 14 - Nearby Groups of Galaxies) notes that the Eridanus Cloud includes the NGC 1209 and NGC 1332 groups. The five brightest members of the Eridanus Group are NGC 1232, NGC 1398, NGC 1187, NGC 1300 & NGC 1407.

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty faint, pretty large, round and much brighter in the middle at 100X. Low surface brightness makes this object disappear at 135X. This face-on galaxy responds to the quality of the evening quite a bit. The observation above was from a fair night that I rated 6 out of 10 for transparency. On much better evening at a much better observing site, my notes on NGC 1232 are: Bright, Large and much brighter in the middle at 100X. Going to 165X makes the arms appear very mottled and two H II regions in the arms can be spotted. This observation was made on a night I rated 8/10."

Steve Gottlieb: 17.5-inch "bright, large, slightly elongated, bright core, very large faint halo. Located 8' WSW of mag 8.6 SAO 168347."; 13-inch: "large, large bright core, substellar nucleus, very diffuse outer halo. An arm is suspected attached at the W end and winding towards the E on the N side of the core."

NGC 1255
ESO481-G013
RA 03:13:30
Dec -25°43.4'
Galaxy

This galaxy was discovered by E.E. Barnard (6-inch refractor, Nashville, Tennessee) and Ormond Stone (26-inch refractor, McCormick Observatory, Virginia).

A supernova erupted in this galaxy in 1980 (17.0p).

Tom Lorenzin: "12.1M; 3.5'x 2.2' extent; faint glow; use field motion to aid perception; little, if any, center brightening noted; 25' NW of bright star (6.2M) SAO 168406."

Steve Coe, 13-inch: "Faint, pretty large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 135, bright middle at 135X. There is an 11th mag star 5' to the SW."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "mB, L, fairly diffuse, weak concentration, elongated NW-SE. A mag 12 star is 2.0' SW of center."

NGC 1292
ESO418-G001
RA 03:18:14
Dec -27°36.6'
Galaxy

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "fairly faint, fairly small, oval 2:1 SSW-NNE, bright core. A group of four stars lies to the N includes a mag 11 double star at 24" separation 3' NE, a third mag 11 star 4.4' NNE and a mag 12 star 3' due N."

NGC 1297
ESO547-G030
RA 03:19:14
Dec -19°06.1'
Galaxy

Houston notes that this small companion to NGC 1300 may be seen in a 10-inch. Measuring 1' in diameter it is of 13th magnitude. Houston has seen it in an 8-inch scope.

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty faint, pretty small, round and brighter in the middle at 100X. Averted vision helps on this galaxy."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "moderately bright, large faint halo, 2' diameter, broadly concentrated halo, small bright nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is at the N edge 1' NNE of center."

NGC 1300
ESO547-G031
RA 03:19:39
Dec -19°24.7'
Galaxy

This 11th magnitude galaxy was discovered by Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He recorded it as "bright; very large; first very gradually then pretty suddenly very much brighter in the middle; 3' long; 2' broad; much elongated. (N.B. These dimensions can only refer to the brighter portions.)" His second descriptions reads: "pretty faint, very large; first gradually then pretty suddenly brighter towards the middle to a faint nucleus; much elongated 8' or 10' long, 2' broad."

Houston calls it a "nice barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus .. seen almost face-on. I was able to view its 10th mag disk roughly 5' across in a 4-inch f/12 off-axis reflector. This scope suggested some detail in the glow but fell short of showing any spiral structure. A 17-inch, however, in the clear skies of the western United States, clearly showed NGC 1300 as a barred spiral full of wisps of nebulosity to explore." Houston notes that a 10-inch may reveal the faint companion to the north, NGC 1297. In 1972 he wrote: "with a total light equivalent to a star of visual mag 10.3, this barred spiral is within reach of a 4-inch and I have seen it easily even with a Questar. . . small scopes show only a blurred spindle. A 10-inch or larger will give a more distinct image, about 6' x 3', and may even reveal the faint companion to the north, NGC 1297."

Sanford notes that this galaxy "should be mentioned as an outstanding example of a barred spiral galaxy. This 11th magnitude object has prominent arms which start at the ends of a (visually) faint bar protruding from the nucleus. Traces of the arms are visible with 12-inch and larger."

Steve Gottlieb: 17.5-inch: "fairly bright, elongated ~E-W, bright core, stellar nucleus. A spiral arm is visible at the W end (of the central bar) curving to the N."; 8-inch: "faint, fairly large, elongated, low surface brightness, diffuse."

Steve Coe, 13-inch: "Pretty bright, large, very elongated and suddenly much brighter in the middle at 135X. With averted vision I can just pick out some barred spiral structure."

NGC 1302
ESO481-G020
RA 03:19:50
Dec -26°03.6'
Galaxy

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, small, round, pretty suddenly very much brighter in the middle at 135X. There is a 10th mag star 2' NW."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "fairly bright, compact, oval ~N-S, small very bright core. A mag 11.5 star is 1.9' NE of center."

NGC 1325
ESO548-G007
RA 03:24:25
Dec -21°32.6'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1790 by William Herschel (H IV-077) "a star about 9 or 10m with a nebulous ray to the south-preceding side. The ray is about 1.5' long. The star may not be connected with it."

John Herschel observed it at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He drew a sketch of the galaxy, describing it as "A complete telescopic comet; a perfect miniature of Halley's, only the tail is rather broader in proportion; much elongated; 90" long; the star at the head = 10 mag." His second record reads: "Faint. Attached cometically to a star 9th magnitude which forms its head. It is an exact resemblance of Halley's comet as seen in the night glass. Pos. of tail = 239 1."

Hartung notes: "In a field of scattered stars, this remarkable object merits the description of John Herschel in 1835 who called it 'a complete telescopic comet'. It is a faint elongated luminous haze at least 3' x 0.5' in pa 55 deg with a star 9.5mag immersed just at the nf tip, and fading away sp. . . This object is not effective with small apertures."

Houston calls this an 11th mag spiral about 4' long and less than half as wide. It is the companion to NGC 1332 and glows at 12th mag.

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 12.5 mag galaxy. Their coded description reads EL,BM,DIF,SSTR SUSP *SUP NF.

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "fairly faint, pretty edge-on 3:1 SW-NE, weak concentration. A star is attached at the NE end and a mag 13.5 star is 1.5' SE of center. Located in a small group with N1319 6.8' W and N1325A."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Faint, pretty large, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 45, somewhat brighter middle at 150X. There is a 10th mag star at the NE tip. The central bulge of this edge-on galaxy was seen."

NGC 1332
ESO548-G018
RA 03:26:17
Dec -21°20.2'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H I-060) "vB S lE mbM."

Houston notes that "there is an interesting [galaxy] group surrounding the 10th mag elliptical NGC 1332." (Sky & Telescope, Feb. 1984, p189) He notes that NGC 1332 - 10th mag and 3'x1' - has a faint companion, NGC 1325, half a degree to the southwest.

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes: "11.2M; 3'x <1' extent; medium bright oblong with brighter center and stellar core; 30' to WSW is SP GAL N1325 (12.5M; 4'x 1' extent) soft slash with little brighter center; 90' to ENE is SP GAL N1353 (12.5M; 3'x 1' extent) soft oblong with very faint stellar core"

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "bright, moderately large, very bright core, edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, 2.4'x0.6', faint star just SW of the core. Forms a pair with N1331 = IC 324 2.8' SE (collinear with the major axis)."; 8-inch: "fairly bright, fairly small, elongated NW-SE, bright core, diffuse halo. N1331 not seen."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large and much brighter in the middle at 165X. It is much elongated (3X1) in PA 115 degrees. There is a very bright central nucleus."