U 312
03:28 to 04:00
-17° to -28°
Eri, For

A GALAXY-RICH CHART, crossed by a chain of stars formed by Tau-4 through Tau-9 Eridani. Make a special effort to look at the planetary nebula NGC 1360 -- both Herschels missed it!

FEATURED OBJECTS: NGC 1398, NGC 1407, NGC 1395, NGC 1367, NGC 1385, NGC 1400, NGC 1353, IC 1953, NGC 1426, NGC 1359, NGC 1415, NGC 1439, NGC 1440, NGC 1452, NGC 1347, NGC 1401, NGC 1422, NGC 1438, NGC 1360.

NGC 1398
Ben 19a
ESO482-G022
RA 03:38:50
Dec -26°20.2'
Galaxy

This barred spiral galaxy was discovered by Winnecke in 1876. His description as recorded in the NGC reads: "Considerably bright, considerably large, round, very much brighter in the middle".

In March 1887 Finlay observed it with the 7-inch Merz refractor at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope. He described it as a "small round nebula, bright in the middle".

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.

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: "As described in Sandage (1961), this is the prototypical example of a SB(r)b, with spiral arms starting tangent to an external ring, itself made up from spiral segments. The H II regions are tightly confined to the inner and outer rings."

Tom Lorenzin: "10.7M; 4.5'x 3.8' extent; tightly wound, bright barred spiral with brighter center; see photo at HAG-47."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "vB, mL, E 2:1 N-S, 2.2'x1.1', well concentrated with a vB 30" rounder core and a stellar nucleus."; 8-inch: "fairly bright, mL, R, bright core."

Steve Coe, 13-inch: "pB, pL, R, vmbM at 135X."

NGC 1407
ESO548-G067
RA 03:40:12
Dec -18°34.9'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H I-107): "vB, R, BNM, 1.5' diameter." In the Philosophical Transactions, 1791, Herschel wrote: "In the year 1785, the 6th of October, I found a very bright, round nebula, of about 1.5 minute in diameter. It has a large, bright nucleus in the middle, which is undoubtedly connected with the luminous parts about it."

h: "vB, L, R, first vg then vs, vmbM; 3'."

Listed by the Herschel Club, described as "circular, bright nucleus, star-like appearance with slight haze at rims. 6-inch, 48x."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, very little elongated 1.2 X 1 in PA 45, much brighter middle with a stellar nucleus at 150X. NGC 1400 and 1407 are surrounded by 10 fainter galaxies within one degree."

NGC 1395
ESO482-G019
RA 03:38:28
Dec -23°01.7'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H I-058): "B S lE mbM."

h: "vB, pmE, psmbM, 60 arcseconds long."; "B, R, psmbM, 50 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, much brighter in the middle at 165X. It is somewhat elongated (1.5X1) in PA 75 degrees. There is a 13th mag star involved on the west side."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "B, fairly small, oval 4:3 ~E-W, very bright core, fainter halo. Two faint mag 14 stars lie on the W and N edges 1.0' from center. Brightest in a group of five."; 8-inch: "fairly bright, S, R, small bright core."

NGC 1367
NGC 1371, ESO482-G010
RA 03:34:59
Dec -24°56.1'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H II-262): "F, long and irregularly extended, above 1' diameter."

h: "B, L, R, psbM, 2'."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "fairly bright, moderately bright, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.5', halo fades into the background. Very bright elongated core 30" diameter increases to a stellar nucleus. A mag 8.3 star SAO 168653 (wide double at 53" with a mag 11.5 star) is 4.5' NE."; 8-inch: "faint, moderately large, bright core, diffuse halo."

NGC 1385
ESO482-G016
RA 03:37:27
Dec -24°30.2'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1784 by William Herschel (H II-263): "not vF, bM, 1.5' diameter."

h: "B, R, gpmbM, 40 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty small, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 30, pretty much brighter in the middle at 100X."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "fairly bright, moderately large. Dimensions are 2.5'x2.0' slightly elongated N-S, but has an irregular appearance. A bright bar appears to extend through the galaxy WNW-ESE surrounded by an irregular patchy halo more elongated N-S. Spiral structure is strongly suggested with a spiral arm on the NE side. The galaxy appears more extensive N of the bar. Located within a 10' string of four mag 11-12 stars oriented SW-NE."; 8-inch: "faint, fairly small, brighter core."

NGC 1400
ESO548-G062
RA 03:39:31
Dec -18°41.3'
Galaxy

Discovered in 1786 by William Herschel (H II-593): "pB, pS, R, resembling I.107, but less."

h: "B, R, psmbM, 30 arcseconds."

Data: Other names: "E548-62". Inclination: (face-on, in degrees) 28 Total photoelectric blue mag 11.92 Total colour index .96 Logarithm of the angular diameter D25 (arcminutes) 1.36 Blue photographic magnitude 12.09 This galaxy is included in a sample of galaxies with velocity less than 500km/s with respect to the centroid of the Local Group. [Nearby Galaxies. Schmidt K.-H., Priebe A., Boller T. (Astron. Nachr. 314, 371 (1993))]

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, little elonated 1.5 X 1 in PA 30, brighter middle at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "13: moderately bright, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus, small faint halo. Forms a wide pair with N1407 11.6' NE."; 8-inch: "F, vS, R, N1407 11' NE."

NGC 1353
ESO548-G031
RA 03:32:02
Dec -20°49.0'
Galaxy

h: "B, mE, gmbM, 90 arcseconds long, 40 arcseconds broad."; "B, L, pmE, psmbM, 2' long."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, much brighter middle, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 110. This is a nice edge-on galaxy at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "fairly bright, moderately bright, elongated 5:2 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.0', large bright core, stellar nucleus. The halo appears more extensive NW of the core. The major axis is parallel to a mag 11.5 star off the SE end 2.8' from the center."; 8-inch: "faint, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, bright core. A mag 12 star is 2.8' SE of center."

IC 1953
ESO548-G038
RA 03:33:41
Dec -21°28.7'
Galaxy

NGC 1426
ESO549-G001
RA 03:42:49
Dec -22°06.6'
Galaxy

h: "B, lE, psbM."; "F, S, lE, gbM, 20 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty faint, pretty small, round, bright middle at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "fairly bright, small, round, bright core, stellar nucleus."

NGC 1359
ESO548-G039
RA 03:33:46
Dec -19°29.5'
Galaxy

h: "F, L, R, vglbM, 2'."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "F, pS, R, vlbM, not much at 150X."

NGC 1415
IC 1983, ESO482-G033
RA 03:40:56
Dec -22°33.8'
Galaxy

H II-267: "F, vS, R, lbM."

h: "pF, E, pslbM, 40 arcseconds long."; "pB, pmE, gbM, 25 arcseconds."; "pB, lE, pgmbM, 35 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 135, gradually brighter middle, 10th mag star on the NW tip at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "mB, mL. Contains a bright core with a bright almost stellar nucleus and a much fainter halo elongated 2:1 NW-SE. A mag 11 star is 2.7' NNW of center. Forms a wide pair with N1416 9' S. Located 8.5' ESE of mag 8.6 SAO 168726."; 13-inch: "mB, E NW-SE, fairly small, bright core, faint elongated halo."; 8-inch: "F, S".

NGC 1439
ESO549-G009
RA 03:44:50
Dec -21°55.3'
Galaxy

H III-249: "vF, vS."

h: "pF, S, R, bM, 20 arcseconds."; "pB, R, gpmbM, 40 arcseconds."; "F, S, R, gbM, 15 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Faint, pretty small, gradually pretty much brighter in the middle, round at 150X."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "mB, fairly small, bright core, stellar nucleus, round, large faint halo."

NGC 1440
ESO549-G010
RA 03:45:02
Dec -18°16.1'
Galaxy

H II-458: "pB, R, bM."

h: "pB, R, vsmbM to a nucleus = star 13th magnitude; 60 arcseconds."; "pB, R, gmbM, 40 arcseconds."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, very little elongated 1.2 X 1 in PA 45, much brighter middle at 150X. A large, faint outer halo appears with averted vision."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "mB, S, small faint halo, bright core, stellar nucleus. Member of the N1332 group."

H II-594 was recorded on September 20, 1786 by William Herschel; he called it "pB, vS, R, bM." In the Notes to the Second Catalogue, Dreyer notes: "There is no nebula in this NPD, so that II.594 is doubtless identical with II.458 [NGC 1440] in exactly the same RA but 1 degree north."

NGC 1452
ESO549-G012
RA 03:45:21
Dec -18°38.1'
Galaxy

H II-459: "F, R, lbM."

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Pretty bright, round and brighter middle at 135X. Both NGC 1440 and 1452 fit in the 25 minutes field at 135X and there are 3 pretty faint galaxies in that same field of view."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch: "mB, S, R, broad weak concentration, faint stellar nucleus, small faint halo. Appears similar to N1440 25' NNW but slightly fainter. Member of N1332 group."

NGC 1347
Arp 39, ESO548-G027
RA 03:29:41
Dec -22°16.8'
Galaxy

NGC 1401
ESO482-G026
RA 03:39:21
Dec -22°43.4'
Galaxy

H III-247: "eF, vS."

h: "vF, S, R."

Steve Gottlieb, 13-inch, "F, S, edge-on 4:1 NW-SE, bright core. A mag 13.5 star is just 0.4' N of center. N1403 lies 20' N."

NGC 1422
ESO548-G077
RA 03:41:30
Dec -21°40.9'
Galaxy

NGC 1438
ESO482-G041
RA 03:45:17
Dec -23°00.2'
Galaxy

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 5:2 WSW-ENE, halo gradually brightens but no nucleus. A mag 11 star just 20" off the E edge detracts from viewing and a very faint mag 14.5 star lies 1.7' S."

NGC 1360
Ben 15
ESO482-PN007, PK220-53.01
RA 03:33:18
Dec -26°21.2'
Planetary nebula

This planetary nebula, although bright, was mysteriously missed by both Dunlop and John Herschel. It was found in 1857 by Lewis Swift and later by August Winnecke.

Houston calls this "the sole planetary nebula in Fornax suitable for amateur telescopes. It's readily accessible at northern latitude since it lies at the same declination as Antares ... 'Medium brightness, large, oval, unconcentrated. Quite a glowing cloud' wrote Californian Todd Hansen. 'Must be 7th or 8th magnitude overall, and a noteworthy object.' " Houston searched for it with his 4-inch fich-field reflector from Southern California, and was "amazed by how easy it is to spot this 6' diameter planetary." In 1972 he wrote: "This dim glow surrounding a 10th mag star was discovered about a century ago by a couple of famous comet hunters, Lewis Swift and August Winnecke. This nebula is oval, being about 7' by 10' and elongated in a north-south directiojn. I have not been able to see NGC 1360 in my 4-inch though a tantalizing glimpse was had with a 5-inch moonwatch scope. Yet, Sagot and Texereau state that NGC 1360 has been seen in a 2.2-inch refractor. About 0.4 degrees to the northeast and the same distance to the northwest are 6.5 magnitudes stars."

James B Kaler writes: "It is a most unusual object, one of the few known large, high-excitation planetaries .. analysis of the spectrum sets a lower limit for the central star's temperature of 85,000° K, and the luminosity is at least 540 times that of the Sun. .. from its brightness and angular diameter (over 6 arc minutes) I estimate that NGC 1360 is 1,100 light years away. Its diameter is over 2 light-years, roughly twice as big as the famous Ring Nebula in Lyra and about half the size of the largest planetaries known."

William P. Clarke (San Diego, California, USA) writes in the The Webb Society Nebulae and Clusters Section Report No. 10, July 1992: "Oval object with a major/minor axis ratio of slightly less than 2:1; elongation in approx. PA 15 degrees. The northern end is brighter than the rest of the nebula. The central star is about mag 11. Very large object, about 8' long. (10-inch f/4.5, x63)."

Tom Lorenzin: "6'x 4.5' extent; surrounds 9M star; large, faint and TOUGH!"

Steve Coe, observing with a 13" f/5.6, notes: "Faint, pretty large, no detail seen at 100X. The UHC filter helps provide some contrast with the backround in my 17.5" f/4.5 Dobsonian. Using the 13" f/5.6 on a driven mount, this planetary is pretty faint, large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 45, the central star in always visible at about 11th magnitude and several dark markings are seen with the UHC filter installed at 100X. This object can be seen without the UHC, but it helps quite a bit."

Steve Gottlieb, 17.5-inch: "vB, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, 6'x4' diameter, very bright central star mag 10.5-11, almost even surface brightness. Very impressive planetary with or without OIII filter."