U 441
00:36 to 01:48
-61° to -72°
Hyi, Tuc
Aug-Feb

FEATURED OBJECTS: NGC 121, NGC 361, NGC 362, NGC 395, NGC 406, NGC 411, NGC 422, NGC 458.

NGC 121
ESO050-SC012
Kron 2, Lindsay 10
RA 00:26:47
Dec -71°32.0'
Globular cluster

h: "pretty bright; a little extended; very gradually brighter in the middle; 40 arcsec."

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a red cluster, noting the absence of nebulosity and the absence of bright blue stars. He classifies it as a globular cluster.

Van den Bergh and Hagen ("UBV photometry of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds", Astronomical Journal, Vol. 73, 1968) find that the integrated V magnitude through a 60'' diaphragm is 11.3. They note that it is an old cluster with a B-V = 1.9.

Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as a globular cluster. He writes: "NGC 121 was of course accepted as globular after the discovery of cluster-type variables in it by Thackeray and Wesselink."

6-inch f/8.6 Newtonian: A most unimpressive globular cluster, in the same field as NGC 104. At first difficult but later easily seen as an out of focus small star. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 361
ESO051-SC012
Kron 46, Lindsay 67
RA 01:02:11
Dec -71°33.0'
Globular cluster

h: "vF, L, oval, vgvmbM." On a second occassion he called it "eF, pL, R, vgbM." He notes that it may be Dunlop 55, which was observed by James Dunlop as "a small faint ill-defined nebula."

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a red cluster, noting the absence of nebulosity and the absence of bright blue stars. He classifies it as a globular cluster, noting that a star is superimposed over it.

Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as a globular cluster.

Van den Bergh and Hagen ("UBV photometry of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds", Astronomical Journal, Vol. 73, 1968) find that the integrated V magnitude through a 60'' diaphragm is 12.8. They note that the star Arp II:52 is superimposed over the cluster; for the star, V = 13.93, B-V = 1.06. They classify it as a globular cluster, noting that is an old cluster with B-V = 2.1.

6-inch f/8.6 Newtonian: Not found using powers up to 108x. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 362
Dun 62, GCL-3, ESO051-SC013
RA 01:03:13
Dec -70°50.9'
Globular cluster

Dunlop 62 "A beautiful bright round nebula, about 4' diameter, exceedingly condensed. This is a good representation of the 2nd of the Connaissance des Temps in figure, colour, and distance; it is but a very little easier resolved, rather a brighter white, and perhaps more compact and globular. This is a beautiful globe of white light; resolvable; the stars are very little scattered." He observed it on 11 occasions.

h: "fine, highly condensed globular cluster; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle; diameter 4'." On 3 November 1834 he called it "very bright; very large; pretty suddenly very much brighter to the middle; round; 5' or 6' diameter; all resolved." Observing the next night, he recorded it as "a globular cluster; very bright; very large; pretty gradually very much brighter to the middle. Diameter of more condensed part approx. 60 arcsec in RA; but there are loose stars to a considerably greater distance, stars 13 or 14 mag all nearly equal and distinct, but run into a blaze in centre." His final observation reads: "globular cluster, very bright, very compact; pretty suddenly very much brighter in the middle; 4' across; all resolved into stars 13..15 magnitude."

Hartung writes that "this beautiful globular cluster is well resolved to a very bright compressed centre, the main part 2' wide and the scattered outliers reaching to 4' It is symmetrical and approximately round. A 6-inch resolves it well, four-inch shows undoubtedly some very faint stars in it, and it looks granular with a 3-inch".

ASV Journal, Vol 24, No 3, June 1971: "easy in 10x50's."

RA 01 03 14.3 (2000) Dec -70 50 54 Integrated V magnitude 6.40 Central surface brightness, V magnitudes per square arcsecond 14.88 Integrated spectral type F9 Central concentration, c = log(r_total/r_core); a 'c' denotes a core-collapsed cluster 1.94c: Core radius in arcmin .17. [“Catalog Of Parameters For Milky Way Globular Clusters”, compiled by William E. Harris, McMaster University. (Revised: May 15, 1997; from http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/Globular.html; Harris, W.E. 1996, AJ, 112, 1487) ]

10x50: "small, bright, round, almost perfectly stellar core." (suburban skies) [DC]

11x80: “Easy, small bright blaze on edge of the SMC. Visible with the naked eye.” (exurban skies, seeing 7, transparency 7, darkness 7) [AS]

6-inch f/8.6 Newtonian: “very bright, and does not have a prominently small nucleus.” (suburban skies) [AS]

12-inch Meade, 40mm eyepiece, 53’ fov: Very neat little globular with a compressed bright starlike nucleus. Pinpoint bright and faint stars running out from this globular cluster all over in the field. Appears a bit granular. (suburban skies) [MS]

NGC 395
ESO051-SC016
RA 01:05:08
Dec -71°59.4'
Open cluster

h: "very faint, pretty large, round, gradually a little brighter in the middle; 2' across."

Stewart, examining photographic plates, found only a group of about ten stars, and no nebulosity.

Henize (Catalogues of Hydrogen Alpha Emission Stars and Nebulae in the Magellanic Clouds, Astrophysical Journal Supplement 2, 1956, p315) notes that his nebula LH N 115-78 "contains NGC 395 and IC 1624." The nebula measures 4.3' x 6.1', is considerably elongated, has extremely irregular borders and shows considerable structural detail.

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a blue cluster, noting the presence of nebulosity as well as very bright blue stars, probably blue supergiants. He notes that it is loosely concentrated towards the centre and exhibits emission nebulosity.

Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as an open cluster. Lindsay notes that NGC 371, NGC 395 and IC 1624 "form the most conspicuous feature of the Cloud after NGC 346. Taken as a whole, the group has dimensions of 170 x 150 parsecs."

ASV Journal Vol 24 No 3 June 1971: "large cluster of faint stars in 12.5-inch. Two smaller clusters visible (NGC 395 & IC 1624)."

6-inch f/8.6 Newtonian: Using 108x, only suspected. (suburban skies) [AS]

10-inch f/5 Newtonian: It requires some care to be seen in a 10-inch f/5 reflector at about 30x as a round, faint tuft of light. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 406
ESO051-G018
RA 01:07:24
Dec -69°52.6'
Galaxy

h: "F, R, vL, vglbM, 3'."

However, Stewart, examining photographic plates, describes it as having a bright nucleus, with extremely extended wisps through it at 165 degrees, not "round".

On photos, it measures 3.4' x 1.4' in PA 160 degrees.

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: As seen with the 15.5-inch at 220x it is a very faint smudge, generally elongated with an undefined nucleus, although at times the nucleus appears banana-shaped. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 411
ESO051-SC019
RA 01:07:53
Dec -71°46.0'
Globular cluster

h: "vF, pL, R, vlbM, 2'." On a second occassion he called it "eF, pL, R, glbM, 2'."

Stewart, examining photographic plates, says that it is not extremely faint, as Sir John says, but considerably bright, small round and stellar.

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a red cluster, noting the absence of nebulosity and the absence of bright blue stars. He classifies it as a globular cluster.

Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as a globular cluster.

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 11.0 mag globular cluster in the SMC.

NGC 422
ESO051-SC022
RA 01:09:25
Dec -71°46.0'
Open cluster

Recorded by Sir John Herschel during his Cape visits, the NGC calls this object very faint, and notes that it lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Stewart, examining photographic plates, saw only 3 extremely faint stars, close together, not a nebula.

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a blue cluster, noting the absence of nebulosity and the presence of bright blue stars. He notes that it is concentrated towards the centre. Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as an open cluster.

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 12.5 mag open cluster in the SMC.

NGC 458
ESO051-SC026
RA 01:14:53
Dec -71°33.0'
Globular cluster

Recorded by Sir John Herschel, this object may be Dunlop 60.

h: "faint; large; round; very gradually brighter in the middle; 4' diameter." He later observed it as "pretty bright, pretty large, round, gradually brighter in the middle." Dreyer notes that it is probably a cluster, extremely small, close, no nebuloisty seen on photographic plates examined by Stewart.

Kron ("Star Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", PASP, Vol. 68, 1956) describes it as a blue cluster, noting the absence of both nebulosity and bright blue stars. He notes that it is concentrated to the centre. Van den Bergh and Hagen ("UBV photometry of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds", Astronomical Journal, Vol. 73, 1968) find that the integrated V magnitude through a 60'' diaphragm is 11.8. They note it is also known as Kron 69 and Lindsay 96, and classify it as an open cluster. Lindsay ("Clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud", Irish Astronomical Journal, Vol. 4, 1956) classifies it as a globular cluster; he notes that Kron calls it concentrated, whereas Haffner calls it intermediate between open and globular.

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 10.5 mag globular cluster in the SMC.