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NGC 2573
Polarissima Australis
ESO001-G001
RA 01:41:43
Dec -89°20.1'
Galaxy |
This “Holy Grail” was discovered by
Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum
telescope. He recorded it as "Neb Polarissima Australis. Faint, round,
gradually a little brighter in the middle, 25 arcsec across. Situated nearly
halfway between a star of 10th magnitude south of it, and a small triangle of
stars 11th, 13th and 13th mag. north."
Innes, in Union Obs. Circ., 45-76, p 20,
notes: “ The Nebula h 3176 Polarissima Australis. NGC 2573 ... There Is no
record of any other observation. It is not certainly visible on our
Franklin-Adams photographs. At the request of the late Dr Roseby, of Sydney, who
had prepared a chart of South Circumpolar Stars, I have looked for this nebula,
using the 9-inchrefractor, on several occassions; under the best conditions it
has not been seen; if it exists it is too faint to be seen in the 9-inch
telescope with normal vision. 1919 April 24.”
De Vaucouleurs (1956) “Survey of bright
galaxies south of -35° declination”, Mem. Mount Stromlo, No. 13.
(photographic study, plates taken with the 30-inch Reynolds reflector, 20-inch
diaphragm); List II, p 68-73. Remarks: “vSvBN, Polarissima Australis.”
The bright inner region measures 2.0 x 0.65’, and the fainter outer regions
2.1’ x 0.8’.
Hartung notes that he has not been able to
find it. |
