If you have been following my progress on the reporting of all the NGC objects in Hercules (along with a few IC galaxies, and objects from other catalogues), you can see that it was an enormous undertaking. Consider that my temperate zone location amidst The Great Lakes of Canada and the USA means that clear nights are pretty rare. In a good two-week session there might be 3 nights suitable for faint galaxy work. I am just finishing up the November observing session, and it has been one of the worst in recent memory. I've only had 3 hours of good skies, and managed a mere trickle of progress in Cetus. This is the final report on Hercules. I have finished observing Pegasus also, but at the moment I don't have the time or energy to report on it here. But it will come.
Uranometria Chart 35
eg I. 1144: 1' x 0'.6: Vis. 13.5; SB 12.8: This galaxy is at the east end of Bootes and west edge of Hercules. Spotted at 136x, it was also observed at 187x and 250x. It is small, pretty bright, and very oval. Although easily visible it is a ghostly object, best seen with averted vision. 200x gives a decent view also.eg 6013: 1'.3 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.6; SB 13.5: Spotted at 136x, it was large, faint, and elongated. 187x gives a good view of the oval haze. It is pretty large. 250x shows a brighter center, but the rest is fading.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6013.jpg
pn 6058: 40"; Vis. 12.9; SB 13.9: Viewed previously with the 8" from the back deck at home in 1992! It was not that impressive back then, and I did not have a Skyglow filter. With the 12" I viewed it at 60x and on up to 375x. Without the filter the central star is easily visible, but the nebula is not as impressive. I had lovely views at 250x and 272x with the filter on. It seems oval at high power, and somewhat mottled. It is a very bright object, evenly lit except for the mottling effect. This makes a nice change from faint galaxies.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6058.jpg
eg 6154: 2'.1 x 2': Vis. 12.7; SB 14.1: Located at 100x using averted vision. At 136x it is much easier to see. It is pretty large. 187x gives a good view. The center is now brighter, and averted vision begins to show its full size. 250x shows a stellar core amidst the bright central area. Averted vision gives good glimpses of a much larger object than seen with direct vision.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6154.jpg
eg 6155: 1'.3 x 0'.9: Vis./SB 12.3: Spotted at 60x. At 100x it was oval and bright. Located just north preceding double star Cbl 64. At 136x the galaxy is very faint, very oval, and very close to the double (9.5-12.4/31"). At 187x 6155 becomes pretty bright, large, and oval. At 250x and 272x views are still very good, especially with averted vision. There is a stellar core.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6155.jpg
eg 6159: 1'.4 x 1': Vis. 14.2; SB 14.4: Easily seen at 136x (it was a fine night), the galaxy was a large oval, not too faint. At 187x it is pretty large, moderately bright, and shows a stellar core. Views improve at 200x, with many faint stars in the field. Afterwards it could be seen at 100x.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6159.jpg
gc 6229: 4'.5; Vis. 9.4; Br. * mag. 15.5: Spotted at 60x and 100x, it forms the apex of a stunning triangle with two bright white stars (Mag. 8, 8.5). The texture of the globular cluster is mottled at 100x. AT 187x a few outliers are resolved. At 250x, 272x, and especially 375x, resolution is fair. There are clumps and knots of stars near the uneven centre. This is a very bright object, and pretty large. A 16" scope would likely resolve it more fully.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6229.jpg
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6239.jpg
eg 6241: 1' x 0'.8: Vis. 16.2; SB 15.8 (elsewhere it's 15.2 and 14.8): The first set of specs given came from Uranometria. They are obviously wrong by a magnitude. The 2nd set given in brackets comes from the now defunct website "Night Sky Atlas." Celigman gives mag. 15; DSO gives 14.2. Anyhoo, using a hand-drawn pinpoint map (using DSO Browser) this was an easy object at 136x, and very obvious at 187x. It was round, pretty large, and an easy (!) object to locate. It lies in a very dark region of the sky, with no nearby bright stars. At 200x and 250x it is a ghostly but decent object to observe.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6241.jpg
Uranometria Chart #34
eg 6279: 1'.1 x 1'.1: Vis./SB 13.6: A near twin to 6283 (see just below), they make an interesting contrast with one another. Spotted at 100x, even at 136x I needed averted vision to properly see it. It is a bit fainter than 6283, no doubt because of the brighter star field. Views are better at 187x. The galaxy is located south preceding a pair of fairly bright stars. 250x shows a bright center, much smaller than the whole.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6279.jpg
eg 6283: 1'.1 x 1'.1: Vis./SB 13.5: Spotted at 100x, it resembles a ghostly planetary nebula. Views are good at 136x. The galaxy is round, large and pretty bright. At 187x views are much better, with a bright middle section showing clearly. Views are still good at 250x. A double star is south preceding, with a faint companion.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6283.jpg
eg 6301: 1'.8 x 1'.1: Vis. 13.3; SB 14: Viewed at 100x, 136x, and 187x. It precedes a star of mag. 11.5. The galaxy is small and very ghostly, likely only the central area is seen. The envelope is very faint, and even the 11 mag. star helps hide it.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6301.jpg
eg 6311: 1'.1 x 1': Vis. 13.5; SB 13.7: The galaxy can be glimpsed at 100x, but it is much easier to see at 136x. It sits between 2 bright stars just following an imaginary line between them. 187x shows it as round, pretty large, and still quite a good object for visual observation.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6311.jpg
eg 6312: 0'.7 x 0'.7: Vis. 14.2; SB 13.3: I took a stab at this one and got lucky, spotting it at 136x. It was pretty fair at 187x, but small and faint. 250x shows a stellar core, but the galaxy overall is still small and faint.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6312.jpg
eg 6313: 1'.3 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.9; SB 13: Spotted at 136x, following a faint double star. At 187x it is an obvious slash. Views are very good at 250x. However, the best view was at 272x! Here it was bright, very extended, appearing as a long slash with a wider middle.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6313.jpg
eg 6320: 1'.2 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.9; SB 13.7: This very faint, very oval galaxy was picked up at 136x. A very faint star is on the south end. Viewed at 187x, 200x, and 250x. Though not small, it is somewhat tricky to spot.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6320.jpg
eg 6323: 1'.1 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.9; SB 12.9: Spotted at 100x and 136x, it was a very ghostly, wide slash. Observed well at 187x and 250x, it was faint but easy to view with averted vision. It is just south following a faint star. The galaxy is extended nicely, but more oval as opposed to a longer, skinny slash. It is just north preceding eg 6329.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6323.jpg
eg 6327: 0'.4 x 0'.4: Vis. 14.9; SB 12.7: 29 was spotted at 100x, being large, round (though
eg 6329: 1'.8 x 1'.8: Vis. 12.8; SB 14.1: flaring), and pretty bright. Up to 250x was used with good results, showing a bright galaxy. It has a bright central area. 27 was spotted at 136x with averted vision, between 2 faint stars. Though tiny, it was easy to view at 187x and 250x.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6329.jpg
eg 6332: 1'.6 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.6; SB 13.7: Noticed at 100x, it was oval and pretty faint. 136x and 187x provide very good views. It is obvious, though fainter than eg 6329. It is very elongated, pointing towards the brightest star in a nearby small framing asterism. 6329 is immediately preceding, and a tiny bit north. Both can be seen together at high power.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6332.jpg
eg 6336: 0'.9 x 0'.7: Vis. 13.2; SB 12.9: One of 5 NGC galaxies in the M 92 group. It was spotted at 100x with averted vision, being faint, small and round. It is much easier to see at 136x and 187x. It is located just north of a mag. 10 star. At 250x the galaxy is fading, though still quite visible. It now appears slightly oval.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6336.jpg
eg 6339: 2'.9 x 1'.7: Vis. 12.7; SB 14.3: Viewable at 100x and 136x, it is very large and very faint. It is really faint at 200x, but large and oval, showing a somewhat brighter center.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6339.jpg
gc 6341--Messier 92: 14'; Vis. 6.5; Br. star 12.1: This is a fabulous cluster in an 8" scope. Anything bigger is a wonderful bonus! Way back in the day of my Tasco 4.5" mirror, I use to yearn for the capability to resolve globulars into tiny stars, trying to imagine what the effect would look like. I could not have imagined it in my wildest dreams! In the 12" at 60x stars were resolved all across the object. At 100x, M 92 is not as large or rich as M 13, being about a third smaller and a magnitude fainter. However, the brightest stars are almost as bright as in M 13. Though there are fewer stars, and they are more scattered, 136x still offers a superb view of a breathtaking and rich object. Many outliers are resolving, in addition to stars right in the core. At 187x and 200x the outlier area is rich with resolved stars, especially to the north and south of center. The effect is similar to wings on a moth with a very bright head. 250x gives an outstanding view, with core detail emerging. At 272x I had really good views, especially of the wings. At 375x the core has broken into two halves, north and south, and is mostly resolved.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6341.jpg
eg 6343: 1'.1 x 1'.1: Vis./Sb 13.9: Though spotted at 100x, this galaxy was much better at 136x. It is round and has a bright center. At 187x is it now moderately faint, but still easy to see. It lies south of 2 bright stars that point in its general direction.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6343.jpg
eg 6348: 0'.7 x 0'.6: Vis. 14.4; SB 13.3: 48 was spotted at 187x, south preceding 50. It is very
eg 6350: 1' x 1': Vis. 13.2; SB 13.3: small, very faint, and round. 50 was an easy object at 100x, being round, bright, and pretty large.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6350.jpg
eg 6363: 1'.1 x 0'.9: Vis. 13.3; SB 13.2: The final galaxy I saw in my comprehensive NGC study of Hercules! It was a pretty "normal" galaxy, too. Suspected at 100x, it was confirmed at 136x. It is seen well at 187x, being oval now with a stellar core. A faint star is south following.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6363.jpg
I. 1262: 1'.2 x 0'.6: Vis.13.7; SB 13.3: Both galaxies were observed at 136x, 187x, and 250x.
I. 1263: 1'.7 x 0'.7: Vis. 13.7; SB 14.2: They both fit into all three eyepiece fields. They are both faint, but 62 appears both brighter and larger. 63 is a very faint and long oval, immediately preceding a pair of bright stars. 62 is located just south of 63.
I. 1265: 2' x 0'.9: Vis. 12.3; SB 12.8: Spotted at 100x and 136x, it is large, faint, and oval. Seen well with averted vision, it seemed best at 187x. Here it is quite large. 200x shows it steadily with direct vision, though faint. It is beginning to fade in this range.
eg 6443: 1'.2 x 0'.5: Vis. 13.8; SB 13.1: Spotted at 100x and 136x with averted vision. It is cigar shaped, an elongated but wide slash. It is pretty faint. At 187x views are considerably better, though still using averted vision. 250x shows the galaxy steadily with direct vision, though it is pretty faint. It sits amidst a triangle of very faint stars.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6443.jpg
eg 6524: 1'.3 x 1': Vis. 12.8; SB 13: Spotted at 100x, it was oval and bright at 136x. 187x increases the size and brightness. The galaxy is preceding a group of stars in the form of a backwards check mark. A bright center is noted. 250x provides good, steady views, now showing a stellar core, along with a bright middle. It is also pretty large in this range.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6524.jpg
eg 6560: 1'.2 x 0'.8: Vis. 13.6; SB 13.4: First spotted at 250x, south of a 10.4 mag. star with a bright companion. It just precedes a bright asterism of stars. Once located, views were also good at 187x and 200x. It is oval, pretty large, and pretty faint (I only had fair transparency at this point of the night). It was a poor object at 136x, after viewing it at high powers.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6560.jpg
eg 6582: 0'.6 x 0'.6: Vis. 13.9; SB 12.9: Again this was located first at 250x, after a pretty good educated guess as to its exact location. It was then observed at 187x, then lastly at 136x. Though very small at lower power, it was not too small for observing at 187x and 250x. It is round, very ghostly, and averted vision gives the best view.
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6582.jpg
This concludes my NGC observing notes for Hercules. Next summer I will begin to view several pages of double stars here, as well as search for some UGC and IC objects. Still to come in this series is the complete guide to Pegasus NGC objects, whenever I get the time and energy. After that, I will likely be finished Auriga and will report on that. In the Spring I will conclude observing the NGC objects in Bootes, and then report on those. I hope you have enjoyed your visits. If I have omitted an NGC object from the Uranometria charts, please drop me a line to let me know.
Clear skies!
Mapman Mike
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