W & J Herschel - 450 DSO

[glenc]

In 1976 the Ancient City Astronomy Club in Florida published the Herschel 400 list of deep sky objects (DSO).
http://www.saguaroastro.org/content/00_ALL-OF-HERSHEL400.html
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Nyh9fAC_tpIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=herschel+400&hl=en&ei=IMLVTKipA4eyvwOimIy0CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
It contains 107 OC, 33 GC, 7 Neb, 22 PN and 231 galaxies selected from William Herschel's catalogs of 2500 objects.
The Herschel 400 list does not include objects south of -33 degrees declination.

The attached file contains 410 DSO from both William and John Herschel's catalogs.
Note: The file in post #2 replaces this file.
These were selected from a list of 4,659 Herschel DSO.
The list of 410 includes southern objects and it also contains more nebulae than the Herschel 400. It contains:
72 OC brighter than mag 7.0.
72 GC, all the Herschel Milky Way GC.
55 Nebula, all the Herschel Milky Way nebulae.
56 PN, all the Herschel PN.
155 Galaxies brighter than mag 10.5.
Six LMC & 3 SMC objects are included.
Messier objects are not included.

All of these objects should be visible in a 16" Newtonian. A UHC filter will enhance most nebulae.
Four GC and 13 PN are fainter than mag 12. Some nebulae are also faint.
Most of these DSO were found by William Herschel (236 DSO), John Herschel (69), James Dunlop (69) and Lacaille (19).
The attached file includes a rough "map" of the 410 DSO.

Reference: http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/Expl_Hist_NGC.htm
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=wyWjVWYWoO8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Observing+and+Cataloguing+Nebula e+and+Star+Clusters+From+Herschel+t o+Dreyer%27s+New+General+Catalogue&hl=en&ei=vczVTP6LIIyEvgP43MX1CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

[glenc]

The 410 DSO list does not include some "clusters + nebulae" that are fainter than magnitude 7.
I decided to create a new list of 450 DSO (see the attached spreadsheet file) that includes them.

The William & John Herschel 450 deep sky object (DSO) list is made up of:
73 Herschel open clusters brighter than magnitude 7.0
74 Herschel globular clusters
66 Herschel nebulae (some are also clusters)
58 Herschel planetary nebulae
161 Herschel galaxies brighter than magnitude 10.5 and
18 objects in the LMC, SMC, M31 and M33.

[glenc]

These 18 objects transit at about 10pm (11pm DST) in October, 8pm (9pm DST) in November.
They are all south of declination +45.

NGC Type Const Mag
7492 GC AQR 11.2
7507 Gxy SCL 10.4
7662 PN AND 8.3
7793 Gxy SCL 9.0
55 Gxy SCL 7.8
104 GC TUC 4.0
121 GC SMC 11.2
134 Gxy SCL 10.4
157 Gxy CET 10.4
206 in Gx M31 AND -
246 PN CET 10.9
247 Gxy CET 8.9
249 Neb SMC -
253 Gxy SCL 7.3
288 GC SCL 8.1
292 SMC TUC 2.2
300 Gxy SCL 8.1
346 Neb SMC -

[glenc]

These 18 objects transit at about 10pm (11pm DST) in November, 8pm (9pm DST) in December.
They are all south of declination +45.

NGC Type Con Mag
362 GC TUC 6.8
404 Gxy AND 10.0
456 Neb SMC -
488 Gxy PSC 10.4
524 Gxy PSC 10.4
602 Neb SMC -
604 in M33 Gx TRI 12.0
613 Gxy SCL 9.9
720 Gxy CET 10.2
752 OC AND 5.7
772 Gxy ARI 10.3
891 Gxy AND 10.1
908 Gxy CET 10.2
925 Gxy TRI 9.9
936 Gxy CET 10.2
1023 Gxy PER 9.5
1049 GC in Fornax Dwarf 12.6
1097 Gxy FOR 9.5

[glenc]

The attached file lists all the Herschel PN south of dec +45.
The spreadsheet in post #2 gives the RA, dec etc

[Paddy]

thanks for a great resource Glen. This will keep a chap busy for a while.

[allan gould]

Glen
your time and effort are very much appreciated as a valuable IIS resource, if not commented upon by all members. Thanks very much.
Allan

[glenc]

Thanks Allan and Patrick. Most people are happy with the Messier objects (and maybe the Caldwell objects) but some of us like more of a challenge.
Attached is a list of 71 W & J Herschel nebulae south of dec +45, including 10 LMC and 4 SMC nebulae. See the file in post #2 for the details.
Also see http://picasaweb.google.com/dunlop1826/NGCNebulae# (http://picasaweb.google.com/dunlop1826/NGCNebulae) for images of all the NGC nebulae in the Milky Way .
The images are from http://www.wikisky.org/

[mental4astro]

Top stuff, Glen. A reasource that will be well plundered for future Challenge's, I'm sure.

This has sparked an idea for a Challenge theme for some time- the Dunlop Month. Aussie astronomer, Aussie website. Best thing is that his entire catalogue of objects is within reach of just about all amateur scopes, :astron: :prey2: . I'll have to do a little more research on the Man too.

Many thanks Glen.

[glenc]

Thanks Alexander,for Dunlop's catalogue see post #26 in http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=47100

[andrew2008]

Thanks Glen. A copy of O'Mearas "Herschell 400 Observing Guide" is on it's way to me at the moment and this will make a great additional resource when i begin trakcing them down.

[glenc]

William and Caroline Herschel catalogued 2,467 DSO from London between 1782 and 1802. William discovered an amazing 2,444 of these!
His best years were 1784 to 1790. He catalogued 639 objects in one year, 1784, and 178 in one month, April 1785.
March (500 DSO in 20 years) and April (622 DSO in 20 years) were the most productive months.

[glenc]

John found 506 new deep sky objects (DSO) between 1825 and 1832 from Slough 22 miles (36 km) west of London. Most of these were found in 1827, 1828 and 1831.
He was searching for his fathers objects, but failed to see about 800 of them. (32%)

[glenc]

John found 1,230 southern DSO when he was at the Cape in South Africa from 1834 to 1838. Most of these were found in the first 3 years 1834-36.
In September 1834 he catalogued a record 124 DSO.

[glenc]

THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL
The pdf file is 80Mb
http://archive.org/details/scientificpapers032804mbp

[glenc]

The Cambridge Atlas of Herschel Objects
This superb, all-purpose star atlas is the first of its kind devoted to observing the Herschel objects with binoculars and telescopes. It displays over 2500 of the most visually-attractive star clusters, nebulae and galaxies that were discovered by Sir William, Caroline and Sir John Herschel, and is a must-have for stargazers who want to explore these fascinating objects. Covering the entire sky from the North to the South Celestial Pole, and showing all 88 constellations, it is also a general sky atlas showing variable, double and multiple stars, and the Milky Way. Written by experienced observer James Mullaney and illustrated by renowned celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, this is a magnificent 'celestial roadmap' to some of the finest deep-sky showpieces. Spiral bound and printed in red-light friendly colors for use at a telescope, with color-coded symbols for easy recognition and identification, this is an all-purpose observing reference for all amateur observers. Additional resources, including a target list ordered by Herschel designation, are available to download from www.cambridge.org/9780521138178 (http://www.cambridge.org/9780521138178).
http://www.cambridge.org/us/knowledge/isbn/item5736422/The%20Cambridge%20Atlas%20of%20Hers chel%20Objects/?site_locale=en_US

Resources
These resources are provided free of charge by Cambridge University Press with permission of the author of the corresponding work, but are subject to copyright. You are permitted to view, print and download these resources for your own personal use only, provided any copyright lines on the resources are not removed or altered in any way. Any other use, including but not limited to distribution of the resources in modified form, or via electronic or other media, is strictly prohibited unless you have permission from the author of the corresponding work and provided you give appropriate acknowledgement of the source.
Complementary material
Target list ordered by Herschel designation (http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Target_List_Herschel_order.pdf?ITEM _ENT_ID=6514976&ITEM_VERSION=1&COLLSPEC_ENT_ID=842&download=1) (9959KB, pdf)

http://booko.com.au/products/9780521138178

[glenc]

The Cambridge Atlas of Herschel Objects contains 2524 deep sky objects.
541 open clusters
118 globular clusters
144 nebulae
56 planetary nebulae
1665 galaxies

[glenc]

S&T contributing editor Rod Mollise is among the most influential American writers on amateur astronomy. His book The Urban Astronomer’s Guide is considered a classic. In the August 2012 issue of S&T, he describes how he successfully completed the huge challenge of observing the 2,500 deep-sky objects compiled by William and Caroline Herschel in the late 1700s.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skytel/beyondthepage/The-Herschel-Project-159623915.html

[glenc]

Recently I made a list of 1,837 NGC and IC objects.
203 open clusters - all the NGC and IC OC brighter than magnitude 8.
124 globular clusters - all the NGC and IC GC.
237 nebulae - all the NGC and IC nebulae.
130 planetary nebulae - all the NGC and IC PN.
1,143 galaxies - all the NGC and IC Gxy brighter than magnitude 12.

Ten people found more than 24 of these objects.
William Herschel found 824 of the 1,837 objects (45%)
* John Herschel found 354 objects (19%)
* James Dunlop found 156 objects (8%)
Edward E Barnard found 51 objects (3%)
Lewis Swift found 42 objects
Charles Messier found 38 objects
Williamina Fleming found 36 objects (she looked at plates taken in the USA and in Peru)
* DeLisle Stewart found 29 objects
Pierre Mechain found 26 objects
* Nicolas Lacaille found 25 objects
* observed from the southern hemisphere

You can read more about these 10 amazing people here:
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/obs_e.htm

[glenc]

The NGC and IC catalogues contain:
3,370 galaxies brighter than magnitude 13
289 nebulae (all of them including OC/neb)
130 Planetary Nebulae (all of them)
661 Open Clusters (all of them)
124 Globular Clusters (all of them)
50 objects in other galaxies (all of them)

Six pople found more than 100 of these 4,624 NGC and IC objects:
1, William Herschel
2. John Herschel
3. James Dunlop
4. Lewis Swift
5. DeLisle Stewart
6. Edouard Stephan

The attached file lists the people who discovered more than 8 objects.
William and John Herschel did an amazing job.
Australia's first deep sky observer (James Dunlop) comes in third.

Yellow highlights those who observed from the southern hemishere.
The top 3 for each type are shown in white.
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/obs_e.htm

[glenc]

Next time you are in Madrid stop in to the Real Observatorio de Madrid (ROM) and see a replica of William Herschel's 24" aperture 25' long telescope.
Herschel sold the 24" to the King of Spain for 3150 pounds. It was delivered in 1801, erected in 1804 and destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1808.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Observatoriomadridtelescopio.jpg/768px-Observatoriomadridtelescopio.jpg?us elang=es
http://www.flickr.com/photos/surveyorsgallery/6790147664/

my new avatar
http://www.cielosboreales.com/wp-content/telescopioherschel.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luiyo/7036124529/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/surveyorsgallery/6936265741/in/photostream/

[glenc]

This 15.1 Mb pdf file contains images of 1,088 deep sky objects that were found by John Herschel with an
18.5 inch aperture speculum reflector when he was at the Cape, South Africa between 1834 and 1838.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9IODmdwP81Wd0d1NWx5eEo0OH c
I like NGC 646. The galaxy trio NGCs 6769, 6770, 6771 is only 1.1 degrees SE of the bright globular NGC 6752

The images were copied from http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dssack.htm

[glenc]

William Herschel observed from
Bath (1773-82) http://binged.it/RlqCWg
Datchet (1782-85) http://binged.it/R1lFo6
Clay Hall (1785-86) http://binged.it/RlqfuS
Slough (1786-1802) http://binged.it/Wz7xDn

John Herschel observed from
Slough (1823-1832)
Feldhausen (1834-38) http://binged.it/T7Fx5u
John also lived at Hawkhurst http://binged.it/RluKFU

See also
Bath http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Herschel_Museum_Bath_2005.jpg
Datchet http://www.datchethistory.org.uk/Herschel/william_caroline_herschel.htm
Clay Hall http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/clay-hall-was-home-to-sir-william-herschel-english-news-photo/90772764?Language=en-US

Slough (large file) http://www.sopse.org.uk/asset_arena/image/2000/sl/sl/sl-sl-1982_observatoryhouse-i-00-000.jpg
Feldhausen http://assa.saao.ac.za/html/his-obs-feld-gall_Hersc.html
Hawkhurst http://www.thesoul-space.com/the-space/collingwood-history

Family Tree (John and Margaret had 12 children) http://members.dodo.com.au/~tr0j/tree/gp17.html

[glenc]

How faint were the galaxies that the Herschels saw?
How good was their speculum reflector compared to the refractors used by others?

The answers are in the attached table.
Columns
Observers that found more than 50 NGC and IC galaxies
Number of galaxies found, visual not photographic
Sorted by aperture in inches, speculum reflectors in yellow
5% of galaxies are brighter than magnitude
25% of galaxies are brighter than magnitude
50% of galaxies are brighter than magnitude
75% of galaxies are brighter than magnitude
95% of galaxies are brighter than magnitude
Faintest galaxy seen ?? The faintest galaxy magnitudes may not be reliable.

95% of the galaxies found by William Herschel were brighter than magnitude 13.9.
95% of the galaxies found by John Herschel were brighter than magnitude 14.1.

Speculum only reflects 65% of the light.
William Herschel used the front view with no secondary after 13 Oct 1786.

Bigourdan did an amazing job with a 12.4" refractor!

[glenc]

Results of Astronomical Observations Made During the Years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8,
(https://play.google.com/store/books/details/John_F_W_Herschel_Results_of_Astron omical_Observat?id=7Ik_AAAAcAAJ&feature=search_result)by John F. W. Herschel (https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=John+F.+W.+Herschel)
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=7Ik_AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PR5-IA1
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=7Ik_AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA1
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=7Ik_AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA51

[glenc]

An ebook about William Herschel
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29031/29031-h/29031-h.htm

Title: Sir William Herschel: His Life and Works
Author: Edward Singleton Holden
Release Date: June 3, 2009 [EBook #29031]

In the following account of the life and works of Sir William Herschel, I (Edward Singleton Holden) have been obliged to depend strictly upon data already in print—the Memoir of his sister, his own scientific writings and the memoirs and diaries of his cotemporaries. The review of his published works will, I trust, be of use. It is based upon a careful study of all his papers in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere.
A life of Herschel which shall be satisfactory in every particular can only be written after a full examination of the materials which are preserved at the family seat in England; but as two generations have passed since his death, and as no biography yet exists which approaches to completeness, no apology seems to me to be needed for a conscientious attempt to make the best use of the scanty material which we do possess.
[Pg vi]
This study will, I trust, serve to exhibit so much of his life as belongs to the whole public. His private life belongs to his family, until the time is come to let the world know more of the greatest of practical astronomers and of the inner life of one of its most profound philosophers,—of a great and ardent mind, whose achievements are and will remain the glory of England.

[glenc]

The latest Australian Sky & Telescope has an article about observing all the objects found by William Herschel. If you want a shorter list of William and John Herschel objects see post #2.
393 of these objects are south of declination +45 and 30 of those are visible in March at 10pm..

The William & John Herschel 450 deep sky object (DSO) list is made up of:
73 Herschel open clusters brighter than magnitude 7.0
74 Herschel globular clusters
66 Herschel nebulae (some are also clusters)
58 Herschel planetary nebulae
161 Herschel galaxies brighter than magnitude 10.5 and
18 objects in the LMC, SMC, M31 and M33.

[Saturnine]

Good of you to revive this thread Glen, also received my S & T today and saw the article about the Herschel Hunt and thought to myself that it makes an interesting observing mission to hunt down the objects on the lists.
After the Lacaille , Dunlop and Messier lists it makes sense that the next mission could be the Herschels lists. A lot of the objects would obviously have already been ticked off as pat of the NGC / IC catalogues. Definitely will keep this in mind when pushing the dob around.

[glenc]

When did William, Caroline and John Herschel find all of their objects?
This table gives the year and month for William and John and the dates for Caroline.
The larger number are highlighted and the day Caroline found her galaxy, NGC 253.
The data comes from http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/ngcic_e.htm