Here are some photos that I took in Australia, when I visited Scotland in 1998, and in Portugal this year. http://picasaweb.google.com/dunlop1826/DunlopRumker
We cleaned Rumker's grave up a bit so we could read it.
James Dunlop wrote these descriptions in 1826 using a 9” aperture 9’ long reflector at his house in Hunter St. Parramatta, NSW (see image). He made the telescope himself using a speculum mirror that was equivalent to a modern 6” scope.
His catalogue of 629 clusters and nebulae was arranged from south to north by SPD (South Polar Distance). Nicholas Lacaille (1751-2) made the first, Dunlop the second (1826) and John Herschel (1834-8) the third catalogue of southern deep-sky objects.
These three men discovered most of the far southern NGC objects.
THESE ARE THE FIRST DESCRIPTIONS EVER MADE OF THESE FIVE OBJECTS, one of each type. The discovery dates are given below.
Dunlop# Type Const NGC# Date found
Dunlop 297 OC Car NGC 3114 8/5/1826
A beautiful cluster of stars, arranged in curvilinear lines intersecting each other, about 40' diameter, extended south preceding, and north following. (I think it looks like a snail, glenc)
Dunlop 295 GC Pav NGC 6752 28/7/1826
A pretty large and very bright nebula, 5’ or 6’ diameter, irregular round figure, easily resolved into a cluster of small stars, exceedingly compressed at the centre. The bright part at the centre is occasioned by a group of stars of some considerable magnitude when compared with those of the nebula. I am inclined to think that this may be two clusters in the same line; the bright part is a little south of the centre of the large nebula.
Dunlop 230 Nebulae in the LMC NGC 1763 6/11/1826
A very faint rather elliptical nebula, about 2' diameter. This is the preceding and largest of three nebula forming a triangle.
Dunlop 252 PN Mus NGC 5189 1/7/1826
A very faint nebula, about 25" diameter. It is very near a star of the 8th magnitude, and near the north following extremity of a crescent of very small stars.
Dunlop 482 GX Cen A NGC 5128 4/8/1826 Hamburger Galaxy
A very singular double nebula, about 2.5' long, and 1' broad, a little unequal: there is a pretty bright small star in the south extremity, of the southernmost of the two, resembling a bright nucleus: the northern and rather smaller nebula is faint in the middle, and has the appearance of a condensation of the nebulous matter near each extremity: These two nebula are completely distinct from each other, and no connection of the nebulous matters between them. There is a very minute star in the dark space between the preceding extremities of the nebula: they are extended in the parallel of the equator nearly. Figure 20 is a good representation.
References
Drawing of Dunlop’s house by Collinridge Rivett.
Dunlop’s catalogue was called
A Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars in the Southern Hemisphere observed in New South Wales.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 118, p. 113-151
Today’s list is in discovery order.
Dunlop started his catalogue of 629 deep-sky objects on 27/4/1826 and finished it just 7 months later on 24/11/1826.
Dunlop 265 GC Car NGC 2808 7/5/1826
A very bright round nebula, about 3’ or 4' diameter, very gradually bright to the centre. This has a fine globular appearance
One week later
Dunlop 360 OC Nor NGC 6067 14/5/1826
A pretty large cluster of small stars of mixed magnitudes, about 12’ diameter; the stars are considerably congregated towards the centre, extended south preceding and north following.
Dunlop 25 Nebula in the SMC NGC 346 1/8/1826
A pretty large pretty bright nebula, about 2.25 ' diameter, irregular round figure, resolvable, very slight condensation, not well defined at the edges.
See http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/SM...a4Wall1280.jpg
It shows N330, N346 and N371.
Only 3 days later!
Dunlop 507 GX Scl NGC 55 4/8/1826
A beautiful long nebula, about 25’ in length; position north preceding, and south following, a little brighter towards the middle, but extremely faint and diluted to the extremities. I see several minute points or stars in it, as it were through the nebula: the nebulous matter of the south extremity is extremely rare, and of a delicate bluish hue. This is a beautiful object. Figure 21
Dunlop 606 PN Sgr NGC 6563 3/9/1826
A faint nebula, about 1.25' long and 30" or 40" broad, with a considerable brightness near each end, and faint in the middle, resembling two small nebulae joined
Note: D606 is 36.5’ nf N6563 but the description matches, I suspect he saw this. Mag 10.8, diam 50”
The 249 double stars in the attached file were found by Dunlop, Rumker and the Brisbane Observatory. (DUN, RMK, BSO).
The file gives the name, year measured, position angle, separation, magnitudes, spectra and position for each double.
You can copy this file to excel.
Reference
The Washington Double Star Catalog
http://ad.usno.navy.mil/wds/
Yes Rob he even includes the faint star in the dark lane which is pretty good considering his scope.
"There is a very minute star in the dark space between the preceding extremities of the nebula"
These are the first descriptions of these 5 objects arranged by the date found. It must have been exciting to find these DSOs.
My comments are in ().
Dunlop 322 Neb Car NGC 3324 1/5/1826
A star of the 7th magnitude, involved in faint nebula.
(Between Neb N3372 = eta Car and OC N3293)
Dunlop 413 OC Ara NGC 6193 14/5/1826
A cluster of small stars, with a bright star in the preceding side. A very considerable branch or tail proceeds from the north side, which joins a very large cluster.
(He did not see the associated Neb N6188)
Dunlop 564 OC & PN Pyx NGC 2818 28/5/1826
A pretty large faint nebula of a round figure, 6' or 8' diameter; the nebulosity is faintly diffused to a considerable extent. There is a small nebula in the north preceding side, which is probably a condensation of the faint diffused nebulous matter; the large nebula is resolvable into stars with nebula remaining.
(Did he see the PN? What do you think?)
The image below is from http://www.ngcic.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp
Dunlop 457 GC Sco NGC 6388 5/6/1826
A beautiful round nebula, about 5' diameter, with a bright round well-defined disk or nucleus, about 15" diameter, exactly in the centre; this has the appearance of a planet surrounded by an extremely faint diluted atmosphere; there is a small star involved in the faint atmosphere: the atmosphere is at least 6' diameter. Figure 18.
Dunlop 262 Gx Pav NGC 6744 25/7/1826
A pretty large very faint nebula, about 5’ or 6’ diameter, slightly bright towards the centre; a minute star is north of the nebula, and two stars of the 7th magnitude preceding. (A low surface brightness Gx)
Dunlop 411 Gx Cen NGC 4945 found 29/4/1826
A beautiful long nebula, about 10' long, and 2' broad, forming an angle with the meridian, about 30° south preceding and north following; the brightest and broadest part is rather nearer the south preceding extremity than the centre, and it gradually diminishes in breadth and brightness towards the extremities, but the breadth is much better defined than the length. A small star near the north, and a smaller star near the south extremity, but neither of them is involved in the nebula. I have strong suspicions that this nebula is resolvable into stars, with very slight compression towards the centre. I have no doubt but it is resolvable. I can see the stars, they are merely points. This is north following the 1st Centauri.- Figure 17 http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...highlight=4945
Dunlop 431 OC Cen NGC 5460 7/5/1826
A curiously curved line of small stars, of nearly equal magnitudes; two stars of 7th magnitude following.
(Note Gx PGC 50388 mag14.5 is in the OC and PGC 50448 mag 12.1 is 25' north of it.) http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/images/cen/ngc5460.jpg
Dunlop 573 GC Sgr NGC 6723 3/6/1826
A beautiful bright round nebula, about 3.5' diameter, moderately and gradually condensed to the centre. This is resolvable. The moderate condensation, and the bluish colour of the stars which compose it, give it a very soft and pleasant appearance. This is rather difficult to resolve, although the condensation is not very great. (Next to D559) Image by the late Erwin VanDerVelden http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=3464&page=2&highli ght=6723
Dunlop 559 Dark Neb CrA Bernes 157 30/7/1826
A singular dark space in the heavens, of an irregular figure, about 1.5o long, and 1.5° broad; no stars except exceedingly minute stars in the greatest portion of this space. There is a bright star in each side.
(Next to D 573, this was one of the first dark nebula to be catalogued) http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...t=15467&page=2 http://www.hwy.com.au/~sjquirk/images/coraus.html
Dunlop 142 Neb LMC NGC 2070 Tarantula 3/8/1826
(30 Doradus, Bode) is a pretty large, ill-defined nebula, of an irregular branched figure, with a pretty bright small star in the south side of the centre, which gives it the appearance of a nucleus. This is resolvable into very minute stars. Figure 4, is a very good representation of the nebula resolved. N.B. The 30 Doradus is surrounded by a number of nebulae of considerable magnitudes, 9 or 10 in number, with the 30 Doradus in the centre. Figure 5 (found by LaCaille in 1751-52) http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ight=tarantula
NGC 3532 was described on the night that he started his catalogue.
Dunlop 323 27-Apr 1826 NGC 3532 OC Car found by Lacaille
(5 Centauri, Bode) is a very large cluster of stars about the 9th magnitude, with a red star of the 7-8th magnitude, north following the centre of the cluster. Elliptical figure: the stars are pretty regularly scattered.
Dunlop 445 28-May 1826 NGC 3201 GC Vel found by Dunlop
A pretty large pretty bright round nebula, 4' or 5' diameter, very gradually condensed towards the centre, easily resolved into stars; the figure is rather irregular, and the stars are considerably scattered on the south preceding side: the stars are also of slightly mixed magnitudes.
Dunlop 309 date? NGC 3372 BN eta Car found by Lacaille
(eta Roboris Caroli, Bode) is a bright star of the 3rd magnitude, surrounded by a multitude of small stars, and pretty strong nebulosity; very similar in its nature to that in Orion, but not so bright. Figure 14 is a very correct representation of it; the circle A B is about 1° and 37' diameter, with the star eta in the centre. I can count twelve or fourteen extremely minute stars surrounding eta in the space of about 1'; several of them appear close to the disk: there is a pretty bright small star about the l0th magnitude north following eta, and distant about 1'. The nebulosity is pretty strongly marked; that on the south side is very unequal in brightness, and the different portions of the nebulosity are completely detached, as represented in the figure. There is much nebulosity in this place, and very much extensive nebulosity throughout the Robur Caroli, which is also very rich in small stars
Dunlop 487 2-Sep 1826 NGC 1269/1291 Gx Eri found by Dunlop
A pretty bright round nebula, about 1.5' diameter, very bright and condensed to the centre, and very faint at the margin; with a very small star about 1' north, but not involved.
See http://www.ngcic.org/dss/n/1/n1269.jpg
