None-Messier NGC List

Okay man, it’s got to be done, a list of my observed none=Messier NGC objects culled from my observation notes. I’m going to split my list into two parts. ‘Historic’ observations which go back to March 13th 1991, and modern day observations, which started with my 8″ Skywatcher on February 15th 2015. It’s not a massive list, but it bumps up my galaxy count, so it’s important.
All these objects found by star-hopping and maps.
Historic
NGC 5195 – Galaxy (Whirlpool companion)
NGC 7789 – Open cluster Cassiopiea
NGC 457  – Open cluster Cassiopeia
NGC 7217 – Galaxy in Pegasus
NGC 7331 – Galaxy in Pegasus
NGC 1647 – Open cluster Taurus
NGC 1746 – Open Cluster Taurus
NGC 1807 – Open Cluster Taurus
NGC 2129 – Cluster in Gemini (triangle)
NGC 2392 – Planetary nebula in Gemini
NGC 2683 – Galaxy in Lynx, (‘UFO Galaxy’)
NGC 1907 – Cluster Auriga (‘under’ M38)
NGC 1664 – Cluster Auriga
NGC 1023 – Galaxy in Perseus
NGC 205 – Galaxy (dwarf elliptical Andromeda satellite)
NGC 4490 – Galaxy in Canes Venatici (Cocoon)
NGC 4485 – Galaxy in Canes Venatici (related to NGC 4490)
NGC 884 – Perseus double cluster
NGC 869 – Perseus double cluster
Modern Day
NGC 1617 – Open cluster Taurus
NGC 1746 – Open Cluster Taurus
NGC 2262 – Open cluster Taurus (part of ‘poor man’s double’ with 1817)
NGC 2354 – Open Cluster Canis Major
NGC 654 – Open cluster Cassiopeia
NGC 663 – Open Cluster Cassiopeia
NGC 659 – Open cluster Cassiopeia
NGC 6664 – Open cluster Scutum
NGC 475 – Open cluster Cassiopeia (E.T. cluster)
NGC 2169 – the ’37’ cluster in Orion
NGC 3384 – Galaxy in Virgo (near M87)
NGC 129 – Open Cluster Cassiopeia
NGC 7419 – Open cluster Cephus

I’m back here.

You would have expected, with more time on my hands, that I’d have been filling this blog up during lockdown. Quite the opposite’s happened and I’m not sure why. When I logged in here this morning I found WordPress had changed the editor and that was annoying (I liked the old one), till I found out how to install the old editor. Now I’m okay. 
I’ve done plenty of observing over the last six months, but because the observatory’s site, (on private land), has been in a bit of a state of turmoil with the owners, I haven’t used it as much. To say ‘it’s been a strange year’ is a bit of an understatement.
I’ve just updated December and January with a short observation report and a cut and paste of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction event I organised for the local society. And last night I took some lunar shots, though any deep sky stuff was washed out by the 97% moon. 

Asteroid Vesta is at opposition on the 5th March. It’s about fifth magnitude now and quite easy to find. I took this last night, I’ll take another tonight and hopefully there’ll be some detectable movement. Two clear nights on the run, amamzing!

The 22 missing Messier objects

And I don’t mean things like the Double Cluster in Perseus, which by rights should have a Messier number. I mean the objects I’ve personally never seen. Which may not be strictly true, as I’ve seen deep-sky stuff just taking an un-navigated tour, but these are the objects that I haven’t entered in my observation notes.
Which means I cannot say I’ve seen them. That’s how it works, see?
M4. An open cluster in Scorpius.
M6 Open cluster in Scorpius
M7 Open cluster in Scorpius
No secret why I haven’t seen these. Scorpius is below the horizon here. I don’t know how far south I’d have to travel to see these.
M30 Globular Cluster Capricorn.
Again, a low summer constellation, but see-able.
M48 Galactic cluster, Hydra
Another very low constellation. And a dim one at that, barely visible from here.
M50 Open cluster, Monoceros.
No excuse for not seeing this one. Just to the left of Canis Minor, visible in the winter.
M55 Globular cluster Sagittarius 
Out there to the left and on its own, quite low. One for the summer hit-list.
M62 Globular Cluster Ophiuchus 
Again, a summer target.
M68 Globular cluster Hydra
M69 Globular cluster Saggitarius
M70 Globular Cluster Sagittarius 
M68 is too low, but M69 and M70 do-able with a low horizon.
M72 Globular cluster Aquarius
M73 Asterism, Aquarius
Again, Summer targets
M74 Galaxy in Pisces
Interesting! Easily viewable, I’ve just never looked. But the Pisces is a bit rubbish.
M75 Globular in Sagittarius
Again, this summer..
M77 Galaxy in Cetus
A winter target this time, in that big boring part of the winter sky
M79 Globular cluster in Lepus
Low in winter, under Canis Major. Hmmm..
M80 Globular cluster in Scorpius
Too low
M83 Galaxy in Hydra.
Do-able, about now, as it happens.
M97 Planetary nebula in Ursa Major
11th mag. I suppose I’ve just never had dark enough skies.
M101 Galaxy in Ursa Major
To my embarrassment, I’ve never seen it.
M107 Globular cluster in Ophiuchus
And we end with another summer target.