NGC 1473 = ESO 054-019 = LGG 107-001 = PGC 13853

03 47 26.8  -68 13 13; Hyi
V = 12.9; Size 1.5’x0.8′; Surf Br = 12.9; PA = 36°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appears moderately bright and large, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, weakly concentrated with a slightly brighter core. This galaxy has a slightly mottled or clumpy appearance (the SGC notes a “large knot 0.3′ NE of center”). Elongated in the direction of a star 3′ SW. Situated within a string of 4 stars – one star to the NW and three to the SE. NGC 1473 is a member of a small group that includes NGC 1511 and NGC 1511A.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1473 = h2592 on 2 Nov 1834 and recorded “pF; R; gradually little brighter middle; 25″ dia.” His position (from two sweeps) corresponds with ESO 054-019 = PGC 13853.

 

NGC 1490 = ESO 083-011 = PGC 14040

03 53 34.4  -66 01 05; Ret
V = 12.4; Size 1.3’x1.1′; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 142°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 280x appeared bright, moderately large, round, 1.2′ diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very bright 20″ core that increases to the center, surrounded by a diffuse 1.2′ halo. A faint star is embedded at the east edge of the halo. NGC 1503 lies 18′ E and ESO 083-012 is 9.5′ NE. Located 1.5 degrees SE of mag 3.8 Beta Reticuli and 4′ N of mag 9.3 HD 24957.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1490 = h2599 on 2 Nov 1834 and recorded “pB, S, lE, pretty much brighter middle, 18″ diameter.” His position is accurate.

 

NGC 1503 = ESO 083-013 = PGC 14137

03 56 33.5  -66 02 28; Ret
V = 13.4; Size 0.9’x0.7′; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 140°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly faint to moderately bright, small, round, 25″ diameter. Contains a very small brighter core and occasional stellar nucleus. Located 18′ E of brighter NGC 1490.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1503 = h2604 on 2 Nov 1834 and logged “eF, S, R, (a doubtful object). Has a * on p, 10th mag 3′ dist.” His position is 1′ N of ESO 083-013 = PGC 14137.

 

NGC 1511 = ESO 055-004 = AM 0359-674 = KTS 23A = LGG 107-002 = PGC 14236

03 59 36.9  -67 38 03; Hyi
V = 11.3; Size 3.5’x1.2′; Surf Br = 12.7; PA = 125°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appeared fairly bright, fairly large, elongated 3:1 NW-SE, ~2.5’x0.8′. Contains a bright, elongated core with a small very bright nucleus. Two stars mag 14-15 stars bracket the galaxy just 54″ E and 1.3′ W of center and just north of the center. The northeast flank of the galaxy appears slightly brighter and more sharply defined and there is an impression of a dust lane on the south side. At 260x the galaxy has a mottled appearance and is slightly warped or asymmetric at the tips. A mag 10.8 star lies 3.5′ SSE and a fainter edge-on NGC 1511A is in the field 11′ SSE.

NGC 1511A appeared fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 7:2 WNW-ESE, 1.5’x0.4′, broadly concentrated with a slightly bulging core. NGC 1511 is a member of a small group that includes NGC 1473, NGC 1511A and NGC 1511B.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1511 = h2608 on 2 Nov 1834 and described “pB; mE; very gradually brighter middle; 90″ l; pos 125.5°.” His position and description matches ESO 055-004 = PGC 14236.

Joseph Turner sketched the galaxy in 1876 (unpublished plate II, figure 12) using the Great Melbourne Telescope and later by Pietro Baracchi.

 

NGC 1511A = ESO 055-005 = KTS 23B = LGG 107-003 = PGC 14255

04 00 18.6  -67 48 25; Hyi
V = 13.3; Size 1.7’x0.4′; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 109°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 200x appears fairly faint, moderately large, edge-on 7:2 WNW-ESE, 1.5’x0.4′, broadly concentrated with a slightly bulging core. Located 11′ SSE of NGC 1511 in a small group.

Notes: de Vaucouleurs used the letter suffix NGC 1511A and 1511B in his 1956 “Survey of Bright Galaxies South of -35° Declination”, based on Mt Stromlo plates.

 

NGC 1526 = ESO 084-003 = PGC 14437

04 05 12.3  -65 50 23; Ret
V = 13.8; Size 0.8’x0.5′; Surf Br = 12.8; PA = 36°

14″ (4/7/16 – Coonabarabran, 178x): very faint, small, slightly elongated SW-NE, ~25″x20″, even surface brightness. Situated just south of a 10′ x 1.5′ group of 8 stars including a mag 9.8 star just 3.3′ NNE. Viewed in poor conditions.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1526 = h2617 on 2 Nov 1834 and logged “F, R, gradually little brighter middle, among B stars; one = 9th mag, 3′ north.” His position and description matches ESO 084-003 = PGC 14437.

 

NGC 1641 = ESO 084-024

04 35 35  -65 46 48; Dor
Size 11′

24″ (11/18/12 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): large, scattered group of a dozen mag 10.5 to 13.5 stars and another dozen stars down to mag 15, in roughly a 10′ region. There is no central concentration or rich subgroups, though it’s detached in the field so stands out reasonably well. Still, this is a very poor “cluster” (probably an asterism) considering its size. Some catalogues have misidentified NGC 1641 with a close pair of galaxies on the east side of the group.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1641 = h2656 on 2 Dec 1834 and remarked ” pL; p rich; irreg R; p m comp; 5′; stars 11…16″. His position is on the southeast side of a scattered group of stars, roughly 10′ across.

Pietro Baracchi searched unsuccessfully for this object a couple of times in Dec 1885 using the 48″ Melbourne telescope. Shapley and Lindsay (S-L 6) give a diameter of only 20″ and notes “NGC 1641? irregularly resolved”, but this refers to the double system ESO 84-25, which happens to be close to Herschel’s position. Clearly, Herschel’s description applies to the larger star group and not these galaxies, so the listing in S-L is erroneous. The Hodge-Wright Atlas of the LMC also labels the ESO galaxies as NGC 1641. RNGC classifies this number as an open cluster, but references S-L, and NGC 2000.0 references the RNGC. Jenni Kay sorted out the identifications in an email dated Dec 13, 1998.

 

NGC 1644 = ESO 084-030 = S-L 9

04 37 40  -66 11 48; Dor
V = 12.7; Size 1.8’x1.5′

24″ (11/18/12 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): moderately bright and large, round, 40″ diameter, small bright core, smooth halo, no resolution (the brightest stars are mag 17). Located 5′ S of mag 9.3 HD 29878. NGC 1641, a scattered group of stars, lies 28′ NNW.

Notes: James Dunlop probably discovered NGC 1644 = D 226 = h2657 on 6 Nov 1826. He noted “an extremely small round nebula, 8″ or 10″ diameter, pretty well defined. A small star in the same parallel preceding [due west].” His position was considerably off – 20′ to the SE – though a mag 8.7 star (HD 29547) is 20′ due W as in his description. Glen Cozens proposed this identification in his reexamination of Dunlop’s discoveries.

John Herschel rediscovered NGC 1644 = h2657 on 2 Nov 183 (sweep 508) 4 and recorded “pB, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 15″.” His position matches this LMC cluster (possible globular).

 

NGC 1649 = ESO 055-031 = KMHK 22

04 38 06.9  -68 46 41; Dor
V = 11.2; Size 0.6′

30″ (11/6/10 – Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint, small, round, 20″ diameter. Sandwiched between 8.1 HD 29994 2.1′ SSE and a mag 12 star 1.4′ NNW. Located 6.5′ SSW of NGC 1652. The identification of NGC 1649 is disputed. It may refer to the small cluster described above or more likely NGC 1649 is a duplicate observation of NGC 1652.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1649 = h2660 on 23 Dec 1834 and recorded “F; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 30″.” His position is 9′ S of h2661 = NGC 1652, which he observed on 3 sweeps, but not on the single sweep that NGC 1649 was recorded.

Harold Corwin concludes NGC 1649 is likely a duplicate of NGC 1652 based on the similar descriptions and a possible 10′ digit error in declination. The Hodge-Wright LMC Atlas states “possibly NGC 1652” (no object is indicated) and ESO equates NGC 1649 = NGC 1652. NGC 1649 is classified as nonexistent in Mati Morel’s “A Visual Atlas of the LMC”. Eric Lindsay, in “Some NGC objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud” [1964IrAJ….6..286L], states “Not found. Centered on CPD -69°284. Possibly the faint cluster S/L 8, 13′ south.”

Robert Innes, at the Union Observatory in 1927, suggested a 6 minute error in RA and equal to NGC 1676. But Jenni Kay suggests NGC 1649 is a small cluster (ESO 55-031 = KMHK 22) just 2.3′ NNW of Herschel’s position for NGC 1649. The visual appearance in a 30-inch is given in my notes, but it is probably too faint to have caught Herschel’s attention.

 

NGC 1652 = ESO 055-032 = S-L 10

04 38 22.6  -68 40 21; Dor
V = 13.1; Size 1.5′

30″ (11/6/10 – Coonabarabran, 264x): moderately bright, moderately large, round, slightly elongated, 1.0’x0.8′, broad concentration but azonal, symmetrical, no resolution. Located 8.4′ NNE of mag 8.1 HD 29994. NGC 1649 lies 6.5′ SSW and NGC 1676 lies 31′ ESE.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1652 = h2661 on 2 Nov 1834 and remarked “vF; S; R; gradually brighter in the middle; 12″ across.” His position (measured on 3 sweeps) is accurate. NGC 1649 is probably a duplicate observation with a 10′ error in declination.

 

NGC 1669 = ESO 084-038 = PGC 15871

04 43 00.0  -65 48 52; Dor
V = 13.9; Size 0.7’x0.4′; Surf Br = 12.4; PA = 97°

14″ (4/7/16 – Coonabarabran, 178x): extremely to very faint, small, round, 25″ diameter. Two mag 14 and 13 stars lie 1.4′ NW and 3.5′ NW, respectively. An asterism of 5 stars, including two mag 10 stars collinear with the galaxy, lies ~7′ WNW. I couldn’t hold the galaxy steadily with averted although it was viewed in poor conditions (very hazy skies and positioned well west of the meridian). Located in the NW halo of the LMC.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1669 = h2664 on 20 Dec 1835 and logged “eF, S, R.” His position is 6 sec of RA west of ESO 084-038 = PGC 15871.

 

NGC 1676 = ESO 055-036 = S-L 25

04 43 54  -68 49 42; Dor
V = 12.9; Size 0.8′

30″ (11/6/10 – Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly faint, moderately large, 1′ diameter. I resolved 8 to 10 faint stars over the irregularly shaped glow. KMHK 59, a faint cluster, was picked up 5′ NNE.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1676 = h2669 on 13 Dec 1835 and recorded “vF; irreg R; 90″; resolvable.” In 1926, Robert Innes observed the cluster with the 26.5-inch refractor of the Union Observatory in Johannesburg. He described “a small cloud of 14 and 15 mag stars, 2′ diameter.”