NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 309 24" (12/21/16): at 282x; fairly faint, moderately large, roundish, fairly low but uneven surface brightness, contains a brighter core that increases somewhat to the center. Hints of spiral arms in halo (slightly brighter arcs). A mag 12.5 star is 2' NNE. A mag 15 star is off the west side, 1.5' from center. IC 1602, the brightest member of AGC 117, lies 13' WSW. It appeared fairly faint, small, round, 20" diameter, slightly brighter nucleus. 17.5" (10/28/89): fairly faint, fairly large, slightly elongated ~E-W, weak concentration. A mag 12.5 star is off the NNE edge 2.1' from center. A mag 15 star is off the west edge. 8" (10/13/81): very faint, slightly elongated, even surface brightness. At a redshift distance of ~260 million light years, NGC 309 is one of the largest and most luminous spiral galaxies known.