NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 650 and NGC 651 together form M 76. They are the two bright lobes of a bipolar planetary nebula. (The fainter, whispy loops to the northwest and southeast were most likely not seen well until M 76 was photographed.) For GC and NGC, JH and Dreyer took the lobes as two separate nebulae, put the Messier number on N650, and the WH number (I 193) on N651. There is a little justification for this, but not very much. WH was the first to recognize that the nebula was apparently double. He says of it "Two close together. Both vB. dist. 2' sp nf. One is 76 of the Conn[oissance des Temps]." That, strictly speaking, is incorrect as neither Mechain nor Messier reported the nebula as double. Still, two NGC numbers it is for the single Messier number. This has happened at least once more. See NGC 5194 and NGC 5195, the two galaxies comprising M 51 -- though for that, Messier did see the two separate objects.

===== NGC 650 18" (10/19/06): superb view at 225x using a UHC filter. The main bi-polar body was very bright, elongated ~SW-NE and dominated by two large, irregular knots at either end. The SW knot is brighter and the brightest portion is more elongated in the direction of the minor axis. Both knots are somewhat irregular in shape and brightness. A faint star is just off the SW end. The two bright knots are attached with a fainter bridge of nebulosity. Extending off the north end is a large "arm" that sweeps around towards the west and a slightly less obvious counterpart is attached at the south end and sweeps towards the east. The overall effect mimics a photograph of a barred spiral galaxy or perhaps a rotating sprinkler head with jets of water curving away. 17.5" (8/2/86): bright, fairly large, consists of two prominent irregular lobes with a darker center; the SW lobe is brighter with straight edges while the NE lobe has a slightly curved edge. A mag 13.5 star is attached at the southern edge of the SW lobe. Extending from the main body of this striking bipolar planetary is a large halo that contains two large outer arms or wings similar to a spiral galaxy! The outer "arm" attached at the NE end is brighter and longer and curves to the west. The southern extension is short, fainter and less defined. The general features described above were clearly seen in my 13.1" at 166x using an OIII filter on 10/10/86. 13": SW end is brighter while the NE end is slightly curved. Boxy appearance with a dark center. 80mm (1/20/07): at 12.5x appears as a very faint, very small low surface brightness spot that blinks well using an OIII filter and increases significantly in contrast. At 25x and OIII filter appears as a fairly faint, round knot with a fairly high surface brightness.