NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 1369 is probably ESO 358-G034 = MCG -06-09-004, a fairly bright Fornax Cluster galaxy that JH missed. This is one of the nebulae found by Julius Schmidt with a 6.2-inch refractor in Athens in the 1870s (others include NGC 1318 and NGC 1378, both of which see). His table in AN 2097 has stars and galaxies listed in RA order, and is full of errors. In this case, there is an entry for a bright star immediately following his entry for this nebula. If the star is SAO 194404, and if it and Schmidt's nebula share the same incorrect RA minutes of "27" instead of "30", then the nebula is ESO 358-G064. I do not see any other star/galaxy pairs in the cluster near the same declination that would fit as well. Schmidt's data are clearly estimates: he assigns a magnitude of 5.6 to the star, while the modern V magnitude is 7.3. His position -- with the RA corrected -- is 03 35 12, -36 29.2 (precessed to B1950), while that for the SAO star is 03 35 11, -36 27.4. For the nebula, he has 03 35 05, -36 26.8 compared to 03 34 51, -36 25.2, not particularly good matches. But as I said, I do not see any other reasonable candidates.

===== NGC 1369 18" (12/30/08): faint, fairly small, irregularly round, ~0.9'x0.8', very weak concentration. Located 4.3' NW of mag 7.2 HD 22621 and 39' ESE of NGC 1365. This is a relatively bright member of the Fornax I cluster that was missed by John Herschel. Listed as nonexistent in the RNGC due to a poor position by Julius Schmidt.