NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 1417. This is the brightest of a line of four galaxies stretched out along an east-west line at a declination of about -04d 41m. The galaxies are traditionally numbered IC 344, NGC 1417, NGC 1418, and NGC 1424 (a fifth galaxy, NGC 1397, well to the west, was mistakenly pulled in by JH who mismeasured its position). NGC 1417 and 1418 were found by WH, and reobserved by JH, d'A, and -- repeatedly -- by LdR and his observers (who also found NGC 1424). Leavenworth may have seen two of the nebulae in the area (see NGC 1429), Swift found another (IC 344), and Frank Muller made micrometric observations of all four in 1889. Working with the many 72-inch observations, Dreyer pretty well sorted out the field for the NGC, only assigning h 305 incorrectly to NGC 1397. He corrected this in the first IC where he put h 305 on IC 344. Though JH's position is not very good, this is an acceptable way to reconcile his published comment "The 1st of 3" with what we actually see on the sky.

===== NGC 1417 17.5" (11/25/87): moderately bright, moderately large, elongated 5:2 NNW-SSE, bright core. A mag 11 star is 1.3' SE of center. Brightest in a group with NGC 1418 4.9' ESE and IC 344 7.3' WNW. 13" (12/7/85): moderately bright, slightly elongated ~N-S, small bright core. A mag 10.5 star is close SSE. Second of three in a group.