NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort
(This is a very very beta version)
NGC1551
Basic Information
Location and Magnitude
Right Ascension: 4:19:38.1
Declination: +2:24:34
Constellation: TAU
Visual Magnitude: 12.0
Historic Information
Discoverer: Herschel W.
Year of discovery: 1785
Discovery aperture: 18.7
Observational
Summary description: F, vS, R, probably = 835
Sub-type: E-S0
Corwin's Notes
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NGC 1551 = NGC 1550. WH made a recording or transcription error of exactly
one degree in the NPD of II 464, placing it on the parallel with his
comparison star (44 Eridani). D'Arrest could not find the object and was the
first to suggest that it might be the same as N1550, just one degree north of
WH's place. Dreyer added a note to this effect in NGC, and later adopted it
as a "definitive" answer to the problem, as indeed, it seems to be.
JH has a comment in GC about the object, noting a 5 arcmin difference between
CH's reduction and Auwers's. He attributes this to CH using an incorrect NPD
for the comparison star. He says nothing about the larger one degree error.
Finally, while I'm splitting hairs, WH's description in Dreyer's 1912 edition
of the Complete Papers reads, "F, vS, r," while GC and NGC both have "F, S,
R". Since JH had access to WH's records, it may be that he corrected another
mistake. Or it may be that Dreyer or his typesetter made one. A check of the
original paper in Philosophical Transactions could eliminate at least one of
these possibilities. A look at the Herschel Archives at the RAS (or at any
library which has the microfilm version) would be needed to check the other.
Steve's Notes
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NGC 1551
See observing notes for NGC 1550.