NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 2437 17.5" (3/16/96): At 100x, M46 fills a large portion of the field and there are a few hundred stars fairly evenly distributed in a 35' field. The cluster appears slightly elongated E-W although there are no clear borders. There is no increase in concentration towards the center and except for two brighter stars on the west side the cluster is unusually uniform in brightness (mag 11-13) and distribution in the main body. There is a noticeable 2' void, though, very close to the center of the cluster. Around the periphery the distribution becomes quite scraggly and the cluster mixes with the general field density. The beautiful annular planetary NGC 2438 is situated in the north side of the cluster. 8": bright, very rich, large, includes a couple of mag 9 stars but most stars are mag 10-13 and fairly uniform in magnitude and distribution except for a gap near the center. Contains the striking pn NGC 2438 at the NE edge. Faint naked-eye object in a dark sky.