NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort
(This is a very very beta version)
NGC3401
![](Images/negative_NGC3401-ngcicproject.jpg)
Basic Information
Location and Magnitude
Right Ascension: 10:49:12.0
Declination: +5:48:8
Constellation: SEX
Visual Magnitude:
Historic Information
Discoverer: Herschel W.
Year of discovery: 1784
Discovery aperture: 18.7
Observational
Summary description: eF (not verified)
Sub-type: NF
Corwin's Notes
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NGC 3401 may be a triple star. WH was the only one to observe it, his
observation was apparently rushed (his description reads only, "eF, no time to
verify"), and his data are not internally consistent. His table places it 5
min 42 sec preceding and 23 arcmin south of 56 Leonis. However, in his note
in the 1912 Scientific Papers, Dreyer says, "In the sweep, it is 1.9 min p, 3
arcmin n of II 131 [N3423]." Reducing these two offsets leads to positions
separated by 1 min and 5 arcmin. There is nothing at either position.
Between five to ten arcmin southeast of the position reduced from the N3423
offset (10 46 45, +06 09.5; B1950.0), there are one or two asterisms of stars
that WH might have picked up. The positions are far enough off, however, that
I doubt these stars are WH's object.
However, Jeffrey Corder has suggested that the triple star listed in the
position table may be object that WH stumbled over. It has about the right
total magnitude, and Jeff describes it as "... fuzzy-looking and hard to
resolve." It is also reasonably close to WH's position, so could well be his
object.