NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 3643, NGC 3644 = IC 684, and NGC 3647. Even though Marth's positions for N3643, 3644, and 3647 are pretty good, this has not prevented later observers from misidentifying these at one time or another. In particular, Bigourdan's "N3647" is a star, and he labeled N3644 as "new" (his positions for both are accurate). Thus, this latter galaxy received an IC number (684) as well as its NGC number. Kobold got the right galaxies for N3643 and N3644, but both he and Wirtz list N3644 as "NGC 3645(?)" (though Kobold does have an erratum saying that though the identity is uncertain it is probably N3644). RNGC has misidentified N3643 and N3645 (which see), and CGCG makes yet another object in the group N3645. Finally, just about everyone, including me, has misidentified NGC 3647. There are four CGCG galaxies here. Most of us have chosen CGCG 039-141 -- the easternmost -- but the brightest (by half a magnitude) of the three is CGCG 039-135, the westernmost. Steve Gottlieb has gently reminded us that brighter objects are easier to see than fainter ones. Even with a 48-inch reflector, Marth called this one an "eF neb *." And he saw only one object here, not four, so the obvious choice is the brightest.

===== NGC 3643 17.5" (4/4/92): very faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE. A mag 13 star is at the SE edge 1.0' from center. NGC 3644 lies 12' S.