NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 3802. As I note above with NGC 3801, Steve Gottlieb suggests that WH saw only that galaxy in his two sweeps in the spring of 1784, rather than this fainter object in one of the sweeps (14 March) and the brighter object in the other (17 April). This does not change the NGC identifications of either galaxy, just their discovery history. Wolfgang suggests that WH missed seeing NGC 3802 because he was using the optically-inferior Newtonian focus of his telescope (he did not change to the Herschelian focus until September of 1786). This raised his limiting magnitude by about 0.5, enough to insure that NGC 3802 remained undetected until JH -- using the Herschelian focus from the beginning of his observations -- came across it in March of 1827. See NGC 3801 for a bit more on this, and NGC 3807 where this figures in LdR's observations of the area.

===== NGC 3802 48" (4/2/11): this bright edge-on is located 2.3' N of NGC 3801 in a group of 6 galaxies. It appeared edge-on 5:1 E-W, 1.4'x0.3'. Contains a brighter, slightly bulging core. A mag 13 star is just off the following end, 1.0' from center. NGC 3803 lies 2.2' N. 18" (5/12/07): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 E-W, 1.2'x0.3'. A mag 13 star is just off the following end. Located 2' N of NGC 3801 in a group. 17.5" (4/1/95): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 E-W, 1.2'x0.4', very weak concentration. Almost reaches to a mag 13.5 star just off the east end 1.0' from center. Located 2.3' NNE of NGC 3801 in a group.