NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 5511 is probably CGCG 074-141 -- but might possibly be CGCG 074-142. The southeastern galaxy is a low surface brightness late-type spiral, while the western object is an S0 of normal surface brightness. The S0, though fainter in total magnitude, is more likely to be seen in a long-focus 18.5-inch refractor (Hough's telescope at Dearborn Observatory, the same Clark refractor used by Safford nearly two decades earlier). However, Hough's published description reads, "Small, very faint. * 10m, * 10m [sic] preceding." This is a typographical error of some sort. There is no star of 10th magnitude preceding the galaxy (I also checked the possibility that a star might be 10 minutes of time or 10 arcmin preceding, but none are in either place). The only fairly bright star in the area is an 11th magnitude double star following CGCG 074-141 by 14.2 seconds. This casts doubt on the identity with either CGCG galaxy, but Hough's position precesses to within 2 arcmin of the galaxies. Thus, I'm going to give the confused description fairly low weight. Tempel certainly did not see CGCG 074-142. His description of Hough's nebula reads (in a translation by Wolfgang Steinicke): "I also searched for the last of Hough's nebulae at 14h 07.5m +9d 10.0' and found at this place a faint star of 12m with very little nebular matter." I think this is a description of the double star following the galaxies. The fainter star is merged with the image of the brighter, and is southwest. It probably lent just a trace of the appearance of nebulosity to the brighter star as Tempel observed it.

===== NGC 5511 18" (6/30/11): faint to very faint, very small, slightly elongated, 0.3' diameter. Forms a close pair with fainter CGCG 074-142, just 1.1' SE, which appeared extremely faint, very small, round, 12" (probably just the core seen). CGCG 74-136 lies 9' W. The identification of NGC 5511 with either galaxy in this pair is uncertain because of Hough's confusing description, but CGCG 074-141 has a higher surface brightness than -142, so seems to be the more likely of the two candidates. 17.5" (6/8/02): extremely faint, small, irregular or slightly elongated, 0.4'x0.3'. Only a single galaxy was seen (either CGCG 074-141 or -142, which form a 1' pair) in poor seeing ~3' W of a mag 10.5 star. Slightly brighter CGCG 74-136 (which may be NGC 5469) lies 10' WNW.