NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 5521. Curious about the brighter star superposed just 10 arcseconds north of the nucleus -- why didn't JH mention the star? -- I pulled up the DSS2B image. There is another stellar image 12.2 arcseconds west-southwest of the nucleus that does not appear on any other image I've looked at. It could be a defect or it could be a supernova. It does not appear in the supernova lists, though, so no one else has apparently picked it up (was NGC 5521 even on anyone's SN search list in 1990 when the plate was taken?). The plate's date is 15 May 1990. The star that JH did not mention is apparently a close double; at least it appears that way in the SDSS image. The image on the DSS2IR plate is somewhat elongated in the correct position angle (about 315 degrees), but seeing that image alone, I would not suspect that the star is double. For another possible supernova, see IC 3993.

===== NGC 5521 17.5" (6/1/02): very faint, very small, round, just 15" diameter. Appears to have a fairly sharp stellar nucleus surrounded by a small halo. Located between a mag 11.5 star 2.5' S and a similar star 5' N.