NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 7459 is probably the double cD galaxy in a poor cluster of galaxies. Swift found only three galaxies on the night of 14 October 1884 -- this, N7452 (which see) about 20 seconds of time preceding it, and N7455 (also which see) about half a degree north. Assuming reasonable identifications for the three, Swift's RA's are well off for all the objects (-21s for N7452, -38s for N7455, and -29s for N7459), though his declinations are within 30 arcsec in each case. For this particular object, his position and description relative to N7452 fit reasonably well. This is "eeF, pL, R; * nr; sf of 2," while N7452 is "eeeF, pL, R, e diff; np of 2." Since Howe apparently saw this when he examined the field; he "suspected another nebula preceding about 15 seconds;" this was most likely N7452, the second brightest object in the cluster. See it and N7455 for more about the field. ----- Is the discovery date actually 13 November 1884? See NGC 7455 where a letter from Swift to Barnard suggests that it might be.

===== NGC 7459 24" (12/28/13): at 200x appeared fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~5:3 SW-NE, 0.8'x0.5', brighter core. At 282x, the core appeared double [post merger system?], with the two extremely small nuclei just resolved [10" separation], and oriented along the major axis. The northeast component appeared quasi-stellar. A mag 13.2 star is 1.2' E of center. 17.5" (11/18/95): very faint, small, elongated 3:2 WSW-ENE, 40"x25", weak concentration. Located 1.2' W of a mag 13 star. Forms a pair with NGC 7452 3.1' W. This is a double system (not resolved) and brightest in a faint cluster. Listed as nonexistent in RNGC.