NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 7720 is the brightest object in the cluster Abell 2634. While some have suggested it to be an interacting double nebula, it could just as well be a single bright galaxy with a second superposed 12 arcseconds north. WH's RA is 40 seconds too large. See NGC 6882 = NGC 6885 for more on the observations he made on 10 Sept 1784. Also see NGC 7726 for more about the brighter galaxies in Abell 2634. WH may have glimpsed some of the other galaxies in the cluster as his published description reads, "vF, E, some S sts with nebulosity." (JH's description is more prosaic: "pF, R, bM; 20[arcsec]".) For GC and NGC, JH changed this to read simply "F, S, E, bM; am sts." This doesn't quite convey WH's original intent, and would suggest that we ought to be looking around for more stars in the field than actually exist. Still, the identification is not in doubt.

===== NGC 7720 17.5" (8/10/91): located at the center of the rich cluster AGC 2634. Fairly faint, small, small bright core, elongated SSW-NNE. Forms a double system with a companion (NGC 7720A) attached at the north side. The system appears visually as overlapping galaxies with double nuclei. A dense swarm of galaxies are nearby to the south and east; IC 5341 2.8' SSW, CGCG 476-090 3.2' S, CGCG 476-092 3.3' SSE, IC 5342 2.4' SE, PGC 85575 0.9' E and PGC 71991 1.5' E! A mag 15.5 star is 1.5' SW and two mag 11 stars lie 4' SSE and 7' SSE. IC 5341: very faint, extremely small, round. CGCG 476-090: very faint, extremely small, round. A mag 11 star is 2.1' E. This is the central galaxy in a very tight trio 3' S of NGC 7720. IC 5342: very faint, small, round, bright core. Located 2' N of a mag 11 star and 2.4' SE of NGC 7720. PGC 85575: extremely faint and small, round, <5" diameter. Located just 0.9' E of the center of NGC 7720. PGC 71991: extremely faint and small, slightly elongated N-S. A mag 14 star is 30" WSW.