Astronomy

Update:

Non-stellar objects in old star catalogues

Posted 2007 January 08 @ 09:02 - file under Astronomy

Background

The article "Non-stellar objects in old star catalogues" (Paper 1), which appeared in MNASSA in 2003, presented a list of co-ordinates, culled from old star catalogues, where comments or footnotes in the catalogues indicated the (visual) observers had noticed an unknown object in the vicinity of the stars they were measuring as part of their pioneering astrometric work.

The 30 catalogues I scrutinized were published between 1752 and 1917, and were compiled by experienced observers. I reasoned it was possible that they may have noticed objects overlooked by other observers (Sir John Herschel comes to mind) since their methods and telescopes (field of view, magnification) would have been different.

The search yielded 138 comments about non-stellar objects noticed. Of these, 56 objects are recorded in the NGC (in some cases, their discovery predates that of the NGC entry).

A further eight objects appeared in later works as independent discoveries: in the IC and in the catalogues by Trumpler and Collinder.

Of the remainder, 62 comments, referring to "scattered star fields", "groups of stars", or "clusters", were presented in Table 2 of Paper 1. In an expanded format, Table 1 below lists these objects along with the original comments, that caught my attention (column 6), as noted in the various catalogues. I also searched for mention of these objects in later catalogues (results in column 7).

Table 1. Non-stellar objects noted in old astrometric catalogues.

No	RA	Dec	Source catalogue	Number in catalogue	Footnote/comment recorded in catalogue	Cross references to other catalogues
1	01:23:17	–33:28:58	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-98 01:23:17.3/–33:28:57.7 8.6m	"nf of group"	Not in any catalogue reviewed here.
2	03:07:20	–51:27:30	Brisbane	B 483 03:07:27.6/–50:27:29.7 7m B 483(R) 03:07:20.1/-51:27:30.1	"cluster of a few small stars"	not in BAC, Cape 1880, Melb-1
3	03:27:31	–35:40:51	Brisbane	B 555 03:27:31.0/–35:40:51.3 = CAS 261 Chi2-For 6m Chi1-Chi2-Chi3 For = B549/555/556	"cluster thinly scattered"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 261, 03:27:33/-35:40:20, "Fornax, 6m *" BAC 1082 Cape 1880: St 1440, 03:27:32.7/-35:40:53.1 = Hen 1108 = B 555 = Madras 1188 = CP40- 339 = Fornax 6m star
4	03:58:27	–56:52:54	Brisbane	B 638 03:58:27.2/–56:52:33.6 = CAS 314 = *8m B 638(R) 03:58:27.2/-56:52:53.6	"a no. of vS * in field. Vide 314 Lacaille"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752), Hen-CAS, BAC, Cape1880, Melb-1 CAS (1763): CAS 314, 04:02:52.4/-44:27:56.8
5	04:02:54	-44:28:00	Lac (1755)	II.1 04:02:54.6/-44:27:53.3 —	"Compressed heap of about 12 faint stars of 8th magnitude."	Lac (1752): 1752MmR2, 04:02:54.6/-44:27:53.3 CAS (1763): CAS 314, 04:02:52.4/-44:27:56.8 Brisbane : B 640, 04:01:05.8/–44:26:54.1 "Cluster" Horolog 7m. A footnote, "cluster" appears next to B640, 648 & 650 Hen-CAS 1339, 04:02:54.0, -44:28:00.3. No B x-id. "neb" and "The middle of a very dense Cl of S" BAC 1267, 04:02:53.8/–44:28:00.3, Hor. = Lac 1339 "Not in any modern cat, ... by precession alone." not in Melb-1 Cape 1880: St 1729, 04:02:59.2/-44:23:21.9 = B 650 = Madras 1415 "Lac neb 1339 probably consisted of cluster of small stars around B650."
6	04:18:12	-52:54:16	Brisbane	B 692 04:18:41.3/–52:54:22.3 7m B 692(R) 04:18:11.6/-52:54:15.5 B 688 04:18:14.4/-52:54:11.3 Dor m8*	"No. of vS* in this part"	not in Hen-CAS, BAC, Cape1880, Melb-1
7	04:24:10	–32:01:01	PerthAC-1912	Perth4-360 04:24:10.4/–32:01:01.2 8.8m,3 obs	"north of group"	-
8	04:28:20	–65:43:14	Brisbane	B 736 04:28:19.5/–65:43:13.8 7m	"no of vS * in the field"	not in BAC, Cape1880, Melb-1
9	05:03:13	–49:29:39	Lac (1755)	III.1 05:03:20.6/-49:30:05.7	"Small [faint] star surrounded by a nebulosity"	Lac (1752): 1752MmR3, 05:03:20.6/-49:30:05.7 CAS (1763): CAS 389, 05:03:18.7/-49:30:14.1 Brisbane : B 865, 05:03:12.8/–49:29:39.2 = CAS 389. E Equ Pic 6 to 7m. B 869, 05:04:23.4/–49:36:51.2, star 8m. "No. of S in field" Hen-CAS 1720: 05:03:20.0/-49:29:14.5 = B865 "Pic, Neb" BAC 1580: 05:03:15.3/–49:29:41.6 Pic = Lac 1720 = B 865 Cape 1880: St 2222, 05:03:15.5 /-49:29:35.7 = B 865 = Hen 1720 = Madras 1836 = Cp40-518 "No neb seen. 7m...south several small stars, like a neb" B 869 not listed. Cape 1840: St 518 = B 865 = Hen 1720 = BAC 1580 6-7 mag Pict not in Melb-1
9a	05:45:25	–60:43:33	Brisbane	B 1054, 05:45:25.3/–60:43:32.9 8 mag	"neb"	Cape 1880: St 2624, 05:45:28.7/-60:43:21.1 = B 1054 = Madras 2184. Dor 7-8 mag. not in Hen-CAS, BAC, Melb-1
10	06:57:17	–35:30:34	Brisbane	B 1412, 06:57:16.5/–35:30:33.5. *6m	"Several stars in field."	Cape 1880: St 3317, 06:57:18.0/-35:30:28.3 = Hen 2546 = B 1412. Pup, 6-7 mag. not in Melb-1 BAC 2288 Hen 2546: 06:57:20/–35:30:29 = B 1412. Puppis star 6-5 mag.
11	07:04:29	–31:58:53	PerthAC-1912	Perth4-592: 07:04:28.8/–31:58:53.1. 8.8m,3 obs "	"preceding of group"	—
12	07:15:20	–30:41:13	Brisbane	B 1522: 07:15:20.3/–30:41:13.0. m=6	"A great no of 6m* cursrly scattered"	BAC 2399 Hen 2688: 07:15:25/–30:41:19 = B 1522 CMa * 7m Cape 1880: St 3516, 07:15:21.3/-30:41:12.4 = Hen 2688 = B 1522 CMa5-6 mag not in Melb-1
13	07:26:41	–34:08:28	Lac (1755)	II.2 07:26:13.2/-34:08:53.6	"Heap of 8* of 6th to 7th m, naked eye a nebula in the sky."	Lac (1752): Star 4a, 07:26:46/-34:09:10 m=6 CAS (1763): CAS 647, 07:26:44/-34:08:49 m=6 Brisbane: B 1609, 07:26:41.0/–34:08:28.2 = CAS 647. Argus f 6 "There are 4 stars in the field, this is the largest" Hen 2810: 07:26:43/–34:08:51= B 1609. Pup 6 BAC 2471 Cape 1880: St 3655, 07:26:42.6/-34:08:27.4= Hen 2810= B 1609= Madras 3059= CP40- 874. Pup 6m not in Melb-1
14	07:54:40	–34:50:47	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-600: 07:54:40.0/–34:50:47.2. 6.3m,3 obs Perth3-603: 07:57:49.0/–34:55:42.6. 7.8m,3 obs, "sf of group"	"sf group"	—
16	08:10:46	–34:11:20	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-623: 08:10:46.3/–34:11:20.4. 9.2m,2 obs	"p group"	—
17	08:13:51	–35:12:28	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-627: 08:13:50.8/–35:12:28.4, 7.2m,3 obs	"p group"	—
18	08:15:13	–49:10:51	Brisbane	B 1955: 08:15:12.7/–49:10:50.5 * 7m (B 1949, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961) —	"A group of small stars"	Cape 1880: St 4238, 08:15:15.9/-49:10:49.0 = B 1955 = Madras 3315 vel 7/8 Cape 1880: St 4232, 08:14:09.1/-49:14:04.2 = B 1949 = Madras 3509 vel 7/8 Cape 1880: St 4233, 08:14:16.5/-49:02:58.0 = B 1952 = Madras 3511 vel 7/8 Cape 1880: St 4241, 08:15:30.5/-49:03:01.7 = B 1957 = Madras 3517 vel 7 Cape 1880: B 1958: "No 7m* visible near pos." Cape 1880: St 4246, 08:15:44.5/-49:15:51.6 = B 1960 = Madras 3521 vel 7 Cape 1880: St 4249, 08:16:01.8/-49:11:07.0 = B 1961 = Madras 3523 vel 7 None of these Brisbane stars listed in BAC or Melb-1
19	08:20:22	–25:49:04	Brisbane	B 1972: 08:20:21.5/–25:49:03.5 8 mag	"neb"	not in BAC, Cape1880, Melb-1 Arg Gen Cat: G 11146: 08:20:23.3/–25:48:25.3. B.1972 in cumulus. Pup, 8.25 Arg Gen Cat: G 11145: 08:20:22.8/–25:48:07.2 (note modified Dec minute) 08:20:22.7/–25:49:07.2 B.1972 in cumulus, Pup, 8.25
20	08:28:00	–35:06:50	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-646: 08:27:59.5/–35:06:50.0, 6.1m,3 obs	"sf group"	—
21	08:35:48	–34:03:30	PerthAC-1912	Perth3-656: 08:35:47.5/–34:03:30.1 7.5m,3 obs	"sf of group"	—
22	08:40:22	–42:23:25	Arg Gen Cat	G 11735: 08:40:21.7/–42:23:24.7 L.3466 cumulus. Vel, 7.5	cluster	BAC: L 3466 not listed not in Melb-1 —
23	10:00:36	–27:09:21	Brisbane	B 2768: 10:00:36.0/–27:09:21.0 neb 8	"F neb, several S*"	not in BAC, Cape 1880, Melb-1
24	10:14:03	–54:59:36	Brisbane	B 2908: 10:14:02.5/–54:59:36.4. 7.8	"Cl of small stars"	Hen 4220: 10:14:03/–55:00:12 = B 2908 Vel *7m not in BAC, Melb-1 Cape 1880: St 5577, 10:14:06.4/-54:59:37.9 = Hen 4220 = B 2908 Vel 7
25	10:20:00	–59:39:35	Brisbane	B 2964: 10:19:59.8/–59:39:35.1 f 7 "s in 40m" B 2966: 10:20:10.0/–59:39:14.8 7m B 2967:10:20:11.8/–59:32:43.7 = 8m B 2971:10:20:31.0/–59:38:08.4 = 7m B 2977:10:21:16.6/–59:45:09.1 = 7m B 2977(R):10:22:18.2/-59:45:15.7=B2985 B 2985:10:22:19.7/-59:45:22.1= * 7m	"*s in 40m"	not in Hen-CAS, BAC, Melb-1 Cape1880: St 5650: 10:20:11.9/-59:39:20.6= B 2964= Madras 4631 car 7/6 Cape1880: St 5654: 10:20:32.2/-59:38:10.6 = B 2966 car 7/6 Cape1880: B 2967, B 2971, B 2977 not listed. Ristenpart: St 5650 = B 2966; St 5654 = B 2971 —
26	10:22:35	–62:04:28	Brisbane	B 2988: 10:22:35.2/–62:04:28.0 *f 7	"A few S* cursorily scattered."	not in Hen-CAS, BAC, Melb-1 Cape1880: St 5680, 10:22:37.8/-62:04:23.5 = B 2988 = Madras 4653 Car 7m
27	10:28:45	–62:35:12	Brisbane	B 3040: 10:28:45.9/–62:35:00.4 *f 8 B 3041(R): 10:28:45.2/-62:35:12.0 =B3040	"double; several more very small stars close together"	not in Hen-CAS, BAC, Melb1 Cape1880: St 5746,10:28:49.0/-62:35:02.6= B 3040 = Car 7m
28	10:38:44	–59:11:02	Brisbane	B 3127: 10:38:43.7/–59:11:02.1 = CAS 952. t2 Arg m6	"cluster"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 952, 10:38:48/–59:10:56. t Argus in Car, m6 Hen 4396: 10:38:48/–59:10:56 t2 Car m5 BAC 3655 Cape1880: St 5861, 10:38:45.3/-59:10:59.4= Hen 4396 = B 3127= Madras 4796= CP40- 1320 = CP60- 426, t2 Car 5-4 mag not in Melb-1
29	10:45:02	–59:41:03	Brisbane	B 3198: 10:45:01.9/–59:41:02.8 = CAS 968 Eta Arg cl 2	"4 double stars in field; v Ri Cl"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 968, 10:45:04/–59:41:09 Arg eta 2m Hen-CAS 4457: 10:45:04/–59:41:10= B 3198 arg eta2m BAC 3695 Cape1880: St 5938,10:45:03.8/-59:41:04.3= Hen 4457 = B 3198= Madras 4856= CP40-1343 = CP60-431= Mel 539 Arg Eta 6m Mel1-539: 10:45:03.8/–59:41:04.1 Eta Argus, m=var = Hen 4457= B 3198= Johnson 248
30	10:49:52	–34:35:43	Cape1840	St 1351, 10:49:51.9/–34:35:42.7 —	"Neb"	not in Cape1880
31	11:01:38	–61:33:45	Brisbane	B 3346: 11:01:38.1/–61:33:45.2 = *m7.8	"great number of stars"	not in BAC, Cape1880
32	11:07:59	–30:10:05	Brisbane	B 3405: 11:07:58.8/–30:10:04.7 *6.7	"5/6 * in field"	not in BAC Hen-CAS 4606: 11:08:05/–30:09:52 = B 3405 Hyd 6.5m Cape1880: St 6172, 11:07:59.3/-30:10:11.7= Hen 4606= B 3405= Madras 5060 Hya 6/7 m
32a	11:12:34	–60:19:01	Brisbane	B 3462: 11:12:34.1/–60:19:01.1 = CAS 1001 cl 6	"a very fine small cluster"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 1001, 11:12:35/–60:19:16 y Carina m=6 Hen-CAS 4652: 11:12:36/–60:19:00= B 3462 y Car *m5 BAC 3835 Cape 1880: St 6223 11:12:36.1/ -60:19:04.0= Hen 4652= B 3462= Madras 5108= CP40- 1400 y car 5/4 not in Melb-1 —
32b	11:13:31	-59:37:10	Lac (1752)	1752MmR17, 11:13:36.8/-59:37:31.6	"neb"	not in Lac (1755), Melb-1 CAS (1763): CAS 1003, 11:13:34/–59:37:30 Argus star 6 Hen 4661: 11:13:32.6/-59:37:35.2= B 3473 "Lac 1003 recorded as a neb star" Brisbane: B 3473 = CAS 1003 "star 6m" Cape1880: St 6236, 11:13:31.0/-59:37:09.6= Hen 4661= B 3473= Madras 5118= CP40- 1403 c 6 BAC 3841 Rumker-1828: Rum 233, 11:13:31.0/–59:37:10.3 Argus, mag 6 = CAS 1003
33	11:19:25	–28:28:25	Brisbane	B 3523: 11:19:24.9/–28:28:25.2 Hya*7m	"4 or5 stars in field"	Hen-CAS 4702: 11:19:27/–28:30:22 = B 3523 Hya *7m Cape1880: St 6301, 11:19:26.6/-28:28:30.5= Hen 4702= B 3523= Madras 5165 hya 7 not in Melb-1
34	11:21:32	–61:13:42	Brisbane	B 3549: 11:21:32.3/–61:13:41.5, *7	"cluster"	not in BAC, Hen-CAS Cape1880: St 6324, 11:21:35.2/-61:13:39.1= B 3549= Madras 5185 Car 7
35	11:23:06	-58:19:58	Lac (1755)	II.11 11:23:05.6/-58:19:57.6	"Seven or eight small stars compressed in a right line."	Lac (1752): 1752MmR18, 11:23:05.6/-58:19:57.6 "Neb" CAS (1763): CAS1008, 11:23:02.2/-58:19:56.6 Cen "A Neb" Brisbane: B 3555, 11:22:46.7/–58:18:53.4 = CAS 1008 cen-neb 7 Brisbane: B 3553, 11:22:14.1/–58:22:59.2 *7 "cluster" Brisbane: B 3561, 11:23:36.9/–58:15:56.6 m6.7 "cluster" Brisbane: B 3570, 11:24:24.1/–58:10:50.9 m7 "cluster" Hen 4733: 11:23:02.3/-58:19:56.6 Cen "neb", "One of a cluster of small stars." Ristenpart, p28: "ist zu loschen, ganz beilauf. Ort d. Mitte einer Sterngruppe" Cape1880: St 6334, 11:22:48.6 /-58:18:55.2 = B 3555 = Hen 4733 = Madras 5198 = Cp40-1417 "No Nebula, small group of stars" Cape1880: St 6327, 11:22:15.4/ -58:23:04.0 = B 3553= Madras 5193 Cen 6 Cape1880: St 6342 11:23:38.9/-58:15:58.4 = B 3561= Madras 5204 Cen 7/6 Cape1880: St 6348 11:24:25.8/-58:10:52.8 = B 3570= Madras 5212 Cen 7 Cape1840: St 1417, 11:22:46.2/–58:23:03.5= B 3555= Hen 4733= BAC 3876 "Neb" BAC 3876: 11:22:46.5/–58:18:43.8 cen = Lac 4733= B 3555 not in Melb-1
36	11:29:14	–63:33:15	Brisbane	B 3606: 11:29:13.5/–63:33:15.4 cl 6.7	"prodig. number small stars very close"	Hen 4762: 11:29:14/–63:32:58= B 3606 Cen *7m not in BAC Cape1880: St 6393,11:29:15.4/-63:33:14.6= Hen 4762= B 3606 Cen 6/7 not in Melb-1
37	11:36:23	–61:03:08	Arg Gen Cat	G 15862, 11:36:23.0/–61:03:08.4 L.4810 cum. Cen, 6.6	"cumulus"	BAC : L 4810 not listed
38	11:43:30	–62:29:22	Brisbane	B 3739, 11:43:29.8/–62:29:21.5 = CAS 1034 Cen 6	"A bright star in centre of very fine cluster"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752), Melb-1 CAS (1763): CAS 1034, 11:43:34/–62:29:49 Cen *6m BAC 3976 Hen-CAS 4868 Cape1880: St 6549, 11:43:31.4/-62:29:21.9= Hen 4868= B 3739= Madras 5384= CP40- 1475 cen 5/6
39	11:54:30	–63:41:55	Brisbane	B 3823, 11:54:30.0/–63:41:55.4 8m	"a few vS *"	not in BAC, Cape1880
40	12:20:27	–65:50:34	Brisbane	B 4004, 12:20:26.5/–65:50:29.1 6m B4002(R)=B4004 B 4002(R), 12:20:27.3/-65:50:34.4	"Cl of S*"	BAC 4146 Cape1880: B 4004 not listed; B 4002 & 4003 close
41	12:35:44	–61:34:25	Brisbane	B 4109, 12:35:44.4/–61:34:24.7 8m	"several stars in field"	not in BAC not in Cape1880
42	12:49:43	–71:59:10	Brisbane	B 4195, 12:49:43.4/–71:59:09.5 6m	"no. of S* in field"	Hen 5279, 12:49:46/–71:59:08= B 4195 Mus *7m Cape1880: St 7071, 12:49:44.7/-71:59:09.6= Hen 5279= B 4195= CP40- 1654 mus 6/5 BAC 4295 not in Melb-1
43	13:00:31	–60:22:28	Brisbane	B 4275: 13:00:30.5/–60:22:28.2 *7.8m B4272(R)=B4275, B 4272(R) 13:00:30.6/-60:22:29.0	"several *s in field"	not in BAC, Melb-1 Hen 5350, 13:00:32/–60:22:29= B 4275 Cru 7m Cape1880: St 7151, 13:00:31.8/-60:22:31.0= Hen 5350 = B 4275 Cru 7
44	13:20:43	–62:00:11	Brisbane	B 4401, 13:19:49.4/–61:58:00.8 8m cluster 1 of 4 B 4407, 13:20:43.1/–62:00:11.1 8m cluster 4 of 4	"Cl of vS *"	Cape1880: B4401 and B4407 not listed not in BAC, Melb-1
45	13:36:59	–61:43:23	Brisbane	B 4541, 13:36:59.4/–61:43:23.0 9m	"a great no S*"	not in BAC, Hen-CAS, Melb-1, Cape1880
46	14:28:43	–59:11:49	Brisbane	B 4912, 14:28:42.5/–59:11:48.7 *6.7m	"several stars 7m precede."	BAC 4780 not in Hen-CAS, not in Melb-1 Cape 1880: St 7878,14:28:43.7/-59:11:49.7= Hen 5931= B 4912= Madras 6733 cen 6/7
47	14:36:18	–46:14:49	Brisbane	B 4971, 14:36:17.5/–46:14:49.3 = CAS 1221 Lup *f 6	"a number of stars precede this, cursorily scattered"	not in Lac (1755), not in Lac (1752), not in Melb-1 CAS (1763): CAS 1221, 14:36:21/–46:14:51 * a Lup m=6 Cape1880: St 7941, 14:36:19.4/-46:14:46.0= Hen 5995= B 4971= Madras 6802= CP40- 1890 lupi 6 BAC 4815
48	15:12:17	–52:05:46	Brisbane	B 5204: 15:12:17.3/–52:05:46.1 = CAS 1265 Zet2 Lup *4m	"cluster"	BAC 4987 not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 1265, 15:12:22/–52:05:31 Zet Lup *4m Cape1880: St 8253, 15:12:18.7/-52:05:48.5= Hen 6245= B 5204= Madras 7068= CP40- 1990= Mel 772 zet lup 4 Mel1-772: 15:12:18.7/–52:05:48.2 Zeta Lupi, m=3.7 = Hen 6245 = Piaz ---= B 5204= Johnsn 351
48a	15:16:23	–39:25:55	Cape1840	St 2004, 15:16:23.2/–39:25:54.6	"Neb"	not in BAC not in Cape1880
49	15:22:41	–59:08:41	Lac (1755)	III.9, 15:22:44.9/-59:09:41.5	"Two small stars in a nebulosity."	Lac (1752): 1752MmR26, 15:22:44.9/-59:09:41.5 CAS (1763): CAS1278, 15:22:39.6/-59:09:34.9 Cir "E Neb" Brisbane: B 5278, 15:22:40.5/–59:08:41.4 = CAS 1278 Cir "3* 8 in triangle" (B 5276/7/8) Hen-CAS 6307: 15:22:39.3/-59:09:37.0 = B 5277 "Lacs 1278. recorded as 7m" Cir "neb" BAC: BAC 5040: 15:22:35.9/–59:09:55.7 Cir = Lac 6307 = B 5277 BAC: B5278 not listed. Taylor 1844: "cluster of stars of 7 and 8th mag" not in Melb-1 Cape1880: St 8333, 15:22:20.2/-59:08:49.2= Hen 6307= B 5276= CP40- 2013 Cir 7 Ristenpart: St 8333 <> 6307, St 8334 = 6307 Cape1880: St 8334, 15:22:36.8/–59:09:40.5= B 5277 = CP40-2014Cir 7m Cape1840: St 2014, 15: 09: 57.45(1840.0)= B 5277= Hen 6307= BAC 5040 "Neb, Cir"
50	15:35:24	–66:15:14	Brisbane	B 5360: 15:35:24.3/–66:15:13.8 *f 8	"several *s in field"	not in BAC not in Cape1880
51	15:38:01	–54:31:17	Brisbane	B 5389: 15:38:01.2/–54:31:17.3 Cir *f 7	"4 or 5 * in field"	Cape1880: St 8480, 15:38:02.4/-54:31:17.1= Hen 6426= B 5389= Madras 7260 nor 7 not in BAC not in Melb-1
52	15:48:43	–52:34:03	Brisbane	B 5483: 15:48:43.1/–52:34:02.5 *f 8	"several * in field"	not in Cape1880 not in BAC not in Melb-1
53	15:52:11	–45:17:03	Brisbane	B 5501: 15:52:11.0/–45:17:03.3 *f 6	"3 or 4 * cursorily scattered"	Cape1880: St 8609, 15:52:13.3/-45:17:03.8= Hen 6547= B 5501 lup 7 BAC 5229 not in Melb-1
54	15:55:30	–60:10:26	Brisbane	B 5507: 15:55:29.9/–60:10:25.5 kCir *f 6	"no of *s in field"	Cape1880: St 8620, 15:55:33.3/-60:10:30.8= Hen 6546= B 5507= Madras 7367 TrA 6 BAC 5242 not in Melb-1
55	16:06:34	–36:48:05	Brisbane	B 5591: 16:06:34.0/–36:48:04.5 = CAS 1335 *f the lup 5 —	"Star field around The Lup; three * in line"	not in Lac (1755), Lac (1752) CAS (1763): CAS 1335, 16:06:38/–36:47:16 The Lup 5m Hen-CAS 6678: 16:06:37/–36:47:27= B 5591 the lup 5m BAC 5331 not in Melb-1 Cape1880: St 8745, 16:06:35.8/-36:48:03.4 = Hen 6678 = B 5591 = Madras 7462 = CP40- 2132 = CP60- 661 the lup 5/4
56	16:07:07	–33:08:48	Brisbane	B 5599: 16:07:02.4/–32:08:47.7 , *7m B 5599(R): 16:07:07.4/-33:08:48.1	"A 6m* f with several S*s"	Cape1880: p.390 "No star brighter than 8th mag seen near pos." not in BAC not in Melb-1
57	16:09:58	–62:57:53	Brisbane	B 5583: 16:09:57.8/–62:57:52.8 *6m	"4-5* p&f"	Hen-CAS 6652: 16:09:59/–62:57:34 TrA *7m Cape1880: St 8753, 16:09:59.6/-62:57:54.3= Hen 6652= B 5583= CP40- 2131 tra 7/6 BAC 5328 not in Melb-1
58	16:47:26	–48:19:09	Brisbane	B 5825: 16:47:25.8/–48:19:09.2 *8m	"1 of 3* in triangle"	Cape1880: St 9093, 16:47:27.9/-48:19:09.2= Hen 6959 = B 5825 ara 7 not in BAC not in Melb-1
59	17:43:52	-47:36:44	Lac (1752)	1752MmR34, 17:43:59.1/-47:36:39.4	"Neb"	not in Lac (1755) CAS (1763): CAS1455, 17:43:51.5/-47:36:44.2 Ara "E Neb" Hen-CAS 7390: 17:43:54.9/-47:36:47.0 Ara "neb" BAC 5973: 17:43:54.8/–47:36:47.1 Ara = Lac 7390 "The position of this star depends entirely on Lacaille" Cape 1880: St 9640, 17:43:54.3/-47:37:49.4 = Hen 7390 Ara 7/8 Brisbane: CAS star not listed not in Melb-1
60	17:57:13	–55:22:49	Arg Gen Cat	G 24302: 17:57:13.4/–55:22:48.6 L.7472 Ara, 7.0	"dpl. c." [uncertain about meaning of coded description]	BAC: L.7472 not listed not in Melb-1
60a	18:30:029	-33:29:12	Lac (1755)	I.11, 18:30:01.9/-33:29:11.5	"It resembles a small nucleus of a comet, Messier 69."	Lac (1752): 1752MmR37, 18:30:01.9/-33:29:11.5 "Neb" CAS (1763): CAS1523, 18:29:57.8/-33:29:20.6 Sgr "neb" Hen-CAS 7733: 18:29:57.3/-33:28:24.8 Sgr "neb" Brisbane: CAS star not listed BAC 6274: 18:30:02.5/–33:29:39.1 Sgr = Lac 7733 Cape1880: St 10068, 18:30:02.1/-33:29:42.9 = Hen 7733 = Madras 8503 = CP40- 2442 Sgr 7 not in Melb-1
61	19:26:20	-71:27:54	Lac (1755)	I.13, 19:26:45.8/-71:29:57.9	"It resembles a small nucleus of a comet"	Lac (1752): 1752MmR39, 19:26:45.8/-71:29:57.9 "Neb" CAS (1763): CAS1582, 19:26:44.2/-71:29:48.3 Pav "neb" Hen-CAS 8036: 19:26:47.8/-71:29:58.1 = B 6621 Pav "neb" Brisbane: B 6620, 19:26:15.2/–71:27:53.5 Brisbane: B 6621, 19:26:39.8/–71:27:56.3 "Neb between 6620/6621" BAC 6588: 19:26:41.4/–71:27:14.5 Pav = Lac 8036= B 6621 Cape1880: St 10470, 19:26:19.6/-71:27:54.0 = Hen 8036 = B 6620 pav 7/6 Cape1880: St 10474, 19:26:44.2/–71:27:57.0= B 6621 Ristenpart: St 10470 <> 8036, St 10474 = 8036 Melb-1: B/HCAS not listed Gilliss1895: Sant 13842, 19:26:44.1/-71:27:56.6= Hen 8036 m8.5 [no note in catalogue of a nebula, but position = Lac I.13]
62	21:30:59	–56:53:13	Lac (1755)	III.14, 21:31:05.1/-56:53:17.9	"Two small stars surrounded by nebulosity."	Lac (1752): 1752MmR41, 21:31:05.1/-56:53:17.9 "Neb" CAS (1763): CAS1737, 21:31:03.8/-56:53:11.3 Ind "E Neb" Brisbane: B 7028, 21:30:53.8/–56:53:13.5 = CAS 1737 Ind "neb" 7m "neb. Several 8/9m thinly scattered" Ristenpart: B 7028 21:30:58.7/-56:53:12.7 Hen-CAS 8820: 21:31:04.9/-56:54:07.1= B 7028? Ind "neb" Ristenpart: Hen 8820, 21:31:00/–56:52:48 = (B 7028) = Gould 29439 BAC 7457: 21:30:55.3/–56:52:54.7 Ind = Lac 8820= B 7028 Taylor1844: "a thin cluster of stars of 8 and 9th mag; Brisbane and Lacaille have observed different stars..." Cape1880: St 11375, 21:31:00.7/-56:53:06.7= Hen 8820 = B 7028= Madras 9949 ind 7/8 not in Melb-1

Key: Column 1: No: Running number, list sorted by RA. Col 2-3: RA, Dec: Coordinates precessed to J2000.0. Col 4–6: Source catalogue: The astrometric catalogue in which the comment was found (full title in the table below), the object number in that catalogue, and the text of the comment. Col 7: Cross references to other catalogues: Based on the identifier given in col. 5, other catalogues in the review were searched for mention of the earlier entry.

Expanded abbreviations for astrometric catalogues referenced in Table 1.

Abbreviation	Full title
Arg Gen Cat	Gould (1886) Catalogo General Argentino. Posiciones medias de Estrellas Australes determinadas en el Observatorio Nacional. Cordoba.
BAC	Baily (1845) The Catalogue of Stars of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. London.
Brisbane	Dunlop & Rumker (1835) A Catalogue of 7385 Stars ... Brisbane, by Mr William Richardson. London.
Cape1840	Maclear (1878) The Cape Catalogue of Stars ... Epoch 1840. Under the superintendence of E J Stone. Cape Town.
Cape1880	Stone (1881) Catalogue of 12 441 Stars, for the epoch 1880 ... during the years 1871 to 1879. Edward J Stone. London.
CAS (1763)	J D Maraldi (ed) (1763) Coelum Australe stelliferum; seu observationes ad ... Caput Bonae-Spei. Paris.
Gilliss1895	Gilliss (1895) A Catalogue of 16,748 southern stars ... at Santiago de Chile ... US Naval Astronomical Expedition ... J M Gilliss. Washington.
Hen-CAS, Hen	Henderson (1847) A Catalogue of 9766 Stars ... from the observations of the Abbe de Lacaille ... in the years 1751 and 1752. London.
Lac (1752)	Lacaille (1752) Table des ascensions droites et des declinaisons apparentes. Mem.Acad.R.Sci., 539-592.
Lac (1755)	Lacaille (1755) Sur les etoiles nebuleuses du ciel austral. Mem.Acad.R.Sci., 194-199.
Melb-1	Ellery (1874) First Melbourne General Catalogue of 1227 Stars ... 1863 to 1870 ... under direction of Robert L J Ellery. Melbourne.
PerthAC-1912	Cooke (1912) Meridian observations, Perth Observatory, vol 6. W Ernest Cooke. Perth.
Ristenpart	Ristenpart, F. (1909) Fehlerverzeichniss zu den Sterncatalogen des 18 und 19 Jahrhunderts. Kiel: Astronomischen Nachrichten.
Rumker1828	Rumker (1832) Preliminary Catalogue of Fixed Stars ... at Paramatta by Charles Rumker. Hamburgh.
Taylor1844	Taylor (1844) A General Catalogue of the Principal Fixed Stars ... at Madras in the years 1830-1843. By Thomas Glanville Taylor. Madras.

The Deep Sky Hunters collaboration

In 2004, Philipp Harald Teutsch of the Deep Sky Hunters collaboration examined the list, suggesting cross-identifications and providing extensive commentary on the objects.

Combining Teutsch's comments with my own cross-identifications from Paper 1 results in a list of discovery observations that suggests alternative discovery credit for some objects (Table 2).

Table 2. Discovery observations of "modern" deepsky objects

Modern designation	Earlier observations mentioning or recording the object	Table1	Ref
Alessi J0123-33	PerthAC (1912) Perth3-98: "nf of group"	1	PHT
Alessi J0304-51	Brisbane (1835) B483: "cluster of a few small stars"	2	PHT
Alessi J0753-34	PerthAC (1912) Perth3-600/3-603: "sf group"	14	PHT
Alessi J0812-35	PerthAC (1912) Perth3-627: "p group"	17	PHT
Alessi J1121-60	Brisbane (1835) B3549: "cluster"	34	PHT
Alessi J1156-63	Brisbane (1835) B3823: "a few vS *"	39	PHT
BH 99	Brisbane (1835) B3127: "cluster"	28	PHT
Collinder 132	Brisbane (1835) B1522: "A great no of 6m* cursorily scattered"	12	PHT
Collinder 240	Brisbane (1835) B3462: "a very fine small cluster"	n/a	AS
Harrington 2	Brisbane (1835) B549/555/556: "cluster thinly scattered"	3	PHT
IC 2391	Lacaille (1752), Brisbane (1835) B2148: "cluster"	n/a	AS
IC 2395	Lacaille (1752)	n/a	AS
IC 2488	Lacaille (1752), BAC (1845) #3247, Taylor (1844), Stone (1881), Gould (1886)	n/a	AS
IC 2602	Lacaille (1755)	n/a	AS
Johansson 1	Brisbane (1835) B5483: "several * in field"	52	PHT
NGC 2566 ¶	Brisbane (1835) B1972: "A faint nebula, a few very smalls stars; the brightest taken"	19	PHT
NGC 3084 or NGC 3078 §	Brisbane (1835) B2768: "faint neb, several small stars"	23	PHT
NGC 3572	CAS (1763) #1001, Brisbane (1835) B3462: "a very fine small cluster"	32a	PHT
Ruprecht 105	Brisbane (1835) B4109: "several stars in field"	41	PHT
Ruprecht 94	Brisbane (1835) B3606: "prodig. number small stars very close"	36	PHT
Stock 14	Brisbane (1835) B3739: "A bright star in centre of very fine cluster"	38	PHT
Te J0422-32	PerthAC (1912) Perth4-360: "north of group"	7	PHT
Trumpler 10	Lacaille (1752), Brisbane (1835) B2208 & B2210, Gould (1886): Brisbane: "a few small stars cursorily scattered"	n/a	AS
Trumpler 16	CAS (1763) #968, Brisbane (1835) B3198: "four double stars in the field with this. Cluster of several multiply [sic] stars, very rich"	29	PHT, AS
Trumpler 24	Brisbane (1835) B5891: "A number of stars in the field"	n/a	AS

Key: Column 1: Suggested modern cross-identification. Col 2: Catalogue(s) noting the object. Col 3: Number in Table 1 where applicable. Col 4: Cross-id suggested by Teutsch (PHT) or Slotegraaf (AS).

¶ PHT has suggested that object 19, commented as "neb[ulous]" in the entry for Brisbane B1972, could be NGC 2566. I would tend to disagree, because I think it would have been too faint.

NGC 2566 is an 11th magnitude galaxy; William Herschel in 1785 (18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope) called it "very faint", and Howe, using a 20-inch refractor, called it "either a very small nebula, or a nebulous 11th magnitude star with a 12th magnitude star close."

In the Preface to the Brisbane catalogue the "principal instruments" are described: "... a 5.5-feet transit instrument, by Troughton; a 2-feet mural circle, having a telescope of the same length, by the same artist; a 16-inch repeating circle, by Reichenbach; a 46-inch achromatic telescope, with equatorial motion and wire micrometer, by Banks; a clock by Hardy..". According to Andrew James' comprehensive "A History of Parramatta Observatory", the Troughton transit scope had a 3.75-inch aperture. The equatorial telescope had a 3.25-inch lens. I strongly suspect that NGC 2566 would not have been visible in either instrument, especially if, as I understand, quite high magnification was used to observe transits.

§ Similarly, object 23, described as "faint nebula, several small stars", is perhaps unlikely to be NGC 3084 or NGC 3078, as PHT suggests. NGC 3084, seen by John Herschel at the Cape (18-inch f/13 speculum telescope) is called "very faint, small, round, attached to a star 13th mag, S.f.". NGC 3078 is, if anything, a more likely candidate: John Herschel called it "bright, round, first gradually then much brighter to the middle, 30 arcseconds." It was first seen in 1784 by the elder Herschel, who called it "faint, small, round, small bright point in the middle, cometic."

However, I could be entirely wrong. I have no records of observations of these objects viewed with small refractors, and have only seen them in mid-sized reflectors. Any Gentle Readers with some input?

Teutsch commented extensively on the remaining objects. They were assigned a designation in the DSH catalogue, from which this table is extracted. Those marked "AST" are regarded as likely asterisms; a "???" indicates no analysis of the grouping has been carried out. In addition, examining the Tycho-2 database, he has provided estimates of the diameters of the groupings, expressed in arcminutes. His review comments appear in the final column.

Table 3. DSH designations and Teutsch's comments on the objects

Table1#	DSH designation	Type	RA; Dec	Diameter	Comments
4	DSH J0358.3-5656	AST	03 58 20; -56 56 00	22.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: inconspicuous group of 10 stars 6..11mag
5	DSH J0402.9-4428	AST	04 02 40; -44 31 30	51.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: Lacaille II-1
6					No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: only 6 scattered stars 6..10mag
8	DSH J0425.4-6542	AST	04 25 29; -65 42 00	36.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: part of a larger sprinkle of stars, not detached
9					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "Small [faint] star surrounded by a nebulosity"
9a					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "neb" ; 1'E is the faint Gx DENISP_G0545369-604253
10	DSH J0657.2-3530	AST	06 57 17; -35 30 36	40.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: inconspicuous group of a dozen stars 6..11m
11	DSH J0704.6-3158	AST	07 04 40; -31 58 12	11.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
13	DSH J0726.7-3408	???	07 26 42; -34 08 30	74.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: Te J0727-34 in N-central part (fainter stars, 07 27 39 -34 21 24 ; 35.0)
15	DSH J0757.6-3452	AST	07 57 37; -34 52 36	10.5	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
16	DSH J0811.5-3410	AST	08 11 32; -34 10 24	19.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
18	DSH J0815.2-4910	???	08 15 13; -49 10 48	51.0	Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked): located 1°E of cl NGC 2547
20	DSH J0827.9-3505	AST	08 27 57; -35 05 36	13.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: only 6 stars 6..10
21	DSH J0835.6-3400	AST	08 35 41; -34 00 48	14.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
22	DSH J0840.3-4220	AST	08 40 20.8; -42 20 36	12.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
24					Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked) [=ASCC 58?]
25	DSH J1020.5-5941	???	10 20 30; -59 41 18	15.0	Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked)
26	DSH J1022.8-6155	AST	10 22 48; -61 55 30	19.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
27	DSH J1028.7-6234	???	10 28 46; -62 34 33	3.6	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
30					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "Neb"
31	DSH J1102.0-6154	???	11 02 03; -61 54 48	30.0	Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked)
32	DSH J1108.0-3010	AST	11 08 00; -30 10 00	130.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
32b					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "neb"
33	DSH J1119.3-2824	AST	11 19 19; -28 24 12	30.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: just 5 stars
35	DSH J1122.5-5820	AST	11 22 30; -58 20 18	36.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: 7-8 stars in line (Lacaille), verified from description
37	DSH J1136.1-6100	AST	11 36 06; -61 00 24	40.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: asterism in SE-part of Te J1133-60 (11 33 18 -60 45 00 ; 70.0)
40	DSH J1224.8-6546	AST	12 24 52; -65 46 00	32.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
42	DSH J1248.7-7214	AST	12 48 43; -72 14 18	21.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: not well detached or separated, field extends farther to SE and E
43					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "several *s in field"
44	DSH J1320.3-6200	AST	13 20 18; -62 00 00	8.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby:
45	DSH J1336.4-6147	AST	13 36 25; -61 47 18	38.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: a wavy chain of stars
46					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "several stars 7m precede."
47	DSH J1437.3-4616	???	14 37 22; -46 16 24	108.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
48	DSH J1512.2-5205	???	15 12 17; -52 05 42	49.0	Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked)
48a					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "Neb" - does not exist
49	DSH J1522.5-5909	AST	15 22 33; -59 09 00	3.6	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby:just 4 stars 8..11mag (optical)
50	DSH J1533.6-6618	???	15 33 40; -66 18 24	28.0	Groups with some stars of apparent similar proper motion (should be checked)
51	DSH J1537.8-5425	AST	15 37 53; -54 25 00	22.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
53	DSH J1552.3-4517	AST	15 52 20; -45 17 36	28.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: inconspicuous group of a dozen stars 7..11mag
54	DSH J1554.5-6023	AST	15 54 35; -60 23 00	10.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: (I took this smaller group, there's also a very sparse group of bright stars)
55	DSH J1607.0-3645	AST	16 07 05; -36 45 30	13.0	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: includes Theta Lupi, only three bright stars in a row, 13' long
56	DSH J1605.9-3247	AST	16 05 57; -32 47 30	22.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position
57	DSH J1608.6-6251	AST	16 08 41; -62 51 30	26.0	Obvious likely asterism near the stated position: = ast in E part of Te J1606-63 (16 06 24 -63 02 00 ; 116.0)
58	DSH J1647.5-4819	AST	16 47 33; -48 19 48	2.3	No conspicuous cluster/group of stars nearby: only 3 stars 7..8mag, not conspicuous
59					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "Neb" (error by Lacaille) ; located in Alessi 9
60					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "dpl. c." [uncertain about meaning of coded description]. Nothing special found here
60a					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "It resembles a small nucleus of a comet, Messier 69."
61					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius:"It resembles a small nucleus of a comet"
62					Does not exist, nothing obvious in 30' radius: "Two small stars surrounded by nebulosity."

Conclusion

The search for new open clusters, and deepsky objects in general, continues amongst the dedicated members of the Deep Sky Hunters. Join their discussion group at Yahoo! to find out some of the amazing things they are uncovering.

I'd like to thank Philipp Teutsch for examining the potential objects I came across; his comments and analysis greatly informed my efforts to see if, just perhaps, those dedicated (and to risk a pun, focussed) astrometrists of a century and a half ago had netted a deepsky object or two.

Keywords: Astronomy, Southern Sky Talk podcast, deepsky observing, deep sky observing, open clusters, POCR, open cluster remnants