NGC 891 17.5"--Pretty bright, Pretty large, Very elongated,
central bulge obvious, outer arms show sculptured detail at 200 X

NGC 7662 17.5"--Pretty bright, Pretty small, Round greenish dot
at 100X. 320X, central hole seen easily, central star suspected
in good seeing

NGC 6781 Bright, Large, somewhat elongated at 100X. It is
immediately obvious without the UHC filter. This planetary is
shaped like the gibbous moon with the south side brighter in an
arc. There is one star involved that stands out very nicely. The
UHC filter helps some. I estimate its' size at one arc minute.

NGC 7009 17.5"--obvious at 100X. 225X (8mm) light green. Ansae
visible with averted vision. No central *.

NGC 7293 Good in binoculars, 17.5"--Very large, Faint, annular,
Central star easy at 100X. UHC helps a lot.

NGC 772 17.5"--Pretty bright, gradually brighter middle, Pretty
small at 150X

NGC 1907 pretty bright, pretty small, much compressed and
resolved at 165X. Just seen in 11X80 finder, I counted 22 stars in
13".

NGC 1931 Bright, pretty large and somewhat elongated. Looks like
a small comet at very low powers. There is a triple star in the
center, it is resolved at 200X.

NGC 1501 17.5"--Bright, Pretty large, Round Bluish disk at
165X, no * seen

NGC 2403 17.5"-Pretty bright, Large, Somewhat elongated at 135X
the spiral arms sparkle with mottling

NGC 2655 Bright, pretty large and little elongated at 135X. This
galaxy is much brighter in the middle with a bright central
nucleus at 220X.

NGC 185 Pretty faint, large, elongated 1.5x1, somewhat brighter
middle, sonewhat mottled at 100X.

NGC 281 Pretty bright, large, irregularly round, with 14 stars
involved at 100X with the UHC filter. It is just seen without the
UHC. A dark lane intrudes into the nebula on the south side,
forming the Pac-man or Giant Comma shape.

NGC 457 Bright, large, pretty rich, compressed. 63 stars counted
including Phi Cass, it is a light yellow star at the edge of the
cluster at 100X. There is another bright star near Phi that gives
the effect of having two glowing eyes looking back at the
observer. In the Southwest we call this cluster the Kachina Doll,
two sparkling eyes and the rest of the cluster outlines
outstreched arms with feathers. Many tribes in the Southwest made
such dolls for their rites.

NGC 663 Counted 69 stars at 100X. Bright, large, very rich, much
compressed. Several 8th mag members across the face of the
cluster. There is a curved north to south dark lane down the
middle of the cluster. This is one of the best Non-Messier open
clusters. It is unmistakeable in the 11X80 finder.

NGC 7789 160 Stars estimated by counting 40 in the N to W
quadrant. Bright, large, very rich, very much compressed at 100X.
There are many dim members in this excellant cluster. Dark lanes
wind through this group from edge to edge and give the impression
of spiral structure. At 165X the cluster fills the field with
many lovely pairs and delicate asterisms. This cluster has been a
favorite since my first observation.

NGC 5128 Very bright, Very large, little elongated, dark band,
17.5"-- Bright, Large, Round, Bright Middle, dark band easy at 100X,
several * in foreground

NGC 5139 Omega Centauri SRC-wowie zowie 17.5"--Very bright,
very, very large, extremely rich, very compressed What can I say,
the KING of the Globulars

NGC 40 bright, large, and elongated 1.5X1. Central star obvious
at 200X. The color is grey at all powers. At 200X and above from
one of our best locations, the nebula shows off two brighter ends
that look like "polar caps" on Mars. The western cap is larger
and brighter. From a poorer site on a night I rated 5/10 for
seeing and transparency, the brighter parts of the planetary make
it appear to have a spiral shape. The "polar cap" effect only
appears on the best of nights.

NGC 6939 Bright, large, rich, compressed and irregularly round in
shape at 135X. I estimated 70 stars, there are lots of dimmer
members. This cluster has many lovely chains of stars meandering
out into the Milky Way. It is easy in the 11X80 finder.

NGC 6946 This face-on spiral galaxy has a low surface brightness
and therefore responds to the atmosphere more than edge-on
systems. For that reason I have called this object "pretty faint"
on a night I rated 5/10 and then called it "pretty bright" on a
night that was 8/10 in the mountains of Northern Arizona. In any
case it is pretty large, somewhat elongated and has a bright,
almost stellar nucleus. Even at the best of times I have never
seen spiral structure in this object. There is a very dim
extension that forms a 'V' shape.

NGC 7129 pretty faint, large, roundish nebula with 6 stars
involved at 100X. The UHC filter does not seem to help. 7133 is
nearby, it is faint, small and round with 2 pretty faint stars
involved.

NGC 246 is a very nice planetary to break up all these galaxies.
It is bright, large and round at 100X. There are several dark
areas in this nebula and they combine to look like this is a
doughnut someone took a bite from. The UHC filter makes this
effect more noticeable. There are three stars involved at 165X.

NGC 936 Pretty bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle.
This is a barred spiral, but I could not see any central bar
structure.

NGC 2359 Pretty bright, large, Irregular shape. Nebulosity
extends out of the 30 minute field at 100X. UHC filter helps the
contrast of this object a lot. I have always heard this object
called the Duck Nebula because the shape includes a side view of a
duck head with a bill.

NGC 4274 bright, pretty large, much elongated, brighter middle at
100X. Has three companions in 40' field of 20mm Erfle. Brightest
of three is 4278.

NGC 4414 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 3X1, much
brighter middle at 100X. At 165X, stellar core comes and goes
with the seeing.

NGC 4494 bright, pretty large, round, much brighter middle at
100X

NGC 4559 bright, large, much elongated 3X1, somewhat brighter
middle at 135X. Three stars involved in south arm make this
object unique, don't miss it.

NGC 4565 very bright, very large, extremely elongated 10X1, very
bright middle at 135X. Dark lane is easy at a good site, it can
be held with direct vision. At 200X some fine detail within the
dark lane is visible in moments of good seeing at our best sites
in the mountains of northern Arizona. It has always looked like
the classic flying saucer. At a Saguaro Astronomy Club star party
someone called it "God's Frisbee". This spectacular edge-on
galaxy is also a companion to Comet Coe. The story goes like
this: I had just completed a new 17.5" Dobsonian and had had only
few chances to get it out into dark sky. I trucked it to a club
gathering at one of the best sites we use. When I observed NGC
4565 it had an obvious companion that I immediatly thought was a
comet. After showing it to A. J. Crayon and several other club
members, I looked it up and it was quite obvious in a photograph
in Burnham's. Oh well, so much for fame and fortune. Several
"friends" pointed out that it could be a very long period comet
that is coming directly at the earth.

NGC 4725 bright, large, much elongated, very bright middle at
100X. My old 17.5" would show a hint of barred spiral structure at
125X, but I have not had the chance to use the 13" on this object
from an excellant site to see if the smaller scope will duplicate
that feat.

NGC 4361 Bright, large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 90, somewhat
brighter in the middle at 100X. Central star is easy at 220X.
This planetary has a bizarre "mottled" effect, a grainy quality
that is unusual for a planetary nebula.

NGC 4111 Bright, pretty large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 165.
Very bright middle with a bright, stellar nucleus at 165X. A
faint companion is in the field to the east.

NGC 4214 Bright, pretty large, round, much, much brighter in the
middle with a bright nucleus at 165X. The nucleus is elongated in
PA 45.

NGC 4244 Bright, large, very, very elongated in PA 45 with a
gradually brighter middle at 165X.

NGC 4449 Bright, pretty large, elongated 2 X 1 in PA 45 and a
little brighter in the middle at 165X. There are several pretty
bright stars involved in the mottled arms.

NGC 4490 very bright, much elongated, gradually much brighter
in the middle and it appears to touch 4485 in the same field at
150X.

NGC 4631 very bright, very much elongated with a stellar
nucleus at 150X. It has a very faint companion galaxy to the east.

NGC 4656 pretty bright and large with a very irregular shape.
It looks like an airplane wing! It shows this bizarre detail at
100X, with a bright area at one end (nucleus?) and a curved
fainter body extending away from the brighter point. Put this guy
on your observing list for next time.

NGC 5005 Bright, large, much elongated (4X1) in PA 60. This nice
edge-on galaxy has an elongated core with a bright stellar nucleus
at 135X. There is a dust lane on the south side of the core.

NGC 5033 Bright, large, very much elongated (4X1) in PA 0 with a
bright stellar nucleus at 165X. This is the most narrow galaxy I
ever remember observing, it appears razor thin.

NGC 6819 can just be seen in the 10X50 binocs. I counted 52
stars at 165X. Bright, pretty large, much compressed, rich.
There is a nice "oatmeal" effect of dim backround stars even at
higher powers.


NGC 6826 is the Blinking Planetary. This medium sized, 9th
magnitude planetary can be located at 100X. It appears as a
non-stellar blob in the Milky Way. I first saw the blinking
effect in an 8" scope at 200X. If you look directly at the
planetary the central star is prominent compared to the greenish
nebulosity. Then averted vision will make the nebula appear
brighter and overwhelm the star. Alternating between direct and
averted vision will produce a blinking on-then-off effect that is
fascinating. In the 17.5" the effect is unmistakeable. There are
several other planetary nebulae that have the right central star
to nebula brightness to show off this effect.

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 are the brighter parts of the Veil Nebula.
These two nebulae were created by a supernova about 30,000 years
ago and we just happen to be lucky enough to live while it is
visible. 6960 passes behind 52 Cygni, a naked eye star off the
western wing of the Swan. This section can be seen to split into
forked branches. 6992 is about 2 degrees from 52 Cygni and is
somewhat brighter than 6960. In my 17.5" with a 20mm Erfle and a
UHC filter, the Veil is amazing. Only about one quarter of either
loop can fit into the field of view and the scope must be scanned
to see all that is availible. 6992 has loops and swirls of
nebulosity that give a three dimensional effect. There are other
pieces to the Veil Nebula, most of them between the two main
sections, much of what can be photographed in an 8" Schmidt Camera
can be viewed by a persistant observer. This is the object on
which the UHC filter does its best work.

NGC 7000 is the North America Nebula. This large area of
nebulosity needs an RFT to be seen in its entirety. A dim glow
can be seen in the area with the naked eye and 10 X 50 binoculars
at a dark site will show the North America shape. In a 4 1/4" f/4
with a 20mm Erfle and a UHC filter, the nebula is very bright and
very large, filling the 1.5 degree field with nebulosity. The
brightest section is "Mexico" and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5067) can
be seen nearby.

NGC 7027 is an emission nebula that gets included with planetaries
because it is only 5" in size, a resonable error. It seems
bright, pretty small and somewhat elongated at 135X. The central
star is seen occaisonally and it has a nice bluish color.

NGC 5907 Bright, large, very much elongated, bright middle at
100X. At 200X the core is gradually brighter with a stellar
nucleus.

NGC 6503 Pretty bright, large, much elongated 3X1, somewhat
brighter middle at 100X.

NGC 6543 Bright, large, elongated 1.8 X 1. The central star can
be seen at all powers, but is stellar only on the best of nights.
Using 250X to 320X there is much detail within the planetary. Two
brighter curved areas give the impression of spiral strucure. The
very center of the nebulosity does not get near the central star,
somewhat like M-42, where the nebulosity has been blown away from
the central Trapezium.

NGC 1232 17.5"--Pretty bright, round, bright middle, bright
nucleus with arms a soft glow at 100X

NGC 1535 17.5"-- Bright, Pretty large, Round, easy at 100X 2
rings, brighter central and dimmer outer annulus, central * in
good seeing, light green at all powers

NGC 2158 is a compact cluster near M35. It is pretty bright,
pretty small, very compressed and just resolved at 100X. The
cluster is better at 165X. It is very rich with an arrowhead
shape.

NGC 2392 is a bright, large and round planetary. It's central
star is obvious at all powers in the 13". At 200X, the star is
encircled by two rings. There are several dark marking within the
rings. These markings make the "face" that gave this object the
name "Clown Face" or "Eskimo" nebula. In the 13" the features are
only seen on good nights, they were held steady on most evenings
with my old 18" f/6. This object has been light green in any
telescope I have ever owned.

NGC 6207 pretty bright, pretty large, elongated 2x1, somewhat
brighter in the middle at 100X.

NGC 6210 bright, pretty small, elongated, central star easy at
135X. Averted vision makes this planetary grow in apparent size.
I have always seen this beautiful planetary as green, blue-green
or aqua in whatever scope I was using. This nebula was discovered
by F.G.W. Struve during his double star survey.

NGC 3242 Wow, Looks like CBS eye, greenish at all powers,
Central star easy at 300X. Very bright, large, round. AT 650X on
a night I rated 8/10 for seeing, there is a small, dark circular
area around the central star. A very nice planetary with lots of
internal detail at high power.

NGC 7209 Several nice chains faint *, orange * on one edge, not
compressed

NGC 7243 Not much, coarse group, triangular shape

NGC 2903 is one of the best non-Messier galaxies. It is easy in
10x50 binocs or a large finder scope. At 175X in the 12.5" f/6
this galaxy is bright and is mottled across the face with a much
brighter core. There is a bright spot about 4 arc minutes from
the core.

NGC 3384 is pretty faint, Large, somewhat elongated and does not
have a brighter middle in the 12.5".

NGC 3384 Bright, large, elongated 2.5 X 1 in PA 135 with a bright
middle at 100X. Looks like a mini-Andromeda galaxy.

NGC's 3605, 3607 and 3608 form a tight group in the 12.5" at 100X.
I don't have a finder chart to know which galaxy is which. Two
are pretty bright, round and have a brighter middle. One is
small, faint and not brighter in the center. Burnham's has "very
Bright" for 3607, it must be a misprint or an observation by Lord
Rosse with the 72".

NGC 3628 is the most elongated of the three galaxies. It is
pretty bright, large and has a somewhat brighter core in the 17.5"
at 200X. Averted vision will bring out a hint of a dark lane on a
sharp, transparent night.

NGC 3344 8"--faint and somewhat diffuse, no detail, 2 * invl

NGC 3432 8"--small, faint, narrow streak that appears to connect
two *

NGC 2683 bright, pretty large, much elongated east-west and much
brighter in the middle at 100X.

NGC 2244 is the star cluster involved in the Rosette. In the 13"
at 60X it consists of 2 parallel lines of about 15 stars. It is
very bright, very large and not compressed. Several of the stars
are yellow and one is a lovely orange.

NGC 2261 is Hubble's Variable Nebula. Edwin Hubble took many
photos of this comet-shaped nebula that show changes in its form.
The best explanation is dark masses inside the nebulosity that
drift in front of R Mon, the star that illuminates the gas. These
drifting dark clouds cast shadows on the glowing gas. There is a
set of pictures in Burnham's that show these changes. As a matter
of fact, this object is the answer to a good trivia question. It
was the first thing shot with the 200" telescope when it was put
into operation in 1949. In the 13" at 135X it is bright, pretty
large, much elongated and has a much brigher star involved. It
appears as a small comet and the star R Mon is very obvious at the
tip. The south side is brighter and the west side is more
elongated. At 200X there are some dark markings within the
nebulosity. I have inspected this object at high power several
times and I believe that I have seen changes but there are
differences in seeing, transparency, observing site and telescope
from time to time. I plan to observe this object over a longer
period to see if I can pick out obvious differences when some of
the other variables are removed.

NGC 6369 is a very nice planetary. It can be spotted in an eight
incher at 100X, but large scopes work well on this object. The
18" at 175X will show a central dark spot and at 300X this object
starts to look somewhat like the Ring Nebula. This annulus effect
could be seen in a 13" at 200X on the same night.

NGC 6572 is a pretty small and bright planetary. It is somewhat
elongated and the central star will appear during good seeing at
300X in the 18". Other times the center will just brighten up
somewhat. The noteworthy aspect of this gem is its' color. In
every scope I have ever owned, from an 8" to an 18" this is the
greenest nebula I have ever seen! This guy is as green as an
Irishman's coat on St. Patrick's day. Alright, alright, it is as
green as lime Jello.

NGC 6633 has 15 stars of mags 9 and 10 within a 20' field. Then
there is another 30 to 35 stars of mags 11 and down which form a
lovely backround at 100X. This is a nice cluster with a 7th mag
star on the south side.

NGC 1788 is pretty faint, pretty large, irregular in shape at
100X. It looks like a paint splatter with a bright star at the
edge.

NGC 1973 is a bright, large nebulosity that has several stars
involved at 100X. The fainter parts of the nebula extend beyond
the 30" field.

NGC 2024 is a bright, large emmision nebula near Zeta Ori. It is
easy in any telescope I have ever used under dark skies and my old
8" f/6 would show several dark lanes winding across this
nebulosity. The 17.5 incher helps a lot and much detail can be
seen in the region at 200X. The UHC helps a lot and so does
getting Zeta out of the field. Because of the large, parallel
dark lanes, Arizona astronomers have taken to calling NGC 2024 the
"Tank Track" Nebula.

NGC 2022 is a pretty small, not very bright planetary. It can be
noticed in the 17.5" at 50X. At 200X, it is a greenish dot with
no internal detail.

NGC 2194 is a bright, pretty rich, compressed open cluster that is
well resolved in the 17.5" at 100X. The cluster has a flattened
shape.

NGC 7331 is bright, large, very elongated and has a much brighter
nucleus at 135X. It is just discernable in the 10X50 Binocs. Has
several companion galaxies.

NGC 884 and NGC 869 the Double Cluster is naked eye as a bright
spot in the Winter Milky Way from even a somewhat light polluted
site. Hipparchus and Ptolemy both mention it in ancient texts.
These two clusters are both large, bright, rich and somewhat
compressed. The fact that they are both within a 1 degree field
of view is fascinating. Using a 38mm Erfle eyepiece which gives
about 60X in the 13", I counted 102* in one quadrant of the field
of view for a total of at least 400* in the field. The view in
the 11X80 finder is spectacular with several orange giant stars
sprinkling the clusters, including one almost exactly between the
two clusters. There are also several beautiful chains of stars
curving into the Milky Way from within this cluster pair.

NGC 1491 Pretty faint, pretty large, irregularly round at 135X
using a UHC filter. The central star appears about 10th
magnitude. This nebula is quite faint without the UHC, I just
noticed it, even from a dark site.

NGC 1023 Pretty bright, large, much elongated, bright middle at
135X. Raising the power to 200X brings out a small tuft on the
Eastern tip of this galaxy.

NGC 2438 Bright, large, irregularly round at 220X. Central star
easy at all powers. Going to 440X with the Barlow shows two other
stars involved in this nebula. At 100X the nebula is light green,
but the color is dim at high power.

NGC 2440 Bright, pretty large, much brighter in the middle at
270X. The central star becomes stellar occaisonally in good
seeing. Averted vision doubles the size of this planetary. This
object is elongated 3 X 1 in PA 30. It is a very nice lime green
at all powers.

NGC 2539 Bright, large, rich, stars 10th to 13th mag. 19 PUP is
on the south side. This cluster is elongated 2 X 1.

NGC 253 is the star of the show in Sculptor. This very large and
very bright galaxy was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783
during a comet search. From the Cape of Good Hope, her nephew John
Herschel called it " a superb object" in the 18" reflector. This
spiral is probably the closest galaxy to the Local Group.

NGC 6712 bright, little elongated, very rich, very compressed.
Resolved at 100X, going to 165X brings out a myriad of dimmer
members at the edge of resolution. This globular resides in a
beautiful, rich Milky Way field that provides a lovely backround
(foreground?).

NGC 3115 17.5"-- Bright, Very elongated, Very bright middle,
stellar nucleus at 135X

NGC 6445 is a nice planetary, 20 minutes North Following 6440.
It is pretty bright, Large and has a box shape at 200X. It shows
a small dark lane at high power and is definatly not a 13th mag
object as listed, I estimate 12.

NGC 6520 is a pretty bright open cluster but it is pretty small
with about 20 members at 165X.

NGC 6818 is a bright, pretty small and little elongated planetary.
It is green at all powers. At 320X is looks somewhat like the CBS
eye, with a subtle central bright spot that was never stellar.
Three dim stars surround the nebula.

NGC 2841 Pretty bright, pretty large, Bright nucleus with several
stars involved in northern arm at 135X.

NGC 3079 Bright, pretty large, very much elongated in PA 150,
bright middle at 165X. A difficult dark lane comes and goes with
the seeing. Two stars are invl on the north end. There is an
extremely faint, round companion to the north about 5'.

NGC 3077 Bright, large, somewhat elongated and much brighter in
middle at 165X. Very starry field for UMA.

NGC 3184 Pretty bright, pretty large, round, bright middle at
165X. 11th mag star on north side. There is a hint of spiral
structure in moments of good seeing.

NGC 3675 Bright, pretty large, much elongated in PA 0 with a much
brigther middle at 100X. Going to 165X brings out a stellar
nucleus and several stars involved.

NGC 3877 Pretty bright, pretty large, much elongated in PA 35,
much brighter middle at 100X. Chi UMA in the field.

NGC 3941 Bright, pretty large, round and much brighter in the
middle at 165X. Averted vision helps on this mottled galaxy.

NGC 4026 Bright, large, elongated 3 X 1 N-S, with a somewhat
brighter middle, it shows a nice lens shape at 135X.

NGC 4088 Bright, large and assymetrically elongated 3 X 1 in PA
45, somewhat brighter middle at 100X.

NGC 4605 Bright, pretty large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 110.
Has a somewhat brighter middle and a high surface brightness at
135X.

NGC 4216 pretty bright, large, much elongated with a very bright
middle at 100X. The fascinating thing about this object is that it
is within a 30' field of two other edge on galaxies. The
northernmost is extremely faint, pretty small, very much elongated
and not brighter in the middle. The southernmost is faint, pretty
small, much elongated and somewhat brighter in the middle. With
4216 in the center of this array of spindle shaped galaxies, this
is a spot that fascinated me.

NGC 4388 pretty bright, large, much elongated 3X1 E-W, brighter
middle. This very distorted edge-on galaxy is in the field of M84
and M86. I tried some power, up to 220X, in an attempt to see
some of the bizarre distortion of this galaxy. I could only see
that the central section is quite elongated and that the outer
arms are very mottled.

NGC 4438 bright, pretty large, very much elongated, much brighter
in the middle. 4438 and 4435 are elongated in the same PA.

NGC 4526 Bright, large, much elongated (3X1) in PA 110 with a
much brighter middle and a stellar nucleus at 165X.

NGC 4535 Pretty bright, large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 0 with a
bright middle and a stellar nucleus at 165X. There are several
stars involved in this stellar nucleus.

NGC 4567 and 4568 are the famous Siamese Twins galaxies. This
pair is pretty bright, pretty large, irregularly round and
brighter in the middle at 165X. These two galaxies are joined at
the eastern end and form a "V" shape to the west. There is a
companion galaxy to the north.

NGC 4699 Pretty bright, pretty large, round and much brighter in
the middle at 100X. Has a high surface brightness central section
and averted vision makes it grow in size.

NGC 4762 Bright, large, much elongated (4X1) in PA 30 with a
bright middle and a hint of a dark lane at 135X. There is pretty
bright, round companion in the field to the west.

NGC 5746 bright, large, much brighter middle, much elongated
north-south. There is an obvious central bulge at 135X. A dark
lane cuts across the galaxy in moments of good seeing.

NGC 6940 Bright, large, rich, quite compressed at 100X. This
cluster is easy in the 11 X 80 finder. I estimated 80 members,
many in lovely chains of stars. There is an interresting feature
of this cluster, it is bordered in black. A dark lane goes almost
all the way around the dense star cluster, as if the stars were
gathered up and left behind dark lanes.