New General Catalog Objects: NGC 950 (original) (raw)

QuickLinks:
950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966,
967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983,
984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999

Page last updated Feb 8, 2022
Added link for HST image of NGC 976 (need to update entry, as well)
Prior updates, all so long ago probably need to re-do
Checked Corwin positions, added original NGC entries, updated formatting, added many pix etc
Next: Update Steinicke historical, physical databases

NGC 950 (= PGC 9461)
Discovered (1886) by Ormond Stone
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)b?) in Cetus (RA 02 29 11.8, Dec -11 01 29)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 950 (Ormond Stone list I (#57), 1860 RA 02 22 30, NPD 101 39.1) is "extremely faint, small, gradually brighter middle".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity of 4690 km/sec, NGC 950 is about 220 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.3 by 0.8 arcmins, it is about 85 thousand light years across.

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 950
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 951 (= PGC 9442)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)ab?) in Cetus (RA 02 28 56.9, Dec -22 20 58)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 951 (Leavenworth list II (#336), 1860 02 22 32, NPD 113 00.1) is "extremely faint, small, extended 0�, perhaps a double star?".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.0 by 0.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 951
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 952 (= NGC 940 = PGC 9478)
Discovered (Sep 26, 1865) by Heinrich d'Arrest (and later listed as NGC 940)
Also observed (December 1871) by �douard Stephan (and later listed as NGC 952)
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0(rs)a?) in Triangulum (RA 02 29 27.5, Dec +31 38 28)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 952 (= GC 5243, Stephan list III (#6), 1860 RA 02 22 52, NPD 55 52.6) is "very faint, very small, round, brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 02 31 19.1, Dec +34 44 52, but there is nothing there. Per Corwin's earlier notes, there was little doubt that Stephan misidentified his comparison star, so the offset from that reference (4m 25.61s west and 2' 48" north) automatically yielded an incorrect position. Corwin used those offsets with several other possible comparison stars, with no success. However, in a more recent note Corwin states that E. Esmiol's update of Stephan's observations omits NGC 952, and lists offsets for the position of NGC 940 that are identical to those from Stephan's measurements for what became NGC 952. As a result, there is no doubt that Esmiol's reduction of Stephan's observations proved that NGC 952 was simply an incorrectly calculated reduction of an observation of NGC 940. (Note: Although Esmiol's paper was published a century ago, it was essentially unknown or ignored for decades, and as a result it has only very recently resolved some problems with Stephan's observations; but this is the second or third time that I have run across this situation, so I will revise this entry to reflect the importance of Esmiol's work in a later iteration of this page.)
Physical Information: Given the duplicate entry, see NGC 940 for anything else.

NGC 953 (= PGC 9586)
Discovered (Sep 26, 1865) by Heinrich d'Arrest
Also observed (date?) by �douard Stephan
A 14th-magnitude elliptical galaxy (type E0?) in Triangulum (RA 02 31 09.8, Dec +29 35 20)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 953 (= GC 5244, d'Arrest, Stephan list III (#??), 1860 RA 02 22 56, NPD 61 02.1) is "pretty faint, small, round, much brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.3 by 1.3 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 953
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 954 (= PGC 9438)
Discovered (Sep 5, 1834) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBc?) in Eridanus (RA 02 28 51.6, Dec -41 24 10)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 954 (= GC 550 = JH 2482, 1860 RA 02 23 20, NPD 132 01.5) is "very faint, pretty large, a little extended, gradually brighter middle, 8th magnitude star 3 arcmin to southeast".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.6 by 0.8 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 954
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 955 (= PGC 9549)
Discovered (Jan 6, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sab?) in Cetus (RA 02 30 33.2, Dec -01 06 30)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 955 (= GC 551 = JH 229 = WH II 278, 1860 RA 02 23 26, NPD 91 44.0) is "pretty bright, small, extended, pretty suddenly brighter middle". The first Index Catalog adds "Variability extremely doubtful".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.9 by 0.9 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 955
Below, a 3 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 956 (= OCL 377)
Discovered (Dec 23, 1831) by John Herschel
An 8th-magnitude open cluster (type IV1p) in Andromeda (RA 02 32 29.0, Dec +44 35 36)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 956 (= GC 552 = JH 228, 1860 RA 02 23 28, NPD 45 59.6) is "a cluster, pretty rich, stars from 9th to 15th magnitude".
Physical Information: Apparent size 9 arcmin?

Above, a 15 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 956

NGC 957 (= OCL 362)
Discovered (Dec 9, 1831) by John Herschel
An 8th-magnitude open cluster (type III2p) in Perseus (RA 02 33 18.0, Dec +57 34 00)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 957 (= GC 553 = JH 227, 1860 RA 02 23 29, NPD 33 05.8) is "a cluster, pretty large, pretty rich, stars from 13th to 15th magnitude".
Physical Information: Apparent size 10 arcmin?

Above, a 15 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 957

NGC 958 (= PGC 9560)
Discovered (Sep 20, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBc?) in Cetus (RA 02 30 42.8, Dec -02 56 21)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 958 (= GC 554 = JH 230 = WH II 237, 1860 RA 02 23 39, NPD 93 33.8) is "pretty faint, irregularly a little extended, brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.9 by 0.9 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 958
Below, a 3 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 959 (= PGC 9665)
Discovered (Nov 9, 1876) by �douard Stephan
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sd?) in Triangulum (RA 02 32 23.9, Dec +35 29 41)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 959 (= GC 5245, Stephan list VIII (#5), 1860 RA 02 23 54, NPD 55 07.7) is "extremely faint, pretty large, a little extended, a little brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.3 by 1.4 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 959
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

Below, a ? arcmin wide HST image of part of the galaxy (Credit Hubble Legacy Archive, Courtney Seligman)

NGC 960 (= PGC 9621)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Cetus (RA 02 31 41.4, Dec -09 18 02)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 960 (Leavenworth list II (#337), 1860 RA 02 24 20, NPD 99 55.1) is "extremely faint, very small, round, possibly nebulous, 9th magnitude star to southwest".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.2 by 0.3 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 960
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 961 (= NGC 1051 = IC 249 = PGC 10172)
Discovered (Nov 27, 1880) by �douard Stephan (and later listed as NGC 1051)
Discovered (1886) by Ormond Stone (and later listed as NGC 961)
Discovered (Jan 28, 1892) by Stephane Javelle (and later recorded as IC 249)
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)m? pec) in Cetus (RA 02 41 02.5, Dec -06 56 09)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 961 (Ormond Stone list II (#338), 1860 RA 02 24 20, NPD 97 32.1) is "extremely faint, pretty small, extended 230�, 10th magnitude star attached". The position precesses to RA 02 31 16.0, Dec -06 54 43, but there is nothing there. However, per Corwin, the description matches Stephan's description of NGC 1051, and if Stone's right ascension is increased by exactly 10m, which is a not unusual recording error, the position would precess to RA 02 41 15.2, Dec -06 55 59, very close to the galaxy discovered by Stephan 6 years earlier; so there is very little doubt that NGC 961 is the same as NGC 1051. Note: Since Stephan's observation was more accurate and recorded 6 years earlier, the galaxy could be referred to as NGC 1051, but tradition generally assigns the lowest NGC number to duplicate entries for an object.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity of 1295 km/sec, NGC 961 is about 60 million light years away, in good agreement with a single redshift-independent distance estimate of 52 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.95 by 1.05 arcmin, the galaxy is about 35 thousand light years across.

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 961
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 962 (= PGC 9682)
Discovered (Dec 13, 1871) by �douard Stephan
A 13th-magnitude elliptical galaxy (type E1?) in Aries (RA 02 32 39.8, Dec +28 04 12)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 962 (= GC 5246, Stephan list III (#8), 1860 RA 02 24 29, NPD 62 33.1) is "extremely faint, small, gradually brighter middle and nucleus".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.4 by 1.2 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 962
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 963 (= IC 1808 = PGC 9545)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth (and later listed as NGC 963)
Discovered (Dec 14, 1903) by Stephane Javelle (and later listed as IC 1808)
A 14th-magnitude irregular galaxy (type Irr?) in Cetus (RA 02 30 31.3, Dec -04 12 56)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 963 (Leavenworth list II (#339), 1860 RA 02 24 48, NPD 94 51.0) is "extremely faint, small, round, gradually brighter middle, mottled but not resolved". The position precesses to RA 02 31 49.3, Dec -04 13 41, but there is nothing there; however (per Corwin), the declination and description are a good match for PGC 9545, a galaxy a minute of time to the west, which is a fairly typical error for Leavenworth's right ascensions, so there is "little doubt" that the galaxy listed above is what Leavenworth observed.
Physical Information: Apparent size 0.7 by 0.7 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 963
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 964 (= IC 1814 = PGC 9582)
Discovered (Sep 1, 1834) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 964)
Discovered (Dec 22, 1897) by Lewis Swift (and later recorded as IC 1814)
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sab?) in Fornax (RA 02 31 05.8, Dec -36 02 05)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 964 (= GC 555 = JH 2483, 1860 RA 02 25 22, NPD 126 39.0) is "pretty bright, pretty small, much extended 215�". The position precesses to RA 02 31 09.3, Dec -36 01 40, very close to the galaxy, and the description is perfect, so the identification is certain. (Note: The equivalence of NGC 964 and IC 1814 is discussed at the entry for that IC object. The only thing that needs to be mentioned here is that PGC 9571, which is shown in the wide-field image of NGC 964, is not IC 1814, as incorrectly stated in some places.)
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.1 by 0.5 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 964, also showing PGC 9571, which is not IC 1814
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 965 (= PGC 9666)
Discovered (1886) by Ormond Stone
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sc?) in Cetus (RA 02 32 25.1, Dec -18 38 23)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 965 (Ormond Stone list I (#58), 1860 RA 02 25 35, NPD 109 16.1) is "very faint, small, gradually brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 0.85 by 0.75 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 965
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 966 (= PGC 9626)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth
Also observed (date?) by Herbert Howe
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Cetus (RA 02 31 47.2, Dec -19 52 54)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 966 (Leavenworth list II (#340), 1860 RA 02 25 37, NPD 110 30.0) is "extremely faint, round, 9th-magnitude star 2 arcmin to southwest". The second Index Catalog lists a corrected RA (per Howe) of 02 25 19 and adds "9.5 magnitude star 1 arcmin to southwest". The corrected position precesses to RA 02 31 47.7, Dec -19 52 42, right on the galaxy, and the (11th-magnitude) star is right where it is supposed to be, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.0 by 0.9 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 966
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 967 (= PGC 9654)
Discovered (Nov 10, 1835) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type E/S0? pec) in Cetus (RA 02 32 12.7, Dec -17 13 01)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 967 (= GC 556 = JH 2484, 1860 RA 02 25 38, NPD 107 49.6) is "faint, small, irregularly round, gradually brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.6 by 1.0 arcmin??

Above, a SDSS image overlaid on a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 967
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 968 (= PGC 9779)
Discovered (Dec 5, 1879) by �douard Stephan
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 06.2, Dec +34 28 48)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 968 (Stephan list X (#12), 1860 RA 02 25 39, NPD 56 08.3) is "pretty faint, pretty small, round, brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.2 by 1.3 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 968
Below, a 2.8 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 969 (= PGC 9781)
Discovered (Nov 22, 1827) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SB0?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 07.9, Dec +32 56 50)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 969 (= GC 557 = JH 231, 1860 RA 02 25 44, NPD 57 40.2) is "small, round, pretty suddenly bright middle, 1st of 5", the others being NGC 970, 971, 974 and 978.
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.8 by 1.2 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 969
Also shown are NGC 970, 971, 974 and J023410.7+325832
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 970 (= PGC 9786)
Discovered (Sep 14, 1850) by Bindon Stoney
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type S??) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 11.7, Dec +32 58 38)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 970 (= GC 558, 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 02 25 48, NPD 57 39.0) is "very faint, very small, round, 2nd of 5", the others being NGC 969, 971, 974 and 978.
Discovery Notes: Although Dreyer credits the discovery to William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, he notes that many of Rosse's nebular discoveries were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case Bindon Stoney.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 0.6 by 0.25 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 970
Also shown are NGC 970, 971, 974 and J023410.7+325832
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of NGC 970, also showing "NGC 971" and J023410.7+325832

Below, a 0.8 arcmin wide DSS image of NGC 970 and J023410.7+325832

NGC 971 (= PGC 9787)
Recorded (Sep 14, 1850) by Bindon Stoney
A magnitude 15.8 star in Triangulum (RA 02 34 16.0, Dec +32 58 47)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 971 (= GC 559, 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 02 25 52, NPD 57 38.8) is "very faint, very small, round, 3rd of 5", the others being NGC 969, 970, 974 and 978.
Discovery Notes: Although Dreyer credits the discovery to William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, he notes that many of Rosse's nebular discoveries were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case Bindon Stoney. NGC 971 is sometimes misidentified as J023410.7+325832, the faint galaxy southwest of NGC 970 (which see for images), but (per Corwin) Lord Rosse's diagram and measurements point exactly to the star listed above, so the identification with the star is certain, and J023410.7+325832 is not the NGC object. However, since the mistake involving the galaxy is so common, it is discussed immediately following this entry. Note: Although not a galaxy, the star has a PGC number and is listed as NGC 971 in LEDA, as shown above; however, a Wikisky search for NGC 971 shows J023410.7+325832, and a search for PGC 9787 shows PGC 787 (a common Wikisky truncation error); so use its coordinates to search for it.

J023410.7+325832 (not = NGC 971)
Not an NGC object but listed here because sometimes misidentified as NGC 971
A 17th-magnitude galaxy (type S0/a?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 10.7, Dec +32 58 31)

Historical Misidentification: See NGC 971.
Physical Information: Possibly a companion of NGC 970 (which see for images), but nothing seems to be available save for its position and apparent size (of about 0.2 by 0.15 arcmin), so any speculation about its relationship to NGC 970 is just that -- mere speculation. (Note: Listed in NED as NGC 970 NED01.)

NGC 972 (= PGC 9788)
Discovered (Sep 11, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sab?) in Aries (RA 02 34 13.4, Dec +29 18 41)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 972 (= GC 560 = JH 232 = WH II 211, 1860 RA 02 26 00, NPD 61 18.4) is "pretty bright, considerably large, a little extended, gradually much brighter middle, 3 stars to south".
Physical Information: Apparent size 3.3 by 1.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NG 972
Below, a 3.6 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide HST image of the galaxy's core (Hubble Legacy Archive, Courtney Seligman)

NGC 973 (= PGC 9795)
Discovered (Oct 30, 1885) by Lewis Swift
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 20.1, Dec +32 30 20)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 973 (Swift list IV (#8), 1860 RA 02 26 01, NPD 58 07.4) is "most extremely faint, small, much extended, pretty bright star near to southwest".
Physical Information: Apparent size 3.7 by 0.5 arcmin??

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 973, also showing IC 1815
Below, a 3.6 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 974 (= PGC 9802)
Discovered (Nov 22, 1827) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 25.8, Dec +32 57 16)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 974 (= GC 561 = JH 233, 1860 RA 02 26 02, NPD 57 39.8) is "very faint, round, brighter middle, 4th of 5", the others being NGC 969, 970, 971 and 978.
Physical Information: Apparent size 3.0 by 2.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 974, also showing NGC 969, 970 and 971
Below, a 3.6 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 975 (= PGC 9735)
Discovered (Nov 9, 1884) by Lewis Swift
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Cetus (RA 02 33 22.8, Dec +09 36 06)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 975 (Swift list I (#3), 1860 RA 02 26 02, NPD 80 53.0) is "very faint, considerably extended".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.2 by 0.9 arcmin (from image below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 975
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 976 (= PGC 9776)
Discovered (1876) by Wilhelm Tempel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SA(rs)c?) in Aries (RA 02 34 00.0, Dec +20 58 36)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 976 (= GC 5248, Tempel list I (#11), 1860 RA 02 26 07, NPD 69 39.7) is "very faint, very small, 4 faint stars near".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.0 by 1.4 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 976
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

Below, a ? arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Jones, A. Riess et al.)
(image to be added ASAP)

NGC 977 (= PGC 9713)
Discovered (Nov 28, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R)SAB(r)a?) in Cetus (RA 02 33 03.4, Dec -10 45 36)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 977 (= GC 562 = JH 2485 = WH III 472, 1860 RA 02 26 17, NPD 101 22.6) is "extremely faint, pretty small, round, very little brighter middle, among scattered stars".
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.0 by 1.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 977
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 978 (= PGC 9821)
Discovered (Nov 22, 1827) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 47.0, Dec +32 50 47)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 978 (= GC 563 = JH 234, 1860 RA 02 26 24, NPD 57 46.2) is "pretty bright, round, 5th of 5", the others being NGC 969, 970, 971 and 974.
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.3 by 1.0 arcmin? Based on radial velocities, possibly a physical pair with PGC 9823.

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 978, also showing PGC 9823
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the pair

PGC 9823 (= "NGC 978B")
Not an NGC object but listed here since sometimes called NGC 978B
A 15th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0?) in Triangulum (RA 02 34 48.0, Dec +32 50 33)

Physical Information: Apparent size 0.4 by 0.2 arcmin? Based on radial velocities, possibly a physical pair with NGC 978, which see for images.

NGC 979 (= PGC 9614)
Discovered (Oct 18, 1835) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type (R)SAB0?) in Eridanus (RA 02 31 38.8, Dec -44 31 28)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 979 (= GC 564 = JH 2486, 1860 RA 02 26 27, NPD 135 08.4) is "faint, small, round, between 2 stars in parallel", in parallel meaning on the same parallel of declination (that is, to the east and west of the nebula).
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.0 by 0.85 arcmin for the central core, 2.3 by 1.7 arcmin for the outer ring (from the images below).

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 979
Below, a 3 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 980 (= PGC 9831)
Discovered (Oct 17, 1786) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0?) in Andromeda (RA 02 35 18.6, Dec +40 55 35)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 980 (GC 565 = JH 235 = WH III 572, 1860 RA 02 26 33, NPD 49 47.4) is "very faint, pretty small, southwestern of 2", the other being NGC 982. The position precesses to RA 02 35 21.1, Dec +40 49 35, but there is nothing there. Per Corwin, the problem lies with the description of the relative positions of NGC 980 and 982, which Dreyer states are southwest and northeast of each other. As noted at the entry for NGC 982, the only nearby galaxy is not to the southwest, but to the northwest, and the problem was almost certainly caused by a transposition error by John Herschel in recording the positions of the two objects relative to each other. If their recorded difference in position is reversed, the position for NGC 980 moves 5.5 arcmin to the north, placing it almost exactly on the galaxy; so despite considerable confusion in various catalogs due to the historical error, the present identification is essentially certain.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.25 by 0.6 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 980, also showing NGC 982
Below, a 1.6 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 981 (= PGC 9710)
Discovered (1886) by Ormond Stone
Also observed (date?) by Herbert Howe
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sc?) in Cetus (RA 02 32 59.9, Dec -10 58 26)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 981 (Ormond Stone list I (#59), 1860 RA 02 26 35, NPD 101 35.0) is "extremely faint, small, gradually brighter middle". The second Index Catalog lists a corrected RA (per Howe) of 02 26 13. The corrected position precesses to RA 02 33 00.6, Dec -10 57 50, only half an arcmin north of the galaxy, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.0 by 0.45 arcmin (from the image below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 981
Below, a 1.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 982 (= PGC 9838)
Discovered (Oct 17, 1786) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sa?) in Andromeda (RA 02 35 24.9, Dec +40 52 11)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 982 (GC 566 = JH 236 = WH III 573, 1860 RA 02 26 37, NPD 49 44.5) is "faint, small, northeastern of 2", the other being NGC 980. The position precesses to RA 02 35 25.3, Dec +40 52 29, right on the galaxy, so the identification is certain. The only problem is that the only nearby galaxy is not to the southwest, as stated in Dreyer's notes, but to the northwest. Per Corwin, this is almost certainly due to a transposition error on John Herschel's part in recording the positions of the two objects relative to each other. The error did not affect the position of NGC 982, which was accurately recorded by Herschel; but it did cause problems with the identification of NGC 980, which see.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.75 by 0.9 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 982, also showing NGC 980
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 983 (= NGC 1002 = PGC 10034)
Discovered (Dec 13, 1871) by �douard Stephan (and later listed as NGC 983)
Discovered (Dec 14, 1881) by �douard Stephan (and later listed as NGC 1002)
A magnitude 13.2 spiral galaxy (type SB(r)b? pec) in Triangulum (RA 02 38 55.6, Dec +34 37 20)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 983 (= GC 5249, Stephan list III (#11), 1860 RA 02 26 44, NPD 59 05.8) is "extremely faint, very small, round, brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 02 35 03.6, Dec +31 31 12, but there is nothing there. Per Corwin, the problem is that Stephan misidentified the star he used to measure the position of the nebula; when the correct star (15 Triangulum) is used, the position falls right on the galaxy. When Stephan reobserved the object 10 years later he didn't repeat his mistake, so the two very different positions resulted in two entries in the NGC. The editor of the Monthly Notices caught the mistake in the comparison star, but made a typographical error of 10 minutes of time in "correcting" the right ascension, so it wasn't until 1916, when E. Esmiol reduced all of Stephan's observations to the Equinox of 1900, that the equivalence of the two entries was realized. Even though that was nearly a century ago, the fact that NGC 983 was "lost" for 35 years means that the galaxy is sometimes called NGC 1002, instead of NGC 983.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.1 by 0.6 arcmin (from images below).

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 983
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 984 (= PGC 9819)
Discovered (Dec 13, 1871) by �douard Stephan
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0(s)a? pec) in Aries (RA 02 34 43.1, Dec +23 24 47)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 984 (= GC 5250, Stephan list III (#10), 1860 RA 02 26 44, NPD 67 12.2) is "very faint, extremely small, round, brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 2.1 by 1.2 arcmin (from the images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 984
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 985 (= PGC 9817)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth
A 13th-magnitude ring galaxy (type (R)SB(rs)bc? pec) in Cetus (RA 02 34 37.8, Dec -08 47 16)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 985 (Leavenworth list II (#341), 1860 RA 02 27 50, NPD 99 25.0) is "very faint, very small, round, brighter middle and nucleus".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 0.9 by 0.7 arcmin (from the images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 985
Below, a 1 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 986 (= PGC 9747)
Discovered (Aug 5, 1826) by James Dunlop
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBab?) in Fornax (RA 02 33 34.3, Dec -39 02 42)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 986 (= GC 567 = JH 2487, Dunlop 519??, 1860 RA 02 28 00, NPD 129 39.3) is "pretty bright, large, pretty much extended, suddenly brighter middle, bi-nuclear".
Physical Information: Apparent size 4.0 by 3.2 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 986
Below, a 4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

Below, a ? arcmin wide HST image of the galaxy (Image Credit Hubble Legacy Archive, Courtney Seligman)

PGC 9685 (= "NGC 986A")
Not an NGC object but listed here since sometimes called NGC 986A
A 14th-magnitude irregular galaxy (type IBm?) in Fornax (RA 02 32 42.2, Dec -39 17 42)

Physical Information: Apparent size 1.8 by 0.7 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on PGC 9685
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 987 (= PGC 9911)
Discovered (Sep 12, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SB0/a?) in Triangulum (RA 02 36 49.6, Dec +33 19 38)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 987 (= GC 568 = JH 237 = WH III 161, 1860 RA 02 28 24, NPD 57 17.0) is "faint, small, very little extended, brighter middle, mottled but not resolved, 2 stars of 14th magnitude to northwest".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.8 by 1.1 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 987
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 988 (= PGC 9843)
Discovered (1880) by �douard Stephan
Also observed (date?) by Sherburne Burnham
Also observed (date?) by Edward Barnard
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBc?) in Cetus (RA 02 35 27.8, Dec -09 21 22)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 988 (Stephan's list X (#13), 1860 RA 02 28 34, NPD 99 57.9) is a "nebulous 7.5 magnitude star". The first Index Catalog adds "No nebulosity seen by Burnham and Barnard. Stephan's position is wrong, being taken from Baily's Lalande, where the places of two stars (with an 18 second difference in right ascension) are mixed up. I took the northeastern star, as I was not certain that it was not nebulous, while the southwestern one was certainly free from haze". The position precesses to RA 02 35 24.6, Dec -09 21 02, close enough to the galaxy to make the identification certain, despite the 19th-century observers' inability to see anything worth seeing (as bright as the glare of the nearby star is, seeing anything else would have been very difficult).
Physical Information: Apparent size 4.1 by 1.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 988
Below, a 4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy, nearly overwhelmed by 7th magnitude HD 16152

NGC 989 (= PGC 9762)
Discovered (Nov 9, 1885) by Francis Leavenworth
Also observed (date?) by Herbert Howe
A 14th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0?) in Cetus (RA 02 33 46.1, Dec -16 30 40)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 989 (Leavenworth list I (#51), 1860 RA 02 28 35, NPD 107 08.0) is "faint, very small, round, brighter middle and nucleus". The second Index Catalog lists a corrected RA (per Howe) of 02 27 10. The corrected position precesses to RA 02 33 45.7, Dec -16 30 57, on the galaxy, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 0.8 by 0.76 arcmin (from the images below).

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 989
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 990 (= PGC 9890)
Discovered (Sep 18, 1786) by William Herschel
Also observed (Jan 19, 1828) by John Herschel
Also observed (Sep 1, 1886) by Lewis Swift
A magnitude 12.5 lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Aries (RA 02 36 18.2, Dec +11 38 31)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 990 (= GC 569 = JH 238 = WH III 557, 1860 RA 02 28 45, NPD 78 58.2) is "faint, small, round, pretty suddenly brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.6 by 1.1 arcmin (from images below).

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 990
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 991 (= PGC 9846)
Discovered (Sep 10, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (date?) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBc?) in Cetus (RA 02 35 32.7, Dec -07 09 16)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 991 (= GC 570 = JH 239 = WH III 434, 1860 02 28 46, NPD 97 46.5) is "very faint, considerably large, irregular figure, very little brighter middle".
Physical Information: Apparent size 3.0 by 2.7 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 991
Below, a 3 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 992 (= PGC 9938)
Discovered (Sep 6, 1886) by Lewis Swift
Also observed (date?) Guillaume Bigourdan
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sc?) in Aries (RA 02 37 25.5, Dec +21 06 02)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 992 (Swift list IV (#10), 1860 RA 02 29 23, NPD 69 30.7) is "pretty faint, pretty small, much extended, star to south". The first Index Catalog states (per Bigourdan) "Seconds of RA should be 16". The original position precesses to RA 02 37 17.3, Dec +21 06 00, about 6 seconds of time to the west of the only reasonably bright object in the region (PGC 9938), and the "corrected" position is twice as far off the mark. However, neither error seems to have ever been a cause of concern, and the identification with that galaxy has always been considered reasonably certain.
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.05 by 0.6 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 992
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 993 (= NGC 994 = PGC 9910)
Discovered (Jan 15, 1865) by Albert Marth (and later listed as NGC 993)
Discovered (Oct 17, 1885) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as NGC 994)
A magnitude 13.6 lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Cetus (RA 02 36 46.0, Dec +02 03 02)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 993 (= GC 5251, Marth #63, 1860 RA 02 29 32, NPD 88 34) is "extremely faint, very small". The position precesses to RA 02 36 45.8, Dec +02 02 43, right on the galaxy listed above and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain. (For a discussion of the double listing, see NGC 994.)
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.0 by 0.6 arcmin?

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 993
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy

NGC 994 (= NGC 993 = PGC 9910)
Discovered (Jan 15, 1865) by Albert Marth (and later listed as NGC 993)
Discovered (Oct 17, 1885) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as NGC 994)
A magnitude 13.6 lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Cetus (RA 02 36 46.0, Dec +02 03 02)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 994 (Swift list III (#13), 1860 RA 02 29 33, NPD 88 33.1) is "most extremely faint, pretty small, round, very faint star close, near 5251", (GC) 5251 being NGC 993 [Swift's paper says "most extremely faint, pretty small, round, very faint star close, between a pretty bright star and a faint double star, northwestern of 2 (the other being NGC 1004); not (GC) 5251, 5264 nor 602" (which correspond to NGC 993, 1016 and 1073)]. The position precesses to RA 02 36 46.8, Dec +02 03 37, only 0.6 arcmin north northeast of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identity with NGC 993 is certain. There can be no doubt that Dreyer would have taken this as simply another observation of NGC 993, save for Swift's insistence that it was not that object; but because of that he gave it what turned out to be a duplicate listing, and merely stated it was "near 5251".
Physical Information: Given the duplicate listing, see NGC 993 for anything else.

NGC 995 (= PGC 10008)
Discovered (Dec 8, 1871) by �douard Stephan
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Andromeda (RA 02 38 32.0, Dec +41 31 46)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 995 (= GC 5252, Stephan list III (#12), 1860 RA 02 29 40, NPD 49 04.9) is "very faint, very small".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.7 by 0.75 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 995, also showing NGC 1000
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 996 (= PGC 10015)
Discovered (Dec 7, 1871) by �douard Stephan
A 13th-magnitude elliptical galaxy (type E1?) in Andromeda (RA 02 38 39.9, Dec +41 38 51)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 996 (= GC 5253, Stephan list III (#13), 1860 RA 02 29 47, NPD 48 57.8) is "very faint, very small".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.1 by 1.0 arcmin (from images below)

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 996, also showing NGC 999 and 1001 and IC 240
Below, a 1.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy

NGC 997 (= PGC 9932)
Discovered (Nov 10, 1863) by Albert Marth
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Cetus (RA 02 37 14.5, Dec +07 18 20)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 997 (= GC 5254, Marth #64, 1860 RA 02 29 50, NPD 83 18) is "faint, small".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.3 by 1.0 arcmin? Apparently accompanied by PGC 200205.

Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 997, also showing NGC 998
Below, a 1.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy and PGC 200205

PGC 200205 (= PGC 2801182)
Not an NGC object but listed here because an apparent companion of NGC 997
An 18th?-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Cetus (RA 02 37 14.2, Dec +07 18 36)

Physical Information: Possibly a physical pair with NGC 997, but since nothing is available save for its apparent size (about 0.15 by 0.1 arcmin, or about 1% of the apparent size of NGC 997), their actual relationship is merely a matter of speculation, and it is just as likely to be a background galaxy.

Above, a 0.6 arcmin wide SDSS image of PGC 200205 also showing NGC 997, which see for other images

NGC 998 (= PGC 9934)
Discovered (Nov 10, 1863) by Albert Marth
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R)SAB(s)b?) in Cetus (RA 02 37 16.5, Dec +07 20 09)

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 998 (= GC 5255, Marth #65, 1860 RA 02 29 52, NPD 83 17) is "very faint".
Physical Information: Apparent size of about 1.05 by 0.65 arcmin (from image below)

Above, a 1.2 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 998; for a wider view see NGC 997

NGC 999 (= PGC 10026)
Discovered (Dec 8, 1871) by �douard Stephan
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R)SAB(s)a? pec?) in Andromeda (RA 02 38 47.5, Dec +41 40 14)

Historical Identification: Per Dryer, NGC 999 (= GC 5256, Stephan list III (#14), 1860 RA 02 29 54, NPD 48 56.4) is "extremely faint".
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.2 by 0.8 arcmin? not counting its outer arms, which cover more than twice that area.

Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 999, also showing NGC 996 and 1001, and IC 240
Below, a 2.4 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy