NGC Objects: NGC 7300 - 7349 (original) (raw)
QuickLinks:
7300, 7301, 7302, 7303, 7304, 7305, 7306, 7307, 7308, 7309, 7310, 7311, 7312, 7313, 7314, 7315, 7316,
7317, 7318, 7319, 7320, 7321, 7322, 7323, 7324, 7325, 7326, 7327, 7328, 7329, 7330, 7331, 7332, 7333,
7334, 7335, 7336, 7337, 7338, 7339, 7340, 7341, 7342, 7343, 7344, 7345, 7346, 7347, 7348, 7349
Page last updated Sep 12, 2024 (amended captions for some images)
Revised classifications for NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340 based on "new" image of NGC 7331
Converting data to Physical Information & improving images (all done except 7304/7317/7327/7330/7331)
Precessed 1860 positions and checked identifications (all done except 7327, which is almost certainly "lost")
Checked Steinicke (& all other) historical databases, added de Vaucouleurs links for the appropriate galaxies
Checked major designations, LEDA/NED data, Gottlieb and Corwin notes
Re-checked Corwin's latest positions; re-checked all of Dreyer's publications, Steinicke's physical data
NGC 7300 (probably? = IC 5204)
(= PGC 69040 = PGC 930291 = MCG -02-57-011)
Discovered (Jul 26, 1830) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7300)
Also observed (Nov 4, 1850) by Bindon Stoney (and later listed as NGC 7300)
Perhaps observed (Aug 8, 1896) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as IC 5204)
Also observed (July 1898 - June 1899) by Herbert Howe (while listed as NGC 7300)
A magnitude 12.9 spiral galaxy (type SB(s)b?) in Aquarius (RA 22 30 59.9, Dec -14 00 13)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7300 (= GC 4801 = GC 4799 = JH 2164, 1860 RA 22 23 28, NPD 104 43.5) is "very faint, considerably small, extended, very gradually a little brighter middle." The second IC notes "7300 is not considerably small, but pretty large, extended 150 degrees (John Herschel and Herbert Howe)." The position precesses to RA 22 30 57.2, Dec -14 00 30, only about 0.7 arcmin west-southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and not far beyond its outline, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: JH thought that Stoney's observation was of a different object, and assigned it a different number in the GC (as shown by the two values in Dreyer's NGC entry). However, though not mentioning Stoney's observation in the NGC, Dreyer's note in the Birr Castle records show that he realized it must be the same object as JH 2164.
Possible Duplicate Entries: As shown by the title of this entry, there is a possibility that IC 5204 is a duplicate observation of NGC 7300 ("probably? = IC 5204" means that although that is a reasonable possibility, there are valid arguments against the idea). See IC 5204 for a discussion of the arguments in favor of the duplicate listing, and the (almost equally?) likely possibility that the IC object is simply "lost or nonexistent".
Physical Information: As the brightest member of a Group of at least nine members (see the end of this entry), all of which have "similar" distance estimates based on their recessional velocities relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, the best indication of the distance of the group (and its individual members) is the average of those individual recessional velocities. For NGC 7251, that is 4535 km/sec; for NGC 7255, it is 4730 km/sec; for NGC 7298, it is 4695 km/sec; for NGC 7300, it is 4565 km/sec; for PGC 68593, it is 4715 km/sec; for PGC 68958 it is 4547 km/sec; for PGC 69000 it is 4710 km/sec; and for LEDA 170392, it is 4506 km/sec. This yields an average value of 4625 km/sec, with an average variation from the mean of about 85 to 90 km/sec. This sort of variation is typical of "peculiar velocities" (random motions relative to their neighbors) in small clusters of galaxies, so although some of the "members" of the Group may just be "passing through", this is probably a small but gravitationally bound cluster.
Using the average recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 4625 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), the NGC 7300 Group is about 215 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 125 to 240 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.88 by 0.78 arcmin (from the images below), NGC 7300 is about 115 to 120 thousand light-years across.
NGC 7300 Group: NGC 7300 is the namesake of the NGC 7300 Group, which consists of eight currently known galaxies (NGC 7521, 7255, 7298 and 7300, and PGC 68593, 68958, 69000 (which see for an image of three of the easternmost members of the group) and 170392). The first (and apparently only) paper mentioning the Group, by A. M. Garcia, (1993 A&AS vol 100, p.47), only included 3 of the 8 galaxies listed here (I found the others by a painstaking search of the region described below) and included PGC 69958 and 86604, which are nearly 2 1/2 and 5 times further away from us than the NGC 7300 Group, and are therefore only background objects. The group spans a region at least 2 degrees wide from N to S, and 5 degrees wide from E to W. At the time this paragraph was written, NGC 7300 was the northeasternmost of the known members (and is still the brightest, whence the name of the Group), and the image of 3 of its easternmost members in the entry for PGC 90000. The entries for the NGC group members are shown in numerical order, and the PGC members are in order of right ascension, since that was the basis for numbering the NGC entries. Where two or more galaxies that are members of the group are in a reasonably small region, images at the appropriate entries show their relative positions; but of the hundreds of galaxies scattered throughout the region, most of which have no known distance, none are shown other than the two erroneous ones in Garcia's paper.
Additional Group Members: Apparently the Group is even larger than previously suspected, as a couple of days after writing the above I discovered that PGC 69214, an apparent companion of NGC 7308, has a 3K Vr of 4615 km/sec, practically the same as the average recessional velocity of the eight Group members listed above, and must make a 9th member of the Group. Odds are that a wider search of a circle about 8 degrees in diameter centered between NGC 7300 and NGC 7251 would find additional members, but due to time constraints I cannot make such a search at this time. However, if I or any of my colleagues find other members of the Group, I will note that here.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7300
Below, a 2 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7301
(= PGC 69021 = ESO 602-023 = MCG -03-57-015)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth
Looked for but not found (Oct 15 & 16, 1890) by Guillaume Bigourdan
A magnitude 13.4 spiral galaxy (type SAB(r?s)b? pec?) in Aquarius (RA 22 30 34.7, Dec -17 34 26)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7301 (Leavenworth list I (#252), 1860 RA 22 24 20, NPD 108 18.2) is "very faint, pretty small, a little extended, a little brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 31 53.9, Dec -17 35 08, but there is nothing there. However, there is a suitable candidate a little over a minute of time to the west, and since Leavenworth's right ascensions were almost always too large, the identification as the object listed above is considered certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 7005 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7301 is about 325 million light-years away, considerably further than redshift-independent distances estimates of about 220 to 225 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 315 to 320 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 320 to 325 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.8 by 0.45 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 75 thousand light-years across.
Discovery Notes: Gottlieb states that although Leavenworth's position is 1.3 minute of time too large, his note that the position angle was 0 degrees "clinches this identification," then adds "Bigourdan was unable to find this galaxy." Given Leavenworth's poor position, Bigourdan's failure to find the object is hardly surprising.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7301
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy and PGC 881157, an apparent companion
PGC 881157
Not an NGC object but listed here as an apparent companion of NGC 7301
A magnitude 17.0(?) lenticular? galaxy (type SB0?) in Aquarius (RA 22 30 33.9, Dec -17 33 57)
Apparent Companionship and Classification: None of the major catalogues say much about this object, but its appearance suggests that if near NGC 7301 (and therefore reasonably close to us) it is probably a lenticular galaxy. (If it is a far more distant background galaxy, it might be an edge-on spiral galaxy.) The only certain thing is that there is no way to tell if it is an actual companion of NGC 7301, or merely an optical double.
Physical Information: Based on its brightness at various wavelengths the visual magnitude can be estimated, as shown in the description line; and the closeup image of NGC 7301 (which see) shows that PGC 881157 is about 0.2 x 0.1 arcmin in size. But since its distance is unknown, its physical size cannot be determined.
NGC 7302 (= IC 5228)
(= PGC 69094 = MGC -02-57-013)
Discovered (Oct 3, 1785) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7302)
Also observed (Aug 5, 1826) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7302)
Discovered (Aug 8, 1896) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as IC 5228)
A magnitude 12.3 lenticular galaxy (type S0?) in Aquarius (RA 22 32 23.8, Dec -14 07 14)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7302 (= GC 4802 = JH 2165 = WH IV 31, 1860 RA 22 24 54, NPD 104 50.4) is "faint, pretty small, round, very suddenly brighter middle and small nucleus." The position precesses to RA 22 32 23.1, Dec -14 07 18, within the western outline of the nucleus of the galaxy listed above and well inside its overall structure, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: IC 5228 was found by Swift on the same night as the puzzling IC 5204, but with a position accurate enough to identify it as a duplicate observation of NGC 7302. Per Gottlieb and Corwin, Swift's description of the relative position of what became IC 5228 and 5204 makes the identification of IC 5204 as NGC 7300 relatively certain, despite its extremely poor position; but for more about the supposed identification of IC 5204, see that entry.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 2360 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7302 is about 110 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 80 to 190 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 2.0 by 1.35 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 65 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7302, also showing PGC 928438 and PGC 69114
Below, a 2 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 3 by 3.5 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of NGC 7302 & PGC 928438 (Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute))
PGC 928438
Not an NGC object but listed here as an apparent companion of NGC 7302
A magnitude 16.0(?) spiral galaxy (type (R)SAB)(r)a) in Aquarius (RA 22 32 24.9, Dec -14 08 28)
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 19480 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 928438 is about 905 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 840 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 870 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.54 by 0.33 arcmin (from the image below), the galaxy is about 130 to 135 thousand light-years across.
Supposed "Companionship": Since this object is more than 8 times further away from us than NGC 7302, it is obviously not an actual companion of that galaxy, but merely a much more distant background galaxy.
Classification: The outer ring of this galaxy may be tilted at a considerable angle relative to the disc of the galaxy, as it appears to me to be oddly centered relative to the central galaxy. However, it isn't clear whether it is a completely separate ring, or an odd clockwise extension of the southeastern spiral arm, so it would be reasonable to add a "pec" to the description if it can be shown that the ring is tilted.
Above, a 0.75 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of PGC 938438 (see NGC 7302 for a wide-field image)
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute))
PGC 69114
(= MCG -02-57-015)
Not an NGC object but listed here as a possible companion of NGC 7302
A magnitude 15.0(?) spiral galaxy (type SBd? pec?) in Aquarius (RA 22 32 46.7, Dec -14 05 49)
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 2175 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), PGC 69114 is about 100 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with a single redshift-independent distance estimate of about 90 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.85 by 0.5 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 50 to 55 thousand light-years across.
Comment About Companions: Because it is in almost exactly the same direction as NGC 7302, PGC 928438 (discussed in the entry above) is often mentioned as an apparent companion of the NGC object (though as shown in its entry, it is actually a much more distant background galaxy). On the other hand, PGC 69114, which is rarely mentioned as a possible companion because it is nearly 6 arcmin to the east of NGC 7302, has a fairly similar recessional velocity, and although the difference of 185 km/sec would require a relatively large "peculiar velocity" (a random motion of a galaxy relative to its neighbors) to explain the difference in their recessional velocities, it is possible that PGC 69114 is not only an apparent but also a gravitationally bound companion of 7302. (As an example, our galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy have a relative motion not much different from that, and are definitely gravitationally bound, and in fact bound to merge at some distant time in the future [with a close passage in around 5 billion years, and a direct collision and merger in about 12 billion years].) The main problem with that comparison is that our galaxy and M31 are large, massive galaxies, which can exert strong gravitational forces on their neighbors; but NGC 7302 and PGC 69114 are relatively small, low-mass galaxies, and their gravitational attraction is much smaller. So although PGC 69114 might be a current neighbor of NGC 7302, that may well be only a temporary situation.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on PGC 69144, also showing NGC 7302 and PGC 928438
Below, a 2.5 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of PGC 69114
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 image by Courtney Seligman, using AladinLite)
NGC 7303
(= PGC 69061 = UGC 12065 = CGCG 495-005 = MCG +05-53-004)
Discovered (Sep 15, 1828) by John Herschel
Also observed (Aug 24, 1884) by Guillaume Bigourdan
A magnitude 12.8 spiral galaxy (type SB(s)bc? pec) in Pegasus (RA 22 31 32.8, Dec +30 57 21)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7303 (= GC 4804 = JH 2166, 1860 RA 22 25 00, NPD 59 46.4) is "very faint, small, round, gradually a very little brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 31 27.2, Dec +30 56 40, about 1.4 arcmin west southwest of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
NGC/IC Note: The second IC adds "B 452 is 2 seconds preceding (west of) this. I assume it is a very faint double star that I saw in 1875 100 arcsec south-preceding-preceding (west southwest), as B(igourdan) says his object may be a cluster." Although this note is of no importance in discussing NGC 7303, it is of critical importance in the discussion of NGC 7304, which is covered in the next two entries.
Discovery Note: Per Gottlieb, Corwin points out that NGC 7404 is not a duplicate of NGC 7303, despite being treated as one by the UGC and "other sources".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 3355 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7403 is about 155 to 160 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 75 to 175 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.9 by 1.4 arcmin (from the images below, counting the faint southeastern extension), the galaxy is about 85 to 90 thousand light-years across. The strange appearance of NGC 7303 is probably due to an interaction or merger with another galaxy in the not too distant past. (Note that in extragalactic astronomy, "the not too distant past" means a few tens or hundreds of millions of years ago.)
Image Note: The DESI Legacy image below grossly overexposes the central regions, making the SDSS image of the galaxy better for determining its structure; but the DESI image does show the outer regions in more detail, which is why I included it.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7303
Below, a 2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2.25 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of NGC 7303
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 image by Courtney Seligman, using AladinLite)
Incorrect NGC 7304
Recorded (Aug 20, 1862) by Heinrich d'Arrest
Looked for (Sep 29, 1875) but not found by John Dreyer
Looked for (Aug 24, 1884) but not found by Guillaume Bigourdan
A nonexistent object in Pegasus (RA 22 31 34.8, Dec +30 58 34)
but also see Probable NGC 7304
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7304 (= GC 4803, d'Arrest, 1860 RA 22 25 02, NPD 59 45.3) is "very faint, pretty small, a very little brighter middle, north-following (northeast of) h 2166 (?)," (JH) 2166 being NGC 7303. The position precesses to RA 22 31 29.2, Dec +30 57 46, which lies about 0.9 arcmin west-northwest of NGC 7303, but there is nothing there except the faint northwestern part of NGC 7303 (which is hardly surprising, since the relative direction specified in the NGC is northeast, not northwest). However, an examination of d'Arrest's published observations show that the NGC position for GC 4803 cannot be correct. If we compare d'Arrest's observations of JH 2166 to those for his "nova" (made on the same night) we find that he put his nova 2 seconds of time to the east and 1.1 arcmin of declination to the north of NGC 7303 (precessing from his 1861 positions to J2000 positions does not change the result). That yields a position for d'Arrest's nova of RA 22 31 34.8, Dec +30 58 34 (whence the position shown for NGC 7304 above), which lies slightly to the northeast of NGC 7303 (as specified in the NGC entry), but there is also nothing there or near there that d'Arrest could have seen. A note at the end of the NGC states that neither d'Arrest, looking for it on another night, nor Dreyer (using the largest telescope in the world, Lord Rosse's 72-inch "Leviathan") could find anything that could be NGC 7304; and the IC2 states that Bigourdan also looked for but could not find d'Arrest's object, so it is certain that NGC 7304 (at least as described in the NGC) does not exist.
Observational Notes: Bigourdan actually looked for this on three occasions, once after d'Arrest published his work but before the NGC was published, and twice after the NGC was published. On all three occasions he wrote that he couldn't find anything, or that he couldn't find anything except NGC 7303. Dreyer's similar failure to observe the object is undoubtedly why he put a question mark at the end of the original NGC entry.
Historical Misidentifications: Some references (e.g., HyperLEDA) list the triplet of stars near RA 22 31 44.4, Dec +30 58 47 as NGC 7304, but they cannot be what d'Arrest thought he saw, as his measurements are usually too accurate to be that far "off", and if the triplet had been what he saw, he should have seen it on his second attempt. So they are only mentioned here as a warning about that erroneous identification. The UGC also misidentifies NGC 7304, but as a duplicate of NGC 7303 (presumably because the incorrect NGC position lies within the outline of 7303).
Designation Errors: LEDA's incorrect idenification as the triplet of stars rejected by Gottlieb is listed as PGC 5067399, but a search of the database for that designation fails to return a result, so even if that wasn't an incorrect (and therefore irrelevant) identification, the LEDA designation would have to be put in quotes. NED copies LEDA's incorrect identification, but adds "identification is very uncertain."
An Alternative Solution: Gottlieb writes that there is a double star 2 arcmin southwest of NGC 7303, and suggests that perhaps d'Arrest reversed the direction of his offsets (a not uncommon error) and the double star is what he observed in 1862; then adds that in any event, 7304 is certainly not a duplicate of 7303. For a discussion of this solution, see Probable NGC 7304, below.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on d'Arrest's corrected position for NGC 7304, also showing NGC 7303
The triplet of stars often misidentified as NGC 7304 is labeled as "not NGC 7304"
The double star suggested by Gottlieb is labeled "probable NGC 7304" (which see, below)
Probable NGC 7304
Probably misrecorded (Aug 20, 1862) by Heinrich d'Arrest
Observed (Sep 29, 1875) by John Dreyer
Also observed (August 24, 1884) by Guillaume Bigourdan (as Bigourdan #425)
A double star in Pegasus (RA 22 31 35.3, Dec +30 56 24)
Historical Indentification: As noted at the end of the previous entry, if d'Arrest reversed the direction of his "nova" in 1862, NGC 7304 could be the double star about 1.9 arcmin to the southwest of NGC 7303, which would explain his failure to find it again two years later, as he would have been looking in the wrong place. The stars are separated by less than 10 arcsec, so they could have appeared as described by d'Arrest. Similarly, since Dreyer was looking for something at d'Arrest's incorrect position, although he observed the double star listed here he didn't think it worth mentioning except in a note; and although Bigourdan couldn't find d'Arrest's object on three different dates, on each of those dates he recorded the position of the double star. In the first observation he called it a single star, perhaps with a little nebulosity; in his second observation he described it as a 15 arcsec wide nebula with a slightly stellar appearance; and in his third observation, he stated that it was a pair of faint stars, and the only nebula in the region was NGC 7303, which means that NGC 7304 is not the same as NGC 7303, as sometimes mistakenly stated.
Physical Information: The brighter northwestern star is magnitude 15.1, while the fainter southeastern one is magnitude 15.6.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on d'Arrest's corrected position for NGC 7304, also showing NGC 7303
The triplet of stars often misidentified as NGC 7304 is labeled as "not NGC 7304"
The double star suggested by Gottlieb is labeled "probable NGC 7304"
NGC 7305
(= PGC 69091 = CGCG 429-007 = MCG +02-57-003)
Discovered (Sep 1, 1886) by Lewis Swift
A magnitude 14.1 elliptical galaxy (type E0) in Pegasus (RA 22 32 13.9, Dec +11 42 44)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7305 (Swift list IV (#84), 1860 RA 22 25 16, NPD 79 00.3) is "extremely faint, small, round, 4 faint stars around." The position precesses to RA 22 32 11.7, Dec +11 42 49, only 0.5 arcmin nearly due west of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 7435 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7305 is about 345 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 335 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 340 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.35 by 1.35 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 130 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7305
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of NGC 7303
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 image by Courtney Seligman, using AladinLite)
NGC 7306
(= PGC 69132 = ESO 468-011 = MCG -05-53-014)
Discovered (Jul 30, 1834) by John Herschel
Also observed (Jul 1899 - Jun 1900) by Herbert Howe (while listed as NGC 7306)
A magnitude 12.9 spiral galaxy (type (R'?)SAB(s)b?) in Piscis Austrinus (RA 22 33 16.5, Dec -27 14 48)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7306 (= GC 4805 = JH 3948, 1860 RA 22 25 28, NPD 117 58.1) is "very faint, small, a little extended, 11th magnitude star preceding (to west)." The position precesses to RA 22 33 16.0, Dec -27 14 56, only 0.2 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and well within its brighter central regions, the description fits and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
"Companion" Note: PGC 69155 lies less than half a minute of time due east of NGC 7306, and if it had a similar distance, could be a companion; but it has a much larger recessional velocity, so it is only a background galaxy.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 3235 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7306 is about 150 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 115 to 195 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 2.0 by 0.95 arcmin (from the images below), the main galaxy is about 85 to 90 thousand light-years across, while faint outer 'arms' span as much as 3.55 by 2.1 arcmin, or about 155 thousand light-years.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7306
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2.75 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of the galaxy shows part of its faint outer regions
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 image by Courtney Seligman, using AladinLite)
NGC 7307
(= PGC 69161 = ESO 345-026 = MCG -07-46-003)
Discovered (Oct 4, 1836) by John Herschel
A magnitude 12.6 spiral galaxy (type SBcd? pec) in Grus (RA 22 33 52.5, Dec -40 55 58)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7307 (= GC 4806 = JH 3947, 1860 RA 22 25 33, NPD 131 39.9) is "faint, pretty large, pretty much extended." The position precesses to RA 22 33 46.4, Dec -40 56 43, about 1.4 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above, but because of the galaxy's considerable north-south extension, due west of the southern part of the galaxy; the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 1845 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7307 is about 85 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 40 to 140 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 3.6 by 0.75 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 90 thousand light-years across.
Group Membership: NGC 7307 is listed as a member of a group of galaxies in or near Sculptor with recessional velocities of about 1500 to 1800 km/sec (this is not "the" Sculptor Group, a close neighbor to our Local Group, with an average recessional velocity of less than 300 km/sec).
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7307
Below, a 4.4 arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit & © Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey; used by permission)
Below, a 2.2 by 4.0 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of the galaxy
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC 4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7308 (= IC 1448)
(= PGC 69194 = PGC 192832 = MCG -02-57-017)
Discovered (1886) by Francis Leavenworth (and later listed as NGC 7308)
Discovered (Nov 2, 1891) by Stephane Javelle (and later listed as IC 1448)
Also observed (Jul 1899 - Jun 1900) by Herbert Howe (while listed as NGC 7308)
A magnitude 13.7 elliptical galaxy (type E2) in Aquarius (RA 22 34 32.1, Dec -12 56 02)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7308 (Leavenworth list I (#253), 1860 RA 22 26 25, NPD 103 42.2) is "pretty bright, very small, round." The second IC lists a corrected RA (per Howe) of 22 27 05. Howe's paper gives the position as (1900) 22 29 13, -13 27.0, which precesses to RA 22 34 32.2, Dec -12 56 02, nearly dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 7365 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7308 is about 340 to 345 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 330 to 335 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 335 to 340 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.25 by 1.05 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 120 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7308, also showing PGC 69214
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of the galaxy (Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute))
PGC 69214
(= PGC 192853 = MCG -02-57-018)
Not an NGC object but listed here as an apparent companion of NGC 7308
and as a member of the NGC 7300 Group of galaxies
A magnitude 15(?) spiral galaxy (type Sbc? sp) in Aquarius (RA 22 34 48.6, Dec -12 54 46)
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 4615 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), PGC 69214 is about 215 million light-years away. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.4 by 0.3 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 85 to 90 thousand light-years across.
Apparent Companionship: Given their distances, PGC 69214 cannot be an actual companion of NGC 7308, but merely a foreground galaxy. However, as it turns out, that makes it a previously unknown member of the NGC 7300 Group.
Classification: "sp" or "spindle" refers to a spiral galaxy seen nearly edge-on, so that the disk is only perceived by the dust obscuring its stars.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on PGC 69214, also showing NGC 7308
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of PGC 69214
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of PGC 69214 (Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute))
NGC 7309
(= PGC 69183 = PGC 192810 = MCG -02-57-016)
Discovered (Nov 28, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (Sep 9, 1825) by John Herschel
Also observed (Oct 2, 1856) by R. J. Mitchell (while listed as JH 2167)
A magnitude 12.5 spiral galaxy (type SA(rs)bc?) in Aquarius (RA 22 34 20.6, Dec -10 21 25)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7309 (misprinted as 7319) (= GC 4807 = JH 2167 = WH II 476, 1860 RA 22 26 56, NPD 101 04.9) is "very faint, pretty large, round, gradually a little brighter middle, mottled but not resolved." The position precesses to RA 22 34 19.8, Dec -10 21 38, about 0.3 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above, and well within its outline; the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Gottlieb quotes Mitchell's note (one of several made by various assistants at Birr Castle starting in 1850) "has a * near center and I suspect a * or knot in north-preceding (northwest) edge," and adds the comment that Mitchell's "knot" is the spiral arm at that end of the galaxy.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 3655 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7309 is about 170 million light-years away, considerably further than redshift-independent distance estimates of about 65 to 85 million light-years. Using the larger distance and its apparent size of about 1.95 by 1.9 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 95 to 100 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7309
Below, a 2 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2.5 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of NGC 7309 (Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute))
NGC 7310
(= PGC 69202 = PGC 192840 = ESO 533-049 = MCG -04-53-015)
Discovered (Jul 20, 1885) by Francis Leavenworth
Also observed (Jul 1898 - Jun 1899) by Herbert Howe
A magnitude 13.8 spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs?)bc?) in Aquarius (RA 22 34 36.9, Dec -22 29 06)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7310 (Leavenworth list I (#254), 1860 RA 22 27, NPD 113 14.3) is "very faint, pretty small, round, brighter middle and nucleus." The second IC lists a corrected RA (per Howe) of 22 26 57 (Howe's paper reads "The position is (1900) 22 29 09, -23 0.0", which precesses to (1860) RA 22 26 57, NPD 113 12.3, so Howe's position wasn't terribly different from Leavenworth's almost-there position.) At any rate, precessing Howe's position yields (2000) RA 22 34 37.4, Dec -22 29 02, only about 0.1 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and on the northeastern outline of the bright core of the galaxy, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 9565 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7310 is about 445 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 430 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 435 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.85 by 0.65 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 105 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7310, also showing the binary galaxy PGC 813304
Below, a 2 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy and its apparent companion(s)
Below, a 1 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
PGC 813304
Not an NGC object but listed here as an apparent companion of NGC 7310
A pair of galaxies in Aquarius
Northern component = a magnitude 16(?) galaxy (type SB? pec) at RA 22 34 36.9, Dec -22 29 47
Southern component = a magnitude 17(??) galaxy (type Irr? pec) at RA 22 34 36.9, Dec -22 29 55
Physical Information: No database even lists the southern component, so its description is an educated guess, other than the apparent size (about 0.13 by 0.12 arcmin, including the faint western extension) from the image below. Only an estimate of the brightness of the northern component is listed, and although its apparent size (about 0.2 by 0.14 arcmin, including its northern "arm") can also be determined from the image, in the absence of any knowledge of their distance, the physical size of the two galaxies cannot be estimated. They are exceptionally bright for their size, which suggests that they may be companions of NGC 7310, but I think (and Corwin agrees) that it is far more likely that they are a far more distant pair, and are probably so bright simply because their interaction is causing an extremely high rate of star formation.
Above, a 0.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of PGC 813304 (also see images of NGC 7310)
NGC 7311
(= PGC 69172 = UGC 12080 = CGCG 404-022 = MCG +01-57-009)
Discovered (Aug 30, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (Oct 13, 1827) by John Herschel
A magnitude 12.5 spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs?)ab?) in Pegasus (RA 22 34 06.8, Dec +05 34 13)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7311 (= GC 4808 = JH 2168 = WH II 428, 1860 RA 22 27 03, NPD 85 09.0) is "pretty faint, small, round, pretty suddenly brighter middle, mottled but not resolved." The position precesses to RA 22 34 06.8, Dec +05 34 15, almost dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description fits a visual observation and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Note: Per Gottlieb, forms a wide pair with NGC 7312 (16 arcmin NNE); however, the latter galaxy is about twice as far away, so they are only an optical double.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 4155 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7311 is about 190 to 195 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 145 million to 380 light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.5 by 0.8 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 85 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7311
Below, a 2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7312
(= PGC 69198 = UGC 12083 = CGCG 404-023 = MCG +01-57-010)
Discovered (Oct 30, 1863) by Albert Marth
A magnitude 13.4 spiral galaxy (type SB(r's?)b?) in Pegasus (RA 22 34 34.8, Dec +05 49 02)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7312 (= GC 6058, Marth #485, 1860 RA 22 27 32, NPD 84 54) is "faint, small." The position precesses to RA 22 34 35.5, Dec +05 49 18, only 0.3 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy and on the northern spiral arm, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 7910 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7312 is about 365 to 370 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 275 to 590 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 355 to 360 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 360 to 365 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.2 by 0.93 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 125 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7312
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7313
(= PGC 69242 = PGC 193066 = ESO 533-052)
Discovered (Sep 24, 1864) by Albert Marth
Also observed (Jul 1898 - Jun 1899) by Herbert Howe(while listed as NGC 7313)
A magnitude 14.4 spiral galaxy (type SB? pec) in Piscis Austrinus (RA 22 35 32.6, Dec -26 06 06)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7313 (= GC 6059, Marth #486, 1860 RA 22 27 46, NPD 116 50) is "extremely faint, extended." The position precesses to RA 22 35 31.3, Dec -26 06 40, about 0.5 arcmin south-southwest of the galaxy listed above the description is reasonable and there is nothing else nearby, other than NGC 7314, which was already catalogued and has a completely different appearance and description, so the identification is certain.
Note: Gottlieb writes that this is a pair with NGC 7314, 4.4 arcmin NE of 7313; however, that galaxy is a much closer foreground galaxy, and therefore only an optical companion.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 5435 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7313 is about 250 to 255 million light-years away. Given that and its apparent size of about 0.42 x 0.28 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 30 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7313, also showing NGC 7314
Below, a 0.6 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7314 (= Arp 14)
(= PGC 69253 = PGC 193128 = ESO 533-053 = MCG -04-53-018)
Discovered (Jul 29, 1834) by John Herschel
A magnitude 11.0 spiral galaxy (type SA(s)bc?) in Piscis Austrinus (RA 22 35 46.2, Dec -26 03 02)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7314 (= GC 4810 = JH 3949, 1860 RA 22 28 02, NPD 116 45.9) is "considerably faint, large, much extended 0�, a very little brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 35 47.1, Dec -26 02 32, within the northeastern outline of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: NGC 7314 is a Seyfert galaxy (type S1h). Based on a recessional velocity of 1120 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), it is about 50 to 55 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 50 to 70 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 5.1 by 2.1 arcmin (from the images below), it is 75 to 80 thousand light-years across.
Group Membership: NGC 7314 is usually listed as a member of a group of galaxies in or near Sculptor with recessional velocities of about 1500 to 1800 km/sec (this is not "the" Sculptor Group, a close neighbor to our Local Group, with an average recessional velocity of less than 300 km/sec), but given its recessional velocity, that is almost certainly wrong, and it is not a member of either group.
Arp Atlas Designation: NGC 7314 is used in the Arp Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as an example of a spiral galaxy with detached segments, correctly identified as NGC 7314, and with the note "Almost no nucleus".
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on NGC 7314, also showing NGC 7313
Below, a 3 by 5.75 arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit & © Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey; used by permission)
Below, a 1.6 by 3 arcmin wide HST image of the galaxy
(Image Credit Fabian RRRR Aladin Software rendering of HST images; CC 3.0 alignment & sizing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7315
(= PGC 69241 = PGC 69245 = UGC 12097 = CGCG 514-059 = MCG +06-49-037)
Discovered (Aug 29, 1872) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 12.5 lenticular galaxy (type S0?) in Pegasus (RA 22 35 31.7, Dec +34 48 12)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7315 (= GC 6060, Stephan list IV (#13), 1860 RA 22 29 08, NPD 55 55.0) is "very faint, extremely small, round, brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 35 30.4, Dec +34 48 23, only about 0.3 arcmin northwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its halo, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 11, 1872. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, and reported in his list IV. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 5830 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7315 is about 270 million light-years away. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.4 by 1.3 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 110 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7315
Below, a 2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7316
(= PGC 69259 = UGC 12098 = CGCG 452-030 = MCG +03-57-020)
Discovered (Sep 18, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Aug 24, 1827) by John Herschel
Also observed (Sep 19, 1862) by Heinrich d'Arrest
A magnitude 13.0 spiral galaxy (type (R'?)SB(s)bc?) in Pegasus (RA 22 35 56.4, Dec +20 19 20)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7316 (= GC 4809 = JH 2169 = WH III 180, d'Arrest, 1860 RA 22 29 11, NPD 70 24.1) is "faint, small, round, 8th magnitude star south-preceding (to southwest)." The position precesses to RA 22 35 56.0, Dec +20 19 18, well within the central region of the galaxy listed above, the description is perfect and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 5200 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7316 is about 240 to 245 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 205 to 220 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.1 by 0.9 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 70 to 75 thousand light-years across. The galaxy is listed as having a star-burst nucleus, undoubtedly part of the reason that it looks so bright in the wide-field image below.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7316
Below, a 1.05 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1.4 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image overexposes the central part of the galaxy, but shows its outer regions more clearly
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman, using Aladin Lite)
WORKING HERE: decide what to do about the Spitzer image
NGC 7317 (with NGC 7318, 7319 and 7320 = Stephan's Quintet
= Arp 319 = Hickson Compact Group 92)
(= PGC 69256 = CGCG 514-060 = MCG +06-49-038 = HCG 92E)
Discovered (Sep 27, 1873) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 13.6 lenticular galaxy (type E/SB0) in Pegasus (RA 22 35 51.9, Dec +33 56 42)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7317 (= GC 6061, Stephan list VIII (#19), 1860 RA 22 29 30, NPD 56 46.7) is "very faint, very small." The position precesses to RA 22 35 54.1, Dec +33 56 43, less than 0.5 arcmin nearly due east of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and all the other galaxies in the region are represented by Stephan's other observations on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 23, 1876. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list VIII. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: NGC 7317 is one of the four galaxies in Stephan's Quintet that are at about the same distance from us (NGC 7320 is merely a foreground galaxy), and are undoubtedly a physical group. In such a case, all of the distance-related information for the four galaxies should be combined to determine the best estimate of their distance. For the four, here are the relevant data:
For NGC 7317, 3K Vr = 6272 km/sec, redshift-independent distance estimates (RIDE) range from 65 to 108 Mpc
For NGC 7318, the western component (PGC 69260), 3K Vr = 6336 km/sec, RIDE ranges from 61.7 to 80.5 Mpc
For NGC 7318, the eastern component (PGC 69263), 3K Vr = 5447 km/sec, a single RIDE is about 60 Mpc
For NGC 7319, 3K Vr = 6421 km/sec, RIDE ranges from 14.1 to 75.4 Mpc
The average of these data is 3K Vr = 6119 km/sec, while the RIDE minimum and maximum values average 50 to 81 Mpc
Based on the average recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 6120 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that the Group is about 285 million light-years away, slightly greater than the "averaged" range of redshift-independent distance estimates of about 165 to 265 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the four members of the actual Group were about 278 million light-years away from us at the time the light by which we see them was emitted, about 281 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.76 by 0.63 arcmin (from the images below), NGC 7317 is about 60 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on Stephan's Quintet, also showing PGC 69279
Below, a 4 arcmin wide HST image of Stephan's Quintet, showing NGC 7318 near center
(Image Credit NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team)
Below, an unlabeled version of the image above (Image Credit as above)
Below, a 1 arcmin wide image of NGC 7317 (Image Credit as for the images above)
The spiral galaxy to the west is not listed in any catalog, so its relationship (if any) to NGC 7317 is unknown
Below, a 1.075 arcmin wide JWST image of the galaxy (Image Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI; CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman)
Below, a ? arcmin wide infrared image of the region shows (in false-color green) a region of gas larger than our Milky Way galaxy colliding with the esatern side of NGC 7318 at more than a million miles an hour. The shock wave caused by that collision heats up the gas (causing the radiation shown in the image) and compresses it, forming knots of hot, bright young stars seen scattered throughout the region in the visible-light images above. (Infrared Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/Max-Planck Institute/P. Appleton (Spitzer Science Center / Caltech), Spitzer Space Telescope)
NGC 7318 (with NGC 7317, 7319 and 7320 = Stephan's Quintet
= Arp 319 = Hickson Compact Group 92)
(="PGC 3168504")
(= PGC 69260 = UGC 12099 =CGCG 514-061 = MCG +06-49-039 = HCG 92D = "NGC 7318A"
+ PGC 69263 = UGC 12100 = CGCG 514-062 = MCG +06-49-040 = HCG 92B = "NGC 7318B")
Discovered (Sep 27, 1873) by �douard Stephan
A pair of interacting galaxies in Pegasus (RA 22 35 57.6, Dec +33 57 57)
PGC 69260 = A magnitude 13.4 elliptical galaxy (type E/SB0? pec) at RA 22 35 56.7, Dec +33 57 56
PGC 69263 = A magnitude 13.1 lenticular galaxy (type (R'?)SB(r?)b? pec) at RA 22 35 58.4, Dec +33 57 58
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7318 (= GC 6062, Stephan list VIII (#20), 1860 RA 22 29 35, NPD 56 45.5) is "extremely faint, extremely small." The position precesses to RA 22 35 59.1, Dec +33 57 55, about 0.3 arcmin due east of the center of the pair of galaxies listed above, the description fits and there is nothing nearby but the other galaxies that Stephan observed on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Discovery and Identification Notes: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 23, 1876. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list VIII. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC). Gottlieb notes that Stephan did not resolve the pair, so NGC 7318 consists of both galaxies (whence the deprecated designations NGC 7813A and B). Corwin's reduction of Stephan's offsets correspond to the position of the western component (PGC 69260), whereas Stephan's reduction is closer to the nucleus of the eastern component (PGC 69263) (though it should be noted that all of Stephan's positions were slightly to the east of his objects, so the errors are consistent). Because Corwin's position lies on the brighter member of the pair, he suggests that Stephan may not have seen the actual pair, but only the brighter western component; but since Stephan's position lies to the east of the center of the pair (a common situation for all the galaxies he observed that night), it is generally presumed that he saw the pair, albeit as only a single object. At any rate, the pair is undoubtedly interacting (Gottlieb notes that Shapley and Ames first suggested that in 1930), so their averaged position (shown just below the discovery date) is as adequate as any.
PGC Designation Oddity: HyperLEDA assigned a PGC designation not only for the two galaxies in this pair, but also for the NGC number, which is (as shown above) PGC 3168504; however, although a search for NGC 7318 brings up a minimal page for the pair, a search of the database for that PGC designation returns no result, hence its being placed in quotes. (A search for the PGC designations of the individual galaxies brings up detailed pages.).
Physical Information: NGC 7318 is two of the four galaxies in Stephan's Quintet that are at about the same distance from us (NGC 7320 is merely a foreground galaxy), and are undoubtedly a physical group. In such a case, all of the distance-related information for the four galaxies should be combined to determine the best estimate of their distance. See NGC 7317 for the calculations that show that the four galaxies were about 278 million light-years away from us at the time by which we see them was emitted, about 281 million years ago (the difference being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that, PGC 69260's apparent size of about 0.65 by 0.6 arcmin (from the images below) corresponds to about 50 to 55 thousand light-years, and PGC 69263's apparent size of 0.75 by 0.5 arcmin corresponds to about 60 thousand light-years, and the roughly 1.73 by 1.17 arcmin size of the entire system (including the scattered clouds to their north) corresponds to about 140 thousand light-years.
Recessional Velocity Difference: As the data listed in the calulations in the entry for NGC 7317 show, the two components of NGC 7318 have a difference in their recessional velocities of nearly 900 km/sec. Part of this is undoubtedly "peuliar velocities" (random motions relative to neighboring galaxies) normal in any group of galaxies, but most of it is undoubtedly due to an acceleration of the two toward each other as their decreasing distance from each other greatly accelerated whatever motions they had before their collision. Now that the collision is over and they are retreating from each other, their recessional velocities will probably change (over very long periods of time compared to any human timeframe) until they differ by only a couple of hundred km/sec.
For wide-field images of the Quintet, see NGC 7317
Below, a 1.6 by 2.0 arcmin wide image of NGC 7318 (Image Credit NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team)
Below, a labeled version of the image above
Below, a 1.5 by 2.0 arcmin wide JWST image of the pair (Image Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI; CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7319 (with NGC 7317, 7318 and 7320 = Stephan's Quintet
= Arp 319 = Hickson Compact Group 92)
(= PGC 69269 = UGC 12102 = CGCG 514-064 = MCG +06-49-041 = HCG 92C)
Discovered (Sep 27, 1873) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 13.1 spiral galaxy (type SB(s)b pec) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 03.6, Dec +33 58 33)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7319 (= GC 6063, Stephan list VIII (#21), 1860 RA 22 29 40, NPD 56 44.8) is "extremely faint, extremely small." The position precesses to RA 22 36 04.1, Dec +33 58 38, about 0.3 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy listed above (as with all Stephan's observations on that night, a little east of the correct position), the description fits and all the other galaxies in the area were found by Stephan on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 23, 1876. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list VIII. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: NGC 7319 is one of the four galaxies in Stephan's Quintet that are at about the same distance from us (NGC 7320 is merely a foreground galaxy), and are undoubtedly a physical group. In such a case, all of the distance-related information for the four galaxies should be combined to determine the best estimate of their distance. See NGC 7317 for the calculations that show that the four galaxies were about 278 million light-years away from us at the time by which we see them was emitted, about 281 million years ago (the difference being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.45 by 1.05 arcmin (from the images below), NGC 7319 is about 115 to 120 thousand light-years across, and with its strange south-southeastern arm its apparent size of about 2.75 by 1.5 arcmin corresonds to 220 to 225 thousand light-years. NGC 7319 is a Seyfert galaxy (type Sy 2).
For wide-field images of the Quintet, see NGC 7317
Below, a 2 arcmin wide HST image of NGC 7319 (Image Credit NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team)
(Being in a compact group, small parts of NGC 7318 and 7320 are also shown to its southwest in both images below)
Below, a 2.7 by 2.1 arcmin wide JWST image of NGC 7319 (Image Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI; CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman)
(The size was chosen to show all of the peculiar south-southeastern arm of the galaxy)
NGC 7320 (with NGC 7317, 7318 and 7319 = Stephan's Quintet
= Arp 319 = Hickson Compact Group 92)
(= PGC 69270 = UGC 12101 = CGCG 514-063 - MCG +06-49-042 =HCG 92A)
Discovered (Sep 27, 1873) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 12.6 spiral galaxy (type SA(s)cd?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 03.4, Dec +33 56 54)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7320 (= GC 6064, Stephan list VIII (#22), 1860 RA 22 29 41, NPD 56 46.5) is "faint, very small." The position precesses to RA 22 36 05.2, Dec +33 56 56, less than 0.4 arcmin nearly due east of the center of the galaxy listed above (an error consistent with all the galaxies Stephan discovered on the night in question), the description fits and there is nothing nearby except the other galaxies found by Stephan on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 23, 1876. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list VIII. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 450 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7320 is only a little over 20 million light-years away. However, for such small distances, peculiar velocities (random motions relative to neighboring galaxies) can significantly affect the distance estimate, and the value is considerably less than redshift-independent estimates of 45 to 60 million light-years; so for the purposes of this discussion, I have assumed an approximate distance of about 45 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.95 by 1.0 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is probably about 25 thousand light-years across.
Companionship Concerns: Although listed as a member of Stephan's Quintet (because discovered by Stephan at the same time, and in the same direction), NGC 7320 is unconnected to the other galaxies in the group, being at least five times closer to us. Instead, it is probably part of a small group which includes NGC 7331 (which see), which lies 30 arcmin to the north-northeast.
For wide-field images of the Quintet, see NGC 7317
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide HST image of NGC 7320 (Image Credit NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team)
Below, a 2.0 by 1.8 arcmin wide JWST image of NGC 7320 (Image Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI; CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman)
2MASXJ22363213+3347456
(= "PGC 3965656" = "NGC 7320A")
Not an NGC object but listed here because sometimes called NGC 7320A
A magnitude 15.0 spiral galaxy (type Sb? sp) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 32.2, Dec +33 47 45)
Warning About Non-Standard Designations: The use of NGC/IC designations plus letters is common but inconsistent, and has led to errors in assigning physical data for one galaxy to another; so I never use them for title of an entry, as seen above.
PGC Designation Note: The original PGC Catalog only had about 73,000 entries. However, HyperLEDA, being an online catalog, can assign PGC designations to millions of objects, although particularly for very large PGC designations, a search of the database for that designation returns no result. Unfortunately, that is the case for this galaxy (hence its designation being placed in quotes), and the only designations that any catalog recognizes is the 2MASX J(2000) position, and the non-standard "NGC 7320A".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 17305 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 3965656 is about 805 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 750 to 755 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 775 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.55 by 0.15 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 120 thousand light-years across.
Relationship to NGC 7320: Aside from being a considerable distance from NGC 7320 in the sky, this galaxy is at least 15 times further away from us than its namesake, so it is merely a background object, and assigning it a faux designation related to NGC 7320 is not only an abomination but ridiculous.
Classification Note: Since the galaxy is nearly "edge-on" (as indicated by "sp" = "spindle"), determining its type is uncertain at best; I have chosen Sb because of the apparent size of the nucleus, which is larger for "earlier" spirals, and smaller for "later" ones. The fact that the dust lane is on the northern side means that side of the galaxy is closer to us than the southern side.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on PGC 3965656
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 24 arcmin wide SDSS image showing the position of PGC 3965656 relative to Stephan's Quintet
Also shown are PGC 69279 and PGC 69346
PGC 69346
(= CGCG 514-072 = "NGC 7320B")
Not an NGC object but listed here because sometimes called NGC 7320B
A magnitude 14.8 spiral galaxy (type Sb? sp) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 28.1, Dec +33 55 23)
Warning About Non-Standard Designations: The use of NGC/IC designations plus letters is common but inconsistent, and has led to errors in assigning physical data for one galaxy to another; so I never use them for title of an entry, as seen above.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 6055 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 69346 is about 280 million light-years away, somewhat further than a single redshift-independent distance estimate of about 230 million light-years . However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 275 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, almost 280 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.72 by 0.18 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 45 to 50 thousand light-years across.
"Companionship" With NGC 7320: As in the case of the previous entry, PGC 69346 is not only far from NGC 7320 in the sky, but a much more distant bacground galaxy, so its faux designation is not only an abomination but ridiculous.
Classification: Also as in the case of the previous entry, this galaxy appears to be a "spindle", or "edge-on" galaxy, which explains the "sp" in its type, but also the uncertainty of its classification, since there is no indication of its nature except for the size of its nucleus. The lack of an obvious dust lane even makes it possible, albeit unlikely, that it is on the borderline between a lenticular and spiral galaxy — that is, of type S0/a.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on PGC 69346
Below, a 0.9 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
Below, a 24 arcmin wide SDSS image showing the position of PGC 69346 relative to Stephan's Quintet
Also shown are PGC 69279 and PGC 3965656
PGC 69279
(= MCG +06-49-043 = "NGC 7320C")
Not an NGC object but listed here because sometimes called NGC 7320C
A magnitude 15.5 lenticular galaxy (type (R)SAB0(s)/a?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 20.4, Dec +33 59 06)
Warning About Non-Standard Designations: The use of NGC/IC designations plus letters is common but inconsistent, and has led to errors in assigning physical data for one galaxy to another; so I never use them for title of an entry, as seen above.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 5960 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), PGC 69279 is about 275 million light-years away.. Given that and its apparent size of about 0.5 by 0.5 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 40 thousand light-years across.
Possible Connection With Stephan's Quintet: Although its recessional velocity is a bit low compared to Stephan's Quintet, PGC 69279's estimated distance is close to that of the Quintet, so unlike NGC 7320, which is a much closer foreground galaxy, PGC 69279 may be an actual member of the group. It is close to the Quintet in the sky, certainly not much closer to us, and its complex appearance would be consistent with a past interaction with the Quintet.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on PGC 69279
Below, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image showing Stephan's Quintet and PGC 69279
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7321
(= PGC 69287 = UGC 12103 = CGCG 452-031 = MCG +03-57-021)
Discovered (Nov 17, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Sep 13, 1830) by John Herschel
A magnitude 12.9 spiral galaxy (type (R')SB(rs)bc?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 28.0, Dec +21 37 18)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7321 (= GC 4811 = JH 2170 = WH III 237, 1860 RA 22 29 45, NPD 69 06.1) is "faint, small, irregularly round, very gradually a very little brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 36 28.4, Dec +21 37 21, only 0.1 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and well within its bright central region, the description fits and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 6795 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7321 is about 315 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 305 to 310 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 310 to 315 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.88 by 1.25 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 165 to 170 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7321, also showing PGC 69282
Below, a 1.8 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2.25 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image of the galaxy overexposes the core, but highlights faint arms
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman, using Aladin Lite)
PGC 69282
Not an NGC object but listed here as a physical pair with NGC 7321
A magnitude 15.5(?) spiral galaxy (type SAB(s)b pec?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 28.4, Dec +21 35 38)
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 6795 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 69282 is about 315 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 230 to 340 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 305 to 310 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 310 to 315 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.42 by 0.2 arcmin (from the image below), the galaxy is about 35 to 40 thousand light-years across.
Companionship Note: Since the recessional velocity of PGC 69282 is essentially identical to that of NGC 7321, it seems safe to say that they are a physical pair.
Above, a 0.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of PGC 69282 (for a wide-field image see NGC 7321)
NGC 7322 (= NGC 7334)
(= PGC 69365 = ESO 405-033 = MCG -06-49-010)
Discovered (Aug 30, 1834) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7322)
Discovered (Oct 23, 1835) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7334)
A magnitude 13.6 lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Grus (RA 22 37 51.5, Dec -37 13 52)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7322 (= GC 4812 = JH 3950, 1860 RA 22 29 46, NPD 127 57.2) is "very faint, small, very little extended, gradually brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 37 49.2, Dec -37 13 42, less than 0.5 arcmin west-northwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its outer halo, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 11290 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7322 is about 525 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 500 to 505 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 510 to 515 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.5 by 0.3 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 70 to 75 thousand light-years across.
Duplicate Entry: See NGC 7334 for a discussion of the blunder that led to the duplicate entry.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7322
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy (Image processing by Courtney Seligman using AladinLite)
NGC 7323
(= PGC 69311 = UGC 12108 = CGCG 452-034 = MCG +03-57-025)
Discovered (Sep 13, 1863) by Albert Marth
A magnitude 12.9 spiral galaxy (type (R)S(rs)bc?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 53.6, Dec +19 08 38)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7323 (= GC 6065, Marth #487, 1860 RA 22 30 06, NPD 71 35) is "pretty faint, pretty large, irregularly round." The position precesses to RA 22 36 52.8, Dec +19 08 29, only a quarter of an arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its outline, the description fits and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 5240 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7323 is about 245 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 255 to 265 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.27 by 1.03 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 90 thousand light-years across
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7323, also showing NGC 7324
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7324
(= PGC 69321 = CGCG 452-036 = MCG +03-57-026)
Discovered (Sep 13, 1863) by Albert Marth
A magnitude 13.9 lenticular galaxy (type (R)SB0 pec) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 00.9, Dec +19 08 47)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7324 (= GC 6066, Marth #488, 1860 RA 22 30 14, NPD 71 34) is "very faint, very small, nebulous star." The position precesses to RA 22 37 00.9, Dec +19 09 29, about 0.7 arcmin due north of the center of the galaxy listed above, the description fits (as faint as the galaxy is, any other description seems impossible for the telescope Marth used) and there is nothing nearby other than NGC 7323, discovered by Marth on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 9420 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7324 is about 435 to 440 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 420 to 425 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 430 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and an apparent size of about 0.75 by 0.45 arcmin for its central structure and about 1.9 by 0.95 arcmin including its fainter regions (from the images below), the central galaxy is about 90 to 95 thousand light-years across and the entire complex spans about 235 thousand light-years.
Classification Note: Typical SDSS images show the galaxy as an elongated elliptical galaxy centered between four stars (as a result LEDA lists it as type S0, and NED as type E5, suggesting that it should be listed as type E/S0); but enhancing the SDSS image (as done below) hints at a more complex structure, and the DESI Legacy image clearly shows a long stream of stars running through the middle of the galaxy, extending a little to the south and far more to the north, and an extended envelope surrounding the central galaxy. Based on that, I replaced the usual classification with the more complex "Type" in the description line above.
(Non)Relationship With NGC 7323: Since both NGC 7323 and 7324 have complex structures, it would be easy to presume that they are interacting with each other; but NGC 7324 is nearly 200 million light-years more distant than its apparent neighbor, so they are only an optical double.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7324, also showing NGC 7323
Below, a 2 arcmin SDSS image enhanced to show faint details hints at a complicated structure
Below, a 1.5 by 2.7 arcmin wide DESI Legacy image shows a very complex structure
(Image Credit Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute); CC 4.0 processing by Courtney Seligman using AladinLite)
NGC 7325 (not = PGC 69291)
(= "PGC 5067068")
Recorded (Sep 20, 1865) by Herman Schultz
Also observed (Sep 8, 1875) by John Dreyer
A magnitude 13.5(?) triplet of stars in Pegasus (RA 22 36 48.4, Dec +34 22 02)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7325 (= GC 6067, Schultz (#10, Nova VIII), 1860 RA 22 30 25, NPD 56 21.4) is "faint, very small, h 2172 following (to east)." (JH) 2172 being NGC 7331. The position precesses to (2000) RA 22 36 48.8, Dec +34 22 05, only about 0.05 arcmin northeast of a "pair" of stars (the northern star is actually a very close double, hence my describing it as a triplet above), and per the Discovery Note below, between the position and a sketch published in Lord Rosse's 1880 paper, it is certain that they are NGC 7325.
Discovery Note: Per Gottlieb, Dreyer measured an accurate position of this pair relative to NGC 7331 using the 72-inch telescope at Birr Castle, and it is shown (unlabeled) in a sketch of the companions of NGC 7331 in the 1880 publication of all Birr Castle observations from 1848 to 1878 (entry S233 in Historical Reference Papers for the NGC / IC Objects).
Misidentification Note: The RNGC and SIMBAD misidentify NGC 7325 as a magnitude 11.9 star superimposed on PGC 69291, a magnitude 16.1 galaxy a little over 8 arcmin northwest of NGC 7331, and 6 arcmin north-northwest of the position measured by Schultz and Dreyer, and shown in the sketch in Lord Rosse's publication. (The incorrect RNGC/SIMBAD identification is beyond the upper right edge of the image below, but is shown in the entry below.)
PGC Designation Note: As in the case of most NGC objects, HyperLEDA assigned a PGC designation to this object, even though it isn't a galaxy; but also as in most such cases, a search of the database for that designation returns no result, hence its being placed in quotes.
Physical Information: Per Gottlieb, the magnitude 14 star was all that he could see visually at 220 power, but at higher magnifications the magnitude 15 star was also visible, about 15 arsec to the south. The northern pair could not be resolved visually, but photographs show that it is a very close double. Since Gottlieb's magnitudes are presumably only approximate, the total brightness of the triplet must be closer to 13.5 than 14.0, but how close can't be known at the moment, since none of the standard star catalogues give any indication of their brightness. For that reason I have chosen to put 13.5(?) as the approximate visual brightness in the description line above.
An Oddity Involving Magnitudes: Gottlieb states that the the northern star is the brighter one, but in the photograph below it appears that the southern one is considerably brighter. The apparent error is caused by the fact that the northern pair is white-hot, and its maximum brightness is close to the range of colors visible to our eyes, while the southern star is very red, and the bulk of its radiation is in the infrared. Black and white images taken near a wavelength at which our eyes are most sensitive to light show that the southern star is indeed fainter when visually observed, despite looking much brighter in the images below.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7325, also showing NGC 7326, 7331 and 7333
PGC 69291 (not = NGC 7325 and probably not = NGC 7327)
Perhaps but probably not recorded (1882) by Wilhelm Tempel
Probably not an NGC object but listed here because misidentified as NGC 7325 by RNGC and SIMBAD
and tentatively (but still probably incorrectly) identified as NGC 7327 by LEDA and NED
A magnitude 16.1 elliptical galaxy (type E3?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 33.8, Dec 34 30 05)
Historical Misidentifications: As noted in the entry for NGC 7325, the RNGC and SIMBAD misidentified PGC 69291 as that NGC object. LEDA states that it is NGC 7327, and NED also lists it as NGC 7327, but notes that the identification is very uncertain, and that the NGC object could be a star. As discussed in the entry for NGC 7327 (which see), there are innumerable suggestions for what became NGC 7327, so although PGC 69291 might be NGC 7327, there is probably no hope of ever proving that.
Physical Information: The view of the galaxy is somewhat obscured by the 11.9 magnitude star superimposed on its western outline (listed in SIMBAD as PGC 69291 Star). In SDSS images, the star is a large blue dot that badly obscures the galaxy, but in the PanSTARRS images below the star appears white, making it even harder to distinguish the two objects in a wide-field view. Based on an approximate recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 8400 km/sec (per SIMBAD) and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc, a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 69291 is about 390 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 365 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 370 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.38 by 0.26 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 40 thousand light-years across.
Probable Companionship With PGC 69281: The SIMBAD recessional velocity for PGC 69291 matches the LEDA/NED recessional velocity for NGC 69281, which lies only 3.4 arcmin to the northwest, so they are probably physical companions.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on PGC 69291, also showing NGC 7325 and 7331, and PGC 69281
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy and the superimposed star
NGC 7326
(not PGC 69281)
Recorded (Oct 7, 1874) by Lawrence Parsons, 4th Lord Rosse
A magnitude 15.5 pair of stars in Pegasus (RA 22 36 52.0, Dec +34 25 23)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7326 (= GC 6068, 4th Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 22 30 27, NPD 56 18.2) is "considerably faint, extremely small, h 2172 following (to east)," (JH) 2172 being NGC 7331. The position precesses to (2000) RA 22 36 50.8, Dec +34 25 17, just under 1/4 arcmin west southwest of the pair listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is considered certain.
Discovery Note: Gottlieb notes that as in the case of NGC 7325 (which see), this very close pair is shown (unlabeled) in a sketch of the companions of NGC 7331, making the identification certain.
Misidentification Notes: The RNGC and SIMBAD misidentify NGC 7326 as PGC 69281, a galaxy about 12 arcmin northwest of NGC 7331, and almost as far from the pair of stars measured by Parsons and shown in the sketch in his publication. The correct position (shown in the description line), from Corwin's site, exactly corresponds to Lord Rosse's double star.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7326, showing NGC 7325, 7331, 7333 and 7335
Also shown is PGC 69291, the "incorrect RNGC/SIMBAD identification of NGC 7325"
Below, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image of the region between NGC 7331 & PGC 69281, the RNGC/SIMBAD misidentification of 7326
Also shown are NGC 7325, 7326, 7333 and the RNGC/SIMBAD incorrect NGC 7325 (PGC 69291)
PGC 69281 (not = NGC 7326)
(= PGC 69285 = CGCG 514-066 = MCG +06-49-044)
Not an NGC object but listed here because misidentified as NGC 7326 in the RNGC and SIMBAD
A magnitude 15.0(?) spiral galaxy (type S(r)a?) in Pegasus (RA 22 36 22.8, Dec +34 32 37)
Based on an approximate recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 8400 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 69281 is about 390 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 365 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 370 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.78 by 0.36 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 80 to 85 thousand light-years across.
Probable Companionship With PGC 69291: The SIMBAD recessional velocity for PGC 69291 matches the LEDA/NED recessional velocity for NGC 69281, and they aren't far from each other in the sky, so there is a good chance that they are physical companions.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image centered on PGC 69281, also showing probable companion PGC 69291
Below, a 1 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
WORKING HERE: A horrible mess, almost certainly impossible to solve
NGC 7327
Observed (1882) by Wilhelm Tempel
A lost object in Pegasus "near" RA 22 36 53.7, Dec +34 28 30
(possibly one of the multitudinous suggestions below, but quite possibly something else)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7327 (Temple list V, 1860 RA 22 30 30, NPD 56 15) is "extremely faint, considerably small, north-preceding (northwest of) h 2172," (JH) 2172 being NGC 7331. The position precesses to RA 22 36 53.7, Dec +34 28 30, but there is nothing there, whence the position for the "almost certainly lost" description line.
Definite Misidentification 1: Steinicke lists NGC 7327 as the magnitude 12.2 star at RA 22 37 24.5, Dec +34 25 42, but that is east of NGC 7331, while Tempel stated his nova was northwest of that galaxy, so Steinicke's identification must be wrong; but some references are bound to use the incorrect identification (as did this entry until I referred to Dreyer's and Corwin's notes on the subject).
Definite Misidentification 2: The RNGC states that the position of NGC 7327 is (2000) RA 22 36 50.8, Dec +34 28 48, but other than being northwest of NGC 7331, there is no understandable reason for that position. Usually, the creators of the RNGC chose the nearest bright object to an unidentifiable object, but since there is no bright object near that position, there is probably a typographical error in the catalog's equinox 1950.0 position.
Probable Misidentifications 3: LEDA and NED list this as the galaxy PGC 69291, but that is so far afield that it is almost certainly wrong. At least NED correctly adds "identification very uncertain; could be a star."
Gottlieb's Discovery Notes: Gottlieb writes that NGC 7327 is one of several nonexistent NGC entries near NGC 7331 (it probably does exist, but can't be identified). He states that Corwin suggests a mag 13 star near the tip of the northern extension of 7331 (as noted above, Corwin lists several possible stellar candidates), but writes that there are a number of fainter nearby stars that coud be 7327. Gottlieb also notes the (in my opinion extremely low) possibility that 7327 is the LEDA/NED candidate, PGC 69291, and adds that the RNGC calls that galaxy (certainly incorrectly) NGC 7325.
Corwin's Suggestions and Conclusion: WORKING HERE
Per Corwin, with a question mark, RA 22 36 33.0, Dec +34 30 05
Per Corwin, with a question mark and a star, RA 22 36 33.3, Dec +34 30 05
Per Corwin, with a question mark and gal, RA 22 36 33.7, Dec +34 30 05
Corwin also lists 3 stars and 3 double stars as possible candidates with even more question marks
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on the star Steinicke misidentifies as NGC 7327
Also shown are NGC 7331, 7333, 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340
Below, a ? arcmin wide SDSS image of the region to the west of NGC 7331; question marks indicate the candidates listed above
NGC 7328
(= PGC 69349 = UGC 12118 = CGCG 429-015 = MCG +02-57-007)
Discovered (Oct 12, 1825) by John Herschel
A magnitude 13.1 spiral galaxy (type (R')Sab?) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 29.3, Dec +10 31 54)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7328 (= GC 4813 = JH 2171, 1860 RA 22 30 31, NPD 80 11.7) is "considerably faint, pretty small, a little extended 90�, very gradually a little brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 37 29.0, Dec +10 31 49, only 0.1 arcmin nearly due south of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its bright central region, the description is perfect and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 2460 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7328 is about 115 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 108 to 133 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.95 by 0.75 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 65 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7328
Below, a 2.5 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7329
(= PGC 69453 = ESO 109-012)
Discovered (Jul 20, 1835) by John Herschel
Also observed (1898 - 1901) by DeLisle Stewart
A magnitude 11.3 spiral galaxy (type SB(r)bc?) in Tucana (RA 22 40 24.2, Dec -66 28 44)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7329 (= GC 4814 = JH 3951, 1860 RA 22 30 37, NPD 157 12.3) is "pretty bright, pretty small, much extended 90°." The position precesses to RA 22 40 24.9, Dec -66 28 40, essentially dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Per Gottlieb, Stewart's observation at Harvard's Arequipa Station included the note "!!(A most remarkable object) Elliptical and spiral form".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 3150 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7329 is about 145 to 150 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 70 to 175 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 4.2 by 2.7 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 180 thousand light-years across.
Use By The de Vaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 7329 is used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of galaxy type SB(r)b.
Classification Note: LEDA and NED list this galaxy as type SBcd and SB(s)d, respectively; based on the images below I have used a slight modification of the de Vaucouleurs "type" in the description line
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7329
Below, a 4.25 arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit & © Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey; used by permission)
Below, a 2.8 arcmin image of part of the galaxy (Image Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess et al.; alignment & sizing by Courtney Seligman)
Below, a 2.8 arcmin image of the central galaxy (Image Credit as above)
WORKING HERE: REMOVE ARTIFACT FROM PANSTARRS IMAGE
NGC 7330
(= PGC 69314 = UGC 12111 = CGCG 514-067 = MCG +06-49-046)
Discovered (Sep 27, 1869) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 12.2 elliptical galaxy (type E1/2?) in Lacerta (RA 22 36 56.2, Dec +38 32 53)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7330 (= GC 6069, Stephan list II (#30), 1860 RA 22 30 40, NPD 52 10.6) is "pretty bright, small, a little extended, brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 36 56.3, Dec +38 32 54, essentially dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Jul 26, 1870. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list II. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 4930 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7330 is about 230 million light-years away. Given that and its apparent size of about 1.25 by 1.05 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 80 to 85 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7330
Below, a 2 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy (will try to remove artifact on last run-through)
WORKING HERE: Properly align & measure apparent size of SEVERAL images
NGC 7331
(= C30 = PGC 69327 = UGC 12113 = CGCG 514-068 = MCG +06-49-045)
Discovered (Sep 6, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Nov 17, 1827) by John Herschel
Also observed (Aug 17, 1849) by George Stoney
Also observed (Sep 16, 1854) by R. J. Mitchell
A magnitude 9.5 spiral galaxy (type SA(r?)b) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 04.1, Dec +34 24 57)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7331 (= GC 4815 = JH 2172 = WH I 53, 1860 RA 22 30 40, NPD 56 18.5) is "bright, pretty large, pretty much extended 163�, suddenly much brighter middle." The position precesses to RA 22 37 03.9, Dec +34 25 00, less than 0.2 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and well within its bright central region, the description is perfect and there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Per Gottlieb, John Herschel noted that if his observation was of his father's I 53, then WH's polar distance "is 9' out". That was correct, and father and son did see the same object. Stoney, the 3rd Lord Rosse's assistant at the time, wrote "the preceding edge is well defined and Nucleus near it. I strongly suspected an extremely faint branch (spiral arm) from south end round following and north and then preceding of preceding edge (west of the western edge). A month later, both Stoney and Lord Rosse observed the nebula, and a sketch (#39) by R. J. Mitchell (made on the date shown for his observation, when he was the Earl's assistant) published in Lord Rosse's 1861 Monograph "clearly shows the dust lane along the major axis".
LEDA Sbc; NED SA(s)b, RIDE 7.2 - 22.9 Mpc (HST Cepheids 45 Mly), 3K Vr 490 km/sec => 22.8 Mpc
"Companion" Note: Per Gottlieb, NGC 7331 is the brightest galaxy in a small group which includes NGC 7320. He also calls NGC 7335 the brightest companion of all the galaxies near 7331, but in that case the term "companion" only means that they are neighbors in the sky, because NGC 7335 is about 15 times more distant than NGC 7320 and 7331, which are about the same distance from us, and part of an actual group of galaxies.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 490 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7331 is about 23 million light-years away, in fair agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 23 to 75 million light-years and an HST estimate (discussed below) of 45 million light-years. Since for such small recessional velocities "peculiar velocities" (random motions of galaxies relative to their neighbors) can easily change the redshift distance estimate by 5 or more million light-years, the most reasonable distance estimate is probably a bit larger than the recessional velocity distance, or about 25 to 30 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 10.5 by 3.8 arcmin (from the images below), NGC 7331 is about 85 to 90 thousand light-years in diameter, or almost the same size as our galaxy.
HST Press Release: According to the press release for the HST image at the bottom, in many respects NGC 7331 is "just like our Milky Way galaxy". It has a (supposedly) similar size, similar numbers and types of stars, and a similar spiral structure. However, as the press release notes, it does not have the central bar that our galaxy is now known to have, and the stars in its core are rotating around the center of the galaxy in the opposite direction from the stars in the spiral arms and disk. But if the HST distance estimate is correct, then the galaxy is almost 140 thousand light-years in diameter, which is considerably larger than our galaxy, so though in some ways similar to our galaxy, it isn't really "just like our... galaxy".
Use By The de Vaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 7331 is used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of galaxy type SA(r:)b. The colon is considered the same as a question mark, so I have made that change in the description line for this entry.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image of NGC 7331, also showing NGC 7325, 7326, 7333, 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7338
Below, a 14 arcmin wide image of the region taken with the LAICA camera on a 3.5 meter Zeiss telescope
The unusual color palette was chosen so that the average color of the entire galaxy is "white", as it would look to a visual observer
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond, purportedly CC 2.0)
Below, a ? arcmin wide image of the region
(Image Credit Paul Mortfield/Dietmar Kupke/Flynn Haase/NOAO/AURA/NSF)
Below, a ? arcmin wide image (Image Credit & © Jim Misti, Misti Mountain Observatory; used by permission)
Below, a ? arcmin wide infrared image of the galaxy
(Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Regan (STScI), SINGS Team, Spitzer)
Below, a 2 by 3 arcmin wide HST image of part of the galaxy (North at top)
(Image Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University))
NGC 7332
(= PGC 69342 = PGC 1693857 = UGC 12115 = CGCG 474-012 = MCG +04-53-008)
Discovered (Sep 19, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Aug 17, 1828) by John Herschel
A magnitude 11.1 lenticular galaxy (type SB?00 sp pec?) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 24.5, Dec +23 47 54)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7332 (= GC 4821 = JH 2173 = WH II 233, 1860 RA 22 30 44, NPD 66 55.6) is "considerably bright, small, much extended 156�, suddenly much brighter middle and nucleus, preceding (western) of 2," the other being NGC 7339. The position precesses to RA 22 37 24.6, Dec +23 47 55, essentially dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description is perfect and there is nothing nearby except NGC 7339, also discovered by William Herschel on the same night, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 845 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7332 is about 40 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 20 to 75 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of about 3.65 by 1.1 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 40 to 45 thousand light-years across. (Based on the Possible Companionship noted below, the distance may be closer to 45 million light-years, in which case the apparent size would correspond to about 45 to 50 thousand light-years.)
Use By The de Vaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 7332 is used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of galaxy type S00 sp, "sp" standing for "spindle", or a nearly "edge-on" galaxy.
Classification Note: LEDA lists this as type SB0, and NED as S0 sp pec, the LEDA classification presumably being due to the extreme elongation of the galaxy, and the "pec" in the NED to the more or less circular structure surrounding the core. In many lenticular galaxies seen edge-on, that more or less circular structure assumes an "X"-like shape, and perhaps one of the observers mentioned in the NED thought that this galaxy has such a structure. As a result, I have used the de Vaucouleurs classification, but added "B?" because of the LEDA classification, and "pec?" because of the NED classification. In any event, determining the correct type for an edge-on galaxy is very difficult, so almost any part of the type could have had a question mark added.
Possible Companionship: The recessional velocities of NGC 7332 and 7339 differ by only 140 km/sec, which is within the range of "peculiar velocities" (random motions of galaxies relative to their neighbors, so it is possible that they are a physical pair. The fact that they are both nearly edge-on to our line of sight makes it nearly impossible to tell if they have any peculiarities which could be due to past interactions between them, so this can only be a speculation; but it does seem worth mentioning the possibility.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7332, also showing NGC 7339
Below, a 3.6 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7333
(= "PGC 5067642")
Recorded (Sep 20, 1865) by Herman Schultz
A magnitude 15.1 double star in Pegasus (RA 22 37 11.6, Dec +34 26 14)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7333 (= GC 6070, Schultz (Nova IX), 1860 RA 22 30 48, NPD 56 17.3) is "very faint, very small, preceding (west of) h 2174", (JH) 2174 being NGC 7335. The position precesses to RA 22 37 11.9, Dec +34 26 13, less than 0.05 arcmin southeast of the southern member of the pair of stars listed above, the description (including the position relative to NGC 7335) is perfect and there are no other objects nearby that could fit the entry, so the identification is absolutely certain.
NGC Note: In the NGC notes Dreyer states "Not noticed at Birr nor by Tempel, nor does it occur in an Armagh observation of 1886." This is understandable, since all the observers involved were looking for a nebulous object, so the double star wouldn't have drawn any notice.
Description and Position Note: Schultz's 1874 and 1875 papers use the abbreviated description 552*0 for his Nova IX, which per their introductions translates as "very or extremely small, very or extremely faint, very slightly extended, stellar". The 1875 paper is far more compact, and therefore convenient for a "quick but dirty" look at his observations of NGC ("Herschel-Nebel") objects; but the 1874 paper (which has his Nova IX on page 56), though a little more difficult to use, provides a far more accurate position than "west of h2174", and is the source of the NGC position.
PGC Designation Note: Like most NGC objects, HyperLEDA assigned a PGC designation to this object, even though it isn't a galaxy; but also as in most such cases, a search of the database for that designation returns no result, so it is placed in quotes.
Warning About Modern Errors: Despite the absolute certainty that NGC 7333 is the double star listed above, there are at least four modern errors about the identification of NGC 7333. Hopefully, most readers of this entry will not have been misled by any of these errors, making this series of short paragraphs pointless, but having read or seen so many of them myself, I felt it best to make sure that no one who reads this will have any reason to believe such blunders.
(1) Per VizieR, the RNGC puts it at (2000) RA 22 37 14.8, Dec +34 26 48, which lies in a completely empty region about 0.9 arcmin northeast of Schultz's double star. Since there's nothing similar to NGC 7333 near the RNGC position, anyone trying to identify the object should choose Schultz's (double) star as NGC 7333, but the poor position could make it possible to think that the object was "lost or nonexistent".
(2) I have seen statements that the RNGC got its position from Dorothy Carlson's 1940 paper, but her paper contained no positions at all — it was mostly just a list of NGC/IC objects to be struck out for one reason or another. In the case of NGC 7333, she misinterpreted Karl Reinmuth's 1926 paper, which described it as "a magnitude 15 star preceded by 0.7 arcmin by a magnitude 14 star", and concluded that Reinmuth meant that it was two stars separated by 0.7 arcmin (hence her calling it a double star). But that can't possibly be a correct description of NGC 7333, because no pair of stars separated by that distance could be called "very small", and if Reinmuth had thought that the two stars were NGC 7333, his position would have been halfway between them. But his position was simply the 1860 NGC position precessed to 1875 and rounded off a bit; and the rounding-0ff, though it placed NGC 7333 about 0.5 arcmin southeast of Schultz's star, could only lead to a confirmation of Schultz's observation. So Reinmuth was actually describing the region near 7333, by noting that there was a star to its west. This sort of description of the region near an NGC object is often a critical clue in determining the true location of an object (especially if it has a poor position), and did not mean that NGC 7333 was two widely separated stars (although it did turn out to be an extremely close double star).
(3) Table 2 (a list of erroneous RNGC identifications in the region) in the article "NGC 7331 And Its Ambiguous Companions" in Deep Sky magazine #16 stated that Carlson placed 7333 north-northwest of NGC 7331, which is wrong in two ways — first, as already noted, Carlson never stated where 7333 was, and second, the 1975 RNGC position listed in said Table 2 is exactly the same as the (2000) position shown in note (1) of this warning, and is therefore not north-northwest of NGC 7331, but well to its northeast.
(4) There is also a claim that Reinmuth's 7333 was the star 0.7 arcmin west of Schultz's position. I can only presume that whoever made that claim mistakenly thought that in Reinmuth's description, Schultz's star was the eastern member of a pair, and the western star was the member 0.7 arcmin to its west, and since as already noted no double star separated by 0.7 arcmin could possibly be mistaken for an "extremely small" nebula, inexplicably took just the western star to be Reinmuth's 7333. (This is usually presented as an image of the region showing the correct NGC 7333 labeled as such, and the star to its west labeled as "Reinmuth's 7333", which as Lawrence Aller used to say, is just "rubbish".)
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on the double star listed as NGC 7333
Also shown are NGC 7325, 7326, 7331, 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7338
Below, a 0.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of NGC 7333
NGC 7334 (= NGC 7322)
(= PGC 69365 = ESO 405-033 = MCG -06-49-010)
Discovered (Aug 30, 1834) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7322)
Discovered (Oct 23, 1835) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 7334)
A magnitude 13.6 lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Grus (RA 22 37 51.5, Dec -37 13 52)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7334 (= GC 4822 = JH 3950?, 1860 RA 22 30 50, NPD 127 55.8) is "most extremely faint (= GC 4812?)," the parenthetic question showing that Dreyer thought this might be the same as GC 4812 (= NGC 7322). The position precesses to RA 22 38 52.5, Dec -37 12 13, but there is nothing there, except for a galaxy almost exactly 1 minute of time to the west, which Herschel discovered in 1834 (NGC 7322). And as the Discovery Note explains, there is no doubt that NGC 7334 is a misrecorded observation of the previously discovered nebula, so the duplicate identification shown at the start of this entry is considered absolutely certain.
Discovery Note: Per Gottlieb, Herschel's 1835 observation read "most extremely faint; barely, but certainly seen" and Herschel later added the following (brackets indicate comments by Gottlieb): "the observation makes the RA 29 min 6.5 sec [instead of 28 min], and as the PD fails of a perfect agreement [with his previous observations of what became NGC 7322], it is not impossible that this may be a different nebula." When Herschel compiled his Cape Catalog he put all three observations (two in 1834 and the one in 1835) under the single entry (JH) 3950, indicating that he had decided that all three observations were of the same object; but in the GC he included a second entry at the original incorrect position, which despite Dreyer's doubts (the = GC 4812? mentioned above), that entry became NGC 7334. Hence the already noted universal agreement that NGC 7322 = NGC 7334, with a 1 minute error in the latter's RA.
Physical Information: Given the duplicate entry, see NGC 7322 for anything else.
NGC 7335
(= PGC 69338 = UGC 12116 = CGCG 514-069 = MCG +06-49-047)
Discovered (Sep 13, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Aug 19, 1828) by John Herschel
Also observed (Sep 10, 1849) by George Stoney
Also observed (Sep 10, 1849) by William Parsons, 3rd Lord Rosse
A magnitude 13.3 lenticular galaxy (type (R)S(nr,r)0/a?) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 19.4, Dec +34 26 52)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7335 (= GC 4823 = JH 2174 = WH III 166, 1860 RA 22 30 56, NPD 56 16.7) is "very faint, very small (B of 3rd Lord Rosse)," the parenthetic note indicating that this was labeled B in a sketch of the region observed by the Earl and his assisant. The position precesses to RA 22 37 20.0, Dec +34 26 50, only about 0.1 arcmin nearly due east of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its bright core, the description and sketch are a perfect fit, and although there are other galaxies in the region, none of them could be such a perfect fit, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Most of the discoveries attributed to the 3rd Lord Rosse were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case George Stoney. But as shown in the 1880 publication of Birr Castle observations from 1848 - 1878, the Earl and Stoney both examined the region near NGC 7331 in detail on Sep 10, 1849. Two nights later Stoney measured the position of the "4 knots following" that galaxy, which were labeled with various letters in their notes and in sketches of the region. Whether Rosse was present when Stoney measured the positions isn't clear, but he was present when they were first observed, so both of them are credited with observing NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340, which represent the NGC designations of the 4 "knots".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 5970 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7335 is about 275 to 280 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 270 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 275 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.9 by 0.4 arcmin for the bright inner regions and of about 1.45 by 0.8 arcmin for the fainter outer region (from the images below), the central galaxy is about 70 thousand light-years in diameter, while the entire structure spans about 115 thousand light-years.
Classification Note: Despite the dusty ring between the inner and outer rings, there is no sign of spiral structure, so NGC 7335 must be classified as a lenticular (it wouldn't be at all inappropriate to change the type to "S0/a pec!!"); but it is as close to the dividing line between spiral and lenticular galaxies as it is possible for any galaxy to be.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7335
Also shown are NGC 7326, 7331, 7333, 7336, 7337, 7338 and 7340
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy, also showing J223716.86+342702
Below, a 1.8 arcmin wide image of NGC 7335 and its "companion" cropped from the LAICA image of NGC 7331
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond, background darkened by Courtney Seligman per CC 2.0)
J223716.86+342702
(= WISEA J223716.91+342702.2 = USNO-A2 1200-19352601)
Not an NGC object but listed here as an apparent sompanion of NGC 7335
A magnitude 18(?) spiral galaxy (type SB(s)b?) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 16.9, Dec +34 27 02)
Physical Information: This is an extremely faint, extremely small object, and although NED lists it as the WISEA designation shown above, it has no information about it. The USNO-A2 catalog treats it as a star of B magnitude 18.4, which suggests a V magnitude around 18, as shown above. No other catalog appears to even acknowledge its existence. Although its apparent size can be estimated at about 0.225 by 0.13 arcmin (from the image below), its actual size is unknown. However, since it appears to be a spiral galaxy, it must be a very distant background galaxy, and not an actual companion of NGC 7335.
Classification Note: SDSS and PanSTARRS images give the impression that it is a spiral galaxy, and the DESI Legacy image shown below confirms that.
Above, a 0.27 arcmin wide image of the galaxy cropped from the LAICA image of NGC 7331
(See NGC 7335 for wide-field images)
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond; baclground darkened by Courtney Seligman per CC 2.0)
NGC 7336
(= PGC 69337 = MCG +06-49-049)
Discovered (Sep 10, 1849) by George Stoney
Also observed (Sep 10, 1849) by William Parsons, 3rd Lord Rosse
A magnitude 14.5 spiral galaxy (type (R'?)SAB(nr,rs)b?) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 21.9, Dec +34 28 54)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7336 (= GC 4816, 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 22 30 59, NPD 56 14.8) is "extremely faint, very small (C)," the parenthetic note indicating that this was labeled C in a sketch of the region observed by the Earl and his assistant. The position precesses to RA 22 37 22.9, Dec +34 28 44, only 1/4 arcmin southeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its outline, the description and sketch fit, and there is nothing else nearby that isn't otherwise accounted for, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Most of the discoveries attributed to the 3rd Lord Rosse were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case George Stoney. But as shown in the 1880 publication of Birr Castle observations from 1848 - 1878, the Earl and Stoney both examined the region near NGC 7331 in detail on Sep 10, 1849. Two nights later Stoney measured the position of the "4 knots following" that galaxy, which were labeled with various letters in their notes and in sketches of the region. Whether Rosse was present when Stoney measured the positions isn't clear, but he was present when they were first observed, so both of them are credited with observing NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340, which represent the NGC designations of the 4 "knots".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 8475 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7336 is about 395 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 380 to 385 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 385 to 390 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and the apparent size of about 0.7 by 0.3 arcmin for the central galaxy and about 0.9 by 0.45 arcmin including the faint outer region (from the images below), the central galaxy is about 75 to 80 thousand light-years in diameter, and the faint outer regions span about 100 thousand light-years.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7336; also shown are NGC 7331, 7333, 7335, 7338 and 7340
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1 arcmin wide image of NGC 7336 cropped from the LAICA image of NGC 7331
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond, purportedly CC 2.0)
NGC 7337
(= PGC 69344 = UGC 12120 = CGCG 514-071 = MCG +06-49-050)
Discovered (Sep 10, 1849) by George Stoney
Also observed (Sep 10, 1849) by William Parsons, 3rd Lord Rosse
Photographed (1898-1900) by James Keeler
A magnitude 14.4 spiral galaxy (type (R)SB(nr,s)bc? pec) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 26.6, Dec +34 22 27)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7337 (= GC 4817, 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 22 31 03, NPD 56 21.2) is "extremely faint, small, stellar (E)," the parenthetic note indicating that this was labeled E in a sketch of the region observed by the Earl and his assistant. The position precesses to RA 22 37 27.2, Dec +34 22 20, less than 0.2 arcmin southeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and almost on top of the bright foreground star that probably made it appear nearly stellar, the description and sketch are a perfect fit and there is nothing nearby that could be confused with this object, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Most of the discoveries attributed to the 3rd Lord Rosse were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case George Stoney. But as shown in the 1880 publication of Birr Castle observations from 1848 - 1878, the Earl and Stoney both examined the region near NGC 7331 in detail on Sep 10, 1849. Two nights later Stoney measured the position of the "4 knots following" that galaxy, which were labeled with various letters in their notes and in sketches of the region. Whether Rosse was present when Stoney measured the positions isn't clear, but he was present when they were first observed, so both of them are credited with observing NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340, which represent the NGC designations of the 4 "knots".
Additional Note: Per Gottlieb, although Stoney's position was accurate, the galaxy was listed as #716 out of 744 "new" nebulae and clusters found on photographs (mostly of bright nearby galaxies, such as NGC 7331), in the 1908 Lick Observatory publication (Vol. VIII) Photographs of Nebulae and Clusters Made With The Crossley Reflector, by James Howard Keeler, Director of the Lick Observatory, 1898-1900, which was meant to serve as a tribute to Keeler, who died in 1900.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 6255 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7337 is about 290 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 284 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 287 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.33 by 1.25 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 110 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7337, also showing NGC 7331, 7333, 7335, 7338 and 7340
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide image of NGC 7337 cropped from the LAICA image of NGC 7331
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond; background darkened by Courtney Seligman per CC 2.0)
NGC 7338
(= "PGC 5067752")
Recorded (1882) by Wilhelm Tempel
Perhaps a magnitude 14.6 and 16.4 pair of stars in Pegasus (RA 22 37 31.3, Dec +34 24 50)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7338 (Tempel list V, 1860 RA 22 31 03, NPD 56 18) is "extremely faint, extremely small, south-following (southeast of) h 2174," (JH) 2174 being NGC 7335. The position precesses to RA 22 37 27.1, Dec +34 25 32, but there is nothing there nor near there except for scattered stars. The Discovery Note explains the reasons for the choice of the pair listed above as NGC 7338, and they are a "reasonable" choice, but as noted in the NED, "the NGC identification is not certain". It is simply a best guess based on what Temple wrote, and what the photographs below show.
Discovery Note: Temple didn't measure the position of this object. He merely stated that it was "between the four brighter companions [the four "knots" observed by Lord Rosse and George Stoney, which became NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340], closer to the southern two [NGC 7337 and 7340]." Gottlieb notes that there are no galaxies that fit that description that Temple could have seen, so 7338 probably refers to a single or double star. Corwin suggested that it is probably the faint double about 3 arcmin southeast of NGC 7335, which forms an isosceles triangle with 7337 and 7340, and that is the pair listed above.
Warning About Earlier Misidentification: Until recently, Steinicke's databases listed NGC 7338 as a star at RA 22 36 46.8, Dec +34 27 47, but that is west of NGC 7331, and nowhere near "the four brighter companions" noted by Temple, so that identification is certainly wrong; as a result he has recently changed the position to RA 22 37 30, Dec +34 26 00, which is in the right area, but unlike Corwin, he is reluctant to assign any of the objects in that region to the NGC designation, and simply lists it as "not found". Unfortunately, because his site is one of the most important references for the history of the NGC, and has been online for decades, there are bound to be several references that use the original incorrect identification (as did this site until I looked at Gottlieb and Corwin's notes about Temple's description of whatever he saw). For that reason, a warning about the earlier erroneous designation seems in order.
PGC Designation Note: As usual for most NGC objects, HyperLEDA assigned a PGC designation to this entry, even though it isn't a galaxy; but as also usual in such cases, a search of the database for that designation fails to return an entry, so it is placed in quotes.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on the pair of stars listed as NGC 7338
Also shown are NGC 7331, 7333, 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340
NGC 7339
(= PGC 69364 = UGC 12122 = CGCG 474-013 = MCG +04-53-009)
Discovered (Sep 19, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Aug 17, 1828) by John Herschel
A magnitude 12.2 spiral galaxy (type SBc sp) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 46.9, Dec +23 47 13)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7339 (= GC 4824 = JH 2175 = WH II 234, 1860 RA 22 31 06, NPD 66 56.4) is "faint, pretty small, much extended 89�, very gradually a little brighter middle, following (eastern) of 2," the other being NGC 7332. The position precesses to RA 22 37 46.7, Dec +23 47 09, less than 0.1 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy listed above and well within its bright central region, the description is perfect (including its position relative to NGC 7332) and there is nothing else nearby other than that "companion", discovered by William Herschel on the same night, so the identification is certain.
LEDA SABb; NED RIDE 15.3 - 29.1 Mpc, SAB(s)bc?, 3K Vr 987 km/sec
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 985 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7339 is about 45 million light-years away, in fair agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 50 to 95 million light-years. For such small recessional velocities, as noted in the paragraph about Possible Companionship below, "peculiar velocities" can substantially alter the distance obtained from the CMB recessional velocity. But given the possibility that NGC 7332 and 7339 are companions, 45 million light-years is probably a reasonable estimate of the distance of either or both of those galaxies. Given that and its apparent size of about 2.75 by 0.6 arcmin (from the images below), NGC 7339 is a little over 35 thousand light-years in diameter.
Use By The de Vaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 7339 is used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of galaxy type Sbc sp, "sp" standing for "spindle", or a nearly "edge-on" galaxy. Since the galaxy is seen edge-on, any classification is uncertain, so I have simply used the one in the de Vaucouleurs Atlas.
Possible Companionship: The recessional velocities of NGC 7332 and 7339 differ by only 140 km/sec, which is within the range of "peculiar velocities" (random motions of galaxies relative to their neighbors, so it is possible that they are a physical pair. The fact that they are both nearly edge-on to our line of sight makes it nearly impossible to tell if they have any peculiarities which could be due to past interactions between them, so this can only be speculation; but it does seem worth mentioning the possibility.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7339, also showing NGC 7332
Below, a 3.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7340
(= PGC 69362 = CGCG 514-075 = MCG +06-49-052)
Discovered (Sep 10, 1849) by George Stoney
Also observed (Sep 10, 1849) by William Parsons, 3rd Lord Rosse
A magnitude 13.7 lenticular galaxy (type SAB?0- pec) in Pegasus (RA 22 37 44.2, Dec +34 24 36)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7340 (= GC 4818, 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 22 31 20, NPD 56 19.0) is "very faint, very small, (D of 3rd Lord Rosse)," the parenthetic note indicating that this was labeled D in a sketch of the region observed by the Earl and his assistant. The position precesses to RA 22 37 44.2, Dec +34 24 33, less than 1/20th of an arcmin south of the center of the galaxy listed above, the description and sketch are a perfect fit and there is nothing else close enough to matter, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Most of the discoveries attributed to the 3rd Lord Rosse were actually made by one of his assistants, in this case George Stoney. But as shown in the 1880 publication of Birr Castle observations from 1848 - 1878, the Earl and Stoney both examined the region near NGC 7331 in detail on Sep 10, 1849. Two nights later Stoney measured the position of the "4 knots following" that galaxy, which were labeled with various letters in their notes and in sketches of the region. Whether Rosse was present when Stoney measured the positions isn't clear, but he was present when they were first observed, so both of them are credited with observing NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340, which represent the NGC designations of the 4 "knots".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 6075 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7340 is about 280 to 285 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 275 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 280 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.47 by 0.34 arcmin for the bright central region and about 0.9 by 0.75 arcmin for the fainter "halo" (from the images below), the central galaxy is about 35 to 40 thousand light-years across, and its outer regions span about 70 to 75 thousand light-years.
Classification: There are an unusually large number of faint starlike dots visible within the confines of the galaxy, and since there are no similar features in the surrounding region, they are probably ancient globular clusters that formed in two or more galaxies which merged a very long time ago, and as is expected to eventually happen in most such cases, although the resulting structure is a lenticular or elliptical galaxy, many of the globulars that formed in the original galaxies still survive in the one we now see. I don't recall seeing such obvious relics of the past in any of the other galaxies I've dealt with lately, but per Harold Corwin, there are a few others out there. LEDA and NED list this as an elliptical galaxy, and I originally classified this as the "borderline" type E/S0? pec, but Corwin suggested adding the superscribed minus sign instead, and the possibility of a barlike feature with the "B?" (the A is underlined to indicate that it is more obvious). And although the galaxy is certainly on the borderline between elliptical and lenticular, most ellipticals just smoothly fade away as you go from the center to their outer regions, whereas NGC 7340 has a much brighter core than its corona, which makes it feel more like an odd lenticular to me, and justifies the "pec".
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7340, also showing NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7338
Below, a 1.25 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 1.25 arcmin wide image of NGC 7340 cropped from the LAICA image of NGC 7331
(Image Credit Calar Alto/Descubre/DSA/OAUV/Vicent Peris/Gilles Bergond; background slightly darkened by Courtney Seligman per CC 2.0)
NGC 7341
(= PGC 69412 = ESO 534-011 = MCG -04-53-027)
Discovered (Jul 20, 1885) by Francis Leavenworth
Also observed (Oct 29, 1888) by Ormond Stone
A magnitude 12.3 spiral galaxy (type (R'?)SAB(rs)b?) in Aquarius (RA 22 39 05.5, Dec -22 40 00)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7341 (Leavenworth list I (#255), 1860 RA 22 31, NPD 113 25.3) is "pretty faint, pretty small, extended, a little brighter middle." The first IC lists a corrected (1860) RA (per Ormond Stone) of 22 31 27 (Stone's published position was (1890) RA 22 33 05.66, Dec -23 12 30.2). The corrected position precesses to RA 22 39 06.1, Dec -22 41 41, about 1.7 arcmin nearly due south of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 4115 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7341 is about 190 million light-years away, considerably further than redshift-independent distance estimates of about 105 to 150 million light-years. Using the recessional velocity distance and its apparent size of about 2.2 by 1.05 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 120 to 125 thousand light-years across. Its unusually bright nucleus suggests that it may be a Seyfert galaxy, but it is not classified as one.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7341
Below, a 2.7 arcmin wide DSS image of the galaxy
Below, a 2.5 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7342
(= PGC 69374 = UGC 12126 = CGCG 514-076 = MCG +06-49-054)
Discovered (Aug 28, 1872) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 13.9 spiral galaxy (type (R?)SB(rs)b?) in Pegasus (RA 22 38 13.1, Dec +35 29 56)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7342 (= GC 6071, Stephan list IV (#14), 1860 RA 22 31 51, NPD 55 13.7) is "extremely faint, very small." The position precesses to RA 22 38 13.6, Dec +35 29 54, less than 0.1 arcmin east-southeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and on the edge of the bright central core, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually, the discovery date for this object is given as Sep 11, 1872. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list IV. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 7745 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7342 is about 360 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 350 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 355 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.4 by 1.25 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 140 to 145 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7342
Below, a 1.75 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy (Post-processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7343
(= PGC 69391 = UGC 12129 = CGCG 514-082 = MCG +06-49-059)
Discovered (Sep 14, 1866) by Truman Safford
Discovered (Sep 27, 1873) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 13.5 spiral galaxy (type (R'?)SB(rs)bc?) in Pegasus (RA 22 38 37.9, Dec +34 04 17)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7343 (= GC 6072, Stephan list VIII (#23), (Safford 53), 1860 RA 22 32 13, NPD 56 39.4) is "extremely faint, very small, round, a little brighter middle, small (faint) star involved." The position precesses to RA 22 38 38.3, Dec +34 04 13, barely 0.1 arcmin southeast of the center of the galaxy above, the description more or less fits (there is no faint star involved, but the exceptionally bright nucleus probably gave the impression of a superimposed star), and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Notes: Safford's observations were not published until long after the fact, so Dreyer didn't become aware of them until he was in the last stages of preparing the publication of the NGC. As a result they were only mentioned in an appendix, and none of the individual NGC entries gave Safford credit for his observations (hence the inclusion of his name in parentheses). Per Gottlieb, Stephan may have been aware of Safford's observation when he found this object (he reported 19 Safford discoveries as new long before they were published).
Stephan Discovery Note: Usually, Stephan's discovery date for this object is given as Sep 26, 1876. However, that is the date that Stephan reduced his micrometric position, as reported in his list VIII. Per his logbooks, he first observed the galaxy on the date shown in the description line (this is typical of his published work; objects that he only observed once rarely ended up in the NGC/IC).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 7150 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7343 is about 330 to 335 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with the larger values of widely-varying redshift-independent distance estimates of about 65 to 395 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was just under 325 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, almost 330 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.9 by 0.7 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 85 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7343
Below, a 1.2 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy (Post-processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7344
(= PGC 69433 = MCG -01-52-020)
Discovered (Oct 1, 1864) by Albert Marth
A magnitude 13.7 spiral galaxy (type SB(s)bc? pec?) in Aquarius (RA 22 39 36.2, Dec -04 09 32)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7344 (= GC 6073, Marth #489, 1860 RA 22 32 21, NPD 94 53) is "pretty faint, very small, round." The position precesses to RA 22 39 36.6, Dec -04 09 20, less than 1/4 arcmin north-northeast of the center of the galaxy listed above and within its outline, the visual description is a reasonable fit and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 7085 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7344 is about 330 million light-years away, somewhat further than redshift-independent distance estimates of about 240 to 290 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 320 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 325 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.25 by 0.65 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 115 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7344
Below, a 1.3 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy (Post-processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7345
(= PGC 69401 = UGC 12130 = CGCG 514-083 = MCG +06-49-064)
Discovered (Sep 11, 1872) by �douard Stephan
A magnitude 14.3 lenticular galaxy (type S0/a? X?) in Pegasus (RA 22 38 44.9, Dec +35 32 26)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7345 (= GC 6074, Stephan list IV (#15), 1860 RA 22 32 22, NPD 55 11.2) is "extremely faint, very small." The position precesses to RA 22 38 44.8, Dec +35 32 26, essentially dead center on the galaxy listed above, the description is a good fit and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Usually Stephan made a rough estimate of the position of an object on his first observation, and micrometrically measured its position on a later date, leading to two different dates for the discovery (the original date, and the micrometrically measured one); but in this case he measured the position on the same night that he first observed it, so there is only one discovery date.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 9030 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7345 is about 420 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was a little over 405 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, a little over 410 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.24 by 0.22 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 145 to 150 thousand light-years across.
Classification Note: The central part of NGC 7345 has a slightly X-shaped contour. Per Ron Buta, such "boxy pseudobulges" are seen [often far more clearly] in about half of edge-on lenticular galaxies, and appear to be caused by slow movement of disk gas to the central part of the galaxy, either due to instabilities in central bars or mergers with small satellite galaxies; but there doesn't appear to be a bar in NGC 7345, or for that matter, in a significant fraction of similar lenticulars. So although we see such structures, we don't really know what causes them; and since they are common, they can't justify calling the galaxy "peculiar", so I have just used an "X?" to indicate that this galaxy appears to have a weak version of a "boxy" bulge.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7345
Below, a 1.25 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy (Post-processing by Courtney Seligman)
NGC 7346 (almost certainly not = NGC 7350)
(= PGC 69430 = CGCG 429-017)
Discovered (Aug "7", 1864) by Albert Marth
A magnitude 14.6 elliptical galaxy (type E2) in Pegasus (RA 22 39 35.4, Dec +11 05 00)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7346 (= GC 6075, Marth #490, 1860 RA 22 32 39, NPD 79 39) is "extremely faint, very small, stellar." The position precesses to RA 22 39 36.6, Dec +11 04 50, about 0.3 arcmin southeast of the center of the galaxy listed above, the description is reasonable and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Note About Marth's Dates: Since Marth used a decimal date (in this case, 1864.60), any of the observations made on "that" date could have been made between midnight and dawn on Aug 6, and dusk and midnight on Aug 9; but Aug 7 is always used as the putative date of those observations.
Warning About Supposed Duplicate Observation: There has been a recent suggestion that NGC 7350 (which see if you want to read more about the suggestion) may be a duplicate observation of NGC 7346. The suggestion requires such a leap of faith that even the person who suggested it doubts its truth, and even if it were correct, that wouldn't change anything except the existence of this paragraph; so the only reason to mention it here is to let people who have heard about the supposed duplicate entry know that it isn't worth the the time it took them to read this.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of about 11115 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7346 is about 515 to 520 million light-years away. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 495 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 505 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 0.5 by 0.4 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 70 to 75 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7346, also showing NGC 7347
Below, a 0.75 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy
NGC 7347 (almost certainly not = NGC 7353)
(= PGC 69443 = UGC 12136 = CGCG 429-019 = MCG +02-57-009)
Discovered (Oct 9, 1830) by John Herschel
Also observed (Sep 28, 1875) by John Dreyer
A magnitude spiral 13.7 galaxy (type Sbc?) in Pegasus (RA 22 39 56.2, Dec +11 01 39)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7347 (= GC 4825 = JH 2176, 1860 RA 22 32 58, NPD 79 42.7) is "extremely faint, pretty large, extended." The position precesses to RA 22 39 55.7, Dec +11 01 00, just over 0.5 arcmin west-southwest of the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Gottlieb writes that Dreyer's observation, made while an assistant at Birr Castle, reads "extremely faint, very much extended 130�, very little brighter middle, perhaps a little curved." This is also a good description of the object.
Warning About Supposed Duplicate Observation: There has been a recent suggestion that NGC 7353 (which see if you want to read more about the suggestion) may be a duplicate observation of NGC 7347. The suggestion requires such a leap of faith that even the person who suggested it doubts its truth, and even if it were correct, that wouldn't change anything except the existence of this paragraph; so the only reason to mention it here is to let people who have heard about the supposed duplicate entry know that it isn't worth the the time it took them to read this.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of about 1870 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7347 is about 85 to 90 million light-years away, a little closer than redshift-independent distance estimates of about 95 to 125 million light-years. Using a compromise distance of about 90 million light-years and its apparent size of about 1.67 by 0.27 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 40 to 45 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7347, also showing NGC 7346
Below, a 1.5 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
NGC 7348
(= PGC 69463 = UGC 12142 = CGCG 429-020 = MCG +02-57-010)
Discovered (Aug "7", 1864) by Albert Marth (and later listed as NGC 7348)
A magnitude 13.8 spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs?)c?) in Pegasus (RA 22 40 36.3, Dec +11 54 23)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7348 (= GC 6076, Marth #491, 1860 RA 22 33 39, NPD 78 50) is "very faint, pretty large, irregularly round." The position precesses to RA 22 40 35.8, Dec +11 53 45, about 2/3 of an arcmin slightly west of due south of the galaxy listed above, the description is reasonable and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Note About Marth's Dates: Since Marth used a decimal date (in this case, 1864.60), any of the observations made on "that" date could have been made between midnight and dawn on Aug 6, and dusk and midnight on Aug 9; but Aug 7 is always used as the putative date of those observations.
Discovery Note: Per Gottlieb, Marth discovered this and the objects which became NGC 7350 and 7353 on the same night. The position for 7348 is accurate, but the other objects have "uncertain identifications"; that is why the entries for NGC 7346 and 7347 state that they are "almost certainly not = NGC 7350 and 7353".
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Background Radiation of 7135 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), a straightforward calculation indicates that NGC 7348 is about 330 to 335 million light-years away, somewhat further than redshift-independent distance estimates of about 275 to 310 million light-years. However, for objects at such distances we should take into account the expansion of the Universe during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 320 to 325 million light-years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 325 to 330 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of about 1.15 by 0.6 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 105 to 110 thousand light-years across.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 7348, also showing the stars tentatively listed as NGC 7350
Below, a 1.4 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
DONE HERE; BUT SEVERAL EARLIER ENTRIES STILL NEED WORK
NGC 7349
(= PGC 69488 = ESO 603-004 = MCG -04-53-029)
Discovered (1886) by Frank Muller
A magnitude 14.3 spiral galaxy (type SBb?) in Aquarius (RA 22 41 14.7, Dec -21 47 46)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 7349 (Muller list II (#469), 1860 RA 22 33 52, NPD 113 37.3) is "extremely faint, very small, extended 175�, binuclear, brighter on north side." The position precesses to RA 22 41 30.6, Dec -22 53 31, but there is nothing there, nor anywhere near there. However, if the one degree error in the NPD suggested in the Discovery Note is applied to Muller's position, it precesses to RA 22 41 29.2, Dec -21 53 31, which is about 6.5 arcmin south-southeast of a galaxy that matches Muller's description, namely the one listed above. So its identification as NGC 7349 is considered essentially certain.
Discovery Note: Gottlieb notes that there is nothing at Muller's position, but one degree north is the galaxy listed above, which is listed as NGC 7349 in ESO and the Southern Galaxy Catalogue, but not in MCG. Gottlieb adds that although Muller's declination is considerably off, his position angle is accurate and provides a reliable check. Corwin agrees with the identification, and single-digit errors in a position are all too common, since transcription and typographical errors are hard to notice, so I can't help but agree as well.
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 4160 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 7349 is about 190 to 195 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 150 to 205 million light-years. Given that, the galaxy's apparent size of about 0.95 by 0.35 arcmin (from the images below) corresponds to about 50 to 55 thousand light-years; and if what looks like a very faint southern extension is real (and not just noise in the PanSTARRS image), making the apparent size about 1.1 by 0.35 arcmin, then the size would be a little over 60 thousand light-years..
Classification Note: The galaxy is nearly edge-on, making any classification difficult, but LEDA and NED show classifications similar to the one in the description line, so it is probably reasonably close to being correct.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide DSS image centered on NGC 7349
Below, a 1.25 arcmin wide PanSTARRS image of the galaxy