by Richard Navarrete
I've been working diligently on observing the Herschel 400 list since July 2001 when I purchased a used Meade 16" dob. I had previously been working the list on and off for a number of years with a 12.5" Meade dob. The new scope spurred me on to complete the list. The final observing session took place at Henry Coe State Park in Northern CA. A large park, and a favorite spot of local amateur astronomers. The observing area is a ridge almost 2000 feet above the greater San Jose area just above the city of Morgan Hill. The night started breezy and cool, but this is normal for the area.
Not long after sunset, the wind died, the sky became dark, and I began work on finding and observing the final 29 objects on the list. They were all galaxies in
I've been working very quickly through the list, and I did not spend the time observing each object with the diligence they deserved. In eleven observing sessions since July 2001, I made over 400 new observations plus the various Messier and other eye candy objects that are favorites.
All in all, I am very glad I decided to work through the Herschel 400.
There are lots of wonderful objects on the list, enough really to last many years if one takes the time to study and learn about each object. I will say there were a fair number of unremarkable open clusters that were quite the chore to track down and observe, and then gave little to the aesthetic soul other than the fact that those stars are an enormous distance away and may in fact have living beings on tiny balls of rocks peering back at us.
O.K., maybe that's not such a bad thing. Over the course of observing these objects I marked those objects that gave me the most interesting views. I hope to compile these into a personal Best of the Herschel 400, so I can go back at my leisure and observe them again.
For those that are interested, here are my notes. Not all of them are Herschel 400 objects, but all were found while on the hunt. Entries marked with an asterick are on the Herschel 400 list, those marked with two astericks are favorites.
| ID | Constellation | Type | Mag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 4371 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.8 | airly bright. Round stellar core. |
| NGC 4429 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.1 | * * Embedded in a chain of brighter stars. Elongated, bright, with brighter core. Excellent view! |
| NGC 4442 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.2 | * * Very nice field with four galaxies. Bright, extended, brighter core. |
| NGC 4417 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.1 | A bit elongated. |
| NGC 4424 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.6 | A smudge. |
| NGC 4445 | Virgo | Galaxy | 12.8 | Very dim. |
| NGC 4478 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.2 | * Bright, round. Next to M87. |
| NGC 4476 | Virgo | Galaxy | 12.3 | Small, round. Not bright. |
| NGC 4550 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.6 | * Medium size, fairly bright. Elongated. In wide field with M 89. |
| NGC 4551 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.9 | Next to 4550. Fairly bright. Slightly extended. |
| NGC 4526 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.6 | * * Excellent! Bright, very elongated, between two bright stars. 4535 in same wide field view. |
| NGC 4535 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.8 | * * Very nice! Very large, diffuse. Sprinkling of stars embedded. |
| NGC 4527 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.4 | * * Bright, extended. Nice view. Two bright stars on edge of field. With 4536. |
| NGC 4536 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.4 | Large, diffuse. Pretty with 4527. |
| NGC 4533 | Virgo | Galaxy | 15 | Very dim smudge. Could not hold with direct vision. In and out. |
| NGC 4546 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.3 | * Fairly bright, smallish. Obviously extended with a brighter core. |
| NGC 4570 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.9 | * Fairly bright. Small, extended. |
| NGC 4596 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.5 | * Small, bright, slightly extended. Three stars lead to galaxy. |
| NGC 4608 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.1 | Small, fairly bright. |
| NGC 4636 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.6 | * Small, bright, round. |
| NGC 4643 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.7 | * Smaller and dimmer than nearby 4636. Round. |
| NGC 4666 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.8 | * Fairly bright. Very extended, gradually brighter towards the center. |
| NGC 4753 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.9 | * Bright, slightly extended, bright center. |
| NGC 4654 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.5 | * * Bright, large, a bit extended. Hints of detail. |
| NGC 4639 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.5 | Small, round. Dim star on edge. |
| NGC 4660 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11 | * Puny, very small. Why? |
| NGC 4638 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.3 | Fairly bright with M60 and M59. |
| NGC 4665 | Virgo | Galaxy | 12 | * Small, fairly bright, round with a brighter core. |
| NGC 4697 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.3 | * * Bright, fairly elongated. Good view! |
| NGC 4698 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.7 | * Fairly bright, round. Between two stars. |
| NGC 4699 | Virgo | Galaxy | 9.6 | * Bright, round. Very bright core. |
| NGC 4781 | Virgo | Galaxy | 12 | * * Fairly bright, elongated, some structure hinted. |
| NGC 4760 | Virgo | Galaxy | 13 | With 4781. Small, dim smudge between two stars. |
| NGC 4845 | Virgo | Galaxy | 12 | * * Interesting! Fairly uniform brightness, very extended. |
| NGC 4900 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11.5 | * Diffuse glow with a dim star on one edge. |
| NGC 4856 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.4 | * Small, round, almost like an unresolved globular. |
| NGC 4877 | Virgo | Galaxy | 13 | Dim slash between two stars. |
| NGC 5054 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11 | * Round, diffuse. |
| NGC 4866 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11 | * * Bright slash. Nice view! |
| NGC 4958 | Virgo | Galaxy | 10.5 | * Small, bright. Slightly extended, bright core. |
| NGC 4995 | Virgo | Galaxy | 11 | * Round, diffuse. Just off a pair of bright stars. |