The ''Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (CN) is an
astronomical catalog
An astronomical catalog or catalogue is a List (information), list or tabulation of astronomical objects, typically grouped together because they share a common type, Galaxy morphological classification, morphology, origin, means of detection, or ...
ue of
nebula
A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...
e first published in 1786 by
William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline H ...
, with the assistance of his sister
Caroline Herschel
Caroline Lucretia Herschel (; 16 March 1750 – 9 January 1848) was a German born British astronomer, whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigolle ...
. It was later expanded into the ''General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (GC) by his son,
John Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanical wor ...
. The CN and GC are the precursors to
John Louis Emil Dreyer
John Louis Emil Dreyer (13 February 1852 – 14 September 1926) was a Danish astronomer who spent most of his career working in Ireland. He spent the last decade of his life in Oxford, England.
Life
Dreyer was born in Copenhagen. His fathe ...
's ''
New General Catalogue
The ''New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (abbreviated NGC) is an astronomical catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by John Louis Emil Dreyer in 1888. The NGC contains 7,840 objects, including galaxies, star clusters and ...
'' (NGC) used by current astronomers.
History
The ''Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' was first published in 1786 by
William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline H ...
in the ''
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
''. In 1789, he added another 1,000 entries, and finally another 500 in 1802, bringing the total to 2,500 entries. This catalogue originated the usage of letters and catalogue numbers as identifiers. The capital "H" followed with the catalogue entry number represented the item.
In 1864, the CN was expanded into the ''General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (GC) by
John Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanical wor ...
(William's son). The GC contained 5,079 entries. Later, a complementary edition of the catalog was published posthumously as the ''General Catalogue of 10,300 Multiple and Double Stars''. The small "h" followed with the catalogue entry number represented the item.
In 1878,
John Louis Emil Dreyer
John Louis Emil Dreyer (13 February 1852 – 14 September 1926) was a Danish astronomer who spent most of his career working in Ireland. He spent the last decade of his life in Oxford, England.
Life
Dreyer was born in Copenhagen. His fathe ...
published a supplement to the ''General Catalogue''. In 1886, he suggested building a second supplement to the ''General Catalogue'', but the
Royal Astronomical Society
(Whatever shines should be observed)
, predecessor =
, successor =
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, founder =
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asked Dreyer to compile a new version instead. This led to the publication of the ''
New General Catalogue
The ''New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (abbreviated NGC) is an astronomical catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by John Louis Emil Dreyer in 1888. The NGC contains 7,840 objects, including galaxies, star clusters and ...
'' (NGC) in 1888,
[
] and its two expansions, the ''
Index Catalogue
The ''New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (abbreviated NGC) is an astronomical catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by John Louis Emil Dreyer in 1888. The NGC contains 7,840 objects, including galaxies, star clusters and em ...
s'' (IC), in 1895 and 1908.
[
]
See also
*
Herschel 400 Catalogue The Herschel 400 catalogue is a subset of William Herschel, William Herschel's original ''Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'', selected by Brenda F. Guzman (Branchett), Lydel Guzman, Paul Jones, James Morrison, Peggy Taylor and Sara Saey of ...
*
:NGC objects
*
:IC objects
References
External links
William Herschel's catalog of Deep Sky objects*
{{Authority control
1786 non-fiction books
1786 in science
Astronomical catalogues