NGC 56
Encyclopedia
NGC 56 is a New General Catalogue
entry for a supposedly observed astronomical body that does not exist. This object was recorded by John Herschel
early in his observations as part of his 1825 "sweep 14." He recorded only that, "about this place a considerable space seems affected with nebulosity." Astronomers have noted that the observation may have been of a reflection of a bright star which lies two degrees to the north of NGC 56's location. The other recorded observations by Herschel at this time included Messier 15
, and were correctly located, so the error is not attributed to a general error in locating objects during the survey.
This supposed object is located at R.A. and Dec. .
New General Catalogue
The New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars is a well-known catalogue of deep sky objects in astronomy. It contains 7,840 objects, known as the NGC objects...
entry for a supposedly observed astronomical body that does not exist. This object was recorded by John Herschel
John Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet KH, FRS ,was an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor, who in some years also did valuable botanical work...
early in his observations as part of his 1825 "sweep 14." He recorded only that, "about this place a considerable space seems affected with nebulosity." Astronomers have noted that the observation may have been of a reflection of a bright star which lies two degrees to the north of NGC 56's location. The other recorded observations by Herschel at this time included Messier 15
Messier 15
Messier 15 or M15 is a globular cluster in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746 and included in Charles Messier's catalogue of comet-like objects in 1764...
, and were correctly located, so the error is not attributed to a general error in locating objects during the survey.
This supposed object is located at R.A. and Dec. .