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Flinthill DSG
Development |
"Deep Sky Guides" are a compilation of mostly northern and
some southern hemisphere objects. Each Guide entry provides
celestial coordinates and descriptive information. Additionally, detail
is provided on
the most prominent astronomer (s), such as Arp, Messier, Herschel,
etc., associated with that object; plus an AKA when
possible.The data presented in these Guides has been gathered from numerous sources such as astronomy books, charts, atlases, web sites, object lists and general publications, plus notations based on my personal observations. Most of the resources are listed in the Astronomy Library section.
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Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight Guide Sets Each Set is designed for a different level of observing experience with the intention to provide a list of objects that will be challenging and rewarding for each level. I have personally viewed all of the objects in each of these Guides Sets. The complete database contains over 1300 objects ranging from some of the brightest in the sky to relatively faint objects of 14th magnitude. In
addition to the three basic Guide Sets listed above, I have added three
others for the more advanced amateur astronomer. These sections
each have their specific characteristics. The new sections are the
Atlas of Arp Peculiar Galaxies, the Shapley-Ames Catalog of
Bright Galaxies and the Hickson Catalog of Compact Galaxy Groups. Atlas of Arp Peculiar Galaxies
Dr. Arp presents
galaxies that are unusual or peculiar in nature and are generally
interacting pairs, or even larger assemblages of galaxies. The list was
compiled from photographs taken at the Palomar 200-inch telescope
in circa 1966 which led Dr. Arp to question the basic premise of "redshift"
as a correct method of distance measurement. Entries are updated
periodically as observations are made. The list currently contains
my observation notes on 320 of the primary objects plus an additional
80, and counting, on the associated galaxies. Shapley-Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies The Shapley-Ames Catalog
of Bright Galaxies was compiled by Harlow Shapley and Adelaide
Ames in 1932. 90 of the galaxies are also objects listed in
the Atlas of Arp Peculiar Galaxies. Shapley was an American astronomer who established a galactic
distance scale in 1918 using Cepheid variable and RR Lyrae type
stars. 380 of the objects include my observing notations. Hickson Catalog of 100 Compact Galaxies Dr. Paul Hickson, a Canadian astronomer, authored this Catalog during the mid 1980's. The criteria for object selection was; limited magnitude range of galaxies within the cluster; compactness of galaxies in the cluster; and three, the degree of isolation of the cluster from other nearby objects. At present I have observed only 11 of these clusters. Two of the most well known clusters in Hickson's Catalog are Stephan's Quintet and Seyfert's Sextet.Going Forward The Guides Arp Peculiar Galaxies, and the Hickson Galaxy Clusters are currently the focus of my observing activity. I will update these on a timely basis as observations are accumulated. The six Guide Sets contain a total of 66 individual viewing lists. All of the Guides are generated from a database that I have compiled over time. I plan on adding additional object lists and may also publish a cross reference guide for the more widely used lists. |
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