   	SAGUARO ASTRONOMY CLUB DATABASE VERSION 8.1
                   dated March 22, 2010
		stevecoe at cloudynights dot com
		  

This compilation of data was begun in an effort to provide a comprehensive observing list for use at the eyepiece of a modest amateur telescope.  This data is released for private use of anyone who wishes to use this database. 

The members of the Saguaro Astronomy Club (pronounced sa-war-oh) of Phoenix, Arizona have provided much of the effort to compile this database.  However, it could not have been completed without the skill of a variety of people.  There is a listing of folks in the read me file who have helped with this database, thank you to all.

To align the information in this document correctly, use a non-proportional font, such as Courier.

A description of the fields and what data they contain follows:

Field Number: 1      Name: OBJECT        Size: 17
Object name, usually the NGC number is in field #1, but for objects with no NGC value the alphabetical name used is listed below.  These abbreviations are also used in field #2 as an OTHER name for some objects.

3C         - Third Cambridge Catalog of Radio Wave Sources
Abell      - George Abell (planetary nebulae and galaxy clusters)
ADS        - Aitken Double Star catalog
AM         - Arp-Madore (globular clusters)
Antalova   - (open clusters)
Ap         - Apriamasvili (planetary nebulae)
Arp        - Halton Arp (interacting galaxies)
Bark       - Barkhatova (open clusters)
B          - Barnard (dark nebulae)
Basel      - (open clusters)
BD         - Bonner Durchmusterung (stars)
Berk       - Berkeley (open clusters)
Be         - Bernes (dark nebulae)
Biur       - Biurakan (open clusters)
Blanco     - (open clusters)
Bochum     - (open clusters)
Ced        - Cederblad (bright nebulae)
CGCG       - Catalog of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies
Cr         - Collinder (open clusters)
Czernik    - (open clusters)
DDO        - David Dunlap Observatory (dwarf galaxies)
Do         - Dolidze (open clusters)
DoDz       - Dolidze-Dzimselejsvili (open clusters)
Dun        - Dunlop (Southern objects of all types)
ESO        - European Southern Observatory (Southern objects)
Fein       - Feinstein (open clusters)
Frolov     - (open clusters)
Gum        - (bright nebulae)
H          - William Herschel (globular clusters)
Haffner    - (open clusters)
Harvard    - (open clusters)
Hav-Moffat - Havermeyer and Moffat (open clusters)
He         - Henize (planetary nebulae)
Hogg       - (open clusters)
Ho         - Holmberg (galaxies)
HP         - Haute Provence (globular clusters)
Hu         - Humason (planetary nebulae)
IC         - 1st and 2nd Index Catalogs to the NGC
                  (All types of objects except dark nebulae)
Isk        - Iskudarian (open clusters)
J          - Jonckheere (planetary nebulae)
K          - Kohoutek (planetary nebulae)
Kemble     - Father Lucian Kemble (asterisms)
King       - (open clusters)
Kr         - Krasnogorskaja (planetary nebulae)
Lac        - Lacaille (globular clusters)
Loden      - (open clusters)
LBN        - Lynds (bright nebula)
LDN        - Lynds (dark nebulae)
NPM1G      - Northern Proper Motion, 1st part, Galaxies
Lynga      - (open clusters)
M          - Messier (all types of objects except dark nebula)
MCG        - Morphological Catalog of Galaxies
Me         - Merrill (plantary nebulae)
Mrk        - Markarian (open clusters and galaxies)
Mel        - Melotte (open clusters)
M1 thru M4 - Minkowski (planetary nebulae)
New	   - "New" galaxies in the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog
NGC        - New General Catalog of Nebulae & Clusters of Stars.
                  (All types of objects except dark nebulae)
Pal        - Palomar (globular clusters)
PB         - Peimbert and Batiz (planetary nebulae)
PC         - Peimbert and Costero (planetary nebulae)
Pismis     - (open clusters)
PK         - Perek & Kohoutek (planetary nebulae)
RCW        - Rodgers, Campbell, & Whiteoak (bright nebulae)
Roslund    - (open clusters)
Ru         - Ruprecht (open clusters)
Sa         - Sandqvist (dark nebulae)
Sher       - (open clusters)
Sh         - Sharpless (bright nebulae)
SL         - Sandqvist & Lindroos (dark nebulae)
SL         - Shapley & Lindsay (clusters in LMC)
Steph      - Stephenson (open clusters)
Stock      - (open clusters)
Ter        - Terzan (globular clusters)
Tombaugh   - (open clusters)
Ton        - Tonantzintla (globular clusters)
Tr         - Trumpler (open clusters)
UGC        - Uppsala General Catalog (galaxies)
UGCA       - Uppsala General Catalog, Addendum (galaxies)
UKS        - United Kingdom Schmidt (globular clusters)
Upgren     - (open clusters)
V V        - Vorontsov-Velyaminov (interacting galaxies)
vdB        - van den Bergh (open clusters, bright nebulae)
vdBH       - van den Bergh & Herbst (bright nebulae)
vdB-Ha     - van den Bergh-Hagen (open clusters)
Vy         - Vyssotsky (planetary nebulae)
Waterloo   - (open clusters)
Winnecke   - Double Star (Messier 40)
ZwG        - Zwicky (galaxies)


Field Number: 2      Name: OTHER         Size: 18
Other catalog designations by which this object may be known. The same abbreviations as the OBJECT field are used in this field.  The 'M' designations for Messier objects are in this field.


Field Number: 3      Name: TYPE          Size: 5
Type of object.  The code that applies is:

       ASTER  Asterism
       BRTNB  Bright Nebula
       CL+NB  Cluster with Nebulosity
       DRKNB  Dark Nebula
       GALCL  Galaxy cluster
       GALXY  Galaxy
       GLOCL  Globular Cluster
       GX+DN  Diffuse Nebula in a Galaxy
       GX+GC  Globular Cluster in a Galaxy
       G+C+N  Cluster with Nebulosity in a Galaxy
       LMCCN  Cluster with Nebulosity in the LMC
       LMCDN  Diffuse Nebula in the LMC
       LMCGC  Globular Cluster in the LMC
       LMCOC  Open cluster in the LMC
       NONEX  Nonexistent
       OPNCL  Open Cluster
       PLNNB  Planetary Nebula
       SMCCN  Cluster with Nebulosity in the SMC
       SMCDN  Diffuse Nebula in the SMC
       SMCGC  Globular Cluster in the SMC
       SMCOC  Open cluster in the SMC
       SNREM  Supernova Remnant
       QUASR  Quasar
       #STAR  # Stars (#=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.)


Field Number: 4      Name: CON           Size: 3
Constellation in which the object is found in IAU format, given in the table below. Only upper case abbreviations are used for ease of programming using case-sensitive commands.

ANDROMEDA           AND                 LACERTA             LAC
ANTLIA              ANT                 LEO                 LEO
APUS                APS                 LEO MINOR           LMI
AQUARIUS            AQR                 LEPUS               LEP
AQUILA              AQL                 LIBRA               LIB
ARA                 ARA                 LUPUS               LUP
ARIES               ARI                 LYNX                LYN
AURIGA              AUR                 LYRA                LYR
BOOTES              BOO                 MENSA               MEN
CAELUM              CAE                 MICROSCOPIUM        MIC
CAMELOPARDALIS      CAM                 MONOCEROS           MON
CANCER              CNC                 MUSCA               MUS
CANES VENATICI      CVN                 NORMA               NOR
CANIS MAJOR         CMA                 OCTANS              OCT
CANIS MINOR         CMI                 OPHIUCHUS           OPH
CAPRICORNUS         CAP                 ORION               ORI
CARINA              CAR                 PAVO                PAV
CASSIOPEIA          CAS                 PEGASUS             PEG
CENTAURUS           CEN                 PERSEUS             PER
CEPHEUS             CEP                 PHOENIX             PHE
CETUS               CET                 PICTOR              PIC
CHAMAELEON          CHA                 PISCES              PSC
CIRCINUS            CIR                 PISCES AUSTRINUS    PSA
COLUMBA             COL                 PUPPIS              PUP
COMA BERENICES      COM                 PYXIS               PYX
CORONA AUSTRALIS    CRA                 RETICULUM           RET
CORONA BOREALIS     CRB                 SAGITTA             SGE
CORVUS              CRV                 SAGITTARIUS         SGR
CRATER              CRT                 SCORPIUS            SCO
CRUX                CRU                 SCULPTOR            SCL
CYGNUS              CYG                 SCUTUM              SCT
DELPHINUS           DEL                 SERPENS             SER
DORADO              DOR                 SEXTANS             SEX
DRACO               DRA                 TAURUS              TAU
EQUULEUS            EQU                 TELESCOPIUM         TEL
ERIDANUS            ERI                 TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE TRA
FORNAX              FOR                 TRIANGULUM          TRI
GEMINI              GEM                 TUCANA              TUC
GRUS                GRU                 URSA MAJOR          UMA
HERCULES            HER                 URSA MINOR          UMI
HOROLOGIUM          HOR                 VELA                VEL
HYDRA               HYA                 VIRGO               VIR
HYDRUS              HYI                 VOLANS              VOL
INDUS               IND                 VULPECULA           VUL


Field Number: 5      Name: R.A.          Size: 7 
Right Ascension of the object in equinox 2000.0 coordinates.  The RA is in the form  XX XX.X, such as 14 34.8 or 05 04.7.  Leading zeros are present so that a sort of the data will be numerically correct.


Field Number: 6      Name: DEC           Size: 6
Declination of the object in equinox 2000.0 coordinates.  The DEC is in the form  +/-XX XX, such as +48 10 or -88 04.  Use the sign and leading zeros.  The declination is given in degrees and minutes.


Field Number: 7      Name: MAG           Size: 4
Magnitude to nearest tenth in the form XX.X, such as 12.3.  There are many objects which have no published magnitude, they have been assigned a magnitude of 99.9.  Dark nebulae obviously have no magnitude, so we assigned them a mag of 79.9 to differentiate them from objects with no magnitude given.  The reason we chose large values for objects without magnitudes is that a sort would find 0.0 or "" as a large value of brightness. 


Field Number: 8      Name: SUBR          Size: 4
Surface brightness as given in the Reference Catalog of Galaxies 3.  Dr. Harold Corwin calculated these values of surface brightness and has supplied them to us, along with much other valuable galaxy data.


Field Number: 9      Name: U2K           Size: 3
The charts in the first release of Uranometria 2000.0 that map the area of sky in which the object is located.  It is not guaranteed that all objects plotted on U2000 are contained in the database.


Field Number: 10      Name:  TI          Size:  2
The charts in the Tirion Sky Atlas 2000.0 that map the area of sky in which the object is located.  This is included so that a less detailed view of the area will be available to star hoppers.


Field Number: 11      Name:  SIZE_MAX    Size:  8
The large dimension of the object.  A lower case "m" was used for arcminutes and a lower case "s" was used for arcseconds.  In general, only Planetary Nebulae have sizes in arcseconds.  A lower case "d" is used for degrees.


Field Number:  12     Name:  SIZE_MIN    Size:  8
The small dimension of the object.  A lower case "m" was used for arcminutes and a lower case "s" was used for arcseconds.


Field Number: 13      Name:  PA          Size:  3
The Position Angle of an elongated object.  The value is in degrees, starting with north as zero degrees and progressing clockwise from north.  So, an object which William Herschel would have described as "Elong. NE-SW" is elongated in a PA of 45 degrees.


Field Number:  14     Name: CLASS              Size:  11
Several professional classification schemes are contained here.

----Trumpler type for open clusters-----

Concentration
I.   Detached, strong concentration toward the center
II.  Detached, weak concentration toward the center
III. Detached, no concentration toward the center
IV.  Not well detached from surrounding star field

Range in brightness
1.  Small range        2.  Moderate range       3.  Large range

Richness
p  Poor (<50 stars)
m  Moderately rich (50-100 stars)
r  Rich (>100 stars)

An "n" following the Trumpler type denotes nebulosity in cluster

Note:  the type descriptions from the source used also contained references to other scientific papers.
These notes are seen as either ":a" or ":b" at the end of the Trumpler types.  For visual purposes
they can be ignored.

----Shapley-Sawyer concentration rating for globular clusters---

The values range from 1 to 12, smaller numbers are more
concentrated clusters.

----Vorontsov-Velyaminov type for planetary nebulae-----

1.  Stellar
2.  Smooth disk (a, brighter center; b, uniform brightness;
                 c, traces of ring structure)
3.  Irregular disk (a, very irregular brightness distribution;
                    b, traces of ring structure)
4.  Ring structure
5.  Irregular form similar to diffuse nebula
6.  Anomalous form, no regular structure

Some very complex forms may combine two types.

-----Hubble type for galaxies-----

E  elliptical, E0 is roundest to E7 is flattest
   subgroups; 'd'is dwarf, 'c'is supergiant, 'D' has diffuse halo
S  Spiral, 'a' has tightly wound arms, 'b' has moderately wound
   arms and 'c' has loosely wound arms
SB Spiral with central bar
Ir Irregular


Field Number:  15     Name:  NSTS         Size:  4
Number of stars within a cluster from a study of POSS plates by R. Lynga.


Field Number:  16     Name:  BRSTR        Size:  5
Magnitude of brightest star in cluster or central star of planetary nebula.  Much of this information is from Brian Skiff at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.


Field Number:  17     Name:  BCHM         Size:  4
Catalogs that include this object.  There are four catalogs included in this field. B=Best of the NGC from SAC, C=Caldwell catalog from Patrick Moore, H=Herschel 400 from Astronomical League, M=Messier object.  The letters for each catalog are aligned under their respective letter abbreviation.  Some objects do appear in several catalogs and therefore have several entries.


Field Number:  18     Name:  NGC_DESCR    Size:  55

Visual description of the object.  Most of these are from the NGC, some are from prominent amateurs.  Back issues of Deep Sky Magazine, Astronomy magazine, Sky and Telescope magazine and Burnham's Celestial Handbook are used as a source of some of these descriptions.  The descriptions use the abbreviations from the original NGC and Burnham's.
There are some observations by Steve Coe, they use these abbreviations:

!    remarkable object                 !!   very remarkable object
am   among                             n    north
att  attached                          N    nucleus
bet  between                           neb  nebula, nebulosity
B    bright                            P w  paired with
b    brighter                          p    pretty (before F,B,L,S)
C    compressed                        p    preceding
c    considerably                      P    poor
Cl   cluster                           R    round
D    double                            Ri   rich
def  defined                           r    not well resolved
deg  degrees                           rr   partially resolved
diam diameter                          rrr  well resolved
dif  diffuse                           S    small
E    elongated                         s    suddenly
e    extremely                         s    south
er   easily resolved                   sc   scattered
F    faint                             susp suspected
f    following                         st   star or stellar
g    gradually                         v    very
iF   irregular figure                  var  variable
inv  involved                          nf   north following
irr  irregular                         np   north preceding
L    large                             sf   south following
l    little                            sp   south preceding
mag  magnitude                         11m  11th magnitude
M    middle                            8... 8th mag and fainter
m    much                              9...13  9th to 13th magnitude

If you have never dealt with the NGC abbreviations before, perhaps a few examples will help.

NGC#     Description            Decoded descriptions

214   pF, pS, lE, gvlbM   pretty faint, pretty small,
                          little elongated, gradually very
                          little brighter in the middle

708   vF, vS, R           very faint, very small, round

891   B, vL, vmE          bright, very large, very much elongated

7009  !, vB, S            remarkable object, very bright, small

7089  !! B, vL, mbM       extremely remarkable object, bright, very
      rrr, stars mags     large, much brighter middle, resolved,
      13.....             stars 13th magnitude and dimmer

2099  !  B, vRi, mC       remarkable object, bright, very rich,
                          much compressed

6643  pB,pL,E50,2 st p    pretty bright, pretty large,
                          elongated in position angle 50 degrees,
                          two stars preceding


Field Number:  19     Name:  NOTES        Size:  86
Some of this field notes provided by Jim Lucyk.  Much of the rest of this information is from a variety of sources.  Most of the abbreviations used by the NGC apply here also.  Several other common names are included in these notes, so you may search for the "Owl Nebula" in this column.  There are some other names listed in this field. If there is a PA in the NOTES that is providing a companion objects' angle in relation to the main object.  Another abbreviation that is used often is P w N ( paired with NGC ###) or P w U ( paired with UGC ###).  Most of the data on companions to an object have been marked to make recognition easier, but some did not fit into the 60 spaces we alloted.  So, the data is always in this order:  distance in minutes from main object, PA from main object, then size and mag of companion. Example: P w N4566 @ 4.5,120,0.9X0.7 says that the main object is paired with NGC 4566 and is at 4.5 arcminutes distance, in a direction of PA 120 degrees (ESE) and 0.9'X0.7'in size.
