Per Dreyer, NGC 1 (= d'Arrest, 1860 RA 00 00 04, NPD 63 04.3) is "faint, small, round, lying between 11th and 14th magnitude stars". The position precesses to RA 00 07 15.8, Dec +27 42 28, within 0.1 arcmin of the center of the galaxy, and there are appropriate stars to the northeast and southwest, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4550 km/sec, NGC 1 is about 210 million light years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 175 to 245 million light years. (Another recessional velocity measurement of 2215 km/sec would place the galaxy only 100 million light years away, which seems unlikely, given the redshift-independent results; so it is probably incorrect.) Given that and its apparent size of 2.2 by 1.8 arcmins, it is about 130 thousand light years across. Note: Although close in the sky (see the wide-field image below), NGC 1 and 2 are at very different distances; if stars, they would be called an "optical double". However, NGC 1 is listed as a member of LGG 002 (the NGC 23 Group), which also includes NGC 26, and PGC 619, 654, 830 and 912.

Per Dreyer, NGC 2 (= 4th Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 00 00 06, NPD 63 06.0) is "very faint, small, south of (John Herschel's) GC 1". The position precesses to RA 00 07 17.8, Dec +27 40 46, within 0.2 arcmin of the galaxy's center, and the galaxy is south of NGC 1, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 7560 km/sec, NGC 2 is about 350 million light years away, in reasonable agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 260 to 330 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.0 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 100 thousand light years across. Note: Although close in the sky (see the wide-field image of NGC 1), NGC 1 and 2 are at very different distances; if stars, they would be called an "optical double".

Per Dreyer, NGC 3 (= Marth 1, 1860 RA 00 00 06, NPD 82 28) is "faint, very small, round, almost stellar". The position precesses to RA 00 07 16.7, Dec +08 18 46, which is 0.7 arcmin directly north of the galaxy; and there is nothing between that position and the galaxy, so there is little doubt of the identification. Based on a recessional velocity of 3900 km/sec, NGC 3 is about 180 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.1 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 50 thousand light years across. NGC 3 is listed as a member of WBL 003, a purported group of galaxies with an average recessional velocity of 4565 km/sec which includes NGC 7834 and Arp 246 (= NGC 7837 + 7838). However, the galaxies involved have very different recessional velocities, so the "group" cannot really exist.

Per Dreyer, NGC 4 (= Marth 2, 1860 RA 00 00 16, NPD 82 23) is "extremely faint". The position precesses to RA 00 07 26.7, Dec +08 23 46, more than an arcmin north-northeast of the galaxy, but per Corwin since Marth observed NGC 3 and 4 on the same night, and their relative offset is reasonably accurate (the errors in their positions being more similar than not), the identification is certain. It should be noted that such a faint object was beyond the reach of most telescopes of the day, and the only reason Marth could observe NGC 4 was that he used the second largest telescope in the world (one of 48 inches aperture, second only to Lord Rosse's 72 inch Leviathan). NGC 4's apparent size is 0.5 by 0.4 arcmins; nothing else seems to be available. (Note: Per Corwin, LEDA originally listed PGC 620 as NGC 4. That error has been corrected in the LEDA database, but not everywhere else. For instance, a Wikisky search for NGC 4 still shows PGC 620; so the PGC listing (#212468) should take precedence over the NGC listing (#4) to ensure an accurate identification of the object in question.)

Per Dreyer, NGC 5 (= Stephan's list XII (#1), 1860 RA 00 00 37, NPD 55 25.0) is "very faint, very small, nucleus equivalent to a 13th or 14th magnitude star". The position precesses to RA 00 07 49.7, Dec +35 21 46, which is 0.2 arcmin west of the galaxy's nucleus (but within its outer glow), and the nucleus has the stated brightness; so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 5110 km/sec, NGC 5 is about 240 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.2 by 0.7 arcmins, it is about 80 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 6 (= Swift's list II (#3), 1860 RA 00 01 05, NPD 58 15.6) is "extremely faint, very small, considerably extended". The position precesses to RA 00 08 17.7, Dec +32 31 10, which is 75 seconds of time west and nearly 48 arcmin south of Mitchell's almost perfect position, so there was no reason for Dreyer to suspect that the two observations were of the same object. Per Corwin, the identity of the objects is suggested by the fact that Swift discovered four other nebulae (NGC 19, 21, 7831 and 7836) on the same night, with similar errors in right ascension (he discovered another as well, but with a completely different positional error). NGC 6 has a much larger error in declination than the others (which were only off by 8 arcmin), but Swift noted that "one of 5 stars which point to it is pretty near". This line of stars is clearly seen to the east of the galaxy, making the nearest the same as Mitchell's "attached"; so the identity of the two listings is certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 7 (= John Herschel's GC 2, 1860 RA 00 01 14, NPD 120 41.2) is "extremely faint, considerably large, much extended, very gradually very little brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 08 22.0, Dec -29 54 26, which is 0.7 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy, but lies on the northern half of the galaxy; so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 1495 km/sec, NGC 7 is about 70 million light years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 60 to 75 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 2.2 by 0.5 arcmins, it is about 45 thousand light years across. It is thought to possibly be a barred spiral, but its edge-on presentation makes classification difficult. NGC 7 is listed as a member of a group of galaxies in or near Sculptor with recessional velocities of about 1500 to 1800 km/sec (this is not "the" Sculptor Group, a close neighbor to our Local Group, with an average recessional velocity of less than 300 km/sec).

Per Dreyer, NGC 8 (= O Struve, 1860 RA 00 01 17, NPD 66 59) is "very faint, nucleus in north end". The position precesses to RA 00 08 29.0, Dec +23 47 46, which is 16 seconds west and over 2 arcmin south of the pair; but per Corwin, Struve's measurement of the offset from NGC 9 (which see for an image of NGC 8), which he had discovered two nights earlier, makes the identification certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 9 (= O Struve, 1860 RA 00 01 27, NPD 67 00) is "faint, round, 9th or 10th magnitude star to the southeast". The position precesses to RA 00 08 39.1, Dec +23 46 46, which is 15 seconds of time west and over 2 arcmin south of the galaxy; but per Corwin, Struve's offset from the 9th-magnitude star to the southeast makes the identification certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4530 km/sec, NGC 9 is about 200 million light years away, in fair agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 115 to 185 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.3 by 0.7 arcmins, it is probably around 60 thousand light years across, but because of the uncertainty in its distance, its actual size is equally uncertain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 10 (= John Herschel's GC 3, 1860 RA 00 01 28, NPD 124 38.9) is "faint, considerably large, very little extended, gradually little brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 08 35.5, Dec -33 52 08, one second of time east and 0.7 arcmin south of the galaxy's center, but is nearly within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 6810 km/sec, NGC 10 is about 300 million light years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 240 to 360 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 2.4 by 1.2 arcmins, it is about 200 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 11 (= Stephan's list XII (#2), 1860 RA 00 01 29, NPD 53 19.9) is "very faint, very small, very little extended, 2 very faint stars involved". The position precesses to RA 00 08 42.4, Dec +37 26 52, which is dead center on the galaxy, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4390 km/sec, NGC 11 is about 200 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.5 by 0.3 arcmins, it is about 85 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 12 (= John Herschel's GC 4, 1860 RA 00 01 34, NPD 86 10.2) is "extremely faint, pretty large, very gradually little brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 08 44.6, Dec +04 36 34, within 0.2 arcmin of the center of the galaxy and well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 3940 km/sec, NGC 12 is about 175 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 1.7 by 1.5 arcmins, it is about 90 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 13 (= John Herschel's GC 5, 1860 RA 00 01 35, NPD 57 20.8) is "very faint, very small, small star with nebulosity". The position precesses to RA 00 08 48.0, Dec +33 25 58, within 0.1 arcmin of the center of the galaxy, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4810 km/sec, NGC 13 is about 210 million light years distant, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 180 to 215 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 2.5 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 150 thousand light years across. NGC 13 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 19, 20, 29, 39, 43, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 14 (= John Herschel's GC 7, 1860 RA 00 01 37, NPD 74 57.9) is "very faint, pretty small, round, gradually little brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 08 48.5, Dec +15 48 52, two seconds of time east of the center of the galaxy, but within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 865 km/sec, NGC 14 is about 40 million light years distant, in good agreement with the only redshift-independent distance estimate, of about the same value. Given that and its apparent size of 2.8 by 2.1 arcmins, it is about 30 thousand light years across. Its structure is ill-defined, but it appears to be either an irregular galaxy or a weakly barred "diffuse" spiral galaxy. NGC 14 is listed as a member of USGC 006, the NGC 7814 Group, which also contains PGC 38, 332 and 889.

Per Dreyer, NGC 15 (= Marth 3, 1860 RA 00 01 50, NPD 69 10) is "very faint, very small, round, brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 09 02.0, Dec +21 36 46, which is 0.7 arcmin south of the galaxy; but there is nothing else in the field, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 6330 km/sec, NGC 15 is about 280 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 1.0 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 80 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 16 (= John Herschel's GC 8 = 12, 1860 RA 00 01 52, NPD 63 03.0) is "pretty bright, small, round, brighter middle". The identity of Herschel's GC 8 and 12 is discussed in a note at the end of the NGC: "NGC 16: (John Herschel's) h5 (= his GC 12) was not been by d'Arrest and Stephan (XIII); it is = h4 (= GC 8) as they were observed in different sweeps." The 1860 position precesses to RA 00 09 04.6, Dec +27 43 46, almost dead center on the galaxy, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 3100 km/sec, NGC 16 is about 140 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 1.8 by 1.0 arcmins, it is about 70 thousand light years across. NGC 16 appears to be a completely isolated galaxy, at least 20 million light years from any other galaxy of significant size.

Per Dreyer, NGC 17 (= Muller's list II (#276), 1860 RA 00 01 58, NPD 102 54.0) is "very faint, extremely small, irregularly round, double star 2 arcmin to west". The position precesses to RA 00 09 07.3, Dec -12 07 14, which is 2 minutes of right ascension (about half a degree) west and nearly an arcmin south of the galaxy, but as noted by Herbert Howe early enough to be included in Dreyer's second Index Catalog corrections to the NGC, the double star 2 arcmin west of the galaxy establishes the correct identification, and its identity with NGC 34 (which see for a discussion of the double listing). Based on a recessional velocity of 5880 km/sec, NGC 17 is about 260 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 2.2 by 0.8 arcmins, it is about 160 thousand light years across. NGC 17 is the result of a collision between two spiral galaxies. The galaxies appear to have nearly completed their merger, as the gas-rich remnant contains only one nucleus, but long tails of stars scattered into intergalactic space, and moderate starburst activity near the center of the combined galaxy give testament to the collision. Note: NGC 17 and 35 are only a few arcmin apart, and given their apparently common distance, may be less than half a million light years apart. If so, they would be gravitationally bound.

Per Dreyer, NGC 18 (= Schultz (Nova I), 1860 RA 00 02 11, NPD 63 02.8) is "faint, very small, irregularly round, much brighter middle, h4 19s to west", h4 referring to NGC 16. A note at the end of the NGC indicates the likelihood that the object was not nebulous: "NGC 18: GC 5085, nova Schultz. Not seen by Stephan (XIII); does not occur in d'Arrest's nor in Lord Rosse's observations." The position precesses to RA 00 09 23.7, Dec +27 43 58, within 0.1 arcmin of the pair of stars now identified as NGC 18, and NGC 16 (which see for an image) is 18 seconds west, so the identification is certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 19 (= Swift list II (#4), 1860 RA 00 02 13, NPD 57 55.6) is "most extremely faint, a little extended, 3 very faint stars around". The position precesses to RA 00 09 26.3, Dec +32 51 10, which is 75 seconds of time west and 8 arcmin south of the galaxy. Per Corwin, this error is shared with several other galaxies discovered on the same night (NGC 21, 7831 and 7836, and with an additional error in declination, NGC 6). In addition, the galaxy is in the middle of an equilateral triangle of faint stars, so the identification seems certain. (As it happens, Swift's incorrect position for NGC 21 is close to the correct one for NGC 19, so the two are often confused. For instance, the same image is shown for NGC 19 and 21 on Wikisky and Wikipedia.) Based on a recessional velocity of 4790 km/sec, NGC 19 is about 210 million light years distance, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 185 to 235 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.2 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 75 thousand light years across. NGC 19 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 13, 20, 29, 39, 43, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 20 (= 3rd Lord Rosse, 1860 RA 00 02 21, NPD 57 28.2) is "faint, 10th magnitude star attached". (Although Dreyer credits the report of the discovery to William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, he notes that many of Rosse's nebular discoveries were actually made by his assistants, George Stoney, Bindon Stoney, and R. J. Mitchell.) The position precesses to RA 00 09 34.4, Dec +33 18 34, which is 2 seconds of time east of the center of the galaxy, but between the galaxy and the 10th magnitude star which lies almost in front of it; so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4970 km/sec, NGC 20 is about 220 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.5 by 1.5 arcmins, it is about 100 thousand light years across. NGC 20 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 13, 19, 29, 39, 43, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 21 (= Swift's list II (#5), 1860 RA 00 02 25, NPD 57 34.1) is "extremely faint, small, a little extended". Swift's position precesses to RA 00 09 38.5, Dec +33 12 40, which is 68 seconds of time west and 8 arcmin south of the galaxy, so Dreyer had no reason to suspect that it was the same as Herschel's object. Per Corwin, a similar error is shared with several other galaxies discovered by Swift on the same night (NGC 19, 7831 and 7836, and with an additional error in declination, NGC 6). Given that, the identification seems certain. (As it happens, Swift's incorrect position for NGC 21 is close to the correct one for NGC 19, so the two are often confused. For instance, the same image is shown for NGC 19 and 21 on Wikisky and Wikipedia. However, searching for NGC 29 shows the correct image for the galaxy.)

Per Dreyer, NGC 22 (= Stephan's list XIII (#1), 1860 RA 00 02 36, NPD 62 56.9) is "very faint, pretty small, round, little brighter middle, mottled but not resolved". The position precesses to RA 00 09 48.9, Dec +27 49 52, which is within 0.2 arcmin of the center of the galaxy and well inside its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 8310 km/sec, NGC 22 is about 370 million light years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 330 to 370 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.7 by 1.3 arcmin, it is about 180 thousand light years across. NGC 22 is listed as the namesake of USGC U009 (the NGC 22 Group), which includes several PGC objects.

Per Dreyer, NGC 23 (= John Herschel's GC 9, 1860 RA 00 02 41, NPD 64 51.0) is "3 small stars plus nebulosity". The position precesses to RA 00 09 53.7, Dec +25 55 46, which is about 0.3 arcmin north of the center of the galaxy, but well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4565 km/sec, NGC 23 is about 200 million light years distant, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 175 to 210 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 2.8 by 1.4 arcmins, it is about 160 thousand light years across. NGC 23 is listed as the namesake of LGG 002 (the NGC 23 Group), which includes NGC 1 and 26, and PGC 619, 654, 830 and 912.

Per Dreyer, NGC 24 (= John Herschel's GC 10, 1860 RA 00 02 47, NPD 115 45.0) is "very faint, considerably large, much extended, gradually brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 09 54.8, Dec -24 58 14, which is 0.5 arcmin southwest of the center of the galaxy, but since the galaxy is indeed "considerably large", still within the central portion; so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 555 km/sec, NGC 24 is about 25 million light years away, but for such distances, peculiar (non-Hubble-redshift) velocities can significantly affect the accuracy of the estimate. Redshift-independent estimates range from as little as 3 million to as much as 35 million light years' distance, and inspire even less confidence. However, its apparent size of 5.8 by 1.3 arcmins makes most sense if its distance is in the 20 to 30 million light year range, in which case the galaxy would be about 40 thousand light years across. It has been suggested NGC 24 and 45 are a pair, as they are not far apart (about two degrees, which would correspond to less than a million light years at their probable distance), and have similar recessional velocities. The latter galaxy is probably about 25 million light years away, so if they really are a pair, it would confirm the estimate made in this entry; but both galaxies' distances are very uncertain, so the presumption that they are a pair cannot be viewed with much confidence.

Per Dreyer, NGC 25 (= John Herschel's GC 11, 1860 RA 00 02 57, NPD 147 48.2) is "very faint, small, round". The position precesses to RA 00 09 59.1, Dec -57 01 26, which is within 0.2 arcmin of the center of the galaxy and well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 9465 km/sec, NGC 25 is about 420 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 2 by 1.2 arcmins, it is about 240 thousand light years across. The galaxy is listed as a member of Abell 2731, a rich cluster of galaxies with an average recessional velocity of 9350 km/sec, and a diameter of 35 arcmin (corresponding to a little less than 5 million light years).

Per Dreyer, NGC 26 (= d'Arrest, 1860 RA 00 03 14, NPD 64 56.2) is "very faint, pretty large, round, 2 faint stars to the north". The position precesses to RA 00 10 26.9, Dec +25 50 33, which is about 0.7 arcmin north northeast of the center of the galaxy, but near its northern edge; and there are two faint stars just above it, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4590 km/sec, NGC 26 is about 200 million light years distant, in good agreement with redshift-indendenpent distance estimates of 185 to 235 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.9 by 1.4 arcmins, it is about 110 thousand light years across. NGC 26 is listed as a member of LGG 002 (the NGC 23 Group), along with NGC 1, and PGC 619, 654, 830 and 912.

Per Dreyer, NGC 27 (= Swift's list I (#1), 1860 RA 00 03 15, NPD 61 47.3) is "extremely faint, very small, extended, bright star near". The position precesses to RA 00 10 28.3, Dec +28 59 27, which is more than an arcmin to the southwest of the galaxy, between it and its optical companion, PGC 731; so perhaps the combined light of the two galaxies confused Swift's eye (or perhaps he made an all too characteristic error in measuring the position). In any event, he could not have seen the companion and missed the brighter galaxy, and the bright star directly below makes the identification certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 7035 km/sec, NGC 27 is about 310 million light years distant, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 270 to 320 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.2 by 0.5 arcmins, it is about 100 thousand light years across. Note: Although NGC 27 and PGC 731 appear close, the latter is probably 30 or 40 million light years further away, in which case they are only optical companions.

Per Dreyer, NGC 28 (= John Herschel's GC 13, 1860 RA 00 03 25, NPD 147 46.4) is "extremely faint, the preceding (western) of 2". The position precesses to RA 00 10 26.5, Dec -56 59 38, which is 0.4 arcmin southeast of the center of the galaxy, but within its outer glow; and it definitely "precedes" NGC 31, which lies just to its east, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 9640 km/sec, NGC 28 is about 430 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 0.9 by 0.8 arcmins, it is about 100 thousand light years across. Unlike nearby NGC 25, which is listed as a member of Abell 2371, NGC 28 is not listed as such, and could be slightly behind the cluster. But the difference in its recessional velocity is well within the range of peculiar (non-Hubble-expansion) velocities for such clusters, so odds are that it is also a member of the cluster.

Per Dreyer, NGC 29 (= John Herschel's GC 14, 1860 RA 00 03 32, NPD 57 25.6) is "pretty bright, pretty large, extended 0 degrees". The position precesses to RA 00 10 46.1, Dec +33 21 09, within 0.2 arcmin of the center of the galaxy, and well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4770 km/sec, NGC 29 is about 210 million light years distant, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 200 to 270 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.7 by 0.8 arcmins, it is about 130 thousand light years across. NGC 29 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 13, 19, 20, 39, 43, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 30 (= Marth 4, 1860 RA 00 03 38, NPD 68 49) is "a nebulous star 13th magnitude". The position precesses to RA 00 10 50.6, Dec +21 57 45, which is an arcmin south of the pair. Per Corwin, there are no galaxies within 10 arcmin, and the close double would appear nebulous under less than perfect seeing, so the description seems to confirm the identification.

Per Dreyer, NGC 31 (= John Herschel's GC 15, 1860 RA 00 03 39, NPD 147 46.4) is "most extremely faint, small, round, following (eastern) of 2". The position precesses to RA 00 10 40.2, Dec -56 59 38, which is, as for NGC 28, well to the southeast of the galaxy's center (in this case, about 0.6 arcmin), but still near the border of the galaxy. Most tellingly, it definitely "follows" NGC 28, which lies just to its west, so the identification is certain. (It is interesting to note the difference between interpretations based on modern photographic images, and the direct observational techniques of the 19th century. Nowadays, the ability to photograph the faint outer regions of the galaxy makes NGC 31 appear much larger than NGC 28; but Herschel saw only the bright core of NGC 31, making it appear smaller.) Based on its recessional velocity of 9600 km/sec, NGC 31 is about 430 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.2 by 0.5 arcmins, it is about 150 thousand light years across. Like nearby NGC 28, it may be an unlisted member of Abell 2731. The main argument against that possibility is NGC 31's prominent spiral structure, as interactions between the cluster galaxies have stripped most of them of their gas and dust.

Per Dreyer, NGC 32 (= J Schmidt, 1860 RA 00 03 42, NPD 71 59.0) is "faint (Auwers 1)". The listed position precesses to RA 00 10 54.3, Dec +18 47 45, which is 0.3 arcmin northeast of the star; but Corwin states that Schmidt's original observation precesses to within 3 arcsec, so the identification is certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 33 (= Marth 5, 1860 RA 00 03 45, NPD 87 06) is "extremely faint, very small, or nebulous star". The position precesses to RA 00 10 55.6, Dec +03 40 45, which is 0.3 arcmin northwest of the pair; but as in the case of NGC 30 there is nothing else nearby, and such a double would have appeared nebulous under normal conditions, so the identification seems certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 34 (= Swift's list VI (#1), 1860 RA 00 03 53, NPD 102 53.2) is "pretty faint, small, round, 2 stars nearby". The position precesses to RA 00 11 01.9, Dec -12 06 27, which is about 5 seconds of time west of the galaxy, but there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain. The double listing is explained by the fact that Muller's and Swift's positions differ by nearly half a degree (being 5 seconds off for Muller, and 2 minutes for Swift), so Dreyer had no reason to suspect the identity of the two nebulae. However, on the basis of the stars mentioned by both observers, Herbert Howe noted the identity early enough for it to be included in Dreyer's second Index Catalog corrections to the NGC.

Per Dreyer, NGC 35 (= Swift's list VI (#2), Muller's list II, 1860 RA 00 04 03, NPD 102 47.2) is "most extremely faint, pretty small, round". The position precesses to RA 00 11 11.9, Dec -12 00 27, almost an arcmin northeast of the galaxy; but there is nothing comparable nearby, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 5965 km/sec, NGC 35 is about 260 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 0.5 by 0.4 arcmins, it is about 40 thousand light years across. Note: NGC 35 and 17 are only a few arcmin apart, and given their apparently common distance, may be less than half a million light years apart. If so, they would be gravitationally bound.

Per Dreyer, NGC 36 (= John Herschel's GC 19, 1860 RA 00 04 11, NPD 84 24.2) is "very faint, pretty small, irregular figure". The position precesses to RA 00 11 21.9, Dec +06 22 33, about 0.8 arcmin south of the center of the galaxy, but still within its outline; so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 6030 km/sec, NGC 36 is about 270 million light years away, in fair agreement with a redshift-independent distance estimate of 220 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 3.0 by 1.3 arcmins, it is about 190 thousand light years across. Note: The distance of PGC 797 is unknown, so whether it is a small companion of NGC 36 or a larger, (much) more distant galaxy is also unknown

Per Dreyer, NGC 37 (= John Herschel's GC 17, 1860 RA 00 04 22, NPD 147 43.8) is "extremely faint, small, round". The position precesses to RA 00 11 22.3, Dec -56 57 03, about 0.4 arcmin north northwest of the center of the galaxy, but within its outline; so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 9775 km/sec, NGC 37 is about 435 million light years away. At such a distance, we need to start correcting for the expansion of space during the time it took the galaxy's light to reach us. In this case, the galaxy was about 15 million light years closer than stated above, or about 420 million light years away when the light by which we see it was emitted, about 435 million years ago. Given the uncertainty of any distance estimate this is an insignificant error, and can be safely ignored; still, it is something that needs to be taken into account at very large distances. Given its distance and its apparent size of 1.1 by 0.7 arcmins, the galaxy is about 140 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 38 (= Stephan's list XII (#3), 1860 RA 00 04 38, NPD 96 22.0) is "faint, small, round, much brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 11 47.6, Dec -05 35 15, within 0.2 arcmin of the center of the galaxy, and well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 8035 km/sec, NGC 38 is about 360 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 1.3 by 1.3 arcmin, it is about 140 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 39 (= John Herschel's GC 18, 1860 RA 00 05 04, NPD 59 41.4) is "very faint, pretty small, round". The position precesses to RA 00 12 18.5, Dec +31 05 21, almost 2 arcmin north of the galaxy; but there is nothing else within 10 arcmin, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 4855 km/sec, NGC 39 is about 220 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.1 by 1.0 arcmins, it is about 70 thousand light years across. NGC 39 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 13, 19, 20, 29, 43, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 40 (= John Herschel's GC 20, 1860 RA 00 05 27, NPD 18 15.4) is "faint, very small, round, very suddenly much brighter middle, 12th magnitude star to the southwest". The position precesses to RA 00 13 00.7, Dec +72 31 20, dead center on the nebula, so the identification is certain. NGC 40 is the result of a sunlike star ejecting material into space, during its transformation from a red giant (or dying star) to a white dwarf (or "dead" star). The central star in the nebula is a recently formed, very hot (about 100 thousand Fahrenheit degrees) proto-white dwarf. The nebula is about 3500 light years away, and 1 light year across. Most of the radiation from the nebula is given off by clouds of gas heated to about 20 thousand (Fahrenheit) degrees by the light of the star, but there are also regions which have been heated to millions of degrees by compressive forces generated by the collision of interstellar and previously ejected gases with a 2 million mile per hour stellar wind emitted by the dying star. Over a period of 30 or 40 thousand years, the radiation and stellar wind from the white dwarf will fade away, and the nebula will disappear from view. This is the blink of an eye in astronomical terms, but about one planetary nebula is formed in our galaxy each year, so at any given time there are tens of thousands of them scattered across the galaxy. NGC 40 is sometimes referred to as the "Bow-Tie Nebula" due to the faint extensions to the northwest and south, as shown in the wide-field images at bottom.

Per Dreyer, NGC 41 (= Marth 6, 1860 RA 00 05 33, NPD 68 46) is "pretty faint, small, little extended, gradually brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 12 46.3, Dec +22 00 44, about 0.8 arcmin southwest of the galaxy, but there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 5950 km/sec, NGC 41 is about 265 million light years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 250 to 270 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 0.9 by 0.5 arcmins, it is about 70 thousand light years across. Note: NGC 41 and 42 are only a few arcmins apart, and appear to be at the same distance; if so, they are probably gravitationally bound.

Per Dreyer, NGC 42 (= Marth 7, 1860 RA 00 05 42, NPD 68 41) is "pretty faint, small, little extended, gradually brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 00 12 55.3, Dec +22 05 44, about 0.4 arcmin southwest of the galaxy, but there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 5980 km/sec, NGC 42 is about 265 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.1 by 0.6 arcmins, it is about 85 thousand light years across. Note: NGC 42 and 41 are only a few arcmins apart, and appear to be at the same distance; if so, they are probably gravitationally bound.

Per Dreyer, NGC 43 (= John Herschel's GC 21, 1860 RA 00 05 46, NPD 59 49.8) is "extremely faint, 12th magnitude star 45 arcsec to northwest". A note at the end of the NGC adds: "NGC 43: (John Herschel's) h9 (= his GC 21). Schultz says: 'An extremely faint nebula suspected northwest between star DM 30°, 20 and a faint star to the north.' " NGC is 38 seconds of time to the west of DM+30°20, but west southwest instead of northwest, and any number of stars could be "the faint star to the north", so Schultz' note really doesn't help identify the object. In any event, the 1860 position precesses to RA 00 13 00.8, Dec +30 56 56, exactly 2 arcmin due north of the galaxy, and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 4785 km/sec, NGC 43 is about 210 million light years distant. Given that and its apparent size of 1.6 by 1.5 arcmins, it is about 100 thousand light years across. NGC 43 is listed as a member of LGG 001 (the NGC 7831 Group), along with NGC 13, 19, 20, 29, 39, and a dozen other galaxies.

Per Dreyer, NGC 44 (= John Herschel's GC 22, 1860 RA 00 05 59, NPD 59 29.3) is "extremely faint, very small" (per Corwin, Herschel adds "not to be seen but in the clearest night", indicating that the object was at the limit of observation). The position precesses to RA 00 13 14.0, Dec +31 17 26, only 1/4 arcmin northeast of the pair; and since the description is appropriate, the identification seems certain.

Per Dreyer, NGC 45 (= John Herschel's GC 23, 1860 RA 00 06 48, NPD 113 57.2) is "extremely faint, large, very gradually very little brighter middle, large star in contact following (to the east)". The position precesses to RA 00 13 54.6, Dec -23 10 28, about 9 seconds of time west of the center of the galaxy, but well within its outline. The diffuse nature of the galaxy obviously presented problems in determining where it was centered, as the brightest star in the field, 7th-magnitude HD 941, is to the southwest, not the east; but despite that point of confusion, the identification of the galaxy seems certain. Based on its recessional velocity of 465 km/sec, NGC 45 is only 20 million light years away, at the lower end of redshift-independent estimates of its distance of 20 to 40 million light years. Given that and its apparent size of 8.5 by 5.9 arcmins, it is between 50 and 100 thousand light years across. Its diffuse appearance would suggest a size and distance in the lower range, but galaxies of similar appearance have considerable variation in their size, so there is no way to be sure. It has been suggested NGC 45 and 24 (which see for a view of the region between the galaxies) are a pair, as they are not far apart (about two degrees, which would correspond to less than a million light years at their probable distance), and have similar recessional velocities. The latter galaxy is probably 20 to 30 million light years away, so if they really are a pair, it would confirm the estimate made in this entry; but both galaxies' distances are very uncertain, so the presumption that they are a pair cannot be viewed with much confidence.

Per Dreyer, NGC 46 (= Markree Catalog, 1860 RA 00 06 59, NPD 84 47.5) is "a nebula (Auwers 2)". The position precesses to RA 00 14 10.1, Dec +05 59 14, exactly on the star; so despite its not being a nebular object, the identification is certain. Note: A Wikisky search for NGC 46 incorrectly shows NGC 469, so the position must be used to see the correct object.

Per Dreyer, NGC 47 (= Tempel, 1860 RA 00 07 22, NPD 97 56.6) is "very faint, very small". The position precesses to RA 00 14 31.1, Dec -07 09 52, about 1/4 arcmin northeast of the center of the galaxy, but well within its outline, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 5700 km/sec, NGC 47 is about 250 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 2.2 by 2.1 arcmins, it is about 160 thousand light years across.

Per Dreyer, NGC 48 (= Swift's list II (#6), 1860 RA 00 07 27, NPD 42 31.8) is "most extremely faint, pretty large, round, very difficult". The second Index Catalog lists a corrected RA (per Bigourdan and Barnard) of 00 06 42; using that and the original NPD, the position precesses to RA 00 14 01.6, Dec +48 14 56, about 0.8 arcmin north of the center of the galaxy, but not far from its northern end; so the identification is certain. Two very different values for recessional velocity (1775 and 5250 km/sec) yield distances of 80 and 230 million light years for NGC 48. Redshift-independent distance estimates are equally uncertain, ranging from 85 to 200 million light years. As a result, the apparent size of 1.4 by 0.9 arcmins corresponds to a size of as little as 30 thousand or as much as 90 thousand light years. (Given the many erroneous identifications of NGC objects in various places, the conflicting results may be due to observations of completely different objects.)

Per Dreyer, NGC 49 (= Swift's list II (#7), 1860 RA 00 07 37, NPD 42 31.3) is "most extremely faint, small, round, 2nd of 3". The second Index Catalog lists a corrected RA (per Bigourdan and Barnard) of 00 07 02; using that and the original NPD, the position precesses to RA 00 14 21.9, Dec +48 15 25, about 0.6 arcmin north of the galaxy, but not far from its northern border. Aside from that, it is the "2nd of 3", or the middle galaxy among NGC 48, 49 and 51, so the identification is certain. Based on a recessional velocity of 4775 km/sec, NGC 49 is about 200 million light years away. Given that and its apparent size of 1.1 by 1.0 arcmins, it is about 70 thousand light years across.