Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity of 4890 km/sec, NGC 2200 is about 225 million light-years away. It is thought to be physically paired with NGC 2201. If so, the two galaxies are probably close to their average distance of 215 to 220 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of 1.0 by 0.9 arcmins, it is about 65 thousand light-years across.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity of 4660 km/sec, NGC 2201 is about 210 million light-years away. It is thought to be physically paired with NGC 2200, which may be responsible for its distorted outer disk. If so, the two galaxies are probably close to their average distance of 215 to 220 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of 3 by 2 arcmins, it is about 180 thousand light-years across.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 7 arcmin.

Historical Idntification: Per Dreyer, NGC 2203 (= GC 1390 = JH 3035, 1860 RA 06 09 27, NPD 165 24.4) is "pretty bright, pretty large, irregularly round, very gradually pretty much brighter middle, mottled but not resolved." The second IC adds (per Delisle Stewart) "faint cluster, not a nebula". The position precesses to RA 06 04 38.2, Dec -75 25 50, right on the cluster listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Note About PGC Designation: For purposes of completeness, LEDA assigns a PGC designation for almost every NGC/IC object regardless of its nature; however, a search of the database for the designation shown above returns no result, so it is shown in quotes. A search of either LEDA or the NED requires NGC 2203 as the search term.
Physical Information: Since NGC 2203 is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, it is about 160 to 165 thousand light-years away. Given that and its apparent size of about 3.2 arcmin (from the images below), it is about 150 light-years in diameter.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 10 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.4 by 0.9 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.4 by 1.3 arcmin.

Historical Identification: The second IC adds (per Howe and Stewart) "bi-nuclear, surrounded by faint trace of ring".
Physical Information: Paired and strongly gravitationally interacting with IC 2163, which see for a more detailed discussion of that galaxy. Based on a 2740 km/sec recessional velocity, NGC 2207 is about 125 million light-years away (and of necessity at the same distance as its companion), in fair agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 55 to 110 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of 4.3 by 2.8 arcmin, it is about 150 thousand light-years across. Used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxy Types as an example of galaxy type SAB(rs)bc.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.6 by 1.1 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.8 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: In the Large Magellanic Cloud. Apparent size 2.1 arcmin.

Historical Identification: The second IC lists a corrected RA (per Ormond Stone, Bigourdan and Howe) of 06 12 23.
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.4 by 0.7 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.5 by 0.8 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.1 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: In the Large Magellanic Cloud. Apparent size 3.6 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 8 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.4 by 1.1 arcmin.

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 2217 (= GC 1401 = JH 3041, 1860 RA 06 16 05, NPD 117 10.6) is "very bright, small, round, pretty suddenly much brighter middle, mottled but not resolved." The position precesses to RA 06 21 39.4, Dec -27 14 27, on the southern rim of the central portion of the galaxy listed above, the description fits that portion (Herschel couldn't have seen the fainter outer regions, whence "small") and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification of NGC 2217 as the middle of this galaxy is certain, and the outer regions are just along for the ride (or, given their appearance, "ring around the rosy").
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 1735 km/sec (and H₀ = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 2217 is about 80 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with widely varying redshift-independent distance estimates of about 50 to 145 million light-years (the HST press release reads "roughly 65 million light-years"). Given that and its apparent size of about 5.4 by 4.9 arcmin (from the images below), the galaxy is about 125 to 130 thousand light-years across.
Usage By The de Vaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 2217 is used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of galaxy type (R)SB(rs)0/a.
Classification Note: In some places the galaxy is listed as a barred spiral galaxy (e.g., the press release for the HST images below), because the outer ring contains clusters of young hot stars similar to those in spirals; but the central structure does not display typical spiral arms, hence its classification as a lenticular or transitional galaxy. Such confusion about how to define the "type" is common for "ring" galaxies, because their peculiar structures don't easily fit into any simple classification.

Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 2218 (= GC 1402, Markree Catalog, 1860 RA 06 16 25, NPD 70 35.5) is a "faint cluster (Auwers No. 22)". The position precesses to RA 06 24 40.8, Dec +19 20 19, on the southwestern rim of the group of stars listed above, and though not a particularly impressive group it does fit the description, so the identification is considered reasonably certain. However, some catalogs list the object as lost or nonexistent, including the original reference for this catalog, so it was also listed as lost or nonexistent here until early 2015.
Physical Information: The asterism consists of five 14th to 15th magnitude stars arranged in a north-south oval, and a few much fainter stars that Cooper could not have seen; so the NGC object is basically just the five brighter stars. Apparent size 0.85 by 0.35 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 10 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 5 arcmin, scattered around 8th magnitude star SAO 217873.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 2.0 by 0.5 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.2 by 0.3 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 3.0 by 2.6 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 20 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 40 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: The core of NGC 2225; apparent size 0.8? arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity of 2260 km/sec, NGC 2227 is about 105 million light-years away, in good agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of 90 to 105 million light-years. Given that and its apparent size of 2.1 by 1.2 arcmin, it is about 65 thousand light-years across. Used by the de Vaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxy Types as an example of galaxy type SB(rs)cd.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 0.8 by 0.7 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.5 by 0.4 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.2 by 0.9 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: In the Large Magellanic Cloud. Apparent size 2.0 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Discovery Notes: William Herschel's VIII 25 was observed by him on Oct 16, 1784; but per Steinicke, Herschel had already observed the cluster (but not recorded it as such) during his earlier studies of double stars, whence the date of discovery shown above. Also per Steinicke, this was the very first cluster or nebula observed by Herschel.
Physical Information: Apparent size 45 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 0.9 by 0.2 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 35 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 1.4 by 1.0 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 8 arcmin.

Historical Identification: The Rosette Nebula is a relatively near and therefore apparently large (and spectacular) stellar birthplace. It is not unusual in such cases for several NGC entries to apply to different parts of the object, and not infrequently to be misapplied. Sorting out the resulting mess can require considerable research, so the entries on this page will be primarily confined to a historical discussion, which will be amended as new information becomes available. For a physical discussion of the nebula (and a spectacular image), see The Rosette Nebula.
 The Rosette is usually listed as NGC 2239, but that is incorrect. Regardless of what John Herschel saw when he observed the cluster of stars listed as NGC 2239, Dreyer's NGC entries and the IC correction shown here make it clear that Dreyer considered the cluster of stars in the center of the Rosette to be Herschel's cluster, and the Nebula itself was primarily comprised of NGC 2237 and 2238. A future iteration of this page will discuss such matters in more detail, and include images of the Nebula which show a final interpretation of the historical evidence.
 (Note to self, to be used in the above: The first IC adds "2237 and 2238 are parts of an extremely large nebulous ring surrounding the cluster h392. See a sketch by Barnard (A.N. 2918)". This implies that the Rosette is the extremely large ring in question, consisting of (among other entries) NGC 2237 and 2238; and h392 (= NGC 2239) is the cluster at the center of the Rosette, not the one off to the side, centered on 12 Monocerotis. Also, per Steinicke, the apparent size of NGC 2237 is about 80 by 50 arcmin.)
Note About PGC Designation: As usual for NGC objects, HyperLEDA assigned a PGC designation to this object, even though it isn't a galaxy; but also as usual in such situations, a search of the database for that designation returns no result, hence its being placed in quotes.

Historical Identification: The Rosette Nebula is a relatively near and therefore apparently large (and spectacular) stellar birthplace. It is not unusual in such cases for several NGC entries to apply to different parts of the object, and not infrequently to be misapplied. Sorting out the resulting mess can require considerable research, so the entries on this page will be primarily confined to a historical discussion, which will be amended as new information becomes available. For a physical discussion of the nebula (and a spectacular image), see The Rosette Nebula.
 The Rosette is usually listed as NGC 2239, but that is incorrect. Regardless of what John Herschel saw when he observed the cluster of stars listed as NGC 2239, Dreyer's NGC entries and the IC correction shown here make it clear that Dreyer considered the cluster of stars in the center of the Rosette to be Herschel's cluster, and the Nebula itself was primarily comprised of NGC 2237 and 2238. A future iteration of this page will discuss such matters in more detail, and include images of the Nebula which show a final interpretation of the historical evidence.
 (Note to self, to be used in the above: The first IC adds "2237 and 2238 are parts of an extremely large nebulous ring surrounding the cluster h392. See a sketch by Barnard (A.N. 2918)". This implies that the Rosette is the extremely large ring in question, consisting of (among other entries) NGC 2237 and 2238; and h392 (= NGC 2239) is the cluster at the center of the Rosette, not the one off to the side, centered on 12 Monocerotis. Also, per Steinicke, NGC 2238 = a knot in the Rosette Nebula, about 80 by 60 arcmin apparent size.)

Historical Identification: The Rosette Nebula is a relatively near and therefore apparently large (and spectacular) stellar birthplace. It is not unusual in such cases for several NGC entries to apply to different parts of the object, and not infrequently to be misapplied. Sorting out the resulting mess can require considerable research, so the entries on this page will be primarily confined to a historical discussion, which will be amended as new information becomes available. For a physical discussion of the nebula (and a spectacular image), see The Rosette Nebula.
 The Rosette is usually listed as NGC 2239, but that is incorrect. Regardless of what John Herschel saw when he observed the cluster of stars listed as NGC 2239, Dreyer's NGC entries and the IC correction shown here make it clear that Dreyer considered the cluster of stars in the center of the Rosette to be Herschel's cluster, and the Nebula itself was primarily comprised of NGC 2237 and 2238. A future iteration of this page will discuss such matters in more detail, and include images of the Nebula which show a final interpretation of the historical evidence. (Note: The 2000.0 RA and Dec for shown for NGC 2239 correspond to the usual identification with 12 Monocerotis; when they have been changed to the correct position, this note will be deleted.)
 (The following is the historical evidence for the statements above) Per Dreyer, NGC 2239 (= John Herschel's GC 1420 = h392, 1860 RA 06 23 29, NPD 84 57.5) is an "8th-magnitude star in a large, poor, bright cluster". The first IC adds "2237 and 2238 are parts of an extremely large nebulous ring surrounding the cluster h392. See a sketch by Barnard (A.N. 2918)". This implies that the Rosette is the extremely large ring in question, consisting of (among other entries) NGC 2237 and 2238; and h392 (= NGC 2239) is the cluster at the center of the Rosette, not the one off to the side, centered on 12 Monocerotis. Per Steinicke, the apparent size of NGC 2239 is 24 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information:

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: In the Large Magellanic Cloud. Apparent size 1.3 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Note About PGC Designation: For purposes of completeness, LEDA assigns a PGC designation to NGC 2242, but a search of the database for that designation returns no result, so it is shown in quotes.
Physical Information: Apparent size 0.37 arcmin.

Historical Identification: The second IC lists a corrected RA (per Bigourdan) of 06 24 28 and adds (per Delisle Stewart) "faint, open cluster, stars from 9th to 11th magnitude".
Physical Information: Apparent size 8.3 arcmin.

Historical Identification: See the discussion of NGC 2237, 2238 and 2239 for a hint of the complications involved in unraveling the historical assignment of NGC numbers in the region near the Rosette Nebula.
Physical Information: Apparent size 24 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 5 by 4 arcmin.

Historical Identification: See the discussion of NGC 2237, 2238 and 2239 for a hint of the complications involved in unraveling the historical assignment of NGC numbers in the region near the Rosette Nebula.
Physical Information:

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: Apparent size 6 by 6 arcmin.

Historical Identification:
Physical Information:

Historical Identification:
Physical Information: In the Large Magellanic Cloud. Apparent size 1.7 arcmin. (Says open cluster in Steinicke, but images and other references suggest a globular, so probably a typo.)