Selected Astronomical Catalogues
and Online Data Services
-- and a Few Other Interesting Sites

RC3.10

During my work on collecting data for the NGC/IC objects, and in pulling together a catalogue of galaxies with just the data essential for amateur astronomers, I adopted the photometric systems we developed thirty years ago for the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. While those systems remain useful and -- within their statistical errors -- accurate, RC3 itself remained moderately difficult to access for two reasons: 1) 6000 or so of its galaxies had positions with precisions of only six seconds of time and one arcminute; and 2) searching for a specific name was more difficult than it should have been due to the unusual formatting of the names.

I have addressed both of these issues with a new version of RC3 which I have called "RC3.10.0". Follow that link for the details, along with notes about the many other additions and changes that I've made in the catalogue. Several things are worth noting here:

  1. All of the galaxies listed in RC3 now have positions with precisions of 0.1 seconds of time and 1 arcsecond. The positional accuracy is on the order of ±2 arcseconds for all galaxies with updated positions, and ±5-7 arcseconds for others, particularly in the southern sky.
  2. The format of the catalogue is unchanged, so if you have an RC3 reader, it should still work.
  3. There are no additional galaxies, but ...
  4. ... several plate defects and four Galactic objects (two planetary nebulae, a diffuse nebula, and a star) have been removed. There are now 23,001 galaxies listed in RC3.10.

Stay safe and well!

NGC/IC, SGC, and SEGC

During my recent work on RC3 (see above), I have used my NGC/IC position files to update the RC3 positions for the included NGC and IC objects. This has led to some work on the NGC and IC themselves, so I have updated all those files, too. Because much of that work, and that on SGC and SEGC has remained "fresh" from my previous webpage update, I've left the introductory remarks below unchanged. Skip them if you've already read them.

Previously in this space, I mentioned that I had finally, after 40-odd years, pretty much completed my work on the identification and positions of the NGC and IC objects. All that can be found in the NGC/IC section of this web site. That has details and suggestions for accessing the data.

Now that the basic NGC/IC identification phase is pretty well done, I have turned my attention to collecting other data for these objects. I have started with galaxies as those are not only the most numerous deep sky objects, but they are the objects which I have specifically catalogued and studied during my career as a professional astronomer.

So, over the past six months or so, I have reassessed the two basic galaxy catalogues that I have had a hand in: The Southern Galaxy Catalogue (SGC) with Gerard and Antoinette de Vaucouleurs, and The South-Equatorial Galaxy Catalogue (SEGC) with Brian Skiff. Most of this work has involved collecting and transforming the V magnitudes and B-V colors to the general systems of the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3).

Along the way, I have reduced the diameters in both southern catalogues to the RC3 system; have "uncoded" the coded types given in SGC; added position angles to the SGC entries; and collected V-band magnitudes, B-V color indices, and redshifts for almost all the galaxies in both catalogues. I have also simplified the format into a single line for each galaxy, hopefully making the lists easier to read or to import into databases. There is more to be done with that particular aspect of the data presentation, but that will see light in a later release. In the meantime, all the data are available through the links above, and are ready to use.

The updates to these two catalogues give basic data for about 8500 southern galaxies, and -- further -- ways to reduce similar data for tens of thousands of other fainter and smaller southern galaxies. The next obvious steps are 1) to merge the southern data into the NGC/IC lists, and 2) to begin work on the northern equivalent of these southern files. This will eventually result in a complete presentation of visual data for all of the old catalogue entries.

In the meantime, Wolfgang Steinicke, Steve Gottlieb, and Courtney Seligman have collected data for most of the NGC and IC objects. I'm pleased to be able to point you to their NGC/IC pages for other views of the objects.

As usual, I have benefitted from correspondence with Steve and Courtney, as well as Yann Pothier, Steve Waldee, Brian Skiff, and Sue French, on several of the NGC/IC objects. I'm pleased to thank them once again for their help.

UBVRI Photometry of Galaxies, Globular Clusters, and Stars

In a previous release, I presented the results of my photomtery observing runs at McDonald Observatory. The data consist of large-aperture photometry for 239 nearby galaxies, 18 Galactic globular clusters, more than 550 stars, a few miscellaneous objects, and a new set of secondary standard stars, all in the Johnson/Cousins (UBV)J(RI)C system. McDonald UBVRI photometry, 1982-1988 has the details and the data.

I've had requests to combine the tables of positions and final magnitudes, particularly of the stars. I have done this, and those tables are now available. Again, the directory cited above has the details and the new tables.

Extragalactic Catalogues Maintained by Harold G. Corwin, Jr.

The copies of

  • The Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies, by G. de Vaucouleurs, A. de Vaucouleurs, H.G. Corwin, R.J. Buta, G. Paturel, and P. Fouqué
  • A Catalogue of Rich Clusters of Galaxies , by G.O. Abell, H.G. Corwin, and R.P. Olowin,
  • A Southern Galaxy Catalogue by H.G. Corwin, A. de Vaucouleurs, and G. de Vaucouleurs,
    • found here are corrected (and for RC3 and SGC, updated) versions of the published catalogues. Though all three have been available as printed and bound books, the electronic versions here are preferred for reference as all known errata occuring in the printed versions have been corrected. Please let me know if you find any further errors.

    I have also made available in this release an updated version 2.0 of SGC with more accurate, more precise J2000 positions; full galaxy types; diameters reduced to the systems of RC3; V magnitudes and B-V colors, also on the RC3 systems; and redshifts. Details are in the Southern Galaxy Catalogue pages.

    Similarly, as noted above, an updated version of RC3 is now available in the RC3 section of this web site.

    Brief explanations of the data are available here; the full introductions with figures, tables, and references are only available in the printed versions.

    Also, as noted above, an enhanced version (2.0) of

  • A South-Equatorial Galaxy Catalogue by Harold G. Corwin, Jr. and Brian A. Skiff
    •  is now available. This, like the previous versions, has accurate positions, diameters, position angles, and de Vaucouleurs revised Hubble-Sandage (VRHS) types for 3333 single or multiple galaxies in the south-equatorial declination zones between +3 degrees and -21 degrees. In addition, version 2.0 has J2000.0 positions, the diameters reduced to the RC3 system; V magnitudes and B-V colors, also on the RC3 systems; and redshifts.

    All of these catalogues are freely accessible; my coauthors and I ask only for a reference and/or an acknowledgment if you use data from them.

    Links to Useful Astronomical Web Sites

    Most of these Web sites are devoted to astronomical cataloguing and data distribution.
  • NED -- NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
  • SIMBAD
  • SkyView, a Virtual Observatory on the Web
  • The NASA Astrophysics Data System
  • MAST -- The Space Telescope Science Institute HST Data Archive
  • The Canadian Astronomy Data Centre
  • The ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility
  • Brian Skiff's FTP directory at Lowell Observatory with hundreds of files of useful data
  • Steve Gottlieb's NGC/IC web pages
  • Wolfgang Steinicke's Home Page, with links to his historical work on the observations leading to the Dreyer's NGC and IC
  • Wolfgang Steinicke's biographical information for the NGC/IC observers
  • Courtney Seligman's Celestial Atlas featuring images and notes for many celestial objects, including the NGC and IC objects
  • Courtney Seligman's list of refrences and links to NGC/IC observer biographies and published papers
  • Steve Waldee's astronomy web pages
  • The NGC/IC Project
  • The Webb Deep Sky Society
  • Creative Commons
  • Miscellaneous Files
    •

    Links to Classical Music Web Sites

  • ArkivMusic -- The Source for Classical Music is a clearing house for virtually all of the distributors of recorded classical music in the USA. I use their service frequently; it is fast and reliable. If there are problems (I've had just two in the past decade), their customer service reps will fix them quickly. They do downloads as well as physical media, and have begun a streaming service as well. They also have agreements with many record companies to make deleted issues available as on-demand CD-Rs.
  • Fanfare -- The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors. If you have any interest at all in listening to classical (or even jazz) recordings, this magazine is for you. Published every two months, it is packed with reviews of most of the classical music recordings released in the US. The reviewers write knowledgeable and interesting reviews, and there is an on-line archive of the magazine's reviews and feature articles since it began publication in 1977.
  • The Havergal Brian Society promotes the music of the 20th century English composer and critic Havergal Brian. I must confess that I find his orchestral music fascinating and frustrating all at once. Tonally-based and superbly orchestrated, his music is nevertheless among the more difficult that I have tried to get a grip on. Brian's works overflow with ideas, and often burst through the usual formal constraints of symphonic music. The disconcerting result is that I am often lost among the trees while trying to make out the overall patterns of his wonderful forests of sound.
  • The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society. I have no such problems with Ralph Vaughan Williams's music; I have loved it unconditionally since I first heard his 5th Symphony in the early 1960s. (Coincidentally, the 5th Symphony was first performed the year I was born; it is just my age.) I had seen this Society mentioned in several of the music magazines I subscribe to, and had wondered at its intent. Vaughan Williams, after all, is -- along with Sir Edward Elgar -- the composer most responsible for the renaissance of English music in the first half of the 20th century. Many of his works are are among the greatest of that century, and are recorded frequently, so why does this Society exist? As it happens, Vaughan Williams's well-known music is just a small portion of his considerable output over his long composing career (the early 1890s until his death in 1958). The RVW Society promotes performances and recordings of Vaughan Williams's lesser-known music -- some never performed before -- and has issued more than thirty (so far!) recordings on its own "Albion" label. "Vaughan Williams," by the way, is an unhyphenated double last name; others like it (e.g. "Maxwell Davies") are relatively common in Great Britain. And "Ralph", as is also common in the UK, is pronounced "Rafe".
  • The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is our orchestra. While perhaps not quite in the top rank of orchestras in the world, the BPO is just down the road from us, and we are lucky to be living in a city that supports it. They have many recordings available, most with their long-time conductor JoAnn Falletta, that demonstrate their versatility. In my opinion, almost all of the recordings are worth adding to your collection. Buying the recordings directly from the BPO makes a contribution to the orchestra as well as providing you with a fine CD.

    • Links to Railroading Web Sites

  • Amtrak -- the National Railroad Passenger Corporation provides intercity passenger train service in the US. We are fortunate to have an Amtrak station within a few miles of our home, so we travel by train when we can.
  • The Rail Passengers Association (RPA) (formerly NARP -- the National Association of Railroad Passengers) is a primary voice in Washington, DC speaking on behalf of train and rail commuter passengers. NARP has some considerable clout in helping to keep Amtrak going.
  • ESPA -- the Empire State Passengers Association has moved its main web presence to Facebook. Just as NARP is an organization devoted to promoting rail travel across the United States, so is ESPA "working for better rail passenger service and public transportation in New York State." In principle, ESPA promotes transportation initiatives across the entire state, but it seems to be primarily focused on Upstate issues affecting passenger travel outside the New York City area, which is a region unto itself!
  • Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society is "... dedicated to preserving and disseminating the historical record of the Southern Pacific Railroad and its affiliates." The Southern Pacific was "my" childhood railroad in California, and I renewed my attachment to it during my twenty years there between 1991 and 2011. SPH&TS publishes "SP Trainline" four times a year. Yes, the magazine is a nostalgia trip for me, with a strong focus on the railroad itself. But the "Espee" is also an important element in the history of the western United States. "Trainline" often provides that broader context.
  • Model Railroading is a glimpse inside the mind of an atypical model railroader. I call myself "atypical" because I have no layout where I can actually run my trains, and no large space where I can even contemplate building such a layout. Nevertheless, I have a lot of HO rolling stock, almost all modeled from Southern Pacific prototypes (see above) or from Amtrak prototypes (also see above). Once in a while, I will report on my model railroading activity in this space. At the moment, this directory has before and after photos of an HO model of a single Amtrak passenger car that I've recently modified, as well as a link to a photo of the prototype.

    • Contact

    Email: hcorwin1153@sbcglobal.net

    Acknowledgments

    The previous version of this site was made possible by the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I am pleased to acknowledge their support prior to my retirement in July 2011.

    NED maintains that earlier version of this site which will serve as an archival snapshot of the catalogues as they existed when I loaded them into NED.

    I use GoDaddy for hosting and domain services. They offer far more than I need, but what I do need from them is easy to use and reliable.

    Latest update: 12 June 2020