The Caldwell Objects

with NGC 6882 because NGC 6882 is not plotted
on any of these early atlases, and Burnham didn't
mention or list NGC 6882 in his work. To locate
NGC 6885 all one had to do was point a telescope
toward 20 Vulpeculae, look for a loose gathering of
moderately bright stars, and enjoy the view.
Patrick Moore undoubtedly had this
straightforward experience in mind
when he selected NGC 6885 for his
Caldwell Catalog.
Now, a word of warning: if you do
not want to lose yourself in a
convoluted tale of historical folly, just
follow in Moore's footsteps, point your
telescope toward 20 Vulpeculae, and
enjoy the view. If, however, you decide
to read on, do not be surprised if you
wake up one morning banging your
head against the wall of a padded cell.
Okay, I see that my warning didn't
deter you. Let's look, then, at how NGC
6885 and NGC 6882 are treated in some
modern atlases. The 1987 edition of
Uranometria 2000.0 shows NGC 6885
surprisingly diminished in size,
appearing as a tiny (7') cluster centered
on 20 Vulpeculae; NGC 6882 is
superimposed on NGC 6885 (though
with its center offset to the northwest of
20 Vulpeculae) and measures 20'. The two clusters
also appear this way in the second (1998) edition of
Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000.0. In other words, NGC 6885
is now a tiny cluster of stars centered on 20
Vulpeculae, which lies in the southeastern
quadrant of the larger cluster NGC 6882. The
Millennium Star Atlas also portrays NGC 6885 as a
7'-wide cluster centered on 20 Vulpeculae, but
larger NGC 6882 is offset to the west-southwest.
The 18th edition of Norton's Star Atlas (dated 1989)
did not alter
144
37
the picture painted by earlier editions of that
work; NGC 6885 is still centered on 20 Vulpeculae,
and NGC 6882 is still not plotted. On the
far end of the spectrum, Observe: The Herschel
Objects (published by the Astronomical League)
positions NGC 6882 just south of the star 19
Vulpeculae, which is 20' north of 20 Vulpeculae.
Clearly something is amiss, and the problem is
only compounded by reading the various catalog
descriptions of these objects. Texas deep-sky
aficionado Barbara Wilson first brought this
dilemma to my attention. "Notice," she said, "that
the NGC description of 6885 does not match
William Herschel's original description of this
cluster." Of NGC 6885, William Herschel wrote:
" cluster A of coarsely scattered stars, not rich."
The NGC reads "Cluster, very bright, very large,
rich in stars, little com-
Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects