> Out of curiousity, I just did a sort on my NGC observations and found
> detailed notes on 5967 entries ...
It's amazing how this stuff adds up. I use smaller apertures than
Steve Gottlieb does, so I have far, far, fewer detailed notes, but
as of the end of 2001, I had observed 6130 NGC objects, mostly
north of 42 south but including a few hundred further south. I
had also observed 576 IC objects, 928 stellar objects (mostly
doubles or multiples, but a few that were interesting or noteworthy
in other ways), 70 solar system objects (including human-made
ones), and 2857 other deep-sky objects, including large pluralities
from the ESO, MCG, UCG, and PK catalogs. I have been through
the H400 five times, with a sixth survey nearly complete, through
the H400-II once, through the "complete" list of all 2500-odd
objects discovered by the Herschels once, and am now trundling
my way through the Bedford catalog. And oh, yes, my Messier
survey count is up to 30, with no. 31 in process and a telescope
just bought for no. 32.
I am *not* going to try to observe the entire NGC. I am *not*
going to try to observe the entire NGC. I am *not* going to try
to observe the entire NGC.
I believe it was Santayana who observed that a fanatic is someone
who redoubles his efforts when he has forgotten his purpose.
I was going to say, that I think I need a life, but I am no
longer certain that I remember what the word "life" means ...
-- Jay Freeman, Deep-Sky Weasel