OzSky Star Safari: Atlases of The Small Magellanic Cloud

Atlases of The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)

To help the amateur astronomer delve into the secrets of the SMC I have quickly reviewed the main atlases that detail the SMC other than to mark its position on the page. I have not included any computer skycharting programs in the review, because most of the ones that I have looked at don't do the galaxy justice.

A quick note though, if you do decide to use a program make sure that it is one that will allow you to add objects to the database so that you can type in the coordinates and add an object.

Uranometria 2000

Uranometria 2000 was one of the first atlases that showed individual deep sky objects in the clouds, that was easily obtainable. The scale on the atlas is quite small and only the NGC and IC objects are listed.

Stars to 9th magnitude have been plotted. Unfortunately due the scale and lack of objects plotted I would not recommend this atlas for anything other than a first time navigation with a small scope.

Millennium

The Millennium star atlas is similar in design to Uranometria 2000. The scale on the atlas is 100" per millimeter which is much larger which makes the cloud stretch out over two pages. The list of deep sky objects has increased compared to Uranometria 2000 as well. The limiting magnitude for the charts about 11th.

The only down side to the atlas is that it has carried the mistakes through from the Revised NGC, many objects are miss classified like NGC 346, an obvious emission nebulae which is represented as an open cluster. Still a very good atlas to start with.

Herald Bobroff Astroatlas

The Herald Bobroff Astroatlas is the atlas of choice to tour the clouds, and it is an easily available publication. The authors are Australian and they have given the clouds good coverage.

The atlas gives 3 separate views of the SMC. The "B" series charts give a large-scale view much like Norton's or Sky Atlas 2000.0. These charts are useful for naked eye observing from a marginal site where the cloud may not be immediately visible. The "C" series charts give a view similar to Uranometria 2000, showing the brightest objects and stars to 9th magnitude. The "E" series charts show considerable detail with a scale of 1' per cm. The Heinze, Lindsay, and Kron catalogues have been consulted to fill in many of the objects found in a 12" telescope. Stars to 14th magnitude have been included to make navigating the SMC easy.

One drawback to the charts is the use of non-standard symbols to represent the objects. On the whole though this is a good atlas for anyone to start observing. The ISBN # is 0 646 20356 8

The Mati Morel Charts

The best non-professional work is The Mati Morel SMC charts. In 1989 this Australian observer created an observing atlas that is second to none in giving detail to the SMC. The charts are of a large scale being 30" per cm and show stars to 13th magnitude. A considerable proportion of objects visible in a 12" scope is included.

The charts are separated into 3 types. The "A" charts show all the deep sky objects and gives the standard names and symbols for easy identification. The "B" charts show the same area and objects but the variable stars are now identified along with some selected stars showing estimated magnitudes. Finally a series of charts are given showing selected regions of the SMC in greater detail. These 10 charts have stars marked to 16th magnitude and numerous extra deep sky objects. These charts include the region around NGC 330, NGC 346, NGC 371 and NGC 456.

This series of charts I believe is the one to look for, for the general observer planning to dig into the SMC in detail. Be advised though the charts are made foe epoch 1950.0 so remember to revise the R.A. and DEC. coordinates when plotting new things to observe. The atlas is obtainable from Mati Morel at morel@ozemail.com.au

Hodge Atlas of the SMC

The last and definitely the most detailed atlas on the SMC is the Paul Hodge Francis Wright photographic atlas of the SMC. Published in 1977 by the University of Washington Press, the atlas comprises of over 200 photographic charts detailing all variable stars and deep sky objects known at that time.

The charts are grouped into V and B, with the V charts showing the deep sky objects. The limiting magnitude on the atlas is about 17.5 and the scale is large at 16" per mm. The main body of the galaxy is given more detail, as the photos become crowded with stars. The deep sky objects are again labeled for easy identification and the variable stars are also marked. Included with the atlas is a reference book to assist in using the atlas.

I have found that for the experienced observer this is the only atlas to refer to. The stars shown to a deep magnitude and the scale of the photos make this the ideal star hope, object hope atlas. The atlases ISBN# is 0 295 95387 X.