8 major planets
* NGC 2000 and IC databases are copyrighted by Sky Publishing Corporation and used with their permission.
A. NGC
You will notice that the Messier (M) objects, and the NGC objects have been incorporated into the Meade Instruments
CNGC listing. CNGC stands for "Computerized New General Catalog of Non-Stellar Astronomical Objects." The
CNGC is an enhancement from the RNGC (Revised New General Catalog) in many ways. Angular sizes are given in
arc-seconds on the CNGC listing, and in a convenient scaled format on the Magellan Display. Magnitudes are given
to .1 magnitude where possible.
The complete CNGC contains 7840 objects, most of which appear in the RNGC with the same number. More than
400 objects were added to the RNGC to create the CNGC. Most of these "should have been" in the RNGC in the
sense that they are bright and large enough to have been included. The coordinates in the CNGC listing are listed for
the year 2000.
Objects have been assigned a "Visual Quality Rating", henceforth called VQ. A large number of VQ's have been
obtained by observing the objects. To make the VQ's as useful as possible, all observations have been made with the
same telescope and eyepiece under substantially identical observing conditions. Only for very small objects was a
higher power eyepiece used. Your, "Visual Quality Rating" of a particular object will vary, largely due to sky
conditions.
All, or very nearly all, of the objects in the CNGC are visible with the standard instrumentation and observing
conditions used to obtain the visual quality ratings. It is a good indication of what can be expected with similar
equipment by experienced deep-sky observers in excellent sky conditions. Naturally smaller telescopes and/or less
optimal observing conditions will lower the apparent quality of all objects.
B. IC
The Index Catalog (IC) is an extension of the NGC catalog and includes objects of interest to the amateur astronomer.
The excerpted catalog of 4,093 objects is included.
C. MESSIER
The Messier Catalog has been the benchmark deep-sky catalog for years. Recently expanded to 110 objects, the
Messier catalog contains most of the best deep-sky objects.
D. STAR
The STAR Catalog contains the 42 brightest stars used for alignment. This catalog also contains 8 major planets
which can be found in order beginning with catalog number 901 to 909.
VI Serial Interface
Magellan software supports the RS-232 interface for transmission of telescope position information. If connected to a
host running Epoch 2000 (or other compatible sky mapping software) the user can take advantage of the additional
features and vastly expanded object libraries available. Capabilities vary and the user should consult the instruction
manual of each program regarding details of operation.
A. Cable Configuration
The Magellan RS-232 connector will accept a standard 6 line telephone jack attached to a cable of up to 30 feet
(perhaps more depending on cable construction). Connection to your computer will vary, but typically requires a 9-pin
or 25-pin DB connector. Cable and computer hardware for making these connections is readily available in most
computer or electronic retail stores.