Bode's Original Object Positions

Below we give a list of Johann Elert Bode's original object positions, as published in his 1777 catalog of "Nebulous Stars and Star Clusters". The positions are given as in Bode's catalog (ecliptical coordinates for 1780 and precessed and converted to RA/Dec for 2000) and where applicable, compared to modern coordinates (RA/Dec 2000.0). 
Bode   ID     EcL (1780) EB  RA (2000) Dec   RA (2000) Dec
 No.               Bode          Bode           modern

  1  I 1434?    3:23 +57:30  22:09.1 +52:55  22:10.5 +52:50
  2     M32    23:25 +32:24  00:39.9 +39:54  00:42.7 +40:52
  3     M31    24:48 +33:22  00:42.6 +41:18  00:42.7 +41:16
  4            29:37 +45:55  00:22.9 +53:57
  5     M33    29:53 +18:30  01:34.2 +29:46  01:33.9 +30:39
  6  Fla 217   38:25 +27:05  01:53.4 +40:44
  7     M34    48:56 +25:36  02:43.4 +42:48  02:42.0 +42:47
  8     M45    56:55 +04:01  03:47.5 +24:06  03:47.0 +24:07
  9     M38    79:05 +12:55  05:22.1 +36:08  05:28.4 +35:50
 10     M42    79:49 -28:39  05:34.5 -05:20  05:35.4 -05:27
 11      M1    81:01 -01:23  05:34.5 +21:57  05:34.5 +22:01
 12     M36    81:05 +10:20  05:32.3 +33:40  05:36.1 +34:08
 13     M37    83:27 +08:56  05:43.7 +32:21  05:52.4 +32:33
 14     M35    89:17 +00:40  06:10.3 +24:07  06:08.9 +24:20
 15     M41    98:49 -43:00  06:36.9 -19:55  06:47.0 -20:44
 16     M50   104:27 -30:36  07:00.7 -08:03  07:03.2 -08:20
 17     M81   116:19 +52:15  09:59.4 +69:40  09:55.6 +69:04
 18     M82   116:48 +51:21  09:56.6 +68:45  09:55.8 +69:41
 19  Cr 140?  118:29 -55:13  07:24.5 -34:03  07:23.9 -32:12
 20     M44   124:21 +01:06  08:40.5 +19:30  08:40.1 +19:59
 21  N 2477   130:12 -57:59  07:50.8 -38:37  07:52.3 -38:33
 22  N 2546   136:04 -54:20  08:12.9 -36:24  08:12.4 -37:38
 23     M40   147:59 +53:03  12:22.3 +58:05  12:22.4 +58:05
 24  Hev 1496 148:52 +53:59  12:30.0 +58:26
 25     M51   171:36 +51:06  13:29.2 +47:29  13:29.9 +47:12
 26     M53   186:43 +23:36  13:14.0 +17:46  13:12.9 +18:10
 27     M83   210:32 -18:20  13:37.1 -29:51  13:37.0 -29:52
 28  Hev 953  221:39 +05:52  14:56.0 -10:40
 29      M5   223:30 +19:39  15:18.5 +02:04  15:18.6 +02:05
 30     M13   236:24 +57:55  16:41.5 +36:31  16:41.7 +36:28
 31      M4   245:23 -04:50  16:23.4 -26:31  16:23.6 -26:32
 32     M12   247:56 +20:06  16:48.7 -02:12  16:47.2 -01:57
 33     M10   250:20 +18:35  16:57.0 -03:59  16:57.1 -04:06
 34  Hev 804  250:30 +35:29  17:05.4 +12:47
 35     M19   254:05 -03:28  17:02.7 -26:18  17:02.6 -26:16
 36      M9   257:13 +04:38  17:19.3 -18:29  17:19.2 -18:31
 37     M14   260:58 +20:05  17:37.6 -03:16  17:37.6 -03:15
 38  Hev 794  261:45 +71:50  17:50.3 +48:25
 39      M6   262:40 -08:49  17:40.1 -32:13  17:40.1 -32:13
 40  Hev 795  264:00 +63:28  17:53.2 +40:01
 41      M7   265:38 -11:25  17:53.8 -34:53  17:53.9 -34:49
 42      M23  266:09 +04:38  17:56.7 -18:50  17:56.8 -19:01
 43       -   266:53 -00:20  17:59.8 -23:48
 44     <M8   266:59 -00:48  18:00.2 -24:16  18:03.8 -24:23
 45  LeG M8   267:11 -01:30  18:01.1 -24:58  18:03.8 -24:23
 46      M69 /267:27 -10:04  18:02.5 -33:32  18:31.4 -32:21
             *273:50         18:32.6 -33:20
 47     M20   267:31 +00:27  18:02.6 -23:01  18:02.6 -23:02
 48  N 6530   267:35 -00:48  18:02.9 -24:16  18:04.8 -24:20
 49  Mes M8   267:48 -00:53  18:03.8 -24:21  18:03.8 -24:23
 50     M21   267:56 +00:56  18:04.4 -22:32  18:04.6 -22:30
 51     M24   270:39 +05:02  18:15.6 -18:23  18:16.9 -18:29
 52     M16   271:26 +09:35  18:18.3 -13:49  18:18.8 -13:47
 53     M18   271:45 +06:15  18:20.1 -17:08  18:19.9 -17:08
 54     M17   271:46 +07:06  18:20.0 -16:17  18:20.8 -16:11
 55  Hev 1259 274:09 +09:05  18:29.4 -14:12
                                             18:31.0 -13:10  NGC 6639
 56     M25   274:25 +04:19  18:31.6 -18:57  18:31.6 -19:15
 57     M22   275:15 -00:42  18:36.4 -23:54  18:36.4 -23:54
 58     M28?//277:54 -01:43  18:48.4 -24:43  18:24.5 -24:52
             =272:30 -01:30  18:24.6 -24:51
 59     M26   278:25 +13:36  18:45.6 -09:25  18:45.2 -09:24
 60       -   279:24 +00:09  18:54.2 -22:44
 61       -   279:37 +00:12  18:55.1 -22:40
 62     M11   280:12 +16:30  18:51.2 -06:23  18:51.1 -06:16
 63     M55   288:30 -09:20  19:40.1 -30:57  19:40.0 -30:58
 64  Hev 380  299:39 +00:31  20:19.5 -19:04
 65  Hev 383  301:40 +00:59  20:27.4 -18:09
 66  Hev 382  302:09 +00:29  20:29.8 -18:31
 67     M27   305:21 +42:15  19:59.6 +22:42  19:59.6 +22:43
 68     M30   316:38 -08:48  21:40.5 -23:16  21:40.4 -23:11
 69     M29   321:04 +55:28  20:23.9 +38:34  20:23.9 +38:32
 70      M2   322:20 +13:09  21:33.1 -00:39  21:33.5 -00:49
 71     M15   326:13 +25:30  21:30.2 +12:12  21:30.0 +12:10
 72  Hev 618? 333:06 +61:06  20:39.8 +46:30
 73  Hev 1113 337:24 +13:23  22:27.7 +04:45
 74  Hev 619? 349:10 +67:37  20:49.0 +55:52
 75     M39   349:13 +57:30  21:31.8 +48:09  21:32.2 +48:26
[76]    M92   251:00 +66:00  17:24.9 +43:01  17:17.1 +43:08
[77]    M64   181:00 +26:00  12:58.3 +22:07  12:56.7 +21:41
In the copy of the present author, the position of M7 was stroken out by hand and replaced by another (even worse) one, as was that of M28 (where it helped). The handwritten remarks are probably based on Bode's later publications.

Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: June 13, 2001