English Publications

I. Books (latest first)

My English translation of Günther Buttmann's classic biography "Wilhelm Herschel - Leben und Werk" of 1961 was published in autumn 2023 by "Books on Demand".
William Herschel - Discoverer of the Deep Sky covering the observations of William und Caroline Herschel was published on 13 October 2021 by "Books on Demand". It has 576 pages. It is available as hardcover or paperpack (also on amazon).

Published reviews (pdf): Karl-Peter Julius (VdS-Journal), Dominik Elsässer (Sterne und Weltraum), Charles Draper (Herschel Society Journal), Barbara Becker (Journal for the History of Astronomy), William Sheehan (Society for the History of Astronomy Bulletin), John Campbell (Cloudy Nights),  Mark Bratton (DSO). Further comments appeared on amazon.
Nebulae, Star Clusters, Galaxies was published as paperback in 2019 (available by amazon).
Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters - from Herschel to Dreyer's New General Catalogue is the extended, English version of my comprehensive study (thesis) on the history of the NGC. It was 2010 published by Cambridge University Press.

Look here for an abstract of the book.

Look here for a list of known errors and corrections (xls-file).

Published reviews: Michael Hoskin (pdf), Malcolm Thomson (pdf), Owen Brazell, Lee Macdonald, Hilmar Duerbeck (pdf), misterdeepsky, Sky at Night, Jaakko Saloranta, Barbara Becker (Annals of Science, 2011), Ted Forte (pdf), Woodruff T. Sullivan III (pdf), Hilmar Duerbeck (SuW 11/2011) (pdf), Davide Pistritto

Galaxies and How to Observe Them (Springer, London-New York) is on the market since 2006. It covers all aspects about visual observing of galaxies, featuring astrophysics, instruments, observing techniques, objects, and much more.

Download an index of all objects (xls).

Latest review: Davide Pistritto

III. Books (co-work)

Chapter "The Discovery of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies" in: Gullberg, Robertson (eds.) Essays on the Astronomical History and Heritage. Springer 2023.
My "Revised NGC/IC" is included in the 4-volume, large-formatb work A Comprehensive Field Guide to the NGC by Bahwesh Parekh. It was piubished in August 2021.
Chapter "William Herschels Star Gages and the Structure of the Milky Way" in C. Cunningham (ed.), The Scientific Legacy of William Herschel (Springer 2018)
Chapter "Oudemans’ Observations of 18 Aug. 1868 a. 12 Dec. 1871 Total Solar Eclipses from the Dutch East Indies" in W. Orchiston (ed.), The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia (Springer 2017).
William Parsons - 3rd Earl of Rosse (edited by Charles Mollan), Manchester University Press 2014. It is the first biography about Lord Rosse and contains my 70-page article Birr Castle observations of non-stellar objects and the development of nebular theories.
For Michael Hoskin's latest book, The Construction of the Heavens: William Herschel's Cosmology (Cambridge University Press, January 2012), I have written comments about the involved deep sky objects. 
My "Revised NGC/IC" is used in the NGC-IC Photographic Catalogue by Numazawa and Wakyia. The large-format, 720-page book was published in 2012. It shows DSS-images of all objects!

III. Articles (since 1996)
  Publication Magazine/Location Year
1 Catalogue of Bright Quasars and BL Lacertae Objects Internet 1998
2 Galaxies in Leo Minor - "The Amateur Deep Field" Mitteil. d. SFB, May-Aug 1998
3 Catalogue of Galaxy Groups Internet 1999
4 Observing list of Bright Quasars Internet 1999
5 Quasars, Active and Compact Galaxies Internet 1999
6 Extragalactic Objects Discovered as Variable Stars Internet 2000
7 Anonymous Galaxies in the NGC 999-Group Magellan 2, issue 1, p. 10 2000
8 Digital Deep-Sky Data, visual Observing and the NGC/IC Project VdS-Journal 1/2000, p. 49 2000
9 On True and False Double Quasars Internet 2000
10 "Superthin Galaxies" - Objects, Sharp as a Razor Blade VdS-Journal 2/2000, p. 71 2000
11 In Quest of "Deep-Sky Comets" [pdf] Internet 2001
12 Cygnus A - Observing an Exceptional Radio Galaxy interstellarum 18 2001
13 Deep Sky Catalogues, the New Uranometria and Other Stories [pdf] Internet 2002
14 Extragalactic Objects Discovered as Variable Stars Webb Deep Sky Society Publication 2002
15 NGC 6822 (Barnard's Galaxy) interstellarum 41, S. 22 2005
16 Object of the Season: NGC 7027 Deep Sky Observer 138, p. 17 2005
17 Object of the Season: NGC 6888 Deep Sky Observer 140, 9 2006
18 Object of the Season: NGC 891 Deep Sky Observer 141, 17-21 2006
19 Review: F. Watson, Stargazer - The Life and Times of the Telescope Deep Sky Observer 142, 27-28 2006
20 M 81 and M 82 - A Nightmare for the Herschel Family [pdf] Internet 2006
21 T. Neckel, H. Vehrenberg: Atlas of Galactic Nebulae (DVD) [pdf] Deep Sky Observer 147, 23-24 2008
22 NGC 4361. History, Data and Observational Results Deep Sky Observer 150, 4-6 2009
23 NGC 7000. History, Data and Observational Results Deep Sky Observer 151, 7-9 2010
24 John Lous Emil Dreyer - A Short Biography [pdf] Internet 2010
25 NGC 7332/39. History, Data and Observational Results Deep Sky Observer 152, 11-12 2010
26 NGC 5053 Deep Sky Observer 153, 5-6 2010
27 Will the "real" NGC 4241 please stand up? [pdf] Amateur Astronomy 67, 15-16 2010
28 Carbon star V Aql [pdf] Deep Sky Observer 154, 11-12 2011
29 Planetary Nebula NGC 246, Cetus Deep Sky Observer 155, 7-11 2011
30 A Website of Deep-Sky Objects [pdf] Journal for the History of Astronomy 42, 521 2011
31 NGC 2362 in Canis Major Deep Sky Observer 156, 13 2012
32 'The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel' at 100 [pdf] Astronomy & Geophysics, 53, 2.13 2012
33 The M51 Mystery - Lord Rosse, Robinson and South and the Discovery of Spiral Structure in 1845 [pdf] Journ. Astron. History Heritage, 15, 19-29 2012
34 Review; J. Cavin, The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Deep-Sky Catalogs [pdf] The Observatory 132, 199-200 2012
35 NGC 4485/90 in Canes Venatici Deep Sky Observer 157, 15-17 2012
36 NGC 6765 in Lyra Deep Sky Observer 158, 4-6 2012
37 NGC 7789 in Cassiopeia Deep Sky Observer 159, 13-16 2012
38 NGC 281 in Cassiopeia Deep Sky Observer 160, 12-14 2013
39 NGC 2419 in Lynx Deep Sky Observer 161, 24-25 2013
40 Review: M. Streicher, Astronomy Delights [pdf] Deep Sky Observer 161, 25-26 2013
41 NGC 6210 in Hercules Deep Sky Observer 162, 20-23 2014
42 NGC 7479 in Pegasus Deep Sky Observer 163, 14-16 2014
43 William Herschel, Flamsteed Numbers and Harris's Star Maps [pdf] Journal for the History of Astronomy 45, 287-303 2014
44 William Herschel's sweeps of the heavens Deep Sky Observer 164, 2-3 2014
45 NGC 2163 in Orion Deep Sky Observer 164, 25-28 2014
46 NGC 5466 in Bootes Deep Sky Observer 165, 25-27 2014
47 NGC 40 in Cepheus Deep Sky Observer 166, 23-26 2015
48 William Herschel and the 'garnet' stars: mu Cephei and more [pdf] Journ. Astron. History & Heritage 18, 199-217 2015
49 NGC 4449 in Canes Venatici Deep Sky Observer 168, 25-28 2015
50 NGC 6572 in Ophiuchus Deep Sky Observer 169, 25-28 2015
51 What Carolie saw? [pdf] Astronomy & Geophysics 56, 5.7 2015
52 The first scientific biography of Lord Rosse Deep Sky Observer 170, 4-5 2016
53 NGC 1+2 in Pegasus Deep Sky Observer 170, 21-24 2016
54 Where to get reliable NGC/IC data? Deep Sky Observer 170, 24-25 2016
55 John Herschel's Cape Observations Deep Sky Observer 171, 3-5 2016
56 NGC 1501 in Camelopardalis Deep Sky Observer 171, 20-23 2016
57 Quasar 3C 273 in Virgo Deep Sky Observer 172, 25-26 2016
58 B 86 / NGC 6520 in Sagittarius Deep Sky Observer 173, 25-27 2016
59 William Herschel’s ‘Hole in the Sky’ and the discovery of dark nebulae Journ. Astron. History & Heritage 19, 305-326 2016
60 NGC 7009 in Aquarius Deep Sky Observer 174, 11-13 2016
61 NGC 1333 in Perseus Deep Sky Observer 175, 22-25 2017
62 Abell 21 in Gemini Deep Sky Observer 176, 24-25 2017
63 NGC 2537 in Lynx Deep Sky Observer 177, 25-28 2017
64 Oudemans’ Observations of 18 Aug. 1868 a. 12 Dec. 1871 Total Solar Eclipses from the Dutch East Indies Nakamura, Orchiston, Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia 2017
65  The Veil Nebula in Cygnus Deep Sky Observer 178, 12-18 2017
66  NGC 253 in Sculptor Deep Sky Observer 179, 18-21 2018
67 M1 in Taurus Deep Sky Observer 180, 21-25 2018
68 M 104 in Virgo Deep Sky Observer 181, 20-23 2019
69 NGC 7635 in Cassiopeia Deep Sky Observer 182, 22-23 2019
70 NGC 6781 in Aquila Deep Sky Observer 183, 22-24 2020
71 M 108 in Ursa Major Deep Sky Observer 184, 23-26 2020
72 NGC 6309 in Ophiuchus Deep Sky Observer 185, 31-33 2020
73 Herschel's first steps in astronomy Eastborne Astronomical Society / Orbit 400, 14-17 2020
74 CRL 2688 (Egg Nebula) in Cygnus Deep Sky Observer 186, 19-20 2021
75 William Herschel's three 'star reviews 1778-83 and their yield Journal of the Herschel Society 1/2021, 19-34 2021
76 Gakaxy trio NGC 160, NGC 169 and IC 1559 in Andromeda Deep Sky Observer 187, 27-28 2021
77 NGC 3242 in Hydra Deep Sky Observer 188, 20-22 2021
78 NGC 6826 in Cygnus Deep Sky Observer 189, 24-26 2022
79 Haydn at the Herschels Astronomy & Geophysics 63, 6.20 2022
80 NGC 1514 in Taurus Deep Sky Observer 190, 2-4 2022
81 M 82 in Ursa Major Deep Sky Observer 191, 2-4 2023
82 Visitors to the Herschels between 1777 and 1822 Journ. Astron. History & Heritage 26(3), 545-598 2023
83 NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices Deep Sky Observer 192, 22-24 2024
84 M 57 in Lyra Deep Sky Observer 193, 31-37 2024