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This graphite pencil drawing of the Great Nebula in Orion was made by John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871) while on a trip to South Africa in 1835. Herschel was able to draw the nebula with the aid of a 20 feet reflector telescope at 'Feldhausen' in the Cape of Good Hope. The drawing is probably one that is referred to in his diary entry for the date, Sunday 4 January 1835.

The Great Nebula in Orion as seen in the 20 feet Reflector at Feldhausen - Cape of Good Hope

Sunday 4 January 1835

Globular star cluster (a Centauri), N.G.C. 5139, R.A. 13h 19m, Decl, - 46[o] 19', Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, 1903, February 19, 24-inch Refractor, focal length, 22 1/2ft, exposure, 509 min

Globular star cluster (a Centauri)

1903

Comet, 1882, 1882, Nov, 14, 14h 15m G.M.T. exposure, 2h 20m. David Gill, Cape of Good Hope Observatory

Comet, 1882, 1882

1882

One of nineteen photographs from the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, showing the monument marking the site of Sir John W. Herschel's telescope at Feldhausen, South Africa .

One of nineteen photographs from the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope

1909