16x80 finder (8/10/91): very large, very faint emission haze (Sh 2-54 = Gum 84) surrounding a very large group of stars, improves with UHC filter. The Eagle Nebula was very prominent in the field to the south. On the north side of this large HII region is a small brighter knot = Simeis 3-132 that was visible in the 17.5" at 64x using a UHC filter as a moderately bright, 3'x2.5' glow, slightly elongated N-S. The eastern side of this HII knot has a sharper, linear border. Also viewed at 220x unfiltered and a group of a half dozen mag 12-13 stars extended N-S in a string are superimposed near the eastern boundary. This obscure, but relatively easy nebula is located 30' N of open cluster NGC 6604 on the north end of Sh 2-54.

William Herschel discovered NGC 6604 = H VIII-15 = h3740 on 15 Jul 1784 (sweep 238) and noted "a cluster of coarsely scattered stars." His position is roughly 9' too far north-northeast. JH made the single observation (sweep 617) "a poor cl class VIII having coarse stragglers to a great distance. The chief * 7m taken."

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/10/91): at 140x appears as a prominent 2' arc of five stars including a mag 7.5 star and a double star on the southwest end. Surrounding this arc is a 5' group of roughly two dozen stars elongated N-S, which includes two faint pairs. My observation of the surrounding emission complex Sh 2-54 is appended below.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb