Lewis Swift discovered IC 238 = Sw. VII-5 on 12 Oct 1887 and noted "vF; vS; R; mbM." His position is 2' W of UGC 2070 and there are no other nearby galaxies, so the identification is certain.

600/800mm - 24" (11/7/18): at 260x; fairly faint, oval halo 2:1 SW-NE, ~0.9"x45", well concentrated with a bright, round core. A mag 13 star is 2' SE and a mag 12 star is 3' N. Located 29' NW of mag 5.7 31 Aries (HD 16234).

Notes by Steve Gottlieb