15x50 IS binoculars (9/26/11): easily picked up as a very small, round glow with a bright, nearly stellar center and a small fainter halo.

Pierre Méchain discovered M75 = NGC 6864 = h2064 on 27 Aug 1780 and confirmed by Messier in Oct. WH found "some of the stars are visible." On 3 Sep 1831 (sweep 369), JH recorded "vB; R; vsvmbM; 2'; a bright R ball 15" diam, in an atmosphere 2'; 320 does not show the stars but makes it more resolvable."

300/350mm - 13.1" (8/25/82): bright intense core surrounded by a fainter halo that is slightly mottled but with no obvious resolution.

400/500mm - 17.5" (7/14/93): bright, moderately large, 3' diameter, round, very bright striking core 30" diameter, very mottled. Several extremely faint 15th mag stars pop in and out of view with averted vision in the outer halo. A mag 14 star is in the inner region just NE of core. The cluster almost reaches four mag 12.5-13 stars, which cradle the globular on the south and NE sides, and a fainter star is off the NW side. This cluster is quite concentrated and is the only Shapley-Sawyer class I globular in the Messier catalogue.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb