James Dunlop discovered NGC 1493 = D 438 = h2600 with his 9-inch reflector on 2 Sep 1826 and described "a very faint nebula, about 1' diameter, round figure". JH first logged it on 14 Dec 1835 and noted "F, vL, R, vglbM, 3'; sky dull, a haze forming." On a second sweep he was critical of Dunlop's discovery and commented "faint; large; round; very gradually a little brighter in the middle; 2.5' across. With 9" aperture, and a mirror newly polished yesterday, and in high beauty, it is barely possible to discern with the utmost attention that this nebula exists; but to have discovered it with that aperture and power 180 would have been quite out of the question; possibly, however, 90 might show it better." Despite Herschel's skepticism, Dunlop's position is unusually accurate.

600/800mm - 24" (11/18/12 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, fairly large, round, 3.0' diameter, broad concentration. Contains a brighter, elongated core or "bar" oriented ~E-W. The halo contains a strong suggestion of irregular spiral structure. A mag 15 star is at the east edge of the halo. This face-on SBcd galaxy is a member of the Dorado Group.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb