John Herschel discovered NGC 1540 = h2626 on 6 Nov 1834 and recorded "vF; E; resolvable. Rather a doubtful object. He confirmed the object, though, on sweep 643 and his position matches ESO 430-014 = PGC 14733. This is an interacting pair (AM 0413-283) with separation 0.55'. My visual observation recorded the southern galaxy as brighter and larger and Harold Corwin concurs that the southern object is probably the one viewed by Herschel. He suggests, though, assigning NGC 1540 to the entire system.

400/500mm - 18" (1/21/04): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, ~0.8'x0.5'. Appears to have a star or quasi-stellar knot at the north tip -- this is actually an interacting galaxy [NGC 1540B]! Located 8' SW mag 9.4 SAO 169272 (wide double).

Notes by Steve Gottlieb