Lewis Swift discovered NGC 1628 = Sw. VI-20 (along with NGC 1627) on 22 Dec 1886 with a 16" refractor and recorded "vF; pS; vE in meridian; n of 2 [with NGC 1627]." His position and visual description matches MCG -01-12-038 = PGC 15654. The photographic descriptions for NGC 1627 and NGC 1628 are reversed in RNGC. See comments for NGC 1627.

400/500mm - 17.5" (1/23/93): fairly faint, fairly small, edge-on 4:1 NNW-SSE, 1.5'x0.4', weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2' WNW. NGC 1627 lies 10' S. The photographic descriptions of NGC 1627 and NGC 1628 are reversed in the RNGC.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb