?douard Stephan discovered NGC 1741 = St IX-5 on 6 Jan 1878 with the 31" reflector at the Marseille Observatory. Stephan's micrometric position matches MCG -01-13-045 = Hickson 31A (irregular double system) in a compact group.

300/350mm - 13.1" (11/29/86): faint, small, round. A mag 12 star is 0.9' SE of center. This is a double system and brightest in HCG 31. IC 399 lies 2.3' SE (not seen).

400/500mm - 17.5" (2/8/97): brightest in HCG 31 (merged system with HCG 31C). Fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 2:1 ~E-W after extended viewing, bright core. Located 0.9' NW of a mag 12 star. NGC 1741 has an irregular appearance and is intermittently partially resolved with a faint "knot" = HCG 31C visible with concentration at the west end. IC 399, located 2.3' SE, is not considered as part of HCG 31 though it is a group member (similar reshift as HCG 31A, 31B and 31C).

900/1200mm - 48" (11/2/13): NGC 1741 = HCG 31A/C is a merging system with intense star formation. HCG 31C, the western component, appeared fairly bright, small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, ~18"x9". HCG 31A, which is attached or merged near the southwest end, appeared moderately bright, small, elongated 2:1 E-W, 20"x10". A mag 12 star is less than 1' SE. The seeing was too soft to detect the low surface brightness plume to the northeast. HCG 31B, just 45" SW, appeared fairly faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, ~24"x8", no central brightening. HCG 31D situated 40" W is by the far the faintest member (V = 17.8 and a distance of over 1 billion l.y.) and appeared as an extremely faint and small knot, round, 6" diameter. Finally, IC 399 = Mrk 1090 lies 2.3' SE and is interacting with the group.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb