James Dunlop discovered NGC 2090 = D 594 = h2944 on 29 Oct 1826 and described "a small faint nebula, with a ray shooting out on the north side." Dunlop observed this galaxy once and his position is 3' too far SSW. The "ray" he mentions probably consists of 3 mag 13-14 stars. John Herschel recorded the galaxy twice, on 8 Jan 1836 recording a "globular cluster, B; R; with an appendage to northward; 2.5' diameter." The following night he described it as "B, irreg R, gbM; 3' long; 2' broad with stars appended. This RA to be preferred". Herschel called this galaxy a globular in the GC and Dreyer copied that classification in the NGC description.

300/350mm - 13.1" (2/25/84): faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 ~N-S, 2.5'x0.8'. A mag 13.5 star is at the north tip 1.5' from center, a mag 14 star is at the west edge, 40" from center and another 14th mag star is 1.2' SE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb