Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 2149 = St VIIIb-18 on 17 Jan 1877 with the 31" refractor at Marseille Observatory. His position is accurate. NGC 2149 was misclassified as a galaxy in the 1932 Shapley-Ames Catalog. It was found to be a star + galactic nebulosity by Mayall and communicated privately to Shapley in 1952. It was deleted as a galaxy in the 1964 Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (de Vaucouleurs). Still it was erroneously plotted as a galaxy on the Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens.

400/500mm - 17.5" (1/19/91): this moderately bright reflection nebula is fairly small and has a 12th magnitude (illuminating) star on the west side. Appears prominent with an OIII filter(?) at 140x.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb