John Herschel discovered NGC 2217 = h3041 on 20 Jan 1835 and recorded "vB; R; psmbM; 30", r." His position (measured on two sweeps) matches ESO 489-042 = PGC 18883.

300/350mm - 13.1" (1/18/85): fairly bright, small, elongated ~E-W, well concentrated with a bright core surrounded by small faint halo, stellar nucleus at moments.

600/800mm - 24" (2/5/13): very bright, very large, contains a brighter 1.3' core that is sharply concentrated with an intense nucleus! The round halo extends 3' and has a fairly smooth surface brightness. The outer halo passes through a wide pair of mag 12/13 stars on the west side. UGCA 126, a thin edge-on, lies 60' WSW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb