Subtle structure is evident in the halo with slightly enhanced regions. A slightly brighter patch is on the northwest and west side (images show this part of an inner ring) and an extremely faint "star" is superimposed [25" NW of center]. The DSS2 image reveals this is either a bright knot or possibly an interacting companion. In 1981ApJS...46...75A ("Spectroscopic Measures of Galaxies, Their Companions, and Peculiar Galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere"), Arp identifies this object as a companion galaxy as well as Madore in the 2007 paper "The Curious Case of NGC 6708".

John Herschel discovered NGC 238 = h2341 on 2 Oct 1834 and recorded "eF, pL, R, gvlbM, 50"." His position matches ESO 194-031 = PGC 2595.

600/800mm - 30" (10/13/15 - OzSky): at 303x; fairly bright, moderately large, roundish, ~1.5' diameter. Sharply concentrated with a very small bright nucleus. A weak central bar extends NW-SE from the nucleus.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb