John Herschel discovered NGC 2439 = h3094 on 28 Jan 1835 and recorded "a cluster of about 150 stars, B, pL, p rich, not much more compressed to the middle, 8' diameter, has one star 8th mag (place taken), one red one 9th mag, the rest 12..14th mag."

400/500mm - 17.5" (1/19/91): at 220x, 70 stars visible in a 10' diameter. Bright, fairly large, elongated N-S. This is a rich, pleasing cluster and includes mag 6.7 R Puppis on the northeast edge. About 1' SW and 2' SSE of R Puppis are two easy but prominent double stars equally spaced with similar magnitudes but with perpendicular orientations (N-S and E-W). The pair 1.7' SSE is PRO 41 (9.2/10.3 at 12"). These wide double stars form a striking group and are part of an elliptical outline of stars with a void in center. Very unusual appearance!

Notes by Steve Gottlieb