Lewis Swift discovered NGC 2561 = Sw. VI-31 on 23 Mar 1887 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory. His description reads, "vF, S, R, right angles with 2 stars." His position was 8 seconds of time too small and the two stars lie southwest and southeast. Hermann Kobold measured an accurate position in 1896 at the Strasbourg Observatory (published in 1907).

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/7/92): faint, very small, round, faint stellar nucleus. Located 7' SW of mag 8.6 SAO 116633.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb