Wilhelm Tempel discovered NGC 2634 = T VI-4 = T IX-7 on 11 Aug 1882, along with NGC 2633 = T VI-5. His position (corrected in list IX) is an excellent match with UGC 4581= PGC 24749. Harold Corwin suggests NGC 2630 (listed as "not found") might be a duplicate observation.

300/350mm - 13.1" (1/11/86): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated, small bright core, slightly fainter and smaller than NGC 2633 8' N.

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/20/93): moderately bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SW-NE, prominent small bright core, bright stellar nucleus. Forms a close pair with NGC 2634A 2' SSE. The companion is faint, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 WSW-ENE. NGC 2633 is in the field 8.2' N. NGC 2636 lies 18' S.

900/1200mm - 48" (3/1/19): at 488x; very bright, fairly large, round, very sharply concentrated with an extremely bright core that increases to an intensely bright stellar nucleus. A mag 15.9 star is near the edge of the halo, 0.7' W of center. A mag 17.4 star is in the halo on the SW side, 0.5' from center. Forms a pair with NGC 2634A 1.9' SSE. In a group (LGG 160) with NGC 2633 8' N.

NGC 2634A, 2' SSE, appeared moderately bright, fairly large, thin edge-on 7:2 WSW-ENE, 2.0'x0.5', only a very weak central brightening. A mag 15.6 star is in line with the galaxy just off the ENE end [44" from center].

Notes by Steve Gottlieb