William Herschel discovered NGC 270 = H III-955 on 10 Dec 1798 (sweep 1086) and logged "cF, vS, iR." His position matches MCG -02-03-027 = PGC 2938. Nearby NGC 277 was missed by WH.
400/500mm - 17.5" (10/13/90): fairly faint, small, oval 3:2 SW-NE, bright core, almost stellar nucleus. NGC 277 is 12' NE.
Notes by Steve Gottlieb