NGC 2770 hosted four supernovae in a 16-year period: SN 1999eh, SN 2007uy and SN 2008D (all Type 1b ) and SN 2015by

William Herschel discovered NGC 2770 = H II-490 = h562 on 7 Dec 1785 (sweep 487) and logged "pF, pmE, resolvable, 3' long, 1.5' broad. South of 2 equals stars nearly in the meridian, and about 2' from each other." His position matches UGC 4801.

Bindon Stoney, the observer for the 72" on 20 Jan 1852, noted "F, L ray, 2 stars nearly parallel to it on n f side; suspect a bright streak down the middle." This galaxy has hosted 3 Type Ib supernovae over a 10 year period: SN 1999eh, SN 2007uy and SN 2008D.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/6/02): fairly faint but surprisingly large, nearly edge-on 7:2 NW-SE, 3.0'x0.9', weak broad concentration. The surface brightness is fairly low but uneven, with an impression of mottling. A mag 12 star is 2' N and a mag 13 star 1.7' NE of center.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb