William Herschel discovered NGC 2880 = H I-260 = h596 on 2 Apr 1791 (sweep 1000) and logged, "vB, vL, mbM; iR." His position matches UGC 5051 = PGC 26939. On 8 Mar 1832 (sweep 404), John Herschel recorded "pF; R; S; vgbM; 40", a *12 m follows."

200/250mm - 8" faint, small, bright core. Located 40' SW of a mag 4 star.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/6/91): moderately bright, round, 1' diameter, strong concentration, very small bright core. A mag 11.5 star is 1.9' ENE. Nearby to the north is a string of mag 13-14 stars including a mag 13 star 2.1' N. Forms a pair with CGCG 312-012 3.2' N. The companion is very faint, extremely small, round. Two mag 14 stars are 1.7' NE and 1.2' E.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb