John Herschel discovered NGC 2957 = h617 on 4 Nov 1831 (sweep 382) and recorded "eF; has a *13m near." There is nothing at his position but exactly 1 min of RA east is CGCG 332-064 (a double system) and a mag 13 star is off the SW edge, matching the description. Also, his position of nearby NGC 2963 (discovered by his father) carries the same offset.

Looking over the RNGC data, it is clear the entry for NGC 2957 is simply a duplicate of NGC 2963. This error was included in my RNGC Corrections #4.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/4/92): faint, very small, round, broad concentration. A mag 14 star is 25" off the SW edge and 40" from the center. This is a double system with a very compact companion (not seen) just off the NW edge. Forms a pair with NGC 2963 2.8' ESE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb