Édouard Stephan discovered NGC 2971 = St XIII-50 on 26 Mar 1884. His position matches UGC 5197. Dorothy Carlson mistakenly calls NGC 2971 nonexistent in her 1940 NGC correction paper.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/18/98): very faint, small, irregularly round, 30" diameter, weakly concentrated. A mag 11 star lies 7' W. Located 6.8' SE of NGC 2965 in a group.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb