Albert Marth discovered NGC 3 = m 1 on 29 Nov 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and recorded "F, vS, R, alm stellar." NGC 3 is the brightest in a small group of faint galaxies (NGC 7834, 7835, 7837, 7838, 7840, 3, 4) all discovered by Marth on the same night.

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/2/86): fairly faint, small, bright core, slightly elongated. A mag 11.5 star is 1.2' WSW. Brightest in the NGC 3 group with NGC 7838 6.3' NW, NGC 7837 6.9' NW, NGC 7835 10' NW, NGC 7834 11' WNW and NGC 4 5' NNE.

900/1200mm - 48" (10/24/11): at 610x appeared fairly bright, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 30"x12", well concentrated with a very small bright core and stellar nucleus. A mag 11.5 star lies 1.3' SW. Brightest in a group with the other members much fainter. These include NGC 4 4.7' NE, NGC 7840 5.3' NNW and 2MASX J00074110+0814053 7.2' SE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb