John Herschel discovered NGC 3195 = h3241 on 24 Feb 1835 and recorded "planetary nebula, pB, not quite uniform in its light, having two brighter patches, lE towards a * (a); slightly hazy; diameter = 15 or 18" (in RA 13 seconds of time). Pos of star a = 265.7 , dist = 0.7 diam from edge, 11th mag.; of star c, pos = 210.7 , dist = 1 3/4 diam from edge." On a later sweep he described "Planetary nebula, R or vlE; a very little hazy at the edges but still pretty well defined with 240 power. Viewed long and with much attention, being a very remarkable object. I am positive of the existence of two brighter portions near the edges." Sketched Plate VI, figure 2.

Joseph Turner sketched the planetary in July 1874 using the Great Melbourne Telescope (unpublished Plate V, figure 54). His sketch shows it clearly as annular with brighter arcs on the east and west side. Pietro Baracchi (10 Apr 1885) thought the annular rim was slightly brighter on the E and W sides.

400/500mm - 18" (7/8/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is an interesting planetary at 171x with a UHC filter or at 228x. It appeared moderately bright and large, ~40"x35", slightly elongated ~N-S. This disc had a noticeably irregular surface brightness with a slightly brighter knot on the following side and a hint of annularity. Good response to UHC and OIII filters. Located in southern Chamaeleon between Zeta and Delta Chamaeleontis.

600/800mm - 24" (4/4/08 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 350x, appeared fairly bright, moderately large, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, ~40"x35". The planetary was clearly annular at this magnification with the rim brightest along the east and west sides, giving a bipolar appearance. The southern end of the rim dimmed, making the rim appear U-shaped, open to the south (though also somewhat weaker on the north end). The central hole was irregularly shaped with careful examination. Two mag 12 stars to the west at 45" and 1.6' are collinear with the planetary and a brighter mag 11.5 lies 2' SE. The surrounding field was lacking in bright stars but rich in faint stars. NGC 3149 lies 30' NNW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb