William Herschel discovered NGC 3346 = H V-7 = h3290 on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and noted "F, vL, almost R, resolvable." From the Cape of Good Hope, JH recorded "vF; L; R; vgvlbM; 3' or 4' diam. A soft globe of light, resolvable with the left eye." His position matches UGC 5842.

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/12/94): fairly faint, fairly large, slightly elongated E-W, 3.0'x2.5', fairly low almost even surface brightness, just a weak broad concentration. A pair of mag 11-12 stars are 2.6' WSW and 3.5' due west.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb