William Herschel discovered NGC 3495 = H III-498 = h809 on 27 Jan 1786 (sweep 513) and noted "vF, mE." His position is accurate (very close to the offset star 58 Leo). John Herschel made three observations on consecutive sweeps, first recording on 7 Apr 1828 (sweep 141) as "F; mE; 60° with meridian; 60" length; 15-20" broad."

400/500mm - 17.5" (5/10/86): fairly faint, fairly large, edge-on oriented SSW-NNE, 4'x1', broad concentration, mottled or uneven surface brightness (probably caused by a dark lane). Located 10.5' E of 58 Leonis (V = 4.8).

Notes by Steve Gottlieb