William Herschel discovered NGC 3705 = H II-13 = h902 = h903 on 18 Jan 1784 (sweep 84) and recorded "a pL nebula. It is probably a faint cluster of stars, not being of the cometic kind." JH made two observations, but his PD differed by 5' and his descriptions were sufficiently different he assumed h902 and h903 were perhaps different objects. But Dreyer notes that "only one nebula seen by H, h, d'A, Vogel, Tempel and Ld R" so h902 = h903 = II 13 = NGC 3705.

400/500mm - 17.5" (2/28/87): bright, fairly large, small bright core, elongated 5:2 WNW-ESE, 4.0'x1.6'. NGC 3692 lies 26' WNW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb