Ormond Stone discovered NGC 3969 = LM 2-453 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. He reported "mag 15.0, 0.2' dia, gbMN, *10 in PA 340° at 4' distance." There is nothing at his position, but 10' south is ESO 572-017 and a mag 10 star matching his description is 3.8' north-northwest. Herbert Howe measured an accurate position (given in the IC 2 Notes section) with the 20" refractor at the Chamberlin Observatory in Denver.

400/500mm - 17.5" (5/11/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, 1.2'x0.8'. Weak, even concentration to an ill-defined brighter core. Located 3.7' S of a mag 10 star. A mag 12 star is 1.8' ENE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb