Albert Marth discovered NGC 445 = m 37 on 23 Oct 1864 with Lassell's 48" on Malta and reported "vF, vS". His position matches CGCG 385-047 = PGC 4493. This galaxy is not included in the MCG, although MCG +00-04-052, located 6.3' SW, is listed as possibly NGC 445.

400/500mm - 17.5" (12/23/92): faint, very small, round, broad concentration. On a line between a mag 12 star 0.9' WNW and a mag 11 star 1.9' ESE. NGC 435 lies 15' NW. UGC 791 6.3' SW not seen.

600/800mm - 24" (1/1/19): at 375x; better than fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated, ~25"x20", strongly concentrated with a fairly high surface brightness core and much fainter outer halo. An extremely faint star is superimposed at the northeast edge. The galaxy is bracketed by a mag 11.9 star 2.0' ESE and a mag 12.7 star 0.9' WNW. Brightest in a group (WBL = USGC U049)

NGC 445 forms the northern vertex of a triangle with with UGC 791 and CGCG 385-050. UGC 791, situated 6' SW, appeared faint, slightly elongated, ~25" diameter, low nearly even surface brightness, halo increases in size with averted vision. CGCG 385-050, 7' SSE of NGC 445, had a slightly higher surface brightness and was small, round, 20" diameter.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb