John Herschel discovered NGC 5161 = h3511 on 3 Jun 1836 and recorded "pF; L; pmE; vgbM; r; 4' l; 2' br; with left eye feebly stippled." His position is accurate.

400/500mm - 18" (5/29/05): large, oval WSW-ENE, ~4'x2'. Broad concentration with a large, ill-defined core that seems offset to the east side (or the outer halo is irregular lit). A mag 10.3 star lies 3.9' W of center and a mag 11.5 star is off the NE flank. This photogenic spiral (thin arms with knots and HII regions) was host to a pair of recent supernovae – 1998E and 1974B.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb