Lewis Swift discovered NGC 5314 = Sw. III-74 on 8 Apr 1886 and recorded "vF; eS; stellar; an eF * very close; the 2 components of a D * point to it." His position is 0.9 min of RA too large, but his comment about a double star clinches this identification.

400/500mm - 17.5" (6/5/99): faint, very small, slightly elongated. At 280x, appears 0.5'x0.3' E-W, very small slightly brighter core. A mag 15 star is close south [28" from center]. Nearly collinear with a mag 10.5/12.5 double about 3.5' S.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb