John Herschel discovered NGC 5495 = h3561 on 13 May 1834 and recorded "vF; S; R; bM; np a star." The galaxy is sp the star, not northwest as JH reported (error noted by Herbert Howe in the IC 2 notes). Joseph Winlock independently found the galaxy again on 20 Jun 1868 at Harvard College Observatory with the 11-inch refractor.

400/500mm - 18" (5/29/05): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated ~2:1 ~N-S, 0.8'x0.4'. Contains a very small, bright core with faint extensions. A mag 11 is just off the NE end and interferes with viewing. Located 11' NW of mag 5.1 50 Hydrae.

18" (6/18/04): faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 ~N-S. The view is severely hampered by a mag 10.5 star that is very close to the NE edge of the galaxy (42" from center)! Overall the galaxy has a fairly even surface brightness except for a very faint, nearly stellar nucleus with direct vision. Located 10.5' NW of mag 5.1 50 Hydrae which is just outside the 19' field of the 10mm Pentax XW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb