William Herschel discovered NGC 5729 = H III-508 = h3578 on 4 Feb 1786 (sweep 522) and recorded "vF, cL, irregularly elongated nearly in the meridian. His position is off the south side of MCG -01-37-012 = PGC 52507. JH recorded from the Cape of Good Hope, "F; pL; pmE; gbM; with an appearance of resolvability, arising as I imagine from a few small stars accidentally on it, I hardly think it can be reckoned a cluster in the sense of class VI. Re-examined working list. It is III. 508. VI. 8 does not exist in the space assigned to it in the catalogue."

400/500mm - 17.5" (6/20/01): moderately bright, very elongated 4:1 NNW-SSE, 1.6'x0.4'. A mag 14.5 star is at the east edge [close double]. MCG -01-37-011 lies 18' NW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb