Ralph Copeland discovered NGC 5873 on 2 May 1883 near Lake Titicaca using a 6.1" refractor with a direct vision Vogel-spectroscope. The position given in Copernicus III (1884) is 8 sec of RA too far west and 2' north. This was the first deep sky object to be discovered in South America. Copeland discovered three NGCs in the Andes using this visual spectroscopy including NGC 5315, just two nights later.

300/350mm - 13.1" (3/17/86): appears stellar at 79x and quite prominent with an OIII filter. A barely non-stellar disc was seen at 166x. Forms a near equilateral triangle with fainter mag 12 stars 1.8' W and 2.1' S. Estimate mag V = 11.5.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb