Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6024 = Sw. IV-19, along with NGC 6019, on 28 Jun 1886 and recorded "pF; pS; R; BM; * close; forms a little right angle with 2 stars." His position is 10 sec east of CGCG 319-032 = PGC 56294 and his description applies to this galaxy. Hermann Kobold measured an accurate micrometric position in 1893 with the 18" refractor at Strasbourg.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/15/93): faint, small, 30" diameter, round. Surrounding the galaxy are several stars: a mag 12.5 star is off the WSW edge 49" from center, a mag 13 star 1.2' ESE and two mag 14 stars are off the north edge 31" from center and 1.2' SE. Also several mag 9-10 stars in field: forms the vertex of a perfect isosceles triangle with mag 9 SAO 16879 6.2' WNW and a mag 10 star 6.3' SW. Brighter of a pair of galaxies with NGC 6019 8' SW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb