Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6236 = Sw. I-50, along with NGC 6232, on 28 Jun 1884 and recorded "F; pL; B * nr. 2nd of 4 [with NGC 6232, 6237 and 6245]." His position is 2.5' due west (30 seconds of RA) of UGC 10546 and the identification is certain. Bigourdan measured an accurate position on 30 Aug 1888 and it was repeated by Dreyer in the IC 2 Notes section. See identification notes on NGC 6245, which may be a duplicate number.

400/500mm - 17.5" (6/24/95): faint, moderately large, elongated 3:2 ~N-S, 2.0'x1.4', almost even surface brightness. A mag 13 star is 3.0' WSW.

17.5" (7/9/88): fairly faint, fairly large, elongated 3:2 SSW-NNE, broad concentration. Located 3.7' NW of a mag 10.5 star. Brightest of three with NGC 6232 10.9' SW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb