John Herschel discovered NGC 6250 = h3656 on 1 Jul 1834 and recorded a "cluster VIII class; loose and straggling; place that of a D * [HJ 4899 = 9.8/10.0 at 2"] in central more condensed group; has a * 8m sf, 5' dist, and another 7m more remote. His position is on the close double star.

200/250mm - 11" (8/8/04 - Haleakala Crater): at 127x a dozen stars are packed into a tight 2' group. Consists of a knot of 6 stars on the NE side and a looping curve of 5 or 6 stars on the SW side. This "core" is surrounded by a scattered 10' group of perhaps three dozen stars including three mag 7.5-8.5 stars to the SW and SE by 3' and to the east by 6'.

300/350mm - 13.1" (4/10/86): tight, rich group of 6-10 stars over an unresolved haze. Set among a larger scattered group of bright stars.

400/500mm - 22" (6/28/06 - Hawaii): small group of a dozen stars in a tight 2' cluster including mag 9.2 HD 152822. Surrounding this knot is a larger, 14' scattered group of stars, elongated ~E-W, that appears to be a separate superimposed cluster. Three mag 7.5-8.5 stars are in this larger group to the SW, SE and E of the central clump and a mag 9 star is among a small subgroup at the east edge.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb