William Herschel discovered NGC 6568 = H VII-30 = h1998 = h3735 on 26 May 1786 (sweep 566) and recorded "a cluster of pS, scattered stars; above 15' diameter." His position is good. From the Cape of Good Hope, JH called this object a "cluster VIII class; loose; scattered; fills field; is decidedly richer than any part of the milky way that has occurred tonight."

200/250mm - 8" (6/27/81): faint, rich dusting of mag 11-13 stars, forms a nice arc. A mag 5.5 star is 30' SE.

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/1/92): at 82x, 75 stars mag 11-14 in 15'x10' region elongated N-S. Appears as a large enhancement of the Milky Way with no sharp edges. Most stars are at the periphery and the central region is devoid of stars. Irregular outline is formed by winding arcs of stars in a "S" pattern with most stars 13th magnitude. The densest region is a very winding lane along the NW edge.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb