Edward Pickering discovered NGC 6803 = HN 52 on 17 Sep 1882 using a direct-vision prism attached to the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. His position in Sidereal Messenger, Vol 1. No. 6 (Oct 1882) is accurate to within 1'.

Based on Crossley photographs at Lick, Curtis (1918) wrote, "a minute round disk, 5.5" in diameter, just distinguishable from a star; fades out a little at the edges."

200/250mm - 8" (8/5/83): appears slightly non-stellar at 385x. A similar field star is just 2' NW.

300/350mm - 13" fairly bright stellar planetary at 88x, good OIII blinker in a rich star field, estimate V = 11.5. Just non-stellar at 350x and about 3" diameter. A mag 11 star is 1.8' N.

400/500mm - 17.5" (9/5/99): picked up by blinking with an OIII filter at 100x as a mag 11.5 "star". At 220x, appears just non-stellar and is situated ~2' S of a mag 10.5-11 "comparison" star, which is a half magnitude brighter than the PN (unfiltered). Good response to blinking with a UHC filter. At 280x and 380x, the PN is very small but clearly nonstellar, <5" diameter with a blue-grayish color. Easily takes 500x but no other details were visible except for two mag 15 stars that are close west and northwest form a tiny equilateral triangle with the PN.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb