John Herschel discovered NGC 6810 = h3797 on 10 Jul 1834 and recorded "B; mE, in position 169.2°; psbM; 90"." His position is accurate. On the next sweep he called this object "R; vgbM; 30" haze thickening rapidly." The second (poorer) description was given in the GC and NGC, and DeLisle Stewart reported (based on plates taken at Harvard's Arequipa Station), "not round, but cF, S, eE 179°, stell ncl."

400/500mm - 18" (7/9/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 128x appears moderately bright and large, elongated 3:1 N-S, 2.0'x0.7'. The bright core is concentrated to a stellar nucleus with direct vision. On the DSS image, this Seyfert galaxy shows an absorption lane along the eastern side but this was not seen visually.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb