Caroline Herschel discovered NGC 6819 = h2048 on 12 May 1784. William didn't record the cluster during his sweeps (though observed it on 31 Dec 1801), so it doesn't carry an H-designation. Karl Harding independently found it in 1823, reported the discovery to Johann Bode, and it was listed as new in Astronomisches Jahrbuch for 1827 (published in 1824). John Herschel rediscovered it again on 31 Jul 1831 and logged "a beautiful cluster, v rich, vL; stars 11...15m and l = 7m nf, a reticulated mass, central part = 4', but fills field with its loose stars. A very fine object." His position is accurate.

200/250mm - 8" (9/11/82): rich, well-resolved, pretty.

300/350mm - 13.1" (9/11/82): striking cluster at 144x. Nearly three dozen stars are resolved over haze mainly in two rows. This is a very rich, dense group.

400/500mm - 17.5" (7/1/00): this is a rich, beautiful cluster at 100x. The central 6' contains 80-90 stars over unresolved haze and has an irregular outline with the brighter stars forming a squared off "U" shape open to the north. The cluster extends to ~8' diameter with many faint stars on the SW side. The outline appears elongated SW-NE with the inner bars of the "U" on the NE border delineating a distinct border. Located 8.5' SE of mag 6.3 HD 186307.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb