Lewis Swift discovered NGC 6869 = Sw. II-83 = Sw. IV-79 on 26 Aug 1884 and recorded "pB; R; pS; 2 B stars and it form an arc of a circle" Swift found this galaxy again two years later on 6 Sep 1886 and recorded it as "pB; pS; R; bM." Dreyer combined both observations in the NGC. Herbert Howe measured an accurate micrometric position in 1899-00 as well as Hermann Kobold at Strasbourg in 1896 (not published until 1907).

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/13/88): moderately bright, round, bright core, stellar nucleus. Two mag 10 and 11 stars lie 4.5' SSE and 2.8' SSE, respectively.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb