NGC 7038 is an outlying member of AGC 3742 = ACO S924 = Indus Group of galaxies. The cluster is roughly 200 million years distant.

John Herschel discovered NGC 7038 = h3858 on 30 Sep 1834 and recorded "B; L; pmE; gbM; 2' l; 90" br." His position (also measured on the next sweep) is accurate.

600/800mm - 25" (10/10/15 - OzSky): at 244x; fairly bright, large, elongated nearly 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.4', broad concentration with a small brighter core. Spiral structure is evident in the outer halo with two arms noted. One is attached on the northwest side of the middle region and curls to the south. A second arm is attached on the south side and curls to the east and north. A mag 14 star is 1.8' E. A mag 11 star situated 2.6' NE is the brightest in a string oriented northwest to southeast.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb