Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 722 on 2 Dec 1861 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen and recorded "vF, vS, R, Beta Arietis 7' north." His position (measured on 3 nights) matches UGC 1379 = PGC 7098, just 6.9' SSE of Beta Ari.

400/500mm - 17.5" (12/8/90): very faint, very small, oval 3:2 NW-SE. Remarkable location as situated 7' SSE of Beta Arietis (V = 2.6) in the same 220x field. This is a similar situation as NGC 404 near Mirach, but NGC 722 is much fainter.

600/800mm - 24" (12/1/16): at 225x; fairly faint, small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, ~30"x20", slightly brighter nucleus. This galaxy lies a mere 7' SSE from the glare of 2.7-magnitude Beta Arietis, but the galaxy was not difficult with the star placed off the edge of the field. A group of mag 11.5-13 stars is nearby, including a mag 12 star 2.7' ENE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb