William Herschel discovered NGC 7606 = H I-104 = h2228 = h3982 on 28 Sep 1785 (sweep 445) and recorded "cB, cL, gmbM, nearly in the meridian, each end seems to terminate in a very faint ray." From the Cape of Good Hope, JH reported "F; pL; pmE; 2' l, 1 1/2' br." On 18 Sep 1852, G. Johnstone Stoney, observing with LdR's 72", logged "seemed narrowest in the middle and to spread out at either end, a small star nnp nucl on edge of neby. Query, a brighter streak f nucl from np to sf [probably the eastern spiral arm]."

Based on a photograph taken at the Helwan observatory in 1919-20, NGC 7606 was described as "a fine compact spiral with dark lanes between the whorls, bright almost stellar nucleus."

200/250mm - 8" (11/8/80): faint, elongated.

300/350mm - 13.1" (11/5/83): fairly bright, large, elongated 2:1 NNW-SSE, weak concentration, diffuse halo, possible faint stellar nucleus. Bracketed between two mag 12/13 stars that lie 3' N and 2.5' S of center.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb