John Herschel discovered NGC 7744 = h4003 on 5 Sep 1834 and recorded "B; S; lE; vsvmbM to a small round almost stellar nucleus." His mean position from 3 sweeps is accurate. Despite a good NGC position, Lewis Swift found the galaxy again at Echo Mountain on 23 Sep 1897, assumed it was new and reported it in list XI, #235 (later IC 5348) as "eF; eS; R." His RA as 17 seconds too small and along with a significantly different description, Dreyer recatalogued it as IC 5348. Harold Corwin notes there are no other nearby galaxies that Swift might have picked up instead. So, NGC 7744 = IC 5348.

300/350mm - 13.1" (9/3/86): fairly faint, elongated WNW-ESE, broadly concentrated halo, faint extensions. Located 10' NE of mag 7.8 HD 222838.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb