Heinrich d'Arrest discovered NGC 789 = St III-3 on 24 Aug 1865 with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen. Édouard Stephan discovered the galaxy again on 10 Dec 1871 with the 31" reflector at the Marseille Observatory and measured a very accurate micrometric position.

300/350mm - 13.1" (12/22/84): faint, small, round, faint stellar nucleus? Forms a pair with NGC 798 11' E.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb