John Herschel discovered NGC 813 = h2459 on 24 Nov 1834 and noted "pF, R, gbM, 30"." His position matches ESO 052-016 = PGC 7692.

600/800mm - 30" (11/4/10 - Coonabarabran, 264x): fairly bright, fairly small, oval E-W, 40"x25", sharp concentration with a small bright core. A very faint star is superimposed on the east side of the halo and a second very faint star lies 30" S of center. NGC 802 lies 37' NW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb