Francis Leavenworth discovered NGC 905 = LM 2-334 in 1886 with the 26" refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. His position is 0.7 tmin of RA east of PGC 9038. An 11th magnitude star is 23 tsec west, matching Leavenworth's notes "*9, p[recedes] 20 s[ec]", so the identification is certain. Sherburne Burnham searched for this object with the 36" refractor (Publ of Lick Observatory, II) and found "what seemed to be an exceedingly faint patch of luminous light" although he did not measure a position.

400/500mm - 17.5" (10/13/01): extremely faint, very small, round, 15"-20" diameter. Requires averted and concentration to glimpse (in fairly poor seeing). Located 4.4' S of a mag 10 star.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb