Messier 95

Discovered on March 20, 1781 by Pierre Méchain.

Messier: M95.

March 24, 1781. 95. 10h 32m 12s (158d 03' 05") +12d 50' 21"
Méchain: (158d 06' 23") +12d 49' 50"
Nebula without star, in the Lion [Leo], above star l (53 Leonis): its light is very faint.

William Herschel

[Unpublished Observations of Messier's Nebulae and Clusters. Scientific Papers, Vol. 2, p. 660]
1784. March 11 (Sw. 164). A fine, bright nebula, much brighter in the middle than at the extremes, of a pretty considerable extent, perhaps 3 or 4' or more. The middle seems to be of the magnitude of 3 or 4 stars joined together, but not exactly round; from the brightest part of it there is a sudden transition to the nebulous part, so that I should call it cometic.

John Herschel (1833): h 743.

h 743 = M95.
Sweep 19 (May 10, 1826)
RA 10h 34m 45.5s::, NPD 77d 25' 9": (1830.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
v b; L; R; g m b M; 2' diam. RA only approximately
Very bright; large; round; gradually much brighter toward the middle; 2' diameter. RA only approximately.

Sweep 338 (April 4, 1831)
RA 10h 34m 60.6s, NPD 77d 24' 43" (1830.0)
B; R; p g b M; r; 150" diam
Bright; round; pretty gradually brighter toward the middle; mottled; 150" diameter.

Sweep 240 (March, 1830)
RA 10h 34m 62.2s:, NPD 77d 24' 4" (1830.0)
Just seen through a thick cloud

Sweep 243 (March 24, 1830)
..., NPD 77d 26' +/- (1830.0)
F; L; g m b M; r; 3' diam. Approx. place.
Faint; large; gradually much brighter toward the middle; mottled; 3' diameter. Approximate place [only].

Sweep 2 (April 10, 1825)
Viewed; v F; E; r; 30 or 40" (probably cloudy); a star precedes. A very doubtful obs.
Viewed; very faint; extended [elongated]; mottled; 30 or 40" [diameter] (probably cloudy); a star precedes. A very doubtful observation.

Smyth: CCCLXXXV [385]. M95.

CCCLXXXV. 95 M. Leonis.
AR 10h 35m 31s, Dec N 12d 31'.9
Mean Epoch of Observation: 1836.19 [Mar 1836]
A lucid white nebula, on the lion's ribs, with only two small stars, np [north preceding, NW] and nf [north following, NE], in the field. Its place is almost due east of Regulus, with a distance of 9 deg, where it forms the southern vertex of a triangle nearly equilateral with Gamma and Delta Leonis. This nebula is round and bright, and perhaps better defined on the southern than on the northern limb, a phenomenon worthy to remark, and observable in the great nebula of Andromeda [M31], and other wonderful masses. It was discovered by Méchain in 1781, and registered by Messier as a "feeble nebula, without a star."
Nearly a degree to the eastward of this object, follows another round but not equally well defined nebula, large, and of a pale white colour. It is Messier's No. 96, and was also discovered by Méchain in 1781; it constitutes the intersecting point of a rectanle formed by five stars, of which the nearest is in the sp [south preceding] quadrant, and of the 11th magnitude.

John Herschel, General Catalogue: GC 2184.

GC 2184 = h 743 = M95.
RA 10h 36m 36.7s, NPD 77d 34' 22.1" (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
B, L, R, pgmbMN. 8 observations by W. & J. Herschel.
Bright; large; round; pretty gradually much brighter toward the middle where there is a nucleus.

Dreyer: NGC 3351.

NGC 3351 = GC 2184 = h 743; M 95.
RA 10h 36m 34s, NPD 77d 33.8' (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
B, L, R, pgmbMN; = M95
Bright, large, round, pretty gradually much brighter toward the middle where there is a nucleus.

Curtis

[Descriptions of 762 Nebulae and Clusters photographed with the Crossley Reflector. Publ. Lick Obs., No. 13, Part I, p. 9-42]
With Lick b/w photo: Fig. 2. Examples of Phi-Type Spirals. (c) N. G. C. 3351.
NGC 3351, RA=10:38.7, Dec=+12:14. A beautiful object; nearly round; 3' in diameter. The whorls are rather faint and form an almost complete ring; a wide band of matter extends across the nebula from one side to the other; an example of the Phi-type [barred] spiral. The center is exceedingly bright, and of unusual structure. It is about 12" in diameter, and appears trinuclear; the center of the disk is not marked by any condensation, but on its periphery has two stellar nuclei, and a short, very bright, slightly curved mass. 10 s.n.