Messier 58

Discovered on April 15, 1779 by Charles Messier.

Messier: M58.

April 15, 1779. 58. 12h 26m 30s (186d 37' 23") +13d 02' 42"
"Very faint nebula discovered in Virgo, almost on the same parallel as epsilon [Virginis], 3rd mag. The slightest light for illuminating the micrometer wires makes it disappear. M. Messier reported it on the chart of the Comet of 1779, which is located inthe volume of the Academy for the same year."

William Herschel

[Unpublished Observations of Messier's Nebulae and Clusters. Scientific Papers, Vol. 2, p. 658]
1784, March 15 (Sw. 174). pB. pL. [pretty bright, pretty large].
1784, April 17 (Sw. 199). L. F. [large, faint].

John Herschel (1833): h 1368.

h 1368 = M58.
Sweep 4 (May 9, 1825)
RA 12h 29m 3.6s::, NPD 77d 14' 56" (1830.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
v B; irreg R; g b M; a B * precedes 1/2 field.
Very bright; irregularly round; gradually brighter toward the middle; a bright star precedes [lies to the West] 1/2 field.

Sweep 22 (March 13, 1826)
RA 12h 29m 5.4s, NPD 77d 14' 54" (1830.0)
B; R; g b M
Bright; round; gradually brighter toward the middle.

Sweep 247 (March 29, 1830)
RA 12h 29m 8.1s, NPD 77d 15' 0" (1830.0)
v B; v L; E; v s v m b M; r; 5'l, 4'br
Very bright; very large; extended; very suddenly very much brighter toward the middle; mottled; 5' long, 4' broad.

Sweep 242 (March 23, 1830)
...., NPD 77d 16' +/- (1830.0)
v B; L; R; place only rough, being observed past meridian
Very bright; large; round; place only rough, being observed past meridian.

Smyth

[form the description of M88]
[has it in a chart]
.. "in the immediate nebulous neighborhood" of 88 Messier ..

John Herschel, General Catalogue: GC 3121.

GC 3121 = h 1368 = M58.
RA 12h 30m 36.6s, NPD 77d 24' 52.8" (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
B; L; iR; vmbM; r. 6 observations by W. & J. Herschel.
Bright; large; irregularly round; very much brighter toward the middle; mottled.

Dreyer: NGC 4579.

NGC 4579 = GC 3121 = h 1368; M 58.
RA 12h 30m 39s, NPD 77d 24.7' (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
B, L, iR, vmbM, r; = M58
Bright, large, irregularly round, very much brighter toward the middle, mottled.