Andrew Cooper
Jan 18, 2004    Sentinel, AZ (map)
46cm f/4.5 Deep Violet

An attractive trio with NGC3384 and NGC3389, round, bright core, even halo with no detail, NGC3379 is the brightest of the group on the west side

Rev. T.W. Webb
May 19, 1885    Hardwick, Herefordshire, England (map)

Two faint nebula [NGC3379 and NGC3384]. p much larger and brighter [NGC3379], with stellar nucleus. H., a third, making right angled triangle [NGC3389]. Sm., a neat little pair, nf, well seen 80. Among the nebulæ, in a round patch of 2° or 3°, in a region of few stars. 1m 4s p 36' s is M96. Very bright nebula. E. of Rosse, spiral. 2m 48s p M96 is M95. E. of Rosse, two ellipses, centre resolved?

― Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, T. W. Webb, 1917

John Herschel
Apr 4, 1831    

Very bright; pretty large; round; pretty suddenly very much brighter toward the middle; 50" diameter; mottled. The first of 3.

Pierre Méchain
Jan 6, 1783    

Mr. Messier mentions there on page 264 and 265 two nebulous stars, which I have discovered in the Lion [M95 and M96]. I find nothing to correct for the given positions which I have determined by comparison of their situation with respect to Regulus. There is, however, a third one, somewhat more northerly, which is even more vivid than the two preceding ones. I discovered this one on March 24, 1781, 4 or 5 days after I had found the other two. On April 10, I compared its situation with Gamma Leonis from which followed its right ascension 159d 3' 45" and its northern declination of 13d 43' 58"

― Messier's correspondence to Bernoulli