It was discovered on 4 October 1862 by John Tebbutt, an astronomer living in New South Wales, Australia, while observing a comet.
[4] At the time of its discovery, the nova had an apparent magnitude of 5, making it visible to the unaided eye.
[5] Tappert et al. conducted an observing program from 2009 to 2011 to investigate nova candidates.
Using photometric and spectroscopic observations, they identified the post-nova star corresponding to Nova Scorpii 1862.
They reported that the spectrum resembled that of a dwarf nova with a high orbital inclination, suggesting that it might be an eclipsing variable.