Harold Corwin

IC 2223 may be IC 2224. Glen Deen has suggested that these two numbers refer to the same galaxy. They may indeed apply to the same object, but we probably won't know until Javelle's observing records can be examined. Here's why.

Javelle found these on different nights (IC 2223: 10 Feb 1896; IC 2224: 28 Feb 1900), but claimed to have referred them to the same star. His positions are 4 sec of time, and 8 arcsec different -- the 4 sec is significant, the 8 arcsec is not. In addition, his descriptions of the two are different enough to make me cautious about accepting the identity outright.

The galaxy is 13 arcsec southeast of Javelle's position for IC 2224, a bit larger error than we usually find for his observations. There is a faint star superposed just northeast of the galaxy, and it is likely that he saw the whole thing as one image. There is nothing at all in Javelle's (IC) position for IC 2223.

It would be unusual for Javelle to have made an accidental slip of 4 seconds of time. However, he did find the two objects on two different nights, and there is certainly a blunder somewhere. So, it is indeed possible that his measurements refer to the same galaxy.

― IC Notes by Harold Corwin

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