Harold Corwin

IC 1206 is one of seven nebulae found by Bigourdan for which he provides no detailed observations in his big tables of differential measurements (see IC 532 for other notes on these objects). In spite of the fact that there are also no data for this object -- not even a date of observation -- in his Appendix VII devoted to new objects, this is also the only one of the seven which actually is a galaxy. His position is within 30 arcsec of that measured by Lewis Swift who called the object "eF, S, R." This is the description adopted by Dreyer for the IC.

Long after I wrote that, I finally looked into Bigourdan's list (Comptes rendus 112, 703, 1891) where this first appeared. Here is what he has to say about it: "Extremely faint (found while searching for d'Arrest's comet on 28 June 1890). Could be identical to Swift 7-81."

It is indeed identical; Swift found the galaxy just two years earlier (3 June 1888). His position is quite good (though Bigourdan's is closer), and his description "eeF, S, R" is appropriate. Neither observer, though, saw the companion galaxy 1.3 arcmin to the southwest; at V = 16, it was just too faint for their telescopes.

― IC Notes by Harold Corwin

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