Andrew Cooper
Nov 16, 2022    Waikoloa, HI (map)
28cm f/10 SCT, NexStar 11" GyPSy @ 127x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

Bright and obvious, good sized at 5' diameter, somewhat elongated northeast-southwest, a bright core at the center

Harold Corwin

IC 1459 = IC 5265. This identity was, surprisingly, first suggested by Swift in his list reporting the discovery of IC 5265 and about 40 other nebulae. Nevertheless, Dreyer did not report this, but suggested instead that it might be NGC 7418 (that is about half a degree south, however). Swift's notes about the nebula being "... bet 2 sts p & f; nf of 2" make the identity clear.

Barnard is credited with discovering IC 1459, but there is no publication given (but see below!). I don't see the object in any of Barnard's articles in my collection, so I assume that this was a private communication to Dreyer. Thus, I've had no way to check Barnard's position. Whatever the case, that position (as reported in the first IC) is 10 seconds too large in RA and 2 arcminutes too far north. This may have helped lead Swift and Dreyer somewhat astray -- though Swift's own position is even further off the mark.

The southwestern nebula, by the way, is IC 5264 (which see). These make a striking pair with IC 1459 being one of the brightest objects in the southern sky that John Herschel missed. He could have also easily picked up IC 5264, so he either missed sweeping the area, or he had one of his very few observing lapses. His observing assistant, John Stone, tells of a time that John Herschel fell asleep and awoke to find the field absolutely blank -- Stone had continued to faithfully move the telescope along with the stars until it was pointed at Table Mountain! Perhaps a similar incident led to overlooking these two bright galaxies.

― IC Notes by Harold Corwin

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

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