Harold Corwin

NGC 7129 is a diffuse nebula enveloping three or four pretty bright stars. Both Herschels described it the same way, and John Herschel measured the position angles and distances of two flanking stars with respect to the brightest, more central southern one, BD+65 1638. His mean position for the nebula, adopted in GC and NGC, is for that star.

Bigourdan apparently did not read John Herschel's 1833 description before he examined the area in the 1884, 1889, and 1895. Bigourdan applied NGC 7129 only to the patch of nebulosity to the northwest of John Herschel's star C, the northeastern of the three stars. He also found a "new" nebula in 1895 around John Herschel's star A, the south-central of the three. This now carries the number IC 5134 (which see).

In addition to the knot which he took to be NGC 7129, and IC 5134, Bigourdan measured four stars in the area, two of which to the southwest have only faint clouds of nebulosity near them. Bigourdan did not mention nebulosity around any of these four stars, though all are associated with at least faint wraiths of nebulosity.

Another "nova" in the area from Bigourdan, NGC 7133 (which see), was apparently an illusion as there is nothing near his place but faint stars.

― NGC Notes by Harold Corwin

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