Truman Safford discovered IC 1236 = Sf 44 = Sw. X-42 on 1 Aug 1866 with the 18.5" refractor at the Dearborn Observatory and noted "pF, SbM." His discovery list was not published, though, until 1887. E.E. Barnard independently ran across it while sweeping with the 12-inch refractor at Lick on 30 Jul 30 1888, though he recognized it was Sf 44. Lewis Swift also found it on 17 Sep 1890 and logged "eF; pS; lE; B * nr N; vF * close p."

600/800mm - 24" (7/15/15): fairly faint, fairly small, round, 40" diameter, irregular surface brightness, slight hint of structure [face-on spiral]. A mag 14 star is 1.4' WNW. Located 6.4' SSE of mag 7.7 HD 153374.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb