Lewis Swift discovered IC 1289 = Sw. VII-98 on 19 Oct 1887 and recorded "eeeF; pS; lE; 3 stars in line point to it." His position is 2.8' too far northwest. The "3 stars in line point to it" likely refer to a collinear trio that starts 3' SE.

300/350mm - 13.1" (7/20/85): extremely faint, fairly small, diffuse, very low even surface brightness, possibly elongated. Located 7.5' NE of NGC 6646 in a trio with IC 1288. A mag 8.5 star lies 5.8' SW.

600/800mm - 24" (7/19/17): at 375x; fairly faint, fairly small, slightly elongated NW-SE, weak concentration. A very faint mag 15.8 star is at the south edge. A mag 8.8 star is 6' WSW. Located 7.5' NE of NGC 6846 in a trio with IC 1288.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb