E.E. Barnard discovered IC 1459 on 13 Dec 1889 with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. While searching for Brorsen's Comet (5D/Brorsen), he ran across IC 1459 and several other NGC galaxies. A position computed the next night is just 40" south of center. Barnard published the discovery in a short note titled "An unsuccessful search for Brorsen's Comet 1889-90" in Astronomische Nachrichten 125, 43 (1890). He mentions on the night of December 13th, "several unrecorded nebulae found. One of these, in wide field with [NGC] 7418 and 7421 but not in NGC, deserves special notice. It was small, about 1/2' in diameter, cometary and rather brighter, with a 12m nucleus." He added "Careful filar-micrometer observations were made of it and will be printed in a list of nebulae measured here", but apparently this never occurred. Two nights later he discovered IC 5264 when he reobserved the field.

Lewis Swift independently discovered the galaxy on 10 Jun 1896 (other dates given in different publications) and described Sw. XI-220 (later IC 5265) as "B, cL, R, betw 2 stars p and f; nf of 2 [with IC 5264]. His position was 25 seconds of RA too large and 4' too far south, but the identification is certain. He questioned if his object was identical to IC 1459 (in the first Lowe Observatory list in Astr. Journal). It is. Corwin notes that Dreyer questioned if IC 5265 might be identical to NGC 7418, but it's not. Knox-Shaw included this galaxy in a list of new nebulae found at the Helwan Observatory and published in 1912. He questioned if it was identical to IC 5295, but didn't make the connection with IC 1459.

200/250mm - 8" (8/1/19): bright, moderately large, round, at least 1.5' diameter, sharp concentration with a very bright round core.

300/350mm - 13" (10/20/84): bright, small, round, small bright nucleus, two stars at equal distance WNW and E. Much easier than nearby IC 5269, IC 5270, IC 5273, NGC 7418 and NGC 7421!

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/6/97): bright, fairly large, elongated ~5:4 SW-NE. Well concentrated and dominated by a large, bright core. The halo is quite extensive with averted vision and the dimensions are ~3.5'x3.0'. Situated between a mag 11 star 3' WNW and a mag 12 star a similar distance following. Brightest in a group including IC 5264 just 6' SSW.

17.5" (7/22/87): bright, fairly small, very bright core, slightly elongated halo SW-NE. Located midway between a mag 11 star 3.0' WNW and mag 12 star 2.7' E. Brightest in a large group of galaxies situated in a string N-S with IC 5264 6' SSW.

600/800mm - 24" (8/1/19): extremely bright, large, slightly elongated, very sharp concentration with an intensely bright core and a very diffuse outer halo that fades out slowly, ~3.5'x3.0'. Bracketed by two mag 11/12 stars ~3' W and ~3' E. Brightest in the Grus Chain and forms an excellent pair with IC 5264 6.6' SSW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb