Rev. Thomas Espin discovered IC 2003 on 18 Jan 1907 with his 17.3-inch reflector while searching for new double stars. He estimated a diameter of 5" but the following measured measured a size of 6.9"x6.35" in PA 10.5°. This object is one of the final discoveries chronologically that made it into the IC II (Fleming found two new PN that year), and certainly the last visual discovery.

200/250mm - 8" (12/4/80): moderately bright, very small, just non-stellar at 125x and a definite disc is visible at 220x. A wide double star is 3' NE (9.5/11 at 47" oriented NW-SE).

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/1/03): easily picked up at 100x as a fuzzy blue-gray mag 11.5 star. Excellent view at 380x: bright, small, 10" diameter, irregularly round with an irregular surface brightness. There appears to be a knot (or offset central star?) on the SE side. A mag 13.7 star is just off the SW side [18" from center]. Located 3' SW of a wide mag 9.5/11 pair.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb