Isaac Roberts discovered IC 2099 photographically on 17 Feb 1903 with a 20" reflector at his observatory in Sussex, UK. Lewis Swift's position for NGC 1677 is 0.4 minutes of RA east and 6' north of IC 2099 and RNGC, PGC, HyperLeda and NED identify IC 2099 = NGC 1677. But Harold Corwin suggests NGC 1677 is a duplicate of NGC 1659, assuming Swift made a 5 min error in RA too far east. See NGC 1677 for more.

400/500mm - 17.5" (2/22/03): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.5', broad concentration to slightly brighter core, thin extensions. Situated between two stars with a mag 12.5 star 1.3' SE and a mag 14.5 star 1.1' NNW.

17.5" (12/26/00): faint, small, elongated 2:1 NW-SE, 0.8'x0.4', weak concentration. Nestled within a small asterism and 1.3' NW of a mag 12.5 star.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb