Guillaume Bigourdan discovered IC 2159 = Big 386 on 11 Feb 1890. His position is southeast of the central region of NGC 2175.

400/500mm - 17.5" (1/16/02): southern part of NGC 2174-2175. At 64x and OIII filter, this is a beautiful, detailed nebulosity surrounding a mag 8 star (SAO 78049), extending at least 20' diameter. The OIII filter gives a dramatic contrast gain. With averted vision and careful viewing, the outer borders extend to ~25'. Structure includes interior streaky dark lanes visible to the west of the star. The rim is slightly brighter or has a higher contrast to the western edge but slightly more nebulosity is visible on the following side of the star.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb