E.E. Barnard discovered IC 2597 on 13 May 1890 with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. With respect to 5th magnitude HD 92036, he noted "20' N and 5' f, not large, not faint." Barnard didn't measure an accurate position or publish his discovery so did not receive credit in the IC. Swift rediscovered IC 2597 on 14 Feb 1898 and recorded Sw. XI-114 (later IC 2597) as "pB; pS; D* nr p." The last comment may refer to a star and HCG 48C. In a note, Swift added "This is not one of Sir John Herschel's 9 [in the Hydra I cluster]. I have another near [HCG 48B?]; stellar." Harold Knox-Shaw listed IC 2597 in a table of new nebulae (1912) found using the 30" Reynolds reflector between 1909-11 at the Helwan Observatory. Probably this was due to Swift's poor position or description.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/1/00): moderately bright, elongated 3:2 N-S, 1.0'x0.7', fairly sharp concentration with a small bright core. A mag 14 star is close SE [40" from center]. This is the brightest member of HCG 48 along with HCG 48B 2.5' S and HCG 48C 2.0' NW. This HCG is actually a subgroup of AGC 1060 whose core is located just 30' SSW.

600/800mm - 24" (3/28/17): fairly bright, moderately large, oval 4:3 N-S, sharp, strong concentration with a very bright core and a diffuse halo extending ~1.2'x0.9'. A mag 14 star is just off the SE edge. One of the brightest members of AGC 1060 and brightest (by far) of 4 in HCG 48.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb