Lewis Swift discovered IC 288 = Sw. VIII-14 on 31 Oct 1888 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory and recorded "vF, vS, R, 2 pB st nf point to it, r[esolution] suspected". His position is 1.6' SW of UGC 2544 = PGC 11702, though the two "pB" stars are south-following. MCG +07-07-027 does not label their entry as IC 288. The NGC 2000.0 classifies this galaxy as an open cluster, probably as Dreyer changed "r suspected" to "? S Cl".

600/800mm - 24" (1/31/14): moderately bright, fairly small, very elongated 3:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.2', sharply concentrated with a very small bright core. IC 284 lies 15' W.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb