Williamina Fleming discovered IC 4642 = Fleming 96 in 1901 on a Harvard objective prism plate taken at the Arequipa station. Harlow Shapley reported it as a new discovery in a 1936 paper "Five Planetary Nebulae and a Globular Cluster". This paper also includes Shapley 1 and 3.

400/500mm - 18" (7/8/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): fairly bright, small, round, compact planetary in a rich star field. Picked up immediately at 171x and UHC filter as the 15" disc was obvious. At 228x the surface seemed a bit irregular with a hint of a starry center. Located just north of the midpoint connecting Beta and Zeta Arae, 2° ESE and 2° WSW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb