Stephane Javelle discovered IC 478 = J. 1-140 on 2 Mar 1892 with the 30" Nice refractor. He reported "very faint, very small, diffuse and without central condensation" and an accurate position.

600/800mm - 24" (3/28/17): at 260x; faint to fairly faint, small, round, 15" to 20" diameter, low even surface brightness. A mag 14.5 star lies 2' W and a similar star is 1.6' NW. IC 478 is located 4.5' SSW of mag 7.6 HD 64207, which detracts from viewing, and 16.5' SSE of mag 5.0 Phi Gem.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb