DeLisle Stewart discovered IC 4972 = DS 661 on a plate taken at Harvard's Arequipa station on 21 Sep 1900. He noted "eF, vS, eE at 15°."

400/500mm - 18" (7/10/02 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): this is the faintest of 8 members of the Pavo-I Group observed and is situated 4.7' SW of NGC 6876. With averted vision at 171x, an extremely faint, ghostly streak was just visible oriented SSW-NNE, ~0.5'x0.1' with a low, even surface brightness.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb