Lewis Swift discovered IC 5186 = Sw. XII-36 on 19 Jul 1897 and recorded "eeF, S, R, F * nr p[receding], 8m * np, sf of 2 [with IC 5184]." His position is a close match with IC 5179 = IC 5183 = IC 5184, but his description doesn't match the surrounding star field. ESO 405-007 is 2.5 minutes of RA east and 2.5' north of Swift's position but a much better fit in description. Swift's positions were generally very poor in his last two lists, so the large discrepancy in RA is not unusual. DeLisle Stewart is also credited in the IC, but he picked up IC 5179 on a Harvard plate.

400/500mm - 17.5" (7/20/96): fairly faint, fairly small, elongated 3:2 SW-NE, broad concentration. Located 1.7' E of a mag 12 star (appeared mag 13). The outer halo (not seen) changes orientation of the major axis.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb