E.E. Barnard discovered IC 5273 = Sw. XI-224 on 12 Dec 1889, while searching for Brorsen's Comet (5D/Brorsen) with the 12-inch refractor at Lick Observatory. He recorded in his logbook, "R, 1' dia, 12th mag." His rough position (no offsets) was 7' too far south. Immediately afterwards he logged "fogged all over and the entire heavens blotted out." He found it again the next night, calling it "1' dia, R, gbM, 12th mag." and added the comment "same as last night?". Lewis Swift independently discovered this galaxy on 12 Aug 1896 and recorded "vF, cL, lE, 2 wide D st near p." Swift was credited with the discovery in the IC as Barnard never published his discovery or informed Dreyer.

300/350mm - 13.1" (10/20/84): moderately large, very diffuse, broad concentration, irregularly round or slightly elongated. Slightly brighter than NGC 7421 which lies 20' NW. Furthest southern member in the nearly 2° N-S string of 7 brighter galaxies (9 total) in Grus and Pisces Austrinus (Grus Chain)

Notes by Steve Gottlieb