Lewis Swift discovered NGC 1082 = Sw. V-42 on 29 Sep 1886 with the 16" refractor at the Warner Observatory. His position is accurate. The RNGC declination is 2' too far south.

400/500mm - 17.5" (12/20/95): faint, fairly small, elongated 4:3 ~E-W, 0.8'x0.6'. Fairly sharp concentration with a well-defined 20" core. A mag 12.5 star lies 2.4' N of center.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb