E.E. Barnard discovered NGC 1292 in Nov 1885 with the 6" Cooke refractor at Vanderbilt University. His position and description in Sidereal Messenger 5, p25 ("rather faint, moderate size, elongated nearly north and south, just south and slightly preceding a small wide double-star") is accurate.

300/350mm - 13.1" (10/10/86): fairly faint, fairly small, oval 2:1 SSW-NNE, bright core. A group of four stars lies to the north includes a mag 11 double star at 24" separation 3' NE, a third mag 11 star 4.4' NNE and a mag 12 star 3' due north.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb