E.E. Barnard discovered NGC 1297 around Jan 1885 with his 5-inch Byrne refractor while sweeping comets (Sidereal Messenger 4, p53 and The Observatory 8, p123). He called it "small, round, and very much brighter, somewhat suddently, in the centre. Rather faint from its generally low altitude. It is south following a 9th mag star by 1 1/4'. This nebula is 20'? north preceding a larger nebula. I have taken this latter nebula to be [NGC 1300], with an error of one degree in declination."

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/31/86): moderately bright with a large faint halo nearly 2' diameter, broadly concentrated halo, small bright nucleus. A mag 13.5 star is at the north edge 1' NNE of center. Companion of NGC 1300, which lies 20' SSE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb