John Herschel discovered NGC 1427 = h2579 on 28 Nov 1837 and logged "pF; S; R; psmbM; 20" dia." His position is accurate.

200/250mm - 8" (1/1/84): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated E-W, diffuse. Member of the Fornax I cluster.

400/500mm - 18" (12/17/11): bright, fairly large, elongated 4:3 ~E-W, 2.0'x1.5'. Well concentrated with a very bright, rounder 25" core that increases to a quasi-stellar nucleus. A mag 12.5-13 star is 1.7' W, a bit outside the halo.

18" (1/21/04): fairly bright, fairly large, oval 3:2 WSW-ENE, 2.0'x1.4'. Contains a large, prominent core which is rounder than the halo.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb