George Johnstone Stoney, Lord Rosse's assistant, discovered NGC 3179 on 25 Jan 1851. He recorded "25' south and a little preceding [NGC 3184] I found a S, R neb, r, near 2 st almost in a line with it." The following March it was placed about 20' sp of[NGC 3184. The observation was not included in LdR's 1861 publication so did not receive a GC or GC Supplement designation. Bigourdan's measured an accurate position (given in IC 2 notes). Because of the poor NGC position, NGC 3179 was included as #233 (with an RA about 9 seconds too large) in a catalog of new nebulae and clusters found on photographs taken by Keeler between 1898-1900 and published in the 1908 Publications of Lick Observatory, Vol VIII.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/9/94): fairly faint, very small, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 0.6'x0.3', very small bright core appears mottled. Almost collinear with two mag 13.5 stars 1.0' SW and 1.9' SW. NGC 3184 lies 19' NNE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb