Guillaume Bigourdan found IC 106 = Big. 3-119 on 16 Nov 1887. This galaxy was discovered a year earlier by Lewis Swift and reported in his sixth list (Sw. VI-9 = NGC 530). Swift's RA is 15 seconds too large, so Bigourdan and Dreyer missed the equivalence IC 106 = NGC 530 until the field was examined again in 1897 by Herbert Howe. MCG identifies this galaxy as IC 106 only (NGC 530 is misidentified as MCG +00-04-122) but UGC states NGC 530 = IC 106. See Corwin's notes.

300/350mm - 13.1" (9/22/84): moderately bright, edge-on NW-SE, bright core. A mag 12 star is off the SE end.

400/500mm - 17.5" (9/19/87): fairly faint, fairly small, oval NW-SE, weak concentration. A mag 13 star is at the SE end 0.9' from center. Forms a pair with IC 1696 3' SE within AGC 194.

600/800mm - 24" (11/7/18): at 375x; moderately bright, moderately large, very elongated 7:2 NW-SE, well concentrated with a very bright elongated core and sub-stellar nucleus. A mag 13 star is just off the SE tip. Several galaxies within AGC 194 are nearby including IC 1696 3.3' SE and Mrk 1154 1.5' NE. The latter galaxy was just glimpsed (V = 16.4) 40" NW of a mag 14 star.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb