The contact "bulge" is identified in NED as NGC 7119B = ESO 288-001, and is probably an interacting companion (same redshift). The "star" that I noted is likely the brighter stellar nucleus of this galaxy. NGC 7119 is the brightest member of the cluster ACO S971.

John Herschel discovered NGC 7119 = h3885 on 6 Sep 1834 and recorded "not vF; S; R; gbM; 20"." His single position is accurate. This is a contact double system (21" separation) consisting of NGC 7719A (northeast) and NGC 7719B (southwest), though it may be a line of sight superposition. Gerard de Vaucouleurs first used the letter suffixes in the 1956 "Survey of Bright Galaxies South of -35° Declination", based on Mt Stromlo plates, and again in the 1964 "Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies".

600/800mm - 25" (10/10/15 - OzSky): at 318x; moderately bright, fairly small large, elongated 3:2 NW-SE, ~30"x20", weak concentration. A mag 14.5 star is 0.8' SW. On carefully viewing NGC 7119 I noticed there was a "bulge" extending out slightly on the southwest side of the galaxy and occasionally there appeared to be a very faint superimposed "star" within this glow.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb