Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 7431 = Big. 92 on 30 Sep 1886 and noted "eF and eS." His micrometric position is 19 seconds of time preceding NGC 7436 and 55" north. Precisely at this separation is faint star with an extremely faint galaxy (PGC 1765321) attached on the east side. It's like Bigourdan noticed only the star as the galaxy is quite faint, but he mistakenly thought it was a nebula. RNGC, CGCG, UGC (notes to NGC 7436) and PGC all misidentify NGC 7433 = CGCG 475-006 = PGC 70112 as NGC 7431.

On 12 Oct 1855, R.J. Mitchell discovered the galaxy (CGCG 475-006) that RNGC, CGCG and UGC misidentify as NGC 7431. Although clearly shown on the sketch, the 29 Sept 1875 observation states "the object preceding in the 1857 sketch is a faint star, night bad." Because of this last statement, Thomson feels Dreyer decided not to include this object in the NGC but Corwin and Steinicke identify CGCG 475-006 = NGC 7433 and remove the companion jutting out of the west side of NGC. Malcolm Thomson discusses this case in detail in the Dec 1989 Webb Society Quarterly Journal and his unpublished "Catalogue Corrections."

400/500mm - 17.5" (8/25/95): with direct vision appears as a mag 14.5 star with no noticeable halo. With averted vision, an extremely small halo is sometimes visible, perhaps 10" in diameter. Located 4.3' WNW of NGC 7436 and faintest in a group of four galaxies. A mag 14.5 star is 1.4' SW. On the DSS the galaxy is virtually stellar with the star attached on the west edge. The galaxy identified as NGC 7431in the RNGC, UGC (notes) and CGCG is CGCG 475-006 (possibly NGC 7433), located 1.5' NW of NGC 7436 and not seen in this observation though was not difficult in my 24".

900/1200mm - 48" (10/26/16): at 610x; this object consists of a mag 15 star with a very small galaxy attached on the east side. A low surface brightness, round glow extended ~10" diameter. The star and the center of the galaxy are separated by only 5"! Located 4.3' WNW of NGC 7436 in a group.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb