Gaspare Ferrari discovered NGC 7739, along with NGC 7738, on 20 Dec 1865 using the 9.5-inch refractor at the College Romain as an assistant to Secchi. NGC 7739 was simply noted as near south of NGC 7738, but the nearest galaxy is CGCG 381-038, 14' south-southeast. Bigourdan couldn't recover NGC 7739 and it was not found on Heidelberg or Mt Wilson plates.

RC3 identifies CGCG 381-038 as NGC 7739. UGC calls UGC 12757 = NGC 7738 = NGC 7739. RNGC classifies NGC 7739 as nonexistent. MCG has no listing for NGC 7739. The RC3 identification is used here, though it's uncertain due to the large separation.

400/500mm - 18" (10/25/03): faint, small, irregularly round, 0.6'x0.5', weak concentration with a very small, slightly brighter core. A 9' east-west string of five mag 13-14 stars passes 2' N. The identifications of NGC 7739 and 7738 (both found by Secchi) are uncertain.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb