Little Scorpion Cluster (NGC 1342)
History
The open cluster NGC 1342 was discovered by William Herschel on 28 December 1799. He listed it as VIII 88 and described it as follows: «A cluster of coarseley scattered large stars, about 15' diameter.» This was the last open cluster he discovered. [465] His son John observed the cluster on 10 October 1828 (sweep 188) and listed it as h 301 with the notes: «The chief star (10 mag) of a cluster of about 60 stars which fills the field of view.» [466]
In 1962 Beverly T. Lynds published her «Catalogue of Dark Nebulae» that she found on photo plates of the «National Geographic Palomar Observatory Sky Atlas». East of cluster NGC 1342 she identified nebula LDN 1434. [473] In 1965 she published her «Catalogue of Bright Nebulae» and identified LBN 718, LBN 719 and LBN 720 in the neighbourhood of this cluster. However, on photographs her dark and bright nebulae look pretty much the same. [270] LBN 721 is a reflection nebula, previously identified 1963 as DG 19 by German astronomers Dorschner and Gürtler, also on the same photo plates. [594]
In 1966 Sidney van den Bergh also searched the «Palomar Sky Survey» photographic plates for reflection nebulae and found one (vdB 18) around the star BD +37°794, the same as LDN 721. He included it in his 1966 «Catalog of Reflection Nebulae» and classified the nebula as «Type II», which means the star illuminating the nebula is outside the nebula. He gave the brightness of the nebula on the blue photo plates with «F» (faint), the color with «B» for blueish and absorption «Wk» (weak). [255]
NGC 1342 was nicknamed the «Little Scorpion Cluster» because it looks like a miniature version of the constellation Scorpio.
Physical Properties
NGC 1342 is an open cluster at a distance of ~690 parsec (~2250 light years). It lies north the faint Perseus Molecular Cloud (Per MCld) a distance of ~282 parsec (~920 light years), covering an area of 6 by 2 degrees. The faint gas and dust cloud stretching to cluster NGC 1342 appears to be closer than the cluster, because variable star BD +37°794 (V496 Per) at a distance of ~313 parsec (~1020 light years) illuminates parts of the cloud (LBN 721, vdB 18). [145]
| Name | Type | RA (J2000.0) |
Dec (J2000.0) |
PM [mas/y] |
Parall. [mas] |
Rvel [km/s] |
z | SP Type |
Size ['] |
Magnitudes | Identifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 1342 | OpC | 03h 31m 35s | +37° 22' 48" | 0.52 | 1.502 | -10.9 | -0.000036 | 34.7 × 34.7 | B 7.35; V 6.7 | C 0328+371; NGC 1342; [KC2019] Theia 853; [KPR2004b] 45; [KPS2012] MWSC 0283 | |
| vdB 18 | a2* | 03h 35m 12s | +38° 00' 55" | 1.135 | 3.1893 | 6.1 | 0.00002 | B8Vp | B 7.65; V 7.58; G 7.545651; J 7.252; H 7.264; K 7.242 | 2MASS J03351187+3800546; AG+37 423; BD+37 794; GEN# +1.00022114; GSC 02862-02164; Gaia DR1 222849910070847872; Gaia DR2 222849914367767040; Gaia DR3 222849914367767040; HD 22114; HIC 16724; HIP 16724; PPM 68597; Renson 5550; SAO 56561; SKY# 5429; TD1 2307; TIC 200779266; TYC 2862-2164-1; UBV 3414; UBV M 9585; V* V496 Per; VDB 18; [C93] 2 | |
| LBN 718 | HII | 03h 31m 00s | +37° 42' 00" | LBN 154.74-15.14; LBN 718 | |||||||
| LBN 719 | HII | 03h 31m 00s | +37° 36' 00" | LBN 154.79-15.20; LBN 719 | |||||||
| LBN 720 | HII | 03h 34m 00s | +37° 54' 00" | LBN 155.13-14.65; LBN 720 | |||||||
| LBN 721 | RNe | 03h 35m 00s | +38° 00' 00" | DG 19; LBN 155.19-14.40; LBN 721 | |||||||
| LDN 1434 | DNe | 03h 36m 06s | +37° 41' 00" | 50 × 50 | LDN 1434; TGU H1043 P1; [DB2002b] G155.53-14.56 |
Finder Chart
The open cluster NGC 1342 is located in the constellation Perseus. The best observation time is August to March, when it is highest at night. At about 16 November it is in opposition to the Sun and crosses the meridian at local midnight.
