History

The discovery of the open cluster NGC 2477 is credited to the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (also: Abbé de La Caille) in 1751. He used a 1/2-inch telescope at 8x magnification during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. On his list of 42 discovered nebulae he listed it as number three with the notes: «Large nebula of 15-20 arc minutes in diameter.» ^[8]

James Dunlop listed this cluster as Δ 535 and observed it five times using his 9-inch speculum reflector at Parramatta, New South Wales in Australia. First observation on 8 May 1826. He described the cluster as follows: «A pretty large faint nebula, easily resolvable into small stars, or rather a cluster of very small stars, with a small faint nebula near the north preceding side, which is rather difficult to resolve into exceedingly small stars. This is probably two clusters or nebula in the same line; the small nebula is probably three times the distance of the large nebula.» ^[50]

John Herschel listed this cluster as h 3103 and made three observations from South Africa: Sweep 540 on 1 February 1835: «Cluster 6th class, bright, large, rich, not very highly condensed in the middle. Stars very remarkably equal. All 12 or 13th mag. Very few 14th mag; none 11th mag. A fine object.» Sweep 659 on 24 December 1835: «Viewed. A very beautiful large cluster, very rich; stars nearly equal, and 12th mag, gradually brighter in the middle, not much compressed in the middle; more than fills the field. (N.B. It is visible in the finder of the equatorial, and in the telescope of that instrument appears as a fine cluster.» Sweep 661 on 26 December 1835: «Superb cluster, gradually brighter in the middle, 20' diameter, much more than fills the whole field. Stars 10 and 11th mag all nearly equal.» ^[11]