Open Cluster NGC 381
History
On 3 November 1787 William Herschel discovered open cluster NGC 381 (VII 64) and noted: «A forming cluster of pretty compressed stars. Caroline Herschel disc[overy] 1783». [464] Based on this comment, Caroline Herschel is often attributed with the discovery of NGC 381. But her description places the cluster west of Gamma Cas (and east of Kappa) forming an isosceles triangle, but NGC 381 follows Gamma. NGC 225 forms a flat isosceles triangle with the two stars and Wolfgang Steinicke argues this was the observed cluster. The same conclusion was reached in the August 2007 issue of Sky & Tel. [364]
Physical Properties
| Designation | NGC 381 |
| Type | OCL (III2p) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 01h 08m 20.0s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +61° 35' 00" |
| Diameter | 7 arcmin |
| Visual magnitude | 9.3 mag |
| Metric Distance | 1.058 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | Cl, pC |
| Identification, Remarks | WH VIII 64; GC 204; OCL 317 |
Finder Chart
The open cluster is located in the constellation Cassiopeia and is on 11 October in opposition to the Sun. From Switzerland they can best be seen in the months July to January.
