Open Cluster NGC 7243
History
On 26 September 1788 William Herschel looked through his 18.7 inch reflecting telescope and encountered a cluster that he cataloged as VIII 75 and described as follows: «A cluster of coarsly scattered large stars, a little extended, south preceeding, north preceding, 16' long.» [464] Dreyer added the cluster in 1888 as NGC 7243 to his «New General Catalogue». [313]
Physical Properties
| Designation | NGC 7243 |
| Type | OCL (IV2p) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 22h 15m 08.5s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +49° 53' 51" |
| Diameter | 30 arcmin |
| Visual magnitude | 6.4 mag |
| Metric Distance | 0.808 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | Cl, L, P, lC, st vL |
| Identification, Remarks | WH VIII 75; h 2155; GC 4773; OCL 221 |
Finder Chart
The cluster NGC 7243 is located in the constellation Lacerta. On 24 August it is in opposition to the Sun and crosses the meridian at local midnight. It is circumpolar in Central Europe, but the best time to observe it is May to December, when it is highest at night.
