NGC 1981 (also known as OCL 525) is an

open cluster An open cluster is a type of star cluster made of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way galaxy, and ...

which is located in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by

John Herschel Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanic ...

on 4 January 1827. Its apparent magnitude is 4.2 and its size is 28.00

arc minutes ARC may refer to: Business * Aircraft Radio Corporation, a major avionics manufacturer from the 1920s to the '50s * Airlines Reporting Corporation, an airline-owned company that provides ticket distribution, reporting, and settlement services * ...

. It lies to the north of the

Orion Nebula The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the Orion (constellation), constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to t ...

, separated from it by the

Sh2-279 Sh2-279 (alternatively designated S279 or Sharpless 279) is an HII region and bright nebulae that includes a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is the northernmost part of the asterism known as Orion's Sword, lying 0.6° ...

region containing NGC 1973, 1975, and 1977. Some say it looks like an alligator or crocodile, with its eastern star as the snout, its western star as its tail and the two groups of three stars in the middle of it as its two set of legs.

References

External links

* Open clusters Orion molecular cloud complex

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

Orion (constellation) Astronomical objects discovered in 1827 Discoveries by John Herschel Orion–Cygnus Arm {{star-cluster-stub