RA 11.8647° · Dec 85.2696° · openngc
15 more points to reach Epic.
NGC 188 is a rare cluster. It lies about 6,454.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cep and shines at apparent magnitude 8.1.
An open cluster: a few hundred stars born together out of one collapsing cloud, still drifting along in loose formation.
Look for NGC 188 in the constellation Cep. At apparent magnitude 8.1, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 188 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
NGC 188 scores 35 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 15 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 6 science badges — Star cluster, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Open cluster, Never sets (northern circumpolar), Big on the sky and Coming towards us — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.