NGC 1857
Scientific overview
NGC 1857 is an open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It shines at apparent magnitude 7 and spans about 4.5 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 1857
| Distance | 8,969 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 11.740787 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Radial velocity | 1.3 ± 0.1 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 80.030833 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 39.336111 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2022MNRAS.509..421N · distance indicator: paral · catalogued value · source value 2.75 kpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2020AJ....159..199D · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Auriga
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 2281NGC 2281 | Open cluster | 5.4 | 10.8 |
| M 37M 37 · NGC 2099 | Open cluster | 5.6 | 11.4 |
| M 36M 36 · NGC 1960 | Open cluster | 6 | 7.2 |
| M 38M 38 · NGC 1912 | Open cluster | 6.4 | 9.6 |
| NGC 1893NGC 1893 | Open cluster | 7.5 | 6 |
| NGC 1664NGC 1664 | Open cluster | 7.6 | 11.4 |
| NGC 1778NGC 1778 | Open cluster | 7.7 | 4.5 |
| NGC 1907NGC 1907 | Open cluster | 8.2 | 5.4 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.