John Herschel discovered NGC 1220 = h287 on 28 Nov 1831 (sweep 386), recording "a vS, close-packed group of 8 or 10 stars 14...15 mag in a space of 30" diam, so as easily to be taken for a pB nebula." His position and description matches this cluster.

200/250mm - 8" (11/28/81) : faint open cluster, small, six faint stars are visible over unresolved haze.

400/500mm - 17.5" (12/28/94): very compact group of about a dozen faint stars mag 13.5-15 in a small 1.5' wedge-shaped clump. There is a very tight string of three strings at the NE end and the brightest mag 13 star is at the south end. Does not appear fully resolved due to density and background haze. This is a young cluster(60 million years old) at a distance of ~5900 light years in the Perseus Arm.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb