William Herschel discovered NGC 1348 = H VIII-84 on 28 Dec 1790 (sweep 989) and noted "a cluster of small stars, not very rich." This is a reddened cluster (see Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.387, p.479-486, 2002) at a distance of roughly 6000 light years.

400/500mm - 18" (11/23/05): at 225x, this unimpressive cluster appears ~4'x3', elongated NW to SE with roughly 20 stars resolved. Includes two mag 10.5-11.5 stars, a few mag 12 stars with the remainder mag 13-15. The stars are fairly evenly distributed with a couple of tight clumps of stars on the south side. Appears fairly well detached in a low power field, though not eye-catching. Located two degrees NE of Alpha Persei (Mirfak).

Notes by Steve Gottlieb