William Herschel discovered NGC 1502 = H VII-47 on 3 Nov 1787 (sweep 774) and recorded "a cluster of stars, pretty rich and considerably compressed, slightly extended, 3' or 4' diameter, irregular figure."

300/350mm - 13.1" (1/28/84): bright, striking cluster, 40 stars visible in a trapezoidal outline. The brightest is the striking double STF 485 = 7.0/7.1 at 18" and the cluster also includes ?484 = 9.0/9.5 at 5". NGC 1502 is located near the SE end of the chain of stars "Kemble's Cascade". The cluster, part of the Camelopardalis OB1 association, contains 17 type-B0 to B3 stars.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb