William Herschel discovered NGC 2186 = H VII-25 = h384 on NGC 2186 (sweep 512) and logged "a cluster of pretty compressed stars of several sizes, 4' or 5' diameter wth extensively straggling ones." John Herschel described on 2 Feb 1831 (sweep 320), "a pretty rich, comp cl, one st = 9, 3 or 4 = 11, and many 12...15. Place that of double star h2288."

400/500mm - 17.5" (1/19/91): at 140x about 30 stars in a 4' diameter including three mag 10 stars. A prominent group is on the north side, highlighted by mag 10 HD 253336 and 50" to its SE is a double star HJ 2301 = 11/12 at 10". A clump of mag 13/14 stars is just west of this subgroup and a triangular group of stars is at the southwest end.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb