William Herschel discovered NGC 2354 = H VII-16 = h438 on 6 Mar 1785 (sweep 381) and called it "a large cluster of scattered stars, considerably rich, about 20' in diameter or more." His position matches this cluster. John Herschel recorded on 7 Jan 1831 (sweep 317), "loose straggling cl; the preceding part is rather separated from the following, and more comp. Place that of 3 stars in the following part."

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/12/94): ~100 stars in a 20' diameter, circular outline, fairly uniform in magnitudes. There are no prominent subgroups or individual stars but the cluster is fairly detached in the field at 100x. Unconcentrated with a 9'x3' void or dark lane in the center elongated N-S. A double star with components 11.5/12.5 at 14" separation is just following the dark lane towards the south end.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb