Guillaume Bigourdan discovered NGC 2361 = Big. 27 on 25 Feb 1887. Harold Corwin identifies NGC 2361 with a bright knot along the west side of the main bubble of NGC 2359. Wolfgang Steinicke lists Wilhelm Tempel as a co-discoverer (in 1887), though he is not credited in the NGC.

900/1200mm - 48" (4/15/10): Along the northern edge of the rim of Thor's Helmet are three collinear mag 11 stars (2.2' length) oriented E-W. The rim of the bubble is noticeably brighter in a thin arc beginning due north of center (between the two western stars) and extending about 90° clockwise to the west. Bigourdan's NGC 2361 refers to this brighter portion of the Wolf-Rayet nebula. See observing notes for NGC 2359 for a complete description of the nebula.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb