John Herschel discovered NGC 743 = h170 on 29 Sep 1829 and recorded a "double star in the following part of a L, poor, triangular cluster of 15 or 20 stars 10...13m.".

400/500mm - 17.5" (11/26/94): bright, distinctive but scattered group in a triangular outline. Consists of two dozen stars in a 6' diameter including 10 brighter mag 9-11.5 stars. The brightest star is mag 9.1 SAO 22794 is at the NW end and a distinctive line with three mag 10 stars heads SE and includes a fairly wide uneven double star (John Herschel's h1098 = 10/12.5 at 12"). Two mag 8 stars to the NW (mag 7.9 SAO 22785) and SW (mag 8.3 SAO 22796) are collinear with the sides and form a 10' triangle with the eastern vertex of the cluster. The classification of this group as a true cluster is uncertain.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb