- NGC 188
NGC 188 is an open cluster in the constellation Cepheus, close to Ursa Minor (the "Little Dipper"). It is noteworthy in part because it is the closest major open cluster to the North Celestial Pole (Declination +85.4 degrees). NGC 188 lies at a distance of around 5400 LY in a location far above the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. This separation from the rest of the galaxy reduces the gravitational effects that normally over time lead to the dispersion of open clusters. For this reason, NGC 188 is an exceptionally old open cluster, with an age of approximately 5 billion years.
NGC has a visual magnitude of 8.1 and a diameter of around 15 arc-min. It contains around 550 member stars, many of which are in spectral classes F, G and K, which is indicative of the great age of the cluster.
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