The sky around NGC 1881, 3° across, north up NGC 1872 NGC 1876 NGC 1880 NGC 1877 NGC 1874 NGC 1870 NGC 1894 NGC 1903 NGC 1885 NGC 1856 NGC 1898 NGC 1916 NGC 1910 NGC 1913 NGC 1858 NGC 1865 NGC 1922 NGC 1917 NGC 1854 NGC 1855 NGC 1863 NGC 1918 NGC 1860 NGC 1926 NGC 1847 NGC 1928 NGC 1850 NGC 1921 NGC 1834 NGC 1835 NGC 1830 NGC 1828 NGC 1825 NGC 1938 NGC 1939 NGC 1839 NGC 1901 NGC 1836 NGC 1809 NGC 1838 NGC 1950 NGC 1804 NGC 1943 NGC 1953 NGC 1958 NGC 1967 NGC 1801 NGC 1959 NGC 1962 NGC 1969 NGC 1965 NGC 1793 NGC 1984 NGC 1966 NGC 1972 NGC 1970 NGC 1971 NGC 1983 NGC 1795 NGC 1994 NGC 1949 NGC 1986 NGC 1782 NGC 1785 NGC 2001 NGC 1772 NGC 2005 low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 1881 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 1881 · ESO 056-086

NGC 1881

Open cluster in Dorado

Open cluster in Dorado.

DORADO

The box shows where NGC 1881 sits in Dorado.

Constellation
DoradoDor
Magnitude
-visual
Size
1.2′ × 51″apparent
Distance
-light-years
Best month
Januaryat 9 pm
Best with
Telescope

NGC 1881 is an open cluster in Dorado

NGC 1881 (ESO 056-086) is an open cluster in the constellation Dorado. Spans 1.2′ × 51″. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in January.

Open cluster: a loose group of a few dozen to a few thousand young stars born together from one cloud of gas. They drift apart over a few hundred million years and lie in the disk of the Milky Way.

Finding NGC 1881 from γ Hyi

γ Hyi NGC 1881 DORADO

NGC 1881 lies 8.3° northeast of γ Hyi, the magnitude 3.3 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.

NGC 1881 is highest in the evening in January

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -44° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -51° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -60° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -71° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -80° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -77° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -67° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -63° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -70° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -68° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -59° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -59° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -51° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: 0° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 0° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 45° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: 60° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 44° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 54° high at 9 pm below horizon low 20-40° 40-60° overhead-ish

The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 21°N, and never sets south of 21°S.

The distance to NGC 1881 is not well measured

No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.

Objects within 6° of NGC 1881

330 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

NGC 1881 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationDorado
DesignationsNGC 1881, ESO 056-086
Typeopen cluster
Right ascension (J2000)05h 13.6m
Declination (J2000)-69° 18′
Apparent size1.2′ × 51″
Position angle160°
Best withTelescope
Best monthJanuary
Catalog pageNGC 1501 to 2000