---
title: "NGC 1901"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1901"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 1901 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1901"
---

# NGC 1901

NGC 1901 is an open [cluster](https://spacecatalog.org/clusters) in the constellation [Dorado](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/dorado), 1358 ly from Earth. Other catalogues list it as C 0518-685 and MWSC 500. It was discovered in 1836.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Open cluster
- **HOW FAR:** 1358 ly — The light arriving now left it that long ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 11.1′ — About 0.4 of the full Moon's width.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Dorado](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/dorado) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Open cluster |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 1358 ly — by Gaia DR3 cluster membership (Hunt & Reffert 2024) |
| CONSTELLATION | Dorado |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 05h 18m 15.2s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −68° 26′ 10.7″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1836 |

## Catalogue data

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radial velocity | −1 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | −5×10⁻⁶ |
| Major axis | 11.1′ |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | John Frederick William Herschel |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | OCl |
| Wikidata item | Q1045930 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 1901 |

### WHERE THESE FIGURES CAME FROM

Which catalogue, paper or model each of the fields above was read from, where the source named one.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Distance catalogue entry | NGC 1901 |

## Also known as

- IAU cluster: C 0518-685
- MWSC: MWSC 500
- NGC: NGC 1901

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. NGC 1901 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1901

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-1901,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 1901}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1901},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1901