---
title: "NGC 1942"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1942"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 1942 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1942"
---

# NGC 1942

NGC 1942 is an open [cluster](https://spacecatalog.org/clusters) in the constellation [Dorado](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/dorado), shining at apparent magnitude 13.46 (V). Other catalogues list it as ESO 085-081 and ESO 85-81. It was discovered in 1834.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Open cluster
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 1.9′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 13.46 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **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 |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 13.46 |
| CONSTELLATION | Dorado |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 05h 24m 44.5s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −63° 56′ 31.6″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1834 |

## Catalogue data

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 14.24 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 13.46 |

### 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 | 294 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.00098 |
| Major axis | 1.9′ |
| Minor axis | 1.9′ |

### 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 | Q1256257 |

## Also known as

- ESO: ESO 085-081
- ESO: ESO 85-81
- NGC: NGC 1942

## 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 1942 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1942

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-1942,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 1942}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1942},
  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-1942