NGC 188

NGC 188 (also known as Caldwell 1 or the Polarissima Cluster^[5]) is an open cluster in the constellation Cepheus. It was discovered by John Herschel in 1825. Unlike most open clusters that drift apart after a few million years because of the gravitational interaction of our Milky Way galaxy, NGC 188 lies far above the plane of the galaxy and is one of the most ancient of open clusters known, at approximately 6.8 billion years old.^[4]

NGC 188
NGC 188
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Right ascension	00h 48m 26s[1]
Declination	+85° 15.3′[1]
Distance	5,400 ly[2] (1.66 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	10.0[3]
Apparent dimensions (V)	15′
Physical characteristics
Radius	11.8 ly
Estimated age	6.8 billion years[4]
One of the oldest known open clusters
Other designations	Caldwell 1, Cr 6, Mel 2[1]
Associations
Constellation	Cepheus
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

HR diagram showing the main sequence turnoff of NGC 188 and M 67, indicating their relatively high ages

NGC 188 is very close to the North Celestial Pole, under five degrees away, and in the constellation of Cepheus at an estimated 5,000 light-years' distance, this puts it slightly above the Milky Way's disc and further from the center of the galaxy than the Sun.