🌟 A Cluster Pair to Compare
One of the best reasons to add these clusters to your list is their proximity. Observing them side by side gives you a chance to compare two very different open clusters at once. NGC 1528 is populous and sprawling, while NGC 1545 is sparser and more compact, highlighting the natural diversity in how clusters appear.

🌟 Rich Star Fields in NGC 1528
NGC 1528 alone is worth the trip. With over a hundred stars visible in medium telescopes, it gives the impression of a lively, glittering field. Its irregular arrangement and star chains provide a lot of detail to explore, making it a satisfying object for patient observers who like to study subtle patterns.

🌟 Graceful Charm of NGC 1545
Though smaller, NGC 1545 offers its own appeal. Its stars are arranged in a looser grouping with a gentle central concentration that feels balanced and elegant. It serves as a calming counterpart to the busier 1528, and together they create an interesting contrast.

🌟 Perfect for Binoculars and Small Telescopes
Because these clusters are fairly bright and large, they are excellent targets for binoculars and small scopes in dark skies. A wide-field view shows them both framed together, creating an especially pretty sight for casual stargazing.

🌟 Well-Placed in the Northern Sky
Located in Perseus, both clusters are high and well-positioned for northern observers during autumn and winter evenings. This makes them easy to catch during long stargazing sessions, and their proximity to the famous Double Cluster makes them a natural “bonus stop” for anyone touring this rich region of the sky.

🌟 A Hidden Gem Beyond the Famous Double Cluster
While Perseus is best known for NGC 869 and 884, turning your telescope toward NGC 1528 and 1545 feels like uncovering a quieter, less crowded treasure. They provide variety and depth to any observing list, expanding your appreciation for Perseus’s wealth of star clusters.

The best way to star hop to NGC 1528 and NGC 1545 is to begin with the bright constellation of Perseus, which is high in the northern sky during autumn and winter evenings and can be found near Cassiopeia and Andromeda. Start by locating the bright star Mirfak (+1.80), the central star of Perseus, which shines prominently within the loose “Alpha Persei Cluster.”

Now study the stepping-stone stars that lead from Mirfak to relatively dim Lambda Persei (+4.28) including Adid Borealis (+3.01), c Persei (+4.01), and Mu Persei (+4.15). Note that this string of stars gets progressively dimmer. If you can see all of them, try to find even dimmer b Persei (+4.59) which is quite close to both clusters. Using binoculars, a telescope finder or a low-powered eyepiece, point to the star that is closest to the clusters. Then slowly scan the sky to find the clusters.

In a finder scope or binoculars, NGC 1528 will appear as a faint, misty glow with hints of graininess, while NGC 1545 shows up as a smaller, softer haze nearby. Centering on 1528 first and then nudging slightly south will bring 1545 into view. Because they’re close together, you’ll know you’ve found them when both appear in the same wide field like a quiet echo of the Double Cluster north of Mirfak.

✅ Use a Wide Field of View
NGC 1528 and NGC 1545 lie only about a degree apart, which means a low-power eyepiece or binoculars can capture both at once. A wide field enhances the experience, letting you appreciate their contrast as a paired display rather than isolating them individually.

✅ Compare Their Characters
Using higher powers, take time to study how different the two clusters appear. NGC 1528 is richer, sprawling with more than a hundred stars, while NGC 1545 is smaller and more compact. Observing them separately highlights how open clusters vary in density, brightness, and star patterns.

✅ Look for Patterns and Chains
Within NGC 1528, subtle arcs and chains of stars emerge when you linger at the eyepiece. Shifting magnifications and using averted vision can bring out these delicate patterns, adding depth to the experience. NGC 1545’s tighter grouping, by contrast, feels calmer and easier to take in at a glance.

✅ Binocular-Friendly Targets
These clusters are good for binocular observers. From a dark site, they both stand out as small, hazy star patches that resolve into glittering points. Their brightness and spacing make them particularly rewarding for casual stargazing sessions without the need for large equipment.

✅ Observe in Autumn and Winter
Perseus is ideally placed during the autumn and winter months, riding high overhead in the evening sky for northern observers. This ensures the clusters are well clear of horizon haze and atmospheric turbulence, giving you sharper and steadier views.

✅ Pair Them with the Double Cluster
Because the famous Double Cluster lies nearby in Perseus, NGC 1528 and 1545 make a perfect follow-up. After enjoying the brilliance of NGC 869 and 884, shifting to this quieter “mini-double” pair offers contrast and variety, rounding out a rich observing tour of the region.

❌ Naked Eye
To the naked eye, neither NGC 1528 nor NGC 1545 can be directly seen, even from dark skies. At best, the region of Perseus where they lie may seem a little richer in starlight, but without optical aid the clusters themselves remain hidden, overshadowed by brighter stars nearby and the famous Double Cluster.

⚠️ Binoculars
Through binoculars, both clusters emerge as small hazy patches nestled close together. NGC 1528 appears as the brighter and larger of the two, with hints of individual stars beginning to resolve, while NGC 1545 shows as a smaller, softer glow. Together in the same field, they form a paired view, like an echo of the true Double Cluster.

✅ Small Telescope
With a small telescope in dark skies, NGC 1528 blossoms into a glittering group of dozens of stars spread across the eyepiece. Its irregular star chains and varying brightness levels make it lively and engaging. NGC 1545, by contrast, resolves into a sparser, more compact cluster with a gentle central condensation. Viewed side by side, their contrasting appearances become more apparent.

✅ Medium Telescope
In a medium telescope, NGC 1528 becomes richly detailed, with more than a hundred stars visible under dark skies. Delicate arcs and strands of stars fill its structure, giving it a sense of depth. NGC 1545 gains a handful of resolved stars against its dimmer background, and its tighter shape appears more distinct, making the comparison with 1528 even stronger.

✅ Large Telescope
A large telescope transforms the scene into a star-studded showcase. NGC 1528 brims with fine points, with faint stars filling the gaps between its brighter chains, creating a dense, textured field. NGC 1545 remains the quieter neighbor, showing fewer stars but appearing better defined against the background. Together, they create a beautiful juxtaposition of richness and simplicity, offering a rewarding double view for dedicated observers.

🟣 In Bortle 1–2 skies, both clusters are vivid and distinct. NGC 1528 bursts with dozens of bright and faint stars forming arcs and chains, while NGC 1545 shows a smaller, concentrated knot of light with several resolved members. Together, they create a beautiful miniature “double cluster” framed by a rich Milky Way background.

🔵/🟢 In Bortle 3–4 skies, the clusters remain striking, though the fainter stars in NGC 1528 are less abundant. Its overall richness is still clear, and NGC 1545 holds its identity as a compact grouping. The surrounding star field is thinner, but the pair still stands out nicely as a contrasting duo.

🟡/🟠 In Bortle 5–6 skies, NGC 1528 loses much of its faint background sparkle, leaving only its brighter stars prominent. NGC 1545 becomes harder to distinguish and looks more like a modest scattering than a distinct cluster. The pair is still observable, but their differences are less dramatic.

🔴 In Bortle 7+ skies, both clusters fade significantly. NGC 1528 is reduced to a sparse sprinkling of stars with little sense of structure, while NGC 1545 nearly blends into the background. Their visual charm as a contrasting pair is largely lost, making them difficult to appreciate in heavy light pollution.