Greek astronomer Hipparchus cataloged the object (a patch of light in Perseus) as early as 130 BCE.

To Bedouin Arabs the cluster marked the tail of the smaller of two fish they visualized in this area, and it was shown on illustrations in Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars.

[7] It is sometimes claimed that Bayer did not resolve the pair into two patches of nebulosity, and that χ refers to the Double Cluster and h to a nearby star.

Although easy to locate in the northern sky, observing the Double Cluster in its two parts requires optical aid.

Along with beheading Medusa, Perseus performed other heroic deeds such as saving princess Andromeda who was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster, Cetus.