It was discovered by William Herschel on August 18, 1780, with a 6.2 inch reflector telescope, and catalogued as VII 42.

[3] It is an easy target for amateur astronomers, and can be seen even with small telescopes in light-polluted skies.

It is not yet clear if Phi Cassiopeiae is a member of the cluster, and if it is, then it would be one of the brightest stars known, surpassing Rigel in luminosity.

For comparison, the Sun at the same distance as Phi Cassiopeiae would shine at just 17.3 magnitude.

The cluster features a rich field of about 150 stars of magnitude 9-13.