NGC 281 is an H II region in the
constellation of Cassiopeia and part of the Perseus Spiral Arm.
It includes the open cluster IC 1590, the multiple star HD 5005,
and several Bok globules. Colloquially, NGC 281 is also known as
the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game
character. The nebula was discovered in August 1883 by E. E.
Barnard, who described it as "a large faint nebula, very
diffuse." The nebula is visible in amateur telescopes from dark
sky locations.
