NGC 225, in the constellation of Cassiopeia, is located approximately 2,100 light-years away, including the entire surrounding field of view. It is an open star cluster, meaning that all its stars formed more or less simultaneously from a cloud of gas, of which only a remnant remains — the diffuse blue region at the centre of the image (VdB 4).

It is surrounded by dark nebulae composed of gas and dust, some of which are being illuminated by nearby stars belonging to the cluster.