Identifying Star Clusters

The Pleiades, the Hyades and the Beehive Cluster, all surprising in their own right but, to pose a straightfoward question: What is it?

Imagine that you are detached from any kind of star chart. Yes, how other than the search for Ascension (RA) or declination (DEC), one could know where to search?

Star cluster M45, the Pleiades The Pleiades is also known by its Messier catalogue number, M45. Although nicknamed the Seven Sisters (identification card stars of the Pleiades), M45 is actually greater than 100 stars.

It is 3:47 in RA, DEC +24.07 with a visual brightness of 1.6, and the visible dimension of the arch 110.0 minutes.

The Hyades, also known as Melotte 25, see the RA 4:27, DEC +16 with a visual brightness .5 scale and visible dimension of the arch 330 minutes.

Both the Pleiades and Hyades are the open star cluster in the constellation Taurus (bull), and they may become apparent with the naked eye.

Find the Seven Sisters on the bull right shoulder. They are about 4 degrees from the elliptic, they are often occulted by the moon and other planets (which is a great observer Eye Candy). There are a lot of nebulosity is located within the Pleiades, especially around the brightest stars.

I enjoyed watching them seem to sit on the mountain summit, where I lived outside Mexico City. Greek mythology tells the story of the Pleiades in the sky, while the search for refuge of Orion's nonstop persecution.

The Hyades, 150 light years from Earth, outlines the face and bull is a loose V-shaped cluster of white stars. It is less densely populated and younger than the Pleiades. While the central STAR Group is about 10 light years in diameter of the outer group is over 80 light years. Astronomical studies on the sky show the Hyades moving east toward the sky Betelgeuse in Orion.

It should be noted that the bright red star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) - The eye of the bull - is not a member of this group are in the field despite the Hyades.

It is suspected that the Hyades May, a common origin with the Beehive Cluster (located in the constellation Cancer), due to similarities in their own movement and age.

The Beehive Cluster is RA-08: 40.1, DEC +19: 59, with a visual brightness of 3.7 magnitude and dimension of the visible arch 95.0 minutes. Known also as Praesepe (Latin for manger), it is Messier's No. M44. When it comes to observe, look for the superpower Binary Star TX Cancri. Epsilon Cancri is also a view Fang and worth spending some time.