{"id":50837,"date":"2023-10-26T11:07:24","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T11:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ea39f14e-1e86-4a27-974f-78910d152382"},"modified":"2023-10-26T11:32:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T11:32:40","slug":"the-pleiades-open-star-cluster-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/the-pleiades-open-star-cluster-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pleiades open star cluster complete guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guide to M45, also known as the Pleiades, and images of the famous open star cluster. <\/p>

By Patrick Moore\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 26 October 2023 at 11:07 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The Pleiades is probably the most famous star cluster in the sky, prominent with the naked eye and difficult to mistake.<\/p>

Located 440 lightyears away, the Pleiades is an open star cluster<\/a> contained in Charles Messier<\/a>\u2019s catalogue of clusters and nebulae, the Messier Catalogue<\/a>, drawn up in 1781, as M45.<\/p>

In a way this is surprising, because Messier was a comet-hunter and catalogued clusters and nebulae as ‘objects to avoid’ \u2013 and there is no chance of confusing the Pleiades with a comet<\/a>.<\/p>

Pleiades Seven Sisters in Middlesbrough by Damo Williams, Middlesbrough, UK. Equipment: Nikon d3300, 300mm lens, EQ5 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The nine brightest stars<\/a> in the Pleiades are concentrated in a field just over one degree across, so they are splendidly shown in binoculars or in a telescope equipped with a wide-angle eyepiece<\/a>.<\/p>

With higher magnification only part of the cluster can be shown at any one time, so that the full beauty of the spectacle is lost.<\/p>

\"\"
The individual stars of the Pleiades.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Greek mythology<\/strong><\/h2>

The Pleiades has been known from very early times and there is no shortage of legends about it.<\/p>

Also known as the ‘Seven Sisters’, in Greek mythology they were the seven daughters of the giant Atlas and Pleione, daughter of the sea god Oceanus.<\/p>

Alcyone, Electra, Merope, Maia, Taygete, Calaeno and Asterope (or Sterope). They were walking along, quite peacefully, when they were seen by the huntsman Orion who promptly gave chase.<\/p>

Zeus, ruler of Olympus, decided to intervene, so he changed the sisters into stars and swung them into the sky, where they remain to this day.<\/p>

\"\"
The Pleiades (1885) by the Symbolist painter Elihu Vedder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In 1767, the English clergyman John Michell \u2013 a brilliant researcher, too often neglected by modern scientific historians \u2013 calculated that the probability of a chance alignment of so many bright stars was only about one in half a million.<\/p>

When studies were first made of the proper motions of the stars in the Pleiades, it was found that they were all moving across the sky in the same direction at the same rate.<\/p>

Yet the cluster will not survive indefinitely. Like all galactic clusters it will eventually be dispersed because of the gravitational pull of non-cluster stars.<\/p>

It should remain identifiable for at least 250 million years, however, so we need be in no hurry to observe it before it merges into the general background.<\/p>

Although there are only six stars easily distinguishable with the naked eye by people of average sight, the cluster has traditionally been known as the Seven Sisters.<\/p>

This has led to the legend of the \u2018lost Pleiad\u2019, which faded below naked-eye visibility.<\/p>

\"\"
The Pleiades by Martin Campbell, Dungannon, Northern Ireland. Equipment: Canon EOS MkII DSLR, Takahashi Epsilon 180mm refractor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What type of stars are in the Pleiades?<\/strong><\/h2>

The main cluster is about 12 lightyears in diameter and contains around 500 stars. The total mass contained is estimated to be about 800 times that of the Sun.<\/p>

Hot bluish-white stars are dominant. There are no red giants, but there are a number of brown dwarfs \u2013 that is to say, objects with less than 8% the mass of the Sun, whose cores have never become sufficiently hot to trigger off nuclear reactions.<\/p>

There are several white dwarfs<\/a>, and there is obviously nebulosity, which is brightest in the region of the star Merope.<\/p>

The nebulosity was discovered in 1859 by the German astronomer Ernst Tempel, using a 4-inch (10cm) telescope, who described it as \u201ca faint stain like a breath on a mirror\u201d.<\/p>

\"\"
The Pleiades by Stephen Tolley, Liskeard, Cornwall, 19 January 2020. Equipment: Nikon D600 DSLR, Tamron 150-600mm lens, Celestron AVX mount<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The nebula<\/a> is not particularly elusive \u2013 I saw it easily with my five-inch (12cm) refractor \u2013 and it is a favourite target for astrophotographers (see our gallery below).<\/p>

Rather naturally, it was assumed to have been formed at the same time as the Pleiades themselves \u2013 but this cannot be so.<\/p>

The cluster is of the order of 100 million years old, and a reflection nebulae of this kind would long since have been dissipated.<\/p>

In fact, the explanation is that the stars are simply passing through a dust cloud which happens to lie in their path.<\/p>

\"\"
M45 – The Pleiades by Steve Loveridge, Wellington, Somerset, UK. Equipment: Modified Canon 1000d, Astronomik CLS CCD filter, William Optics ZS70, Flattener III, EQMOD controlled HEQ5 Pro, Skywatcher 100ED Pro, QHY5v, PHD.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to find the Pleiades<\/strong><\/h2>

First look for the very familiar constellation of Orion with its two leaders, the orange-red Betelgeuse<\/a> and the even brighter white Rigel<\/a>.<\/p>

The three stars of Orion\u2019s Belt point upwards to Aldebaran<\/a>, which like Betelgeuse is orange-red; slightly higher up, you will see the Pleiades.<\/p>

At first they may look like a misty patch, but if conditions are even reasonably good it rapidly becomes evident that they are individual stars, close together.<\/p>

\"The
The Pleiades, M54 can be seen in autumn and winter, even with the naked eye. Credit: iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Pictures of the Pleiades<\/strong><\/h2>

Below is a selection of images of the Pleiades captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/em> readers and astrophotographers from around the globe.<\/p>

For advice on imaging the night sky, read our guide to astrophotography<\/a> or our tutorial on how to photograph stars<\/a>.<\/p>

And don’t forget to send us your images<\/a> or share them with us via Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>

\"M45,
M45, the PleiadesRonald Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 6 December 2020-9 February 2021Equipment: QHY 367C Pro colour CMOS camera, Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 quadruplet refractor, Paramount MX mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesOlly Barrett, North York Moors National Park, Yorkshire, 21 November 2022Equipment: ZWO ASI 2600MM Pro mono CMOS camera, William Optics RedCat 51 APO refractor, iOptron GEM28 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesMike Read, 24 January 2023Equipment: ZWO ASI2600mc camera, William Optics RedCat 51 V2 Petzval refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades, Jared Bowens, Backyard Country Observatory, Clarksdale, Missouri, US, 21-22 November 2022Equipment: Canon EOS 60D DSLR camera, Orion 8-inch Newtonian astrograph, Celestron AVX mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades and Mars Andrew Hardy, Cambridgeshire, UK, 17 January 2023 Equipment: Canon EOS 77D DSLR camera, Canon EF 70-300mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer tracker<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades, Simon Cao, Yucca Valley, California, USA, August-October 2022Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED UMC lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades Mark Coull, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, 28, 29 December 2021, 3 January 2022Equipment: ZWO ASI183MC camera, William Optics RedCat 51 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesVicki Pink, Southampton, 6 and 10 December 2021Equipment: Altair Hypercam 269C, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS Pro refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesBasudeb Chakrabarti and Goutam Dey, Darjeeling, India, 6 November 2021Equipment: Nikon D5300 DSLR, William Optics RedCat 51 refractor, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount; Nikon D5600 DSLR, William Optics RedCat 51 refractor, iOptron SmartEQ Pro mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesAsh Bull, Ockbrook, Derby, 24 October 2020 and 3 November 2021Equipment: ZWO ASI071MC Pro camera, Celestron 8-inch Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt astrograph, iOptron CEM70 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesCallum Wingrove, Stanmore, London, 2 and 3 November 2021Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, SharpStar 94EDPH triplet apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesMatthew Shutter, Tring, Buckinghamshire, 2 November 2021Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, William Optics Zenithstar 73 apo refractor, iOptron GEM28 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades Prabhu, Mleiha, UAE, 18 and 19 October, 17 December 2020. Equipment: ZWO 1600MM Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 80mm apo refractor, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesJeffrey O Johnson, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 25 September 2020Equipment: QSI 690WSG camera, Takahashi FS-60C refractor, Takahashi EM-200 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Mars
Mars visits the Pleiades Dan Fleetwood, Rugby, Warwickshire, 27 February 2021. Equipment: Canon 250D DSLR, Samyang 135mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Mars
Mars appears next to the Pleiades, 30 March 2019. Photo by: Alan Dyer\/VW PICS\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades M45Mike Read, Corsley, Wiltshire, 13\u00a0December 2020Equipment: ZWO ASI 533MC camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED apo triplet refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades Robert Leach, Corfu, Greece, 28 August 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 183MC colour camera, William Optics RedCat 51 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Through
Through a Cassegrain telescope, the Pleiades star cluster appears back to front . Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Venus
Venus and the Pleiades seen through cloud on 4 April 2012. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesStephen Tolley, Liskeard, Cornwall, 19 January 2020Equipment: Nikon D600 DSLR, Tamron 150-600mm lens, Celestron AVX mountEquipment: Nikon D600 DSLR, Tamron 150-600mm lens, Celestron AVX mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades Kees Scherer, Castelo Novo, Tomar, Portugal, 5\u201310 October 2018. Equipment: QHY16200 camera, Sky-Watcher Espirit-100ED f\/5.5 Super APO triplet refractor, 10 Micron GM 2000 HPS mount, ScopeDome 2M.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The PleiadesPaul Ring, Gateshead, 2 October 2019Equipment: Canon 700D DSLR, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED Pro refractor, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Mars
Mars and the Pleiades, photographed by G\u00e1bor Szendr\u0151i, Hungary, 30 March 2019. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, Leica APO-Telyt-R 3.4 \/ 180mm lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Comet<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"\"
The Pleiades Mindaugas Kausylas, Kryliai, Lithuania, 1 December 2018Equipment: Nikon 5300 DSLR camera, Explore ScientificFCD1 80mm triplet apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan mount.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M45
M45 – Pleiades Cluster by Raoul van Eijndhoven, Faringdon, Oxfordhsire, UK. Equipment: 80mm triplet refractor, modded Canon 1000D, EQ5 made in to goto, PhD.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Comet
Comet C\/2016 R2 PANSTARRS next to Pleiades by Jos\u00e9 J. Chamb\u00f3, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106F f\/5,0, SBIG STL-11000M<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M45
M45 Pleiades by Quek Zong Ye, Singapore. Equipment: Takahashi Epsilon 180ED, QHY16200 cooled CCD, Skywatcher AZ-EQ6<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades by Jason Wiseman, Torquay, Devon, UK. Equipment: Celesteon C14 Edge @ f\/1.9 with Hyperstar, Canon 550d unmodded, PhD Tracking.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Pleiades by Alex Houston, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, UK. Equipment: Canon 550D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 100ED apochromatic refractor, 0.85 focal reducer, Orion StarShoot autoguider.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M45
M45 The Pleiades Star Cluster by Martin Pyott, St Andrews, UK. Equipment: Lunt Engineering Refractor, 0.8x FF\/FR, Skywatcher EQ-5 mount, Skywatcher WI-FI Adapter (unguided), Baader modified and cooled Canon 600D<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Messier
Messier 45 – Pleiades by Miroslav Horvat, Maderkin Breg, Croatia. Equipment: SW ED80, SW 0.85 FF\/FR, QHY8c, SW EQ6Pro, SW 9×50 finderguider, QHY5L-IIc.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>