Asteroids Clusters Comets Concepts Constellations Galaxies Moons Nebulae Planets and Moons Stars Surface Features

Menus

Catalogues

Tools and Links

eSky © copyright
Mark Fisher
1999-2008
Pleiades
Seven Sisters, M45
Proper Name
  The Pleiades
Messier Number
  M45
NGC/IC Number
  N/A
Other Designations
  (SC 2000) 75
Constellation
  Taurus
Right Ascension
  3h 47m 10s
Declination
  +24° 7' 32"
Distance
  407 light years
  125 parsecs
Magnitude
  Apparent: +1.2
  Absolute: -4.3
Diameter
  Apparent: 1° 48'
  Actual: 13 light years
Number of Stars
  100
Optimum Visibility
  November/December
 One of the most prominent and famous open clusters in the entire sky. The Pleiades is a rich and nebulous cluster of stars about four hundred light years from the Solar System.

Map of the Pleiades

The young blue stars of the Pleiades are still surrounded by the nebular matter out of which they formed less than 150 million years ago. Interactive map image courtesy of Google Sky.

Location of the Pleiades
Though the sky immediately around the Pleiades contains no bright stars, the cluster is easy to locate. It lies directly to the northwest of the V-shaped Hyades, the 'face' of Taurus the Bull. 		Relative Galactic Position of the Pleiades
The constellation of Taurus lies in the direction of our Galaxy's rim. All the objects it contains, including the Pleiades, are further from the Galaxy's core than our own Solar System.
Indexes
  • Main Index
  • Messier Objects Index
  • Star Clusters Index
    		•  Related Entries
  • Orion
  • Stars
  • Taurus
    		•