Sections

Catalogues

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.

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.	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.
Inside the cluster: A view from Alcyone of several of its fellow stars within the Pleiades. From bottom left to top right: Atlas, Pleione, Asterope, Taygeta and Electra.

Indexes

Related Entries