Messier 45, Pleiades
History
The Pleiades are the closest to us and therefore the largest appearing galactic star cluster. The six, seven or sometimes more stars visible to the naked eye have been known since the Stone Age. One of the earliest depictions is a cave painting in the «Hall of the Bulls» in the Lascaux cave in France: six points above the neck of an aurochs, estimated age 21'000 to 22'000 years. Also worth mentioning is a representation on the «Nebra Sky Disc», a bronze disc found in Germany from around 1600 BC. Chr. [266]
The star cluster, also known as the «seven stars», has found its way into numerous myths. The best known comes from Greek mythology. The brightest stars are named after the seven daughters of Pleione, the wife of the heavens-bearing titan Atlas: Alkyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Elektra, Maia, Merope and Taygete. They were loved and persecuted by Orion, but never matched. To this day he hurries through the sky night after night without ever catching up with her. [20]
Physical Properties
The star cluster M 45 is about 410 light years away and has at least 250 stars whose affiliation has been confirmed. There are probably many more. The age is estimated to be 20 million years. [4] The whole cluster covers around 2°, about four times the full moon diameter. The nine brightest stars are of type B and enveloped in several reflection nebulae. They focus on an area of just over 1°. The formation looks a bit like a miniature version of the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Maior, which is why the cluster has been nicknamed «gummy bear» in the Swiss astronomy scene.
| Name | RA | Dec | Type | Bmag | Vmag | Dim | Dreyer Description | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 1432 | 03 45 49.5 | +24 22 06 | RN | 26.00 × 26.0 | eF, vL, dif (Maja Plejadum) | LBN 772, Maia nebula | ||
| NGC 1435 | 03 46 10.0 | +23 45 54 | RN | 30.00 × 30.0 | vF, vL, dif (Merope) | CED 19I, Merope nebula | ||
| IC 349 | 03 46 20.0 | +23 56 23 | RN | 0.50 × 0.5 | eF, vS, Pos. 165°, Dist. 36" from Merope | CED 19I, Barnard's Merope nebula |
Finder Chart
M 45 is located in the constellation Taurus between the bull's head and the constellation Perseus. The best observation time for this is September to February.
Visual Observation
