The Pleiades

Pleiades

Location in Sky

Rosette nebula

Acquisition: Skywatcher-130PDS. October, 2022.

Quick Facts

  • Catalog: Messier 45.
  • Discovered: March, 1610.
  • Distance from Earth: 442 light-years.
  • Diameter: 17 light-years.
  • Magnitude: 1.6.
  • Best Visible: Fall - Winter.
  • Description

    Messier 45, or more commonly known as The Pleiades is a group of seven stars in the constellation Taurus. The Pleiades were prominent in Greek Mythology, as they were believed to be the "Seven Sisters". The seven daughters of Atlas caught the eye of Orion, the hunter. Since Atlas was condemned to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, Orion was free to pursue his daughters. Zeus intervened and transformed the daughters into doves, then eventually into stars. However, Orion still chases the Pleiades in the form of his own constellation, that closely follows behind the Pleiades every year.