Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Taurus (Tau)  ·  Contains:  11 Tau  ·  13.29  ·  16 Tau  ·  17 Tau  ·  175 Andromache  ·  18 Tau  ·  19 Tau)  ·  19 q Tau  ·  20 Tau  ·  21 Tau  ·  22 Tau  ·  23 Tau  ·  25 Tau)  ·  25 eta Tau  ·  26 Tau  ·  27 Tau  ·  28 Tau  ·  9 Tau  ·  Asterope  ·  Atlas  ·  Barnard's Merope Nebula  ·  Celaeno  ·  Electra  ·  HD22318  ·  HD22490  ·  HD22578  ·  HD22627  ·  HD22680  ·  HD22886  ·  HD22992  ·  And 171 more.
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M 45 | Pleiades, Federico Lorenzo Barra
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M 45 | Pleiades

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M 45 | Pleiades, Federico Lorenzo Barra
Powered byPixInsight

M 45 | Pleiades

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

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Description

The Pleiades, or Messier 45 (M45), is an open star cluster located in the Taurus constellation, renowned for its astronomical significance and cultural prominence across civilizations. Known since antiquity, its visibility to the naked eye has made it a fixture in the lore and astronomy of cultures worldwide. Charles Messier officially cataloged the cluster in the 18th century, although its existence was well-known long before this formal recognition. Comprising primarily young, hot blue stars formed within the last 100 million years, the Pleiades cluster is relatively close to Earth, at a distance of about 444 light years. Its most distinctive characteristic is the blue nebulosity surrounding the stars, caused by a reflection nebula — dust reflecting the blue light of the hot stars. This cluster contains several hundred stars, of which the seven brightest are often visible to the naked eye, earning it the nickname "The Seven Sisters." The Pleiades play a crucial role in astrophysics as a subject of study for stellar evolution, particularly in understanding the formation and development of young stars and star clusters.

This image is the integration of 2 bundles at Telescope Live, acquired with the same setup in 2 different observatories, for a total integration time of 16hrs.

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M 45 | Pleiades, Federico Lorenzo Barra