The Pleiades Star Cluster

The Pleiades Star Cluster
This is a capture of The Pleiades Open Star Cluster - Messier 45. This cluster is clearly naked eye visible in the constellation Taurus, and has significant amounts of star lore that involve the cluster. It is also commonly mistaken for the Little Dipper asterism. Residing at 445 light years distant, this is one of the closest open star clusters to the Solar System. The cluster is currently associated with a nebula that is passing through the cluster, and was once thought to be the nebula that the cluster formed from. It is now known that the nebula is not associated with the cluster's formation, and is only passing through the region. The white dusty wisps around the field are parts of the nebula passing through the cluster as well as the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN), which is a nebulousness that is illuminated by the background glow of the galaxy.
Image credit: Frosty Drew Astronomy Team member, Scott MacNeill.
Author:
Scott MacNeill
Entry Date:
Nov 7, 2018
Published Under:
Scott MacNeill's Media
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