Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  Beehive cluster  ·  M 44  ·  NGC 2632  ·  Part of the constellation Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Praesepe  ·  The star Asellus Australis (δCnc)  ·  The star Asellus Borealis (γCnc)  ·  The star ηCnc  ·  The star θCnc
The Beehive Cluster (M44), Scott Davis
The Beehive Cluster (M44)
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The BeehiveCluster (M44)

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Description

Open Cluster M44, known as the BeehiveCluster, is a beautiful, large open cluster in the constellation Cancer. It is one of the closest clusters, at a distance of just 577 light years. Because of its size and brightness, it has been known since ancient times.

This is one of my favorite objects, because it is the first Messier object that I "discovered" for myself during a star party. As I was just gazing upwards, I noticed a fuzzy object in the sky, and used my iPad to confirm that it was, indeed, a deep sky object.

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The Beehive Cluster (M44), Scott Davis