M44, the Beehive (John O'Neal, NC Stargazer)

Celestial hemisphere: Northern · Constellation: Cancer (Cnc) · Contains: Beehive cluster · M 44 · NGC 2632 · Praesepe

M44, the Beehive, John O'Neal, NC Stargazer

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M44, the Beehive

The Beehive Cluster, also known as Praesepe, M44, NGC2632, or Cr189, is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer. It is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth, containing a larger population of stars than other nearby bright open clusters.

Under dark skies, the Beehive Cluster looks like a small nebulous object to the naked eye; as known since ancient times. Classical astronomer Ptolemy described it as "nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer", and it was among the first objects that Galileo studied with his telescope.

Age and proper motion coincide with those of the Hyades, suggesting they may share similar origins. Both clusters also contain red giants and white dwarfs, which represent later stages of stellar evolution, along with many main sequence stars.

Observationally, the Beehive is easily visible to the naked eye as a small nebulous cloud when Cancer culminates appears in the early evening sky each year from February to May. At 1.5° across, the cluster easily fits within the field of view of binoculars or low-powered small telescopes.

This shot is a stack of 8 x 30 second subs at 400iso. Shot through the Astro Tech AT8IN Imaging Newtonian with a Canon 60Da.

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The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

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