M 44, the Beehive Cluster (NGC 2632, or Cr 189) is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer. At around 695 lith years, it is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth. Its estimated age is around 600 million years.
Its age and proper coincide with those of the Hyades and both contain red giant and white dwarf stars, suggesting that they may have a common origin.
It is bright enough to be observed by the naked eye. Ptolemy described it as a "nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer. It was among the first objects that Galileo studied with his telescope, resolving 40 of its 1000+ gravitationally associated stars in 1609.
"In September 2012, two planets which orbit separate stars were discovered in the Beehive Cluster. The finding was significant for being the first planets detected orbiting stars like Earth's Sun that were situated in stellar clusters. Planets had previously been detected in such clusters, but not orbiting stars like the Sun.[1]
[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_Cluster
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