Melotte 111 (Gary Imm)

Melotte 111

This object is an open star cluster located only 300 light years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Latin for "Berenices’s Hair") at a declination of +26 degrees. This cluster spans 5 degrees in our apparent view, the width of 10 full moons. The actual span of the cluster is about 30 light years. This cluster is directly overhead at midnight in this season of the year.

This cluster has so many nicknames. A long time ago, it was viewed as Leo the Lion’s Tail, which I think is very appropriate given its shape and location in the sky. Arabian astronomers knew it as The Tuft. It later was nicknamed Berenices’s Hair, for the Egyptian queen Berenice's legendary sacrifice of her hair. Similarly, it is often referred to today as the Coma ("Hair") Cluster. Its unique delicate appearance also reminds many of a cobweb in the sky.

I find this cluster to be a great indicator of how dark and transparent my skies are on a given evening. It is a tough cluster for me to see with the naked eye until my eyes are fully dark adapted. It isn’t near any bright stars for reference. In fact, this cluster is about as far away from the Milky Way as you can get. The brightest star in the cluster is magnitude 5. I imagine that this object was quite a sight in the dark skies of the ancient world.

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