Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  38 Cnc  ·  39 Cnc  ·  40 Cnc  ·  41 eps Cnc  ·  42 Cnc  ·  Beehive  ·  Beehive cluster  ·  IC 2388  ·  IC 2390  ·  M 44  ·  NGC 2632  ·  NGC 2637  ·  NGC 2643  ·  Praesepe  ·  Praesepe Cluster
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M44 Beehive Cluster, Valerio Avitabile
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M44 Beehive Cluster

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M44 Beehive Cluster, Valerio Avitabile
Powered byPixInsight

M44 Beehive Cluster

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Description

A mere 600 light-years away, M44 is one of the closest star clusters to our solar system. Also known as the Praesepe or the Beehive cluster its stars are young though, about 600 million years old compared to our Sun's 4.5 billion years. Based on similar ages and motion through space, M44 and the even closer Hyades star cluster in Taurus are thought to have been born together in the same large molecular cloud. An open cluster spanning some 15 light-years, M44 holds 1,000 stars or so and covers about 3 full moons (1.5 degrees) on the sky in the constellation Cancer. Visible to the unaided eye, M44 has been recognized since antiquity.

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M44 Beehive Cluster, Valerio Avitabile