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open star cluster

What is the Beehive Cluster?

Open cluster of about a thousand stars, known since antiquity as a naked-eye “cloudy patch”.

Worth knowing about the Beehive Cluster

You see the Beehive Cluster as it was 598.5 years ago.

What it is
An open cluster of roughly a thousand stars, about 600–700 million years old.
How we know: Its hot blue stars have already burned out, leaving a cooler, more mixed population.
Its name and its story
Described by Ptolemy nearly 2,000 years ago; Greek and Roman farmers used it (as Praesepe, the Manger) as an informal weather forecasting tool.
The Beehive Cluster (Praesepe) — A model, seen from the Earth, with north up.
The numbers
Acrossabout 17 light-years
Distance from us598.5 light-years
How big it looks1.6 degrees — about 3 full Moons across

How anyone knows this

Things like it

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)open star clusterNaked eyeThe Scorpius-Centaurus OB AssociationOB associationNaked eyeThe Hercules Cluster (M13)globular star clusterBinoculars

Games it appears in

Show the Beehive Cluster in the model🧭 Where is the Beehive Cluster?🕒 When can I see the Beehive Cluster?📖 How the Milky Way fits together🌙 Plan an evening outside