                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2021 November 24

                  Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Damien Cannane

   Explanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you
   have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this.
   Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of
   the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a
   light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though,
   the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very
   evident. The featured exposure, taken from Florida, USA, covers a sky
   area several times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven
   Sisters and M45, the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward
   the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern
   twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was
   named, leaving only six of the sister stars visible to the unaided eye.
   The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or
   less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and
   the clarity of the observer's eyesight.

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