                        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.

                                2022 April 30

                          M44: The Beehive Cluster
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Drew Evans

   Explanation: 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. Described as a faint cloud or
   celestial mist long before being included as the 44th entry in Charles
   Messier's 18th century catalog, the cluster was not resolved into its
   individual stars until telescopes were available. A popular target for
   modern, binocular-equipped sky gazers, the cluster's few yellowish
   tinted, cool, red giants are scattered through the field of its
   brighter hot blue main sequence stars in this telescopic group
   snapshot. Dramatic diffraction spikes highlighting the brighter cluster
   members were created with string crossed in front of the telescope's
   objective lens.

                    Tomorrow's picture: black hole shadow
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

