                        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.

                              2026 February 23
   A cluster of blue stars is seen against a starfield of brown and clumpy
     dust. The stars illuminate some of the nearby dust which causes the
       dust to glow blue. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                  Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Kamil Fiedosiuk

   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 with the unaided eye even from 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 18-hour exposure, taken from Bory Tucholskie,
   Poland 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.

    Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
                                    1995)
                      Tomorrow's picture: opera planets
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

