All articles tagged with #pleiades
Space.com guides stargazers to see the Pleiades before it vanishes in the spring glow, noting it’s best viewed October–March and will fade toward the horizon by late April; to locate it, use Orion’s Belt as a guide—extend a line from Alnitak through Mintaka past Aldebaran to find the hazy cluster; a pair of 10x50 binoculars or a small telescope reveals dozens of stars, including the seven brightest named after Atlas’s daughters.
Space.com reports a waxing crescent Moon will skim the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) tonight and tomorrow (Mar. 22–23), visible in the western sky after sunset about five degrees from the cluster; look for Aldebaran and the Hyades nearby, with Venus near the horizon and Jupiter shining overhead in Gemini. By March 23 the Moon moves above the Pleiades, hinting at another night-sky highlight in the days ahead. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope helps reveal the cluster’s stars.
On Feb 25, 2026, the waxing gibbous Moon travels through Taurus between Aldebaran and the Hyades, high in the southern sky after dark, with brilliant Jupiter (mag -2.4) visible nearby and the Pleiades nearby as well; a telescope or binoculars enhances the view of this night-sky lineup as you watch the Moon glow in the Bull’s horns.
On Feb 23, the waxing gibbous Moon will glow near the Seven Sisters open star cluster (the Pleiades) in Taurus, making a striking pairing in the western sky. The Moon will sit within about 5 degrees of the cluster and can be viewing with binoculars or a small telescope; it will move past the Pleiades through the night and set a few hours after midnight for New York observers, though exact rise/set times vary by location—check Time and Date for precise timings.
After sunset on Jan. 27, the 76% lit Moon will sit about 5 degrees from the Pleiades open star cluster in Taurus, offering a chance to spot the Seven Sisters with binoculars. The Moon will drift away and set around 3 a.m. local time, making the view more challenging by nightfall’s end, so look to the southeastern sky with a clear, dark-site horizon to see Asterope, Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Merope, Maia and Taygeta.
The Nebra Sky Disc, a Bronze Age bronze and gold disk found in Nebra, Germany and dated to around 1600–1800 BCE, is regarded as the world’s oldest depiction of astronomical phenomena. Its gold inlays illustrate celestial features, including a cluster some interpret as the Pleiades, and its arcs may mark horizons and solstices; when aligned with the hill where it was buried, it likely functioned as an ancient sky calendar, though questions about its exact origin persist.
Astronaut Kimiya Yui captured a stunning timelapse video from the ISS showing zodiacal light, green auroras, and the Pleiades star cluster, highlighting the beauty of Earth's orbit and celestial phenomena.
Astronomers using NASA's TESS and ESA's Gaia have discovered that the Pleiades star cluster is about 20 times larger than previously thought, containing thousands of stars instead of just seven, which could reshape our understanding of star formation and the galaxy's structure.
On November 6, early morning skywatchers can see the nearly full moon near the Pleiades star cluster in the western sky before dawn, with binoculars enhancing the view of the Seven Sisters and nearby Uranus, offering a spectacular celestial event.
The moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster on October 9, 2025, offering a rare opportunity for skywatchers in North America to observe the occultation, with specific viewing times and locations provided for optimal viewing, especially using telescopes.
On September 12, viewers in the U.S. can observe the waning gibbous moon near the Pleiades star cluster and the distant planet Uranus in Taurus, with binoculars or a telescope enhancing the experience. The event offers a great opportunity for skywatchers to enjoy celestial sights, including Capella and Saturn, and to capture images of the moon and stars.
This weekend is an ideal time to observe a 'planet parade' in the pre-dawn sky, featuring Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and the waning gibbous moon passing near the Pleiades star cluster and the constellations Taurus and Orion, with the best viewing about 45 minutes before sunrise. This event is the last notable planet parade until 2028.
Voyager 1, traveling at over 61,000 km/h and now 444 light years from Earth, is projected to pass through the Pleiades star cluster in about 100 million years, although it will be an inert object with no active systems by then, highlighting the vastness of cosmic time and human achievement.
The Subaru logo features six stars representing the original five companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries, with the central star symbolizing Subaru itself. The design is inspired by the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, with the arrangement subtly forming an 'S' to connect to the brand name. The colors blue and silver symbolize trust, dependability, quality, and engineering, while the Subaru STI performance brand uses a cherry blossom red color inspired by Japanese culture. The logo's symbolism reflects Subaru's history, brand identity, and commitment to innovation.
August offers prime stargazing opportunities for observing spectacular star clusters like the globular cluster M13 in Hercules, the Hyades in Taurus, and the Pleiades, all visible from the Northern Hemisphere with binoculars or telescopes, providing a stunning view of our galaxy's diverse stellar groups.