Open star cluster
The Beehive Cluster
Also M44 · Praesepe · NGC 2632
An open cluster of about 1,000 stars in Cancer, seen as a blur of light by the naked eye.
Measured
- Distance
- 610 light-years
- Size
- about 22 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Cancer
- Position (J2000)
- RA 8h 40m 13s, Dec +19.62°
How far, from the Sun
610 light-years. To cross it:
- Light610 years
- Voyager 1's speed10.8 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h6.58 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- Galileo resolved it into more than 40 stars in 1610.
- It is about 600 to 700 million years old, similar to the Hyades.
- Planets have been found orbiting some of its stars.
Where this comes from
- Kharchenko et al. 2005, A&A 438, 1163 (187 pc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.