The Pleiades, Seven Sisters (Messier 45 or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky.
The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster (hence the alternative name Maia Nebula after the star Maia), but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium, through which the stars are currently passing. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades was probably formed from a compact configuration that resembled the Orion Nebula. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will disperse due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.
Milky Way, M45 – Pleiades, M31
A widefield view of the Milky Way with the Pleiades (M45) in the center. The Andromeda galaxy is visible in the upper right corner and the Orion nebula down left..
Exposure with 14mm lens on Nikon D800, 18 min in Åva, December 2016
M45, Pleiades
13*1min exposure with 85mm lens on Nikon D800 camera in Åva, December 2018. Astrotracker used.
M45, Pleiades
7*1min exposure with 120 mm (DX mode) lens on Nikon D800 camera in Åva, January 2016. Astrotracker used.
M45, Pleiades
3*90s exposure with 300 mm lens (DX mode) on Nikon D800 camera in Åva, March 2021. Astrotracker used.
M45, Pleiades
The Pleiades, Seven Sisters (Messier 45 or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky.
The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster (hence the alternative name Maia Nebula after the star Maia), but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium, through which the stars are currently passing. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades was probably formed from a compact configuration that resembled the Orion Nebula. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will disperse due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.
Photographed with APO107 refractor telescope and Nikon D800 camera in Stuvsta, November 2016.
M45, Pleiades
Photographed with APO94 refractor telescope and ASI 2600MC color camera in Stuvsta, December 2021. Exposure was 58*2min with IDAS LPS P3 light pollution filter.
M45, Pleiades
Photographed with APO94 refractor telescope and ASI 2600MC color camera in Stuvsta, December 2021. Exposure was 58*2min with IDAS LPS P3 light pollution filter.
