Image Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light)
Explanation: Recognized since antiquity and depicted on the shield of
Achilles according to Homer, stars of the Hyades cluster form the
head of the constellation Taurus the Bull. Their general V-shape is anchored by
Aldebaran, the
eye of the Bull and by far the constellation's brightest star. Yellowish in
appearance, red giant Aldebaran is not a Hyades cluster member, though. Modern
astronomy puts the Hyades
cluster 151 light-years away making it the nearest established open star
cluster, while Aldebaran lies at less than half that distance, along the same
line-of-sight. Along
with colorful Hyades stars, this stellar holiday portrait locates Aldebaran
just below center, as well as another open star cluster in
Taurus, NGC 1647 at the left, some 2,000 light-years or more in the background.
Just slide your cursor over the image to identify the stars. The central Hyades
stars are spread out over about 15 light-years. Formed some 800 million years
ago, the Hyades star cluster may share a common origin with M44 (Praesepe), a naked-eye
open star cluster in Cancer, based on M44's motion
through space and remarkably similar age.
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