Hyades
Also known as C041
Hyades is an open star cluster in the constellation Taurus, about 150 light-years from Earth.
Nearest open cluster, in Taurus
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Position (J2000) | 4h 26m 54s, +15° 52′ |
| Distance | 150 light-years (its light set off about 150 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 0.5 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 329′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 3,358 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Hyades is highest in the sky at midnight in November. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 86° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 56°. To see it you need the naked eye, even from a town.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Taurus
- Barnard's Merope Nebula (IC 349)
- Crab Nebula (M1)
- Crab Pulsar (PSR B0531+21)
- Maia Nebula (NGC 1432)
- Merope Nebula (NGC 1435)
- Pleiades (M45)
- Simeis 147
- Spaghetti Nebula
Everything in Taurus · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits