Beehive Cluster (M44)
Also known as M44 · M 44 · Beehive Cluster · NGC 2632 · Beehive
Beehive Cluster (M44) is an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer, about 610 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Position (J2000) | 8h 40m 22s, +19° 40′ |
| Distance | 610 light-years (its light set off about 610 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 3.1 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 118.2′ × 118.2′ (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 | 1,770 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Beehive Cluster (M44) is highest in the sky at midnight in January. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 90° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 60°. 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 Cancer
Everything in Cancer · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits