Can anyone name this for me please.

[Redscouse]

Evening all, (waving)

So tonight there are a few breaks in the clouds and I was on my balcony looking up and I spotted a small fuzzy patch so I ran indoors grabbed my scope and could see a group of stars all huddled up in a group. I came indoors to have a look on Stellarium to see what it was called and it seems each star has a name but not as a group - or at least Stellarium wouldn't divulge that info to me! Do any of you guys happen to know any different?

As I look at the sky it is to my right of Orion and slightly higher. See screenshot from Stellarium.
Thanks guys.

[Stu]

That is M45, the Seven Sisters or the Pleiades, take your pick

[Redscouse]

Hi Stu, 
Thanks very much for that.  

[RichM63]

As above.

Tip; in Stellarium check the icon that looks like a firework Catherine Wheel in the bottom tool bar 'Name Deep Sky Objects', then the name Pleiades will show.

[Redscouse]

3 minutes ago, RichM63 said:

Tip; in Stellarium check the icon that looks like a firework Catherine Wheel in the bottom tool bar 'Name Deep Sky Objects', then the name Pleiades will show.

Well there ya go! Everyday is a school day!
Thanks Rich, I have it turned on now.  

[laowhoo]

But it says Pleiades Merope Nebula on the screen. Maybe you didn't select for? D'oh! I type to slowly.

[RichM63]

and don't forget that you can 'roll' your mouse wheel to zoom in and out for more or less detail and then click on individual objects for detailed information.

have fun.

[mariosi]

Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Poulia(Greek),"Subaru" ( Car company .The name Subaru is a Japanese word for a star cluster in the sky named Pleiades, and the company logo has the stars in its picture in the same place as they are in the sky.

Constellation Taurus
Right ascension 3h 47m 24s
Declination +24° 07′ 00″
Distance 444 ly on average (136.2±1.2 pc
Apparent magnitude (V) 1.6

Messier 45, 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.(Wikipedia)

Marios 

 

 

[Luna-tic]

Odd that Stellarium calls it "Merope" Nebula, since the nebulosity isn't directly related to the cluster, but just something they are passing through. It was at one time called the Maia Nebula, for another star in the cluster.

Seems like the group as a whole are very popular to view wide-field, but Alcyone is fun to look at in high power, to try and pick out some of the multiples. It's a sort of "cluster" in a cluster, all by itself.

[Stu]

10 minutes ago, Luna-tic said:

Odd that Stellarium calls it "Merope" Nebula, since the nebulosity isn't directly related to the cluster, but just something they are passing through. It was at one time called the Maia Nebula, for another star in the cluster.

Seems like the group as a whole are very popular to view wide-field, but Alcyone is fun to look at in high power, to try and pick out some of the multiples. It's a sort of "cluster" in a cluster, all by itself.

They are listed as separate objects, Maia Nebula is NGC 1432, Merope is NGC 1435. Other designations appear to be associated with the bright nebulae around the other stars.

Alcyone is a lovely one, 4 stars in a little cluster as you say.

[Luna-tic]

21 minutes ago, Stu said:

Alcyone is a lovely one, 4 stars in a little cluster as you say.

Much more than that, actually, although for our purposes only Alcyon and the three companions would be visible.

According to the Washington Double Star Catalog, there is the main star Alcyon (Eta Tauri); the three visible companions "B"(24 Tauri), "C"(V647 Tauri) a variable, and "D", itself a double. Its components are roughly equal mass and orbit a common center of gravity and are about 0.3 arc/sec apart. There are an additional 4 close companions, all with magnitudes fainter than +11

Alcyone is itself a triple; Alcyone A is the visible, apparent mag is +2.87. One companion (B) is tiny and orbits A  less than one milli arc/second with a period of about 4 days. "C" is about 1/2 the mass of A  and orbits about 0.031 a/s distant, or roughly equal to the orbit of Jupiter around the Sun.

I'd bet that from a distance close enough to see them all, it would be spectacular.

[RichM63]

I agree with all you have said guys.

But at this time of year I love stepping out of my front door then looking up and slightly right and seeing 'the Sisters' looking at Orion's Nebula! and thinking they 'got it nailed'.

My E 2 W is a superb area of dark sky.

 

[Redscouse]

On 15/01/2018 at 19:47, mariosi said:

"Subaru" ( Car company .The name Subaru is a Japanese word for a star cluster in the sky named Pleiades, and the company logo has the stars in its picture in the same place as they are in the sky.

 

Was quite fond of the Subaru (original shape) and I also spent a fair few years studying martial arts. I feel like I should have known that already, however as I've stated previously in this forum, everyday is a school day. Thanks for the info Mariosi.

 

On 15/01/2018 at 20:43, RichM63 said:

But at this time of year I love stepping out of my front door then looking up and slightly right and seeing 'the Sisters' looking at Orion's Nebula! and thinking they 'got it nailed'.

Having only owned my scope for a few weeks I haven't really had much time to use it with our lovely English weather however on occasions when the clouds break I often stand and look up at Orion, Aldebaran and what I now know to be Pleiades. Such a beautiful sky up there that I've looked at thousands of times however I've never really seen it, if that makes sense.  

[VNA]

On 1/15/2018 at 11:15, Stu said:

That is M45, the Seven Sisters or the Pleiades, take your pick

There is one more name I learned this from Japanese tourists at Glacier Point, Yosemite the name is Subaru and if you look at the logo of the car you will understand! 

Sorry Mariosi already mentioned it! Should have read all the posts!

[mariosi]

15 hours ago, VNA said:

There is one more name I learned this from Japanese tourists at Glacier Point, Yosemite the name is Subaru and if you look at the logo of the car you will understand! 

Sorry Mariosi already mentioned it! Should have read all the posts!

Dear VNA, 

my post it was a copy paste from Wikipedia and i wrote in my  post! (The sketch no). Sometimes happen ☺!

Marios

[Captain Scarlet]

... just a little bit more to add ... the reason the Subaru car company is so-called is that each star represents one of seven companies that Fuji Heavy Industries consolidated into one.

Magnus (disclosure: I own a Subaru  )

[Stub Mandrel]

On 15/01/2018 at 19:28, laowhoo said:

But it says Pleiades Merope Nebula on the screen. Maybe you didn't select for? D'oh! I type to slowly.

Merope is the brightest star in the group and the nebula is a blue cloud lit by the stars.