Taurus open star clusters, of different shapes

Event Date: December 4th

Time: 10:58(.24) PM

Brief

   I will back the clock up a little from last night's time of Jupiter's transit, showing the Pleiades star cluster doing the same tonight.  

   Seen below, is the Pleiades transiting high at 76º in image one,  I kept the Hyades cluster and Jupiter in the image also, as a reminder that they are soon to transit afterwards.  Image two shows the Pleiades magnified in a 2º field.  The brightest of the stars are noticeable, while many others can be seen easily.  Of course the more it is magnified, the more can be seen.  I will choose the 2º field, to fit the entire cluster in, making the magnification in the range of 25-30x, depending on the make and brand of the eyepiece used.

click on images to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp.

Detailed

Since we are at that time of year for when we can see the cluster high before too late, it is also a good time to try to count how many stars there are when it is high enough out of atmospheric pollution.  As it is often confused with the Little Dipper, which is much further north than the Pleiades, nearly at the north celestial pole, some people quickly say "seven" for that reason.  Astronomers are well aware of another obvious difference between the Pleiades and Little Dipper: one can fit in a telescope; the other cannot.  Other viewers say that number because the cluster contains "the seven sisters".  Actually, there are many more stars in the cluster, and it is by far, the brightest open one in one sky.  The Hyades is seemingly even more open than the Pleiades, and the stars are only slightly dimmer.  However, the near-"V" shape of the Hyades (minus Aldebaran of course making it look more like a wide check-mark), is not quite as impressive as a cluster that looks like something else in the sky.