Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 December 9
     [2]A star field shows many bright blue stars as well as bright blue
        reflecting gas. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                  Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster
               Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Francesco Pelizzo

   Explanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you
   have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this.
   Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of
   the [4]Pleiades can be seen with the unaided eye even from the depths
   of a [5]light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location,
   though, the dust cloud surrounding the [6]Pleiades star [7]cluster
   becomes very evident. The [8]featured 23-hour exposure, taken from
   [9]Fagagna, [10]Italy covers a sky area several times the size of the
   full [11]moon. Also known as the [12]Seven Sisters and [13]M45, [14]the
   Pleiades lies about 400 [15]light years away toward the constellation
   of the Bull ([16]Taurus). A [17]common legend with a [18]modern twist
   is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named,
   leaving only [19]six of the sister stars visible to the unaided eye.
   The actual number of [20]Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more
   or less than seven, depending on the [21]darkness of the surrounding
   sky and the [22]clarity of the observer's eyesight.

                 New: [23]Alternative multi-APOD front page
                     Tomorrow's picture: wooden meteors
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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2412/Pleiades_Pelizzo_9396.jpg
   3. https://www.astrobin.com/users/DocRx/
   4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200408.html
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210406.html
   7. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18009
   8. https://www.astrobin.com/o6o2nx/
   9. https://youtu.be/wDess8goKRA
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/
  12. https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-oldest-story-astronomers-say-global-myths-about-seven-sisters-stars-may-reach-back-100-000-years-151568
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131122.html
  14. https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/many-pleiades-can-see10222014/
  15. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_(constellation)
  17. http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0810/0810.1592.pdf
  18. http://kencroswell.com/GD50.html
  19. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a9/b3/21/a9b321789591e2839c773669a5aa03bd.jpg
  20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6prI0Zfw80
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010827.html
  22. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Snellen_chart.svg
  23. https://apod.akatgx.link/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241208.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241209
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241210.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/