Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2020 January 22

                           The Hyades Star Cluster
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanous

   Explanation: It is the closest cluster of stars to the Sun. The Hyades
   open cluster is bright enough to have been remarked on even thousands
   of years ago, yet is not as bright or compact as the nearby Pleiades
   (M45) star cluster. Pictured here is a particularly deep image of the
   Hyades which has brings out vivid star colors and faint coincidental
   nebulas. The brightest star in the field is yellow Aldebaran, the eye
   of the bull toward the constellation of Taurus. Aldebaran, at 65
   light-years away, is now known to be unrelated to the Hyades cluster,
   which lies about 150 light-years away. The central Hyades stars are
   spread out over about 15 light-years. Formed about 625 million years
   ago, the Hyades likely shares a common origin with the Beehive cluster
   (M44), a naked-eye open star cluster toward the constellation of
   Cancer, based on M44's motion through space and remarkably similar age.

                    Tomorrow's picture: roaming the halo
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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