The Seven Sisters: A celestial nursery visible to the naked eye

Space · Published 30 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: While most deep-space objects require powerful lenses, the Pleiades remains one of the most accessible wonders in our night sky. This open cluster of over a thousand stars offers a glimpse into a cosmic neighborhood where gravity binds a family of stars together across the void.

Located in the constellation Taurus, the Pleiades (also known as Messier 45) is an open star cluster situated approximately 445 light-years from Earth. While this distance is the commonly cited figure, the source notes that it is not universally agreed upon by the scientific community. Despite its vast distance, the cluster is remarkably bright, boasting an apparent magnitude of 1.6, making it easily visible to the unaided eye from sites with relatively dark skies. The best time for viewing this celestial group is during the month of December. It is categorized as an open cluster in astronomical terms. This specific object is listed within the Messier catalog.

A few of the cluster's most luminous stars, including Pleione, Celaena, Sterope, Taygeta, Merope, Maia, Electra, Atlas, and Alcyone, provide its primary visual impact. While it contains over a thousand stars loosely bound by gravity, the 'Seven Sisters' moniker refers to the primary stars that have been observed by humans for thousands of years. Although no individual is credited with its discovery, the Italian researcher Galileo Galilei initially viewed the Pleiades using a telescope. The cluster is also frequently referred to as the Seven Sisters. It has been witnessed by human observers for millennia. The brightest stars in the sky are often ranked in relation to these members.

Modern observations, particularly those from the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal complex physical interactions within the cluster. For example, the star Merope interacts with nearby dust particles. Radiation pressure from the star slows down smaller dust particles more effectively than larger ones, creating visible wisps and streams. This process demonstrates the ongoing destruction of reflection nebulae by stellar radiation, providing a dynamic look at how stars shape their surrounding environments. The telescope used for these specific images featured a 12.5" f/9 Ritchey-Chretien design. Some of the dust particles are left behind in the lower-left corner of the view. These colorful rays of light are actually optical phenomena produced by the telescope itself.

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