The Pleiades

stars · space · constellations · clusters

Seven bright sisters. The Pleiades is also called the Seven Sisters because the six or seven brightest stars in the cluster are easy to spot without a telescope. Many cultures around the world have told stories about these stars for thousands of years.

Nearest star cluster. At about 444 light-years away, the Pleiades is one of the closest star clusters to Earth, which is why it appears so bright and beautiful from our planet. It is the closest Messier object we can see.

Naked eye view. You can see the Pleiades with just your eyes on a clear night, especially in winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It looks like a tiny cluster of sparkly dots in the constellation Taurus.

Over 1,000 stars. Even though only six or seven stars shine brightly enough to see without a telescope, the Pleiades cluster actually contains more than 1,000 stars held together by gravity.

Young blue stars. The Pleiades are made of hot, young B-type stars that burn brightly and appear blue or white. These stars are much younger than our Sun.