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Credit & Copyright: Gabor Balazs
Explanation:
At
this year's
end
Mars still
shines brightly in
planet Earth's night
as it wanders through the head-strong constellation Taurus.
Its bright yellowish hue dominates this
starry field of view
that includes Taurus' alpha star Aldebaran and the
Hyades and Pleiades star clusters.
While
red giant Aldebaran
appears to anchor the
V-shape of the Hyades
at the left of the frame, Aldebaran is not a member of the Hyades star
cluster.
The Hyades cluster is 151 light-years away making it the nearest
established open star cluster, but Aldebaran lies at less than half
that distance, along the same line-of-sight.
At the right, some 400 light-years distant is the open star cluster
cataloged as Messier 45,
also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters.
In Greek myth, the Pleiades were
daughters of the
astronomical
titan Atlas and sea-nymph
Pleione.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - hyades - pleiades
Publications with words: Mars - hyades - pleiades
See also: