An itsy-bitsy dipper
11 comments Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Thursday, Dec 04 2008
To some it appears as a tiny celestial tornado, or a stellar beehive, or even an itsy-bitsy dipper. It is the one-and-only Pleiades (PLEE-uh-deez) star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull, and it does have something in common with the Big and Little Dippers. All three are “asterisms,” or recognizable star patterns that are not constellations in themselves. All three look like dippers.
The Pleiades cluster is easy to find. In December, it starts the evening low in the east-northeast, and is high overhead by midnight. The four brightest stars — the ones that form the cup of the dipper”— are Alcyone, Atlas, Electra, and Maia.
The Pleiades is a bright star cluster in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull. The cluster consists of several hundred hot, young stars. These stars are roughly 400 light years away. Strangely, although known as the Seven Sisters, normally only six Pleiades stars are visible to the unaided eye.
You may have your own Pleiades, although as a collection of six, not seven stars. In Japanese, the group is called Subaru the same as the car. It means coming together, and also is referred to by another name meaning Six Stars. Appropriately, the parent company of Subaru was formed by combining six other companies.
this is so cool you can see anything in rolling river
This topic is very interesting
The Pleiades is the brightest and most readily identifiable star cluster of all to the unaided eye, but many more are visible in the binoculars and small telescopes that many of you will be getting for Christmas! We don’t usually emphasize telescopic sights on Earth & Sky, but there are plenty of resources for those who want to see during this “Season of Lights” and all through the year.
i am a fourth grader and i am learning about the moon i think this is pretty cool!
I would just like to say thank you for such a wonderful site. I was just recently introduced to it and now check it daily. I have found it very informational. Thank you again.
Ryan
Seminole, FL
Can you recommend a good pair of binoculars?
I have enjoyed watching the night sky the past few months; especially now that I have been studying the ancient Hebrew meanings of the stars and planets. I remember wondering as a little girl, how the Magi knew to follow the star of Bethlehem!
I have a visitor from Victoria BC area and she was wondering if she would be able to see the recent crest moon with Jupiter and Venus at her latitude.
Thanks, Jean
How to say (pronounce) Electra and Atlas are easy, as they are common words. How about a little help with the other two that form the cup of the dipper —- Alcyone and Maia. (please)
I live in Hazel Green, AL, which is about 17 miles north of Huntsville. Two days ago I noticed two remarkably bright stars. These stars are extremely low on the horizon. They are so low that when I first noticed them I thought they were aircraft on approach to Huntsville International Airport. I realized they were not aircraft when I saw they were not moving. These two stars are so bright that they do not compare to any other stars anywhere in the sky. From my vantage point the stars appear south and slightly west of my location. Do you have any idea what I might be lookng at? I am not a star gazer but I know what the night sky normally looks like, but these two bright spots do not look like any stars I have ever seen.
Eureka, Diane and Ryan — glad you enjoy the site. We’ll try to keep providing you with interesting information.
Becky, I do not make specific recommendations. For binoculars, be sure you get real binoculars (which use prisms internally and eyepiece and main (objective) lens are offset from each other slightly) rather than cheap field glasses (which are just two small telescopes attached to each other). Generally speaking, aside from quality of workmanship and optics, for astronomical purposes you ususally want a pair that 1) collects light most effectively, and 2) magnifies well. Most binoculars are rated with two numbers, such as 7 X 35, which means that the binoculars magnify 7 times, and the objective lens is 35 mm across. The first number (magnification) depends largely on what you want to observe — no binculars will show you detail on planets, so what you usually want to see things like the Pleiades, so large magnification is not always that important. More important is the light gathering power embodied in the second number (generally, larger is better). A good pair of binoculars for astronomical observing would be a 7 X 50 or 10 X 50. There are other factors, such as field of view, that I will bypass here. Finally, a serious consideration for astronomical observing is the weight of the binculars. Pick a pair that is not so heavy that you will get tired of holding it up to look to the sky.
Jean, sure, your BC friend could have seen it, but the Crescent Moon has already moved away from Venus and Jupiter. The planets are still in the southwest at sunset, but Jupiter will be gone pretty soon as it gets lost in the glareof the setting Sun.
Tommy — they’re “AL-see-ohn” and “MY-uh”.
Pat, they were Venus (the brighter) and Jupiter. They’re in the evening southwest sky just as it gets dark, but while Venus continues to be visible for a while, over the next few weeks Jupiter will get lower and lower toward the setting Sun and soon will be lost.