Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                2022 April 30
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                          M44: The Beehive Cluster
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Drew Evans

   Explanation: A mere 600 light-years away, M44 is one of the closest
   star clusters to our solar system. Also known as the [5]Praesepe or the
   Beehive cluster its stars are young though, about 600 million years old
   compared to our Sun's 4.5 [6]billion years. Based on similar ages and
   motion through space, M44 and the even closer [7]Hyades star cluster in
   Taurus are thought to have been born together in the same large
   molecular cloud. [8]An open cluster spanning some 15 light-years, M44
   holds 1,000 stars or so and covers about 3 full moons (1.5 degrees) on
   the sky in the constellation Cancer. Visible to the unaided eye, M44
   has been recognized since antiquity. Described as a faint cloud or
   celestial mist long before being included as the 44th entry in
   [9]Charles Messier's 18th century catalog, the cluster was not resolved
   into its individual stars until telescopes were available. A popular
   target for modern, binocular-equipped sky gazers, the cluster's few
   [10]yellowish tinted, cool, [11]red giants are scattered through the
   field of its brighter hot blue main sequence stars in this
   [12]telescopic group snapshot. Dramatic [13]diffraction spikes
   highlighting the brighter cluster members were created with string
   crossed in front of the telescope's objective lens.

                    Tomorrow's picture: black hole shadow
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2204/M44-resized.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/DrewJEvans/
   5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_Cluster
   6. http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/nine.asp
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200122.html
   8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/content/explore-the-night-sky-hubble-s-messier-catalog-bio
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110211.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110408.html
  12. https://www.astrobin.com/c7c1x9/
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction_spike
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220429.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220430
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220501.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/