Beehive Cluster

an open cluster M 44 · NGC 2632 Cancer 3.1ᵐ

One of the nearest open clusters. Antiquity saw a misty patch here and forecast weather by it: if the Beehive vanished, rain was coming — in fact haze was covering it.

Where to look

Data

Type
an open cluster
Constellation
Cancer
Magnitude
3.1
Apparent size
1.58 °
Distance
577 light years

An estimate. NGC 2000.0 carries no distances, and published measurements disagree by up to a third.

Right ascension
130.025 °
Declination
19.983 °
Designations
M 44 · NGC 2632
NGC description
Praesepe; = M44

The Messier list and the NGC/IC designations come from NGC 2000.0 (Sinnott, 1988), CDS Strasbourg.

Nearby in the same constellation

Designations Type Magnitude Apparent size
M67 · M 67 an open cluster 6.9 30.0′