Tonight's Sky for Friday, Dec 21 2007
Tonight in the east-northeastern sky, the waxing gibbous moon will be right next to the most recognizable objects in the night sky. It’s the Pleiades (M45), or Seven Sisters, an actual cluster in space whose member stars are bound by gravity.
The Pleiades appears to the eye as a tiny dipper, wrapped in a veil of mist. Despite the name Seven Sisters, many people see this cluster with the eye alone as six stars. Thus there are legends explaining the whereabouts of the “lost Pleiad.” But people have different abilities to see faint stars. It’s said that as many as 18 stars may be seen with the eye alone if your sky is exceptionally dark and clear. Binoculars will show you more stars, too, and a small telescope will reveal 40 or 50 stars (although the cluster is so large that you might get the best view of it through your telescope’s finderscope). Professional astronomers have counted more than 200 stars here.
Throughout history, and in the lore of many nations, the Pleiades have had their own special mystery. This beautiful sky object has been compared to a swarm of fireflies or bees, to seven maidens, to a flock of doves, and to a hen surrounded by her chicks.
