The Beehive Cluster Messier 44 in Cancer
Taken by Tom Wildoner on April 9, 2026 @
Weatherly, PA, USA
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Camera Used: Unavailable Unavailable
Exposure Time: Unavailable
Aperture: Unavailable
ISO: Unavailable
Date Taken: 2026:05:23 14:09:20
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Details:
Messier 44 (M44), popularly known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe (meaning "manger"), is a spectacular open star cluster located roughly 600 light-years away in the constellation Cancer. As one of the nearest and most populous open clusters to our solar system, it holds a rich history, having been observed since antiquity as a cosmic nebula before Galileo first turned his telescope toward it in 1609 and resolved it into individual stars. The cluster contains a dense population of approximately 1,000 gravitationally bound stars, dominated by bright blue-white main-sequence stars alongside a notable contingent of ancient red giants. Because it spans an immense area of the sky—more than three times the diameter of the full Moon—M44 is a sublime target for binoculars and wide-field smart telescopes, appearing as a sprawling, glittering swarm of stellar jewels that shares a common motion and origin with the nearby Hyades cluster.
🔭 Technical Details:
Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC BIN1
Mount: EQ6R Mount
Capture: 81 x 60 seconds (2 panel mosaic)
Location: The Dark Side Observatory (W59), Weatherly, PA (Bortle 4)
Processing: DSS and PixInsight
Image Date: April 9, 2026.
Photographer's website:
https://thedarksideobservatory.com
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