The Stunning Seven Sisters: A Closer Look at the Pleiades Constellation
Welcome to this week’s celestial spotlight! If you have ever gazed upon a clear night sky and wondered about those shining clusters of stars that appear to be stuck together like cosmic sisters, then you are in for a treat today. We will be delving into the beauty and mystery of the seven sisters (the Pleiades). The Pleiades is an enchanted group of stars that has captivated stargazers, poets and scientists alike for millennia and continues to inspire awe in all of us today.
What Are the Seven Sisters?
The popular name “Seven Sisters” is given to the Pleiades which are an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus. Although they can be seen from almost everywhere on earth the Pleiades have a magical presence in the night sky during the fall and winter months. From a dark location the Pleiades appear as a small group of bright dots but with a telescope or even binoculars the dots reveal a dazzling assembly of hot, young, blue stars.
Why seven, you may wonder? Traditionally people have identified seven of the brightest stars in this cluster, each named after one of the seven mythological Greek sisters, daughters of the Titan Atlas. The names, Alcyone, Maia, Electra, Taygeta, Celaeno, Sterope, and Merope, carry stories of gods and heroes, love and tragedy that were deeply entwined into ancient astronomy and folklore.
A Cosmic Family Story
Therefore the Pleiades represent more than an aggregation of randomly positioned, individually shining stars; they represent a true group of stars formed as one entity from an interstellar cloud around 100 million years ago — a cosmic juvenile. The spatial nearness to each other along with the blue white coloration of these young stars illustrate the presence of siblings that have experienced their collective, energetic youth, and then continued on for millions of years, gradually drifting apart.
Interesting Fact: The cluster lies approximately 440 light years away from Earth. Therefore, when we observe the light of the Pleiades tonight, we are seeing it after it has traveled through space for approximately 440 years; a cosmic time capsule into the distant past!
Why Do People Love the Seven Sisters?
The Pleiades have had a unique role in human imagination for many centuries, across many cultures and geographic regions. The ancient Japanese called the Pleiades Subaru (meaning “to gather together”) as well as being used by a car company’s logo that has the six stars of the Pleiades interconnected – those six stars that represent the Pleiades cluster. A number of Native American tribes created their own myths regarding the Pleiades as they relate to hunting and seasonal patterns; Greek mythology also developed a series of myths about the seven sisters related to transformation and escaping, giving the Pleiades a ghostly quality due to the sisters’ transformation into stars after their death.
For modern-day star-gazers, the Pleiades are an exceptionally easy-to-locate and captivating celestial object that even city-dwellers can see with minimal light pollution because of how close the Pleiades is to Earth, making it one of the most popular gems in our nighttime sky.
How to Spot the Seven Sisters
Taurus: Look for the Pleiades close to the large, bright red star Aldebaran; the eye of Taurus the Bull. Look for their faint glow through naked eye viewing: The glow of the Pleiades is a small “mini-dipper” shape.
• Use binoculars: Using binoculars or a small telescope will show dozens of stars and will clearly reveal the distinct bluish coloration from the reflection of nearby dust clouds.
• Best viewing: In the winter nights of the Northern Hemisphere the Pleiades are at their best viewing times; however, the Pleiades are viewable throughout the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Lastly, the next time you go out on a cool, dark night, take a moment to locate the Seven Sisters. It is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the enormity of what is above us and appreciate a cosmic story that has been around as long as there have been humans. Thank you for taking a short journey with me to explore the stories of the stars! Keep an eye open for my next blog post that explores the mysterious movement of the planets in the night sky; perfect for anyone who wants to learn about the celestial choreography of our solar system. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing!