M45: 昴宿星团

2019 September 1

M45: The Pleiades Star Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi (Glittering Lights)

Explanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you have, you probably have never seen it as dusty as this. Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The featured exposure took over 12 hours and covers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer’s eyesight.

M45: 昴宿星团
影像提供与版权: Marco Lorenzi (Glittering Lights)

说明: 你看过昴宿星团吗？即使你看过，但可能也不曾见过它这副满是尘埃的模样。昴宿星团或许是天空中最著名的星团，即使在有光害的城市里，不需借助双筒望远镜也能看到星团内的亮星。而在有幽暗天空的地区，例如在远离光害的地点进行长时间曝光，围拱着昴宿星团的尘埃就会变得非常明显。这张曝光时间超过12小时，涵盖视野约数个满月宽度的主题影像，即可为佐证。昴宿星团又称为七姐妹星团或是M45，位在金牛座方向约400光年远处。一则带点现代转折的传说宣称，在星团命名后，最亮的数颗星之一暗去，让星团只剩下6颗肉眼可见的恒星。然而，昴宿星团得见的星数可多于或少于7颗，端视观测者的视力与环境的幽暗程度而异。