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The bright stars and associated nebulosities in the Pleiades star cluster M45

Star Name mag Sp Nebulosity
eta = 25 Alcyone 2.86 B7e III vdB 23
27 Atlas 3.62 B8 III Ced 190
17 Electra 3.70 B6e III vdB 20
20 Maia 3.86 B7 III NGC 1432
23 Merope 4.17 B6 IV NGC 1435 + IC 349
19 Taygeta 4.29 B6 V Ced 19e
28 = BU Pleione 5.09v B8e p Ced 19p
16 Celaeno 5.44 B7 IV Ced 19c
21+22 Asterope 5.64; 6.41 B8e V; B9 V
18 5.65 B8 V
Sterope 5.76 B8 V Ced 19h

Key:

Star
Star letter or number; "eta" is "eta Tauri", "57" is "57 Tauri", etc.
Name
Common name of the star
mag
Apparent visual magnitude
Sp
Spectral type of star
Nebulosity
Catalog number of associated nebulosity (if one is present)
The most conspicuous of the Pleiades reflection nebulae is NGC 1435 around Merope, also called "Tempel's Nebula". This is the only one which was known to John Herschel when he compiled his General Catalog (GC) in 1864, and has been assigned the number GC 768. It has a faint extension, IC 349, which is very small and 36" south following (east) of Merope.

Another diffuse nebula, IC 353, is about 1 degree north following of the Pleiades, according to the Sky Catalog 2000. The present author has no information if this nebula is associated with the Pleiades or their nebulosity. Near the boundary of the Pleiades, but with no evidence for a connection, lies the diffuse nebula IC 1990, which surrounds the double star ADS 2799 (A: 5.9 m, B: 6.3 m, separation 0.4"), see e.g. Vehrenberg's Atlas of Deep Sky Splendors..

  • Map of the Pleiades Star Cluster M45

    Hartmut Frommert (spider@seds.org)
    Christine Kronberg (smil@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)

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    Last Modification: 2 Feb 1998, 14:40 MET