The Planet & The Bees

For the past few months, the planet Mars has been shining its orange-ish glow furiously in the winter sky, for a time even out-shining the brightest stars. As the months have rolled along, it has begun to dim a bit as the distance between Earth and Mars grows. That doesn't mean that Mars is simply going to fade away; it will still be plenty bright, and it has a rendezvous with a wonderful deep sky object this month. That deep sky object is M44, the Praesepe or Beehive Cluster.

When I say rendezvous, I mean appearing to be very close to. In actuality, there are a few hundred light years between Mars and the Beehive; M44 is 577 light years away.

Mars and M44 on the 13th & 14th of April

The Beehive is an open cluster, a little over a thousand stars gravitationally bound together and sharing a common origin. Most of the stars that compose the cluster are small red dwarfs, too faint to be seen with most telescopes. The ones we do see are much larger and brighter, and, in fact, there are a few giants within the cluster itself. Like most open clusters, the largest members seem to be huddled within the interior, with the fainter stars spreading out from there. It's this arrangement that gives the Beehive Cluster its name, for it really does resemble a swarm of bees buzzing around a hive.

Normally, in urban and suburban skies, the Beehive is a little difficult to locate, due to light pollution. If you do live under such conditions, your best tool for seeing them is either a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. Once it is located, though, the brighter stars immediately show up, and a few more also pop into view with patience. The problem is that the Beehive lies within the somewhat faint constellation of Cancer, so locating it might be difficult. On the nights between the 13th and 16^th of April, 2010, Mars will make finding the cluster much easier, for on its closest approach (16^th April) it will lie 1° 10' north of the cluster. That's approximately two lunar (Moon) diameters. Just find Mars, and head a little way south.

Mars & M44 on the 16th of April

If you live in a more rural region, though, you'll see Mars close to a smudge of light, the condensed light of hundreds of stars that sent their photons in our direction almost fifty years before Columbus set out on his voyage of discovery. Whether you live under urban, suburban or rural skies, be sure to enjoy your voyage of discovery as you get a look at this little gathering of the Planet and the Bees.