The Beehive Cluster (also known as The Beehive, Praesepe, Open Cluster M44, Messier Object 44, Messier 44, M44, or NGC 2632) is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer. An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud, and are still gravitationally bound to each other. ... Orion is a remarkable constellation, visible from most places on the globe (but not always the whole year long). ... In astronomy and astrology, Cancer (♋), Latin for crab, is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. ...

The cluster was known to Aratus by 260 BC. M44 is visible to the naked eye at a distance of about 577 light-years away from Earth. Its age was estimated at about 730 million years. Aratus (Greek Aratos) (circa 315 B.C./310 B.C. - 240 B.C.) was a Macedonian Greek poet, known for his technical poetry. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... A naked eye is a figure of speech, referring to human eyes unaided by enhancing equipment such as a telescope or binoculars. ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ... Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third closest planet to the Sun. ...

One of the brighter components of the Beehive Cluster is Epsilon Cancri, which is also known as 41 Cancri. Originally, the Bayer designation ε Cancri was applied to the entire cluster. Many of the brighter stars are given names which are known as Bayer designations. ...

External links

• Messier 44, SEDS Messier pages