Pleiades: from legend to astronomy

One of the beauties of observing the night sky is the opportunity to see stars, planets, and constellations with the naked eye; Using binoculars and a telescope provides even more impressive cosmic views. One of these observations The Pleiades star cluster is a group of stars located approximately 380 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus.

Like other stories about humanity’s ancestors, the Pleiades were observed thousands of years ago, but ancient people created some myths to try to explain their existence. In fact, to this day the cluster is also Because of these legends, they are called ‘seven sisters’; but during naked eye observation it is usually possible to count only six stars.

What is most intriguing is that different cultures around the world have commented on the legend of the ‘seven sisters’, for example in Greek mythology or among Aboriginal groups in Australia. To contain, Scientists believe these stories date back about 100,000 years, when stars were positioned differently in the sky.

“In the Northern Hemisphere, the Pleiades are seen high in the sky on late autumn or winter nights (November to March). (If you wake up early, you may also see them before dawn in late summer or early autumn.) Their location is described by astronomer and professor of astronomy at Case Western Reserve in “Night The sky changes from hour to hour and night to night due to the Earth’s rotation and orbit around the sun, so they are not always in the same place in the sky,” said Chris Mihos, University (USA), in a message posted to the website space.

To shed some light on the path that knowledge of the Pleiades star cluster took from being classified as a myth to its official scientific recognition, we gathered information from astronomers and other scientists in the region.

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In an article published on the website SpeechRay Norris, professor at the School of Science at Western Sydney University (Australia), explains that in Greek mythology, the Pleiades are considered the seven daughters of the titan Atlas. In the story, Atlas was condemned to support the sky forever and therefore could not protect his seven daughters. Zeus turned his daughters into stars out of pity – one of them fell in love with a mortal, and this would explain why it would be possible to see only six stars.

The expert explains that a similar story is told among different Australian Aboriginal groups; He says the stars are a group of girls and are connected to sacred female ceremonies. It is also possible to find similar myths about the ‘Lost Pleiades’ in European, Asian and Indonesian cultures.

In a study published in the scientific journal Springer, A research team suggests that 100,000 years ago the Pleiades could actually be observed with seven stars in the night sky. This may explain why ancient people called the star cluster ‘seven sisters’.

The ‘vanishing’ star is known as Pleione and fell out of observation after moving through space. The discovery of this movement, which has been occurring for more than 100 thousand years, may be the answer to explaining the similarity between mythological stories about the Pleiades..

The importance of the Pleiades in astronomy

The truth is that the number of stars you can see in the Pleiades cluster may vary depending on the quality of your observation; Light pollution and night weather are important factors for good viewing. In terms of science, astronomers explain that the Pleiades emerged after the condensation of cosmic gas and dust about 100 million years ago.

The Pleiades can be observed almost anywhere in the world between October and April, but each night of November the cluster becomes more visible than usual; You don’t need binoculars or a telescope, you can watch this show with your naked eye. Scientists think the star group is important because it is one of the closest clusters to Earth and the easiest to observe in the night sky.

Although most people observe six stars, a higher quality observation can allow visualization of up to 14 stars.. You can see even more stars if you use a telescope or binoculars.

The best way to find the Pleiades constellation in the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere is to look for the constellation Orion. Then follow the star belt and look at the back left of the sky. Before you see the cluster, you must pass by the star Aldebara, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.

Did you like the content? Stay up to date with more astronomy curiosities at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to understand when astronomy and astrology separated.