The conjunction of the last-quarter moon with the Pleiades star cluster will occur in the sky over the Arab world at dawn tomorrow, according to the Jeddah Astronomy Society (JAS).
Pleiades is also known as the Seven Sisters due to the brightness of seven stars in this cluster.
JAS Director Majed Abu Zahra said that the Pleiades will not be visible to the naked eye from the cities due to street lights, which obscure the natural lights in the sky, but will be easily seen through binoculars. He also said that it is possible to see the moon and the Pleiades together within the field of view of a telescope due to the apparently small distance between them.
Abu Zahra pointed out that this star cluster resembles the stars of the Little Dipper, although it appears hazy.
Located in the northern hemisphere, the Pleiades is associated with the winter season, according to modern measurements. The stars of the Pleiades were born from the same cloud of gas and dust around 100 million years ago; the sun’s age is ar
ound 4.5 billion years.
The stars in this cluster, said Abu Zahra, are gravitationally bound to each other, moving together through space. Many of the Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times brighter than the sun.
Source: Saudi Press Agency