The Beehive Cluster was first described by Galileo, but it has been known as long as humans have watched the skies. It is easily visible to the unaided eye as a faint round patch of luminosity. Your binoculars will reveal a cosmic swarm of bees, buzzing with gravitational energy. Many of these stars are close enough to attract each other and the cluster contains many double stars.

The Beehive occupies 1.2 degrees of sky and is set against a region of low star density, making it stand out even more. The cluster contains several hundred stars and may share a common origin with the Hyades Cluster.

Click here to see if this object is visible in your sky tonight.