Pleiades open star cluster. 19th-century astronomical observation of the Pleiades open star cluster (M45) and its associated nebulosity. North is at t

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Pleiades open star cluster. 19th-century astronomical observation of the Pleiades open star cluster (M45) and its associated nebulosity. North is at top. M45 is also called the Seven Sisters, after the seven brightest stars visible from Earth. It is around 450 light years away, in the constellation of Taurus. This 4-hour exposure was obtained on 8 December 1888, from the observatory in Maghull, Merseyside, UK. This observatory was operated by British amateur astronomer Isaac Roberts (1829-1904), one of the pioneers of the new techniques of astrophotography.

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Photo credit: © ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 1800s, 19th, 8, 1888, amateur, astronomical, astronomy, astrophotograph, astrophotography, astrophysical, astrophysics, black--white, british, century, cluster, december, early, english, european, exposure, historical, history, isaac, long, m45, maghull, monochrome, night, observation, observatory, open, photographs, pioneering, pleiades, roberts, sisters, sky, space, star, stars, taurus, telescope, universe