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How to Find the Hyades Star Cluster

The Hyades are one of the most easily observable open star clusters in the night sky, and is extremely interesting when viewed with binoculars. Composed of as many as 200 separate stars at a distance of 150 light years from Earth, the Hyades forms a V shape and the face and head of Taurus the Bull, one of the oldest constellations. Finding the Hyades, best seen in the dead of winter in the northern Hemisphere, entails becoming familiar with some more of the most recognizable stars, star clusters and constellations and employing them as a road map.

Instructions

- 1
  Face south/southwest in the middle of January at about 8 p.m. any evening, and locate the brightest star in the sky -- Sirius. It is easily identifiable by its brightness. You cannot confuse Sirius with any other star in this vicinity of the heavens due to its brilliance. Sirius will be low in the sky, above the horizon, requiring an open area from which to view it in most cases.
- 2
  Look to the east of Sirius and up in the sky to find Orion the Hunter. Orion is among the most recognizable constellations in the sky, made up of bright stars forming an upright rectangle, with three diagonal stars creating a "belt" on this mythical figure.
- 3
  Make an imaginary line from Sirius through the three stars forming Orion's belt and follow it through space until you come to the Hyades. This star cluster represents the head of a celestial bull, bearing down on Orion in the sky. The V formed by the Hyades tilts to the left.
- 4
  Find Aldebaren, the brightest star in this area of the sky. It possesses an orange tint and although it is not part of the Hyades, it does mark an end of one of the lower arms on the V formed by the star cluster.
- 5
  Extend the line from Sirius through Orion's belt and through the Hyades to locate the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. The Pleiades contain as many as 250 stars, but few are visible without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. The Pleiades mark the shoulder of Taurus and, at first glance, resemble a fuzzy cloud in the sky.

Astronomy