Pleiades
A color-composite image of the Pleiades from the Digitized Sky Survey. The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS is a Digital version of several photographic Atlases of the night sky and an ongoing project to produce more digital versions Credit: NASA/ESA/AURA/Caltech. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The European Space Agency ( ESA) established in 1975 is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA is a consortium of universities and other institutions that operates astronomical observatories and The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Taurus
Right ascension	3h 47m 24s[1]
Declination	+24° 7′[1]
Distance	440 ly (135 pc[2][3])
Other designations	M45,[1] Seven Sisters[1]
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

A shorter exposure shows less nebulosity. In Astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time used as a reference for the Orbital elements of a Celestial body. In Astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time used as a reference for the Orbital elements of a Celestial body. In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Taurus (it looks like a bull (ˈtɔrəs bull, symbol, Unicode ♉ is one of the Constellations of the Zodiac. Right ascension (abbrev RA; symbol α) is the Astronomical term for one of the two Coordinates of a point on the Celestial sphere In Astronomy, declination (abbrev dec or δ) is one of the two coordinates of the Equatorial coordinate system, the other being either A light-year or light year (symbol ly) is a unit of Length, equal to just under ten trillion Kilometres As defined by History The first direct measurements of an object at interstellar distances were undertaken by German Astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel in 1838 An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand Stars that were formed from the same Giant molecular cloud, and are still loosely gravitationally

The Pleiades (pronounced /ˈpliːədiːz/ or /ˈplaɪədiːz/), also known as M45, the Seven Sisters, Seven Stars, SED, Matariki or (in Japan) Subaru, is an open cluster in the constellation of Taurus. The Messier objects are a set of Astronomical objects first listed by French astronomer Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des Nébuleuses This article is about Greek mythology The Pleiades star cluster also appears in many other mythologies &mdash see Pleiades (star cluster. In the Māori language Matariki is the name of the Pleiades Star cluster, which was important for Agriculture in establishing the correct time is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Co An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand Stars that were formed from the same Giant molecular cloud, and are still loosely gravitationally Taurus (it looks like a bull (ˈtɔrəs bull, symbol, Unicode ♉ is one of the Constellations of the Zodiac. It is among the nearest star clusters, and is probably the best known, and is certainly the most obvious to the naked eye. Star clusters are groups of Stars which are gravitationally bound The naked eye is a Figure of speech referring to human Visual perception that is unaided by enhancing equipment such as a Telescope or It is sometimes referred to as the Maia Nebula, perhaps erroneously considering that the reflection nebulosity surrounding Maia is intrinsic (see below). In Astronomy, Maia ( Flamsteed designation 20 Tauri) is the third brightest star in the Pleiades open star cluster.

The cluster is dominated by hot blue stars which have formed within the last 100 million years. In Astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of Stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated Spectral characteristics Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster, but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud that the stars are currently passing through. In Astronomy, reflection nebulae are clouds of dust which are simply reflecting the light of a nearby Star or stars Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will have dispersed due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.

Observational history

Comet Machholz passes near the Pleiades in early 2005

The Pleiades are a prominent sight in winter in the Northern Hemisphere and in summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and have been known since antiquity to cultures all around the world, including the Māori and Australian Aborigines, the Chinese, the Maya (who called them Tzab-ek), the Aztec and the Sioux of North America. There are five other long-period comets named Machholz C/1978 R3 (a Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox Northern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is North of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Summer is one of the four Temperate Seasons Summer marks the warmest time of year with the longest days Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political Sioux (pronounced SUE are a Native American and First Nations people Some Greek astronomers considered them to be a distinct constellation, and they are mentioned by Hesiod, and in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. They are also mentioned three times in the Bible (Job 9:9, 38:31; Amos 5:8). Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Book of Job ( איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Amos is one of the books of the Nevi'im (Hebrew "prophets" and of the Christian Old Testament. The Pleiades (Krittika) are particularly revered in Hindu mythology as the six mothers of the war god Skanda, who developed six faces, one for each of them. The star cluster Kṛttikā, ( Devanagari: कृत्तिका kɹ̩t̪t̪ikɑː popularly transliterated "Krittika" sometimes known as Kārtikā Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and Some scholars of Islam suggested that the Pleiades (At-thuraiya) are the Star in Najm which is mentioned in the Quran. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

A Spitzer image of the Pleiades in infrared light, showing the associated dust. The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, SIRTF) is an Infrared Space observatory. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

They have long been known to be a physically related group of stars rather than any chance alignment. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena The Reverend John Michell calculated in 1767 that the probability of a chance alignment of so many bright stars was only 1 in 500,000, and so correctly surmised that the Pleiades and many other clusters of stars must be physically related. John Michell ( December 25, 1724 – April 29, 1793) was an English natural philosopher and Geologist, whose work spanned Year 1767 ( MDCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[4] When studies were first made of the stars' proper motions, it was found that they are all moving in the same direction across the sky, at the same rate, further demonstrating that they were related. The proper motion of a Star is the measurement of its change in position in the sky over time after Improper motions are accounted for

Charles Messier measured the position of the cluster and included it as M45 in his catalogue of comet-like objects, published in 1771. Charles Messier ( June 26, 1730 &ndash April 12, 1817) was a French astronomer most notable for publishing an The Messier objects are a set of Astronomical objects first listed by French astronomer Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des Nébuleuses A comet is a small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and when close enough to the Sun exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere or a tail — Year 1771 ( MDCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Along with the Orion Nebula and the Praesepe cluster, Messier's inclusion of the Pleiades has been noted as curious, as most of Messier's objects were much fainter and more easily confused with comets—something which seems scarcely possible for the Pleiades. The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a Diffuse nebula situated south of Orion 's Belt The Beehive Cluster (also known as Praesepe (Latin for"manger" M44 or NGC 2632) is an Open cluster in theconstellation One possibility is that Messier simply wanted to have a larger catalogue than his scientific rival Lacaille, whose 1755 catalogue contained 42 objects, and so he added some bright, well-known objects to boost his list. Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille ( March 15, 1713 &ndash March 21, 1762) was a French Astronomer. Year 1755 ( MDCCLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or ^[5]

Distance

The distance to the Pleiades is an important first step in the so-called cosmic distance ladder, a sequence of distance scales for the whole universe. The cosmic distance ladder (also known as the Extragalactic Distance Scale) is the succession of methods by which astronomers determine the Distances to celestial The size of this first step calibrates the whole ladder, and the scale of this first step has been estimated by many methods. As the cluster is so close to the Earth, its distance is relatively easy to measure. Accurate knowledge of the distance allows astronomers to plot a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the cluster which, when compared to those plotted for clusters whose distance is not known, allows their distances to be estimated. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (usually referred to by the abbreviation H-R diagram or HRD, also known as a colour-magnitude diagram, or CMD Other methods can then extend the distance scale from open clusters to galaxies and clusters of galaxies, and a cosmic distance ladder can be constructed. Ultimately astronomers' understanding of the age and future evolution of the universe is influenced by their knowledge of the distance to the Pleiades.

Results prior to the launch of the Hipparcos satellite generally found that the Pleiades were about 135 parsecs away from Earth. Hipparcos (an Acronym for Hi gh P recision Par allax Co llecting S atellite) was an Astrometry mission History The first direct measurements of an object at interstellar distances were undertaken by German Astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel in 1838 Hipparcos caused consternation among astronomers by finding a distance of only 118 parsecs by measuring the parallax of stars in the cluster—a technique which should yield the most direct and accurate results. Parallax is an apparent displacement or difference of orientation of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between Later work has consistently found that the Hipparcos distance measurement for the Pleiades was in error, but it is not yet known why the error occurred. ^[6] The distance to the Pleiades is currently thought to be the higher value of about 135 parsecs (roughly 440 light years). ^[2][3]

Composition

X-ray images of the Pleiades reveal the stars with the hottest atmospheres. Green squares indicate the seven optically brightest stars.

The cluster core radius is about 8 light-years and tidal radius is about 43 light years. A light-year or light year (symbol ly) is a unit of Length, equal to just under ten trillion Kilometres As defined by The cluster contains over 1000 statistically confirmed members, although this figure excludes unresolved binary stars. A binary star is a Star system consisting of two Stars orbiting around their Center of mass. ^[7] It is dominated by young, hot blue stars, up to 14 of which can be seen with the naked eye depending on local observing conditions. In Astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of Stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated Spectral characteristics The arrangement of the brightest stars is somewhat similar to Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Ursa Major ( is a Constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere The total mass contained in the cluster is estimated to be about 800 solar masses. The solar mass is a standard way to express Mass in Astronomy, used to describe the masses of other Stars and galaxies. ^[8]

The cluster contains many brown dwarfs, which are objects with less than about 8% of the Sun's mass, not heavy enough for nuclear fusion reactions to start in their cores and become proper stars. Brown dwarfs are sub- stellar objects with a mass below that necessary to maintain Hydrogen -burning Nuclear fusion reactions in their cores as do stars The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. In Physics and Nuclear chemistry, nuclear fusion is the process by which multiple- like charged atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus They may constitute up to 25% of the total population of the cluster, although they contribute less than 2% of the total mass. ^[9] Astronomers have made great efforts to find and analyse brown dwarfs in the Pleiades and other young clusters, because they are still relatively bright and observable, while brown dwarfs in older clusters have faded and are much more difficult to study.

Also present in the cluster are several white dwarfs. A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small Star composed mostly of Electron-degenerate matter. Given the young age of the cluster normal stars are not expected to have had time to evolve into white dwarfs, a process which normally takes several billion years. It is believed that, rather than being individual low- to intermediate-mass stars, the progenitors of the white dwarfs must have been high-mass stars in binary systems. A binary system is an astronomical term referring to two objects in space (usually Stars but also Planets galaxies or Asteroids which Transfer of mass from the higher-mass star to its companion during its rapid evolution would result in a much quicker route to the formation of a white dwarf, although the details of this supposed transfer from a deeper gravity well to a lesser are unexplained.

Age and future evolution

Ages for star clusters can be estimated by comparing the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the cluster with theoretical models of stellar evolution, and using this technique, ages for the Pleiades of between 75 and 150 million years have been estimated. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (usually referred to by the abbreviation H-R diagram or HRD, also known as a colour-magnitude diagram, or CMD Stellar evolution is the process by which a Star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime The spread in estimated ages is a result of uncertainties in stellar evolution models. In particular, models including a phenomenon known as convective overshoot, in which a convective zone within a star penetrates an otherwise non-convective zone, result in higher apparent ages. Convective overshoot is a phenomenon of Convection carrying material beyond an Unstable region of the Atmosphere into a Stratified, stable region Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of molecules within Fluids (i

Another way of estimating the age of the cluster is by looking at the lowest-mass objects. In normal main sequence stars, lithium is rapidly destroyed in nuclear fusion reactions, but brown dwarfs can retain their lithium. The main sequence is the name for a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appear on a plot of stellar color versus brightness Lithium (ˈlɪθiəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Li and Atomic number 3 In Physics and Nuclear chemistry, nuclear fusion is the process by which multiple- like charged atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus Due to lithium's very low ignition temperature of 2. 5 million kelvins, the highest-mass brown dwarfs will burn it eventually, and so determining the highest mass of brown dwarfs still containing lithium in the cluster can give an idea of its age. The kelvin (symbol K) is a unit increment of Temperature and is one of the seven SI base units The Kelvin scale is a thermodynamic Applying this technique to the Pleiades gives an age of about 115 million years. ^[10][11]

The cluster's relative motion will eventually lead it to be located, as seen from Earth many millennia in the future, passing below the feet of what is currently the constellation of Orion. Kinematics ( Greek κινειν, kinein, to move is a branch of Classical mechanics which describes the motion of objects without Also, like most open clusters, the Pleiades will not stay gravitationally bound forever, as some component stars will be ejected after close encounters and others will be stripped by tidal gravitational fields. Calculations suggest that the cluster will take about 250 million years to disperse, with gravitational interactions with giant molecular clouds and the spiral arms of the galaxy also hastening its demise. See also Solar nebula A molecular cloud, sometimes called a stellar nursery if Star formation is occurring within is a type of Interstellar

Reflection nebulosity

Hubble Space Telescope image of reflection nebulosity near Merope

Under ideal observing conditions, some hint of nebulosity may be seen around the cluster, and this shows up in long-exposure photographs. It is a reflection nebula, caused by dust reflecting the blue light of the hot, young stars. In Astronomy, reflection nebulae are clouds of dust which are simply reflecting the light of a nearby Star or stars

It was formerly thought that the dust was left over from the formation of the cluster, but at the age of about 100 million years generally accepted for the cluster, almost all the dust originally present would have been dispersed by radiation pressure. Star Formation is the process by which dense parts of Molecular clouds collapse into a ball of plasma to form a Star. Radiation pressure is the Pressure exerted upon any surface exposed to Electromagnetic radiation. Instead, it seems that the cluster is simply passing through a particularly dusty region of the interstellar medium.

Studies show that the dust responsible for the nebulosity is not uniformly distributed, but is concentrated mainly in two layers along the line of sight to the cluster. These layers may have been formed by deceleration due to radiation pressure as the dust has moved towards the stars. ^[12]

Names and technical information

A map of the Pleiades

The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione. This article is about Greek mythology The Pleiades star cluster also appears in many other mythologies &mdash see Pleiades (star cluster. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, Sterope /ˈstɛrəpiː/ ( Greek: Στεροπή /steropέː/ also called Asterope was one of the seven Pleiades (the daughters of Merope was the name of several probably unrelated characters in Greek mythology The Pleiad Electra /ɪˈlɛktrə/ of Greek mythology was one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia (/ˈmeɪə/ in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. In Greek mythology, Taygete /teɪˈɪdʒɪtiː/ ( Greek Ταϋγέτη /taːygétɛː/ Mod In Greek mythology, Celaeno /sɪˈliːnɵʊ/ (sometimes Calaeno or Kelaino) referred to several different beings In Greek mythology, Alcyone ( Greek:) was the daughter of Aeolus, either by Enarete or Aegiale. In Greek mythology, Atlas (Eng /'æt ləs/ Gk Ἄτλας was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens Pleione ( Greek: Πληιόνη later Πλειόνη; /ˈplaɪəniː/ was an Oceanid Nymph. As daughters of Atlas, the Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades. In Greek mythology, the Hyades ( Ancient Greek: Ὑάδες English: ˈhaɪədiz English translation "the rainy ones" are a sisterhood of The English name of the cluster itself is of Greek origin, though of uncertain etymology. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Suggested derivations include: from πλεîν plein, to sail, making the Pleiades the "sailing ones"; from pleos, full or many; or from peleiades, flock of doves. Peleiades ( Greek:, " Doves quot were the sacred women of Zeus and the Mother Goddess, Dione, at the Oracle at The following table gives details of the brightest stars in the cluster:

In folklore and literature

The Pleiades' high visibility in the night sky has guaranteed it a special place in many cultures, both ancient and modern. Joanna Newsom (born January 18 1982 is an American Harpist, Pianist, Harpsichordist, and Singer-songwriter from Nevada In Greek mythology, they represented the Seven Sisters, while to the Vikings, they were Freyja's hens, and their name in many old European languages compares them to a hen with chicks. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance This article is about Greek mythology The Pleiades star cluster also appears in many other mythologies &mdash see Pleiades (star cluster. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism.

To the Bronze Age people of Europe, such as the Celts (and probably considerably earlier), the Pleiades were associated with mourning and with funerals, since at that time in history, on the cross-quarter day between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice (see Samhain, also Halloween or All Souls Day), which was a festival devoted to the remembrance of the dead, the cluster rose in the eastern sky as the sun's light faded in the evening. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts A cross-quarter day is a day falling approximately halfway between a Solstice and an Equinox. An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun 's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the Samhain (ˈsaʊn or /ˈsɑːwɪn/ Irish /ˈsˠaunʲ/ from the Old Irish samain) is the word for November in a few Gaelic languages Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. In Western Christianity, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. It was from this acronychal rising that the Pleiades became associated with tears and mourning. The heliacal rising of a Star (or other body such as the Moon, a Planet or a Constellation) occurs when it first becomes visible above the eastern As a result of precession over the centuries, the Pleiades no longer marked the festival, but the association has nevertheless persisted, and accounts for the significance of the Pleiades astrologically. Precession refers to a change in the direction of the axis of a rotating object

The early Monte Alto Culture and others in Guatemala such as Ujuxte and Takalik Abaj, made its early observatories, using the Pleiades and Eta Draconis as reference, they were called the seven sisters, and thought to be their original land. Monte Alto is an Archaeological site on the Pacific Coast in what is now Guatemala. Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest The site of Ujuxte (after the Ramón or Breadnut tree -- uh-hush-te is the largest Pre-Classical site to be discovered on Guatemala Pacific coast Tak'alik A'baj' is an Pre-Columbian archaeological site formerly known as Abaj Takalik. ^[13]

A bronze disk, 1600 BC, from Nebra, Germany, is one of the oldest known representations of the cosmos. The Pleiades are top right. See Nebra sky disk

Heliacal risings very often mark important calendar points for ancient peoples. The Nebra sky disk is a Bronze disk of around 30 cm diameter patinated blue-green and inlaid with gold symbols ^[14] The heliacal rising of the Pleiades (around June) also begins the new year for the Māori of New Zealand, who call the Pleiades Matariki. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island In the Māori language Matariki is the name of the Pleiades Star cluster, which was important for Agriculture in establishing the correct time There is an analogous holiday in Hawaiʻi known as Makaliʻi. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The ancient Aztecs of Mexico and Central America based their calendar upon the Pleiades. Their calendric year began when priests first remarked the asterism rising heliacally in the east, immediately before the sun's dawn light obliterated the view of the stars. Aztecs called the Pleiades Tianquiztli (meaning "marketplace"). Tianquiztli which in translation means "Marketplace" Tianquiztli was the Aztec's name for the Pleiades.

Indigenous Australians and Mainland Asians

Depending on the tribe or clan, there are several stories regarding the origins of the Pleiades. Some Indigenous Australian peoples believed the Pleiades was a woman who had been nearly raped by Kidili, the man in the moon. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person In Australian Aboriginal mythology (specifically Mandjindja) Kidili (or Kidilli was an ancient moon-man who attempted to Rape some of the

Another version, often painted by Gabriella Possum Nungurayyi as this is her dreaming (or creation story), daughter of the late Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri from the Central desert art movement of Papunya, depicts the story of seven Napaltjarri sisters being chased by a man named Jilbi Tjakamarra. Dreaming is a common term among Indigenous Australians for a personal or group Creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (1932&mdash 21 June 2002) was an Australian painter considered one of the most collected and renowned Australian Aboriginal Papunya is a small Indigenous Australian community of about 299 people roughly 240 km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia He tried to practice love magic to one of the sisters but the sister did not want to be with him and with her sisters, they ran away from him. They sat down at Uluru to search for honey ants but when they saw Jilbi, they went to Kurlunyalimpa and with the spirits of Uluru, transformed into stars. Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large Sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, Central Australia Jilbi transforms himself into what is commonly known as the Morning Star in Orion's belt, thus continuing to chase the seven sisters across the sky.

Among the Ban Raji, who live in semi-nomadic settlements scattered throughout western Nepal and northern India, the Pleiades are called the "Seven sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law" (Hatai halyou daa salla). Ban Rajis note that when the Pleiades rises up over the mountain each night, they feel happy to see their ancient kin (Fortier 2008:in press). On a more practical note, Ban Rajis can tell that evening has arrived, indicating that it is about eight o’clock by local time standards when their star-kin rise above the Nepali mountains bordering the Kali River.

Native Americans

The Lakota Tribe of North America had a legend that linked the origin of the Pleiades to Devils Tower. The Lakota (laˈkˣota (also Teton, Tetonwan) are a Native American tribe Devils Tower ( Lakota: Mato Tipila, which means “Bear Tower” is a Monolithic igneous Intrusion or Volcanic According to the Seris (of northwestern Mexico), these stars are seven women who are giving birth. The Seris are an indigenous group of the Mexican state of Sonora. The constellation is known as Cmaamc, which is apparently an archaic plural of the noun cmaam "woman". ^[15]

It was common among the indigenous peoples of the Americas to measure keenness of vision by the number of stars the viewer could see in the Pleiades, a practice which was also used in historical Europe, especially in Greece. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. In Psychology, visual perception is the ability to interpret information from Visible light reaching the Eyes The resulting Perception is also Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

The Native American tribe, the Kiowa, had a myth similar to the Lakota that explained the creation of the Pleiades. According to the Kiowa there were seven young maidens that went out to play and were spotted by several giant bears. The bears saw the young women and began to chase them. In an effort to escape the bears the women climbed on top of a rock and prayed to the spirit of the rock to save them. Hearing their prayers the rock began to rise from the ground towards the Heavens so that the bears couldn't reach the maidens. The seven women reached the sky and were then turned into the star constellation we know today. The bears in an effort to climb the rock left deep claw marks in the sides which had become too steep to climb. The rock later became known as Devil's Tower which is located in the state of Wyoming. ^[16]

In the ancient Andes, the Pleiades were associated with abundance, because they return to the Southern Hemisphere sky each year at harvest-time. The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' In Quechua they are called collca', or storehouse. Quechua ( Runa Simi) is a Native American language of South America.

Paul Goble, Native American storyteller, tells a Blackfoot legend that he says is told by other tribes as well. Paul Goble ( September 271933- is an award winning author and illustrator of children's books mostly Native American stories In the story, the Pleiades are orphans that were not cared for by the people, so they became stars. Sun Man is angered by the mistreatment of the children and punishes the people with a drought, until the dogs, the only friends of the orphans, intercede on behalf of the people.

The American Hopi Indians built their underground Kivas for multiple utilitarian uses. The most important of which was their ceremonial meeting place. The access was a ladder through a small hole in the roof of the round hole in the ground. During certain ceremonies, the night passage of the Pleiades over the center of the opening of the entrance hole was a direct signal to begin a certain ceremony. Most of the cultures used the angle of the Pleiades in the night sky as a time telling device.

Ukrainian

In Ukrainian traditional folklore the Pleiades are known as Стожари (Stozhary), Волосожари (Volosozhary), or Баби-Звізди (Baby-Zvizdy). The Culture of Ukraine is a result of influence over millennia from the West and East with an assortment of strong culturally-identified Ethnic groups

'Stozhary' can be etymologically traced to "стожарня" (stozharnya) meaning a 'granary', 'storehouse for hay and crops', or can also be reduced to the root "сто-жар", (sto-zhar) meaning 'hundredfold glowing'. ^[17] . .

'Volosozhary' (the ones whose hair is glowing), or 'Baby-Zvizdy' (female-stars) refer to the female tribal deities. Accordingly to the legend, seven maids lived long ago. They used to dance the traditional round dances and sing the glorious songs to honor the gods. After their death the gods turned them into water nymphs, and, having taken them to the Heavens, settled them upon the seven stars, where they dance their round dances (symbolic for moving the time) to this day. (see article in Ukrainian Wikipedia)

In Ukraine this asterism was considered a female talisman until recent times. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.

Other cultures

The Subaru logo depicts the six stars of the Pleiades cluster that are usually visible from earth with the unaided eye (however it is possible to see many more than six stars under favorable conditions). is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Co

In the Bible the Pleiades supposedly mentioned as Khima (Amos 5:8), Talmud (Berachot 58B) says that it has about 100 stars. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history

In Japan, the Pleiades are known as 昴 Subaru, and have given their name to the car manufacturer whose logo incorporates six stars to represent the five smaller companies that merged into one. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Co Subaru Telescope, located in Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii, is named after the Pleiades also. Subaru Telescope (In Japanese: すばる望遠鏡 is the 82 Metre flagship telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, located in ^[18]

In Arabic the Pleiades are known as al-Thurayya الثريا, and mentioned in Islamic literature. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The name was borrowed into Turkish as a female name, and is in use in both Turkey (as Surayya) and Arab countries (for example Thoraya Obaid). Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Ms Thoraya Ahmed Obaid is the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. It is also the name of the Thuraya satellite phone system based in the United Arab Emirates. Thuraya ( Arabic: الثريا /aθːurajːa/ which is the Arabic name for the Pleiades) is a regional Satellite phone provider

In Turkish they are known as Ülker.

In the Persian language they are known as "Pervin".

In Chinese constellations, they are 昴 mao, the Hairy Head of the white tiger of the West, while the name of the Hindu God Kartikeya means him of the Pleiades. The Hairy Head mansion (昴宿 Pinyin: Mǎo Xiù is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations It is one of the western mansions Kartikay also know as Subhramanya Kartik or Kartikkeya is a central deity of the Hindu tradtion of India.

In the Swahili language of East Africa they are called "kilimia" (Proto-Bantu *ki-dimida in Bantu areas E, F, G, J, L, and S) which comes from the verb -lima meaning "dig" or "cultivate" as their visibility was taken as a sign to prepare digging as the onset of the rain was near. Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself is the First language of the Swahili people (Waswahili who inhabit several large stretches East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. The Bantu languages (technically Narrow Bantu languages) constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo family

In the closely related Sesotho language of the Southern Africa's Basotho people the Pleiades are called "Seleme se setshehadi" ("the female planter"). History Should include probable history of the language what form of Bantu it is most closely derived from (the coolest forms! dates of movement of major groups Southern Africa is the Southernmost Region of the African Continent, variably defined by Geography or Geopolitics. The Basotho people have lived in Southern Africa since around the fifteenth century. Its disappearance in April (the 10th month) and the appearance of the star Achernar signals the beginning of the cold season. Achernar (α Eri / α Eridani / Alpha Eridani sometimes spelled Achenar, is the brightest star in the Constellation Eridanus and the eighth-brightest Like many other Southern African cultures, Basotho associate its visibility with agriculture and plenty.

In Western astrology they represent coping with sorrow^[19] and were considered a single one of the medieval fixed stars. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems The Behenian fixed stars are a selection of fifteen Stars considered especially useful for magical applications in the Medieval Astrology As such, they are associated with quartz and fennel. Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare) is a Plant Species in the Genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by

In Indian astrology the Pleiades were known as the asterism (nakshatra) Kṛttikā (which in Sanskrit is translated as "the cutters. Jyotiṣa ( Sanskrit jyotiṣa, from jyótis- "light heavenly body" also spelled Jyotish and Jyotisha in English A nakshatra ( Devanagari: नक्षत्र or lunar mansion is one of the 27 or 28 divisions of the sky identified by the prominent star(s in them that the The star cluster Kṛttikā, ( Devanagari: कृत्तिका kɹ̩t̪t̪ikɑː popularly transliterated "Krittika" sometimes known as Kārtikā Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical ")^[20] The Pleiades are called the star of fire, and their ruling deity is the Vedic god Agni, the god of the sacred fire. Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun cognate with Latin ignis It is one of the most prominent of the nakshatras, and is associated with anger and stubbornness.

The word has acquired a meaning of "multitude", inspiring the name of the French literary movement La Pléiade and an earlier group of Alexandrian poets, the Alexandrian Pleiad. This article is about French poetry For other uses see Pleiades (disambiguation The Pléiade is the name given to a group of 16th-century Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια The Alexandrian Pleiad is the name given to a group of seven Alexandrian Poets and Tragedians in the 3rd century B

Jehovah's Witnesses, for 62 years (1891 to 1953), believed the Pleiades cluster or more precisely the star Alcyone was the physical location of the eternal throne of God. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination

21 century significance

In Ufology some believers describe human-like aliens (called Pleiadeans) as originating from this system. Ufology is a Neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study Unidentified flying object reports and associated evidence Pleiadeans (also spelled Pleiadian or Plejaran is the name given to what are said to be a group of Nordic alien extraterrestrials and "multidimensional spirit

One image of the pleiades was selected for the cover art of the US release of Xexyz.

References

External links

• M45 imaged with a semiprofessional amateur-telescope.
• The Pleiades (M45) At the astro-photography site of Mr. T. Yoshida.
• Photos and information on the Pleiades from the University of Calgary
• Information on the Pleiades from SEDS
• Information and images from the Anglo-Australian Observatory
• WEBDA open cluster database webpage on Pleiades cluster - E. Pauzen (Univ. Vienna)
• NightSkyInfo.com: The Pleiades
• Maya Astronomy
• Doppler Imaging: Results first Doppler image of a Pleiades solar-type G dwarf - HII314, Strassmeier & Rice 2001, A&A 377, 264