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Messier45.com constitutes a non-commercial effort to provide the deep sky observer's most valuable tools online; the map and the lists of objects. Great effort is made to make accurate data accessible to both the novice and experienced observer.
There is absolutely no cost for you to use Messier45.com, but if you find this service valueable, please consider making a donation to help me pay for the server expenses etc. by clicking on the button below:
New DSB 4.0 coming soon
The Deep Sky Browser version 4 (DSB4) is a totally reworked update to the old version and is an even easier front-end to the Deep Sky Database (DSDB).
DSB is a work in progress and is improved constantly, but now it has been rebuilt from database through search engine to front end. New features include new design, new search interface, more data, less clutter, updated maps, result sortable by columns and much more.
DSDB has accurate and useful information for about 600,000 deep sky objects, variable and double stars, over 2 million stars, maps and images for every object and powerful search capabilities.
What is Messier 45?
The deep sky object Messier 45, number 45 on famous astronomer Charles Messier's list of clusters and nebulous objects, is a beautiful naked eye open cluster of mostly blue stars shrouded in dust reflecting the blue starlight, some of which is visible with binoculars.
The cluster is also called The Seven Sisters, where the sisters are seven of the brightest stars in the cluster. The two bright stars to the left in the cluster are the parents, Atlas and Pleione, hence also the more common name Pleiades (the children of Pleione). The seven sisters are Alcyone, Merope, Electra, Maia, Celaeno, Taygeta and Asterope.
Here is an excellent image of the Pleiades cluster and it's surrounding nebula: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050103.html