Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 December 30
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Mars and the Star Clusters
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Gabor Balazs

   Explanation: [5]At this year's end [6]Mars still shines brightly in
   [7]planet Earth's night as it wanders through the head-strong
   constellation Taurus. Its bright yellowish hue dominates this [8]starry
   field of view that includes Taurus' alpha star Aldebaran and the Hyades
   and Pleiades star clusters. While [9]red giant Aldebaran appears to
   anchor the [10]V-shape of the Hyades at the left of the frame,
   Aldebaran is not a member of the Hyades star cluster. The Hyades
   cluster is 151 light-years away making it the nearest established open
   star cluster, but Aldebaran lies at less than half that distance, along
   the same line-of-sight. At the right, some 400 light-years distant is
   the open star cluster [11]cataloged as Messier 45, also known as the
   Pleiades or Seven Sisters. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were daughters
   of the [12]astronomical titan Atlas and sea-nymph [13]Pleione.

              Tomorrow's picture: so nice, they named it twice
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
              [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC,
                         [34]NASA Science Activation
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2212/mars_clusters.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.asztrofoto.hu/adatlap/BGabor
   5. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221215.html
   7. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatching/home/
   8. https://www.asztrofoto.hu/galeria_image/1672090034
   9. http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/aldebaran.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121224.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191107.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061202.html
  13. http://www.naic.edu/~gibson/pleiades/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221229.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221230
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221231.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/