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AstroNights LIVE: The Seven Sisters

Friday, November 20, 7:00pm 

Recording will also be available on our youtube channel after the event.

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Program Description:

In November, we are treated to an exceptional view of the Pleiades, a seemingly unique grouping of stars near the constellation Pegasus. One of the most well-known phenomena in the sky, the Pleiades have inspired cultural stories around the world. In Greece, the stars of the Pleiades represented “The Seven Sisters”: the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. In Hawaii, the first appearance of these stars, known as Makali’i, marks the beginning of the new year. In Japan, they are called Subaru and signal a coming together and uniting. Today we know that the Pleiades are really a spectacular example of a star cluster. Is this type of grouping of stars really so rare, or common? What do they have in common with other celestial sights in the night sky: stars, nebulas, galaxies? And most importantly, how can clusters like the Pleiades help us better understand our universe? Explore these questions and more with AstroNights LIVE!

About AstroNights:

AstroNights is a live, family-friendly exploration of your night sky that you can join from the comfort of your home. View live on YouTube or join the Zoom Webinar for extra interactive features! Our educators leave audiences with simple advice for observing your real night sky when the program is over. From the colorful characters in our own solar system to the weird and wonderful things far beyond, each program is sure to contain something of interest to armchair astronomers of all ages. Monthly each 3rd Friday. Click here for more information about past AstroNights events, including how to access recordings.

Resources

The links below include resources mentioned during the program, suggested follow-up activities, and more!

Subaru Telescope - The primary facility for the National Observatory of Japan takes its name from the Japanese name for the Pleiades. The facility itself is located on Hawaii. Their public website includes interesting information about the meeting of 2 cultures: Japanese and Hawaiian, tied together by both these physical facilities, and storytelling traditions.

About Star Clusters - Information from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Proper Motion - Did you enjoy seeing the proper motion vectors? ESA’s Gaia Satellite has measured the super-precise location and proper motion for over 40,000 stars and extrapolated them 80,000 years into the future! Cool Animation!