M34
Spiral Cluster
Propriétés
Position et Identifiants
Visibilité
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À propos de M34
Description
M34 is a bright, fairly large open cluster in Perseus, about 1,500 light-years from Earth. It contains roughly 100 stars spread across about 14 light-years, with an age of approximately 200 million years. The cluster's brightest members are blue-white main sequence stars, with several yellow and orange evolved stars mixed in.
Conseils d'Observation
Located about 5 degrees northwest of Algol (Beta Persei). Visible to the naked eye under dark skies as a faint, hazy patch. Binoculars show a loose scattering of stars about the size of the full Moon. A telescope at 30-50x provides the best view, revealing about 40 stars in attractive chains and pairs. Higher magnification loses the cluster's visual impact. Best observed from October through February.
Histoire
Discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654 and independently noted by Charles Messier in 1764. John Herschel described it as a 'coarsely scattered cluster of stars.'
Faits Amusants
M34 is close enough and young enough that astronomers have used it to study stellar rotation rates at intermediate ages. The cluster sits roughly the same distance from us as the Perseus Double Cluster, but in a completely different part of the sky.
Photos de la Communauté (1)
Credit: Jim Mazur. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Feb 28, 2026