Beehive Star Cluster in Cancer: Stars, Location, Mythology
The Beehive Cluster is one of the most famous deep-sky objects. It's an excellent object for beginner astronomers, which never gets boring, even after you become more experienced. You can easily find this cluster in your sky using the free Sky Tonight app. And here, we've gathered all the key facts and fascinating details about the cluster. Get all the celestial "honey" from this cosmic beehive!
Contents
- The Beehive Cluster – M44, Praesepe, Messier 44
- The Beehive Cluster location
- When to see the Beehive Cluster in the sky?
- The Beehive Cluster fun facts
- Messier 44: Conclusion
The Beehive Cluster – M44, Praesepe, Messier 44
- Names and catalog designations: the Beehive Cluster, Praesepe, Messier 44, M44, NGC 2632, Cr 189
- Type: open star cluster
- Right ascension: 08 h 40 m 24 s
- Declination: 19° 40′
- Constellation: Cancer
- Apparent magnitude: 3.1
- Distance to the Earth: 577.4 ly
- Size: 500–600 solar masses
- Age: 600–700 million years
- Number of stars: >1,000
The Beehive Cluster is listed in the famous Messier Catalog as Messier 44 (or M44). It's the third-brightest Messier object after the Pleiades and the Andromeda Galaxy and the second-closest deep-sky object in the catalog after the Pleiades.
M44 is an open cluster, which means its stars are loosely bound together and were born at about the same time from the same giant molecular cloud. The cluster is quite young in cosmic terms: it’s estimated to be 600-700 million years old, while our own Solar System, for example, formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
The Beehive Cluster stars
The Beehive Cluster consists of about 1,000 stars. Most of its brightest stars are concentrated in the central region, while the fainter ones form the outer halo. The members of the cluster exhibit a wide range of spectral types, ranging from F0 to M5. Notably, about 70% of the stars are M-class red dwarfs, while only about 2% are the brightest blue-white A-class stars with magnitudes between 6 and 6.5. Epsilon Cancri (ε Cnc) stands out as the brightest star in the Beehive Cluster with a magnitude of 6.3.
The Beehive Cluster location
What does the Beehive Cluster look like?
The Beehive Cluster looks like a blurry patch of light to the naked eye in dark places without light pollution. And, with a little guidance, you may spot it even in less ideal conditions. To help you locate the Beehive Cluster, you can use stargazing apps like Sky Tonight and Star Walk 2.
The cluster spans 1.6° of the night sky, which is about the width of three Full Moons. The brightest stars in the Beehive Cluster have magnitudes of 6 to 6.5 and appear blue-white. Scattered among them are a few yellowish, cool, red giants. You can see them through a pair of binoculars.
Where is the Beehive Cluster in the sky?
The Beehive Cluster is located in the “heart” of the constellation Cancer. The constellation itself is quite dim, but it lies between two distinct zodiac constellations: Leo to the east and Gemini to the west. To the north of the Beehive is the constellation Lynx, and to the south of the cluster is Canis Minor.
How can I find the Beehive star cluster?
There is an old-fashioned and modern way to find the Beehive star cluster in the sky. If you want to make it easier, use an astronomy app. Here is how to do it in a few steps with Sky Tonight:
- Type the name or a catalog designation of the cluster in the app’s search bar.
- Tap the blue target button next to the object’s name – the app will show the position of the Beehive Cluster in the sky map.
- Tap the blue compass button or simply point your device to the sky, then follow the white arrow to find the location of the cluster in the sky above you.
The more traditional way to find the Beehive Cluster is the so-called “star-hopping”. Here is how to do it:
- Start by finding the Big Dipper, the famous asterism of the constellation Ursa Major.
- Find the two stars – Megrez and Phecda – that make up the inner part of the Big Dipper’s bowl.
- Draw an imaginary line through the stars and extend it down until it meets the brightest star in that direction. Remember the location of this star – it’s Regulus in the constellation Leo.
- Now you need to find Pollux, one of the twin star brothers in the constellation Gemini. You may already know where it is in the sky – if so, skip to the last step of the instruction. If not, continue with us step by step.
- Go back to the Big Dipper and find another star in the asterism – the star Merak, which marks the outer bottom corner of the bowl.
- Draw an imaginary line from the star Megrez (the one in the upper inner part of the bowl) to Merak and extend it until it meets the bright star Pollux.
- Now connect bright Regulus to Pollux with an imaginary line. About halfway between the stars, you will find the Beehive Cluster.
Curious to explore the night sky further? Learn how to locate the most famous constellations with our colorful infographic.
When to see the Beehive Cluster in the sky?
The Beehive Cluster becomes visible in late February and climbs higher in the sky as the months go by. It disappears below the western horizon in late June but reappears in the eastern morning sky in late August. It’s a great target for amateur and professional stargazers, especially since it travels near the ecliptic, often encountering Solar System planets and the Moon. Here are some upcoming events featuring M44.
Moon and planets near the Beehive Cluster in 2026
Although the Beehive Cluster has an apparent magnitude of 3.1, it appears much fainter to the naked eye due to its large size, so it’s best observed with binoculars. The Moon and planets passing nearby can serve as helpful guides, making it easier to find this star cluster in the night sky.
October 5: Moon near the Beehive Cluster
- Global occultation start: 09:16 GMT
- Global occultation end: 14:11 GMT
- Close approach time: 12:21 GMT
- Close approach distance: 0°40'
- Conjunction time: 11:49 GMT
- Conjunction distance: 0°42'
On October 5, the waning crescent Moon will pass through the Beehive Cluster (mag 3.1). The pair rises late at night and climbs higher toward dawn. For the best view, start observing about 1.5–2 hours before sunrise, while the sky is still dark enough to see the cluster’s faint stars through binoculars or a telescope.
Mars (mag 1.0) will be a few degrees away, while bright Jupiter (mag −1.9) will shine lower in the same part of the sky.
For the cities below, the visibility window is defined as the period when the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and the Beehive Cluster are more than 10° above the horizon. The “best time” is the moment of the smallest apparent Moon–M44 separation within that visibility window.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Moon–M44 distance | Moon altitude | M44 altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, USA | PDT (UTC−7) | Oct 5, 02:35 AM | Oct 5, 05:56 AM | Oct 5, 03:36 AM | 0°31' | 23° | 23° |
| Toronto, Canada | EDT (UTC−4) | Oct 5, 02:45 AM | Oct 5, 06:17 AM | Oct 5, 06:15 AM | 0°41' | 48° | 48° |
| New York, USA | EDT (UTC−4) | Oct 5, 02:28 AM | Oct 5, 05:57 AM | Oct 5, 05:55 AM | 0°52' | 50° | 49° |
| São Paulo, Brazil | BRT (UTC−3) | Oct 5, 03:16 AM | Oct 5, 04:53 AM | Oct 5, 04:51 AM | 2°36' | 28° | 28° |
| London, UK | BST (UTC+1) | Oct 5, 02:13 AM | Oct 5, 05:55 AM | Oct 5, 05:53 AM | 3°45' | 47° | 44° |
For observers across a large part of North America, the close approach turns into something much more interesting: the Moon will move directly across the Beehive Cluster. Instead of the whole cluster disappearing at once, individual stars will vanish one after another behind the Moon and then gradually reappear from the opposite limb.
The Moon will be a waning crescent, which should make the cluster stars easier to follow than they would be next to a bright Moon. Binoculars will show the overall effect, while a telescope will make it easier to see the stars disappear one by one behind the lunar disk.
The western and central parts of North America get the darkest conditions. Farther east, the occultation continues into morning twilight, so it’s worth starting early.
For the cities below, the occultation times are calculated separately for each location, since the Moon’s apparent position shifts slightly depending on where you observe from. The table shows only the part of the event visible while the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and M44 are more than 10° above the horizon.
| City | Time zone | Occultation start | Occultation end |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, USA | EDT (UTC−4) | Oct 5, 05:25 AM | Oct 5, 05:56 AM |
| Toronto, Canada | EDT (UTC−4) | Oct 5, 05:18 AM | Oct 5, 06:17 AM |
| Chicago, USA | CDT (UTC−5) | Oct 5, 04:10 AM | Oct 5, 05:50 AM |
| Dallas, USA | CDT (UTC−5) | Oct 5, 04:05 AM | Oct 5, 06:30 AM |
| Los Angeles, USA | PDT (UTC−7) | Oct 5, 02:34 AM | Oct 5, 05:47 AM |
| Vancouver, Canada | PCT (UTC−7) | Oct 5, 02:28 AM | Oct 5, 05:59 AM |
October 11: Mars near the Beehive Cluster
- Close approach time: 12:27 GMT
- Conjunction time: 12:29 GMT
- Close approach & conjunction distance: 0°01'
On October 11, Mars (mag 1.1) will pass straight through the Beehive Cluster (mag 3.1), coming within a few arcminutes of the cluster's adopted center. In other words, the planet will appear right among the cluster’s stars.
The Beehive is faint to the naked eye but easy to resolve with binoculars, while Mars will stand out immediately as a bright reddish point inside the cluster. A small telescope will give an even better view, showing Mars against a dense background of stars.
For the cities below, the visibility window is defined as the period when the Sun is below −12° and both Mars and the Beehive Cluster are more than 10° above the horizon. The “best time” is the moment of the smallest apparent Mars–M44 separation within that visibility window.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Mars–M44 distance | Mars altitude | M44 altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, USA | PDT (UTC−7) | Oct 11, 02:11 AM | Oct 11, 06:00 AM | Oct 11, 05:06 AM | 0°01' | 46° | 46° |
| London, UK | BST (UTC+1) | Oct 11, 01:48 AM | Oct 11, 06:05 AM | Oct 11, 06:03 AM | 0°10' | 48° | 48° |
| São Paulo, Brazil | BRT (UTC−3) | Oct 11, 02:52 AM | Oct 11, 04:47 AM | Oct 11, 04:45 AM | 0°06' | 31° | 31° |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | SAST (UTC+2) | Oct 11, 03:00 AM | Oct 11, 04:46 AM | Oct 11, 04:44 AM | 0°13' | 29° | 29° |
| Tokyo, Japan | JST (UTC+9) | Oct 12, 12:57 AM | Oct 12, 04:49 AM | Oct 12, 12:58 AM | 0°06' | 10° | 10° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | Oct 12, 04:06 AM | Oct 12, 05:22 AM | Oct 12, 04:07 AM | 0°07' | 10° | 10° |
October 26–27: The Beehive Cluster, Mars, and Jupiter form a line
On October 26–27, the Beehive Cluster (mag 3.1), Mars (mag 0.9), and Jupiter (mag −1.9) will form an almost straight, nearly evenly spaced line stretching from the constellation Leo through Cancer. Mars will sit nearly halfway between the cluster and Jupiter, about 8° from each of them.
The line will stretch across roughly 16° of the sky. That is about one and a half fists held at arm’s length. This makes the trio compact enough to take in at a glance, but too wide to fit into the field of view of most binoculars.
Jupiter and Mars will be easy to see with the naked eye. The Beehive Cluster is much more diffuse. Under a dark sky it can appear as a faint misty patch to the naked eye, but binoculars will reveal dozens of its stars and make the geometry of the alignment much more obvious. However, the nearly full Moon will make the cluster harder to see on October 26–27.
The best time to see the alignment is late at night and before dawn on October 27. The Beehive Cluster rises first, followed by Mars and then Jupiter, and the trio climbs higher as morning approaches. For most locations, the most favorable view comes during the last hour or two before morning twilight becomes too bright.
For the cities below, the visibility window is defined as the period when the Sun is below −12° and all three objects are more than 10° above the horizon. The “best time” is the moment within that window when the lowest of the three objects reaches its greatest altitude.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Mars altitude | M44 altitude | Jupiter altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, USA | EDT (UTC−4) | 02:23 AM | 06:20 AM | 06:20 AM | 60° | 66° | 53° |
| Los Angeles, USA | PDT (UTC−7) | 02:25 AM | 06:13 AM | 06:13 AM | 63° | 71° | 56° |
| Toronto, Canada | EDT (UTC−4) | 02:41 AM | 06:44 AM | 06:44 AM | 58° | 64° | 52° |
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | 01:17 AM | 05:31 AM | 05:31 AM | 52° | 57° | 47° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | 03:51 AM | 05:03 AM | 05:03 AM | 25° | 28° | 23° |
November 1: Moon near the Beehive Cluster
- Global occultation start: 14:32 GMT
- Global occultation end: 19:47 GMT
- Conjunction time: 17:22 GMT
- Conjunction distance: 0°25'
- Close approach time: 17:27 GMT
- Close approach distance: 0°24'
On November 1, the last quarter Moon will pass extremely close to the Beehive Cluster. At the moment of closest approach, the centers of the Moon and the cluster will be separated by only about 0°24' — less than the apparent diameter of the Moon.
The Moon will be bright enough to wash out some of the cluster's fainter stars, so binoculars or a small telescope will be especially useful. They will also make it easier to see how close the lunar disk comes to individual stars of the Beehive Cluster.
For the cities below, the visibility window is defined as the period when the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and the Beehive Cluster are more than 10° above the horizon. The “best time” is the moment within that window when the Moon is closest to M44. Depending on your location, the best view may come around midnight or in the early morning hours of November 2 local time.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Moon–M44 distance | Moon altitude | M44 altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | HKT (UTC+8) | Nov 2, 12:35 AM | Nov 2, 05:38 AM | Nov 2, 12:35 AM | 0°36' | 10° | 10° |
| Singapore | SGT (UTC+8) | Nov 2, 01:48 AM | Nov 2, 06:00 AM | Nov 2, 01:48 AM | 1°19' | 10° | 11° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | Nov 2, 02:48 AM | Nov 2, 04:56 AM | Nov 2, 04:09 AM | 1°19' | 23° | 24° |
| Los Angeles, USA | PDT → PST¹ | Nov 1, 12:48 AM | Nov 1, 05:17 AM | Nov 1, 05:17 AM | 2°21' | 75° | 74° |
| Vancouver, Canada | PCT | Nov 1, 12:42 AM | Nov 1, 05:50 AM | Nov 1, 05:50 AM | 1°59' | 61° | 60° |
¹ Daylight saving time ends in Los Angeles during the visibility window, so the local time changes from PDT (UTC−7) to PST (UTC−8).
For some observers, the close approach will turn into an occultation of the Beehive Cluster. The Moon will move across the cluster and hide individual stars one after another, while other members of the cluster remain visible around the lunar disk.
The occultation will be visible along a broad path extending across parts of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines are among the regions particularly well placed to follow the Moon crossing the cluster in a dark sky.
For the cities below, the occultation times are calculated separately for each location, since the Moon’s apparent position shifts slightly depending on where you observe from. The table shows only the part of the event visible while the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and M44 are more than 10° above the horizon.
| City | Time zone | Occultation start | Occultation end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo, Japan | JST (UTC+9) | Nov 1, 11:33 PM | Nov 2, 03:29 AM |
| Osaka, Japan | JST (UTC+9) | Nov 1, 11:51 PM | Nov 2, 03:21 AM |
| Taipei, Taiwan | CST (UTC+8) | Nov 2, 12:00 AM | Nov 2, 01:52 AM |
| Hong Kong | HKT (UTC+8) | Nov 2, 12:36 AM | Nov 2, 01:43 AM |
| Manila, Philippines | PHT (UTC+8) | Nov 2, 12:18 AM | Nov 2, 01:40 AM |
November 29: Moon near the Beehive Cluster
- Global occultation start: November 28, 21:07 GMT
- Global occultation end: 01:56 GMT
- Conjunction time: 00:03 GMT
- Conjunction distance: 0°12'
- Close approach time: 00:10 GMT
- Close approach distance: 0°11'
On November 29, the waning gibbous Moon will pass extremely close to the Beehive Cluster. Because the Moon is relatively bright, many of the cluster's fainter stars will be difficult to distinguish. Binoculars or a small telescope will provide a much better view, revealing the stars of M44 close to the bright lunar disk.
For the cities below, the visibility window is defined as the period when the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and the Beehive Cluster are more than 10° above the horizon. The “best time” is the moment of the smallest apparent Moon–M44 separation within that visibility window.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Moon–M44 distance | Moon altitude | M44 altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doha, Qatar | AST (UTC+3) | Nov 28, 09:53 PM | Nov 29, 05:08 AM | Nov 29, 02:48 AM | 0°10' | 76° | 76° |
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 28, 09:37 PM | Nov 29, 06:20 AM | Nov 28, 10:50 PM | 0°16' | 21° | 21° |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | SAST (UTC+2) | Nov 28, 11:49 PM | Nov 29, 04:11 AM | Nov 29, 01:41 AM | 0°59' | 30° | 31° |
| Singapore | SGT (UTC+8) | Nov 28, 11:57 PM | Nov 29, 06:03 AM | Nov 29, 06:03 AM | 1°38' | 67° | 68° |
| New York, USA | EST (UTC−5) | Nov 28, 10:06 PM | Nov 29, 05:54 AM | Nov 28, 10:06 PM | 2°41' | 10° | 13° |
For observers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, and parts of North America, the Moon will pass directly in front of the central region of the Beehive Cluster. The stars will vanish behind the Moon one by one and reappear at the opposite lunar limb as the Moon moves across the cluster.
For the cities below, the occultation times are calculated separately for each location, since the Moon’s apparent position shifts slightly depending on where you observe from. The table shows only the part of the event visible while the Sun is below −12° and both the Moon and M44 are more than 10° above the horizon.
| City | Time zone | Occultation start | Occultation end |
|---|---|---|---|
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 28, 09:36 PM | Nov 29, 12:48 AM |
| Rome, Italy | CET (UTC+1) | Nov 28, 10:04 PM | Nov 29, 02:03 AM |
| Athens, Greece | EET (UTC+2) | Nov 28, 10:54 PM | Nov 29, 03:23 AM |
| Dubai, UAE | GST (UTC+4) | Nov 29, 01:18 AM | Nov 29, 05:52 AM |
| Delhi, India | IST (UTC+5:30) | Nov 29, 03:28 AM | Nov 29, 06:00 AM |
The Beehive Cluster fun facts
First exoplanets around Sun-like stars were discovered in the Beehive Cluster
In September 2012, astronomers made an exciting discovery within the Beehive Cluster. They found two planets orbiting around two different stars within the cluster. The two planets were named Pr0201b and Pr0211b, and they both belong to the class of “hot Jupiters.” Hot Jupiters are gas giants that orbit very close to their stars.
This finding was particularly significant because it marked the first time exoplanets were detected orbiting a Sun-like star within a stellar cluster. In 2016, further observations revealed that there is not just one, but two planets in the Pr0211 stellar system. The additional planet was named Pr0211-c.
Ancient people imagined the cluster as a hive or a manger
The Beehive Cluster gets its popular name because this fuzzy patch of stars resembles a swarm of bees. The cluster’s other name is Praesepe, which means “manger” in Latin. The ancient Greeks and Romans saw this cluster as a manger where two donkeys (the stars Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis) were feeding. According to myth, the donkeys belonged to the gods Dionysos and Silenus, who rode them into battle against the Titans.
Deep-sky objects look like many different things, even to modern astronomers. Can you guess a nebula’s name from its image? Try our quiz!
The Beehive Cluster is an official state symbol
In 1996, the US State of Utah chose to designate the Beehive Cluster as an official state symbol. The reasoning behind this decision was that the cluster, which resembles a hive of stars, represented a cosmic version of Utah’s existing state symbol, the beehive. Utah is also known for its clear night skies, where the Beehive Cluster can still be seen with the naked eye. Notably, Utah also recognizes a state star: Dubhe.
M44 used to be the weather omen
In ancient times, Messier 44 was used to predict the weather. Pliny said, “If Praesepe is not visible in a clear sky it is a presage of a violent storm.” However, there was almost no light pollution in those days, and now we can see M44 with the naked eye only in dark places.
M44 doesn’t look like a Messier object
M44 is a bright object and was known long before Messier. So, it’s quite unusual that Charles Messier included it in his catalog, even though he typically focused on documenting faint objects that could be mistaken for comets. On the night of March 4, 1769, Messier made an exception and recorded the positions of three well-known objects: the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades, and the Beehive Cluster. This addition brought his catalog to a total of 45 entries, which he published for the first time in the Memoires de l'Academie. Why he added these objects is still a matter of speculation. One possible explanation is that Messier wanted to surpass the catalog of the astronomer Lacaille, who had listed 42 objects in 1755.
Messier 44: Conclusion
The Beehive Cluster, also known as M44, is a captivating open star cluster located in the constellation Cancer. It can be observed with the naked eye, particularly in dark areas without much light pollution. If you’re interested in finding it, there are helpful astronomy apps like Sky Tonight that can guide you to its location in the night sky. So why not make it your next stargazing adventure?
