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Show the direction and distance to this star cluster on the Galactic Map.

Proper Names	Praesepe, Beehive Cluster
Messier Number	M44
NGC/IC Number	NGC 2632
Other Designations	Collinder 189, Melotte 88
Constellation	Cancer
Right Ascension	8h 40m 24s
Declination	+19° 40' 0"
Distance	571 light years 175 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +3.1 Absolute: -3.3
Diameter	Apparent: 1° 10' Actual: c.12 light years
Number of Stars	c. 1,000
Optimum Visibility	February
Notes	One of the closest open clusters to the Solar System, Praesepe fills an area almost twice the diameter of the Moon's disc in the skies of Earth, but is only faintly visible without telescopic aid.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

An open star cluster in the central regions of the constellation of Cancer. It lies more than 500 light years from the Solar System, and is thought to share its origins with the Hyades in Taurus.

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