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Messier catalogue · Open cluster

M44 Beehive Cluster

Beehive: a large cluster in Cancer.

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Photograph of M44 — Beehive Cluster
Photograph from volume II · The field may be partial and the colours may result from processing. Credits and source.

Essential information

Category
Open cluster
Constellation
Cancer (Cnc)
Alternative designation
NGC 2632
Right ascension / declination
08h40 / +19°59′
Visual magnitude
3,1
Indicative distance
≈ 600 al

RA / Dec.: J2000, rounded to the nearest minute. ly = light-year; M ly = million light-years; ≈ = approximate value; — = not available.

At the eyepiece

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Beehive: a large cluster in Cancer.

Locating guide from the book1,8° NW of δ Cnc

N, S, E and W indicate cardinal directions; combinations give a more precise direction. Greek letters identify the constellation’s guide stars. Check the route on a suitable chart.

Photographs help you recognise structures, but do not predict the view through an eyepiece. Detection depends on the sky, the object’s altitude and your instrument.

Sources and credits

Fact sheet adapted from Comprendre comment explorer le ciel, volume II by Steve Cimolino, version dated 17 October 2026. Values and advice are taken from the book; they are not real-time ephemerides.

Chuck Ayoub. CC0.

Photograph source and original description ↗ · CC0

Image resized and converted to WebP for this site; colours and proportions retained. Each image’s own licence continues to apply.

Book data: NASA HEASARC ; coordinates adapted fromOpenNGC, Mattia Verga under CC BY-SA 4.0. The relevant adapted data retain this licence. All image attributions and terms →

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