                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2023 June 10

                            Mars and the Beehive
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri

   Explanation: This month, bright Mars and brilliant Venus are the
   prominent celestial beacons in planet Earth's western skies after
   sunset. Wandering through the constellation Cancer the Crab, the Red
   Planet was captured here on the evening of June 3 near the stars of
   open cluster Messier 44. Recognized since antiquity this nearby,
   naked-eye star cluster is also known as the Praesepe or the Beehive
   cluster. A swarm of stars all much younger than the Sun, the Beehive
   cluster is a mere 600 light-years distant. Seen with a yellowish hue,
   Mars is about 17 light-minutes away. On June 12/13 Venus will take its
   turn posing next to the stars of the Beehive cluster. But the dazzling
   light of Venus will make the Beehive stars difficult to see by eye
   alone.

                 Tomorrow's picture: the spectrum of the Sun
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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