Video: Constellation Pleiades in astronomy and culture
2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11
The constellation Pleiades (Messier 45) is an open cluster of stars. This is one of the closest objects to our planet that can be seen with the naked eye. The Pleiades are located in the constellation Taurus and are clearly visible in winter in the northern hemisphere and in summer in the southern hemisphere of the Earth.
This constellation has been known since antiquity. This is a physically connected stellar group that is located 135 parsecs from our planet. The Pleiades is a constellation that is about 12 light-years across and contains nearly 500 stars. Most of them belong to the hot blue luminaries, of which 14 can be seen without the use of special equipment. The total stellar mass of the cluster is approximately the mass of 800 Suns. The constellation Pleiades includes a large number of brown dwarfs, the mass of which does not exceed 8% of the Sun. For the occurrence of a chain thermonuclear reaction, this is clearly not enough. Such celestial bodies constantly attract the attention of astronomers.
The constellation Pleiades also includes several white dwarfs. The cluster is relatively young. Therefore, its stars could hardly have time to evolve into white dwarfs.natural way. This process takes several billion years. There is a theory that luminaries of high mass in binary systems could transfer part of the stellar matter to their companions, turning into white dwarfs in a short time.
The Pleiades constellation has an approximate age of 75-150 million years. Over time, the luminaries will no longer be bound by gravity, because their speed is higher than the speed of the Pleiades cluster itself. The constellation will then simply fall apart. This should happen within 250 million years. The galactic spiral arms will help speed up this process.
Under good viewing conditions in the photographs, you can see that the Pleiades constellation has some features of a nebula. This effect is due to the reflection of the blue light of hot stars from the dust. Previously, it was believed that it represents the remains of the substance from which the luminaries of the cluster were formed. However, during its existence, such a cluster of particles would be dispersed by the pressure of stellar radiation. Therefore, most likely, the Pleiades are currently passing through a region of outer space saturated with dust.
The nine brightest luminaries of this cluster were named after the sisters of the Pleiades, as well as their parents: Sterope, Electra, Alcyone, Maya, Celeno, Merope, Taygeta, Pleiona and Atlas. Due to the fact that the constellation can be seen without special equipment, it is reflected in the cultures of different nationalities.
The ancient Greeks personified him with mythological sisters. The Celts bound the Pleiadeswith funeral rites and mourning. The cluster also entered the ancient calendars of Central America and Mexico. In Japan, the constellation is known as the Turtle (Subaru). The Sioux Indians associated the cluster with the Devil's Tower. In Chinese culture, the Pleiades symbolized the head of the mythical Western White Tiger. In Hinduism, this cluster of stars is one of the most significant. It symbolizes perseverance and anger. According to the Vedas, the Pleiades were ruled by Agni, the god of flame.
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