Q&A for How to Find the Pleiades Star Cluster

Yes, they are moving together. It's because the Pleiades is a star cluster - a group of stars that all formed out of the same nebula. Since they formed out of the same nebula, they are very close together, so gravity keeps them from flying off on their own paths.

It already has done do. The "Eagle nebula" is actually two parts. Messier 16 refers to the star cluster, whereas the nebula is called IC 4703.

No. Venus is what is known as the "Morning Star." That is because it can be seen during some parts of the year in the morning, after the sun starts to rise and all the other stars in the sky have disappeared. It is also sometimes called the "Evening Star" and the "Day Star."

There are 5 - 7 visible with the naked eye, depending on how good your eyesight is. At a dark site, with good eyesight, you can see around 14 with the naked eye. With telescopes, astronomers have discovered over 1000 members of the Pleiades, and they reckon that there could be more.

The clarity could be caused by many things: less light pollution, less dust in the atmosphere, sunspots, neap tides, etc.

Your location in a hemisphere is relative to your position to the equator. If you are north of it, you're in the northern hemisphere. If you are south of it, you're in the southern hemisphere.

It depends on its color. If it has a slight red color, it is most likely the star Aldebaran.

Just as a ballpark guess, I'd say maybe once or twice a year. It depends what you mean by "close to". Easiest way to tell is by getting a star app, like Stellarium, and using that to find the correct times.

They don't, the Earth goes around the sun, so our viewpoint changes. However, you can see the Pleiades (in the Northern hemisphere) for about three/four months in autumn and winter.

It rises in the east and sets in the west. From Albuquerque, it should appear about 10 degrees north of the zenith. To find it, look directly upward, then turn north.

The best time for seeing the Pleiades is around November - January, although you can see them for a couple of months before or after, depending on how long you are willing to stay outside. In the Southern Hemisphere, this is spring and summer.

The names are: Atlas, Pleione, Alcyone, Merope, Maia, Taygeta, and Electra.