The Pleiades (Seven Sisters). This is about the easiest object to find.
It is visible as a hazy patch about the size of the moon from a typical
backyard site under average viewing conditions but is actually a star
cluster.
You can find it by following the left side of Perseus down towards
Aldebaran.
It is centred on RA 3h 47.0m Dec +24 deg 7 min. Even small binoculars
resolve
it into stars, although this is also possible with the unaided eye from
a dark site. I've heard of one claim of 19 stars with the unaided eye
and
103 with a big pair of binoculars. Expect to see about forty with
average
binoculars/conditions and it extends for about one degree. You should
also
see a "string" of stars curving from top to bottom. There are 6
noticeably
brighter stars, with a 7th around 6th magnitude (hence the alias "Seven
Sisters"). More powerful instruments and photography have shown a hint
of nebulosity. Professional instruments seem to indicate that the
Pleiades
are far larger in extent than is visible in amateur equipment and are
actually
over 5 degrees across. The Pleiades are visible from midnight in late
August
until just after sunset in early May and are best placed around
midnight
in early December.
