Article
Article
Hyades
Article By:
Hodge, Paul Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.326100
A small cluster of stars that makes up the nearest well-defined open cluster (galactic cluster) to the Earth. With a total mass of about 300 suns and a population of 400–500 mostly low-mass stars, the Hyades is a typical example of the 2000 or so small star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. Most of its stars are located in a loose, roughly spherical system approximately 40 light-years (3.8 × 1014 km or 2.4 × 1014 mi) in diameter. It is located primarily in the constellation Taurus, the Bull and forms the faint stellar background to the V-shaped asterism that defines the head of the Bull. See also: Taurus
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