"On the night of 27 January, the moon passes in front of the Pleiades star cluster, temporarily hiding (occulting) some of its brightest members from view. The Pleiades, also known as the seven sisters, lie about 440 light years away in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. They are one of the most recognisable structures in the winter sky. The stars were all born from the same giant cloud of molecular gas."
"Although in time they will be dispersed through the galaxy, at only 100m years old, they remain a relatively tight-knit community of stellar siblings. By contrast, the moon is a little over a light second away, close enough that its motion against the stars can be followed over the course of an hour. So, to fully appreciate the occultation, prepare to spend an hour or two in the late evening watching as the moon passes through the cluster."
On 27 January the Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades, temporarily occulting some of its brightest stars. The Pleiades lie about 440 light years away in Taurus and were born from the same giant molecular cloud; at roughly 100 million years old they remain a relatively tight-knit group. The Moon is about one light-second away, so its motion against the stars can be tracked over the course of an hour. Observers should spend an hour or two in the late evening watching the stars wink out and reappear; local timing can vary by around 15 minutes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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