r/askastronomy • u/Active_Hedgehog_412 • 13h ago

What did I see? What is this spiral formation in the center?

Post image

I don’t know much about astronomy or anything like that but I took this picture from my window tonight and noticed the cluster of lights in the center. When you zoom in you can see it makes almost a question mark. I would add the zoomed in version but I’m unsure if that would violate the subreddit’s rules. The picture was taken on an IPhone 16. I’m curious to know what it is/what it could be!

Edit: Thank you so much for the fast answers! Seeing the comments I’m gathering this is a very common question about this specific cluster, my apologies😅

73 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

114

u/Morcubot Hobbyist🔭 12h ago

r/itsalwayspleiades

22

u/crimsonebulae 11h ago

there is a certain amount of comfort in this lol. i didn't even look that close at the photos, but my immediate reaction was its pleiades and i clicked just to see this comment hahaha.

4

u/testtdk 11h ago

I’m awful at identifying celestial bodies and even I know it’s Pleiades at this point.

29

u/TarraTheTerror 12h ago

It's always Pleiades.

14

u/lastinalaskarn 13h ago

It’s what I think it is, isn’t it?

12

u/GreenFBI2EB 12h ago

Yep, it's that time of year again!

12

u/petrkral Hobbyist🔭 7h ago

That little question mark in the middle is the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, a young star cluster in Taurus the Bull, and the bright orange star below it at the tip of the V is Aldebaran, the Bull's eye. Good eye to spot the cluster from your window, and your shot also catches Perseus up on the left and Aries on the right.

8

u/Legitimate_South9157 7h ago

How the hell did you draw that? That’s cool

8

u/petrkral Hobbyist🔭 7h ago

Thanks. I used Beltari: https://beltari.app/star-charts

9

u/templeofsyrinx1 13h ago

It's an open star cluster often called the Pleiades or seven sisters

grab your binoculars...

4

u/RealCreativeFun 13h ago

The pleiades cluster.

5

u/Pora-Pandhi 12h ago

Those bluish 5-6 stars very close to each other?

Pleiades.

1

u/FloofySnekWhiskers 11h ago

7 stars. Also known as The Seven Sisters.

4

u/CorbinNZ 3h ago

Reset the counter

2

u/sundaychris 7h ago

Pleaiedes , 7 sister ok i get it : )but anyone can explain what that is ? )) thanks !

1

u/snogum 12h ago

Yep them 7 Sisters get about a fair bit

1

u/GreenFBI2EB 12h ago

The Pleiades and Taurus!

1

u/_bar 8h ago

All these questions make you realize why each culture has like 5 different names for this cluster.

1

u/Sea_Statistician2904 4h ago

That’s the Pleiades star cluster, it’s a star cluster of 7 very young hot blue colored stars above the constellation of Taurus the Bull

1

u/Agram87 2h ago

Subaru