hyades | EarthSky

Star chart: Two-pronged fork-shaped constellation, small cluster at top right and 2 stars labeled.

The Hyades star cluster: The Face of Taurus the Bull

Look for the V-shape Hyades star cluster in Taurus the Bull in the evening sky. It represents the Face of the Bull and it's beautiful in binoculars.

10 solid black circles with very many distorted-looking dots swirling around them, on black background.

Closest black holes yet in famous Hyades star cluster?

Researchers in Europe say that they may have found the closest known black holes to Earth, in the Hyades open star cluster 150 light-years away.

Glowing pink blob, scrabbly green lines, on a black background.

Is the Hyades star cluster being destroyed?

Data from ESA’s Gaia star-mapping satellite have revealed tantalizing evidence that the famous V-shaped Hyades - nearest star cluster to our sun - is being disrupted. The culprit may be a suspected population of dark matter sub-halos. Wow!

A large, spherical cluster containing thousands of bright stars, so dense in the middle it looks solid white.

Meet M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Many stargazers call it the finest globular cluster in the northern half of the heavens. It's M13, also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules.

Silhouette of 2 dinos at night with stars and the Milky Way behind them.

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs would have looked much different than today’s. Some famous stars had not yet been born. Read more.

Coma Berenices: See how Leo the Lion lost his tail

Coma Berenices is the constellation of Queen Berenice's Hair. It used to be the tail of Leo the Lion before it became its own constellation.

Star chart: upside down Y shaped constellation, with other labeled stars and small dots for cluster.

Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive star cluster

Cancer the Crab is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Learn how to find it in your sky, plus learn about its star cluster, mythology and more.

Night sky scene with hexagon and figures of constellation superimposed over stars.

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

Constellations and asterisms are patterns of stars. Some asterisms consist of stars from different constellations, and some are part of 1 constellation.

Hundreds of multicolored donut shapes of different sizes inside a circle on a black background.

Look for the colors of the stars in the night sky

Winter is the perfect time for noticing the colors of the stars. Start with Capella, then move on to Taurus and Orion. Check out some colorful stars tonight!

Sky chart with constellation Taurus with Elnath and other stars labeled, and the galactic anticenter marked.

Elnath is a bright star close to the galactic anticenter

The galactic anticenter is opposite the Milky Way's center from our viewpoint on Earth. The closest bright star to the anticenter is Taurus the Bull's Elnath.

Star chart: the constellation Cetus the Whale in deep dusk. An arrow points to Mira's place in the sky.

See Mira the Wonderful waking up!

Catch elusive wonderful Mira, a famous variable star in the constellation Cetus, at its maximum brightness in February or March 2026.

Lone person standing on top of rock, pointing towards the vivid cloudy Milky Way and the vast expanse of universe.

Best stargazing of 2026: Top events not to miss

Here's the best stargazing of 2026! Read about the top celestial events not to miss in the coming year, and mark them on your calendar.

Orange Aldebaran is Taurus the Bull’s fiery eye

Aldebaran is an enormous star that marks one of the eyes of Taurus the Bull. If placed where our sun is, its surface would pass the orbit of Mercury.

Star chart of constellation Aries with star Hamal labeled. The Pleiades and Hyades clusters below.

Meet Hamal, an ancient equinox star, in Aries the Ram

Meet Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, and learn why people sometimes refer to the March equinox point as the First Point in Aries.

Large, complex clouds of blue gas scattered with dozens of bright stars, in a starfield.

The Pleiades – or 7 Sisters – known around the world

The Pleiades star cluster - aka the 7 Sisters or M45 - is visible from almost every part of the globe. It looks like a tiny, misty dipper of stars.

Close-up of the blue and gold double star Albireo.

Double stars: How to find, observe and enjoy them

This observing guide gives you a range of choices for seeing double stars with your eyes alone, with binoculars or with a telescope. And some are easy to find.

Annotated star chart of constellation Taurus as white dots with blue connecting lines, with 2 sets of radial arrows nearby.

Around now, watch for Taurid fireballs

Maybe you've been watching for them already. A nominal peak of the shower is November 4 and 5, and the North and South Taurids are overlapping now.

Return of Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn

Orion the Hunter returns to the east at dawn at this time every year. Here's how to watch for this most noticeable of constellations.

A cloudy, starry band stretching from trees to top of image and a small bright patch.

Astro quiz: How much do you know about the night sky?

How well do you know the night sky? Test yourself with this astro quiz, featuring photos from EarthSky's talented global community.

Sphere of myriad of multicolored bright stars, dense in the middle and falling off in density at the edges.

M5, your new favorite globular star cluster

M5 in Serpens Caput is a refreshing sight through a small telescope, as thousands of stars cluster together into the tightly packed ball of this globular cluster.

Sign Up for Our Amazing Newsletter!

The Hyades star cluster: The Face of Taurus the Bull

Closest black holes yet in famous Hyades star cluster?

Is the Hyades star cluster being destroyed?

Meet M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs

Coma Berenices: See how Leo the Lion lost his tail

Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive star cluster

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

Look for the colors of the stars in the night sky

Elnath is a bright star close to the galactic anticenter

See Mira the Wonderful waking up!

Best stargazing of 2026: Top events not to miss

Orange Aldebaran is Taurus the Bull’s fiery eye

Meet Hamal, an ancient equinox star, in Aries the Ram

The Pleiades – or 7 Sisters – known around the world

Double stars: How to find, observe and enjoy them

Around now, watch for Taurid fireballs

Return of Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn

Astro quiz: How much do you know about the night sky?

M5, your new favorite globular star cluster