Utah State Astronomical Symbol

The Beehive Cluster (also known as M44)

Adopted in 1996

The state astronomical symbol is the Beehive Cluster located in the constellation of Cancer the Crab. (Utah Code) Adopted in 1996.
 

Look at the upper right corner of the map above and locate Cancer and just below is M44.
 

Again, the Salt Lake Tribune in their January 22,1996 article, stated that Lawmakers passed House Bill 140 which designated a dim group of stars known as the Beehive Cluster as Utah's state astronomical symbol. A fact sheet about the bill gave the following reasoning for this designation. "This symbol, composed of a hive of stars, transposes our beehive symbol to a new and grand level as we enter our second century as a group of people living in a place where we can still see, with our own eyes, the beautiful and dim features of the starry universe."

M44, called Praesepe, or the Beehive, is located in the middle of the constellation Cancer, the Crab. It is one of the most prominent clusters, visible to the naked eye, but better viewed with binoculars and telescopes reveal hundreds of stars.

M44 is a prominent open cluster of stars. Nicknamed Praesepe and "The Beehive", it is one of the few open clusters visible to the unaided eye. M44 was thought to be a nebula until Galileo used an early telescope to resolve the cluster's bright blue stars. These stars are visible in the above image. M44, which is thought to have formed about 400 million years ago, is larger and older than most other open clusters. The Beehive Cluster lies about 580 light-years away, and spans about 10 light-years across. When viewed with a powerful telescope, hundreds of stars become visible.

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