Observer's guide
About Beehive Cluster
Beehive Cluster (M44) is catalogued as an open cluster in Cancer. Its J2000 position is RA 08:40:22.20, Dec +19:40:19.4, corresponding to 130.0542 degrees RA and 19.6211 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 577 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 118.2 by 118.2 arcminutes.
Observing tips
StarWatchr rates this as an easy target at magnitude 3.7. It is associated with winter observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around January. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 57.6 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
Its brightness makes it a practical binocular or small-telescope candidate when it is well above the horizon.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is OpC. A published radial velocity value is 34.9 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 1757 bibliographic references.
At roughly 118.2 arcminutes across, it favors a wide-field imaging setup. Use the listed 118.2 by 118.2 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.