Observer's guide
About Pleiades
Pleiades (M45) is catalogued as an open cluster in Taurus. Its J2000 position is RA 03:46:59.37, Dec +24:06:57.9, corresponding to 56.6008 degrees RA and 24.1139 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 380 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 76.86 by 76.86 arcminutes.
Observing tips
This is rated as a very easy target at magnitude 1.6. It is associated with winter observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around November. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 62.1 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 5.9 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 3711 bibliographic references.
At roughly 76.9 arcminutes across, it favors a wide-field imaging setup. Use the listed 76.86 by 76.86 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.