Seven Dusty Sisters in Infrared

Is this really the famous {Pleiades} {Star Cluster}? Known for its iconic blue stars, the {Pleiades} is shown here in {Infrared Astronomy} light where the surrounding {Cosmic Dust} outshines the stars.

Here three infrared colors have been mapped into visual colors (R=24, G=12, B=4.6 microns). The base images were taken by NASA’s orbiting {Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer} (WISE) spacecraft.

Cataloged as {M45} and nicknamed the {Seven Sisters}, the {Pleiades} star cluster is by chance situated in a passing dust cloud. The light and winds from the massive {Pleiades} stars preferentially repel smaller dust particles, causing the dust to become stratified into filaments, as seen.

The featured image spans about 20 light years at the distance of the {Pleiades}, which lies about 450 light years distant toward the constellation of the Bull ({Taurus}).