I took this cellphone photo last night at 10:30 p.m. on October 14th.
When I was about 12 years old, I first noticed this small cluster of stars rising in the eastern sky on October evenings. Years later, I learned its name: the Pleiades. At that time, little did I know I was seeing my first deep-sky object. Even today, after a long, hot summer, I still look forward to seeing this beautiful little cluster return to the autumn sky.
The Pleiades was also Leslie Peltier’s first deep-sky object.
“My mother, who also remembered, came to my assistance as I stood at once. She got me the glass of water, there drinking it in the shadowy dark of the room, I could see the stars shinning brightly through the east window before me. About halfway up the sky I noticed a little group of stars and pointing to it I said to Mother, “What’s that? ” Her eye followed along my outstretched arm; “Oh,” she replied, “Those are the Seven Sisters, sometimes they are called the Pleiades.” This was my first meeting with the stars.” Leslie Peltier “Starlight Nights”
This little cluster of stars has been admired for thousands of years and is even mentioned in the Bible.
In Japan, the cluster is known as Subaru—the same name represented by the star emblem on Subaru automobiles.
So, the next time you step outside on a clear October or November night, take a look toward the east. You might just spot this beautiful little cluster for yourself. However, the cluster can be seen all through the winter months, only getting higher in the sky. A telescope or binoculars are not needed, but seeing the cluster with binoculars is an incredible sight!
The Pleiades appears in three primary passages in the Old Testament:
• Job 9:9: “He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, who created the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” — Job lists the cluster to acknowledge God as the ultimate architect of the cosmos.
• Job 38:31: “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion?” — God speaks to Job out of a whirlwind to highlight human limitations compared to divine omnipotence, challenging Job to control the movements or seasons of the stars.
• Amos 5:8: “Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion…” — The prophet Amos invokes the Pleiades to call the nation of Israel away from idolatry and back to the Creator who governs both the heavens and the weather cycles.
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