If you can find planet Jupiter in tonight's sky, thenyou can also find M44,popularly known as the Beehivestar cluster.In fact, with a pair of binoculars most casual skygazers shouldfind it easy to zero in on thi celestial scene.It should be easy because after sunset Jupiter presentl rules the nightas the brightest "star" overhead.Now near th stationary part of its wandering path throughthe heavens, Jupiter will obligingly linger for a while at a spotonly a degree or so southeast of M44 in the relatively fain constellation Cancer.Seen here in a photograph from March 28, Jupiter (lower left)is strongly overexposed with the stars of M44 swarming aboveand to the right. The picture approximately corresponds t the view when lookingthrough a typical pair of binoculars Jupiter isabout 30 light-minutes from our fair planetwhile M44, one of the closest star clusters, is around600 light-years away.
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