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On March 27, a special event will occur in the night sky. Do not miss the chance to see the waxing moon pass close to the Beehive star cluster. As the sun sets, look toward the southern sky to see a bright, glowing moon near a group of stars called the Beehive Cluster. Astronomers also refer to this group as M44. It sits at the center of the constellation Cancer, a shape resembling a crab in the dark night sky. This special alignment offers skywatchers a wonderful view of the heavens.
On this night, the moon will be 77% lit, a phase known as a waxing gibbous. At the start of the evening, the moon will be just a little more than two degrees above the stars of the M44 cluster. This group contains approximately 1,000 stars, all held together by their own gravity. As the night progresses, the moon will move from right to left across the top of the Beehive Cluster, a movement visible to observers in the northern hemisphere. The moon will be closest to the cluster at 23:54 Eastern Daylight Time, which corresponds to 03:54 Greenwich Mean Time on March 28.
To the naked eye, M44 appears as a small, milky patch of light on dark nights. However, the moon's bright glow may make it difficult to see the cluster. The moon's light is so intense that it can wash out the fainter stars within the group. The cluster sits near two central stars named Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis. Due to the moon's brightness, seeing the open cluster in detail without assistance will be a challenge.
A pair of binoculars can be very helpful for this observation. With binoculars, you may be able to spot up to 20 of the brightest stars in the cluster. For a more detailed view, a telescope with a six-inch aperture will bring dozens of extra stars into your field of vision. These tools allow you to look past the bright moon and see the structure of the group more clearly.