In a discovery that reshapes our cosmic map, astronomers have found the iconic Pleiades constellation is not a small cluster but the dense heart of a vast stellar family, making it at least 20 times larger than previous estimates suggested.
A Vast Stellar Family Revealed
Using precise data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite and NASA's Tess satellite, researchers have uncovered that the Pleiades, often called the Seven Sisters, is the bound core of an enormous structure now named the Greater Pleiades Complex. This complex spans at least 600 parsecs – with one parsec equalling about 31 trillion kilometres – and contains thousands more 'sibling' stars that originated from the same giant cloud of cosmic debris.
The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, reveals that what was once seen as a small, distinct cluster is actually part of a much larger, coeval structure containing multiple known star clusters. Astronomers also identified 'stellar bridges' – streams of gas connecting the Pleiades with other young star clusters scattered across the sky.
New Methods for Mapping the Cosmos
A key breakthrough in the research came from tracking the rotation of stars. Dr Andrew Boyle, an astronomer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explained that by measuring how stars spin, astronomers can now identify stellar groups too scattered to detect with traditional methods.
This new framework opens a new window into the hidden architecture of our Galaxy and suggests that many seemingly independent star clusters may, in fact, be parts of sprawling stellar families.
Implications for Our Sun's Origins
The findings have profound implications for tracing the history of our own solar system. Researchers now hope that applying this new method will help uncover whether our Sun was also born in a much larger stellar family.
Andrew Mann, a co-author of the study, stated: 'We're realising that many stars near the Sun are part of massive extended stellar families with complex structures. Our work provides a new way to uncover these hidden relationships.'
The Pleiades holds significant cultural importance, featured in the Old Testament, celebrated as Matariki in New Zealand, and represented by the Subaru car logo in Japan. This new research fundamentally changes our perception of this celestial landmark from just seven bright stars to thousands of long-lost siblings scattered across the heavens.
