January 4, 2009
There are three glittering star clusters that lie close to the ecliptic, the celestial highway that the planets, Sun, and Moon follow across the sky: M35, M44 (the Beehive), and M45 (the Pleiades). Occasionally, one of the bright planets will pass in front of or near one of these clusters and provide a beautiful binocular view. Venus and Mars will pose with M35 and M44 this coming fall. Shown here is the red planet Mars as it skirted the edge of the M35 star cluster in March 2008.
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