Joined stars!?

So Glad

Me and A friend were looking at the stars last night and we notice a blur in the sky. When we looked at the blur we seen a bunch of stars but they were joined together with lines just like star constellations in magazines etc. We didn't know what to think and still don't. Are stars supposed to be naturally joined by lines?!

Flukey

No, they just appear to be close together. They are not joined by lines. The lines in books are just for diagramatical purposes, to indicate they are part of the same constellation. It would have been a cluster of stars that you saw. Depending on the time, it may have been the Pleiades, also known as the 7 Sisters. I saw them last night. They are a well known cluster and are becoming more prominent in the coming months. If not them, then it was just some other cluster. They are in fact a good distance from each other.

So Glad

Yes, I could expect because of light and such that some stars that are very close to each other may seem like they are connected but these were quite separated and thats why I was so alarmed. We then started looking at other stars and seeing simular but fainter lines. Very strange.

Flukey

I was out looking at the Pleiades last night, and yes there does seem to be that joined lines effect, because they are grouped together. It is no more than an optical illusion as such. If you are away from light pollution and see more stars, then you might see the effect elsewhere too. When you see the Milky Way in a rural area, you can really see that way it winds its way through the sky like a hazy patch. Even in light-polluted areas you can see it quite well too.

So Glad

Erm, well maybe it is an optical illusion but I think not. I cannot think of any illusion that immitates straight lines throughout space/time. Seems pretty implausible to me. Anyone know what this is?

So Glad

Also, I just Googled this and the first (out of 5,000,000) site link is a link to this! Apparently, this is not known at all. Very odd.

Flukey

That just tells you that they are not joined. The Pleiades is a cluster of up to 250 stars in reality, though we can only see a few. It is one of many clusters, but one of the best for the naked eye viewer. The stars in it, or any cluster, appear very close together though they are a good distance from each other, in our terms though not is astronomical terms. It is also surrounded in a cloud of nebulosity, which blurs it a bit further. I can guarantee you that there is no links between them in terms of lines of light. As I said, you will see that visual affect. You will see the same kind of thing when you look over a large city or town from a distance and the light from individual lights seem to link to each other. So it is just nothing more than a visual effect.

Anyway, hopefully this will trigger an interest in the night sky. Keep looking up on clear nights. There are many wonders up there. As we come into the winter months, the nights get longer and darker and the best constellations, with Orion being the highlight, will come into view. Orion itself has a fine nebula, that is easy to see. Get yourself a pair of binoculars and go out and scan it across the night skies.

Flukey

This is a close-up of the Pleiades. You can see that some of the brighter stars appear to have lines extending from them, but it is an effect you will see from many bright lights.