Click on the image for a full resolution version   Messier 44 is additionally known as the Praesepe (the manger). A prominent open cluster, M44 is one of the closest Messier objects (577 ly). Only M45, the Pleiades Cluster, is closer to us (444 ly). The cluster itself has a couple of peculiarities. Probably the … Continue reading Messier 44. NGC 2632. The Beehive Cluster. Fragment