To be honest, there are more than seven stars in the cluster that is Pleiades but it would take a powerful telescope or binoculars to find them! Still, how do you find that star system?

Finding Pleiades is relatively simple, depending on the time of year. The easiest way is to find Orion’s Belt, which you’re hopefully familiar with. Scan the right of his belt and you’ll notice a V shape, which is the head of the constellation Taurus (the bull). Continue just a bit further to the right and there’s Pleiades, around where the bull’s shoulder would be. Since the direction of Pleiades can vary from south west to south east, depending on the time of night, the easiest way to find it is to start with Orion’s Belt.

Pleiades can best be seen in the Northern Hemisphere during late fall and winter, but it’s also visible during spring. Right now as this article is written, you may still get a glimpse of it in the early evening sky, but it shouldn’t be much longer until it can be seen in the early morning sky. The sun passes through Taurus from May 14th to June 21st and it’s hard to see when the sun is within it.

November is usually the peak time to see Pleiades, it shines from dusk until dawn, something to think about for next year, but you should still be able to pick it out during all of the clear winter months.

So, the next time you are on a nighttime wilderness trek and you know the clouds have cleared away, take a break and look up. Test your eyesight, you wilderness warriors, and see if you can pick out five or maybe even all the seven stars of Pleiades!

To learn more about how to become a warrior in the darkness, visit Imminent Threat Solutions.