101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: The Coma star cluster

A most glorious deep-sky treasure hides in plain sight in the spring sky — the Coma star cluster (Melotte 111), which Ptolemy cataloged as a “nebula” around A.D. 138. This spangle of seven prominent naked-eye suns (and twice as many that are fainter) form the most prominent part of the constellation Coma Berenices, Berenice’s Hair.

Unlike most open star clusters, which hug the Milky Way’s spiral arms, we see the Coma Star Cluster only about 5° west of the Nort