Astronomers Discover pleiades Star โขCluster is Vastly Larger Than Previously Thought
CHAPEL HILL, NC – November 17, 2025 – The star cluster known as the Seven Stars, orโ Pleiades, is part of a much โlargerโ complex extending over 1,500 โฃlight-years adn containing thousands of stars, according to new research published in The Astrophysical Journal (doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae0724). โฃTheโค findings revealโ the Pleiades complex is approximately 20 times larger than expected, โขchallenging previous understandings of itsโข size and structure.
Led by Alexanderโข Boyle, the research team identified at least three, and possibly five, additional star clusters linked to the โPleiades through shared age, movement, and composition. These clusters were โpreviously considered unrelated. The team utilized stellar rotation โขas a key indicator of age,โ allowing them to identify connections โขbetween stars that were too dispersed for conventional detection methods.
“This finding changes how we see the pleiades – it’s not just seven shining stars, but thousands โคofโ long-lost siblings scattered across the sky,” explained boyle.
senior author Andrew Mann of the University of North Carolina โadded, โค”We now see that many stars near the Sun โbelongโ to huge, extended star families with complex structures. Our methodology now opens up a new way to uncover these hidden connections.”
The research suggests โฃa common origin for many seemingly unrelated stars and clusters. Astronomers believe this methodology could also be applied to trace the origins โof our sun andโข identify its own stellar family. Future data from โขthe Gaia telescopeโฃ and the Rubin Observatory are expected to reveal even more members of the Pleiades complex.