Maia (star)

660 L ☉

Maia (meaning approximately " grandmother ", " nurse ", " the Great") is the proper name of belonging to the Pleiades star 20 Tauri in the constellation Taurus.

Properties

Maia has an apparent magnitude of 3.87 mag and belongs to the spectral class B8III. It is approximately 360 light years from Earth ( Hipparcos database).

The star is part of the Maia nebula NGC 1432, a reflection nebula, and belongs to the special class of stars, the mercury -manganese stars.

Coverages

Maia, as all the stars of the Pleiades, occasionally be covered by the moon.

The next temporary coverings are to be expected again from 2024.

Mythology

Maia (Greek Μαῖα, Μαίας or Μαίη ) is one of the seven Pleiades in Greek mythology.

She is the daughter of the Titan Atlas and Pleione and by Zeus the mother of Hermes.