1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
2. Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

Correspondence to: S. R. Kulkarni² Email: srk@anju.caltech.edu

Abstract

Nearby 'open' clusters of stars (those that are not gravitationally bound) have played a crucial role in the development of stellar astronomy because, as a consequence of the stars having a common age, they provide excellent natural laboratories to test theoretical stellar models. Clusters also play a fundamental part in determining distance scales. The satellite Hipparcos¹ surprisingly found that an extensively studied open cluster—the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters)—had a distance of D = 118 4 pc (refs 2, 3), about ten per cent smaller than the accepted value^{4, 5, 6}. The discrepancy generated a spirited debate because the implication⁷ was that either current stellar models were incorrect by a surprising amount or Hipparcos was giving incorrect distances. Here we report the orbital parameters of the bright double star Atlas in the Pleiades, using long-baseline optical/infrared interferometry. From the data we derive a firm lower bound of D > 127 pc, with the most likely range being 133 < D < 137 pc. Our result reaffirms the fidelity of current stellar models.

1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
2. Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

Correspondence to: S. R. Kulkarni² Email: srk@anju.caltech.edu

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