Praesepe, (catalog numbers NGC 2632 and M 44), open, or galactic, cluster of about 1,000 stars in the zodiacal constellation Cancer and located about 550 light-years from Earth. Visible to the unaided eye as a small patch of bright haze, it was first distinguished as a group of stars by Galileo. It was included by Hipparchus in the earliest known star catalog, c. 129 bc.
The name Praesepe (Latin: “Cradle,” or “Manger”) was used even before Hipparchus’ time. The name Beehive is of uncertain but more recent origin.