The M44 star cluster, also known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe, is a well-known open cluster located in the constellation Cancer, approximately 577 light-years from Earth. It is one of the brightest open clusters in the night sky.

M44 has a long recorded history. In ancient China, it was called "鬼宿星团" and was part of the "鬼宿" mansion, one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, as well as a component of the Southern Vermillion Bird. In ancient times, people could only see a faint, hazy white glow formed by the combined light of all the stars in the cluster. It appeared dim and ghostly, resembling will-o'-the-wisps, which led to its alternative name "积尸气".

M44 is one of the closest open clusters to Earth. Research suggests that it may share the same origin as the M67 cluster (another open cluster in Cancer), as they exhibit similar metallicity and age characteristics.

The faint comet entering the field of view from the right in the photo is Comet P/2023 S1, a periodic comet discovered in September 2023. It has an orbital period of 7.54 years, a current brightness of +16.9 magnitude, and is approximately 1.7 AU from Earth.