M44, also known as The Beehive Cluster or Praesepe, is an open star cluster located in the constellation Cancer, approximately 610 light-years away. This bright and densely packed cluster consists of several hundred stars, with many being solar-type and red dwarfs, making it one of the closest and most studied open clusters. Visible to the naked eye under dark skies, M44 has been known since antiquity and was cataloged by Ptolemy as a "nebulous mass" before telescopes resolved it into individual stars.

With an estimated age of 600–700 million years, the Beehive Cluster is of significant interest for studying stellar evolution. It shares similarities with the Hyades cluster in Taurus, suggesting a common origin. The cluster’s positioning within the ecliptic means it is frequently occulted by the Moon and occasionally by planets, offering excellent opportunities for observational studies.