The Pleiades are among those objects which are known since the earliest times.
At least 6 member stars are visible to the naked eye, while under moderate conditions this num
ber increases to 9, and under clear dark skies jumps up to more than a dozen (Vehrenberg, in
his Atlas of Deep Sky Splendors, mentions that in 1579, well before the invention of the telescope,
 astronomer Moestlin has correctly drawn 11 Pleiades stars, while Kepler quotes observations of up to 14).

The Pleiades also carry the name "Seven Sisters"; according to Greek mythology, seven daught
ers and their parents. Their Japanese name is "Subaru", which was taken to christen the car of
same name. The Persian name is "Soraya", after which the former Iranian empress was named.
 Old European (e.g., English and German) names indicate they were once compared to a "Hen with Chicks".

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