"CNJ999" wrote:

I would say that any really experienced observer with fairly good
eyesight and excellent skies, should be able to see at least a dozen
Pleiads naked eye.

Agreed. I would have to dig a bit to find my naked eye observations;
but I can recall seeing something in the neighborhood of 12 cluster
members on my better nights.

Unfortunately I wear eyeglasses; and optometrists in my neck of the
woods have been quite good at ignoring the desire to see sharply at
low light levels. On the plus side, I have an older pair of glasses
that are sharper for night work than my newer ones. The night sky
difference between these eyeglasses is quite substantial.

In the context of my initial posting I was referring to the nine named
members -- the seven sisters and the two parents; but upon rereading
that posting it seems to make little sense in connection to the 'case
of the missing Pleiad'. Oh well, it still provides something to
discuss :-)

When I enjoyed very good skies back in the 60's and
70's, I saw 14 stars repeatedly and suspected several more. Likewise,
on the best nights long years ago, I could often detect the enveloping
nebulosity surround the cluster without optical aid.

I can't positively state that I've ever detected the nebulosity naked
eye; but I don't doubt your statement.

In the context of optical aid: It wouldn't surprise me if more than a
few modern observers have mistaken scattered light either in their
optics or in a not so transparent atmosphere for the nebulosity. The
Merope Nebula's distinctive shape is in my opinion the key to knowing
whether or not an inexperienced observer has made a positive
detection. It can also be helpful to check out nearby stars of
similar brightness for false (instrumental or atmospheric) nebulosity.

It's also very true that light pollution has taken so much away from
the extreme visual limits commonplace a century and more ago that few
observers today realize just how much "should" be visible without
optical aid.

Yes, light pollution is a very unfortunate fact that most of us have
to deal with in one form or another. It literally consumes the night
sky. Other forms of atmospheric pollution contribute as well,
especially in the presence of lights.

Willie R. Meghar