A small cluster of stars that makes up the nearest well-defined open cluster (galactic cluster) to the Earth. With a total mass of about 300 suns and a population of 400–500 mostly low-mass stars, the Hyades is a typical example of the 2000 or so small star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. Most of its stars are located in a loose, roughly spherical system approximately 40 light-years (2.4 × 10¹⁴ mi or 3.8 × 10¹⁴ km) in diameter. It is located primarily in the constellation Taurus, the Bull, and forms the faint stellar background to the V-shaped asterism that defines the head of the Bull.