Corona Borealis (pronounced /kɒˈroʊnə bɒriˈælɨs/, Latin: northern crown) is a small northern constellation whose main stars form a semicircular arc. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, who referred to the constellation as Corona. The Borealis (northern) was added later on, to contrast with Corona Australis, the southern crown.
Notable features
It has no first magnitude stars. Its brightest star, α CrB (Alphecca, also known as Gemma) is of magnitude 2.2 (slightly variable) and is considered a member of the diffuse Ursa Major Moving Group. The constellation contains several interesting variable stars: two of the best known are R Coronae Borealis and T Coronae Borealis.
Notable deep sky objects
Corona Borealis contains no bright deep sky objects. Abell 2065 is a highly concentrated galaxy cluster containing over 400 members, the brightest of which are of 16th magnitude.
Named Stars
| Bayer |
Name |
Origin |
Meaning |
| α |
Alphecca |
Arabic |
"The broken" ring of stars |
| β |
Nusakan |
Arabic |
The two series |
| T |
Blaze Star |
English |
The star that blazes now and then |
Mythology
Corona Borealis was sometimes considered to represent a crown that was given by Dionysus to Ariadne, the daughter of Minos of Crete. At other points it was considered to belong, in a sense, to Boötes, the herdsman, or the keeper of the bears. The Cheyenne tribe called it "Camp Circle" as they arranged their camps in a semicircle. In Welsh mythology, the Northern Crown was called Caer Arianrhod, ‘the Castle of the Silver Circle,’ and was the heavenly abode of the Lady Arianrhod (Squire, 2000:154-155).
See also
References
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
- Squire, C. (2000). The mythology of the British Islands: an introduction to Celtic myth, legend, poetry and romance. London & Ware: UCL & Wordsworth Editions Ltd.
External links
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Constellation history |
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The 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD |
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The 41 modern additional constellations from 1603 AD and forth |
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