Fill (constellation)
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Constellation Fill |
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|---|---|
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| Latin name | Equuleus |
| Latin genitive | Equulei |
| Abbreviation | Equ |
| Right ascension | 20 h 56 m 11 s to 21 h 26 m 20 s |
| declination | + 2 ° 28 ′ 38 ″ to + 13 ° 02 ′ 21 ″ |
| surface | 71.641 deg² rank 87 |
| Completely visible | 90 ° N to 77.4 ° S |
| Observation time for Central Europe | autumn |
| Number of stars brighter than 3 mag | 0 |
| Brightest star (size) | Kitalpha (3.92) |
| Meteor streams | |
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Neighboring constellations ( clockwise from north ) |
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| swell | IAU , |
The filling ( foals , Latin Equuleus ) is a constellation north of the celestial equator .
description
The filling is an inconspicuous constellation. It consists of about four stars visible to the naked eye , which are supposed to represent the head of a young horse. Only one star is brighter than the 4th magnitude .
You can find it if you follow the southeastern foothills of the Pegasus .
Filling is the second smallest constellation in the night sky. Only the Southern Cross is less extensive.
history
The filling is one of the classic 48 constellations of antiquity mentioned by Ptolemy .
mythology
The constellation is said to represent the foal Celeris , the brother of the winged horse Pegasus . The messenger of the gods Hermes gave it to Kastor , Pollux's twin brother .
Celestial objects
Stars
| B. | F. | Names or other designations | Apparent brightness (mag) | Lj | Spectral class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| α | 8th | Kitalpha | 3.92 | 186 | G0 III |
| δ | 7th | Delta Equulei | 4.49 | 55 | F7 V |
| γ | 5 | 4.69 | 120 | F0 IV | |
| β | 10 | 5.16 | |||
| ε | 1 | 5.23 | 150 | F5 + F7 | |
| 3 | 5.61 | ||||
| 9 | 5.82 | ||||
| 4th | 5.94 | ||||
| 6th | 6.07 | ||||
| λ | 2 | 5.94 |
Alpha Equulei , the brightest star in fill, is 150 light-years away. It is a yellowish shining star of the spectral class G0 III. The name Kitalpha is of old Arabic origin and means “the front part of the horse”.
Double stars
| system | Sizes | distance |
|---|---|---|
| δ | 5.0 / 5.0 | 0.35 " |
| γ | 4.7 / 11.6 | 2 " |
| ε | 6.0 / 6.3 / 7.2 | 0.72 "/ |
Delta Equulei is a binary star system 55 light years away. The two components orbit each other in just 5.7 years.
Gamma Equulei is visible to the naked eye as a double star , but a clear and moonless night is required. In addition to the 4.7 mag bright main star, a 6.0 mag bright star is visible at a distance of 6 arc minutes . However, it is only an "optical double star", i. That is, the stars stand in one direction as seen from the earth, but are at different distances.
The main star is actually a physical binary star. At a distance of 2 arc seconds there is a faint companion of the 11th magnitude, which is gravitationally bound to the main star. A telescope with a diameter of at least 15 cm is required for observation .
The Epsilon Equulei system consists of four stars that revolve around a common center of gravity.
Variable stars
| star | Apparent brightness (mag) | period | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| γ | 4.58 to 4.77 | 12.2 hours | Alpha Canes Venaticorum Star |
| R. | 8.0 to 15.7 | 261 days | Mira type |
The main star of the system γ Equulei is a short-period variable star of the Alpha-Canes Venaticorum type.
R Equuleis is a pulsation-variable star of the Mira type . These are bright red giants or supergiants that rhythmically expand and contract again, which can be observed as a clear fluctuation in brightness. During the maximum, R Equ becomes so bright that it can be seen with prism binoculars . At the minimum, the brightness drops to 15.7 mag, so that a larger telescope is required for observation.
Messier and NGC objects
| Messier (M) | NGC | other | size | Type | Surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7015 | Galaxy | ||||
| 7040 | Galaxy | ||||
| 7045 | Galaxy | ||||
| 7046 | Galaxy |
See also
Web links
