Keel of the ship
Constellation keel of the ship |
|
---|---|
Latin name | Carina |
Latin genitive | Carinae |
Abbreviation | Car |
Right ascension | 06 h 02 m 46 s to 11 h 20 m 37 s |
declination | −75 ° 41 ′ 02 ″ to −50 ° 45 ′ 16 ″ |
surface | 494.184 deg² rank 34 |
Completely visible | 14.1 ° N to 90 ° S |
Observation time for Central Europe | Not observable |
Number of stars brighter than 3 mag | 6th |
Brightest star (size) | Canopus (-0.62) |
Meteor streams | |
Neighboring constellations ( clockwise from north ) |
|
swell | IAU , |
Ship's keel or keel of the ship , in today's astronomical usage Carina (from Latin ) is a constellation of the southern sky.
description
The keel of the ship runs below the constellations of the ship aft deck and Vela out. It contains the strikingly bright star Canopus . The constellation cannot be seen from Germany.
history
The keel of the ship is part of the ancient constellation Argo Navis , which was one of the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy .
Since the very extensive Argo Navis was too confusing for the French astronomer Lacaille for astronomy, he divided it in 1763 into the constellations keel of the ship, aft deck of the ship (Puppis) and sails of the ship (Vela). The original star designations were retained, so that each Greek letter appears only once in the three constellations. Therefore there is a star α Carinae (Canopus), but no stars α Puppis or α Velorum.
After the British astronomer Edmond Halley had observed the southern sky from the island of St. Helena , he published a catalog of stars in 1679 in which he described the region around the star β Carinae as Robur Carolis , "Karlseiche". This meant the tree in which the English King Charles II hid himself in 1651 after his defeat by Oliver Cromwell . Halley's suggestion could not prevail, however.
mythology
In Greek mythology, Argo Navis was the ship of Jason and his companions, the Argonauts . They were looking for the golden fleece , a gold-colored ram's skin. Jason, son of King Aison of Thessaly , had been deprived of the line of succession by his half-brother Pelias . Jason was to regain the throne when he brought Pelias the golden fleece - an almost impossible task, since the fabulous fur in a sacred grove in Colchis was guarded by a deadly dragon. With the help of the king's daughter Medea , however, Jason came into possession of the fur. The ship Argo and the fleece were placed in the sky, the latter as the constellation Aries .
For the ancient Egyptians , the constellation was also a ship with which their god Osiris sailed. In Canopus they saw a helmsman.
Celestial objects
Stars
B. | F. | Names or other designations | size | Lj | Spectral class |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
α | Canopus , Suhail, Suhel | −0.62 m | 310 | F0 Ib | |
β | Miaplacidus | 1.67 m | 113 | A2 IV | |
ε | Avior | 1.86 m | 632 | K3 III + B2 V | |
ι | Turais , Tureis, Aspidiske, Scutum | 2.21 m | 700 | A9 Ib | |
θ | Theta Carinae | 2.76 m | 455 | B0 Vp | |
υ | 2.92 m | ||||
ν | 3.0 m | 1000 | A8 + A8 | ||
ω | Omega Carinae | 3.29 m | 250 | B8 III | |
p | 3.30 m | 300 | B3 V | ||
q | 3.39 m | 600 | K4 II | ||
a | 3.43 m | 600 | B2 IV | ||
χ | 3.46 m | 600 | B2 IV | ||
1 | 3.69 m | ||||
u | 3.78 m | 70 | K0 + B3 | ||
s | 3.81 m | 500 | F1 II | ||
c | 3.84 m | 500 | B8 II | ||
x | V382 Carinae | 3.93 m | 6000 | G0 Ia-0 | |
i | 3.96 m | 800 | B3 II | ||
l | 3.3 to 4.2 m | ||||
I. | 3.99 m | ||||
H | 4.08 m | ||||
d | 4.31 m | ||||
G | 4.34 m | ||||
N | 4.35 m | ||||
A. | 4.41 m | ||||
r | 4.45 m | ||||
G | 4.47 m | ||||
f | 4.50 m | ||||
m | 4.51 m | ||||
y | 4.58 m | ||||
w | 4.59 m | ||||
z | 4.62 m | ||||
p | 4.65 m | ||||
E. | 4.66 m | ||||
t2 | 4.69 m | ||||
K | 4.72 m | ||||
B. | 4.74 m | ||||
k | 4.79 m | ||||
D. | 4.81 m | ||||
e2 | 4.84 m | ||||
b1 | 4.93 m | ||||
Q | 4.93 m | ||||
L. | 4.97 m | ||||
t1 | 5.08 m | ||||
z2 | 5.11 m | ||||
23 | 5.14 m | ||||
M. | 5.15 m | ||||
c | 5.16 m | ||||
b2 | 5.17 m | ||||
e1 | 5.27 m | ||||
H | 5.46 m | ||||
O | 5.60 m | ||||
η | Eta Carinae , Foramen, Tseen She | 6.21 (-0.8 - +7.9) m | O |
α Carinae is an extremely bright star of the spectral class F0 at a distance of 310 light years . With an apparent brightness of −0.62 m, it is the second brightest star in the night sky after Sirius .
The name Canopus comes from the ancient Greek legend about the conquest of the city of Troy . Canopus was Menelaus' helmsman .
β Carinae belongs to the spectral class A2 and is around 113 light years away. His proper name Miaplacidus is a combination of Arabic and Latin and means "watering place".
ε is 632 light years away and belongs to the spectral class K3.
The star Eta Carinae , 7,500 light years away, is an extremely interesting object. With a brightness of 6.21 m , it can no longer be seen with the naked eye today. When Edmond Halley set up his star catalog in the 17th century , Eta Carinae was much brighter at 4 m , although the brightness changed irregularly. In the years 1833 to 1843 the brightness increased dramatically and Eta Carinae was the second brightest star in the sky with -1 m . At this point in time, the star must have had four million times the luminosity of our sun . In the following years the visible brightness decreased. Studies show, however, that the star is still extremely luminous, although its radiation is absorbed by ejected gas and dust clouds and given off as long-wave infrared radiation . Eta Carinae has apparently reached a terminal stage and will explode as a supernova in the near future . The explosion may have already taken place, but the flash of light has not yet reached Earth due to the immense distance.
Double stars
system | Sizes | distance |
---|---|---|
υ | 3.1 m / 6.0 m | 127 " |
u | 3.8 m / 6.3 m | 157 " |
I (ZZ Car) | 4.0 m / 6.2 m | 233 " |
b 1 | 4.9 m / 6.7 m | 40.3 " |
The constellation contains several binary star systems that can be resolved into single stars with a smaller telescope .
υ Carinae consists of two stars of the spectral class A8. The system is about 1,000 light years away.
u Carinae is 70 light years away and consists of a red star of the spectral class K0 and a white luminous companion of the class B3.
I Carinae, also known as ZZ Carinae, is a binary star system 1,500 light years away, which consists of two extremely bright stars of the spectral classes F2 and A2. I Car is also a variable star.
b 1 Carinae is 1,000 light years away and consists of two whitish glowing components of the spectral classes B3 and B9.
Variable stars
object | size | period | Type |
---|---|---|---|
η | −0.8 m to 7.9 m | 85.1 days / 5.54 years | LBV |
R. | 3.9 m to 10.3 m | 308.7 days | Mira star |
l (ZZ Car) | 3.3 m to 4.2 m | 35.53 days | Cepheid |
R Carinae is a variable star of the Mira type , the brightness of which changes sharply over a period of 308.7 days. At its maximum, the star is 3.9 m bright and can easily be seen with the naked eye. At a minimum, the brightness drops to just 10.3 m , and a telescope is required for observation.
I or ZZ Carinae is a variable of the Cepheid type whose star envelope pulsates at regular intervals of 35.53 days. The brightness varies between 3.3 m and 4.2 m .
Messier and NGC objects
Messier (M) | NGC | other | size | Type | Surname |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2516 | 4 m | Open star cluster | |||
2808 | 6.5 m | Globular clusters | |||
3114 | 4.5 m | Open star cluster | |||
3293 | 5.5 m | Open star cluster | |||
IC 2602 | 2 m | Open star cluster | Southern Pleiades | ||
3372 | 3 m | Emission nebula | Eta Carinae Nebula | ||
3532 | 3.5 m | Open star cluster | |||
3603 | 9.1 m | Open star cluster |
The ribbon of the Milky Way runs through part of the constellation . There are some open star clusters and foggy objects here. Since the French astronomer Charles Messier could not see the constellation from his place of observation, no “ Messier objects” are recorded in the constellation.
NGC 2516 is an open star cluster 2,000 light years away that is easy to see with the naked eye. In a Prism Binocular a variety of stars is visible.
NGC 2808 is a globular cluster 30,000 light years away that appears as a misty spot in binoculars. To resolve it into single stars you need a telescope.
The open star cluster NGC 3114 is 2,500 light years away. It is a nice object for binoculars or a telescope.
NGC 3293 is an open star cluster 5,000 light years away that appears as a foggy object in binoculars. To resolve it you need a telescope.
The open star cluster IC 2602 is also called "Southern Pleiades". The star cluster, 800 light years away, is similar to the Pleiades , albeit a little fainter.
NGC 3372 is the emission nebula around the star Eta Carinae . The nebula can already be seen with the naked eye and shows interesting structures in binoculars or in the telescope at low magnification.
NGC 3603 is an open star cluster around 20,000 light years away. It has the largest known cluster of giant stars, so-called Wolf-Rayet stars , in our Milky Way.
Other objects
In 1898 the astronomer Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming discovered the planetary nebula IC 2448 .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Steinicke: Discovery and cataloging of nebulae and star clusters. Retrieved April 11, 2013 .