Raven (constellation)
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Raven constellation |
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| Latin name | Corvus |
| Latin genitive | Corvi |
| Abbreviation | Crv |
| Right ascension | 11 h 56 m 22 s to 12 h 56 m 40 s |
| declination | −25 ° 11 ′ 46 ″ to −11 ° 40 ′ 39 ″ |
| surface | 183,801 deg² rank 70 |
| Completely visible | 65.1 ° N to 90 ° S |
| Observation time for Central Europe | spring |
| Number of stars brighter than 3 mag | 3 |
| Brightest star (size) | Gamma Corvi (2.59) |
| Meteor streams | |
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Neighboring constellations ( clockwise from north ) |
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| swell | IAU , |
 The Raven constellation as seen with the naked eye |
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The raven ( Latin Corvus ) is a constellation south of the celestial equator .
description
The raven is a small constellation north of the water snake , with which it also has a close mythological relationship. The four brightest stars with an apparent brightness of 2.5 to 3 m form a conspicuous square.
The best time for observations in the evening are the months of March to May.
history
The raven is one of the 48 constellations of ancient astronomy mentioned by Ptolemy .
mythology
In Sumer and Babylonia the stars of the raven were known as UGA / Kakkab Aribu and were thought to belong to the weather god Adad . In Greek mythology , the raven is associated with the constellation cup and the water snake :
Apollo sent the raven for an offering to his father Zeus so that he could get water from a spring. The raven grabbed the mug and set off. On the way there, however, he saw not quite ripe figs on a fig tree, which he wanted to taste. So he waited a few days for the figs to ripen and only then did he finish his job. In order to have an excuse for being late, he grabbed a water snake and claimed that it had blocked the way to the spring.
But Apollo saw through the lie and punished the raven by the fact that he could no longer drink at the time the figs were ripe, and sent him to heaven as a warning, together with the cup and the water snake.
In another story, the raven is also banished to heaven as a punishment. He told Apollo that his pregnant lover, Koronis, was cheating. Out of anger, Apollon killed Koronis and her playmates. But he immediately regretted this and he was able to save the life of his unborn son. As a punishment, Apollon colored the white raven black and banished him to heaven.
Meteor streams
The meteor shower of Corvids can be observed in the period between June 27 and 28.
Celestial objects
Stars
| B. | F. | Names or other designations | size | Lj | Spectral class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| γ | 4th | Gienah , Gienah Ghurab | 2.59 m | 190 | B8 III |
| β | 9 | Kraz | 2.65 m | 140 | G5 II |
| δ | 7th | Algorab | 2.94 m | 120 | B9 V |
| ε | 2 | Minkar | 3.02 m | 303 | K2 III |
| α | 1 | Alchiba | 4.02 m | 49 | F2 IV |
| ζ | 5 | 5.20 m | 360 | ||
| η | 8th | 4.30 m | |||
| 3 | 5.45 m | ||||
| 6th | 5.66 m |
γ Corvi is the brightest star in Raven with an apparent magnitude of 2.6 m . It is a bluish-white star of spectral class B8, 190 light-years away . The name Gienah is of Arabic origin and means "wing".
The β Corvi , 96 light years away, is a yellowish shining star of the spectral class G5.
The names of the stars Minkar (ε Corvi) and Alchiba (α Corvi) are also Arabic and mean “beak” and “tent”.
Double stars
| system | Sizes | distance |
|---|---|---|
| δ | 3.0 m / 9.2 m | " |
| ζ | 5.2 m / 13.7 m |
δ Corvi ( algorab from Arabic al-ġurāb , "the raven") is a binary star system around 120 light years away.
Variable stars
| object | size | period | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. | 6.7 m -14.4 m | 317 days | Mira star |
R Corvi is a long-period variable star of the Mira type . Its brightness changes from 6.7 to 14.4 m over a period of 317 days .
Messier and NGC objects
| Messier (M) | NGC | other | size | Type | Surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4038 | 10.5 m | Galaxy | Antenna galaxy | ||
| 4039 | 10.5 m | Galaxy | Antenna galaxy | ||
| 4361 | 10.5 m | Planetary nebula |
The galaxy pair NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are found in the raven . Both galaxies were strongly deformed by the mutual gravitational effect , whereby two thin filaments , reminiscent of antennas, become visible on long-exposure photographs .
The Planetary Nebula NGC 4361 is about 4,300 light years away. In the center is the 12.8 m bright central star, a white dwarf .
