Carina constellation
| Constellation | |
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| Abbreviation | Car |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Carinae |
| Pronunciation | /kəˈraɪnə/, genitive /kəˈraɪniː/ |
| Symbolism | the keel |
| Right ascension | 06h 02m 59.7365s–11h 20m 37.4211s |
| Declination | −50.7545471°–−75.6840134° |
| Area | 494 sq. deg. (34th) |
| Main stars | 9 |
|
Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
52 |
| Stars with planets | 11 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 6 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 1 |
| Brightest star | Canopus (α Car) (−0.72m) |
| Messier objects | 0 |
| Meteor showers | |
| Bordering constellations |
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Visible at latitudes between +20° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March. |
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Carina /kəˈraɪnə/ is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis (the ship Argo) until that constellation was divided into three pieces, the other two being Puppis (the poop deck), and Vela (the sails of the ship).
Carina was once a part of Argo Navis, the great ship of Jason and the Argonauts who searched for the Golden Fleece. The constellation of Argo was introduced in ancient Greece. However, due to the massive size of Argo Navis and the sheer number of stars that required separate designation, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided Argo into three sections in 1763, including Carina (the keel). In the 19th century, these three became established as separate constellations, and were formally included in the list of 88 modern IAU constellations in 1930. Lacaille kept a single set of Greek letters for the whole of Argo, and separate sets of Latin letter designations for each of the three sections. Therefore, Carina has the α, β and ε, Vela has γ and δ, Puppis has ζ, and so on.
Carina contains Canopus, a white-hued supergiant that is the second brightest star in the night sky at magnitude −0.72, 313 light-years from Earth. Alpha Carinae, as Canopus is formally designated, is a variable star that varies by approximately 0.1 magnitudes. Its traditional name comes from the mythological Canopus, who was a navigator for Menelaus, king of Sparta.
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Wikipedia