Canes Venatici

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Canes venatici
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Abbreviation	CVn
Genitive	Canum Venaticorum
Symbology	the Hunting Dogs
Right ascension	13 h
Declination	+40°
Area	List of constellations by area>Ranked 38th
Number of stars (magnitude < 3)	1
Brightest star	Cor Caroli (α CVn) (Apparent magnitude>App. magnitude 2.90)
Meteor showers	Canes Venaticids
Bordering constellations	Ursa Major Boötes Coma Berenices
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −40° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of May
Canes Venatici (Latin for Hunting dogs) is a small northern constellation that was introduced by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. It is supposed to represent the dogs Chara and Asterion held on a leash by Boötes. Contents 1 Notable features 2 Notable deep sky objects 3 Possibility of planets 4 History 5 Notable and named stars 6 See also 7 External links Notable features Canes Venatici is one of three constellations that represent dogs, along with Canis Major and Canis Minor. The constellation's brightest star is α CVn, whose proper name is Cor Caroli, named by Edmund Halley in memory of the English King Charles I or his son, Charles II. It is of magnitude 2.90. Y CVn, sometimes known as "La Superba", is a semiregular variable star that varies between magnitudes 4.7 and 6.2 over a period of around 158 days. It is a very red star. AM CVn, a very blue star of magnitude 14, is the prototype of a special class of cataclysmic variable stars, in which the companion star is a white dwarf, rather than a main sequence star. Notable deep sky objects Canes Venatici contains five Messier objects, including five galaxies. One of the more significant galaxies in Canes Venatici is the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51 (NGC 5194 and NGC 5195), a spiral galaxy that is seen face on. This was the first galaxy recognised as having a spiral structure, this structure being first observed by Lord Rosse in 1845. --> Other galaxies in Canes Venatici include the Sunflower Galaxy (M63 or NGC 5055), Spiral Galaxy M94, and Spiral Galaxy M106, Messier 3 (M3, or NGC 5272) is a globular cluster. It is 18′ in diameter, and at magnitude 6.3 is bright enough to be seen in binoculars. Possibility of planets The star Chara or Asterion (Beta Canum Venaticorum) in this constellation has been selected a strong candidate for planets. Margaret Turnbull, an astronomer at the Carnagie Institution of Washington, has recommended that SETI's radio telescopes scan it. (see [Is Beta CVn lively]). History The name of the constellation of Bootes means "herdsman". Some of its component stars were traditionally described as representing his cudgel, which in Greek was called Κολλοροβος. When the Almagest was translated from Greek to Arabic, the translator did not know the Greek word Κολλοροβος, but rendered it as the nearest-looking Arabic word: dhāt al-kullāb ذات الكلاب "having a hook", probably thinking of a shepherd's crook. When the Arabic text was translated into a Western European language, the translater mistook the Arabic word كلاب as kilāb = "dogs": Latin hastile habens canes = "spearshaft having dogs", which expression floated about the astronomical literature until Hevelius decided to find those dogs in the sky. Notable and named stars BD F Names and other designations Right ascension Declination Mag. Ly away Comments α1,2 12 Cor Caroli, Alpha Canum Venaticorum, Chara 12h56m01.7s +38°19′06″ 2.90 110 binary star, component magnitudes, 2.89, 5.61 = the heart of Charles α² Canum Venaticorum is the prototype of the α² CVn variable stars (magnetic spectrum stars) β 8 Beta Canum Venaticorum, Chara 12h33m44.5s +41°21′27″ 4.26 27.4 < χαρά Joy, dear nearby solar twin 24 24 Canum Venaticorum 13h34m27.3s +49°00′58″ 4.70 191 20 20 Canum Venaticorum, AO Canum Venaticorum, 13h17m32.5s +40°34′21″ 4.73v 286 Delta Scuti variable 5 5 Canum Venaticorum 12h24m01.5s +51°33′44″ 4.80v 393 25 25 Canum Venaticorum 13h37m27.6s +36°17′42″ 4.82 192 binary star, component magnitudes +5.01, +6.91 La Superba, Y Canum Venaticorum 12h45m07.8s +45°26′25″ 4.99v 711 carbon star 6 6 Canum Venaticorum 12h25m50.9s +39°01′07″ 5.02 227 21 21 Canum Venaticorum, BK Canum Venaticorum, 13h18m14.5s +49°40′55″ 5.15v 275 Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable 14 14 Canum Venaticorum 13h05m44.5s +35°47′56″ 5.25 3 3 Canum Venaticorum 12h19m48.7s +48°59′03″ 5.29 23 23 Canum Venaticorum 13h20m19.0s +40°09′02″ 5.60 2 2 Canum Venaticorum 12h16m07.6s +40°39′37″ 5.66 19 19 Canum Venaticorum 13h15m32.0s +40°51′19″ 5.77 245 17 17 Canum Venaticorum 13h10m03.2s +38°29′56″ 5.91 10 10 Canum Venaticorum 12h44m59.5s +39°16′44″ 5.95 4 4 Canum Venaticorum, AI Canum Venaticorum 12h23m47.0s +42°32′34″ 6.06v 335 Delta Scuti variable 7 7 Canum Venaticorum 12h30m02.9s +51°32′08″ 6.21 11 11 Canum Venaticorum 12h48m41.8s +48°28′01″ 6.27 15 15 Canum Venaticorum 13h09m42.0s +38°32′02″ 6.28 9 9 Canum Venaticorum 12h38m46.3s +40°52′28″ 6.37 Source: [The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.], [The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200] See also Constellations introduced by Johannes Hevelius in the 1690 text Firmamentum Sobiescianum Canes Venatici | Lacerta | Leo Minor | Lynx | Scutum | Sextans | Vulpecula Obsolete Constellations introduced by Johannes Hevelius in the 1690 text Firmamentum Sobiescianum Cerberus | Mons Maenalus | Triangulum Minor External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: [Special] [The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Canes Venatici]   From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 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