In the southern hemisphere, next to Sagittarius and Scorpio, there is a very small constellation - the Southern Crown. Why is this constellation interesting, why is it so named? And how far is it from the constellation Northern Corona? In this article, you will find answers to all these interesting questions.
Origin of the name of the constellation Southern Crown
Our whole sky is dotted with millions of stars, different in brightness and size. Astronomers long ago combined many of them into constellations to make it easier to navigate.
Two "crowns" can be observed in the sky at night, each of them is named according to the hemisphere in which it is visible. The constellation in the southern hemisphere is called the Southern Crown, in the northern - the Northern Crown.
The constellation Southern Crown was one of the first 48 constellations that Claudius Ptolemy pointed out in his catalog of the starry sky back in the second century. Previously, this constellation was called the Wheel of Ixion, Prometheus, Vessel, Uranix. It got its modern name thanks to the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius.
The origin of the name has nothing to do with any particular myth, butthis account there is only guesswork. According to one version, the location of the stars in the constellation symbolizes the wreath on the head of the centaur Chiron, a wise and kind teacher of the heroes of Greek mythology. According to another version, the god Dionysus awarded the poetess Corinne with a crown in honor of the victory over Pindar in competitions in Thebes, after which the golden crown was immortalized in heaven in the form of a constellation. A third legend says that the crown was placed in heaven after Dionysus freed his own mother from the Kingdom of Hades. Often this legend is attributed to the constellation Northern Crown.
Many scientists believe that the constellation got its name because of its similarity with the constellation Northern Crown.
How to find the Southern Crown in the sky
This constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky is rather dim, but you can see it if you want. There are 40 stars in the Southern Corona, 20 of which are visible to the naked eye. July and August are the best time to visit. The constellation is seen especially well at a latitude of 44 degrees. In the south of Russia, it is completely visible, in the central regions - partially.
The easiest way to find the Southern Crown is in the sky, based on the constellation Sagittarius. First you need to find Kaus Australis - the brightest star in Sagittarius. In the southeast of Kaus Australis, in the form of an arc, the South Crown will be located. To the south of Corona are the constellations Altar and Telescope, and to the west is Scorpio.
Stars in the Southern Crown
Alphecca Meridiana is the alpha of this constellation, it ismeans that it is the brightest star in the Southern Corona. Even the brightest stars of the constellation do not exceed 5m in apparent magnitude. Alphecca is a blue giant. It is 2.5 times larger than the Sun and is located at a distance of 130 light years from it. It is the only named star in this constellation.
The second brightest star is much farther away than the first (about 500 light-years from the Sun). This is an orange giant, which is 43 times larger than our star. The third largest star (gamma) is a double star.
The Southern Corona contains a cloud of cosmic dust eight light-years across, as well as a globular cluster NGC 6541 at a distance of 15,000 light-years, which was discovered back in the 19th century.
Other objects that may be of interest to astronomers are nebulae. There are three of them in this constellation, all of them are blue. The nebula NGC 6729 has both emissive and reflective properties.
Conclusion
The constellation in the southern hemisphere bears little resemblance to the constellation Northern Crown. And although it may owe its name to its northern "namesake", this constellation has many features.
