Carina (constellation)
Encyclopedia
Carina 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 in three.
, the second brightest star
in the night sky. It also contains the asterism
known as the 'Diamond Cross', which is larger than the Southern Cross (but fainter), and, from the perspective of the southern hemisphere viewer, upside down, the long axes of the two crosses being close to parallel.
in NGC 3372, also known as the Eta Carinae Nebula. It is a planetary
nebula visible to the naked eye that is being ejected by the erratic variable star Eta Carinae, one of the Milky Way's largest stars and one not far from becoming a supernova.
Since the Milky Way
runs through Carina, there are a large number of open cluster
s in the constellation. These include NGC 2516
and IC 2602
, the latter popularly known as the "Southern Pleiades."
NGC 3532
, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster, is a large binocular cluster having about 150 stars.
Carina also contains the naked-eye globular cluster
NGC 2808
. Epsilon Carinae
and Upsilon Carinae
are double stars visible in small telescopes.
meteor shower, which peaks around January 21 each year.
(南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què). The rest of the stars were were first classified by Xu Guanggi during the Ming Dynasty
, based on the knowledge acquired from western star charts, and placed among the The Southern Asterisms (近南極星區, Jìnnánjíxīngōu).
was a United States Navy
Crater class cargo ship
named after the constellation.
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
in the southern sky. Its name is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis
Argo Navis
Argo Navis was a large constellation in the southern sky that has since been divided into three constellations. It represented the Argo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology...
(the ship Argo) until that constellation was divided in three.
Stars
Carina contains CanopusCanopus
Canopus |Alpha]] Carinae) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina and Argo Navis, and the second brightest star in the night-time sky, after Sirius. Canopus's visual magnitude is −0.72, and it has an absolute magnitude of −5.53.Canopus is a supergiant of spectral...
, the second brightest star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the night sky. It also contains the asterism
Asterism
Asterism may refer to:* Asterism , a pattern of stars* Asterism , an optical phenomenon in gemstones* Asterism , a moderately rare typographical symbol denoting a break in passages...
known as the 'Diamond Cross', which is larger than the Southern Cross (but fainter), and, from the perspective of the southern hemisphere viewer, upside down, the long axes of the two crosses being close to parallel.
Deep sky objects
The most notable object in Carina is Homunculus NebulaHomunculus Nebula
The Homunculus Nebula is an emission nebula surrounding the massive star system Eta Carinae. The nebula is embedded within a much larger ionized hydrogen region, the Eta Carinae Nebula....
in NGC 3372, also known as the Eta Carinae Nebula. It is a planetary
Planetary
Planetary means relating to a planet or planets. It can also refer to:* Planetary , a comic book series by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday* Planetary habitability, the measure of an astronomical body's potential to develop and sustain life...
nebula visible to the naked eye that is being ejected by the erratic variable star Eta Carinae, one of the Milky Way's largest stars and one not far from becoming a supernova.
Since the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
runs through Carina, there are a large number of open cluster
Open cluster
An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way Galaxy, and many more are thought to exist...
s in the constellation. These include NGC 2516
NGC 2516
NGC 2516 is an open cluster in the southern sky in the constellation Carina near Volans discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751-1752. From its catalog numbers it is called NGC 2516 or C 96; its popular name is The Diamond Cluster....
and IC 2602
IC 2602
IC 2602 is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751 from South Africa. The cluster is at a distance of about 479 light-years away from Earth and can be seen with the naked eye...
, the latter popularly known as the "Southern Pleiades."
NGC 3532
NGC 3532
NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster, is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It got the name because through a telescope's eyepiece it appears like dozens of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well....
, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster, is a large binocular cluster having about 150 stars.
Carina also contains the naked-eye globular cluster
Globular cluster
A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. The name of this category of star cluster is...
NGC 2808
NGC 2808
NGC 2808 is a globular cluster in the constellation Carina. The cluster belongs to the Milky Way, and is one of our home galaxy's most massive clusters, containing more than a million stars...
. Epsilon Carinae
Epsilon Carinae
Epsilon Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina. At apparent magnitude +1.86 it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, but is not visible from the northern hemisphere....
and Upsilon Carinae
Upsilon Carinae
Upsilon Carinae is a binary star in the constellation Carina. It is part of the Diamond Cross asterism in southern Carina....
are double stars visible in small telescopes.
Meteors
Carina contains the radiant of the Eta CarinidsEta Carinids
The Eta Carinids are a meteor shower lasting from January 14 to 27 each year. It peaks on January 21. It was first discovered in 1961 in Australia. Roughly two to three meteors occur per hour at its maximum. It gets its name from the radiant which is close to the nebulous star Eta Carinae....
meteor shower, which peaks around January 21 each year.
Equivalents
From China (especially northern China), the stars of Carina can barely be seen. The star Canopus (the south polar star in Chinese astronomy) was located by Chinese astronomers in the The Vermillion Bird of the SouthVermilion Bird (Chinese constellation)
The Vermilion bird is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-element, the direction south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion bird of the South...
(南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què). The rest of the stars were were first classified by Xu Guanggi during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, based on the knowledge acquired from western star charts, and placed among the The Southern Asterisms (近南極星區, Jìnnánjíxīngōu).
Namesakes
USS Carina (AK-74)USS Carina (AK-74)
The USS Carina was a Crater-class cargo ship, and the only ship of the United States Navy to have this name. She was named for the southern constellation Carina, with most of her sister ships being named for the constellations or stars....
was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Crater class cargo ship
Crater class cargo ship
Crater-class cargo ship is a category of freighter that was constructed for use by the United States Navy during World War II under Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 type....
named after the constellation.