Everything about Canes Venatici totally explained
Canes Venatici () is a small northern
constellation that was introduced by
Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. It represents the dogs
Chara and
Asterion held on a leash by
Boötes.
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
Cor Caroli (α² CVn), named by
Edmund Halley in memory of the king
Charles I,
King of England, or his son,
Charles II. It is of
magnitude 2.90.
La Superba (Y CVn) is a
semiregular variable star that varies between magnitudes 4.7 and 6.2 over a period of around 158 days. It is a
carbon star and is famous for being deep red.
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.
RS CVn is the prototype of a
special class of binary stars of
chromospherically active and optically
variable components.
Notable deep sky objects
Canes Venatici contains five
Messier objects, including four
galaxies. One of the more significant galaxies in Canes Venatici is the
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51, NGC 5194) and
NGC 5195, a small barred
spiral galaxy that's 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 notable spiral galaxies in Canes Venatici are the
Sunflower Galaxy (M63, NGC 5055),
Messier 94 (NGC 4736), and
Messier 106 (NGC 4258).
Messier 3 (NGC 5272) is a
globular cluster. It is 18' in diameter, and at magnitude 6.3 is bright enough to be seen with
binoculars.
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 didn't 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 translator 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.
The northern of the two hunting dogs was named
Asterion, and was sometimes regarded as an independent constellation or at least an asterism. The southern dog was named
Chara. The name of the dogs still lives in the alternate names of
α CVn.
The star
α CVn was initially regarded as an independent asterism or constellation. Its full name was
Cor Caroli Regis Martyris (after
Charles I of England who was executed for high treason), but irrespective of royal sympathies, such a name required abbreviation. Furthermore, the constellation contained just 1 star, α CVn, which in the end got the name
Cor Caroli.
Citations
Further Information
Get more info on 'Canes Venatici'.
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