The Sky Tonight— images from historic star atlases, keyed to the modern constellationsA faint constellation between Gemini and Leo.
M44, Praesepe or Beehive (Galactic cluster), mag. 3.9. Look with binoculars for the Beehive star cluster, faintly visible to the naked eye.
Cancer is included in the ancient star catalogs of Eudoxos of Knidos, Aratos of Soli, and Ptolemy.
Sent by Juno to kill Hercules, who squashed it with his foot.
Asterisms: Asses and the Manger.
| Image | Representation | Date |
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Bayer, Uranometria (1661): Cancer | 1661 |
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Bayer, Uranometria (1661): Cancer, detail | 1661 |
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Bode (1801), Plate 13 | 1801 |
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Bode (1801), Plate 13: Cancer | 1801 |
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Bode (1801), plate 2: Libra Planisphere Uranographia Tab II. Stellatum Hemisphaeri um Librae. Bode included two planisphere plates. They are not southern and northern hemispheres; each one has Polaris at the top and the south pole at the bottom. Each… |
1801 |
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Hyginus (1485) figure: Cancer | 1485 |
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Urania's Mirror (1825) card: Cancer more | 1825 |
| And | Ant | Aps | Aql | Aqr | Ara | Ari | Aur | Boo | Cae | Cam | Cap | Car | Cas | Cen | Cep | Cet | Cha | Cir | CMa | CMi | Cnc | Col | Com | CrA | CrB | Crt | Cru | Crv | CVn | Cyg | Del | Dor | Dra | Equ | Eri | For | Gem | Gru | Her | Hor | Hya | Hyi | Ind | Lac | Leo | Lep | Lib | LMi | Lup | Lyn | Lyr | Men | Mic | Mon | Mus | Nor | Oct | Oph | Ori | Pav | Peg | Per | Phe | Pic | PsA | Psc | Pup | Pyx | Ret | Scl | Sco | Sct | Ser | Sex | Sge | Sgr | Tau | Tel | TrA | Tri | Tuc | UMa | UMi | Vel | Vir | Vol | Vul |