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Cnc - Cancer the Crab

  • Cnc - Cancer the Crab

    IAU Constellation
    Cnc - Cancer the Crab

    Size

    31 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Zodiac
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    A faint constellation between Gemini and Leo.

  • CMi - Canis Minor the Little Dog

    IAU Constellation
    CMi - Canis Minor the Little Dog

    Size

    71 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Procyon, the brightest star of Canis Minor, serves as the vertex of the Winter Hexagon lying between Gemini and Sirius.

  • Gem - Gemini the Twins

    IAU Constellation
    Gem - Gemini the Twins

    Size

    30 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Zodiac
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    Look for the two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, which form one vertex of the Winter Hexagon. Castor is closer to Capella, in Auriga on the north; and Pollus is closer to Procyon, in Canis Minor on the south. Cancer and Leo lie to the east.

    The Geminids meteor shower occurs around October 19.

  • Hya - Hydra the Water Snake

    IAU Constellation
    Hya - Hydra the Water Snake

    Size

    1 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Hydra the Water Snake is the largest and longest of the constellations, stretching from Cancer to Libra. Several constellations and asterisms ride on its back; from head to tail they are Sextans the Sextant, Crater the Cup, Corvus the Crow, and Noctua the Owl.

  • Leo - Leo the Lion

    IAU Constellation
    Leo - Leo the Lion

    Size

    12 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Zodiac
    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    East of the Gemini twins lies Leo the Lion.

    Find the bowl of the Big Dipper. A line running through the two stars of the bowl of the Big Dipper on the side nearest the handle points almost directly to two other notable stars. Follow them below the bowl of the Dipper to Regulus.

    Leo’s mane looks like a backward question mark, or sickle. Regulus, the "dot" at the bottom of the mark, lies nearly on the ecliptic.

    His flank is a triangle of stars farther east.

  • Lyn - Lynx

    IAU Constellation
    Lyn - Lynx

    Size

    28 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    Lying between Ursa Major and Gemini, the Lynx is a row of very dim stars silhouetting its crouched outline. From antiquity the lynx was renowned for its keen night vision. Hevelius created this constellation in 1690, noting that one needs the eyes of a lynx to see it.

  • M44 - Beehive Cluster

    Object image

    M44, Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF

    Object image source

    Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF
    Permission
    Public domain
  • Urania's Mirror (1825) card: Cancer

    Image

    Urania's Mirror, 1825: Cancer
  • M67

    Object image

    M67, Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF

    Object image source

    Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF
    Permission
    Public domain
  • Cancer Minor

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Tau - Taurus the Bull

IAU Constellation
Tau - Taurus the Bull

Size

17 of 88
Astronomical Regions
Zodiac
Northern
Equatorial

Intro and Visual description

Taurus the Bull is easily spotted. Its head is the Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars. His horns point outward from the V. Aldebaran is the red eye of the Bull as he charges down upon us.

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Kerry Magruder, Brent Purkaple, and Aja Tolman, editors, "The Sky Tonight: Cultural Archaeology of the Stars" (December 21, 2019 - ongoing), skytonight.org.


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