Spring Constellation, Lynx

Official name of constellation: Corona Borealis

Common Name: Corona Borealis

Translation of Name: The Northern Crown

Myth or Story associated: Corona Borealis is supposed to represent the crown crafted by the god Hephaestus and worn by Princess Ariadne of Crete on her wedding day. Princess Ariadne is most famous for helping the Greek hero, Theseus, defeat the Minotaur. It is said that when Princess Ariadne and the god Dionysus got married, she threw her crown into the sky, where the jewels turned into stars.

History of Discovery: It was first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2 nd century. At that time, Corona Borealis was simply known as Corona.

How to Locate in the Night Sky: Corona Borealis lies in between the constellations Boötes and Hercules. It lies in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere. It can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -50°. It is best seen during the month of July. Special Stars or Galaxies: It has four stars with known planets. Corona Borealis contains no bright deep sky objects, but it does contain the highly concentrated galaxy cluster Abell 2065.

Alphecca- Alpha Coronae Borealis is the brightest of the seven stars that make up the crown. It has an apparent magnitude between 2.21 and 2.32. Corona Borealis is also home to the Blaze Star (T Coronae Borealis). The Blaze Star is a recurrent nova that has a magnitude of about 10, but during outbursts, it can reach a magnitude of 2. R Coronae Borealis, also known as the Fade-Out Star, is the prototype star for the RCB type variables. These types of stars are where a cloud formation of carbon dust dims the star’s visual brightness by several magnitudes.