Crater Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere
CRATER CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Chamaeleon , the Crater.
It is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name means ‘the cup’ in Latin and represents the cup of the Greek god Apollo.
The cup is depicted as a two-handed chalice and is associated with the story of Apollo and his sacred bird, represented by the neighbouring constellation Corvus.
According to the story, Apollo is about to make a sacrifice on the altar and needs some water to perform the ritual. He sends the raven or crow to fetch some water in his cup, but the bird gets distracted by a fig tree.
Crater houses the Crater 2 dwarf galaxy, the fourth largest dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way.
It is the 53rd largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of about 282 square degrees. It lies in SQ2, the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere.
Crater belongs to the Hercules family, along with Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens, Triangulum Australe, and Vulpecula.
Stars
Among the stars include:
- Alkes
- Al Sharasif
- Amansinaya
- Gamma Crateris
- Hunahpú
- R Crateris
- SZ Crateris
READ ALSO: Chamaeleon Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere