Cor Caroli. Image via F. Ringwald, Fresno State
Look for the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs behind the handle of the Big Dipper.
This beautiful drawing is by Jeremy Perez. See more of his astronomical drawings at his website Belt of Venus.
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Cor Caroli is the brightest star in the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs. It’s also called Alpha Canum Venaticorum. This star and Chara, Canes Venatici’s second brightest star, are probably the only two stars you’ll ever come to know within the boundaries of this tiny constellation. Follow the links below to learn more.
How can I spot the star Cor Caroli?
How did Cor Caroli get its name?
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How can I spot the star Cor Caroli? Though not bright, Cor Caroli is fairly easy to see in a dark country sky. The two stars of Canes Venatici are fairly easy to find, however, because they parallel the two end stars of the handle of the Big Dipper.
How did Cor Caroli get its name? Cor Caroli means Heart of Charles. Some say the star was named to honor King Charles I of England, who was beheaded in 1649 during the English Civil War. These sources claim Cor Caroli was labeled on old star charts as Cor Caroli Regis Martyris, or Heart of Charles the Martyr King.
Meanwhile, others say the star was named for Charles I’s son, Charles II. Sir Charles Scarborough, physician to Charles II, is sometimes given credit for having coined the name. It’s said Scarborough claimed the star shone with exceptional brilliance on the night of Charles II’s return to England in 1660 to restore the monarchy.
A small telescope reveals Cor Caroli to be a double star. So it’s easy to imagine father and son peacefully reunited in the heavens, after all their tumultuous years on Earth.
Science of Cor Caroli. Cor Caroli is a true binary star – two stars revolving around a common center of mass. The pair lies some 110 light-years away, and its two components are estimated to be 650 times the sun/Earth distance apart. One orbital period period may take as long as 7,900 years.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. If you’re familiar with the constellation Leo the Lion, you can star-hop to Cor Caroli by drawing an imaginary line from the star Alkaid of the Big Dipper to the Leo star Denebola. Click here for details.
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Bottom line: The star Cor Caroli, or Alpha Canum Venaticorum, is a binary star and the brightest star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1mLJBuO
Cor Caroli. Image via F. Ringwald, Fresno State
Look for the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs behind the handle of the Big Dipper.
This beautiful drawing is by Jeremy Perez. See more of his astronomical drawings at his website Belt of Venus.
Our annual fund-raiser is here! Help EarthSky stay an independent voice.
Cor Caroli is the brightest star in the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs. It’s also called Alpha Canum Venaticorum. This star and Chara, Canes Venatici’s second brightest star, are probably the only two stars you’ll ever come to know within the boundaries of this tiny constellation. Follow the links below to learn more.
How can I spot the star Cor Caroli?
How did Cor Caroli get its name?
EarthSky’s 2015 fund-raising campaign goes until April 16! Help keep us going.
How can I spot the star Cor Caroli? Though not bright, Cor Caroli is fairly easy to see in a dark country sky. The two stars of Canes Venatici are fairly easy to find, however, because they parallel the two end stars of the handle of the Big Dipper.
How did Cor Caroli get its name? Cor Caroli means Heart of Charles. Some say the star was named to honor King Charles I of England, who was beheaded in 1649 during the English Civil War. These sources claim Cor Caroli was labeled on old star charts as Cor Caroli Regis Martyris, or Heart of Charles the Martyr King.
Meanwhile, others say the star was named for Charles I’s son, Charles II. Sir Charles Scarborough, physician to Charles II, is sometimes given credit for having coined the name. It’s said Scarborough claimed the star shone with exceptional brilliance on the night of Charles II’s return to England in 1660 to restore the monarchy.
A small telescope reveals Cor Caroli to be a double star. So it’s easy to imagine father and son peacefully reunited in the heavens, after all their tumultuous years on Earth.
Science of Cor Caroli. Cor Caroli is a true binary star – two stars revolving around a common center of mass. The pair lies some 110 light-years away, and its two components are estimated to be 650 times the sun/Earth distance apart. One orbital period period may take as long as 7,900 years.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. If you’re familiar with the constellation Leo the Lion, you can star-hop to Cor Caroli by drawing an imaginary line from the star Alkaid of the Big Dipper to the Leo star Denebola. Click here for details.
Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
Bottom line: The star Cor Caroli, or Alpha Canum Venaticorum, is a binary star and the brightest star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1mLJBuO
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