MYTHOLOGY

Corona Borealis is one of the 48 constellations

listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the
second century. Its name means “northern crown”
in Latin. This is an ancient constellation that has
its roots in many cultures. It has been depicted as
a circle of elders, an eagle’s nest, and a bear’s den.
In Celtic mythology, it was known as Caer
Arianrhod, the Castle of Arianrhod. It represented
the home of the Lady Arianrhod. In Greek
mythology, it represented the crown that Ariadne,
the daughter of King Minos of Crete, wore at her
wedding. Her ball of thread helped Theseus defeat
the Minotaur and find his way out of the labyrinth.
Theseus gave her the crown when they married.
The crown was created by the supreme goldsmith
of the gods, Hephaestus.
FUNCTION
The Latin genitive of the constellation
name is "Coronae Borealis"
(pronounced koʊˈroʊniː bɔːriˈælɪs) and
it is used to identify some of the
brightest stars in this constellation
based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star
naming convention. For instance: α
Coronae Borealis (the brightest star of
Corona Borealis based on the Bayer
catalog); or 23 Coronae Borealis (the
23th star in the constellation of Corona
Borealis based on the Flamsteed
catalog).

SPECIAL FEATURE
The stars in this constellation form a wreath or crown. Alphecca is the
brightest star in Corona Borealis and is visible all night long in May. It is an
eclipsing binary star 75 light years from earth. Beta Coronae Borealis or
Nusakan is the second brightest star and is 112 light years away. NGC 6085 is
a spiral galaxy that forms a flat rotating disk of stars, nebulae and gaseous
material. The Corona Borealis constellation is home to a distant super
cluster of galaxies. Super clusters contain 100's of galaxies bound together
by gravity and are the largest concentrations of mass in the universe.

LOCATIONS AND DISCOVERER

Corona Borealis is one
YREVOCSID

As mentioned above, Corona Borealis is the 73rd

largest constellation in the sky and is considered
of the 48 constellations
to be fairly small. It is located in the third
quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ3) and listed by the Greek
stretches for around 179 square degrees.
astronomer Ptolemy in

It can be seen at latitudes between +90° and the second century. Its
-50°. It’s best seen at 9pm, during July and its name means “northern
right ascension is 15h 16m 03s – 16h 25m 07s and
its declination is 39.7117195° – 25.5380573°. crown” in Latin.