In the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, Corvus is a tiny constellation. Its Latin name means "crow." It portrays a raven, a bird linked with myths about the god Apollo, seated on the back of Hydra the water snake, and is one of the forty-eight constellations identified by the second-century astronomer Ptolemy. Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Beta Corvi, the four brightest stars in the night sky, create a characteristic quadrilateral.
Gamma Corvi, also known as Gienah, is the brightest star in the constellation, with an apparent magnitude of 2.59. It is an ageing blue behemoth that is about four times the size of the Sun. Two debris discs have been discovered around the young star Eta Corvi. Exoplanets have been discovered in three star systems, with a fourth planetary system still to be discovered. TV Corvi is a dwarf nova, which means it has a white dwarf and a brown dwarf in close orbit. |
History and Mythology
What ultimately became known as Corvus was known as the Raven in Babylonian star catalogues dating back to at least 1100 BCE (MUL.UGA.MUSHEN). It was positioned on the Serpent's tail, as in more traditional Classical Greek Hydra astronomy. The Babylonian constellation was holy to Adad, the god of rain and storm, and would have risen immediately before the autumnal rainy season in the Second millennium BCE. In the Babylonian compendium MUL.APIN, Hydra represented Ningishzida, the god of the underworld, according to John H. Rogers. Corvus and Crater, along with Hydra, he claimed, were death emblems that marked the entrance to the underworld. (Rogers 1998) Around 500 BCE, the Greeks created these two constellations, together with the eagle Aquila and the fish Piscis Austrinus, to mark the winter and summer solstices, respectively. Furthermore, Hydra was a landmark in antiquity since it straddled the celestial equator. (Roslyn 2015) Corvus and Crater also appeared in Mithraism's iconography, which is assumed to have originated in the Middle East before spreading to Ancient Greece and Rome. (Rogers 1998) Corvus is linked to Apollo's lover Coronis the Lapith in Greek mythology. Coronis had betrayed Apollo, and when a pure white crow informed him of this, he turned its feathers black in a fit of wrath. (Ridpath & Tirion 2001) A crow stopped on his route to gather water for Apollo to eat figs, according to another tradition related to Corvus. Instead of telling Apollo the truth, he lied and claimed that a serpent named Hydra had barred him from entering the water while carrying a snake in his talons as proof. The crow (Corvus), cup (Crater), and snake (Hydra) were thrown into the sky by Apollo after he realised this was a falsehood. He further chastised the errant bird by assuring that it would be thirsty for the rest of its life, both on Earth and in the sky, where the Cup is just out of reach. (Ridpath & Tirion 2001) |
The stars of Corvus are placed within the Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què) in Chinese astronomy. The four primary stars indicate a chariot, Zhen, the 28th and final lunar mansion; Alpha and Eta represent the wheel linchpins, while Zeta represents Changsha, a coffin. The five primary stars of Corvus depict a hand or fist in Indian astrology and correlate to the Hasta, the 13th nakshatra or lunar house. (Harness 2004)
Several Polynesian cultures recognised Corvus as a constellation. Mee was the name given to it in the Marquesas Islands, Te Manu in Pukapuka, and Metua-ai-papa in the Society Islands. (Makemson 1941) Corvus was the right hand (carrying kupa fruit) of the large constellation Tagai, a man fishing, to Torres Strait Islanders. (Haddon 1912)
The constellation was interpreted as a land tortoise Geriguigui by the Bororo people of Mato Grosso, central Brazil, and an egret by the Tucano people of the northeastern Amazon region. (Cardoso 2016) Corvus may have appeared to the Tupi people of Brazil's So Lus Island as a grill or barbecue—seychouioura—on which fish were grilled. The depiction could alternatively be referring to Pegasus' Great Square. (Magana 1984)
Several Polynesian cultures recognised Corvus as a constellation. Mee was the name given to it in the Marquesas Islands, Te Manu in Pukapuka, and Metua-ai-papa in the Society Islands. (Makemson 1941) Corvus was the right hand (carrying kupa fruit) of the large constellation Tagai, a man fishing, to Torres Strait Islanders. (Haddon 1912)
The constellation was interpreted as a land tortoise Geriguigui by the Bororo people of Mato Grosso, central Brazil, and an egret by the Tucano people of the northeastern Amazon region. (Cardoso 2016) Corvus may have appeared to the Tupi people of Brazil's So Lus Island as a grill or barbecue—seychouioura—on which fish were grilled. The depiction could alternatively be referring to Pegasus' Great Square. (Magana 1984)
Characteristics
Corvus is the 70th largest constellation in the sky, covering 184 square degrees and so 0.446 percent of the sky. It is flanked on the north and east by Virgo, on the south by Hydra, and on the west by Crater. The International Astronomical Union established the three-letter abbreviation "Crv" for the constellation in 1922. (Russell 1922) The official constellation borders, established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, consist of a six-segment polygon. The right ascension coordinates of these borders are between 11h 56m 22s and 12h 56m 40s in the equatorial coordinate system, while the declination coordinates are between 11.68° and 25.20°. Because of its location in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, astronomers may see the entire constellation.
Corvus is the 70th largest constellation in the sky, covering 184 square degrees and so 0.446 percent of the sky. It is flanked on the north and east by Virgo, on the south by Hydra, and on the west by Crater. The International Astronomical Union established the three-letter abbreviation "Crv" for the constellation in 1922. (Russell 1922) The official constellation borders, established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, consist of a six-segment polygon. The right ascension coordinates of these borders are between 11h 56m 22s and 12h 56m 40s in the equatorial coordinate system, while the declination coordinates are between 11.68° and 25.20°. Because of its location in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, astronomers may see the entire constellation.
Deep-sky Objects
NGC 4361 – Planetary Nebula
NGC 4038 group – Group of galaxies
NGC 4027 – Barred Spiral Galaxy
NGC 4027A – Spiral Galaxy who has had a partial collision with NGC 4027
NGC 4782/ NGC 4783 – Merging Elliptical Galaxies
Main stars - 4
Bayer stars - 10
Stars with planets - 3
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 3
Stars within 32ly - 1
Bordering
constellations
Meteor showers
NGC 4361 – Planetary Nebula
NGC 4038 group – Group of galaxies
NGC 4027 – Barred Spiral Galaxy
NGC 4027A – Spiral Galaxy who has had a partial collision with NGC 4027
NGC 4782/ NGC 4783 – Merging Elliptical Galaxies
Main stars - 4
Bayer stars - 10
Stars with planets - 3
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 3
Stars within 32ly - 1
Bordering
constellations
- Virgo
- Crater
- Hydra
Meteor showers
- Corvids (not been seen since 1937 but linked to other meteor showers)
- Eta Corvids (not been seen since 1937 but linked to other meteor showers)