Constellations of the Month: July – Corona Borealis:
We continue July with the next constellation of the month, Corona Borealis, “The Northern Crown.”

Corona Borealis constellation map courtesy of Openverse

Corona Borealis, “The Northern Crown” – The Corona Borealis constellation is located in the northern hemisphere, and symbolizes “the northern crown.” Corona Borealis is a small yet distinct constellation located in the northern sky. Its name translates to “the northern crown” in Latin. This constellation contains only four stars that are brighter than magnitude 3.00. It was initially catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy during the 2^nd century, at which time it was referred to simply as Corona. The Greeks perceived this constellation as symbolizing the southern crown, Corona Australis, depicted as a wreath.

Meninas Corona Borealis courtesy of Openverse

Key points regarding Corona Borealis:

• Meaning: The term “Corona Borealis” translates to “The Northern Crown” in Latin. The constellation Corona Borealis is positioned between the constellations Boötes and Hercules, Corona Borealis represents the crown of Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos in Greek mythology, who assisted the hero Theseus in defeating the Minotaur and navigating his way out of the labyrinth where the creature resided. In Celtic mythology, Corona Borealis is referred to as Caer Arianrhod, or the Castle of Arianrhod, the legendary residence of the mythical Lady Arianrhod. Corona Borealis is home to the well-known Blaze Star (T Coronae Borealis), which is a recurrent nova, as well as the Fade-Out Star (R Coronae Borealis). However, it lacks any prominent deep sky objects. The Corona Borealis Galaxy Cluster (Abell 2065) does not feature any galaxies that exceed 16th magnitude in brightness.
• Notable stars: Alpha Coronae Borealis is the brightest star in Ariadne’s crown and is an eclipsing binary star with a period of 17.36 days. It is about 75 light years away and includes a white A0V main sequence star and a young yellow G5 companion star. Known by names such as Alphecca and Gemma, it is part of the Ursa Major Moving Group.Beta Coronae Borealis is a spectroscopic binary with a period of 10.5 years and an apparent magnitude that varies between 3.65 and 3.72. It is 114 light years distant and is traditionally called Nusakan.Gamma Coronae Borealis is a close binary star with a 91-year orbit, classified as a Delta Scuti variable, showing changes in brightness with an apparent magnitude from 3.80 to 3.86.Other stars include Zeta Coronae Borealis, a double star system about 220 light years away, and T Coronae Borealis, a red giant and recurrent nova located 2,000 light years away. Rho Coronae Borealis is a solar twin with a planet, while R Coronae Borealis is known for significant brightness changes. Kappa Coronae Borealis has a giant planet, and HD 144579 is the closest star in Corona Borealis at 13.91 light years from Earth. Other notable stars include Eta, Sigma, Delta, and Nu Coronae Borealis, each with unique characteristics.
• Other features: Abell 2065 is the only deep-sky item in it due to the small size. Abell 2065 is a galaxy cluster with a high density of galaxies, located in the constellation Corona Borealis. It is situated at a distance of approximately 1 to 1.5 billion light years and is found about one degree southwest of the star Beta Coronae Borealis, in the southwestern section of the constellation. This cluster comprises over 400 galaxies within a region that covers roughly one degree in the sky. The galaxies are located more than a billion light years away and are quite faint. The most luminous galaxy in the cluster has an apparent magnitude of 16.5.
• Mythology: Corona Borealis is linked to the myth of Princess Ariadne, who helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur, a creature born from her mother Pasiphae’s union with a bull. Ariadne married the god Dionysus, and the stars in Corona Borealis represent a crown made by Hephaestus that she wore on her wedding day. The Minotaur, Ariadne’s half-brother, was kept in a labyrinth designed by Daedalus. When Theseus volunteered to enter the labyrinth to fight the Minotaur, Ariadne fell in love with him and gave him a thread to find his way back after defeating the creature. They escaped together, but Theseus later abandoned her on Naxos. Dionysus found her, married her, and during the wedding, she threw her crown into the sky, forming the constellation. The brightest star, Gemma, is named after the Latin word for “jewel. ” Various cultures have their interpretations of this constellation, including Arab, Cheyenne, and Australian names.
• Visibility: Corona Borealis is the 73^rd largest constellation, covering 179 square degrees in the northern hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes from +90° to -50° and is surrounded by the constellations Boötes, Hercules, and Serpens Caput. Its name means “Northern Crown,” and it is abbreviated as CrB. This constellation is part of the Ursa Major family, including other constellations like Leo Minor and Draco. Corona Borealis has four stars with known planets and features its brightest star, Alphecca, but has no meteor showers or Messier objects. Corona Borealis comprises four designated stars. The star names that have been sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) include Alphecca, Kamui, Moldoveanu, and Nusakan.

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Constellations:

2. Constelación de Corona borealis en las Meninas courtesy of Openverse

Constellations of the Month:
July – Corona Borealis

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