The constellation of Cancer is one of the most faded constellations. Around this constellation there are a large number of other clusters of stars: Hydra, Lynx, Leo, Gemini. The night southern constellation Cancer is observed, as a rule, in the period from January to May, because it is at this time that it is at its highest point above the horizon.
In the constellation, you can see about 60 stars without looking closely, among which only 5 are the brightest (4th magnitude). All the stars included in the constellation are connected by lines that create a kind of triangle, and at its top you can see a star chain. It is very difficult to see cancer in the figure formed by the stars, but in the atlases of the stars of ancient times it is depicted in this way.
The stars γ and δ form an amazing, albeit fuzzy, hazy "star". It is interesting that even in ancient times this extraordinary "star" was noticed and called "Manger", and those stars that form it were called "donkey". Even in ancient times, people believed that if the “donkeys” shine brightly, or the “Nursery”, on the contrary, is dark, then you need to wait for rain. FROMEver since the invention of the spyglass, this nebulous "star" has been found to be the star cluster that Galileo first noticed. The nebulous star "Manger" is an open cluster of stars, which includes about 100 stars (16 light-years in diameter). The amazing fact is that this amazing constellation of Cancer is approximately 520 space years away. Watching the constellation is so mesmerizing that it is impossible to tear yourself away from this cosmic abyss and the stars that inhabit it.
A fact that interests astrologers in this amazing cluster of stars: the constellation Cancer includes one of the brightest double stars (ι Cancer). It is this star that is the main one, its magnitude is about 4m, 2. Not far from it is a satellite, the size of which is 6m, 8. This the star captivates, it gleams with yellowness, and gives the satellite a blue glow. This sight is wonderful and fantastically beautiful, because it is the radiance of cosmic "diamonds".
Attention is also attracted by the relatively dim star that Cancer boasts. The constellation in this place is almost invisible to human vision, and the size of this distant star is about 5m. This star is a cluster of 5 stars that can be viewed with an extremely powerful telescope.
The constellation Cancer is present in the sky due to the fact that the nearest star to us, the Sun, moves along the ecliptic. Thanks to this movement, the star moves from the constellation toconstellation. There are twelve such star zodiac clusters in the cosmic abyss (the constellations of Aries, Cancer, Leo, Pisces, Gemini, Libra, Scorpio, Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Taurus).
About 2000 years ago, the place of the summer solstice was located in the region of the celestial sphere, where the amazing constellation Cancer is located. Due to the fact that the apparent movement was directed backwards, it resembled a cancer that moves backwards, which is why this region of the sky sphere was nicknamed that way.
Stars are one of the most mysterious wonders of the cosmos, it is a pleasure to study them!
