The constellation Crane is located in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere. Its area is 366 square degrees, which allows us to put this cluster in 45th place. There are 53 stars in total. It is possible to observe them from Earth with the naked eye. Unlike many other constellations, the Crane has no legend.
Discovery history
The constellation Crane, photos of which are given in the article, is one of the youngest. In 1598, it was placed on a globe by the Dutch astronomer Peter Plancius. And later, in 1603, Johann Bayer reproduced it in the star atlas "Uranometry", after which it received recognition. In Latin, the name of the constellation Grus. He also had another name - Flamingo.
Until the indicated time, astronomers were of the opinion that the constellation is part of the Southern Pisces. But Plancius, using the records of such Dutch navigators as Frederik de Houtman and Peter Dirkszoon, singled out a separate constellation.
Location and connection withmyths
The crane stretches from north to south - from the Southern Fish to the Toucan. In its environment, in addition to the two indicated clusters, one can see the Sculptor, the Phoenix, the Indian, the Microscope. In the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation Crane spans the fourth quadrant SQ4. You can find it in the following latitudes: from +34° to -90°.
Since the Crane was singled out, like the other 12 constellations, only by the end of the 16th century, no myths associated with it are found. Only one thread is visible, which leads to the crane, which was the sacred bird of the ancient Greek god Hermes.
Most often, the constellation is depicted as a large crane, whose head is raised up, the neck is slightly curved, and the wings are spread apart.
Observation conditions
In Russia, the Crane "shows up" only partially, in the southern regions, or rather, in areas located south of 53 degrees north. latitude. The largest number of stars included in it is best observed in September-October, since it is at this time that they are most distinguishable.
The brightest among them is Alnair, which has a magnitude of 1.7. It is located at a distance of 100 light years from us. This is one of the stars used in celestial navigation.
At the same time, she and Beta in the constellation of the Crane, as a rule, are not visible in Russia. They can be observed only in the south of North Ossetia, including in Ordzhonikidze, where their brilliance is visible at the very horizon. In addition, they shine in Ingushetia, inChechnya and Dagestan. And Beta Crane can also be seen while in the city of Vladivostok, at the very horizon, if conditions are favorable.
In the south of Russia, the constellation can be observed together with the two indicated stars, but still only partially. Full visibility is possible in areas south of 33 degrees north. latitude.
The brightest in the constellation
As noted above, the brightest of the stars belonging to the constellation under consideration is Alnair, or Alpha Crane. The first of these names in translation from Arabic (al-nayyir) means "bright".
Alnair's radius at 3, 4 p. greater than the radius of the Sun, and its mass is 4 times the solar mass. It is also brighter than the Sun by about 263 times. The age of the star is approaching 100 million years. The apparent value, called visual, - 1.74 - comes first in the constellation of the Crane. This space object is located at a distance of 101 light years from our system.
The rotation of Alnair is very fast, its speed is 215 km per second. It is noticed that the star emits a very large infrared radiation. Therefore, it is assumed that a dust disk can be placed in orbit.
Other top stars
Among them are the following:
- Beta Crane, or Gruid, is a red giant with a visual magnitude of 2.146. This indicator indicates that the star is 1500 times brighter than the Sun. She is 177 light away from us. years. In terms of brightness in the constellation of the Crane, it is on the 2ndpositions. The brightness is variable, changing over 37 days or longer by 0.4 magnitudes. Previously, this star was considered as part of the tail of the Southern Fish, and then it was attributed to the Crane. It exceeds the Sun by 2.4 times in mass, and by 180 times in radius.
- Gamma Crane, or Al Danab, is a giant with a visual magnitude of 3.003, which means it is 390 times brighter than the Sun. Its distance is 211 light years. In terms of brightness in the constellation, it is in third place. Rotates at a speed of 57 km per second. From Arabic, the name of the star is translated as "tail", which is a reference to its previous inclusion in the constellation of the Southern Pisces.
- Delta Crane is a double star with an apparent magnitude of 3.97. If you look for these two stars in the sky under good conditions, you can see them without using special instruments.
- Tau-1 Crane is a yellow dwarf. Here, the visual magnitude indicator is 6.03, and the distance from our system is 108.58 sv. of the year. In 2002, an exoplanet with a mass of 1.23 Jupiter masses was discovered in orbit. And in terms of brightness, it exceeds the latter by 3.6 times.
- Gliese 832 is classified as a red dwarf with an apparent visual magnitude of 8.66 and an absolute magnitude of 10.19. It is located at a distance of 16.16 St. from the solar system. Its age reaches 9.5 billion years. As for the size and mass of the star, they tend to be half those of the Sun. A rotation around its own axis takes 46 days. This object highlights the fact that it is closest in the constellationis to us and has two exoplanets.
