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. In total there are 53 stars in it. There is the possibility of observing them from the Earth with the naked eye. Unlike many other constellations, the Crane does not have a legend.
Discovery story
The constellation Crane, a photo of the objects 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 Planzius. And later, in 1603, Johann Bayer, it was reproduced in the stellar atlas "Uranometry", after which it received recognition. In Latin, the name of the constellation Grus. He also had another name - Flamingo.
Until that time, astronomers were of the opinion that the constellation is part of Southern Pisces. But Plancius, using the records of Dutch sailors such as Frederick de Hautman and Peter Dirkszun, singled out a separate constellation.
Location and connection with myths
The crane stretches from north to south - from South Pisces to Toucan. In his environment, in addition to these two clusters, you can see the Sculptor, Phoenix, Indian, Microscope. In the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation Crane covers the fourth quadrant SQ4. You can find it in the following latitudes: from + 34 ° to -90 °.
Since the Crane was isolated, like the other 12 constellations, only by the end of the 16th century, no myths associated with it were 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 "appears" only partially, in the southern regions, and more precisely - in areas located south of 53 degrees sowing. 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 value of 1.7. It is located at a distance of 100 light years from us. This is one of the stars that are used in astronavigation.
Moreover, her and Beta in the constellation Crane, as a rule, are not visible in Russia. They can be observed only in the south of North Ossetia, including Ordzhonikidze, where their brilliance is visible near the horizon. In addition, they shine in Ingushetia, in Chechnya and in Dagestan. And Beta Zhuravlya can also be seen while in the city of Vladivostok, near the horizon, if there are favorable conditions.
In southern 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 sowing. latitude.
The brightest in the constellation
As already noted above, the brightest of the stars belonging to the constellation in question is Alnair, or Alpha Crane. The first of these names translated from Arabic (al-nayyir) means "bright."
The radius of Alnair is 3.4 p. more than the radius of the sun, and its mass is 4 times greater than the solar. And also it is brighter than the Sun approximately 263 times. The age of the star is approaching 100 million years. The apparent magnitude, called visual, - 1.74 - comes first in the constellation Crane. This space object is located at a distance of 101 light years from our system.
Alnair rotation is very fast, its speed is 215 km per second. It is noticed that the star emits very large infrared radiation. Therefore, it is assumed that a dust disk may be placed in orbit.
Other major stars
Among them are the following:
- The Beta Crane, or Gruid, is a red giant whose visual magnitude is 2.146. This indicator indicates that the star is 1,500 times brighter than the Sun. She is 177 light distant from us. years. By brightness in the constellation Crane is in 2nd position. Brightness is variable, changing over a period of 37 days or longer by 0.4 magnitude. 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 in mass by 2.4 times, and in radius - by 180 times.
- Gamma Crane, or Al Danab, is a giant whose visual magnitude is 3.003, which suggests that it is 390 times brighter than the Sun. Its remoteness is 211 light years. The brightness in the constellation is in third place. It rotates at a speed of 57 km per second. In Arabic, the name of the star is translated as “tail”, which is a reference to its previous inclusion in the constellation South Pisces.
- The Crane Delta is a double star and has a visible magnitude, the value of which is 3.97. If you look for these two stars in the sky under good conditions, then you can see them without using special tools.
- Tau-1 Crane is a yellow dwarf. Here the indicator of visual magnitude is 6.03, and the distance from our system is 108.58 St. of the year. In 2002, an exoplanet was discovered in orbit, the mass of which is 1.23 times the mass of Jupiter. And in brightness, it exceeds the last 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. His age reaches 9.5 billion years. As for the size and mass of the star, they tend to half of those of the Sun. A revolution around its own axis takes 46 days. This object highlights the fact that it is closest to us in the constellation and has two exoplanets.