Giraffe (constellation): features, history

Among the near-pole clusters of stars, one can find a relatively young constellation Giraffe (Camelopardalis). We will talk about it right now. Giraffe - the constellation is quite large. It occupies a large area - 756.8 square degrees and consists of 144 faint stars.

And yet, the Giraffe can be observed every night throughout the year throughout the territory of Russia and some neighboring countries. It is most striking in the frosty nights of January and February. And watch it at this time can only be inverted. In the correct orientation, only in the summer is the constellation of the Giraffe.

How to find it?

Now tell. Find the constellation Giraffe in the sky is not difficult. It is located between Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper. From the North Star, you need to draw a mental line to the segment connecting the two stars - the Chapel (α Auriga) and the Dubha (α Big Dipper). So astronomers find α and β of the Giraffe. Other neighbors of this constellation are the Little Dipper, the Charioteer, Lynx, Perseus and the Dragon.

Occurrence

Giraffe - constellation, which appeared long ago. He is just over four hundred years old. It was first discovered in 1598 by Peter Plancius, a Danish astronomer, theologian and cartographer. Much later - in 1624 - more precisely the boundaries of the constellation identified Jacob Barcius - German astronomer, mathematician and doctor. In this he was helped by the observations of Danish and Dutch navigators, as well as the materials of astronomers Philip Mueller from Leipzig and Tycho Brahe from Denmark. After the publication of the starry atlas, astronomical circles became interested in the constellation.

Giraffe at the time was an exotic animal, which the sailors saw, and even then not all. Barcius noted that Plancius, in his comments, judging by the description, implied a camel. Apparently, as a tribute to the Bible, according to which it was on a camel Rebecca appeared in Canaan to Isaac, to marry him. Continuing to depict giraffes on maps, however, Barch corrected the name of the constellation for the "Camel". Therefore, the constellation of the Giraffe was originally called the "Camel". For a short time, both names were used. And yet later the second title - "Camel" - came out of use and was forgotten.

What attracts astronomers?

Despite the dullness, the Giraffe is a constellation that attracts many by its mysteriousness. You can see up to 50 stars in the clear sky without the help of optics. Astronomers-lovers of outer space in this constellation can attract many objects:

• The largest spiral galaxy NGC 2043;
• Scattered cluster NGC 1502;
• Asterism - The Camblad Cascade is a chain of 20 stars that are not visible to the naked eye;
• Α Giraffe - the blue supergiant;
• Γ Giraffe - double star;
• And, of course, the brightest double star β Giraffe.

But there is one new dwarf star constellation Giraffe - RU, which is equally interested in both professionals and amateurs. The fact is that for a long time it was considered variable and pulsating with a period of 22.055 days, but as early as 1964 the star made a small revolution in astronomy, when its amplitude of brightness change sharply fell, and then, in 1965, it again began to shine brightly And the same. That is, in the eyes of astronomers, it became permanent. To understand everything that happens with the RU star, specialists are very much helped by amateur astronomers who have joined their efforts in the world wide web of the Internet. By the way, the star Z Giraffe - RU can be seen even with the help of binoculars.

Initially, the place of the Giraffe was the constellation of Zeus the Thunderer, which in 1575 was suggested by an unknown astronomer. But it was not widely recognized and was forgotten in the course of time.

Mysterious legend

In Greek mythology, there is a legend as a giraffe appeared. Once Zeus decided to take a break from the daily worries and started a small affair with the marine nymph Caligippa, who lived on the northern coast of Africa. And everything was fine with them, and Hera did not know anything until one lover of satire noticed the nymph, hurrying to see Zeus.

He so wanted to spend time with Caligippa, that he jumped out of his hiding place with a cry. Afraid of a sharp sound, the nymph immediately turned into a horse and tried to escape. The satyr followed her, grabbed her by the legs and began to pull. Apparently, at this time Zeus, too, was on a date, but was still invisible. And he could not think of anything better than how to pull the unhappy Caligippa-horse by the head.

As a result, the nymph became a giraffe. Satyr received a lightning for not releasing Caligippu in time, Zeus listened to a couple of "sweet" words from his beloved wife, Hera, whose attention was attracted by a scuffle with special effects from Perun, and local fauna was replenished with a new kind of inhabitants.

Conclusion

And yet, why did the "Giraffe" constellation be called? What is it - a tribute to the first travels to southern countries or the trend of Greek myths? Now, for sure, no one will say.

Now you know that there is a constellation of the Giraffe. How to find it, we also considered. We hope that our information will be useful. And you will always remember that there is a constellation of the Giraffe in the polar star.