Cancer (constellation)

zodiac constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere

Cancer (pronounced /ˈkænsɚ/) is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. The name is Latin for crab. Its symbol is (Unicode ♋). Cancer is small and the stars are dim. It is between Gemini to the west and Leo to the east, Lynx to the north and Canis Minor and Hydra to the south.

Cancer
Constellation
Cancer
AbbreviationCnc
GenitiveCancri
Right ascension9
Declination+20
Area506 sq. deg. (31st)
Main stars5
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
76
Stars with planets1
Stars brighter than 3.00m0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)2
Brightest starβ Cnc (Altarf) (3.5m)
Messier objects2
Meteor showersDelta Cancrids
Bordering
constellations
Lynx
Gemini
Canis Minor
Hydra
Leo
Leo Minor (corner)
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −60°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March.

Right in the middle of the constellation is M44, the Beehive Cluster, one of the nearest open clusters to Earth.

References

change
  • Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, by Richard Hinckley Allen, Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-21079-7
  • Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4.
  • Dictionary of Symbols, by Carl G. Liungman, W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-31236-2

Other websites

change