Kiel is a constellation occupying a portion of the southern hemisphere of the sky with an area of 494.2 square degrees. The coordinates of full visibility are located south of 15 ° north latitude, which is why the constellation cannot be detected from the territory of Russia. The Latin name for this star cluster is Carinae (short for Car), which literally translates as ship keel.
Historical reference
Earlier, Kiel was not an independent constellation, but entered the Argo Navis or Argo Ship designated by Ptolemy. The name was given on the basis of an ancient Greek myth describing the voyage of Iason with a team of argonauts in search of a golden fleece.
Until the mid-18th century, Argo Navis remained part of the astronomical map until, in 1752, Luis de Lacaille divided it into three constellations: Kiel, Cormo and Sails. Later, Compass was added to this group.
General characteristics and photos of the constellation Kiel
Kiel is the 34th largest constellation. It is located in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere and is visible in latitudes from 15 to 90 degrees, the value of ascent ranges from 6 h 00 m to 11 h 15 m .
The constellation has 206 luminaries visible to the naked eye, several nebulae and various clusters. Notable astronomical objects are:
- stars Canopus, Aveor, epsilon (Eta) and ipsilon;
- Homunculus Nebula, Keyhole and NGC 3372;
- O-type stars;
- globular cluster NGC 2808;
- meteor showers Alpha and Eta Karinid;
- open cluster NGC 3532;
- Southern Pleiades;
- Diamond cluster (NGC 2516).
The southern constellation, otherwise called the theta cluster of the constellation Kiel, is visible to the naked eye and contains about 60 stars. NGC 2516 has about a hundred luminaries, among which the most significant objects are 2 red giants and 3 double stars. This cluster can be well seen even without the help of a telescope, for which it was called the Diamond.
The Milky Way passes through the northwestern part of Kiel. The constellation itself looks like a chaotic cluster, which does not have a certain geometric shape, but within its limits there are asterisms with an ordered arrangement of objects.
Location in the sky
The position of Kiel in the sky relative to the horizon changes throughout the year. The constellation reaches its highest point in winter, then at night it is fully visible. In summer, Kiel falls very low, partially going beyond the horizon so that after midnight the main star, Canopus, is not visible. However, in latitudes south of 37 degrees, it never hides.
The constellations surrounding Kiel include:
- Centaurus;
- Fly;
- Chameleon;
- Stern;
- Sail;
- Painter.
The easiest way to find Kiel in the sky is Canopus - a star lying below the 37th parallel of the Northern Hemisphere. Two asterisms resembling rhombs can serve as additional reference points. They can determine the position of the keel in the event that the alpha star is not visible.
Main stars
The star HR 2326, otherwise known as Canopus, shines most brightly in the constellation Kiel. It is 310 light-years distant from Earth and is a bright giant, assigned to the spectral class F0 (yellow-white). This is the main star in the constellation Kiel, which is still used in navigation, and not only marine, but also space. HR 2326 is assigned to the association of OB stars Scorpio-Centaurus.
At the moment, Canopus is the second brightest in the entire sky and the first in its southern part. The diameter of this star is 64 times larger than that of the Sun, the mass exceeds it by 8-9 times, and the radiation force is 14 thousand. The surface temperature of Canopus reaches 7600 degrees Kelvin. The apparent magnitude HR 2326 is -0.72, which is about 2 times less than that of Sirius.
South of Canopus is the second brightest constellation object - Avior, which becomes visible starting from the 30th parallel of the Northern Hemisphere. It consists of two stars - an orange giant and a blue dwarf. The alternative name for Avior is epsilon of the constellation Kiel.
Another remarkable object of Kiel is the two-star system Eta, which at the time of its maximum glow (1843) was the second brightest star in the sky, and now due to attenuation it is not visible to the naked eye, although its size is 100 times the size of the Sun. In China, this star is called the Altar of Heaven. Epsilon of the constellation Kiel also consists of two stars - a white super-giant and a blue-white giant, which are part of one of the asterisms.
Kiel's beta star is called Mioplacidus and belongs to the spectral class A2 (white). This is one of the 6 brightest luminaries in this constellation, which, in addition to Canopus and Avior, also includes HR 2326, & iota, θ and υ Car. The remaining stars are much fainter and are on the verge of visibility. Eight luminaries with exoplanets were also found in the composition of Kiel. The trajectory of the geometric designation of the constellation passes through the main star (alpha, beta, etc.).
Homunculus Nebula
The nebula was formed in 1842 due to the emission of stellar matter from the Eta system. However, in the sky, Homunculus became visible only at the beginning of the 20th century by the time it reached the size of 0.7 light years. This nebula is characterized by gas-dynamic instability, due to which it has a lumpy structure and constantly changes its shape.
The homunculus is part of the larger Carina Nebula, designated NGC 3372. The latter includes several stars classified as type O. These objects are 7500 light-years distant from our planet. The nebula of the constellation Kiel is surrounded by several open star clusters.
Asterisms
The constellation Kiel includes 2 asterisms:
- Diamond cross - includes 4 bright stars (beta, theta, ipsilon and omega), forming an almost regular rhombus.
- False Cross - bordered by Sails and contains 4 objects belonging to these constellations.
Due to their similarity with the Southern Cross, these asterisms were often the cause of navigational errors of inexperienced sailors crossing the equatorial line.