Abbreviation: Â Car
English Name: Â The Keel
Genitive: Canopus
Hemisphere: Southern Hemisphere (Never visible from the UK.)
Location:Â Between the constellations of Crux and Puppis.
Visible between latitudes: Â +20 and -90 degrees
Best season:Â Spring
Seen in three season:Â Winter, Spring and Summer
Best seen in:Â Â March
Seen between:Â January and April
Right Ascension (RA):Â 09 hour
Declination (DEC):Â -60 degrees
Area (square degrees): Â 494Â (34th)
Carina (The Keel)
- This constellation Carina in the southern sky, naming is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis (the ship Argo) until when the International Astronomical Union officially defined the 88 constellations and their boundaries, they split Argo Navis into 4 parts: Carina, Vela, Puppis, and Pyxis. (See the Sky Chart)
Messier Objects
- No Messier objects in Carina.
Features of interest
- Â NGC2516 – Open Cluster, visible to the naked-eye. Using binoculars, it’s possible to pick out some stars, the brighest being magnitude +5.0 red giant, scattered over an area of Sky the size of the Full Moon.
Names Stars
- Canopus (Alpha Car)
- Miaplacidus (Beta Car)
- Avior (Epsilon Car)
- Turais (Iota Car)
Others
- Photo of the constellation – Carina, as it appears to the naked-eye. (Lines have been added for clarity.)
- Sky Chart  –  Carina
- List of stars in Carina.
Back to The 88 Constellations Lists page.