Clarence Thomas

History

In the beginning included by Ptolémée in immense the Ship Argo, the constellation of the Hull was separated by from it Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille which divided the ship into three smaller constellations.

Observation of stars

Principal stars

Canopus (α Carinae)

Canopus (α Carinae) is the more brilliant second star of the skies after Sirius (α Canis Majoris.) It marks the rudder of old the Navire Argo and would bear the name of the pilot of the king Ménélas at the time of the Trojan War. A city Egypt was probably founded with its name. Ptolémée made its observations there since the temple.

Coincidentally, by its brightness and its position, far from the celestial equator, Canopus are also an important star for the navigation of the American space Sonde S.

65 times larger than the Sun, 15 000 times more luminous, Canopus are a Supergéante, but not massive enough to become in the long term a Supernova; it will probably finish like white Naine. It is possible that it has begun the fusion of sound Oxygen and could become dwarf white made up of Néon and oxygen, a case enough little running.

η Carinae

The other important star of the constellation is far from being most brilliant, with a magnitude from only 5 or 6. η Carinae is however one of the most luminous stars which one knows. Moved away of more than 8 000 light-years, 5 million times more luminous than the Sun, it has from 100 to 150 times the Mass of this one, near to the maximum limit before a star is shredded by its own radiations.

η Carinae is not even any more a Supergéante, rather a “hypergéante”: its diameter is more 1 000 times larger than that of the Sun and placed at the place of this last, it would extend well beyond the orbit from Jupiter.

From its size, η Carinae is unstable and its luminosity changes during time. In 1841, it even reached magnitude -1, by making the most brilliant star of the sky. It belongs to stars being likely the most to explode in Supernova in the next million years, perhaps even in a Hypernova, producing a start of gamma rays. In fact, in 1841, it ejecta two matter lobes as massive as the Sun of which it Diamètre reaches from now on one light-year.

It is possible that it is acted in fact of a star doubles, made up of two supergéantes distinct, orbiting one around the other in 5,5 years.

Other stars

The designations of stars of the Argo Ship were carried out by Johann Bayer before division of the immense constellation. The Greek letters were then assigned with the various constellations resultants and some of them thus miss with each one (for example, γ and δ does not appear in the constellation of the Hull because in fact the Voiles inherited it).

Avior (ε Carinae) is too in the south to receive a name Greek or Arab (60° in lower part of the celestial equator) and the origin of this one is unknown. It is a double star, not résolvable with the Télescope. One among it is a blue dwarf star of class B, the other an orange giant star of class K.

R Carinae, in the south-east of ι Carinae, is a “variable at long period” as Mira (ο Ceti); it varies in magnitude between 3,9 and 10 over one 309 days period.

Celestial objects

The north-eastern corner of the Hull is particularly rich in celestial objects visible with the naked eye, of which them cluster NGC 2808 (10° in the south d'ι Because), the brilliance IC 2602 (around θ Because), NGC 2516 (in south-east d'ε Because) and NGC 3532 (in the extreme North-East).

The Nebulous diffuse and open Cluster NGC 3372, of which η Carinae is the prominent member, is spectacular with the Télescope. It also contains dark spots of dust, like the nebula of the Keyhole .

See too

List of stars of the Hull

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