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  1. Stargazing
  2. Constellations

Cancer constellation: Facts about the crab in the zodiac

References
By Rebecca Sohn Contributions from Elizabeth Howell last updated 19 January 2024

Here we explore the dimmest zodiac constellation.

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cancer constellation is the dimmest of the zodiac constellations.
Here we explore the dimmest zodiac constellation. (Image credit: icafreitas via Getty Images)
Jump to:
  • Where is Cancer?
  • Cancer observing targets
  • Cancer exoplanets
  • Cancer in mythology
  • Additional resources
  • Bibliography

Cancer, the crab, is the dimmest of the 12 EarthSky.  

Related: What's your zodiac sign? (It may not be what you think it is) 

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Where is Cancer?

In both hemispheres, Cancer is most visible in March, April and May. Because the constellation is so dim, it shows up best in dark areas or during a Castor and constellation Leo, according to EarthSky. To find Regulus, you can first look for the Big Dipper, according to Little Astronomy, the common group of stars that looks like a drinking gourd and is almost exactly north in the Northern Hemisphere. If you were to draw a line from the bottom of the "gourd," it would point at Regulus.

To find Castor and Pollux, imagine drawing a line from the "handle" part of the Big Dipper through its "gourd." That line would eventually reach Pollux, with the equally brilliant Castor close by. Cancer forms a sort of upside-down Y shape in the middle of these bright stars, formed by just five main stars. The brightest and easiest to see are Delta Cancri, Acubens and Altarf (Beta Cancri), which form the triangle at the bottom of the constellation.

Cancer observing targets

View of the constellation of Cancer with the naked eye. At the center, we can see the famous stars cluster named M 44 (Messier 44) best telescopes guides may help.  

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Jargon buster 

Magnitude: An object's magnitude tells you how bright an object appears from Earth. In astronomy, magnitudes are represented on a numbered scale. The lower the number, the brighter the object. For example, an object with a magnitude of -1 is brighter than an object with a magnitude of 2.

Right ascension (RA): Right ascension is to the sky what longitude is to Earth's surface, corresponding to east and west directions. It's measured in hours, minutes and seconds, since, as Earth rotates, we see different parts of the sky throughout the night.

Declination (Dec): Declination tells you how high the object will rise in the sky. Like Earth's latitude, declination measures north and south. Its units are degrees, arc minutes and arc seconds. There are 60 arc minutes in a degree and 60 arc seconds in an arc minute.

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The Beehive Cluster 

The Beehive Cluster

Magnitude: 3.1

Approximate distance from Earth: 577 light-years

Location: 08h 40m 22s (right ascension), +19° 40' 19" (declination)

Also called Praesepe ("the manger" in Latin), the Beehive Cluster is one of the closest star clusters to The Sky Live. Almost all of the stars in this cluster are roughly the same age and distance from Earth, making Messier 67 a frequent target for scientists studying stellar evolution. 

NGC 2775 (Caldwell 48) 

The spiral pattern shown by the galaxy in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is striking because of its delicate, feathery nature. These "flocculent" spiral arms indicate that the recent history of star formation of the galaxy, known as NGC 2775, has been relatively quiet according to NASA. 

NGC 2608 

NGC 2608

Magnitude: 13.2

Approximate distance from Earth: 93 million light-years

Location: 08h 35m 17s (right ascension), +28° 28' 24" (declination)

Like our own galaxy, the The Sky Live. 

Cancer exoplanets

This artist’s impression shows the exoplanet 55 Cancri e as close-up. Due to its proximity to its parent star, the temperatures on the surface of the planet are thought to reach about 2000 degrees Celsius. solar system, known to have five or more planets. One of the planets — size of Jupiter, according to Constellation Guide.

Two other planets in Cancer are Pr0201b and Pr0211b, the first two sun makes its annual passage into them.

Additional resources

To find out more about the exoplanet 55 Cancri e, see this article in Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Canadian Space Agency has some https://earthsky.org/constellations/cancer-heres-your-constellation/

Lawrence, Pete. “A guide to the constellation Cancer,” BBC Sky at Night Magazine, April 9 2023. https://theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/messier-44-praesepe-cluster-object

The Sky Live. “Messier 67 (King Cobra) - Open Cluster in Cancer.” https://theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/ngc2775-object

The Sky Live. “NGC 2608 - Spiral Galaxy in Cancer.” https://theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/ngc2608-object

Elizabeth HowellFormer Staff Writer, Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)
  • Kim Ann ZimmermannSpace.com Contributor
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