✧ Carina Carina is an asterism in Carina. ⢀·⢤⣀ ⢀⡴⠋ ⠈⠙⠒⠦⣄⡀ ⣠⠞ ⠉⠓⠲⢤⣀ ⢠⠞⠁ ⠈⠉⠓⠦⣄⡀ ⣀⣠•⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤•⠋ ⠉⠙● ⢀⣠⠤⠖⠋⠁ ·⠤·⠚⠉ · ⡇ ⡇ ⢸⠁ ·⡀ •⡀ ⠹⣄ ⠙⢦⡀ ⠘⢦ ⠙⢦⡀ ⣀⣠⠬• ⠙·⠚⠉⠁ Type Asterism Constellation Carina Stars 11 More information about Carina For centuries the southern sky held a single enormous constellation called Argo Navis, the ship of the Greek hero Jason. It was by far the largest ever drawn, and in the 1750s a French astronomer named Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who spent two years at the Cape of Good Hope cataloguing stars no European chart had covered properly, decided it was unwieldy and divided it into three: the keel, the stern and the sails. Carina is the keel, and it kept the best of the ship. Canopus is here, the second brightest star in the night sky, and so is the Carina Nebula, a cloud of gas and dust where new stars are forming that is both bigger and brighter than the more famous Orion Nebula, and less known only because it never rises for most of the people who write about the sky. Inside that cloud sits Eta Carinae, a star so massive and unstable that in 1843 it flared up to become the second brightest star in the sky, threw off a cloud of its own material, and survived. Etymology From Latin Reading Carina Literally the keel Argo Navis the ship, taken apart in the 1750s │ ┌────────────┬─────────────┐ Carina Puppis Vela the keel the stern the sails kept alpha kept zeta kept gamma The evolution of Carina over time -50,000 years ⢀⠴·⣄⡀ ⢀⠴⠉ ⠉⠑⠢⢄⡀ ⡤⠋ ⠈⠑⠒⠤⣀ ⡠⠋ ⠉⠒⠤⣄⡀ Aspidiske ⡠⠊ ⠉⠓⠦⢄⡀ ⣀⡤•⠤⠤⠤⣀⣀⣀⣀ Avior ⡠⠎ ⠈⠑⠢⢄⣀ ⣀⡤⠔⠊⠉ ⠈⠉⠉⠉⠙⠒⠒⠒⠦•⠁ ⠈⠙⠲⢤⣀ ⣀⡤⠔⠊⠉ ⠈⠉⠒⠤⡀ ⣀⡤⠔⠒⠉ Canopus ● ⡠⠖⠋· · ⢰· ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⡞ · •⡄ ⠘⡄ ⠈⠣⡀ ⢣ ⠈⠦⡀ ⠘⡄ ⠙⢤ ⢣ ⠑⢆ ⠘⡄ ⠓·⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⣀⣣ • Miaplacidus now ⢀·⢄⣀ ⢀⠔⠁ ⠉⠒⠤⣄⡀ ⢀⡔⠃ ⠉⠓⠢⢄⡀ ⢀⡰⠊ ⠈⠉⠒⠤⣀⡀ ⡠⠊ ⠉⠓⠦⢄⡀ Aspidiske ⣀⣀⣀⡀ ⣠⠚ ⠈⠑⠒⠤⣀ ⣀⡤⠔⠒⠉• ⠈⠉⠉⠉⠙⠒⠒⠒⠒⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⠞ ⠉⠓⠦⣄⡀ ⣀⡠⠤⠒⠉⠁ • Avior ⠈● Canopus ⢀⣠⠤⠒⠋⠁ ⢀⡠⠔·⠉ ⡀ ·⠁ · ⡇ ⢣ ⢠⠃ ⢸ ⠸• ·⠑⢄ ⠈⠢⡀ ⠈⠣⡀ ⠈⠢⡀ ⠈⢦ ⠈⠢⡀ ⠑⢄ ⠈⠢⡀ ⢀⣀⣈⡷ ⠈⠢⡤⠤⠤⠒⠒⠒⠉⠉⠁ • Miaplacidus · +50,000 years ⡤·⠤⣀ ⡠⠊ ⠉⠓⠦⢄⡀ ⢠⠎⠁ ⠈⠙⠲⠤⣀ ⣀⠞⠁ ⠉⠑⠢⢤⣀ ⢀⠔⠁ ⠈⠉⠒⠤⢄⡀ Aspidiske ⢀⡔⠃ ⠈⠙⠲⠤⣀ ⢀⡠⠤⠒⠉•⠉⠉⠉⠉⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠦⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⡰⠊ ⠉⠑⠢⠄ ⣀⠤⠖⠋⠁ • Avior ● Canopus ⣀⡤⠔⠊⠉ ⢀⣀·⠒⠉⠁ ⢀ ⢰·⠁ · ⢸ ⢸ ⡎ ⢸⡀ ⣇ ·⠙⠢⢄⡀ •⠱⢄ ⠈⠑⠢⢄⡀ ⠑⢤ ⠈⠑⠢⢄⡀ ⠑⢆⡀ ⢀⣠⠤⠔⠚• Miaplacidus ⠉⠦⡀ ⢀⣀⠤⠔⠚⠉⠁ ⠈⠢⣀⠤⠔⠒⠉⠁ · Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 4%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 2.7 degrees. Canopus drifts the opposite way to the other 10, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/Carina/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/Carina