Corona Australis, the Southern Crown, is a small ancient constellation, an arc of faint stars beneath Sagittarius that hides a nearby nursery of stars.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 5 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Gamma Coronae Australis, 56.4 light-years (17.3 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Theta Coronae Australis, 558 light-years (171 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 9.9 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Corona Australis
Corona Australis is one of the constellations catalogued by Ptolemy, a curve of stars below the bow of Sagittarius. It was seen as a wreath or crown, the southern partner of Corona Borealis. None of its stars is bright; Meridiana, the brightest, is a white star, and the arc as a whole is best appreciated from a dark site.
Behind the arc lies one of the nearest regions of star formation, the Corona Australis cloud, a dark lane of dust against the bright Milky Way where young stars are still embedded in the gas they formed from. Small reflection nebulae glow where their light catches the dust. The crown is best seen from the southern hemisphere on winter evenings, the northern summer.
What you see in the piece
From Earth the crown is a neat curve. Fly out with CONSTELLATIONS on and nothing holds the curve together: Gamma Coronae Australis is close to the Sun while Theta Coronae Australis lies far beyond it.
Questions
Where is the Southern Crown?
Just south of the teapot of Sagittarius, in the summer Milky Way of the north and the winter sky of the south.
How far away are the stars of Corona Australis?
The nearest star of the figure is Gamma Coronae Australis, 56.4 light-years (17.3 pc) away, and the farthest is Theta Coronae Australis, 558 light-years (171 pc).