Earth & Sky

Northern Crown shines after dusk and before dawn

Tonight is Saturday, Nov 22 2008

You can spot the brilliant star Vega shining rather high in the western sky at nightfall. Vega will set late this evening, probably after your bedtime.

At nightfall and early evening, the bowl-shaped constellation Corona Borealis – the Northern Crown – shines to the lower right of Vega, close to your western horizon. You’ll need a dark sky to see this glittery semicircle of stars. See the pattern of The Keystone? It’s part of the constellation Hercules, and it lies between Vega and the Northern Crown. So you would be star-hopping from Vega, to the Keystone, to the Crown.

The brightest star in the Northern Crown is called by two names: Alphecca and Gemma. The star name Gemma means ‘bright one of the dish.’

The Micmac Indians living in southeastern Canada see this C-shaped configuration as the Bear’s Den, the home of Celestial Bear. For a few weeks at this time of year, Corona Borealis (the Bear’s Den) is seen in the western sky after dusk – and then, in the eastern sky before dawn. This double feature announces the coming of hibernation season.

Meanwhile, the Pawnee of the Great America Plains called Corona Borealis the Circle of Chiefs, noting that this star formation and the Peiades star cluster trade places in the sky every 12 hours.

Here’s a photo of the Northern Crown.

Written by Bruce McClure , 22 November 08