Canes Venatici (abbr. CVn, gen. Canum Venaticorum)
The Hunting Dogs; a small, faint northern constellation,
surrounded by Ursa Major to the north, Boötes
to the east, and Coma Berenices to the south.
Its only star brighter than magnitude 4.0 is Alpha2 CVn, or Cor
Caroli (visual magnitude 2.89; absolute magnitude 0.89; spectral type
A0Vp; distance 82 light-years; R.A. 12h 56m 2s, Dec. +38° 19' 03").
Its second brightest star, Chara, however, is of
great interest because it has been ranked as the nearest Sunlike
star most likely support life. Canes Venatici is particularly well-endowed
with galaxies. See below for details of the constellation's interesting
deep sky objects.
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Canes Venatici. © 2003 Torsten
Bronger.
Copied here under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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| Objects of interest |
| Name |
Type of Object |
Notes |
| Y CVn (La Superba) |
star |
See separate entry |
| M3 (NGC 5272) |
globular cluster |
One of the brightest of its class, it looks like
a small comet through binoculars. Magnitude 6.4; diameter 10;
R.A. 13h 41m, Dec. +28° 32' |
| Whirlpool
Galaxy |
galaxy |
M51 (NGC 5194). See separate entry |
| Sunflower
Galaxy |
galaxy |
M63 (NGC 5055). See separate entry |
| M94 (NGC 4736) |
galaxy |
A face-on Sab-type spiral with a very bright core.
Magnitude 8.2; size 11.0' × 9.1'; R.A. 12h 50m, Dec. +41°
17' |
| Canes Venatici
I Group |
cluster of galaxies |
See separate entry |
| Canes Venatici
II Group |
cluster of galaxies |
See separate entry |
Related categories
NOTABLE
STARS NEBULAE
AND STAR CLUSTERS GALAXIES
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