|
Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Camelopardalis
Origin:
Camelopardalis (also called Camelopardus) is one of few northern
constellations which has no classical legends or myths associated with
it. The constellation was introduced by Johannes Hevelius to his star chart
in 1690 but the vast area of the sky was called the Giraffe as early as
1624 by Jakob Bartsch (son-in-law of Johann Kepler).
Information:
The brightest stars in Camelopardalis are only 4th magnitude so the area
of the sky appears barren (and in urban areas even devoid of
stars). The constellation boundaries cover 757 square degrees of
sky (making it the 18th largest constellation) but the stars make no
discernable pattern. The region of the sky is easily found,
however, since it is the large area between Ursa Major and Cassiopeia and north of Auriga. For northern observers the
constellation is circumpolar and, rising after Cassiopeia, is considered
a winter constellation. Camelopardalis is highest in the sky at 9
pm in mid-January. Being well away from the plane of the Milky Way
Galaxy, Camelopardalis is rife with galaxies millions of light years
away from the Milky Way. |
