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Winter: Orion   Canis Major   Canis Minor   Monoceros   Lepus   Eridanus   Taurus   Auriga   Camelopardalis   Lynx   Gemini   Cancer  
Spring: Hydra   Sextans   Crater   Corvus   Leo   Leo Minor   Ursa Major   Ursa Minor   Canes Venatici   Coma Berenices   Virgo   Bootes  
Summer: Draco   Corona Borealis   Hercules   Ophiuchus   Serpens   Libra   Scorpius   Sagittarius   Scutum   Aquila   Sagitta   Vulpecula   Lyra   Cygnus  
Autumn: Andromeda   Perseus   Pegasus   Cassiopeia   Cephus   Cetus   Lacerta   Delphinus   Equuleus   Capricornus   Aquarius   Pisces   Aries  
Southern Skies: Centaurus   Crux   Lupus   Corona Australis   Piscis Australis   Sculptor   Tucana   Fornax   Dorado   Columba   Puppis   Carina   Vela  
(alphabetical links)

CRATER

The Goblet

crater-jamieson-1822 (154K)
Crater - Celestial Atlas by Alexander Jamieson - 1822






Crater is Latin for goblet, and represents the cup of Apollo. Legend tells us that Apollo sent a crow (Corvus) to fill his cup with water. Getting distracted on the way by a tree laden with figs, the crow made Apollo wait much too long, and blamed his late arrival on a snake that barred his way. Apollo, being a god, knew the truth, and punished the crow by putting it in the sky on the back of Hydra, the fearsome many headed water snake that battled Hercules. Apollo also placed his goblet beside the crow, as an eternal reminder of his misdeed.

crater (35K)

Crater is a small constellation, but full of galaxies to challenge backyard astronomers. One of the brightest is the barred spiral galaxy, NGC 3887. It is positioned so that we see it face-on, allowing us to see a great deal of detail in its spiral arms. It has a magnitude of 11.3, and is 43 million light years away.

NGC 3511 and NGC 3513 are a striking pair of spiral galaxies visible together in the same field of view. They are magnitude 11.5 and 12 respectively, 46 million light years away. NGC 3692 is another spiral galaxy, magnitude 11.8, 76 million light years away. The photo below is the spiral galaxy NGC 3981, magnitude 12, 80 million light years away.

ngc3981-noao-cr (63K)
NGC 3981 - Spoiral Galaxy - Bill and Sean Kelly/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF





Extrasolar Planets

There are two stars in Crater that have been found to support planetary systems, but they are both beyond naked eye visibility. For more information see NASA's Planet Quest.


Alphabetical Links to the Constellations

ANDROMEDA   AQUARIUS   AQUILA   ARIES   AURIGA   BOOTES   CAMELOPARDALIS   CANCER   CANES VENATICI   CANIS MAJOR   CANIS MINOR   CAPRICORNUS   CARINA   CASSIOPEIA   CENTAURUS   CEPHEUS   CETUS   COLUMBA   COMA BERENICES   CORONA AUSTRALIS   CORONA BOREALIS   CORVUS   CRATER   CRUX   CYGNUS   DELPHINUS   DORADO   DRACO   EQUULEUS   ERIDANUS   FORNAX   GEMINI   HERCULES   HYDRA   LACERTA   LEO   LEO MINOR   LEPUS   LIBRA   LUPUS   LYNX   LYRA   MONOCEROS   OPHIUCHUS   ORION   PEGASUS   PERSEUS   PISCES   PISCIS AUSTRALIS   PUPPIS   SAGITTA   SAGITTARIUS   SCORPIUS   SCULPTOR   SCUTUM   SERPENS   SEXTANS   TAURUS   TUCANA   URSA MAJOR   URSA MINOR   VELA   VIRGO   VULPECULA  

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