Editing Carina (constellation) (section)

=== Stars ===
{{See also|List of stars in Carina}}

Carina contains [[Canopus]], a white-hued [[supergiant]] that is the second-brightest [[star]] in the night sky at magnitude −0.72. Alpha Carinae, as Canopus is formally designated, is 313 [[light-year]]s from Earth. Its traditional name comes from the mythological [[Canopus (mythology)|Canopus]], who was a navigator for [[Menelaus]], king of Sparta.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

There are several other stars above magnitude 3 in Carina. [[Beta Carinae]], traditionally called Miaplacidus, is a blue-white-hued star of magnitude 1.7, 111 light-years from Earth. [[Epsilon Carinae]] is an orange-hued giant star similarly bright to Miaplacidus at magnitude 1.9; it is 630 light-years from Earth. Another fairly bright star is the blue-white-hued [[Theta Carinae]]; it is a magnitude 2.7 star 440 light-years from Earth. Theta Carinae is also the most prominent member of the cluster [[IC 2602]]. [[Iota Carinae]] is a white-hued supergiant star of magnitude 2.2, 690 light-years from Earth.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

[[Eta Carinae]] is the most prominent [[variable star]] in Carina, with a mass of approximately 100 [[solar mass]]es and 4 million times as bright as the Sun.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}} It was first discovered to be unusual in 1677, when its magnitude suddenly rose to 4, attracting the attention of [[Edmond Halley]].{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=101}} Eta Carinae is inside NGC 3372, commonly called the [[Carina Nebula]].{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}} It had a long outburst in 1827, when it brightened to magnitude 1, only fading to magnitude 1.5 in 1828. Its most prominent outburst made Eta Carinae the equal of [[Sirius]]; it brightened to magnitude −1.5 in 1843. In the decades following 1843 it appeared relatively placid, having a magnitude between 6.5 and 7.9.{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=101}} However, in 1998, it brightened again, though only to magnitude 5.0, a far less drastic outburst. Eta Carinae is a [[binary star]], with a companion that has a period of 5.5 years; the two stars are surrounded by the [[Homunculus Nebula]], which is composed of gas that was ejected in 1843.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

There are several less prominent variable stars in Carina. [[HD 84810|l Carinae]] is a [[Cepheid variable]] noted for its brightness; it is the brightest Cepheid that is variable to the unaided eye. It is a yellow-hued supergiant star with a minimum magnitude of 4.2 and a maximum magnitude of 3.3; it has a period of 35.5 days.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

[[V382 Carinae]] is a [[yellow hypergiant]], one of the rarest types of stars. It is a [[slow irregular variable]], with a minimum magnitude of 4.05 and a maximum magnitude of 3.77.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VSX : Detail for V0382 Car |url=https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=6135 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=www.aavso.org}}</ref> As a hypergiant, V382 Carinae is a luminous star, with 212,000 times more luminosity than the Sun and over 480 times the Sun's size.<ref name="cepheids">{{cite journal |last1=Groenewegen |first1=M. A. T. |year=2020 |title=Analysing the spectral energy distributions of Galactic classical Cepheids |journal=[[Astronomy and Astrophysics]] |volume=635 |pages=A33 |arxiv=2002.02186 |bibcode=2020A&A...635A..33G |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201937060 |s2cid=211043995}}</ref>

Two bright [[Mira variable]] stars are in Carina: [[R Carinae]] and [[S Carinae]]; both stars are [[red giant]]s. R Carinae has a minimum magnitude of 10.0 and a maximum magnitude of 4.0. Its period is 309 days and it is 416 light-years from Earth. S Carinae is similar, with a minimum magnitude of 10.0 and a maximum magnitude of 5.0. However, S Carinae has a shorter period—150 days, though it is much more distant at 1,300 light-years from Earth.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

Carina is home to several [[double star]]s and [[binary star]]s. [[Upsilon Carinae]] is a binary star with two blue-white-hued giant components, 1,600 light-years from Earth. The primary is of magnitude 3.0 and the secondary is of magnitude 6.0; the two components are distinguishable in a small amateur telescope.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}
[[File:Diamond cross.png|thumb|The Diamond Cross as highlighted in the constellation of Carina.]]
Two asterisms are prominent in Carina. The 'Diamond Cross' is composed of the stars [[Beta Carinae|Beta]], [[Theta Carinae|Theta]], [[Upsilon Carinae|Upsilon]] and [[Omega Carinae]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Diamond Cross |url=https://www.constellation-guide.com/diamond-cross/ |website=Constellation Guide |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref> The Diamond Cross is visible south of 20ºN [[latitude]], and is larger but fainter than the Southern Cross in [[Crux]]. Flanking the Diamond Cross is the [[False cross]], composed of four stars{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}} - two stars in Carina, [[Iota Carinae]] and [[Epsilon Carinae]], and two stars in Vela, [[Kappa Velorum]] and [[Delta Velorum|Delta Velorum{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}]] - and is often mistaken for the Southern Cross, causing errors in [[Celestial navigation|astronavigation]].