Editing Carina (constellation)

{{Short description|Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere}}
{{more references needed|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Carina
| abbreviation = Car
| genitive = Carinae
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|aɪ|n|ə|,_|k|ə|ˈ|r|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|kə|RY|nə|,_-|REE|-}}, genitive {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|aɪ|n|iː}} {{respell|kə|RY|nee}}<ref name="OED"/>
| symbolism = the [[keel]]
| RA = {{RA|06|02|59.7365}}–{{RA|11|20|37.4211}}<ref name=boundary>{{Cite journal | title=Carina, constellation boundary | journal=The Constellations | publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]]|url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#car | access-date=15 February 2014 }}</ref>
| dec= {{dec|−50.7545471}} to {{dec|−75.6840134}}<ref name=boundary/>
| family = [[Heavenly Waters (astronomy)|Heavenly Waters]]
| areatotal = 494
| arearank = 34th
| numbermainstars = 9
| numberbfstars = 52
| numberstarsplanets = 11
| numberbrightstars = 6
| numbernearbystars = 1
| brighteststarname = [[Canopus]] (α Car)
| starmagnitude = −0.72
| neareststarname = [[LHS 288]]
| stardistancely = 14.64
| stardistancepc = 4.49
| numbermessierobjects = 0
| meteorshowers =
  {{plainlist |
* [[Alpha Carinids]]
* [[Eta Carinids]]
  }}
| bordering =
  {{plainlist |
* [[Vela (constellation)|Vela]]
* [[Puppis]]
* [[Pictor]]
* [[Volans]]
* [[Chamaeleon]]
* [[Musca]]
* [[Centaurus]]
  }}
| latmax = [[20th parallel north|20]]
| latmin = [[South Pole|90]]
| month = March
| notes =
}}
'''Carina''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|aɪ|n|ə|,_|k|ə|ˈ|r|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|kə|RY|nə|,_-|REE|-}}) is a [[constellation]] in the [[southern sky]]. Its name is [[Latin]] for the [[keel]] of a ship, and it was the southern foundation of the larger constellation of [[Argo Navis]] (the ship ''Argo'') until it was divided into three pieces, the other two being [[Puppis]] (the [[poop deck]]), and [[Vela (constellation)|Vela]] (the sails of the ship).

== History and mythology ==
Carina was once a part of [[Argo Navis]], the great ship of the mythical [[Jason]] and the [[Argonauts]] who searched for the [[Golden Fleece]]. The constellation of Argo was introduced in [[ancient Greece]]. However, due to the massive size of Argo Navis and the sheer number of stars that required separate designation, [[Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille]] divided Argo into three sections in 1763, including Carina (the hull or keel).{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}} In the 19th century, these three became established as separate constellations, and were formally included in the list of 88 modern IAU constellations in 1930.<ref name=iau>{{cite book |last1=Delporte |first1=E. |year=1930 |title=Delimitation scientifique des constellations (tables et cartes) |bibcode=1930dsct.book.....D |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref> Lacaille kept a single set of Greek letters for the whole of Argo, and separate sets of Latin letter designations for each of the three sections. Therefore, Carina has the α, β and ε, Vela has γ and δ, Puppis has ζ, and so on.<ref name="Wagman">{{cite book |last=Wagman |first=M. |year=2003 |title=Lost Stars: Lost, Missing, and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas-Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYLvAAAAMAAJ |publisher=McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-939923-78-6}}</ref>

== Notable features ==
[[Image:Constellation Carina.jpg|thumb|left|256px|The constellation Carina as it can be seen by the naked eye]]

=== 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]].

=== Deep-sky objects ===
Carina is known for its [[Carina Nebula|namesake nebula]], NGC 3372,{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=100}} discovered by French astronomer [[Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille]] in 1751, which contains several [[nebula]]e. The Carina Nebula overall is an extended [[emission nebula]] approximately 8,000 light-years away and 300 light-years wide that includes vast [[star formation|star-forming regions]].{{sfn|Wilkins|Dunn|2006|p={{page needed|date=July 2012}}}} It has an overall magnitude of 8.0{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=101}} and an apparent diameter of over 2 degrees.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}} Its central region is called the Keyhole, or the [[Keyhole Nebula]]. This was described in 1847 by [[John Herschel]], and likened to a keyhole by Emma Converse in 1873.<ref name=appletons>{{cite book|title=Appletons' Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgMZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA818|year=1873|publisher=[[D. Appleton and Company]]|pages=818–}}</ref> The Keyhole is about seven light-years wide and is composed mostly of [[ionized hydrogen]], with two major star-forming regions. The [[Homunculus Nebula]] is a [[planetary nebula]] visible to the naked eye that is being ejected by the erratic [[luminous blue variable]] star [[Eta Carinae]], the most massive visible star known. Eta Carinae is so massive that it has reached the theoretical upper limit for the mass of a star and is therefore unstable. It is known for its outbursts; in 1840 it briefly became one of the brightest stars in the sky due to a particularly massive outburst, which largely created the Homunculus Nebula. Because of this instability and history of outbursts, Eta Carinae is considered a prime [[supernova]] candidate for the next several hundred thousand years because it has reached the end of its estimated million-year life span.{{sfn|Wilkins|Dunn|2006|p={{page needed|date=July 2012}}}}

[[NGC 2516]] is an open cluster that is both quite large<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Chartrand |first=Mark R |title=National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. |year=1991 |isbn=0-679-40852-5 |location=New York, USA |pages=470}}</ref> (approximately half a degree square) and bright, visible to the unaided eye.<ref name=":0" /> It is located 1,100 light-years from Earth and has approximately 80 stars, the brightest of which is a [[red giant]] star of magnitude 5.2. [[NGC 3114]] is another open cluster approximately of the same size, though it is more distant at 3,000 light-years from Earth. It is more loose and dim than NGC 2516, as its brightest stars are only 6th magnitude. The most prominent open cluster in Carina is [[IC 2602]], also called the "Southern [[Pleiades]]". It contains [[Theta Carinae]], along with several other stars visible to the unaided eye. In total, the cluster possesses approximately 60 stars. The Southern Pleiades is particularly large for an open cluster, with a diameter of approximately one degree. Like IC 2602, [[NGC 3532]] is visible to the unaided eye<ref name=":0" /> and is of comparable size. It possesses approximately 150 stars that are arranged in an unusual shape, approximating an [[ellipse]] with a dark central area. Several prominent orange giants are among the cluster's bright stars, of the 7th magnitude. Superimposed on the cluster is [[Chi Carinae]], a yellow-white-hued star of magnitude 3.9, far more distant than NGC 3532.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=104–106}}

Carina also contains the naked-eye [[globular cluster]] [[NGC 2808]].<ref name=":0" /> [[Epsilon Carinae]] and [[Upsilon Carinae]] are double stars visible in small telescopes.

One noted [[galaxy cluster]] is 1E 0657-56, the [[Bullet Cluster]]. At a distance of 4 billion light-years ([[redshift]] 0.296), this galaxy cluster is named for the [[bow shock|shock wave]] seen in the [[intracluster medium]], which resembles the shock wave of a supersonic bullet. The bow shock visible is thought to be due to the smaller galaxy cluster moving through the intracluster medium at a relative speed of 3,000–4,000 kilometers per second to the larger cluster. Because this [[gravitational interaction]] has been ongoing for hundreds of millions of years, the smaller cluster is being destroyed and will eventually merge with the larger cluster.{{sfn|Wilkins|Dunn|2006|p={{page needed|date=July 2012}}}}

=== Meteors ===
Carina contains the radiant of the [[Eta Carinids]] meteor shower, which peaks around January 21 each year.

== Equivalents ==
From China (especially northern China), the stars of Carina can barely be seen. The star Canopus (the south polar star in Chinese astronomy) was located by Chinese astronomers in the [[Vermilion Bird|Vermilion Bird of the South]] (南方朱雀, ''Nán Fāng Zhū Què''). The rest of the stars were first classified by Xu Guanggi during the [[Ming dynasty]], based on the knowledge acquired from western star charts, and placed among [[Chinese constellations#The Southern Asterisms|The Southern Asterisms]] (近南極星區, ''Jìnnánjíxīngōu'').{{clarify|date=December 2011}}

[[Polynesian people]]s had no name for the constellation in particular, though they had many names for Canopus.
The [[Māori people|Māori]] name ''[[Ariki]]'' ("High-born"),{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=201}} and the [[Native Hawaiians|Hawaiian]] ''Ke Alii-o-kona-i-ka-lewa'', "The Chief of the southern expanse"{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=198}} both attest to the star's prominence in the southern sky, while the Māori ''[[Atutahi]]'', "First-light" or "Single-light", and the [[Tuamotu]] ''Te Tau-rari'' and ''Marere-te-tavahi'', "He who stands alone".{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=229}} refer to the star's solitary nature.
It was also called ''Kapae-poto'' ("Short horizon"), because it rarely sets from the vantage point of New Zealand,{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=217}} and ''Kauanga'' ("Solitary"), when it was the last star visible before sunrise.{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=218}}

==Future==
[[File:SouthStar.gif|thumb|The Southern Celestial Pole migrates through the constellation Carina.]]
Carina is in the southern sky quite near the south celestial pole, making it never set (circumpolar) for most of the southern hemisphere. Due to precession of Earth's axis, by the year 4700 the south celestial pole will be in Carina. Three bright stars in Carina will come within 1 degree of the southern celestial pole and take turns as the southern pole star: Omega Carinae (mag 3.29) in 5600, Upsilon Carinae (mag 2.97) in 6700, and Iota Carinae (mag 2.21) in 7900. About 13,860 CE, the bright [[Canopus]] (−0.7) will have a greater declination than −82°.<ref>[[Stellarium (software)|Stellarium]] 0.16.0, setting time to that year.</ref>

== Namesakes ==
{{USS|Carina|AK-74}} was a [[United States Navy]] [[Crater-class cargo ship|''Crater''-class cargo ship]] named after the constellation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carina |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/carina.html |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |publisher=US Navy |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref>

the [[Toyota Carina]] was named after it.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

== See also ==
* [[Carina in Chinese astronomy]]
* [[List of brightest stars]]

== References ==
{{Reflist| refs =<ref name="OED">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/start;jsessionid=7F6C2A2CAD824371B2A647E655B723F0?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F27984%3FredirectedFrom%3DCarina|title=Home : Oxford English Dictionary|website=www.oed.com|accessdate=Jul 25, 2022}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>}}

;Secondary sources
* {{cite book
 | last = Levy
 | first = David H.
 | year = 2005
 | title = Deep Sky Objects
 | publisher = [[Prometheus Books]]
 | isbn = 978-1-59102-361-6
 | url-access = registration
 | url = https://archive.org/details/deepskyobjects00davi
  }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Makemson
 | first = Maud Worcester
 | year = 1941
 | publisher = [[Yale University Press]]
 | title = The Morning Star Rises: an account of Polynesian astronomy
 | bibcode = 1941msra.book.....M
 }}
* {{cite book
 | title = Stars and Planets Guide
 | last1 = Ridpath
 | first1 = Ian
 | author1-link = Ian Ridpath
 | last2 = Tirion
 | first2 = Will
 | orig-year = 2001
 | date = 2007
 | publisher = [[Princeton University Press]]
 | isbn = 978-0-691-08913-3
 | ref = {{sfnref|Ridpath|Tirion|2001}}
  }}
* {{cite book
 | last1 = Wilkins
 | first1 = Jamie
 | last2 = Dunn
 | first2 = Robert
 | year = 2006
 | title = 300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe
 | edition = 1st
 | publisher = Firefly Books
 | location = Buffalo, New York
 | isbn = 978-1-55407-175-3
  }}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|Carina (constellation)}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/crux/ The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Carina]
* [http://www.starrynightphotos.com/constellations/carina.htm Starry Night Photography: Carina]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081408/http://www.willig.net/Images/Astronomy/Pages/Nebulae.html#4 Eta Carina Nebula by Thomas Willig]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/carina.html Star Tales&nbsp;– Carina]
* [http://astrojan.nhely.hu/carina.htm The clickable Carina]
* [https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090219/sc_afp/sciencespaceastronomy Huge gamma-ray blast seen 12.2 billion light-years from Earth]

{{Stars of Carina}}
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[[Category:Carina (constellation)| ]]
[[Category:Constellations]]
[[Category:Southern constellations]]
[[Category:Constellations listed by Lacaille]]