Canes Venatici
Canes Venatici (/ˈkeɪniːz vɪˈnætɪsaɪ/) is one of the 88 constellations designated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for 'hunting dogs', and the constellation is often depicted in illustrations as representing the dogs of Boötes the Herdsman, a neighboring constellation.
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Canes Venatici | |
| Abbreviation | CVn |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Canum Venaticorum |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkeɪniːz vɪˈnætɪsaɪ/ KAY-neez vih-NAT-ih-seye, genitive /ˈkeɪnəm vɪnætɪˈkɒrəm/ |
| Symbolism | the Hunting Dogs |
| Right ascension | 12h 06.2m to 14h 07.3m |
| Declination | +27.84° to +52.36° |
| Area | 465 sq. deg. (38th) |
| Main stars | 2 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 21 |
| Stars with planets | 4 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 1 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
| Brightest star | Cor Caroli (Asterion) (α CVn) (2.90m) |
| Messier objects | 5 |
| Meteor showers | Canes Venaticids |
| Bordering constellations |
|
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −40°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of May. | |
Cor Caroli is the constellation's brightest star, with an apparent magnitude of 2.9. La Superba (Y CVn) is one of the reddest naked-eye stars and one of the brightest carbon stars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is a spiral galaxy tilted face-on to observers on Earth, and was the first galaxy whose spiral nature was discerned. In addition, quasar Ton 618 is one of the most massive black holes with the mass of 66 billion solar masses.