Have you ever wondered about the names of the stars in the Cancer constellation? If you study the stars and the night skies, you may be curious about the “Crab”. Here is some information you may find interesting, even if you are not into astronomy.
Cancer is one of the constellations with very few stars. In fact, the brightest star in Cancer is only of the 4th magnitude. The most noticeable star cluster in this constellation is known as Praesepe, which means “a multitude”, but is termed “the Beehive” in today’s world. Praesepe represents the breast of the crab.
Two of the more distinct stars in the Cancer constellation are North and South Aselli, also referred to as “the asses”, which comes from the asses ridden by Vulcan and Bacchus whose braying terrified the Titans. These stars represent the body of the crab.
Name of Stars in Cancer Constellation
According to another source, these two stars (North and South Aselli) are called Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, and represent the head of the crab. There are different opinions on some of the names of the stars in Cancer, but this will give you a general idea.
The alpha star of cancer is known as Acubens, which is also known as Sartan or Sertan, meaning “crab”. This is a double star that is white and red in appearance, and is found on the southern claw of the crab. Acubens lies about 135 light years away from the earth.
The best time to view cancer is in late January or early February, when the star cluster Praesepe appears as a beautiful object when viewed with binoculars. This constellation lies in the northern hemisphere, near Leo and Gemini.
These are the names of the stars in the Cancer constellation. This constellation is the weakest of all constellations, and most difficult to view. The stars form a faint “Y” formation, but this constellation isn’t readily visible with the naked eye.
There really isn’t as much to this constellation as there are others. If you enjoy studying the skies, you will be glad to know the names of the stars in the Cancer constellation. Even though this certainly isn’t the most well known, you will want to observe it through your telescope one crisp January evening!
